Servitude: The Hydrangea Chapters

Chp 11: An Expedition for Remains - Part 2

Alright, at least they have a plan. Marlina just stands there, waiting for Elek to lead so she can follow—more Construct-like behavior. But then again, she had just arrived yesterday and probably doesn't know where everything is kept.

Elek steps out of the infirmary and walks to an upper level of the building, walking up a circular incline with Marlina just a few steps behind. In one of the circular structures, they have established a vegetable garden.

The neatly planted vegetables resting in planter basins made of tightly stacked stones filled with soil, designed to allow excess water to filter through the rocks and flow into narrow channels in the floor. The planters are arranged in segmented sections according to the positions of the windows, allowing for controlled exposure to sunlight and providing the vegetables with the necessary sunlight for their growth.

Elek approaches a couple of planters with a sack in hand to collect some sweet potatoes and squash. Then, at what appears to be a composter, he covers his nose with the scarf. He puts on a gardening glove and sifts through it, pulling out a sweet potato infested with maggots and worms, Marlina unsure of why he wants it. From what he gathers in the garden, it isn't much to eat. However, it's just for him, but it also suggests they won't be in the desert for very long.

Returning to the lower levels, they approach a den with a few of the lizard steeds that pull their sleds. The room is cubic and has no windows; the only light source is a skylight above a few large rocks for basking.

As they enter, the fan-like scales on the sides of the lizards' heads shift toward Elek and Marlina. Being the closest she has been to one, she notices it doesn't have eyes. Elek then whistles, prompting the lizards to come closer.

As they linger nearby, Marlina hears whistling from the creatures. When one approaches Elek, he whistles again, and the lizard's long, narrow tongue flicks around him as if trying to identify him. It senses something else in the room; its tongue continues to flick, but it struggles to find Marlina. Typically, the way to help them is to whistle at them, but Elek isn't sure if she can.

"Can you whistle?" Elek asks.

Marlina shakes her head, her gaze on the lizard as she watches the tongue touch her, and then it becomes still. Its tongue touches her a few more times before it retreats, hissing, which the other lizards respond to as well.

Elek has only seen them act this way when they perceive something as a threat. The answer is unclear, but it can also be the dulled scent of hekoska blood on her that's causing them to behave this way. Having an idea, Elek tears the maggot-riddled potato and rubs the insides all over her arms and shoulders. Now coated in sweet potato and worms, Elek whistles behind her.

Hesitant, the same lizard approaches, its tongue flicking once more. Elek guides Marlina to hold out her arms, and the tongue licks some potato off her. Now that she has a treat, more of its tongue came out, which Marlina wasn't expecting to be so long. It extends a few feet and coils around her arm, the tongue covered in barbs further down from the tip, collecting the potato and maggots before pulling it back to enjoy the treat.

Elek whistles while it cleans her other arm. It seems calm for now, hoping that the smell of the potato will help it tolerate Marlina's presence. At least the others aren't hissing anymore and resume basking while keeping their distance.

When the lizard goes to a basin for a drink, Elek grabs a harness from the wall and fastens it to the steed while it drinks. Marlina approaches slowly, the fans on its head aware of her, flicking its tongue toward her a few more times before returning to drink.

"What are these things, Sir Elek?"

With Marlina's presence, Elek whistles softly at the lizard as if assuring it while securing the harness. "They're called braxl: docile yet skittish creatures, but very swift. They are loyal to those who provide food and a safe environment. Trust is a key principle for them, dependent on their sense of hearing and smell. You still have a hekoska's scent on you. As you noticed yesterday, with their tendencies to retaliate, the braxl's instinct warns them to be cautious around you. Whistles are how they communicate with one another, so we use them too as a way to connect with them." Taking hold of a bar on the harness near the braxl's lower back with one hand and the reins in the other, he guides it to where the sleds are kept.