The Icon Unbound

Chapter Twenty, Part B - Rigel

This one may need some more editing. It's a little long for what I am trying to accomplish. Or maybe broken into a third part. Tell me what you think, my lovelies! --Elizabeth, UPDATED 06/28/2017

"Truer words. At an Inn though, I'll be more comfortable. This train has too many stowaways."

Saiph tilted his head. "There's just us, isn't there?"

"That's what I thought too, but look under here,"

Saiph arched an eyebrow but got on his knees to look under the car. He cursed when he saw the wrecked metal. "What did that?"

"A direwolf if you could believe it. This knucklehead," Rigel gestured to Arrow, "seemed to think it was a long lost pack member. He smelled the creature, and crawled after it, under the entire length of the car. There it was, as plain as day, chewing its way out, as if it had missed its stop. I swear it was going to take a bite out of me, when it just, pfft turned around and threw itself out of the hole it had made."

"Rigel, I know it has been very hard for you but tell me honestly, you're not trying to kill yourself, are you? And before you brush me off with one of your flippant comments, please remember that you just admitted to me that you climbed out from under a moving train, because you were chasing a dog? That's a little wild, even for you."

"How can I die when Era's murderer is still out there? Don't look at me like that. That's about as seriously as I can answer your question."

"She wouldn't have wanted you to die in a blaze of glory for her sake."

"No," Rigel said, heart burning with an emotion that had no name. "She wanted to live. With me. That's not going to happen, why should anything else?"

Saiph sighed and shook his head quickly. "She was a dear, sweet girl. I can't get it out of my head, something very important happened with her, around her. I don't know if her death was the first move in a larger gambit. I don't know if I'll ever make sense of it."

Rigel looked up at the sky, to hide his expression. Saiph could sense turns of fate and important events, but it was always too vague a gift to be truly useful. If there was something important about Era's death, the consequences were already occurring.

"Come on, let's go inside before mother finds out Meissa's learning to gamble."

"Something tells me that mother couldn't disapprove or distrust Corwin any more than she already does."

"I wonder what his interest is in all of this?"

"Please, no more mysteries or puzzles. I'm going to lose sleep tonight as it is wondering if that direwolf changed its mind and caught up to the train after all." They walked down the narrow corridor that felt much larger after being trapped in the underbelly.

Steeling his temper, he opened the door to his berth. There wasn't much to pack, but he wanted to be ready when they reached their destination. His bow could use tightening.

Days later, Rigel was sitting on his cot with his head in his hand when the train made a sharp turn. He looked up through his tiny window and saw a legend.

According to the stories, twenty years after the flood waters receded, when hope still flagged, the ancient Icons laid the foundations for the first tower to inspire people to rebuild. Building the high walls had caused many to come down from their mountain homes and make a new life in the fertile valley.