The Kindred Spirits [AWAITING EDITS]

II

Four wagons clattered along the uneven surface slowly descending the gentle slope of a mountain. No sat on the roof of the leading wagon trying to ignore a million thoughts jostling for his attention. Most of those stray ideas were no longer relevant, people dead for eons or cities long turned to dust. His inner mind focused on the word dust for a moment making him acutely aware of how much of it was on his fur, the carriage, and the flats below.

The world was once a green garden, a dangerous place but still teeming with life. And now? A wasteland with pockets of life. One of the thoughts managed to connect with his mind. To be fair, I saw very little of the world since I woke up. Another part of him made a rebuke. He let out a loud sigh jumping from a moving vehicle before he started arguing with himself.

With a few fast steps, he was by the Carolines side. She was riding a brown mountain pony which snorted and danced away as he approached. Wagons, horses and camping supplies were rented in a small town named Irine's rebuke. Apparently, the founder of the town was a deserter from Three Banners war who stole some mechanical vehicles called tanks and together with her unit made a fort on this side of a mountain making it last settlement before the Grand Desert to the east.

"Hey, cat. Your little stray half-breed is still in the wagon. She hasn't spoken to me or any other Kindred. What did you do to her?" Caroline asked eying him below the rim of her hat.

"Nothing." No said sharply. "You think we will reach Irine's rebuke by midday?"

Caroline spat to the side and rose her eyes to the sky and then off into the distance.

"We better. My boys tell me we have a tail. I want those turrets at Rubuke between us and whoever is on our trail."

"You wager it's same folks that have been hounding us since we left Bittersprings?" No asked inhaling hot air and trying to distinguish the different smells. It was a futile effort. His sense of smell was far better than regular humans but not that much better.

"No doubt about. But they are smart about. I bet they still think they are undetected."

"They? You sure there are more than one?" No asked. It's hard to hide in the desert, they probably waited for them at a mountain pass and resumed their skulking once No and his posse got back from the sands.

"Yep, sneaky bastards. But they ain't Kindred." She said with pride.

No nodded in agreement. Kindred was a group of humans who studied under his master. They all wanted to relearn the crafting of magic humans once knew. But none of them could mold anima. Humanity lost that ability after Sundering of realms but his master is convinced that is about to change. So he gathered many different people and trained their minds so that one day they could wield the power once again. Not that they needed it now. Humanity made technologies that rivaled magic of old.

The doors of the leading wagon opened and Rowana clumsily jumped out. No noticed she was fully clothed now and felt a slight disappointment at that. Which surprised him.

"When will I meet your master?" She asked No.

"Oh, the Anadori princess speaks," Caroline said slowing down her pony. Rowana ignored her and stared at No.

"He will become your master as well if you go through with transformation." No replied. They kept walking keeping pace with slowly moving wagons.

"I ... will it hurt?" She asked looking at her feet as they marched.

"Yes. Like no pain you ever felt before." No admitted flatly.