The Adventures of the Junior Phoenixes, Part 5: The Last Pendant

Chapter 6: Tierra Varitas

Chapter 6

     The small village of Tierra Varitas was a place Rain Fox would not forget for the rest of her life. She had seen small settlements when she had traveled to Egypt to learn from Aldous Nimblegrim the Sword Master; she thought they were quaint and surprisingly self-sufficient. Tierra Varitas, however, was a place that blew her mind. The majority of the citizens of Tierra Varitas (almost all of them Magical, along with a few Squibs) lived in rickety homes made of whatever materials the families could get their hands upon. There were homes made of pallets, spare particle board planks, leftover drywall slats, old canvas material, and tied-down tarps. Some had cinder block walls, but most of those homes only had one or two walls made of the cinder blocks, while the rest of the house was made of other materials. There was no indoor working plumbing; wash basins were outside of the home. Stray dogs floundered about in the village, feeding on any scraps left out. Little girls made dolls out of straw and corn husks. Boys made rude wands with Dittany stalks (brought in by Miguel and his men) and whatever broken branches they could get their hands on. Mostly all of the villagers were subsistence farmers who grew their own food. There were gnomes that wandered around the village, as well as small herd of Mooncalves that only came out during the full moon. The villagers would take the silvery dung that they would leave behind and sprinkle it on their crops of corn, beans, and lettuce, to great and profitable effect. The village was tucked in a valley, surrounded by rolling hills and semi-tropical forest.

     Life was simple and poor, Rain Fox thought, in Tierra Varitas. She learned that Miguel and his group provided many things to the village: Things like shoes, clothing, and magical materials like potion ingredients and healing elixirs. He brought them materials in a humble exchange twice a month; he would only accept baked goods in return (much to the pleasure of his people and himself).

     When they had first arrived to the village Destíne was fascinated by the gnomes and chased several of them about. Crock and Teller were given an old abandoned home made of old wood and tarps while Destíne and Rain Fox were allowed to stay in the home of an old witch Healer who had modest accommodations.

     After the head wizard of the village (a man named Señor Consuelo) held a feast in honor of their guests, Miguel spoke his farewells to the group and headed back to Veracruz. Crock went to the very poor Owlery that they had and wrote a few letters (a couple to his men and one to his first mate Noctem) before going to sleep in his temporary home. Teller stayed behind and served as a translator for both Destíne and Rain Fox, so that they could talk to the villagers. The villagers brought their musical instruments to the feast and played some very musing songs for their guests. Destíne danced with some of the village boys to the festive music while Rain Fox sat and smiled. She brought her swords and taught a few of the young boys how to handle a sword (they used their own long sticks and broken broom handles), much to their joy.

     Teller watched it all reservedly. He sipped from a bitter, sour Dirigible Plum tea (grown locally by the villagers, which Teller seemed to appreciate but the women thought were horrible) and kept an eye on Destíne and Rain Fox. He kept a keen ear open to the conversations around him, making sure none spoke of any ill will towards the group. He didn’t smile when the village elders made jokes about the Jarveys that would occasionally enter the village and harass the gnomes. He only gave a weak smile when Rain Fox would look his way. She worried about him. He had taken the news of Mared Malone’s death very hard. She knew he had cared for her very much. Her death, she thought, would take its toll on the already dour Teller.

     She thought of Spirit, too, when she had quiet time. After the festivities of their first night in Tierra Varitas she thought of Spirit Sandpiper and how tragic it was that she had died so young and brave. She thought of her sister and missed her. She thought of Star and was very worried about them, but she had hoped that the Iron Bull had gone to their aid.