Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Chanirra ❯ Chapter 8

Chanirra opened his eyes then sat up in shock. They had stopped moving. He yawned then stretched, wincing in pain when he realized how sore his back was. He gazed around the area as Boruta lowered a limb so that Chanirra could climb down.

 

“We are here. I didn't want to wake you until it was necessary. There is a small pool over there. You can refresh yourself then take a nap on the surrounding grass. The others have not arrived yet so you can explore a bit if you wish,” Boruta said as Chanirra dropped down onto the ground. He stretched his legs then walked over to the pool. A bath might actually help relieve his sore muscles.

 

“Is the water warm?” Chanirra inquired and Boruta shrugged his branches.

 

“It's temperate. It's warm enough to soak in but drinking it may be a little uncomfortable.”

 

“I can deal with it.”

 

Chanirra removed his clothing and stepped into the water. He sighed in relief then closed his eyes. It wasn't a hot spring but it was nice. He leaned back in the water and allowed his hair to get wet.

 

“Boruta! What is that in the pool?” a voice demanded and Chanirra looked up. A female with scales in her marine colored hair stood before Boruta tapping her foot indignantly She wore a necklace made out of scallop shells and her dress was adorned with starfish. Chanirra gazed at her with interest as he stretched out his legs. He had never seen such a creature before.

 

“Undine, this is a Noyu warrior. I brought him along to explain the situation. Please be understanding with him. He has ridden on me for two days. He is exhausted,” Boruta replied as Chanirra stood up. Undine screeched in terror and turned away.

 

“Get some clothes on! Don't you know any better?!”

 

“I'm sorry I was just...well you don't know how uncomfortable sleeping in a tree is. I was only trying to ease the pain in my muscles. I can't afford any of them seizing up on me,” Chanirra replied.

 

“Just what do you mean by any of them?!”

 

“What should I mean?”

 

“Augh! Cover yourself up! You are indecent! And I thought humans had no shame when they swam in the ocean nude. Imagine them, dirtying up my beautiful water...I certainly didn't think it was the same thing up here.”

 

“You're overreacting, Undine. He did not mean any harm. I told him to do it. He has been through an awful lot,” Boruta said as Chanirra picked up his shirt.

 

“I did not mean to offend you. Boruta thought you all would be awhile yet. I'm clothing myself, see?” Chanirra said as he put on his shirt. Undine glanced at him then glanced quickly away.

 

“That is not the part I'm concerned with!” she cried and Chanirra looked confused.

 

“What are you concerned with then?”

 

“Why you brazen, insensitive...”

 

“Well someone's definitely set you off,” another voice said and Chanirra glanced up. A large bird with wings of fire landed in a dirt circle then looked at Chanirra. “Who's your friend?”

 

“This creature is not my friend. Do you realize how embarrassing it is to find a male bathing in the pool?” Undine asked and the bird glanced back at Chanirra.

 

“What were you doing in the pool?”

 

“I was trying to relax my muscles. Riding on Boruta can be quite demanding on one's body. I didn't mean to do anything wrong,” he replied.

 

“I see. But why are you only relaxing half of you? Was the upper part of you not affected?” the bird inquired and Chanirra shook his head.

 

“No. She told me to get dressed.”

 

“Why would you order him to bathe with his clothes on, Undine?”

 

“I did no such thing, Bennu. I arrived here and I found this...man bathing in the pool! Would you clothe yourself?!” Undine demanded.

 

“Are you feeling better now?” Bennu inquired and Chanirra shook his head.

 

“Not really. I'm sore, exhausted and really confused. I will get dressed to avoid conflict, though,” Chanirra said.

 

“Don't let her stop you from enjoying yourself, darling. I'm sure you need your rest,” another voice said and Chanirra turned around. A woman wearing a white fur coat and hat stood there and Chanirra looked at Boruta for an answer.

 

“Keep out of this, Auril. You just want to look at him Stop standing there like a fool and get dressed!” Undine cried and Chanirra backed up nervously.

 

“You're frightening him. Don't you think we should hear why Boruta brought him before you two start fighting over him?” Bennu asked and all eyes turned to Boruta.

 

“So tell us the story,” Auril said and Boruta sighed.

 

“A mortal in a town close to my clearing had the amulet necessary to call Valac,” Boruta said and Auril folded her pale blue arms.

 

“Or Nerull. He goes by many names after all.”

 

“We are speaking of a demon and not a god, are we not? I thought Nerull was one of the names mortals used for the death god,” Bennu commented and Auril nodded her head.

 

“That is true but Valac might be able to contact the death god. A lot of demons seem to have that ability after all,” Auril said and Undine folded her arms.

 

“Why was the human trying to summon Valac?” she asked and Boruta sighed.

 

“He wanted to redo the world in his own image,” Boruta replied.

 

“Humans. Sometimes I wonder why they exist,” Auril said then glanced at Chanirra. “They aren't half as cute as he is.”

 

“What is he? I don't think I've ever seen one in my region,” Bennu said.

 

“He is a Noyu warrior. He was hired by the owner of the amulet to retrieve it,” Boruta said.

 

“And he failed.”

 

“No he succeeded.”

 

“Then what's the problem?” Auril asked.

 

“When he killed the human, the human laid a spell on the people of the town. They will stop at nothing to get the amulet back so the sorcerer can summon Valac,” Boruta replied.

 

“But if the sorcerer is dead...”

 

“It is quite possible that the spirit of the dead sorcerer has inhabited a member of the town. He could, quite truthfully, be controlling the entire town.”

 

“I see why you called the meeting then. We've got to come up with a way to stop them,” Bennu said and Boruta nodded his head.

 

“Right.”

 

“Is the amulet here?” Undine asked and Boruta glanced at Chanirra.

 

“That's why I brought him along. The amulet is in his possession,” Boruta replied.

 

“Well at least he's dressed now.”

 

“I liked him better when he wasn't dressed. I like hot-blooded men. I may be the spirit of snow and ice but my soul is always on fire. I sometimes go out looking for warm men, you know,” Auril said.

 

“Shut up you vixen,” Undine said and Chanirra looked at Auril.

 

“You don't look like a fox at all,” he said and Auril walked up to him.

 

“What kind of man are you? I've never seen anyone like you before. Are you a new breed?” she inquired as she touched his shoulder. Chanirra shivered and moved away from her.

 

“He's part wolf,” Boruta said and Auril looked interested.

 

“I've got wolves in my area. Would you like to visit me sometime?” Auril asked and Chanirra looked interested.

 

“What kind of wolves?” he inquired.

 

“Can we deal with the problem first before you make plans? You can be so insensitive Auril,” Undine said as Chanirra sat down on the grass.

 

“Hey it's not every day there's a man here,” she said.

 

“It's not every day we have a meeting here,” Bennu said and Chanirra yawned.

 

“It's not every day we have a crisis like this,” Boruta said. “Lie down if you want, friend. I know you're tired. You put up with an extremely long trip. He acted like a true warrior.”

 

Chanirra lay down on the grass and closed his eyes. Bennu gazed at him for a moment then turned his attention back to the others. Auril smiled at him then glared at Undine who had angrily raised her hand.

 

“Pay attention will you?!” she demanded and Auril yawned.

 

“Are we discussing anything important? I haven't heard any concrete ideas yet.”

 

“Both of you stop arguing. I don't know how much longer the forest can hold the town at bay and if someone should light a torch...” Boruta said then shuddered.

 

“I think the sensible thing to do is to remove the spell on the amulet. Once that is dispensed with, the townspeople will have no reason to fight for it,” Bennu said and Boruta nodded his head.

 

“That's what I was thinking. Will the master of the sands be joining us at all?”

 

“I don't think so. There was an uprising in one of the countries in the desert and he stayed behind to watch. Why anyone would want to live in a waterless land is beyond me,” Undine said.

 

“If you remove the spell from the amulet, can you keep it intact? The owner wanted it returned completely unharmed,” Chanirra said and the spirits looked at him.

 

“It has a master?” Bennu inquired and Chanirra nodded his head.

 

“It is an heirloom. Turath, the sorcerer stole it from a noble's house. The noble is quite keen on getting it back unscathed.”

 

“This noble, where does he live?”

 

“To the west near Emerald Glenn.”

 

“Emerald Glenn. Ah yes, the land native to faerie folk and the likes. Your noble is a faerie? I didn't realize they had such a class system.”

 

“No. The noble is a man who lives on the outskirts of Brierwood. Brierwood is the town directly north of the glenn. He lives at the edge of the glenn to protect the faerie folk. It has been his ancestral duty ever since Brierwood was founded.”

 

“Ah. I see.”

 

“Another human working to help others. I am most touched,” Boruta said and wiped some sap away from his eye.

 

“How did this man get such a powerful item then?” Undine inquired as Chanirra sat up.

 

“One of his early ancestors was an explorer. He found it in some ruins in the desert. To him, it was just a beautiful object and quite possibly, a charm. My employer said it had protected his ancestor from perishing when he became hopelessly lost in the desert,” Chanirra said and Bennu frowned.

 

“The master of sands could have kept him alive,” he commented and Auril folded her arms.

 

“He's nothing but a big show-off,” she muttered.

 

“But to a person who has never seen a spirit, good luck charms are most sensible,” Chanirra said. “Humans seem to have a belief that ordinary objects can protect them from harm and ward off evil. I can see the merit if the item has been blessed by a magic user, elf, or faerie but not if it's a simple thing lying on the road.”

 

“Humans can be a superstitious lot. The few that live up in my region have a habit of circling a particular stone two or three times before they go off hunting.”

 

“They practice similar rituals in my region but we cannot fault them for it. All species have their own sacred dances,” Bennu said.

 

“How are we going to remove the spell then?” Undine inquired.

 

“Let's study the amulet first. Perhaps we can come up with a solutions together. If I may, my friend,” Boruta said and Chanirra reached into his pocket and handed the amulet to the spirit. “I thank you.”

 

He held out the amulet so the other could see then handed it to Undine. Undine turned it around and gazed at some script written near the bottom of the skull. Boruta glanced at her with interest.

 

“Did you find something?” he inquired.

 

“I'm not sure. This script looks similar to the one the people in the port towns use. I can make some letters out but not all of them,” she replied. “We really need Set. He's the only one that can read this writing.”

 

“I don't know if we have time to travel to the desert. Besides, the further we take this amulet, the more danger we put the rest of the world in.”

 

“I could temporarily freeze them over I suppose,” Auril said then glanced at Chanirra. “I wouldn't ask for much in return.”

 

“Stop trying to entice him!” Undine cried and Auril looked at her.

 

“Why? Do you want to?”

 

“Nevertheless, Auril had a good suggestion. If you could manage freezing just the town, it would be greatly appreciated,” Boruta said.

 

“Well I'll certainly give it a shot. I'll have to travel back with you to make it work, though.”

 

“Then I will take the warrior to the desert,” Undine said and Auril looked at her.

 

“Why?” she asked and Undine folded his arms.

 

“Because he is in charge of the amulet. I'm sure he wouldn't want to place it in my care. Not when his honor is at stake.”

 

“Yes that's true but...” Chanirra said and Undine shook her head.

 

“I can ferry you across the water to the desert. That's no problem.”

 

“But what will I do when I get to the desert? I've never been there before.”

 

“There's a secret area that I can meet Set at. We will go there and wait for him. Hopefully, we won't have a long wait.”

 

“I was hoping that I would have his company for a while longer but he must do what must be done. I will leave with Auril and explain to his companions what has happened,” Boruta said and Auril looked interested.

 

“There's more of them out there?” she asked and Boruta shook his head.

 

“The others are humans that helped him escape the rest of the town.”

 

“I swear, I'll never understand humans,” Undine said and Bennu flapped his wings.

 

“Then I guess I shall go home then?” he inquired and Boruta glanced at him.

 

“Unless you can think of any other suggestions,” he replied.

 

“No. For the moment that's the most workable solution we have.”

 

“How can I travel across the water? I'm not a fish,” Chanirra said and Boruta smiled.

 

“You can change yourself into something more seaworthy,” he replied.

 

“True but how will I get out of this place? I don't know how I got in here.”

 

“We conceal the entrance for a reason. There is actually an exit right over there. Bennu flies in of course but he can fly at heights no other creature can reach,” Undine said and Chanirra looked at a couple of rocks.

 

“So you're trying to tell me the exit is there, by those rocks?”

 

“Through the rocks. The rocks are only an illusion, handsome. Set's idea you know,” Auril said and Chanirra looked at her.

 

“What?” he asked and Auril smiled.

 

“It was his idea. Illusions appear in the desert I hear so he's an expert at them.”

 

“I thought illusions appeared in the snow also,” Bennu said and Auril glanced at him.

 

“They can but its rare. Mirages have something to do with the sun I believe. I'm not sure how it works,” Auril replied.

 

“Take my hand if you don't believe me and I'll show you,” Undine said and Auril took Chanirra's hand.

 

“I'll show him the way,” she said and Chanirra shivered.

 

“You're making him cold. Stop that.”

 

“I could freeze you if I really wanted to.”

 

“Don't even try. Bennu could melt you.”

 

“Do they always fight?” Chanirra asked and Boruta sighed.

 

“I should have warned you about this. I thought I would have had enough time to prepare you. Unfortunately Undine showed up earlier than I had planned,” Boruta replied.

 

“You said it was urgent so I came right away,” Undine said.

 

“Boruta I would like to ask a favor of you,” Chanirra said and Boruta turned his attention to him.

 

“Anything for you my friend. What do you wish?” he inquired and Chanirra stretched.

 

“Could you bring my traveling robe back here? I don't want to lose it. I still have a long way to go before I get home.”

 

“Of course. Bennu, that is something you could do. Would you mind accompanying me back to my home to pick up his robe? You could drop it off here on your way back home.”

 

“I suppose I can do that. It won't be too much out of my way,” Bennu replied and Auril smiled.

 

“You've got a warm heart, Bennu,” she said and Bennu blinked his eyes.

 

“I should think that's obvious.”

 

“I meant that you're compassionate.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Let's go, everyone. We're wasting time here,” Undine said and Auril smiled.

 

“You're just in a big hurry to see Set, aren't you?” she asked.

 

“I just want to take care of this. I don't want my region affected. Come on, boy.”

 

“I hope you don't expect me to run after you, wagging my tail behind me. I resent being treated like someone's pet,” Chanirra said and Undine glared at him.

 

“Just stay clothed and things will be fine,” she replied and began walking.

 

“Don't be too critical of her my canine friend. She really isn't all that bad. She just gets a little hot-headed,” Boruta said and Chanirra looked confused.

 

“What?” he asked.

 

“She gets stubborn. She can be really stubborn when she wants to be.”

 

“Well why is she taking it out on me? What have I done?”

 

“I don't know but try to get on her good side. It'll make your trip a lot easier.”

 

“I'll do my best.”

 

“Are you coming Boruta?” Auril asked and Boruta turned around.

 

“I'm coming. Best wishes my friend and Undine, treat him gently,” Boruta said and Chanirra watched in awe as they appeared to walk through the rocks.

 

“I told you it was an illusion,” Undine said and Chanirra rubbed his eyes.

 

“I just can't believe it.”

 

“Let's go. The river is that way.”