Black Ice-Completed

Nyota stared after Avia, emotions choking her when a giant paw of a hand landed roughly on her shoulder. Giving a start, Nyota looked up into Zar’s grizzled face, “Better go laoba karmia. Your friends are causing a good distraction but it’ll only last so long.”

Frowning, she took one more peek over the counter before she made her way into the dimly lit tunnel to begin the crawl. When the door closed behind her, leaving her in complete darkness, fear engulfed her as it swamped her senses. She could hear her heartbeat grow louder and her breathing became more rapid.

Gulping as she tried to battle through the hyperventilation, she slowly moved forward, and as she did, the tunnel began to glow a soft blue light. A smile crossed her face as she looked at the walls and found small fuzzy blue caterpillars. At each section of the caterpillars bodies, antennas protruded out, the ends giving a soft blue glow.

She wasn’t sure how long she was in the tunnel but it didn’t take her long to reach the end and as she crawled to a standing position, she turned and saw the tavern and heard several swords clashing.

Sighing in defeat at having to run, Nyota turned north and started the trek through the swamp, her heart heavier than she thought it would be at leaving her friends.

…..

It had taken several weeks to finally make it to the border of Uscyte and Marais. Not only did she have to avoid the cats that were scouring the swamp, but she also had to avoid the towns. It seemed that Beren wanted her alive to face the charges of thievery. There was a thousand gold coins on whoever brought her in.

The one time she had gone into one of the minor towns to gather more supplies, she had been chased by multiple bounty hunters. It had taken several days to lose them within the swamp. She knew some of them had died not by her, though she had certainly killed a few, but by the swamp and its ever changing ways.

Nyota found it easier to travel as her wolf, but kept to the thicker and darker parts of the swamp.

As she made her way north, she found the swamp becoming hotter and more humid than it had been south. Nyota had to stop travelling during the days and only go by night. It was slow going because at night the animals came out to hunt and Nyota had gotten attacked many times by bigger animals. Other times she couldn’t leave her hiding place because she was so sick that she couldn’t move. During those times she missed Skotadi and its cool forests.

When she finally made it to the border, she felt little relief because the edges of the swamp were nothing but brittle leaves and sand that continuously blew into her eyes and nose.

Making her way west along the border, Nyota would have to dodge back into the swamp to replenish her water often. She knew that she would have to reserve what water she had when she entered fully into Uscyte and became more nervous about it as she travelled.

Finally, Nyota made it to the Shamani River. It was a river that flowed through all the lands. It was more prominent between Axun and Skotadi because it tripled in size as it became the Great River.

Between Uscyte and Marais though, it spewed out of a mountain of rocks, falling down to the ground where it ran into the rivers of the swamp. But it was invisible when you entered Uscyte because it was an underground river in the Desert. When you entered Azgeta, it ran along the borders, frozen for all time as the temperatures remained frigid. The nation called it the Ice Floes and was considered extremely dangerous because of the Ice spiders that resided on and within the Floes.

Nyota had entered the desert after filling all her containers of water, and was thankful she had found the trail that led to Kalsavin. The other trails that would lead to the slave markets would be far more treacherous.

But if anything, the travelling was far more slower in the desert than in the swamp. Nyota could only travel at night. If she even tried to travel during the day, she would be sick within the hour and stay ill for several days, leaving her weak, and exposed to slave merchants. But while she moved at night, she had to constantly watch out for sand kroskisks and bat scorpions, deadly desert creatures that were almost invisible due to the sand.

Entering Kalsavin was a big disappointment to Nyota. She had heard tales of its extravagance and décor but as she made her way through the gates, she noted the many guards and soldiers that patrolled the top of the walls. Walking down the road she saw multiple stalls that lined the streets. Food, cloth, clothes, jewels and animals were everywhere, something was always being sold.

People were shouting out their wares. One stall was even selling blessings from the High Priest and the God Kaseen, “Ten gold pieces for a blessing! Want to get pregnant? Is your daughter not as pretty as what you like? Are your goats not giving you the milk that was promised? Just ten pieces of gold and your prayers will be heard and blessed within the week! Take a look at my daughter! She had the face of a goat, skin as pale as spoiled cream and hair as lanky as noodles. I travelled across the ocean to ask the High Priest for a miracle and he gave me his blessings! Now my daughter has a face that rivals Iryne, the Goddess of the Stars! Her skin is as bronzed as the warriors of Anikmar, the great War Commander who resides far across the ocean of Thorns! Her hair is now lush and full that a man could lose his way!”

Nyota looked at the woman that the merchant claimed was his daughter, her heart went out to her instantly. The merchant was correct in her beauty but all else was a lie. She was no daughter of his and her eyes held the glazed look of a woman who had given up her will to live. Nyota could see brusies on her arms and around her neck, underneath the pretty collar he had put on her to try to conceal them, you could see the blisters red and oozing. The woman was nothing more than a beaten slave.

“You there! Pretty Karmia with the red hair, buy a blessing and the God Kaseen will see to your desires!” the merchant said as he held up a stack of papers in Nyota’s direction.

Feeling revulsion, she shook her head and started to move away, ignoring her instincts to tear the merchant apart.

“Karmia, you must have a wish that you want to see fulfilled? Come and buy a blessing and once you pray to the High Priest and our most glorious God, your wish will come true!” the merchant said, thinking Nyota was just trying to haggle, “Just eight gold pieces, a good discount, for your first blessing!”

“I only pray to one God!” Nyota snapped, “And he’s not one that condones the right to imprison girls into slavery!” She growled and went to move away but the merchant came around his stall and locked his hands around her arm.

“Who are you to spew such blasphemy?” the merchant spat and tried to shake Nyota but was unable to budge her as she stood her ground, “Your God is nothing!” he hissed.

Nyota looked at the merchant's hand wrapped around her arm and then turned her eyes onto his, showing him the wolf within, “I am a daughter of Allaidh, the Great Wolf God. How dare you touch me!” she snarled and shoved the man way, flinging him into a stall.

As the dust cleared, the merchant came forward on his knees, “Please great laoba, have mercy!” he cried and began to blubber out praise and prayers to her.

Nyota felt her hackles raise and goosebumps crawl along her arms as she tried to move away, but the man had ahold of her and wouldn’t move. Instead he continued to blubber and moan. Nyota then heard noises behind her and taking a glance, she saw several guards making their way towards her. When the merchant saw them, he leaned back and cried out, “She’s trying to steal my merchandise! When I confronted her, she shoved me into my stall! She’s a disturber of the peace!” he shouted while pointing at her, his eyes shining brightly with glee.

Nyota knew that nothing she said would make the guards believe her, and while she could probably take three guards, she knew that more would come with the merchant making such a ruckus. Nyota wasn’t willing to indulge in a bunch of useless bloodshed caused by a stupid sycophant. So instead of drawing her sword, she turned and ran, darting in between stalls and alleys.

It was a merry chase, and Nyota thought she’d be able to get away when suddenly her luck ran out as she turned down an alley that led to a dead end.

Growling low, she punched the wall infront of her before turning around and slinging her pack off. She could hear the soldiers coming from aroud the corner when she felt a tug on her hand.

Jumping away in surprise, a snarl rising in her throat, when she looked and saw a small child looking up at her with wide hazel eyes.

“This way shireane Karmia,” the child said softly and picked up Nyota’s pack and turned around to dash into a door that Nyota hadn’t even seen.

Without even thinking about it, Nyota dove into the doorway and slammed it shut just as the guards turned the corner.