For two days, we rode hard and slept light. Meon and his hunters were a mixed lot. Some were burly and strong, riding larger horses and dressed in leathers that were probably sweltering in the heat. Others were lean, a mix of women and young men who kept their horses small and their gear light. And of course Tali and her riders were built for speed, but they reigned it in so the whole group could keep up.
We went by night, as to be expected, and slept or rested in the day. Puko contented himself to playing by weaving between the horses, sitting on one of his friends, or taking to the sky and hunting lizards and other poor desert creatures.
But for as content as Puko was, I grew concerned with each passing hour. What curse could be upon the Stone of Souls? I had no experience with curses, my closest encounter was the seal that bound my magic, and that was gladly accepted on my part. I was thankful to be with Nassir and Schula, both of which had much more experience in the world and the ways of magic. I knew they could tell something was getting under my skin, I just wasn't ready to talk about it yet.
It was the middle of the night on the third day when we finally reached a low part of the sands. The earth wasn't buried so deep, the air wasn't so dry. We were reaching the edges of the desert, and I hadn't even realized it until now, it was so gradual.
Tali whistled for a break, and the horses and riders were all rounded up in a circle. The horses were watered, and the people broke for a meal. My rider helped me off the horse, and Schula was already there to see how I was doing.
"I might be getting used to it a little," I admitted. "But I'm still sore."
"It comes with practice." Schula shrugged. "I'm a bit sore too, but I seem to be healing it away faster than you."
"Well we're two different things, Wyldes or not," I grumbled. "Oh, but I was going to ask, does it seem like we've stopped sooner than we should have?"
"Hm, perhaps." Schula looked around at the Khusuru who were caring for the horses. "There is Kai, he may know."
I shrugged, with nothing else to do until I was given food or instructions by Tali and her riders I figured we could talk to Kai. He was giving his horse over to someone who was gathering a few around a water trough. Nassir was nearby, talking to someone about those spear and curved wood things they carried.
"Oh, wait. I want to learn about those," I said, veering away.
"By all means," Schula said with a chuckle. "Go ahead. I'll talk to Kai anyway. Have fun with Nassir."
I wandered over to Nassir and one of Meon's hunters. A lean boy on the verge of manhood at the stage where they are all limbs and big feet but no muscle yet and height they are unfamiliar wielding.
"Hello, aoyi'ka." The man-boy greeted. "I was just showing your attendant my atlatl. Are you interested as well?"
"My attendant?" I asked, looking to Nassir.
He gave me a big, toothy grin and a shrug. "Of course, aoyi'ka. What else would I be?"
I rolled my eyes and turned back to the boy. "You can call me Wren you know. And yes, I've been interested in those since I arrived at your camp. It's called an atlatl?"
"Yes, this piece here is used to assist in the distance and force behind the dart." He held up the spear, and showed me a small recess in the dull end of it. "See, you place the dart on this part of the thrower, and rest the shaft on the other."
He lifted the curved wood, the short spear suspended completely by the wood without him touching it.
"Ooh, I see." I looked closer at how he held it. So how do you throw it?"
He grinned and turned to a space of empty sand. "Like this!"
Using the curved piece, the thrower, he launched the dart forward until it flew through the air and landed on the sand.
"That's a good distance," I said. "And you hunt with these?"
"Yes, or defend the Khusuru if needed." He ran to retrieve his dart and a hand was placed in my arm.
"Aoyi'ka, we eat now and walk after," Tali said, directing me to a set of mars and food under a shade they had already set up.
"Oh, okay." She didn't really wait for a reply before walking over to the shade herself.
"I suppose we're nearly there," Nassir said. "I wonder if this Stone of Souls is the shape I feel in the distance."
"You feel it?" I looked around. "How big is it?"
"It isn't very tall," he answered as we walked. "You may not see it over the dunes of sand, but it's very long. It would be difficult to miss."
I still couldn't see anything, and we had arrived for lunch, so I gave up for now. I'd see it soon enough anyway.
"Wren," Schula greeted me. "We're going to the stone on foot after this. We stopped so the horses can't get caught up in the curse."
"Oh," I sat down next to Schula, and Nassir took my other side. "I wondered what we would do with such a big group once we got there. Not only do I not know if I can break a curse, I don't know that I want to try in front of so many people."
"Aoyi'ka," Tali said from across the mats. "You will be shown by some hunters and me where to go, then we do as you command."
I frowned. I didn't want to command anyone, but I did need them to at least show me what the problem was. "Um, can you tell me more about this curse before we get there?"
Tali nodded and made the sign against evil over her chest. I'd seen it a few times now, whenever the Mist walker was brought up.
"A thick... a thick..." Tali frowned and waived a hand at Kai to lean in. She whispered to him for a minute, then Kai sat back up.
"A thick miasma is in the air, making anyone who goes near it sick. It has even killed some. The sickness is foreign to the sands, and the Khusuru have been able to keep it somewhat quiet but the other tribe shamen and headmen all know what's going on. They want to keep the number of sick as small as they can."
"Understandable," Schula said. "So it's a thickness in the air? Is there a center to this miasma or is it a general cloud of ill will?"
"It stays around the Stone of Souls," Tali responded. "You can even see it in the air if you look."
"Has it spread from there since you first noticed it?" Nassir asked. "Or has it stayed roughly the same size?"
"The same, I think," Tali said. "Come, eat, you will see what I'm talking about when we get there."
She motioned to the food and we let the curse go for now. Once the people and the animals were fed, I watched as many of the riders and several of the hunters began to make a more permanent camp. They erected one of the tents like what we saw at the Khusuru village, and two men were constructing a smaller version of the stove I saw from the eating tent the morning we left.
"Many of the group here will stay," Kai said softly from the other side of Schula. "I'm to be one of them, since I am not allowed near the sacred site."
"But, you're our guide," I said. "I don't feel good about leaving you behind."
Kai shrugged. "I honestly feel better with you three against the curse than I do among all these Khusuru when I don't have any power here. But it's not my call to make."
I frowned, opening my mouth to say something but Nassir put a hand on my shoulder. "We understand, I wouldn't want to make your strained relationship with the tribes worse."
Kai nodded. "It's better with some than with others. It's nothing I feel the need to improve upon anyway. I'm happy as long as they don't stop me from roaming the sands."
I sighed and sat back. I still wasn't happy about it, but I let it go. I was told to follow the red star across the desert, and it didn't feel right to leave him behind.
"Aoyi'ka," Tali stood from her seat and waved for me to come to where she was walking. "Let me show you the others."
I stood, and Schula and Nassir followed me as I went with Tali to meet three of the hunters. The man-boy that showed me his atlatl was one of them.
"This is Jai," Tali pointed to the oldest who nodded. "This is Bada, and this is Koen."
Bada was one of the women hunters, and she looked fierce in her leathers with her atlatl. Koen was the one who showed me the weapon in the first place.
"It's nice to meet you," I said. "Please call me Wren. This is Schula, and this is Nassir."
"Caw!" Puko landed heavy on my shoulder and gave me a peck on the head.
"And this, is Puko," I said with a sigh. The hunters took a step back for a moment, but then Koen was brave enough to smile and reach out to touch him.
"Go on," I smiled. "He likes scratches."
And that was all it took for the hunters to warm up to the mischievous raven.
As soon as pleasantries were exchanged, Tali motioned for our packs to be brought to us, and two of her riders ran them over. "It is time to go, aoyi'ka. We four will show you to the Stone of Souls."
"With our packs?" I asked.
She shrugged. "We don't know how long it will take you to lift the curse. If you must stay the day, you will want your food and water at least."
That made sense, so I thanked the rider who handed me my own pack and I slung it over my shoulder. Nassir and Shcula did the same.
"No horses from here, now we walk." Tali spoke, then turned south and left. Her abruptness took me off guard, because I didn't realize we were leaving in that exact moment. But when the three hunters followed her, we followed after them in turn.
"I wonder what is making these people sick." Schula murmured. "It couldn't be another unseelie, could it?"
"I don't think so," Nassir answered. "But I don't presume to guess. There are still many wonders I've not seen before, I don't discount the possibility."
I smiled, it was a very Nassir answer to give. My hand trailed to my stomach where deep under my layers of clothing the pendant from Thain sat on my skin. I chewed the inside of my cheek, silently scolding myself for letting my mind and heart wander. Thain would be there when I got back, and I would have many stories to tell him. But if I didn't keep my mind on the task at hand, there was a real possibility I wouldn't be around to return to him.
I took a deep breath and focused my eyes southward. I saw a thin mound in the distance. It didn't raise very high, but it was low and wide. It must be what Nassir had described to me earlier.
"Is that it?" I asked without thinking.
"It is still far off, aoyi'ka," Tali answered.
Schula looked head though, and nodded to me. Nassir also gave me a silent nod.
We walked with our human escorts for a while before Tali pointed the mound out to me. "There, on the horizon."
"Thank you, Tali," I said.
"We will be there soon enough," Bada the huntress spoke up. "Beware the curse, the first sign is the numb fingers."
I looked down at my hands. Numb fingers. I couldn't imagine what kind of sickness started with losing feeling, but I didn't question it out loud.
"We will be wary of it," Nassir said. "Are there other signs?"
"Talking in tongues," Tali said. "Seeing things that are not there. Loss of breath."
"Strange," Schula commented. "I've never heard of that combination of ailments before. A poison of some kind?"
"Possibly," Nassir said. "We will have to wait and see."
As the moon sank lower, we finally reached a portion of the desert where the sand was barely a coating over the rocky ground. The Stone of Souls stood two people high and longer than the Khusuru village was wide.
"The air..." I found myself saying as we grew closer. If you looked just right, you could see the wave of vapors all around the large rock. When I wasn't distracted by the miasma, I looked through the vapors to see thousands and thousands of names carved into the stone face. Many of them looked to be several hundred years old.
"This is the Stone of Souls, aoyi'ka," Tali said. "Please, conduct your assessment."
I raised my eyebrow and glanced to Schula and Nassir who both shrugged. I let out a slow breath and walked forward.
"Well, I guess I'll need to look around first." I walked forward brushing my hand against the stone. It was old, it felt almost warm, alive.
"I can't sense an origin point," Schula said quietly.
"We may have to walk the entire parameter," Nassir suggested.
"Well," I sighed, turning to the others. "Let's go for a walk then. We've got a curse to break."