Coil of Worlds

Chion, I don’t think this medallion is working like Cimma planned, Lara said as they walked away from the last shop in the chamber. They were looking for the coil in one of the intersecting market chambers, while Skye and Eiren searched elsewhere in the market.

As promised, Eiren did find Iago late yesterday evening; except, the man had already turned a profit on the coil. The coil was now in the hands of a woman who was clueless to the coil’s power. When Eiren finally located the market, the shops had already closed for the evening, forcing them to put their search on hold until this morning.

She was terrified they’d never find the coil. What if the woman sold it to another Kurite? She’d never be able to return home. Skye and she managed to escape the Pyranni prison cell unscathed, but losing the coil was a development she couldn’t yet comprehend. Lara refused to consider the possibility that she might be permanently stranded here. She’d find the coil before the day was out. She had to.

Couldn’t the swindling soldier have kept it a few more hours? Half the morning was gone, and they had yet to locate the woman fitting Iago’s description. At first they’d worked together, but then decided they’d cover more ground if they broke into pairs. Because neither Lara nor Skye looked like a Kurite, searching for the female merchant alone wasn’t an option.

Even with a paka standing beside her, no one was forthcoming. The townspeople and merchants darted suspicious and leery looks her way when they thought she wasn’t looking. After several people refused to respond to her questions, she grudgingly let Chion take over the questioning.

She was horrified when the last man they approached sent his children running for cover, afraid she’d harm them. It was inconceivable. Lara would never harm a child; they were too innocent.

All she did was smile at one of the scruffy children. The toddler had streaks of dirt on both her cheeks and forehead. Her playful wink at the child had alarmed the man for some reason. He scuttled behind his cart, hiding his body from her once the children were hidden in the back of his shop.

Lara thought they might be onto something. The merchant had turned skittish when questioned, his emotion poking at her thick shield. Lara was positive the man knew the woman Chion described. Yet, he was fervent in his denial.

What did you expect? Some Kurites have never seen anyone except other Kurites. After all, due to the human Kurites’ vulnerability to sunlight, we have become a reclusive society. Few of us have contact with other people outside our borders. Cimma’s medallion provides you protection from an attack. It does not buy you acceptance. You will have to endeavor to turn their distrust into acceptance. Besides, don’t forget these people are frightened of the Malirran threat.

I guess you’re insinuating that these people don’t know a real Malirran from someone from another world.

My Lady, I have never met a Malirran. You and Skye are quite possibly the only two people in all of Areth who have.

When they turned the corner, she whispered, Don’t leave just yet. That last man knew exactly who we were describing. I think if we wait him out, he’ll lead us right to her. She felt a little foolish. There was no reason to whisper, but she was caught up in the intrigue. Already giddy from her closeness to Chion, the excitement of being the hunter was intoxicating. For probably the first time, she wasn’t the prey.

You felt something from him?

She nodded her head and peeked around the corner before leaping back to safety. She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. Right. She was entertaining Chion with her antics. She explained at a more normal volume, He turned skittish when you described the woman. I mean…it isn’t hard to recognize her description. She has to be the only overweight Kurite in all of Areth.

He chuckled. We are not all thin. There are a few Kurites that are heavier.

“Well, I haven’t seen anyone fitting that description,” she muttered under her breath.

He moved around her to look through the open doorway. The man is still in his shop. Chion sat down and rubbed his cheeks against her. Speaking of weight, you are much thinner than when I last saw you.

I know. Even I can lose weight if I work out four to five hours a day for weeks on end.

Feeling a strange tingling against the shield around her, she poked her head around the corner and saw the man sneaking away. “He’s leaving.”

As soon as the man exited through the curtained doorway on the other side of the chamber, they vacated their position and followed him. They almost lost him several times in a matter of minutes, but each time either she or Chion would see a piece of the man’s colorful clothing. Chion used his big body to push through the crowded hallways, and Lara apologized when she elbowed them by accident. At last she saw the merchant head into another curtained entryway.

Chion accosted a passerby, Sire, do you know whether that chamber has a secondary exit?

The man looked where Lara pointed and said, “The rooms beyond the curtain are the private rooms of a woman merchant.” The young man gave her a slow appraisal, and his eyes gleamed with approval. He confided with a cocky smile, “I live in the next chamber over. You may visit me anytime.”

She groaned as the man ambled away. “Shameless flirt.”

His eyes focused on the curtain, Chion agreed with an absentminded grunt. He cocked his head at the doorway for a moment, listening for anyone on the other side. It’s time to retrieve your coil.

Lara was momentarily at a loss at how to knock on the woman’s curtained door, but Chion simply pushed his head through the thick curtain. Lara looked around the small chamber. A few stuffed pillows and an empty cooking pit were the only items that occupied the room. Skirting the pit, she trailed after Chion. Before Chion reached the second doorway, they both heard the soft conversation taking place on the other side of the curtain.

“You must return the coil to its rightful owner. It was sold to you under false pretenses.”

A high soprano voice sputtered, “But, Father, I paid for it. I didn’t know the guard lied to me. Alon and I were going to sell it tomorrow in the shop.” Lara’s brows lifted in surprise.

“I have already had two groups of people question me about the coil. They both described you. The woman and man both carried a medallion inscribed with Councilor Cimma’s house name. If you don’t want to come under Cimma’s attention, your husband and you cannot sell it. You must return it.”

“But Father, it’s mine. I bought it with yesterday’s earnings. Besides, I have no idea how to return it. You met them, not me.”

Lara put a stop to the family argument by pulling aside the thin curtain. They both scrambled up from where they sat. The woman screamed, her hands coming up to hide her face in fear.

Lara stepped back into the other room to show them she meant no harm, but kept the curtain fisted in her hand, leaving the doorway open. Lara grimaced. She had to have the coil, but she wouldn’t hurt them to get it. She just wanted the coil in her hands, safe and whole.

Proud her voice held a semblance of command, she said in introduction, “I’ll make it easy for you. I’ll take it off your hands now, so you don’t have to come find me. It’s mine after all, taken without my consent.”

The father scowled and accused, “It is ill-mannered to enter a Kurite residence without invitation.”

It is also impolite to lie to someone who is requesting information. Chion’s rebuttal zipped the man’s mouth shut. You could have explained the situation to us. Both My Lady and I would have listened and accompanied you to your daughter’s home. Instead, you forced us to use stealth to attain what we seek.

As the woman peered through her long hair, she asked, “My Lady? You claim this one as Tal’Ai?”

Lara shared a baffled look with Chion. What did it matter if they were Tal’Ai? “Yes, we’re Tal’Ai.”

The woman dropped her hands and squealed. A red flush spread across the Kurite woman’s cheeks and she smiled prettily. “I can’t believe a guard would steal anything from one of the Tal’Ai. It is an unforgivable act. Tell me he’s being punished. I swear by the Goddess he lied to me. He said it came from one of the awful Pyranni captives. He never said anything about a Tal’Ai woman. Did you know you’re not a Kurite? You don’t have the gold eyes, either. Are you sure you’re Tal’Ai? I thought all your eyes turned gold.”

Lara was positive the woman never took a breath of air the entire time she spoke. The woman’s manner of speaking had her reevaluating the woman’s age. She looked like she was in her twenties, but Lara thought she might actually be younger.

Iago is currently being disciplined by the commander. I cannot say more on the matter, as I do not know. I must ask, do you have the coil in your possession?

The man gripped his daughter’s arm, and she breathed a quiet, “Ouch.”

Her father broke in, his calculating eyes showing his intelligence, “My daughter’s entire day’s earnings were used to buy this merchandise. She deserves recompense.”

She will have it. Sare, if you’ll write down your name on a piece of parchment, I will hand it to the commander. The coins you gave Iago in exchange for the coil will be returned.

Lara warned, “You’ll get your money only if you have the coil.”

The girl-woman smiled with animation. “I have it, I promise. Father, let go. I need to get the Tal’Ai’s coil.”

In a swish of colorful clothing, she moved into the next room, where Lara’s eyes fell on a rumpled bed. The woman didn’t make her bed every morning. For some reason, it made her more likeable.

Wait. Her gaze sharpened on the bed. The woman slept last night with the coil in her bedroom? The girl was still here in the tunnels. Did it mean the coil didn’t work on Aradun after all? Did it mean she couldn’t go home?

Lara heard the screech of rusty hinges, silence, and then another squeak. She stared miserably at the bed until the girl came back out with a bundle of soft, faded cloths. The girl carried the coil with care, like it was a most prized possession. Although she wanted to snatch it from the girl’s hands, Lara held herself in check. She fisted them and kept them stiff at her side. When the coil was finally offered to her, she lunged for it, turning it over and over in her hands, inspecting it for any scratches or fractures. She heaved a huge sigh of relief. It looked the same.

It’s in one piece, but I’m afraid it doesn’t work anymore. The girl had it in her bedroom last night, and she is still here.

“You will provide me with the coins as promised?”

Lara looked up and found the woman twisting her hands in her bright red robe. She smiled and nodded.

The girl graced them with a shy smile in return and admitted, “I’ve never spoken to a Tal’Ai before.”

Chion bowed in response. I apologize your first meeting began as it did.

Lara took in the father’s protective stance beside his daughter. Wanting to put him at ease, she said without forethought, “Your first meeting is nothing like how Chion and I first met. I was afraid he was going to eat me.”

The woman’s eyes widened and her mouth gaped, her shock genuine. Despite her father’s attempt to keep her back, she took a tentative step forward. “Really? Don’t all Tal’Ai meet at the ceremony that takes place in every large Kurite city?”

Lara grinned. “No, we didn’t meet at the Tal’Ai ceremony. We met one day when I was wandering around lost in some tunnel. An ult woke me up, and it terrified me with how big it was. I turned around and ran for the door and smacked right into Chion. He threatened me a couple of times with his large teeth and claws.” She leaned forward and whispered in confession, “I’d never met a paka before. He scared me half to death.”

Chion’s chuckle filled the room. In a louder voice she confided, “I didn’t know what to do. I had a huge ult behind me and a paka in front of me.”

The father’s alarm at their uninvited presence changed to reluctant amusement. He asked Chion, “Did it really happen that way?”

My Lady is not exaggerating. We did meet under rather unusual circumstances. I feared she was a Pyranni spy, but she quickly disabused me of the idea when she spoke. Her accent was far different from any I had ever heard before. He added, It was a day for confusion. She also thought me a mindless animal.

Both the girl and the man gasped in disbelief. The woman raised her hands to her throat. Their reaction made Lara giggle. She moved to stand by Chion, placing her hand in the small valley between his two shoulder blades.

The man stared at Chion. “Did you not become angry at the accusation?”

Lara answered for Chion, “He was surprisingly patient with me. He still is for that matter.” Lara raised the coil clutched in her hand. “It’s why I apologize for the stealth we used to follow you and breaking into your home.”

The girl turned her back to them and leaned over the table. When she twisted back around, she handed over a piece of parchment to Lara.

The girl-woman replied, “I apologize for not realizing the guard was lying. I know that I gave you a bad impression, but, please, visit my shop.” She assessed Lara’s bloodstained clothes with a critical eye. “I’m fair in my prices and will give you a good bargain. Our misunderstanding could have ended far worse. Please, let me return the favor,” she pleaded.

Lara sensed nothing but an honest need to help her, so she accepted the request with a smile. The girl squealed again and strode forward, grabbing and squeezing both her hands with enthusiasm. She led them back to her front door, pulling aside the curtain so Lara and Chion could leave. “I will be at my shop for the next several days. I look forward to seeing you.” They stepped through the doorway. Before releasing the curtain, she said, “May both the God and the Goddess bless you.”

This is the much discussed coil, said Chion as he gazed at the coil clutched in her left hand.

Lara held it out so he could get a better look. The coil shined brighter here in the tunnels than it did in direct sunlight. Lara rotated her hand, watching the colors stream through the substance. It was as if the coil understood where it was, welcoming its environment with open arms, radiating more brilliance than ever before.

I can almost feel its power emanating from within. It is beautiful, like nothing I have seen in my years of travel.

It shimmers more here than it did on Earth.

He cocked his head, studying the coil. Interesting.

She shook herself out of her daze, lifting her eyes from the constant shift of colors within the coil’s convoluted strand. She lowered her hand, cupping the coil protectively against her stomach. “Let’s go find Eiren and Skye and return to our rooms. We can discuss the coil there in privacy.”

By sheer accident they crossed paths with Eiren and Skye outside the marketplace. Lara was so turned around she couldn’t point them in the direction of their rooms. Fortunately, Eiren didn’t have the same problem. After the small paka stared at the coil in silent fascination, she led them back to their suite of rooms.

Their mismatched group received quite a few odd looks, but no one tried to stop them. Lara was glad. Their suite was located in Councilor Cimma’s large house. A blank-faced servant allowed them entry into Cimma’s corridor with a bow and showed them to their rooms. Unlike the outer walls, the main hallway was decorated with bright tapestries that flowed from one into another. After the third tapestry, Lara was able to see the story-like progression of events.

It reminded her of snapshot pictures, except these hangings were more dramatic. The artist had used colors to contrast the people and their surroundings. Ageless statues and paintings were displayed in niches along the walkway. Her favorites were the figurines featuring pakas in various poses.

Lara had grown used to the pervasive scent of dirt, so it took her a while to notice its absence in the hallway. It smelled clean in Cimma’s home. Lara considered it proof that a powerful woman lived within these walls. The entire house announced the councilor’s long lineage and wealth.