Shieldwolf Dawning (9 page)

'Well…" Cassian sputtered. "I hate your stupid tradition." He knocked his chair to the ground and barged out of the kitchen. "I shouldn't be forced into doing something I don't want to do!"

Merganser picked up the chair and turned to Samarra. "Get your things and be ready in an hour. You will not be permitted to have your own mount for a while, so we must travel on foot."

Samarra groaned. "Isn't Shieldwolf Proper far from here?" The weather was already heating up, and the air was turning humid and sticky. The prospect of undertaking a long journey on foot didn't sound appealing in the least.

"Our journey will take us through to the evening, but it will give you the opportunity to know your new environment. We will make a quick stop at the Grand Bazaar, which is where you and your brother will be fitted for uniforms."

"Uniforms?" Samarra chewed loudly on her third helping of bread.

"In one day you will be living as a swain, a youth in service to the Shieldwolves. Your uniform designates membership with us."

Samarra slouched in her chair and undid the top button of her jeans. "I think I ate too much."

Merganser watched her disapprovingly. "The path through Iggibar Monds is treacherous. You must be vigilant at all times. The trail is slippery and winds through the home of the Rock Biters, so be prepared for the worst. When Rock Biters tumble toward their prey there is only one way of escape."

"What's that?" Samarra propped her arms on the table and listened with renewed interest.

"Run." Merganser paused on her way out of the kitchen. "I shall inform your brother that if he resists, my orders are to bind him and send him to the hotbox where he will remain for three days and three nights. The same conditions apply to you." The door swung shut and Merganser disappeared.

A tight ball formed in Samarra's throat. "Oh no," she mumbled on her way to her room. "Cass is going to hate me even more."

****

It took a few hours for the trio to reach the Grand Bazaar. Although the road was soft from recent rainfall, making every step a balancing act, they found the path through Iggibar Monds with little trouble. The forests had a gentle beauty that Samarra had never seen before. From the moment she'd left Merganser's cottage, she had been preoccupied with the flora and fauna indigenous to the area, so time had flown by almost unnoticed. Hidden in the leafy green of giant trees lining the way, fluffy grey owls perched drowsily on thick, twisting branches. Alongside bumblebees, iridescent blue sprites collected pollen from flowering meadows. Undines in the lake shape-shifted into dazzling forms made of water. Insects buzzed and butterflies fluttered. Samarra was positively amazed.

"Ah, there it is." Merganser pointed at the signpost leading to the Grand Bazaar. The world ahead of them loomed into dull grey rock.

After a quick rest, they scrambled up and down tricky ledges and over a narrow steel bridge that connected the two halves of Iggibar Monds. Samarra stopped to catch her breath, looked over the side of the bridge, and felt dizzy at the sight of the long drop to more rock. "Keep moving." Merganser shouted at her.

Samarra waited for her brother to catch up. "You better walk in the middle, Cass."

"I don't want you to talk to me."

Samarra frowned and hoped he would get over his mood. She missed the old Cassian.

The group braved their way through steep, narrow passes and over harsh rock with no more trees or signs of green to break the monotony. The path ended at an opening that gave access to the Grand Bazaar. Above the entryway, a sign flashed on and off: Enter at your own risk. Merganser ignored the warning and shooed everyone inside and down a spiraling rock staircase.

They hit a dead end in a small room when they reached the lower level. Before anyone could comment, concentric rings of purple energy rose from the ground and scanned their bodies. The sensors faded without a sound and the wall directly in front of them dissipated. Samarra stepped into a sprawling underground marketplace and gasped in delight. "This is unreal!"

"Welcome to the Grand Bazaar," Merganser announced, lingering at the entrance to give Samarra and Cassian time to take in their surroundings.

Crystal trees sprouting from the polished marble floor decorated the bustling marketplace. Twisted wire branches drizzled with amethyst leaves sparkled under a ceiling of white lanterns. Built into the walls of the cave were shops and restaurants oozing distinctive character from the gems and precious metals that framed each doorway. The rest of the area was home to a colourful maze of food stalls, art and craft tables, enchantment vendors, and performers of all types.

Merganser indicated for Samarra and Cassian to follow. Without hesitation, they jumped right into the thick of the marketplace, past stalls selling charm bracelets and mood rings of protection, monster-hair scarves and potions of tranquility. All around the Kairu shopped and ate and talked. They came in all shapes and sizes, all colours and shades, and a range of dress from lightweight clothing to reinforced armour suits. Samarra had spent what time she'd had to spare scouring the green tablet for information on Kairuhan, and she had learned a lot.

The Kairu civilization comprised diverse intelligent species, but only three groups were allowed to join the Shieldwolves: platophibians, archeop, and gaians. These three bipedal species were said to be the wisest of them all. They also happened to worship the Reflection — the unchanging source of everything, or so they said. Samarra double-checked her green tablet for more information: Gaians, considered an overly aggressive species by platophibians and archeop, were the last to gain right of entry to the Shieldwolves. Primates on Kairuhan had diverged from other mammals hundreds of millions of years ago. The primates adapted to bipedalism and evolved into gaians long after the platophibians and the archeop had marked their territory at the top of the evolutionary ladder.

Samarra wasn't paying attention to where she was walking and almost knocked into the platophibian who had suddenly appeared at Merganser's side. His distinctive charcoal uniform and handy staff were telltale signs that he was a Shieldwolf. When he bowed, Merganser responded with the same. Samarra stepped back a few paces to wait from a distance.

According to the evolutionary tree, platophibians were the most ancient of the three species that comprised the Shieldwolves. A cross between reptile and amphibian, the powerful, long-tailed creatures made up most of the crowded marketplace. With some more than seven feet tall, they towered over Samarra. Some had webbed hands and adhesive disks padding the tips of their fingers and toes, good for climbing. Most, however, had stout, clawlike fingers adapted for digging. Samarra had recently learned the big difference between platophibian subspecies was that those with webbed hands and feet always lived in or near water, whereas those with clawed hands and feet did not.

"Look at the greenie." Samarra elbowed her brother in the ribs.

"Ouch!" Cassian snapped.

"What do you think he feels like?"

"Seriously? I'm not talking to you."

Samarra rolled her eyes. "I was only joking."

"I don't know why you look so surprised to see one." Cassian rubbed his side. "Merganser described them on our way here… not to mention the fact that you spend so much time reading about Kairuhan on your green tablet that you probably know everything there is to know about the place."

Samarra pressed closer to her brother. "Do you think he has sticky fingers?"

Cassian shook his head slowly. "I give up."

"Aren't you over your bad mood yet?" she complained. "I hate it when you're like this."

"Shut up, Sammy." Cassian was loud enough for others to hear. Merganser glared at them with her good eye.

"I wish she'd cover that thing up," Samarra muttered under her breath.

Merganser turned back to the platophibian and gave him a small red gem. "Travel in haste," she said. He bowed slightly and vanished into the crowd like a ghost. She turned to Samarra and Cassian. "Follow me."

They made their way through the food market next. Samarra's taste buds burst to life when a harmony of mouth-watering aromas spread through the air. She hung onto the familiar smell of sweet pumpkin scones until her senses were overtaken by the earthy tones of sandalwood when she reached the Commons. Intrigued by his new surroundings, Cassian leaned against one of the many silver benches lining the area and took in the view.

Projecting from the smooth rock walls were moving murals that depicted popular Kairu legends. On one mural, silver dragons and snow golems fought side by side with Shieldwolves to defeat Melkior Grule and his army of water spirits in the ice fields of Zuriel. Another mural told of the reign of Queen Van'jian Riverscale and her epic journey through the watery depths of Seton Desert. Samarra waited for her brother impatiently. When Merganser had almost reached the other side of the Commons, Samarra pulled Cassian away from the murals. They raced to catch up, but as they passed the Bubbling Tea House, an archeop stumbled out of the restaurant and knocked them off their feet.

"Bubbling tea is cheap-cheap." He sang the jingle over and over. His floral shirt was blinding.

At first Samarra was annoyed, but when the archeop stretched out his black-and-yellow wings and hopped around to the background beat of drums, she burst out laughing. It didn't take him long to draw a crowd of curious onlookers. When he pulled out six flaming torches and started to juggle, the crowd thickened and cheered all the more. Samarra and Cassian were stuck.

The archeop, an avian species, was diverse in colour, wingspan, and weight, with most leaning toward the shorter end of the Shieldwolf height chart. They had sharp eyesight and powerful wings with claws on three wing digits. Their heads ranged from fluffy and full to almost featherless in old age. A handful had webbed feet good for swimming, which also meant they lived near water. Unlike platophibians, archeop walked barefoot, a sight that kept Samarra entertained. Their beaks came in different shapes and sizes, too. Chisel-like beaks were useful for boring into wood in search of insects, and spear-like beaks were adapted for fishing. This species, Samarra thought, was by far the oddest looking of the lot.

After his jaw dropping performance, the archeop made a beeline for a small alcove that housed a silver fountain. He splashed water on his face and went back into the Bubbling Tea House. The crowd thinned and dispersed. Merganser was nowhere in sight.

"Great." Samarra said. "We've lost Merganser."

"We better find her soon or else," Cassian muttered.

"No kidding." She grabbed his arm. "Stay close."

Samarra led Cassian through the maze of stalls in search of Merganser, but they couldn't find her anywhere.

"Where could she be?" Samarra bit her lip anxiously. "Do you think she went back to the entrance to wait for us?"

"I don't know. I think we should look for the seamstress; maybe she's waiting for us there."

"Good idea." Samarra trailed him through the crowd and almost knocked into him when he stopped abruptly to point out a small shop tucked into a dark corner. Contact balls of varying size and colour twirled in mid-air in the magical window display. "I want to go in," he said.

"But what about Merganser?" Samarra reminded him.

"We've already lost her. What are a few more minutes?"

"I suppose." Samarra was hesitant, but she followed him into Magic Mini-Machines anyway. The dark shop hummed mechanically in the dim glow of magical toys. An assortment of contact balls lined silver storage shelves according to size and colour. Wire beetles of different types scurried around the shop floor. A purple spotlight showcased a hollow metallic disc that twisted and turned and spun dark vapours on the counter.

Cassian's eyes lit up. Without a word, he grabbed the disc. Samarra was relieved to finally see him cheering up. "Flux magic," he observed.

"Flux magic?" Samarra was puzzled. "How do you know

that?"

"It says so." He pointed out the engraving on the back of the

disc. "See."

"Oh." Samarra frowned. She had not yet come across information on the tablet about this kind of magic. "It's not dangerous, is it?" She backed away a little.

Cassian chuckled. "No, this is only a toy." He pitched the disc at her. "Here, catch."

The disc whizzed past Samarra's head, arced through the air, and swung back to Cassian like a boomerang.

"They fly, you buy…" came a grizzled voice from behind the counter.

Samarra didn't pay attention to the voice and continued to throw the disc back and forth. She was happy that her brother was starting to laugh again.

"Typical gaians," the voice said, this time much louder.

Samarra stared when a dwarf stretched his stocky frame to its four-foot height and stepped around the counter. His white beard was perfectly braided and reached down to his generous belly. Dressed in snug leather armour, the vendor made sure to highlight the glinting dagger at his side.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I—" Cassian mumbled.

"You got carried away, right?"

Samarra didn't know what to say.

"Do you require my assistance?" The merchant's expression meant business.

"No thank you, we're just having a look." Samarra felt uneasy at the sight of flying daggers tucked into the side of his boot.

"Go somewhere else, then," the merchant grumbled. "Only serious players here." He shooed them away.

Samarra and Cassian were almost out the door when the merchant called out, "Hey, you there, come back!"

Cassian turned around. "Me?"