Chapter 14.5 Interlude to Fear

  Large Spore-beast eagles? Or perhaps they were hawks. Kevin did not know for sure, but they settled down near a patch next to the Caravan overlooking the ruins of Mordecai. They came from the east, which he figured that they were tending to the Crab folk at their lake, and they were on their way home back to the north. For the most part, Kevin thought that their group was just an afterthought as they spotted us from the sky.

  The large one greeted Carl first, and oddly, he was very familiar with him. So familiar, in fact, that they immediately hit off even before they had landed. If he didn't know any better, he could say a bit of jealousy peeked within the clouds.

  "Carl, Jackson! If I didn't know any better, I would say you looked… well, rather aged," the large bird said. The burley eagle (he knows that now) unhitched a bunch of medical supplies, then reached over and grabbed Carl and squeezed him in a hug that one could perceive as lost relatives.

  "Ha, ha, you got jokes, Dimitri," Carl replied, pushing him off. He snatched Kevin's arm and pulled him over. "Let me introduce you to Kevin, the one I have been looking for."

  "Ah, yes, the legendary Sword Master," Dimitri said, bending over to inspect him. Raising one of his wings, he bowed. "It is our honor, as the Talon Eagles, to greet you in this most professional of manners."

  Before Kevin had a chance to reply, Dimitri grabbed him and gave him the same bear hug Carl received. He didn't know how to feel about that afterwards. "No, the pleasure is all mine. I hear that I have you to thank, as your name has been mentioned a couple of times when he detailed his arrival."

  "Oh, well, what this crazy bastard didn't tell you was that Paltov thought he was a worm about to get eaten by some crazy ants. But wow, what a strong worm this one is."

  "Hey, not cool, man," Carl said.

  They laughed and continued with the greetings. A few of the Talon Eagles tended to the wounds of Mia and Bryson. Celia hasn't awakened yet; however, when the Eagles gave her a clean bill of health, it put his apprehensions at ease. Chester and Mia had already bidden farewell, as they were heading back to Port City, as their investigation was complete. The only one not participating in the reunion was Paz, who seemed reluctant to even approach the Eagles.

  "What brings you out this way, Dimitri?" Carl asked. "Checking things out before heading back to the Temple Palace?"

  "Eh, almost. We were going to stay longer down at the lake where the recovering Spore-Crabs tribe settled on their home, when the water from the lake came rushing back out of the river."

  "Oh wow, are they going to be okay?" Kevin asked.

  "Yeah, it wasn't hard to create a dam, you wouldn't believe it, but some Spore-beavers actually showed up when the water flowed, and they were highly upset. Anyways, they got things settled, plus we implemented some of our surveillance equipment to keep a monitor in the area. They seem highly susceptible to convincing that it wouldn't be right to leave them alone as is. Heck, I wonder how they even got that far."

  "Hey," Bryson said, after nodding to the Eagles checking him out. "I am taking Mia and Celia back to the Commons. Pizer will stay with you if that is okay, and Kiyo wants to make sure that we are genuinely alright. Will you be coming back to the Commons to report to the Commander about what happened?"

  Kevin thought about it for a minute, "No. You are the Captain of the squad now, but it seems you have no members right now. Besides, I am on this epic quest, ya know."

  "Listen," Bryson said now in a more serious tone. "I have not yet received actual proof of what happened in Mordecai. Regardless of how everything turned out, I will not forgive either of you. The souls of Mordecai are still in your blood, and I shudder to think about all the ones that are still down there under the water. They are dead as well."

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  "Which," Dimitri said, intervening. He must have noticed the sudden tension and decided to get involved. "is part of the reason why we stopped here. There are a lot of Spore-Beast signatures in that water. We were not recording any here in this area, but now, it seems like a whole huge community down in that lake."

  "The cocoons," Carl replied.

  "Yeah, well, anyway," Bryson said. "I have you to thank for bringing my daughter back, and even though I am well, I can't excuse my actions. In fact, I was going back to the Commander and resigning my commission. It was unbecoming of me to act in that way."

  "Bryson, what's done is done. Do not worry about the little stuff. What matters is that you help put your family back together. Everything else will come into play."

  "Ugh," he replied. "You know, I liked you better when you didn't talk so much."

  Some time later, the ceremonial dagger hilt glowed in yellow light.

  "That is a cool dagger," Kevin said.

  Carl removed the bladeless dagger and inspected its glow. "Ya know, I don't think it's used for fighting though."

  "It is still cool looking. I want one."

  Scoffing, Carl activated the hilt. "Says, the guy who pulls swords out of his hand,"

  The otherworldly image was projected onto the ground. An older type of Spore-Beast Eagle, the projection made him the same height as the Talon Air, but this one was dressed in a bureaucratic garment, or someone who may have some authority somewhere.

  "We speak again, Outworlder Thief," the image spoke, and for the likes of it, not in a very happy mood.

  Carl shot a glance at Dimitri, who turned away suddenly and walked off. Carl sighed and shook his head.

  "Counselor Aerin," Carl said, coughing on his words, "I did not expect you to contact me."

  The image faded out, but back in. "And I would not have to converse with a thief of the courts if the situation did not permit it."

  "Hey, listen," Carl said, "I am only borrowing them. Your Retsam Claws are in great condition, and they will be returned to you without damage."

  "Dude," Kevin replied. Carl realized it as well and tried to hide a half smile. By making that statement, they both know that the gloves will either be damaged or destroyed before even getting back to their owner. Video Game Logic.

  "That still doesn't absolve your crime, Outworlder," Aerin replied. The image straightens up. "Your presence is requested on behalf of the Empress at the Red Mount. You are to bring the bearer of the Master Sword to attune the mind to prevent further corruption. Although this should have been done BEFORE the swords were obtained, the Empress will deal with the Champion's failures later."

  "Hey, I am right here," Kevin said. "You can tell me to be somewhere you know. I am not Carl's subservient."

  The Chancellor looks at Kevin, pauses, then turns back to Carl. "Bring the Champion and the Sword Bearer. You have until the sun goes down. Do not make the Retsam wait for your delays. Dimitri has his orders."

  The image fizzled out, and the dagger returned to its neutral state.

  "Wow, that one is full of charm," Kevin said.

  "Yeah, he is full of something all right," Carl replied.

  "That is also one of the reasons why we are here. I don't have many details, but I can see when something has gone awry. The Champion was supposed to have you at the Retsam to stabilize the Sword Master's power… before he obtained the swords. We are risking another corruption, plus, we do not need you to fall to Anbar. You are too valuable to us.

  Anyways, I speak a lot. We should get going. We will give you a ride to the mountain, because unless you're all expert mountain climbers, you won't make it.

  "Well, it is too bad Paz is not bigger and larger. She could fly us there like you can."

  A bit of silence, then Dimitri said. "Yeah… no. She cannot fly. Unless you have seen her flying around recently."

  Carl scratched his head. "Actually, I never actually thought about it, but now that you put it in my head, why can't she fly?"

  "Not my lane, and I do not want to get on the bad side of the Empress's mood. Trust me, she is not happy with that one," Dimitri said.

  Speaking of which, Paz returned from the lake. She noticed the Temple Air, but ignored it and approached Kevin and the others. She looked more moodier than ever, like she received some pretty bad news, or maybe she was getting her butt ripped off by the Empress, like Dimitri said.

  "Dimitri," she said, "We need to depart immediately."

  "Of course, Champion," he replied. "We are at your command."

  Kevin hopped on one of the Talon Air Eagles. He took one final glance at Mordecai, as the Eagles were now swooping down like hawks at prey.

  Grief comes in many forms, and he was a witness to a pretty damn good few of them recently. But he learned that he wasn't alone anymore. Maybe because it was time. Or age. Or experience.

  As they flew into the air, leaving behind the people he spent the most time with, he daydreamed about the clouds which, over to the west…

  The clouds were yellow.