Vistus - Part 8

Lae furrowed her brow. Earthquakes in Tananshia were nothing new. Natural disasters afflicting all the regions of Vistus were not uncommon, and yet Fericeus was warning her. As if the earthquakes actually posed a threat.

“Tananshia is more than equipped to deal with those though, right?” she asked.

“I should stress that these earthquakes are all concentrated in one area, and they are continuous,” Fericeus said. “They have not stopped all day.”

That was enough to get Akorri to poke his head out from his blanket. “Seriously?”

Lae’s frown deepened. Now this was unusual. “Where exactly is this happening?”

“The Fields, apparently,” Fericeus replied. “On the one hand, I’m relieved it’s not happening near any cities... but for the Fields to be affected, it makes me wonder...”

Lae looked at Kiyake, whose face was creased into an uncharacteristically pensive frown. If even she was bothered by this, then it really was serious. “What do you think’s going on?”

Fericeus put a finger to his chin in thought. “I... I can’t say for certain.” His ear twitched and he looked away. Kiyake also lowered her head.

“But do you have any ideas?” Lae pressed.

There was a pause. Neither Fericeus nor Kiyake budged an inch. If the image in the crystal ball could freeze, Lae would have assumed that was what had happened.

“You do know something,” Akorri said. He was now hovering by Lae’s shoulder; she could feel his breath near her ear.

“It’s like Feri said,” Kiyake piped up, her voice bright as usual, “it’s nothing you guys need to worry about!”

Lae heard a slight growl in Akorri’s voice. “If that’s true, then why tell us in the first place?”

“It’s a warning.” Fericeus looked up. “Just in case something like this happens in Havran.”

“And how do you know it will?” Akorri said.

“I don’t know.” Fericeus closed his eyes. “I just want you both to be cautious. Stay safe and enjoy your time in Greenglade. Kiyake and I have to go now.”

“So that was it?” Akorri muttered. “You drop some warning like that on us then leave?”

“Akorri?” Laerya turned to look at him. Her eyes widened at the scowl on his face. “It’s fine, we can handle any trouble. Why are you so fussed?”

“Because...” It was Akorri’s turn to look away. He stepped back from Lae’s chair and sat on his bed. “Never mind, I don’t know what came over me.”

Lae stared at him. She knew him to be confrontational with her, but she had never seen him act that way towards Fericeus. She clenched her fist, suddenly feeling how cold her fingers were. “We’ll...” She looked back at the crystal ball, forcing a smile to try and restore a pleasant atmosphere. “We’ll catch you both later, yeah?”

“Yeah!” Kiyake nodded, also smiling. “Have fun learning magic and stuff! Ciao for now.”

Fericeus waved his goodbye and the image in the crystal ball quickly faded back to transparency. Laerya was left staring at the clear glass, feeling unusually cold despite the room’s heat.

She did not look up until Akorri spoke. “Did that call seem weird to you?”

“The call? You mean our conversation?” Lae tore her eyes away from the crystal ball to look at him. “I, uh. I guess. But only because you suddenly started getting all snappy at Feri.” She tilted her head. “What was up with that?”

“Those two are hiding something,” Akorri said. “Couldn’t you tell?”

Lae thought back to that long moment of silence where neither Feri nor Kiyake moved. “They were... they were acting kinda shifty, I’ll admit,” she said slowly, “but I don’t think they were actually hiding anything.”

“Well, they were.” Akorri clicked his tongue. “I don’t know why they would, and it worries me.” He looked Laerya straight in the eye. “They don’t usually hide stuff from you, do they?”

“Well, Feri doesn’t tell me everything that goes on in his life,” Lae said, “but he’s never been that cagey with me.” Her ears lowered slightly. She didn’t like thinking of Feri as some strange person with a big secret, but...

“Then something’s wrong.” Akorri bit his lip and looked at the floor. His tail tip twitched. “Something bad is happening in Tananshia.”

-

“No, I wouldn’t know anything about it,” Katarina said. “I have not been to Tananshia in a while.”

“You wouldn’t even have a clue about what might be causing the earthquakes?” Lae asked.

“No.” Katarina shook her head.

“You can’t even guess?” Lae pressed.

Katarina sighed. “No.”

She, Lae and Akorri were sitting in Greenglade’s café discussing Feri’s news. The faint murmurs of conversations and soothing smell of coffee relaxed Lae, allowing her to think about the problem with a clearer head. Akorri had suggested they find Katarina and discuss it with her, since she was also a traveller and had been to Tananshia.

“That’s a shame,” Akorri said. “I’d hoped you might have some idea...” He bit his lip, shifting in his seat. Lae furrowed her brow slightly. Why was he so nervous?

“I’m sorry. I would like to know as much as you,” Katarina said, taking a sip of her espresso. “Tananshia is a rich, diverse region. I would hate for anything to happen to it.”

Laerya looked down at the table, her eyes fixed on the swirls in the wood. She wanted to go back to Tananshia and see what was going on for herself, but Akorri said that wasn’t what Feri would have wanted for her. He also seemed reluctant to stay, but she had to admit he had a point. They couldn’t go back so soon after Feri sent them here specifically. How was she supposed to waste time learning magic knowing that her home region was possibly in danger?

“There is something concerning me, though.” Katarina’s voice snapped Lae out of her stupor. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” the rabbit girl replied.

“Your friend, Fericeus, yes? According to what you told me about how your conversation went, it sounds like he was withholding information from you.” Katarina frowned. “Do you know why he would?”

“I’d like to know too,” Akorri growled.

Lae shook her head. She didn’t want to doubt Fericeus, but if even Katarina was finding his behaviour strange, she couldn’t help feeling a little suspicious. “Feri’s naturally secretive,” she said, “I think that’s just the way he talks...”

“No, he meant something by it.” Akorri had a tight grip on his mug. “He’s involved somehow.”

“What?” Lae widened her eyes at him, a sharp anger burning in her chest. “You think Fericeus might have caused those earthquakes?”

Akorri narrowed his red eyes. “No. All I’m saying is, maybe that disaster isn’t as natural as Fericeus made it out to be.”

“Can Fericeus do that?” Katarina asked, her own eyes wide. “Can he cause earthquakes?”

“He’s not an Earth user,” Lae replied, “he uses Dark magic, but he’s very powerful. I dunno to what extent exactly but I know that... maybe...” She shook her head vigorously. “No. No, he couldn’t have caused the earthquakes.” She clenched her fist. Why were they even talking about Feri like this? He was her friend; she had to trust him. Kiyake, too. They were dependable... but they were hiding something...

“He might not have, but his behaviour’s just weird.” Akorri folded his arms and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t trust him.”

Of course you don’t, you coward, Laerya thought, and then she snapped. “Oh, do you trust anybody?!”

The café fell silent at her outburst. All of a sudden the scent of coffee was choking her.  She had to leave. She couldn’t hear any more words against Feri. He opened his home to her, he was her friend, there was no way he was hiding anything. She didn’t dare look at the cafe’s other patrons as she stormed out, running out into the fresh air.

She had probably made a fool of herself. She knew what she had done was completely uncalled for and she would have to apologise later. But for now she had to find some way to calm the fire raging in her chest.

-

Akorri sighed, feeling his cheeks heat up as everyone in the café looked at him. That had not gone well at all. He looked at Katarina, whose brown eyes were wide with shock.

“I did not expect that,” she said, blinking.

“I should have.” Akorri ran a hand through his hair. “Lae’s got a bit of a temper.”

“Ah.” Katarina fiddled with the handle of her mug. “Perhaps I was wrong to bring that topic up...”

“Nah. If anything, it’s my fault she ran off.” Akorri shook his head. “No, actually it’s hers, I mean, she should have control over her emotions, really.” He clicked his tongue. “What a drama queen.”

He soon heard the café humming back to life as people continued their conversations, leaving him and Katarina in peace. He sighed in relief.

Katarina looked carefully at him. “It is not my place to judge either of you,” she said. “But this makes me wonder if this kind of thing happens often...”

“I wouldn’t know.” Akorri shrugged. “Lae and I don’t hang out together much. This is the first time I’ve gone anywhere with her, actually.”

Katarina nodded. “And you are not going to follow her now?”

“I, uh, I don’t do well with angry people,” Akorri admitted, his ear twitching uncomfortably. “I think it’s best if she cools off by herself. We’ll probably meet up back at the inn anyway.” He hoped Lae would have calmed down by then.

What she said had been a little undeserved, though. Akorri did trust people. Maybe. Why did Laerya’s words sting, then?

“I apologise for causing trouble regardless,” Katarina said. She stood up. “I hope the two of you resolve this quickly. I can’t imagine this is good for Laerya when she is supposed to be practising magic.”

Akorri felt like he was talking to Lae’s mother just then. “I guess it wouldn’t be, yeah.”

Katarina nodded. “I have business to attend to elsewhere, but if you want to talk again you can find me at the inn, same as before.”

“Okay. Thanks for humouring us,” Akorri said.

“I wouldn’t call it that, I am just as curious about Tananshia as you are.” Katarina turned away. “Goodbye for now.”

“Bye.” Akorri watched as Katarina weaved through the tables in the busy café, his eyes following her idly until she left. Then he sighed deeply, looking up at the patterned ceiling. What a mess this was.  

-

Laerya sat by the rock, her eyes closed to the world. With the sun warming her and the gentle breeze ruffling her fur, she was finding it fairly easy to calm down. There was no point being upset on a day like this.

She opened her eyes, looking around. Surprisingly Jinny was sitting nearby, her tail curled around her legs as she read the book in her hands. Lae wondered if she would take kindly to being disturbed, but she found her body inching towards the Feln regardless. “Whatcha reading?” she asked.

Jinny jerked as though she had just been woken up, looking ready to toss her book at Lae. She quickly regained her composure, her ears lowering. “A book about legends,” she said quietly.

“Ooh.” Lae was a little interested in mythology – it was a given since she lived with Fericeus – but she didn’t think she could read an entire book on it. Her eyes widened as she saw just how many pages there were. “Is it good?”

Jinny nodded. “Yes.” She said nothing else; her eyes darted quickly back to the book.

Lae wanted to ask Jinny more to get a conversation going, but she knew that probably wasn’t a good idea. Jinny seemed too polite to tell her to buzz off, and she didn’t want to be a nuisance.

Minutes passed by in silence. The only sounds were that of the distant chatter of the marketplace and Jinny turning the pages of her book. Lae was one to appreciate such peaceful moments – in small amounts, that is. She was already growing bored, twitching her ears and drawing on the grass just so she could be doing something.

Her patience quickly ran out. With the knowledge that Jinny would probably hate her for this, she spoke. “Can I ask you something?”

Jinny slowly looked up, her one visible eye blinking at Lae. “Me?”

“Yeah, who else is here?” Lae blinked back. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to confide in Jinny. Maybe it was just the simple fact that she was the only other person here at the moment. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with talking to her about this, at least. Maybe she would be able to provide a fresh perspective. “So, can I?”

Jinny nodded. “Yes...” she replied hesitantly.

“Do you think it’s okay if your friends hide things from you?” Lae asked it outright.

The Feln girl looked down, staring at the grass, but her furrowed brow suggested she was thinking rather than looking away out of habit. Lae was pleased that Jinny seemed to be genuinely interested in her question. “It depends,” the Feln replied.

Lae figured she would have to provide some context. “Say your friend just gave you some news... oh I dunno, that maybe, like, Tananshia’s been experiencing some pretty heavy-duty earthquakes...” And of course she ended up spilling the truth. “And they know more about the earthquakes than they’re letting on, but when you ask them about it, they get all weird and secretive.” As she was saying this Lae knew how suspicious she was making Fericeus sound, and wished this wasn’t exactly how she had experienced the event in question. “What do you think about that?”

Jinny stayed staring at the grass, her brow furrowed even further. “I think that is strange,” she said slowly, as if she was carefully choosing her words, “But I wouldn’t jump to conclusions so quickly.” She winced, as if her words were a mistake. “I mean...”

“No, no, keep going.” Lae’s eyes widened. “Don’t be afraid to say what you’re thinking. I won’t be offended.” She remembered how quickly she had snapped at Akorri and hoped she would be able to keep her word now.

Jinny breathed deeply before speaking again. “If they’re your friend... you would trust them. They could be secretive for a reason that might not... might not be bad. I’m not sure why they, uh, would be like that in the first place, but... I just, I just don’t think you should assume anything bad about them y-yet.” She closed her eyes and bit her lip. Clearly she felt like she had stepped out of line.

Lae thought better of patting Jinny’s shoulder (her go-to method for assuring others) and settled for grinning at her in a friendly manner. “That’s real good advice, Jinny! Thank you!”

Jinny nodded slowly. Her lips seemed to twitch upwards in a smile but the expression vanished as soon as it appeared, and she looked back at her book. “You’re welcome.”

Lae hadn’t expected much out of this conversation, but now she was glad she asked Jinny. She didn’t want to place any blame on Feri and maybe she didn’t have to. After all, she hadn’t jumped to that conclusion; Akorri did. It was his fault she began to doubt her friend. Just because he didn’t trust anybody didn’t mean she had to be the same.

As if she had summoned him just by thinking of him, she caught sight the Fillian boy. He wasn’t walking towards her but she called him over anyway. She should probably apologise to him.

Akorri stopped at her call. He seemed to freeze, as if debating whether to go over to her or not. Slowly he turned around and headed towards her, his expression unreadable. “Yes, drama queen?” he asked. “Have you calmed down?”

A fresh wave of irritation spiked through Lae. Drama queen?! “I, uh, I guess.” She gritted her teeth, suddenly thinking that Akorri didn’t deserve an apology.

“Good.” Akorri folded his arms. “What did you want?”

“Jinny said your opinion’s wrong!” Lae declared, pointing at the white Feln.

“What?” Jinny’s eye widened and she jerked her head from Lae to Akorri. “N-no, I didn’t! I didn’t say anything like that.”

“She said that jumping to conclusions about Feri is wrong and stupid!” Lae went on, narrowing her eyes. She knew she was the one being ridiculous, but Akorri’s attitude really rubbed her up the wrong way. She wanted to spite him as much as possible.

“I didn’t say anything like that!” Jinny repeated in protest before Akorri could say anything.

Akorri seemed completely taken aback by both Lae and Jinny’s actions. “Uh...” He turned to Jinny first. “I believe you, don’t worry.” Then he looked at Lae and raised his eyebrow. “What the hell, Laerya? Don’t put words in other people’s mouths. What’s up with you?”

Lae blinked, jarred by Akorri’s scolding. That hurt. She wanted to retort, but nothing would come out. She was in the wrong and she knew it. Throwing Jinny into her spat with Akorri was completely uncalled for. Swallowing her pride, she shook her head. “Yeah... that was crappy of me. Sorry, Jinny.”

The Feln girl sighed quietly. “It’s fine.”

“Akorri just has bad opinions,” Lae went on, earning a glare from the Fillian.

“Sounds like you’re not ready to apologise to me,” he muttered.

Anger sparked through Lae again. “Not when you act like that, I’m not!”

“All right, all right, look. I understand why you got angry, but...” Akorri sighed heavily. “There was no need for your outburst.”

“There was. You were making me doubt one of my friends!” Lae fought the urge to tear the grass under her hand. “I’m not like you. I don’t want to think like you, ever.”

Akorri narrowed his eyes. “Then go ahead and get yourself killed,” he snarled.

Lae saw Jinny tense up beside her. This was not the place to argue, but fury at his words prevented her from doing anything but shouting back at him. “Then I will! I’d rather die than spend my whole life doubting everybody I know!” She shot up, her face so close to Akorri’s that she felt his breath on her fur. “You can trust me, you know! So why? Why don’t you trust me?”

She hadn’t meant for that to come out. She was furious with Akorri, but she had assumed it was because of his snide nature... not because of this. Deep down she had wondered why taking to him was so difficult, and just as she was yelling she had realised it. Despite healing her in the woods, despite travelling with her to Greenglade... he still didn’t trust her. That was what hurt.

“How can I trust you when you’re breathing down my neck all the time?” Akorri retorted. “Forget that; you don’t trust me. I may be a thief and a coward, but I wouldn’t... I...” He trailed off, backing away. “I wouldn’t abandon you.”

Lae froze. She really should pay more attention to how she treated others. “Oh dear Vacerus... this is a mess.”

“You’re telling me,” Akorri muttered. “I’m going back to the inn. I’ll see you later.” With that, he left, his tail bristling behind him.

Lae sat back down, her legs weak. It was then she realised Jinny was still there and she had been watching this entire exchange. Her cheeks felt hot with embarrassment.

“Um...” the Feln spoke up. Lae saw she had a very tight grip on her book. “H-he is right, I think,” she said, her voice trembling. “Akorri wouldn’t leave you to die.”

“You think?” Lae raised her eyebrow.

“He actually...” Jinny sighed, looking down. “He tried to save me from bandits, even when it looked like he was going to die. And he barely knows m-me.” She swallowed. “So I think he wasn’t lying when he said that.”

“He did save me from the Wolfbeasts...” Lae rubbed her head. She hadn’t stopped to wonder why Akorri acted the way he did. His behaviour was wrong, but she should at least hear him out if he tried to explain himself. “Oh, boy. I’m such an ass...”

Jinny shrugged, clearly reluctant to say more.

“Whatever.” Lae sighed. “I still think he doesn’t trust me. And I still say he should trust Feri.” She looked up at the sky, a faint anxiety churning inside her. Whatever was going on in Tananshia, she just hoped her friends were as far away from it as possible.