Chapter 12
The Wind's Abatement
5 Years Ago - The Sea of Ghosts
Ri'shai coughed salty death from her lungs. Water spewed from nostrils and mouth alike. She coughed hard before sucking in a deep breath. Her mind was muddled, she couldn't open her eyes. She thought she could feel hands on her. Voices speaking. It was all obscure, all indecipherable.
She cracked open blurry eyes to see the sun looming above. Tolan and Faradin both stood over her, worried looks planted on their feline faces.
"Did Ri'shai die?" She asked.
The two kha'jiit began to smile broadly at her words. What did this one say?
"Not yet little one." Faradin said, his voice was strained.
It seemed his eyes were leaking, but no, he wouldn't cry over Ri'shai. Faradin and Tolan were both soaked from the rain, that was all.
Tolan laughed heartily, "You were the storm Ri'shai! It was incredible. This one could tell the tale across Tamriel, but not a soul would believe."
Faradin nodded his agreement, "Maphala has blessed you child, you crafted webs of storm in the sky."
Ri'shai sat up slightly, straining with effort. She had the strength of a lame kitten. The stench of salt water filled her. She was soaked. This one must of fell into the water after.... after she saved them?
She looked toward the black storm looming in the distance. It looked vaguely like a giant arachnid. It's legs moving with the churning of the storm. Perhaps Maphala has blessed Ri'shai.
The boat was still rocking around, but not as violently. She looked toward Faradin, who was more soaked than Tolan. "What happened?"
"Well, after you... This one is not exactly sure what you did, but you fell from the sky." Faradin spread his hands like it was obvious, "This one retrieved you, the sea of ghosts is not your grave Ri'shai."
Ri'shai swelled at the admission. Faradin had saved her. She remembered the chains around her neck once more. She remembered Faradin savagely breaking those chains. The two were looking at her now with amazement. She was not sure she could ever leave that broken slave behind her, but she knew now that she would die to protect the Dar'kir. She would die to protect her family.
"How did you do this thing?" Tolan asked, gesturing toward the storm.
Ri'shai started to chuckle, but pain struck again, and it came out as a cough. "Maybe this one will tell you sometime." She answered, somewhat playfully, wincing at the pain.
"How did you float upon the air so Ri'shai?" Faradin asked.
Ri'shai thought about explaining the intricacies of channeling a storm, but she decided that they would fault her for how dangerous it was. She realized she could of died, in fact she almost did. Perhaps she better keep this to herself.
"This one does not remember." Ri'shai lied.
Faradin furrowed his brow. "Mafala, at least you are alive Ri'shai."
A broad grin traced across Tolan's face. He began stroking his beard lethargically. "We should probably continue on our way before that storm returns. Faradin take Ri'shai below deck, it is still a ways before Auridon."
Faradin lifted Ri'shai in his arms. She thought she might of been able to walk, but she fell asleep before reaching her cot. She had dreams of crafting webs of lightning. All the while a soothing feminine voice spoke to her.
"Weave my child, touch the world, sense it's changing in the web of your choosing."
She vaguely remembered Faradin coming into the room to bring her food and water. Days had passed when next she woke. She could hear the waves softly crashing upon the vessel. She heard sea-birds cawing their joy of flight. She lifted herself from her cot. She felt stiff, but otherwise healthy. Her stomach gave a grumble, perhaps a little food would do her some good.
She climbed to the deck. Faradin and Tolan greeted her with smiles. She rubbed at her eyes to clear the salt and sand from them. "How far now?" Ri'shai asked.
"Tomorrow eve we will reach Auridon. Come we will speak of everything." Tolan said, gesturing to a bench beside him.
Ri'shai slowly walked over to sit beside Tolan. Faradin didn't even look toward her, his back was turned looking toward the land looming in the distance. This one wonders what he is looking at, it is just land.
Tolan pointed at a map on a barrel in front of him. "We are here, you see?"
"Ah yes" Ri'shai said cheerfully, he was pointing to a location south of Elseweyr. She realized that she could go home. Home to where? Her family had been murdered the night she was stolen. She pushed away the thoughts quickly.
Tolan grabbed into a bucket at his side. "Here Ri'shai, eat this."
She dug into the fish, it was Dhufish, Tolan had said they were a common ocean fish. She turned to look toward Faradin. He was leaning upon the ledge of the ship, staring off toward the shore. He seemed to longingly look upon the distant land. She realized that Elseweyr was his ancestral home as well.
"Now, do you see this river here?" Tolan said, pointing toward an eastern location of Auridon. "Our vessel should squeeze through this wide river nicely."
Ri'shai nodded her understanding. The river avoided Vulkhel Guard and Skywatch, two pronounced cities on the map. However it did appear to come dangerously close to Sil Sailen.
"Tolan has an old friend who works a minor dock in this location." Tolan said, pointing toward a location to the west of Phaer city. "He will greet us on our arrival. From there we are on foot until we reach Toothmaul Gully."
Ri'shai looked toward Tolan's face to catch any distortions. The kha'jiit was a cipher. "Is that where your father is being held?" Ri'shai asked.
"Presumably" a voice echoed behind her. Ri'shai turned to see Faradin looking toward them. "It is a dangerous place to infiltrate, this one thinks."
"We plan to reach Phaer's minor docks in the dead of night tomorrow eve. From there... may Mafala bless us." Tolan said.
