Need for Steed: Suravani's Oasis

[Breaker]

The sun meandered over sandy ground until the shadows of the dunes stretched tiredly. Long-winged vultures circled hopefully as the lone rider stopped his horse and made camp, drinking sparingly from his waterskin. The young Fallieni man unpacked his saddlebags and put flint to steel despite the heat, coaxing a few sparks onto a meager bit of tinder he had brought along. He wanted a fire before darkness fell, when the harpies would come out of hiding and the heat of day would disappear with the light. Soon he had a small flame dancing like a Glasswalker moving through the Blight, and he turned to the task of brushing down his horse. They had done well this first day of Suravani's Trial, traveling past the first ten of thirty markers which made up the course.

Breaker crested a dune and, at long last, laid eyes on his opponent. The young Fallieni's fire made him easy to spot in the waning crimson light of the long hot day. Sweat beaded on Breaker's brow and sluiced down his face, but evaporated before it could drip from his chin, so dry was the desert clime. His bare chest shone in the last red embers of sunlight, patterns of scars seeming to shimmer like a mirage. His lightweight white pants and red cloth belt were damp from perspiration. Even so his boots kept his feet blessedly cool, and he marched onward with unwavering resilience.

I must pass him before I rest, Josh told himself, I must, I must, I will...

If not for his ability to summon water from the very air, Breaker would surely have perished from thirst some hours earlier. His skin was seared a dark shade of golden brown from constant exposure to the sun, and only his innate healing ability kept him from truly burning. His close cropped hair felt thick with salt left over by evaporated sweat. As he descended the dune opposite the Fallieni racer's fire he raked callused fingers through his brown hair and licked his palm, a little-known traveler's trick to keep his body from running out of salt. A small breeze teased his tired form as he climbed the next dune toward where his competitor brushed his horse.

The young Fallieni man tried not to show his bewilderment; he'd been certain that Breaker would not be able to catch him. Indeed, he'd placed several side-wagers with friends before leaving, betting that the Coronian would not be able to finish the race. Keeping his eyes down, the racer busied himself with his brushwork as the Breaker gained an even footing with him.

"I hear harpies love horsemeat," Josh said in Fallieni as he trudged by, and imagined that the darkly tanned man paled just a bit at the thought. In truth Cronen knew little of the woman-vulture hybrids, other than that they could not stand being called ugly. This had been on Phyr Sa'resh's list of useful information for surviving Fallien.

Breaker kept walking until the sun dipped below the horizon, cresting two more dunes before stopping. He was on the verge of slumping down in the sand to rest when his eye caught a spark from a nearby copse of cacti. He stared and listened to the wind run over the dunes. There. He heard the distinct sound of steel scraping on flint, and the sparks came again. Who else besides myself and my opponent would be out here? He wondered. A part of his mind told him to stay put, to not stray from the path set out by the leather standards. But his curiosity would not allow him to rest until he knew who was striking a fire so far out in the desert.

Stepping carefully so as not to make a sound, Breaker stole off to investigate.

[Breaker]

Moving silently over sand during the semi-darkness of twilight presented some problems. Breaker stepped slowly into the thick cactus patch, taking care with each footfall so that he missed the needles of the plants and his metal boots settled softly. At the center of the grove a fire grew, and Breaker smelled a strange perfume on the smoke. It seemed inviting, and certainly not toxic. As the flames grew he could see the shadow of a figure through the prickly plants, and then a female voice chanted in Fallieni to the first stars in the night sky.

"Oh Goddess of the Moon whose light shines at night
Send me your servant of silent deadly flight
Carry me between mountains and stars, let me ride
To a place beyond the salt water where your servants abide."

It was Sall'Ema, the young woman who had claimed to be of the Esseker Tribe after claiming to be of the Deklan Tribe. Her back was to Breaker as he climbed through a final ring of cacti to a void at the center of the patch. Her black hair spilled over the back of her linen shirt, glistening in the firelight. She knelt on short slender legs, the bottoms of her soft-soled boots facing the sky.

"Join me by the fire," she called over her shoulder.

Breaker raised his eyebrows in surprise. He did not think he had made any sound as he approached. He allowed his footfalls to become heavy as he walked around the dancing flames and sat facing the small brown-eyed woman.

"My thanks," he said as he let the warmth lick at his sore muscles.

"Of course," Sall'Ema replied, "I can think of no one I'd sooner share this with than the Breaker of Corone." She gestured at the small copper pot set on a tripod over the flames. A paste was seared to the bottom of the pan, emitting a reddish smoke that contained the strange perfume Breaker had smelled. It appeared to be comprised of ground herbs blended with several drops of oil.

"What is this?" Josh asked as if mildly curious, "and who are you really? The truth this time, or I leave you alone with your ritual."

The woman smiled, and the triangular tattoos at the corners of her eyes crinkled. Those dark orbs seemed to measure him, and find him worthy.

"I am Sall'Ema," she insisted, "but of the Mi'sheteri. The Glasswalkers," she added in Tradespeak, in case he had misunderstood. "I have been on a quest for three turns of the moon, seeking the ingredients you see in that pan." She rummaged in the haversack at her side and pulled forth the griffin's feather she had pilfered from Josh. "This," she said, holding the feather over the fire in both hands, "is the final component. Oil from the great winged guardians of the oasis." She broke the feather in half and a single yellowy drop of oil oozed into the pan.

The smoke changed to a deeper shade of red and the scent became stronger, almost compelling. It rose up into the dark sky, tickled by a slight breeze as it dissipated toward the stars. The scent lingered and wafted, traveling with the wind across the dunes toward Suravani's Oasis.

"I have studied long to become a shaman of the fabled Hybrid Isle," Sall'Ema said, and her smile grew wider. She really was beautiful, especially so when the firelight flickered over her fine, tanned features. "Among the Mi'sheteri I was attendant to the high shaman, as great an honor as has ever been held by one so young." She wiggled slightly with pride. "But I wish to journey beyond this great dry continent. I wish to meet outlanders, and see where they live. I desire more. Surely you understand my meaning." She said with what might have been a wink.

"What have you heard of me?" Breaker asked. For every exploit of his that was well known, it seemed there were a dozen or so fables.

"I have heard--" Sall'Ema began...

Colors whirled above their heads, and the Fallieni's voice seemed swallowed by an absence of sound. Sand lifted off of ground which shook with a solid thump.

The griffin had landed next to the fire in between them. The same griffin Breaker had encountered what seemed like a week earlier. He recognized it by the way it shrugged a ruffled wing as if sore. Sall'Ema's mouth fell open and she stared in disbelief at the towering, majestic creature. Her eyes nearly climbed out of her head as she took in the brash hooked beak, the wings and hawklike talons, and the muscular rear legs and body of a lion.

"Good to see you again," Josh said to the griffin, returning Sall'Ema's wink.

[Breaker]

"It is good to see you as well, Joshua Cronen." The griffin said. It pawed the sand with its rear legs and carved furrows with its talons. It inflated its feathered chest with a large breath that flexed its folded wings. "I am glad you have decided to complete the ritual and venture to the Hybrid Isle. Few have the daring, the courage, and the faith to undergo such..."

Sall'Ema cleared her throat softly. The griffin did not appear to notice.

"... such a legendary feat. When the scribes and poets write of your deeds, this will be the pinnacle among them. You will forever be remembered as the first man not native to Fallien who--"

"I didn't," Josh interrupted, barely fighting back laughter. The griffin lost its train of thought and turned its head sideways, regarding him with one massive golden eye. Sall'Ema scrambled to her feet and stomped the ground angrily.

"I did!" Sall'Ema hollered a yard from the griffin's ear. The extraordinary beast nearly stumbled but dug claws and talons into the soft ground to keep its feet. "I, Sall'Ema of the Mi'sheteri, true daughter of Suravani. It was I who summoned you here this night."

Josh nodded as the griffin glanced back at him, and then chuckled as the beast ruffled its plumage and turned to face the female in a series of small, sand-kneading steps. If feathers could blush, Josh thought, that creature would be pure crimson about now.

The griffin took a settling breath and focused its fearsome gaze on Sall'Ema. The woman squared her shoulders and faced it bravely. Breaker could hear her heartbeat quicken.

"My apologies, daughter of Suravani." The griffin bent its plumed forelegs and inclined its head in a majestic bow. "It will be an honor to fly you to your destiny on Hybrid Isle. You must have searched wide and far finding the ingredients to produce that smoke." It gestured at the pot over the fire with a sharp movement of its beak. "Such a task is no small thing, and it has earned you the right to find a place among the strongest shamans in all of Fallien."

Sall'Ema's eyes were wide as two coins, and her skin seemed to glow in the moon's silver light. She brushed a stray lock of black hair behind her ear and crouched to shoulder her haversack. She seemed at a loss for words, and took a tentative step toward the griffin.

"Come now, climb on my back," said the lion of the skies, crouching and unfolding its wings, "the flight will take some hours, and the other apprentices will be waiting to greet you."

"Wait," Sall'Ema said, finally finding her voice. She touched her lips and cleared her throat. "What about the Breaker? Could you carry us both?"

"Of course I could," the griffin retorted sharply, "but he has not completed the ritual. I am bound by oath never to assist a mortal in finding Hybrid Isle unless they--"

"But I'm not exactly mortal, am I?" Josh interrupted, smiling at Sall'Ema. The griffin coughed and shuffled its talons. "We could fight over it," Josh offered, "if you've forgotten how that worked out the first time."

"Of course not, young deity." The griffin lowered its ferocious eyes in deference. "I suppose if this daughter of Suravani wishes to share her ride with you, it is not my place to say no."

"I do so wish," said Sall'Ema. She took two large steps toward the griffin and leaped upon its back as if mounting a horse. She hugged its broad neck and lay flat between the massive wings. "Join me Joshua," she called with ecstasy in her voice.

Breaker swung up behind her and found ample room for both of them on the griffin's broad back. He leaned forward, feeling the coarse linen of Sall'Ema's shirt on his bare chest.

"Ready," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist and pinching his knees together.

"We are prepared," Sall'Ema said, her voice squeaking with excitement.

"Away... we... go!" The griffin shrieked the final word like a hawk and began its shambling run up the nearest dune.

[Breaker]

Sand sprayed and colors swirled as the griffin and its riders erupted from the top of the dune. Heavy wings beat the air with a steady thrumm, thrumm, thrumm as the world below fell away and the starry sky rushed to greet them. They flew straight up, into the light of the crescent moon, and then arced toward the Mountains of Zaileyah.

Josh could feel the griffin's steady, rhythmic breathing between his knees, offset by Sall'Ema's shallow, rapid respiration. The woman's heart was pounding through her back so hard that his own regular pulse strained to catch it. Allowing the slipstream to hold him flat, Josh released his grip on her waist and pressed his palms softly into her sides.

"Calm your breathing," he shouted over the wind, "it will slow your heart." He assisted her in finding a steadier rhythm, releasing the pressure on her abdomen at regular intervals. As they banked over the mountain range and turned south away from the moon Sall'Ema regained control of her heart rate and relaxed her grip on the griffin's neck, letting her legs and the slipstream keep her in place.

"My thanks," she called to Josh, twisting her neck so her mouth was only inches from his ear, "I never thought I would find a mount more exhilarating than a good horse." She laughed musically as the griffin swooped over a thermal, rising suddenly on the updraft of warm air.

"I think the exhilaration has just begun," Josh said, stretching his neck to look over the griffin's head. He could see for miles upon miles, soaring over the desert continent.

The griffin settled into a prolonged, peaceful glide along the mountain range's spine. They bypassed settlements and small cities on the left, set between the foothills surrounding the mountains and the great sea. Sall'Ema named each settlement aloud as they passed it by. The Ruins of Katahkir, Ras Arid, Marayyah, and the Hiding Place of Coradan. She had visited each in her travels. Breaker wanted to ask about the cities but the beauty of the country took his breath away.

This must be as Suravani sees it, he realized. The moon watched them bank to the right and soar out over the dunes once more. The griffin kept altitude with barely a beat of its wings, navigating the airways as it had been born to do.

As they passed over a section of flatland thousands of glittering beacons shone up from the sands, reflecting back the moon's own silver light.

"Nirakkal!" Sall'Ema cried, leaning dangerously over the griffin's wing for a better look. "These are the glassfields where I grew up," she told Josh, tears welling at the corners of her eyes. "It has been three months since I looked on the beauty of the Blight. Oh, do you see how it sparkles? If only we could stop a moment, to dance among the fields and harvest glass with my brothers and sisters."

"Your new brothers and sisters are waiting," Josh reminded her, "what is that settlement up ahead?" He asked, pointing at a crumbling sandstone wall in the distance. It looked gray in the moonlight.

"The Ruins of Aravir," she said in a faraway voice, "Breaker, do you think I shall ever see my home again?"

"Home is where your heart yearns to be," Josh mused, "but I think... I think that living on an island with a flock of griffins, you have many great journeys in your future."

Sall'Ema seemed to accept the answer, and she fell quiet as they soared toward Fallien's southern shore. The wind smelled of salt as they neared the great sea, and increased in intensity. Soon conversation became impossible as the screeching slipstream forced them flat between the griffin's wings. Breaker's bare back grew cold as they flew out over the water amidst the harsh cries of seabirds far below. The wind grew stronger still, threatening to pluck them from their precarious perch, yet Breaker and Sall'Ema refused to let go. A dull ache formed in Joshua's legs from pinching his knees together. His back began to feel numb, and he could only imagine the state of Sall'Ema's hands; she had them gripped around that thick feathery neck again.

The griffin swooped into a dive. Josh's stomach tried to leap up his throat. The waves grew rapidly as they plummeted toward the water. The wind became unbearable and then suddenly abated. The griffin smoothed out into a level glide as the sea shimmered and an island appeared like a desert mirage. It rose out of the water sharply, all hard cliffs and rough edges save for a stream that split the middle like an axe blade biting into a stump. The griffin seemed keen to dash them against the cliff face, but it flexed its wings and swooped into an opening in the rocks, landing calmly in a large cave some hundred feet above the sea. Its riders found themselves gasping in the stillness. Their breath echoed throughout the cavern and disappeared down a long, dark tunnel.

[Breaker]

The griffin's golden eyes glowed like twin lanterns in the cavern's darkness. Despite the lack of light Josh could make out the craggy walls and sloping floor littered with red-gold feathers. He slid off the griffin's back and landed heavily, metal boots clanking on harsh stone. He felt slightly bow-legged from the ride, and stretched his quadriceps one at a time. Sall'Ema followed him to the ground and landed lightly, rubbing her hands together to circulate blood. Both of them were at a loss for words; nothing they said could sum up the majesty of the flight, or the terror of the final dive.

"You both did well, surviving this ride." The griffin said as it folded tired wings behind its back. It tipped its beak toward the long tunnel that led deep into the cliffs of Hybrid Isle. "Hist, the apprentices arrive to greet you, daughter of Suravani." Fearsome golden eyes turned to face Josh. "They may not be happy to see you, young deity."

Soft-booted footsteps echoed out of the tunnel, and the dancing light of two torches appeared around a corner. The torch-bearers were both young men, and between them walked a tall woman. All three wore flowing silken robes of green and gray that reflected the fire's light. They stopped just inside the cavern and the woman stepped forward. She had smooth features despite her middling age and wore her brown hair back in a loose braid. Her dark eyes smiled at them but her mouth remained in a narrow line.

"Welcome Sall'Ema, daughter of Suravani," she said. "You have passed the tests laid down by Suravani herself, and are hereby accepted as an apprentice of Hybrid Isle. From this day forward you will dedicate your life to the ancient alchemy and arcane arts that created the griffins who serve alongside us." The griffin bent plumed knees in one of its majestic bows, beak dipping so low as to nearly strike stone.

"It will be my honor, and privilege," Sall'Ema said, "long have I dreamed of this day." She touched Breaker's shoulder and met his gaze, and then moved across the cavern as if floating. A wide smile covered her face and tears welled at the corners of her eyes. "Thank you for accepting me."

"You have earned your acceptance," the tall woman reminded her. "Go now with these two," she said, taking a torch from one of the men. "They will escort you on a tour of the isle and show you to your quarters." Her dark eyes flicked past the griffin to focus on Breaker. "I will deal with your... outlander."

The two men guided Sall'Ema along the tunnel and the griffin followed, leaving Josh alone with the tall woman. Her torch guttered as a gust of wind found the cavern. The sound, like flapping canvas, echoed throughout the cave.

"How is it that an outlander from Corone found his way to Hybrid Isle?" The woman demanded. Her braid swayed as she leaned her head to the side and took a step forward, torch throwing shadows across the walls. "Even for one so mighty as Joshua Breaker Cronen, this is a feat indeed."

[Breaker]

How in Haide's furthest reaches does everyone here know my name? Josh wondered. Refusing to appear shocked, he raked a hand through sweat-slicked hair and strode up to the woman with a hint of a swagger. They stood almost nose to nose, her dark brown eyes falling a mere inch beneath his light hazel ones.

"Your griffin owed me his life," he explained with a cheeky smile, "and I helped your new apprentice with the final ingredient for her ritual. I do hope that isn't against any of your rules." Josh lifted a hand and passed his palm through the torch's flame, causing it to waver. His smile grew. "Now why don't you tell me your name so that we can be properly introduced, daughter of Suravani."

The tall woman swayed slightly, as if unbalanced by his audacity. She glanced at the flickering torch, and then behind her into the winding tunnel. Finally she fixed Josh with an even stare and placed her free hand on her hip.

"I am Marietta," she said levelly, "and you, I suppose, are welcome to rest here for a time. Once the griffin that brought you here has gathered his strength, he will return you whence you came." She tossed her head, long braid swinging dangerously close to the torch, and turned. "Follow me," she said as she started down the tunnel.

Josh kept pace with her easily. The walls and floors of the tunnel were slick with water and the air smelled faintly of mildew. As they wound their way deeper into the cliffs that composed Hybrid Isle, he saw offshoots from the main shaft that led into well-lit areas. The walls of some chambers were inset with a kind of quartz that glowed naturally, providing dim lighting. Josh glimpsed a library bearing stacks upon stacks of book-laden shelves, and a common area where men and women dined at long driftwood tables.

"How did this place come to be?" Breaker asked his stoic guide. Her disapproving glare softened somewhat as she explained the beginnings of the place she called home.

"Ages ago there lived an alchemist whose life's work consisted of forging hybrids - crosses between two species." She explained tersely as they rounded a sharp bend, "according to our legend his first creation was the harpies. Something went wrong in the process and they became twisted, evil beings with no shame. Suravani saw potential in the alchemist, and pulled this island from the depths of the sea. She gave it as a gift, alongside the service of some of her strongest shamans. The alchemist worked hard and long, producing a number of hybrid creatures. The gem of his achievements were the griffins, such majestic and powerful beasts that Suravani named them her guardians of the land."

The tunnel sloped downward suddenly and Breaker almost missed a step, stumbling in the semi-dark, metal boots grating the coarse ground. Marietta smirked but continued telling her story as she moved onward with sure-footed grace.

"Over the years before his passing the alchemist created many new breeds; the desert drakes, the Karuku-tal, even the giant scorpions that plague the Fallieni night. The griffins bore the infant forms of each species to the mainland where they could hunt and thrive. Over time, our task has changed. We no longer create new creatures, but keep the histories of the Fallieni people and their magic, and protect Suravani's most sacred treasures."

"So the griffins guarding the oasis for the Esseker clan..." Josh mused. He could hear running water echoing down the tunnel.

"It is but one of their many duties." Marietta acknowledged with an approving nod. "Here we are," she said as the tunnel opened onto flat land, "this is our scrying chamber. I show it to you to satisfy your curiosity, and to keep you away from the rest of the isle. Most Fallieni are not as... tolerant... of outlanders as young Sall'Ema."

They arrived in a cavern where a natural spring spurted from the ceiling, creating a waterfall that cascaded into a shallow pool and bled out into the stream Breaker had seen from above. Moonlight reflected off the water, giving the cavern enough natural light for him to see. Soft mosses carpeted the cave, particularly thick in layers by the water's edge. The walls were smooth and bore carvings that showed a woman tossing a stone into the pool.

Marietta picked up a stone from a pile by the wall and weighed it in her hand. She looked at Breaker, who smiled and gestured for her to continue. She reached a willowy arm out over the water and dropped the stone in with a small spe-lunk.

"Show me the oasis," she commanded as the sound echoed around the cave.

The pool's water churned into a vortex and then stilled suddenly, showing Suravani's Oasis from above. The moon beat down on the large pool, gently swaying palms, and clusters of tents.

"Like this, we are able to monitor our griffins and agents throughout the land. We are also able to detect incoming portals, such as yours," Marietta explained generously. She waved her hand as if swatting a fly and the image in the water vanished. "You may rest here while your mount sups and sleeps."

"My thanks," Breaker replied, touching hand to heart. Marietta inclined her head slightly and whisked away, torch guttering in her wake.

Josh walked over to the edge of the pool, watching reflected moonbeams play on the cavern's ceiling, and lay down on the soft moss. He meant only to relax for a moment, but the hypnotic sound of flowing water and the silver dancing light soon sent him into a sound sleep.

[Breaker]

The scrying pool stirred, and from the rippling surface rose a woman made from water. Am'aleh, the Coroninan deity of the sea, strode through the shallows towards her sleeping champion. Her raindrop-like eyes smiled down on him, and she reached out a hand of still liquid to caress his shoulder.

Josh looked up, knowing he was dreaming and not wanting to wake. It was too long since he felt his goddess' presence. She was beauty incarnate and peace made mobile. She was his reason for living, the true reason he'd come to Fallien. It was for her glory that he searched to assemble an army. The Gisela Open would be a fine training ground to give the troops some common experience... but bringing power to his Lady of the Water's side was paramount in Breaker's mind.

"How do the desert climes like you?" Am'aleh asked.

"Well enough," Josh said. He touched the liquid hand that caressed his cheek, kissing her effervescent fingertips. "I do miss Corone's temperate nature... the moisture in the air... the sea." He swung his legs around and stood in the pool facing her, slightly taller, looking down so their lips nearly met.

"The sea is here, too." Am'aleh whispered, turning her head so her blue shimmering locks cascaded to one side.

"It's not the same," Breaker insisted, combing a hand through her hair. The feeling of each succulent strand enthralled him.

"Then you must return to me, soon." Am'aleh said, taking his hands in hers, skin softer than silk. "But while you are here... you could entreat my sister to an alliance. As her people would complement your forces, her powers would complement mine."

"Your sister..." Josh considered a moment, inhaling Am'aleh's scent of soft salt and ocean air. "Suravani?"

"Who else, in this land?" The Goddess of the Sea whispered.

"And how should I entreat her?" Josh asked.

"Any way you like," Am'aleh said, and stretched up on tiptoe to kiss Breaker on the cheek. "You were successful in earning my patronage. So might you be with Suravani."

Footsteps echoed from the mouth of the tunnel. Breaker blinked, and Am'aleh was gone. He stood alone in the scrying pool, water lapping playfully at his knees.

"Breaker?" Called Sall'Ema, her voice echoing inside the cavern. "What are you doing in the water?"

[Breaker]

She had changed into robes similar to those of their welcoming party, flowing silks of green and gray that blended with the chamber's mossy rock walls. Her soft-booted feet flowed effortlessly to the water's edge, and she extended a petite callused hand. The robes hung well, accentuating curves that had been all but obscured by her original linen garb. Dark eyes looked down on him from the stone precipice, coals that smouldered above the elegant arc of her smile.

"I was speaking with my goddess," Josh said, and reached out. He reached past her outstretched hand with both of his own and clasped her waist gently but firmly. "She says I am to meet with Suravani." He lifted Sall'Ema off the ledge as if she weighed nothing.

The Fallieni woman wrapped her legs around him and squeezed her knees together as if riding a bucking stallion. Most men would have collapsed under the pressure, but Breaker's rib cage appeared forged from iron, and he stood impassively until Sall'Ema slumped from exhaustion. His sleek, muscular arms encircled her and his wide palm cradled her head.

"Have you ever spoken with Suravani, or any deity?" Josh asked. His voice echoed amidst the sound of sloshing water.

"I speak to Suravani often," Sall'Ema whispered. She curled forward in his arms until their foreheads met and spoke so softly the sound barely escaped her lips. "But she never speaks back to me."

"It is a wonder like no other," Breaker whispered, "to witness one of such worship. And it leaves me wanting..." He pressed Sall'Ema against the mossy wall and kissed her hard on the lips, still cradling her head in one hand. Her eyes widened for a moment but then closed as she melted into his embrace.

The water lapped at Josh's legs as he took her roughly against the wall.

[Breaker]

She wore no undergarments beneath the robes. Nothing to stop him slipping inside her silken, sodden folds. She gasped and the sound echoed, fading slowly until she gasped again and the sound rebounded anew. Her lithe legs opened and then wrapped around the warrior holding her against the wall, crossed ankles urging him inside her.

As pleasure cascaded through his body Breaker awoke as if from a trance, and lifted a callused hand to caress the beautiful face before him. Sall'Ema smiled and took his hand in both of hers, tangling it in her long brown hair. Josh closed his fist, pulling at the roots of the woman's hair and drawing a grunt from her gritted teeth.

"You don't," Josh said, thrusting deep inside the Fallieni woman, "desire a gentle touch, do you?"

Sall'Ema wriggled her back against the mossy stone wall and growled like a lioness.

"Everything in Fallien is rough," she said into his ear, and then bit the bare flesh of his shoulder hard enough to leave a mark. Her fingernails raked up the intricate pattern of scars on his back.

As the delirium induced by his dream of Am'aleh faded Josh realized exactly where they were, and what they were doing. He made an effort to finish quickly and then lay Sall'Ema down on the mossy floor, her rumpled robes barely discernible from the ground around her. Josh lay next to the Fallieni woman and allowed her to snuggle into his side, encircling her shoulders with one muscular arm. The giddiness he had been feeling since Am'aleh's kiss finally waned, and his mind refocused on the task at hand.

"How would I go about procuring a meeting with Suravani?" He asked, as if to anyone, but Sall'Ema answered swiftly.

"I have shown you griffins and the great Hybrid Isle, Breaker. Would you truly ask for an audience with our goddess after that?"

"In Corone, I am known for many things," Josh said, and kissed the dark eyed beauty on her forehead. "For fighting," he kissed her cheek, "for business," he kissed her neck, "for loving," he lowered the hem of her robes and kissed her breast, and then nipped the rosy flesh. "But most of all for my connection to Am'aleh, the deity of the sea. She has asked me to contact Suravani on her behalf, and so I will. Would you refuse a request from your goddess?"

Sall'Ema's chin protruded stubbornly for a moment, but her eyes showed that she could see no way around the neat trap.

"There is a ritual..." she said slowly, eyes gazing down the tunnel that led to the sea, "but I cannot think you would find all of the ingredients. You would need to journey to every corner of Fallien-"

"Unless," Breaker interrupted, "I knew someone who had access to the alchemy stores on Hybrid Isle. Surely they would have everything I need."

Sall'Ema's mouth formed a ring of surprise, but she quickly schooled her features.

"They may," she acknowledged, "I was shown the stores on my tour. But what you ask..."

"Is a great thing," Josh nodded, "for an even greater purpose. And here is what I offer in return: a promise."

"A promise?" Sall'Ema quirked an elegant eyebrow and smoothed the skirts of her robes, to no avail.

"That one day I will return and visit you here, and if you so desire, take you away." Josh said simply. He waited while the proposal swept over Sall'Ema. She wavered slightly and then smiled.

"I accept your promise, Breaker. Now I must go, before Marietta returns. Only..." She stood and gestured helplessly at her robes. They were caked with grime and chunks of moss, and the hems were sodden, and the wrinkles left little wonder as to what she had done.

"Stay still," Josh advised, and extended a hand. Water rose from the scrying pool and flowed as if inside an invisible conduit toward Sall'Ema. It soaked into every fiber of her robes and then retracted, dark with grime and moss, back into the pool. The Fallieni woman was left wearing a perfectly dry set of robes that looked freshly pressed.

"You are..." she said, and seemingly unable to find the right word, punched him in the shortribs. Josh chuckled as she gathered her robes and scurried out the way she had come. The demigod stroked his chin and after a moment turned and sat cross legged on the moss. He had nothing to do but wait.

[Breaker]

Time passed and the scrying pool lapped at its mossy edges. Reflected moonlight played on the cavern's ceiling and water droplets occasioned the moist air, spattering with their signature sound on the soft ground.

Breaker sat, and he waited. His deep hazel eyes above their twin Y-shaped scars reflected the shimmering waters of the scrying pool. In his mind Am'aleh was there, watching him back. In his mind he had already returned home to the forests of Corone, an army at his heel, the patronage of Suravani in his heart. Entreating the goddess would be his most difficult task. He cast his mind back. How had he endeared himself to Am'aleh? She'd come to him at his lowest time. She'd saved him. Such would not be the case with Suravani. Breaker would have to woo her, if she could be wooed. Seduce her, if a lowly demigod such as he could do such a thing.

It occurred to him that Suravani had been watching him since he set foot in her domain. That she watched him even then.

"Oh how the moon shines beautifully this night," Breaker said, "if only she had a voice, I wager it would be many times as bright."

Only the swell of the scrying pool answered him.

After a time Breaker became aware of a presence near the mouth of the cavern. Someone still out of sight in the tunnel. Someone spying.

"You may come in, Marietta." Josh said, his voice resounding on the rock walls.

The Fallieni woman walked in with no shame on her face, her robes swishing, the torch in her hand flickering. The firelight seemed harsh and unnecessary in the moonlit chamber. Josh was already on his feet facing her. She showed no shock nor alarm at his speed and dexterity.

"I hesitated, lest you try to come in me," she said, "who were you speaking with just now?"

"What are you insinuating?" Josh asked, mildly amused. She wouldn't know... would she?

"I insinuate nothing," Marietta steamed, "but the fact remains, my newest protege is pregnant."

Josh's eyebrows nearly climbed to his hairline. He breathed.

"You couldn't know," he said, "unless..."

"It is a gift from Suravani," Marietta confirmed with a nod, "ever since I was a little girl I have been able to tell when a woman is with child. The moment she is with child." She admonished with a shake of her head, brown braid swaying. She beckoned impatiently with her free hand. "Come now, your griffin has adequately rested. You must leave."

"Are you not equipped for a pregnancy here?" Josh asked as he joined her at the mouth of the tunnel.

"Of course we are," Marietta snorted, "many of our number name this island as their birthright. But do you not wish to be in your child's life?"

Josh walked at her side in silence for a moment. The torchlight flickered through the carved tunnel and their footsteps echoed along the vast network. Should he tell Marietta that he'd intended to take Sall'Ema with him, eventually? A child would be a welcome addition. And yet he sensed that she was goading him, so he played the goat well enough.

"It is not my way," he answered, "and I would never have known if not for your ability." They passed the rest of the winding journey in a harsh silence.

The torch guttered as they entered the familiar large cavern which smelled faintly of griffin. The great beast stood at the ready, hidden spells crackling in its coat and plumage. Its beak glistened in the firelight and its talons and claws raked the rocky floor impatiently.

"We must away, if we wish to make it before the morn." The griffin said. It bent its mighty forelegs, granting Josh an easy path to its gold-red back.

"Good, off with you." Marietta said. She turned and strode down the tunnel, taking the flickering light with her.

Breaker waited in the darkness, and no one came. He shook his head in remorse. It seemed Sall'Ema had not succeeded at her task. Perhaps she had been caught, or perhaps the appropriate materials were not available. He sighed and slid athletically onto the griffin's back, gripping it between his knees and finding stability. The return flight would be long and agonizing, for he knew not how he would find Suravani.