Re: 56 - Returns, reunions and revelations
Danny holds out a hand and accepts the coins, seemingly without seeing them. And then they vanish, just as quickly and easily as Tahirah had made them appear. "I knows some magic too, yer see. Down in the Trade Quarter, it pays not ter be seed wif scratch in yer 'and." a pause, and his grin develops a somewhat nervous-looking edge, "S'pose I'll never see the Trade Ward no more. Pity, I 'ad some good stuff 'idden away there. Ah well, easy comin' is easy goin', as they says, an' I can al'ays find more."
His eyes lock on Tahirah's face then, narrowing as he studies her within the shadows of her hood. "Yer right. Ol' Danny knows jus' what yer lookin' fer. This way, Ladyship."
"What can I say? Living with the brints means I get a good workout every day." Jonnee answers, "Last thing I want is for them to think I'm slowing down." In reality, the panther probably has an advantage over him, he knows. Ahmad can probably keep up this pace far longer than he can.
They run. The forest continues to grow darker around them, and the animal sounds start to sound more threatening... and then Jonnee skids to a halt, his boots gouging deep furrows in the leaf litter. "Smoke!" he says, sniffing the air. "Must be getting close."
In the converted audience chamber, with its circle of bathtubs, Cyan becomes acquainted with the somewhat confusing (and possibly confused) Banglen-Yp. For the moment, apart from the female servants moving barefooted and silent about the room, Banglen-Yp's mysterious companion, and the two Archons, they have the room to themselves.
That will surely change soon.
Across the hall, Roman too bathes. He is also alone currently, and though there are servants in the room, they give no reaction to his presence, save to provide more hot water on request, and to obey his instructions regarding his belongings.
Danny leads Tahirah through the makeshift camp, to where an old woman sits beside a large iron pot, suspended above a small fire. "Gran, give 'er Ladyship some o' yer soup. An' yer won't be chargin' fer it neither... if'n it weren't fer 'er, we'd never've found our ways 'ere."
A cheap tin mug , battered and dented, is used to scoop out some of the thin soup, which consists mostly of water, and chopped vegetables. Then the mug is handed to Danny, who passes it, in turn, to Tahirah. "There yer goes, Ladyship. 'fraid it ain't much, but yer looks like yer needs ter get summat down yer neck."
A coin appears, briefly, in his hand, and goes to the crone, in exchange for a hunk of bread, which he also passes to Tahirah. "Once yer's 'ad that, I's got summat ter show yer."
The forest thins out, becoming the familiar cleared area, with its sharpened tree stumps. James directs Ahmad to the road, which will provide a clearer route to the great fortress.
The city itseld stands, shrouded in smoke, with the upper levels still burning. As they approach, they can hear the occasional rumble of falling stone.
And then they see her... Meredith stands in the broken gate, flanked by brintizzi.