It was another cold, quiet night in the abyss I call home. In all my twenty-eight cycles of
life, I could still feel the gentle sway of Torchal. His ancient thoughts, a soft buzz in the
back of my mind. A sweet lullaby that kept me calm. It kept us all calm. Soothed raw
nerves, quenched anger and remorse. If I paid close enough attention, I could even hear
the forming of words.
We all heard the buzzing. Most of us Firen were aware of his consciousness. Very few
noticed his movements through the dense waters deep down in this ocean, however. I
believe that is what the land walkers called it; ocean.
Just like those above, the Firen also became complacent to their way of life. We took
many things for granted and could no longer see the wonders before us. I still saw it. I
still felt it. My name is Limmeg. I am sole apprentice to Lar-Naneth. She is the voice of
Torchal but goes by many names; healer, witch, crone. I simply call her… mother.
On my way to Lar-Naneth for my tutoring, I passed many other Firen going about their
daily routines. Younglings headed off to their separate tutors. Way of trades was our way
of life. Reading and writing was born into us. We did not know any other way of life.
Riding on the back of Torchal through the deep dark waters, life was simple.
We were one of four towns. Ours was closest to Torchal’s head. It made sense since Lar-
Naneth lived here. She could speak mind to mind with him. He was an endless source
for knowledge and wisdom. Torchal, through Lar-Naneth, was judge to any crime. Those
found guilty were exiled off his back to float till death.
This day was the same as any other. I passed our fishers, casting lines up above into the
waters. It was our main source of food. This with some algae crops formed on Torchal’s
spines gave our bodies all we needed. This cycle seemed to be a good one. Hal-mant had
many apprentices. Each one was assigned to a seasoned fisher. Hal-mant called out to
me. “Running late I see. Lar-Naneth will tan your hide.” He threw a small blue fish over.
“Here. This may save you a little of her wrath.”
“Thank you Hal-mant. You always know how to appease Lar-Naneth. I shall come later
to help gut your catch.” I caught the flavorful small fish easily, happy to have a peace
offering.
Finally, at Lar-Naneth’s hut, I shook the shells hanging from her sea weed curtain door.
“Lar-Naneth, I have arrived.
“You are late! I should have you fetch a fallen spine to whip you with.” Lar-Naneth
poked her pointed nose through the curtain. White hair stood on end. She was nearly a
foot shorter than me and thin as a fish bone but no one dared test her strength.
“Please, Lar, please. The younglings I reside with needed morning meal and Madame
was out at market. I brought you a Luin for your tea.” I held out the palm sized fish.
Lar-Naneth scrunched her eyes while glaring at the fish. “Hmmm. You may have saved
your backside yet again. Come. Bring it over and start your lessons.”
“Yes Lar.” I entered her hut after her. Furniture made from fallen spines lines both sides
of the entrance room. A single person chair to the left and a double person chair to the
right. A large, round table took up the center. Sitting upon that table was my task for the
day. There was a green coral, white pearl, and red rock.
Lar-Naneth disappeared behind another curtain to make her tea. From there she yelled
at me, “This time get it right! No guessing!”
“Yes, Lar.” Standing before the table, I closed my eyes. My open hand hovered over each
item for seconds at a time before moving on to the next. Clearing my mind was the
hardest part. It just wouldn’t shut up. I tried visualizing the dark water around us or
focusing on Torchal’s movements. Before I knew it, I was thinking of all sorts of things
instead of silence.
I shook out my hands and took a deep breath. Connecting to Torchal was the hardest
task I have ever had to accomplish so far. I could hear his murmurs but never the exact
words. Focus was definitely not my strong point. You would think, being Lar-Naneth’s
daughter would make this easier but it didn’t.
Swaying to Torchal’s swimming, my mind finally emptied. A peace fell over me. My
heart filled with love. One simple word gonged in my mind, “Pearl!”
“Mother! I heard him!” My eyes were wide and I jumped up and down, simply unable to
contain my joy.
“What have I told you, child? While you are learning, you will address me as Lar-
Naneth.” She came through the curtain holding two cups of Luin tea. “And I heard as
well. Do you think he would leave it to you for telling me what his choice was?” Lar
shook her head. She handed me one of the cups. Its sweet smell made my stomach
growl. “Did you not eat with the younglings?”
“No, Lar. I did not wish to be later than I already was.”
“That just will not do. Come, sit with me and we shall fix that error.” Lar ushered me
into her small kitchen. Everything we had was made from fallen spines. We would never
pull or cut them from Torchal’s body. It was absolutely forbidden to cause him any kind
of pain. Such an act was the worst of crimes and never needed any kind of trial.
I sat at the much smaller table while Lar fussed over her stove. In respect, I did not
speak. That was done during the meal. So as soon as she placed my plate of fish and
algae down, I asked what was on my mind. “So now that I have clearly heard him, what
comes next?”
Lar slowly cut her fish, taking her time to saver the flavor. After what seemed like
forever, she looked up at me. “We take him what he asked for, silly girl.”
If my eyes were wide before when I finally heard Torchal’s voice in my mind, now they
were huge. “We are going further forward? What about our air we breath while between
his spines?”
She shook her head at me looking down. “Just when I think you are growing wiser, you
ask such a question as that. Do you not know how the cleaners move above our air to
groom Torchal?”
Lowering my gaze as well, I answered. “Yes, Lar. They harvest the air, making solid
spheres to place over their heads. This keeps them with enough air to last through each
grooming.”
A cool hand grasped mine. Lar squeezed every so slightly. “Yes, my child. That is how we
will travel forward.”
When I raised my eyes to meet hers, they were full of pride. We finished our meal in
silence before packing for the journey. This would be quite the experience. Lar did not
live far from Torchal’s mind but it was far enough to cause me to wonder if one sphere
would take us the whole way. I would pack two just in case. I looked over at Lar and saw
her doing the same. I may live with the younglings most of the time but the majority of
my belongings were still here with my mother.
When our packing was complete, we slung our packs on and headed out her front
curtain. Looking up at Torchal’s spines, how they swept backwards, we started forward.
Lar’s pack was much larger than mine but she was stronger than most Firen. Even as
thin and small as she was, she could take on our strongest males. She was everything I
wanted to be.
Cresting Torchal’s neck towards his head, the spines ended mere feet before us. Lar
called a stop and pulled out her first sphere. I took her lead and retrieved mine as well.
They were solid from one side to the next, top to bottom, but they slid right over our
heads without seeming to create an opening. It was a trade I knew nothing of.
The way forward was much darker than any spot within his spines. I could see open
water ahead. My heart lurched. If Lar was not here, then I doubt I could make this trip.
Seeming to know my fear, Lar reached over and took my hand. I smiled at her in
response. Together, we both stepped out of the spines.
I gasped at the sight before me. Now that we were unobstructed by Torchal’s spines, the wide-
open water was breath taking. Hughes of light blue and dark swirled together. Schools of bright
silver fish flocked backwards and forwards. One such school swam too close to Torchal. Lar
grasped my shoulder to hold on and we braced our feet. His head moved, jarring us almost to
falling. I looked over the side and saw a massive jaw opening. The suction drew in countless fish.
We were ready when he closed his mouth again. This time, we stood steady.
Lar looked over at me. “We do not need to travel too far forward. To go to the end of his mouth
would be suicide.” Her voice did not come from her mouth, though. How could it with the
sphere over our heads. Instead, I heard her in my mind. All I could do was nod. I didn’t even
know we could communicate in the way of Torchal.
It was very cold out in the open. We walked for a very long time. Lar had us stop to eat and I had
no idea how that would even work until she brought out containers with long hollow tubes
inserted in them. She handed one to me. I continue to watch her for instructions. Lar pushed the
tube through her sphere and it opened just enough for the tube to go through, then closed
around it. With that done, Lar simply drank from it. The idea of nourishment being taken in
such a way was startling. I followed along as she had done even though it seemed ridiculous. To
my surprise, it was very satisfying.
We continued on for longer than I thought would be possible. Eventually, a slight dip showed
itself before us. On either side of the pathway, the terrain rose up a little. Those rises moved
causing me to jump. Lar laughed in my mind. “Silly girl. Those are Torchal’s eyes. Do you not
think he needs to scout his domain?”
My cheeks reddened. How was I supposed to know what to expect? This was the first time I
traveled forward.
“We are here. Just a little way down between his eyes is a setting for the pearl. You must be the
one to place it there.” Lar gently shoved me in that direction and then sat down. She extended
one hand to receive my pack.
I gave it to her after removing the pearl. Holding it tightly in both hands, I moved down the
pathway. It only took several steps to see what Lar was talking about. A coral setting sat affixed
to Torchal’s hide. Nothing occupied the space right now but a tugging in my chest caused me to
hurry over and set the pearl inside. As soon as I did, the four prongs moved inwards to clasp
around it. The pearl began to shine ever so slightly. In my mind, I heard a rhythmic purring of
satisfaction. My heart swelled with joy.
I smiled within my sphere. Making my way back to Lar, I fell down when Torchal jerked
suddenly. He jerked again and again. I had to hold onto one of his eye lids to keep from being
shot out into the water. Lar came running towards me to help. I looked up into her fear filled
eyes. “What is it Lar? What is happening? Did I do something wrong?” Panic instantly had me
talk mentally to my mother. I didn’t have time to question it at this point, though.
Lar sat down next to me. We held each other as we braced through his fit. “No. You did nothing
wrong. There has been an unscheduled death. A violent one. One that even Torchal cannot see
who is at fault. We must get back and find the crime. The murderer must be brought before
Torchal.”
Lar and I raced back as fast as we could. We only took a small moment to drink another meal.
Lar was silent the whole time, making me worry even more. Crime wasn’t anything new in our
world. It happened occasionally but with Torchal always listening and watching, not much got
past his sight. We would still hold a hearing to determine the severity of each crime but Torchal
always knew. This time, he did not.
As we drank our nourishment, I tapped Lar’s shoulder. I wasn’t sure how I had accomplished it
before but I couldn’t speak to her mind now. All I could do was plead with my eyes.
“Shhh, now child. I am communicating with Torchal. He is panicked. I must sooth him
somehow. I will reassure him that we shall find whoever did this and bring them before him for
judgement.” Her look of amusement must have meant she could read my expression. “You did
not need to speak. Your face said it all. Now. I must focus. Let us continue.”
With that, we rushed on. How she could calm Torchal while we were both clearly scared and
worried, I would not know. Far in the back of my mind, I could feel a different panic. Not mine.
Mine was towards the front. This must have been Torchal. There were no words, just feeling. It
made my heart break for him.
As soon as we entered the spines, Lar took off her sphere. I did as well but we never paused to
place them back in our packs. Now able to speak, my voice rose to reach Lar who was several
paces ahead of me. For an old woman, she could really hustle. “Where are we headed? Where
did this happen?”
She paused briefly to look at me. Worry etched her features. “It was a youngling. We are headed
to where you live.”
My breath caught in my chest. My vision swirled. A youngling? Who would dare? They are the
most precious gift we have. Not many are born so when they are, we gather them with our care
takers.
We passed Lar’s hut and set our packs inside. Lar-Naneth went beyond her kitchen to grab a
small seaweed pack filled with items to help investigate. A feeling of urgency clutched at my
chest. Before I could say a word, Lar latched onto my hand and drug me with her.
“Now that Torchal has welcomed you into his mind, you shall aid me in this investigation.”
“Yes, Lar.” It was all I could think of to say. Visions of each youngling face swam in my head. I
couldn’t part with any of them.
The large enclosure loomed before us now. It was the largest in our community. I helped
Madame in the evenings after my lessons with my mother. Taking care of the younglings felt
right. Before we could enter, Madame rushed out. Her face was full of sorrow and anguish.
“Lar-Naneth! I am so glad to see you. I assume Torchal told you of the occurrence?”
“Yes, Madame. It was a youngling then?”
“Yes, it was.” Madame seemed to finally notice my presence. “Limmeg. I assume, if you are
here, then your task went well. I am so sorry this interrupted such a joyous event.”
I bowed my head respectfully. “Think nothing of it, Madame. You know how much the
younglings mean to me.”
Madame also bowed her head. It was the first time she ever did. “You will make a fine Lar when
it is your time.” She held back the seaweed curtain for us to enter.
Lar pushed forward. She was all business now. Not a single emotion played across her face. She
turned back towards Madame after we all entered. “Show me, please.”
Madame nodded. “We have her in the back where the others will not see her.” She brushed past
us, leading down the long, dark hallway. On each side, an opening would appear for a
youngling’s room. In the back was the dining area and kitchen.
Reaching the kitchen, Madame led us to a further room. It was mostly storage but inside stood a
long table. A white sheet covered something small. I couldn’t breathe. Tears threatened to fall
from my eyes. Lar looked at me and spoke in my mind. “Get ahold of yourself, child. This will be
your job in the future. You cannot let emotions override the logic needed to figure this out.” Her
eyes softened a little. “I know you love them. Use that to punish the one responsible.”
She was right. I had to find the one who did this. Only pure evil could harm a youngling. With a
new resolve. I stepped into the room.
PART 2
“Come. We must examine the body.” Lar held out her hand for me. I grasped it lightly, not really
wanting to approach the dead youngling. “Stand here and observe.” Lar pushed me to one side
of the table and walked over to the other.
She delicately pulled back the sheet. I did my best to not react to seeing that poor youngling
laying there unmoving. If you didn’t know any better, you would assume she was sleeping.
There were no marks upon her body at all. She lay there with her eyes closed but paler than
normal skin.
I watched as Lar-Naneth pulled out the pouch she retrieved from her hut. She withdrew a
smaller pouch from within. Lar poured a fine silver powder into one palm, then blew it across
the body. The powder began to swirl through the air just above the youngling. It went from her
tiny toes, along her legs, up to her chin and then her small head. If the granules were alive, I
would have sworn they were confused. The performed several more trips back and forth. Finally,
they spun like a water funnel just over her mouth. Another flourish of Lar’s hand had the dust
zipping back into the smaller pouch.
“Hmmmmm. Interesting.” Lar-Naneth scratched her chin.
“What is it Lar-Naneth?” I came around the table and stood beside her.
“I need to make sure, first before speaking of it.”
She pulled out a crystal hanging from some twine. Stepping closer, Lar let is dangle over the
youngling’s mouth. The crystal began to swing in a circle. It picked up speed almost yanking out
of her hand. Without warning, the crystal yanked hard towards the ceiling and stayed that way.
Lar gentled tugged it down and placed it back inside the larger pouch. “Yes. Just as I thought.”
“Oh, come on, Lar! Tell us what you thought.” I was beside myself with curiosity.
Lar looked between me and Madame. “Her soul was stolen.”
My jaw dropped. “Say what? Her soul? Is that even possible?”
“Yes, child. It is. Do we not live on the back of a creature and talk through our minds to him?
What makes you think this is not possible?” Lar stared hard at me causing me to drop my gaze.
“Yes, Lar-Naneth. I am sorry. Please continue.” I kept my eyes lowered in respect.
Lar began to pace. “Whatever did this is not of our kind. Something came in from the waters and
took her soul. If it remains and we find it in time, we may yet be able to save this youngling.” She
took on finger and lifted my head, making sure we had eye contact. “We have much to do,
Limmeg.” Lar then looked to Madame, “Do not speak of this to anyone. We do not want word of
it to reach whatever did this. We need to let it know, we are still unsure of what happened.”
Madame bowed slightly. “Yes, Lar-Naneth.” When she looked at us again, there were tears in her
eyes. “Please, hurry. Bring her back to us.”
Lar stood tall. “Oh, I will. Be sure of that.”
We strode out of the building, making sure to not speak so no one could hear. Our silence
continued until we were safely inside Lar’s hut and in the kitchen. Both of us sat down at the
table.
I waited for her to speak but she didn’t seem inclined to do so. I broke the quiet. “What is our
next step, Lar-Naneth.”
She gazed towards where her living room was for a moment then turned to me. “Next? We hunt
a killer.”
PART 3
I helped Lar the rest of the day with preparations. We mixed ingredients in a large, deep pan
carved from fallen spines. She had me write down everything she did so I could learn as well. Lar
also ordered me to stay with her until we caught this horrid killer. I wasn’t about to complain.
Last thing I wanted was to be a target.
“Limmeg! Pay attention!” Lar snapped her fingers at my face.
“Sorry, Lar-Naneth.” I lowered my head and kept writing. I had no idea where she found all of
these ingredients. They are not from within our domain.
As if she was reading my mind, yet again, Lars stopped what she was doing. “I send up a net as
the fishers do. Sometimes I get lucky, sometimes I do not. And sometimes, I regret what comes
in.” She smiled playfully.
“I would love to hear some of those stories.” Giggling, I went over to the pot. It smelled horrible
but that usually meant whatever she was making would work. “So what does this do?”
Lar retrieved some smaller containers made of the same material. These had grooves so you
could tighten two pieces together and keep things inside them. She when about filling many.
“These will help us track the killer. We shall start where the attack happened. I have a way to
turn this into a mist. That will show us a vague impression of whoever did this and which way
they went.”
“Oh, that is clever.” She motioned for me to move them all to the table, so I did.
“Of course, it is clever. I thought it up.” Lar strolled back to her sleeping area and came back
with an armful of items. There were spines, seaweed rope, and many other things I could not
identify.
“What are we doing now, Lar?”
“You ask too many questions. If you would simply be quiet and observe, you will learn. Let us go
into the entrance room. It is larger.” Even though she sounded cross with me, her lips quirked
upward and a playful gleam shown in her eyes.
I helped her move the smaller table aside and we sat on the floor. Lucky for us, Torchal had a
firm yet comfortable skin. Lar set out all the items. She used the rope to connect poles to each
other, forming a tall box shape. The rope was also used for affixing a large seaweed net to each
wall.
“Oh! A cage for him when we find him.”
“Clearly.” Now we have to figure out how to subdue the killer once we track him down.” Lar
scratched her pointed chin as she thought.
I took that time to tighten any knots that seemed loose and testing the prison’s strength. I swear
Lar could create anything out of nothing. She was a genius. I really hope I can fill those shoes.
“I’ve got it!” Lar stood up and went back to her kitchen. She cleaned out the pot that was used
for the tracking spell and set it back upon the fire. Lar used her magic to have even more items
fly to her waiting hands. That was also something I needed work on. Torchal granted many gifts
to the Naneth. Magic was just one.
I sat at the table as she called countless items to her. It was difficult but I scratched down all of it as fast as I could. I had no idea what she was creating this time but by the look on her face, it was going to be a doozy.
PART 4
Once Lar’s last concoction was done and in containers, we headed out. Yet again, it was difficult
to keep up with my mother. She made a bee line to where I lived and entered without knocking.
Once inside, we went straight back to where the undisturbed body lay covered.
Standing there and seeing that small mound under the cover took my breath away again. A
quick slap to the back of my head by Lar brought me out of my stall. “Time is wasting, child.”
Lar stood over the youngling and held out her hand. I knew which item she needed. I set down
the bag and rummaged through it until I found the first potion and a spray type device. All
through this preparation, Torchal whined in the back of my mind. I could only imagine what Lar
was feeling and hearing.
She took the container and device and somehow connected them together. She held it over the
body but didn’t use it yet, Instead, she looked at me with piercing eyes. I instantly jumped back
but then realized what she was trying to convey. I rummaged again and brought out my notes.
When I was ready, she started chanting and spraying. I wrote everything she said.
Mist flowed through the room. I could see silhouettes of Madame and us when we had come in
here but we were moving in reverse. There was a brief moment of nothing happening but Lar
continued to chant and spray. I saw Madame again but this time she carried the youngling. It
was just undefined images but it was clear who we were seeing.
We followed the backwards movements of Madame to where she found her. Watching Madame
broke my heart. She was a kind woman and truly loved us all. I made a mental note to help her
more with everyone and everything.
Now was the time that we needed. I took notes of all we saw and now we waited for the killer’s
image. It had the audacity to appear from the front doorway as it was leaving. When it got to the
youngling and crouched over her, Lar-Naneth stopped her chant but didn’t stop the mist. The
figure held in place, unmoving. We both walked around and around as Lar told me what to
write.
It wasn’t one of us. That was for sure. A hunched back full of some kind of bumps leaned
downwards. An oval face, malformed, looked at its victim with its elongated mouth held open
and dripping something. Long taloned hands gripped some kind of small stick. It wasn’t the
same shape as a spine.
What was this creature and why was it here doing this? I looked over at Lar and she could read
the questions on my face. A small shake of her head was her only answer.
She began to chant again causing the still image to move. I had to look away during the time it
took her soul. It was too much to bare. When Lar cleared her throat, the creature was on the
move again, walking backwards. It had taken the little one by surprise and overpowered her with
its strength. She hadn’t stood a chance.
PART 5
Lar switched her chanting and now we followed it after the killing had happened. Everything
went from being shown in reverse to going forward. Hurrying in pursuit of the creature’s
silhouette, we zipped through our small town. No one questioned what we were doing. Everyone
could see what we saw. They gasped at the form dodging from cover to cover. There didn’t seem
to be any one direction that the creature picked. For a short while he went forward, then he went
back. I didn’t dare interrupt Lar’s chanting, however, to ask. We just kept following where ever it
led.
A long time passed before we were staying on one path. It ducked into a storage room and
stayed there. Lar wasn’t sure if we should enter but I went in anyway so she had no choice but to
come with me. By the time we went in, the abomination was exiting yet again.
Lar stopped chanting and all his forward motion stopped. We circled him yet again. Lar
scratched her chin. “Do you notice something different?”
I stepped closer even though his mist form was repulsive. I gasped when it finally hit me. “His
stick is gone!”
“Yes. The stick is gone. But where in that storage area did he place it? If we can find it, we can
restore the youngling.”
“Do you think that is where her soul is kept? In that stick?”
“Yes, I do.” Lar didn’t continue her spell. Instead she entered the storage building. We went over
to where he had been to look around. She hovered her hand above the area he had occupied with
her eyes closed. “Why didn’t I feel it before?” Lar reached into a large square container holding a
recent crop of moss. When her hand came out, she held the stick. It glowed ever so gently in a
pale blue.
Lar thrust it into my hands. “Here, child. Quickly. Go back to the youngling. This must stay by
her body until I arrive. I must gather more ingredients.”
I ran as hard as I ever had until I came to my home. Not even stopping to see if anyone was
behind the entrance curtain, I pushed through just as quickly. The only time I stopped was when
I stood before the small, delicate body. Tears ran down my face. “I have you, dear one. I have
you.”
I stood there crying, waiting for Lar-Naneth to come. How long could the soul be out of the body
without harm? Now that we had her, I was impatient to bring her back. I began to pace but
never far from her body.
Lar burst through into the room. Her arms were full of containers and other items. She threw
them to the ground. Sitting down with them, she started pouring things into a larger bowl. It
didn’t seem to have any rhyme or reason. Lar would just grab something, not even look at it and
then dump it in.
I began to bring out my notes but Lars shook her head where she sat. “No time. Just stand as
close as you can to her.”
When she was finished adding ingredients, Lar splashed her hands into the bowl as well, mixing
everything together. It quickly became a paste like substance. As soon as the contents became a
bright glowing purple, she stood again.
“Take the sheet off of her and remove as much clothing as you can while keeping her modest.”
I did as she instructed while Lar spread the paste all over any exposed skin. When it made
contact, it glowed even brighter. The stick in my hand began to pulse as well. Lar reached out a
goop covered hand towards me. “Here here. Give me the stick.” I eagerly handed it over.
Words flew out of Lar’s mouth. These were not in our language at all. I couldn’t even understand
any of what she was saying but both the paste and the stick brightened. A loud, sharp whining
sound pierced my ears. It grew and grew causing pain in my head. Just when I thought I
couldn’t take anymore, the stick ruptured.
The blue light spread. As it did, it moved towards the youngling. The paste changed to the same
blue when the light was hovering just above her chest. It was almost as if the light and paste
started to reach out to each other. When they made contact, all of it, paste and light, sank into
her body.
The youngling gasped for air. In an instant Madam was there in the room with us crying and
holding her. I ran to the young one and held her as well. The precious child was alive again. I
dared a glance over to Lar. She held her head high but there was no relief in her eyes.
I let go and walked over to Lar. “What is it? What is wrong? Are you not happy she is back? You
did it.”
Lar nodded. “Yes, dear. I am happy she is back. But this is not over. This was a test from the
creature. He will be back to kill again.”
Shock was clear on my face. “Do you really think he will?”
“Oh yes. He will but we will be ready.”
PART 6
Lar was like a mad woman. She went through her hut throwing this or that into a bag. By the
time she was done, there were many bags. “Come, come. Grab a few of these.”
“Yes, Lar.” I went and looped several through each hand to where I had handles up to my
elbows. “What is all this?”
“Just some items to help us catch a killer, child, what else?” Lar never looked up at me. She
continued to fill even more bags.
We lugged them all over to my room in the hut I lived in. She quickly went to work. To my
astonishment, it wasn’t just one item she built. She created several gadgets first. Every time I
tried to touch one, my hand stung from Lar slapping it.
Next, she rebuilt the cage from before. I hadn’t noticed her tearing it down from all the flying
parts I had to dodge. This time it was bigger and stronger. Lar attached one of the devices to it
and the cage began to hum.
“Is that magic, Lar?” It sounded like magic, but not.
“No, silly child. It is electricity.” Lar laughed as if it was the funniest joke she had ever heard.
“What is eee-lek-triss-itee?” I had never heard of such a thing. It had to be magic.
Lar laughed even harder, doubling over from the stomach pain it caused. “We haven’t gotten to
that part of your learning yet, Limmeg. It is something Torchal taught me about. Apparently,
those who walk above the waters use it.”
I glanced at the floor. There were no leftover parts. She had used them all. It was astonishing
how Lar could know exactly what she needed in her chaos earlier.
“Now what do we do, Lar?” Building all of this was one thing. Using it when needed was another.
How could we know when he would come back?
As if she read my mind… again… she answered the unspoken question. “He will come tonight.
The soul has an expiration date. Both in and out of the body. He won’t be able to leave it behind
for long. If he did, then he would have to go through the trouble of retrieving a different one.”
“Good point. So, we go back to the warehouse?”
“Yes. We go there and wait with these items.” She pointed to several gadgets. “When we get him,
then we can bring him here to this cage.”
“Those gadgets better be able to hold him till we get here then.” This didn’t sound like a good
plan to me but the look on Lar’s face made me rethink that.
“It is a perfect plan! These devices will hold him just fine. Then when we have him in the cage,
we can station guards until Torchal is ready to sentence him.” Lar’s head was held high. She was
definitely proud of her plan. That is until I asked my next question.
“What kind of sentence can Torchal give to such a creature? He came from the waters. What can
we do to him that would be justice?”
“That, my dear, is a very good question indeed. It is not up to us to decide this one’s fate. That is
only for Torchal to decide. He knows what must be done and we will do as he bids.” Lar went
back to holding her head high. “Now, grab those devices and let us set up an ambush that
creature will never expect.”
PART 7
“Are you sure he will be coming tonight, Lar?” We had been hiding behind some rather large
containers of fish for a long time now.
“Do not question me, girl. Torchal guides me.”
“I do not mean to doubt you or our great Torchal, but he did not know about this creature.” I
braced for some kind of physical reprimand. None came.
“I understand your doubt now. Torchal searched his long memory. There was a brief encounter
with a similar type of creature in the far past, even before my Grand-Lar. Trust in him.”
“Yes, Lar-Naneth. As you wish.”
“Now, silence. I hear something. Torchal warns.”
We both stayed as quiet as the waters. A shuffling and scraping sound came from the
warehouse’s front flap. Spike-like talons curved around it from the outside. Water dripped from
them onto Torchal’s back. What emerged next was from all nightmares.
I am guessing it was some kind of head. Barnacles and spikes covered most of it making it
difficult to tell. If it wasn’t for the red, sulfurous eyes glowing above a gaping mouth full of
needle teeth, I would not have known at all.
A sinuous body came next. Lithe and lean but also covered in the same barnacle and spikes and
its head. He oozed green thick fluid. As it landed, it sizzled and disappeared causing a soft groan
within my mind from Torchal. The creature stood nearly eight feet tall. This was nothing like the
vapor form we saw before.
I did not dare ask Lar what this thing was. It wasn’t the same as the other. It was much worse. I
really hoped all her gadgets worked on this one just like she believed they would have worked on
the other one. Just as I thought that, another form followed inside right behind this one. It was
the first creature. Same as the larger one but smaller and it didn’t ooze. So now there were two.
How in all the spines would this work out?
Lar looked over at me. She didn’t seem phased in the least that there were now two monsters.
TWO! She placed her finger on her lips to tell me to be quiet. I tried to slow my breathing but
couldn’t. This was impossible. Sure, she was a Lar but I was only a student.
The creatures approached where the soul had been stashed. They rummaged through the fish.
Light chittering came from the smaller one while a harsher form was spoken by the larger.
Someone was in trouble.
Lar handed me one of the devices. She held one similar to it. With no sound, she showed me that
all I had to do was point and click the green button. Then, hold the button down until they
stopped moving. Panic rose in my chest as Lar began to stand up.
I followed her lead. We both aimed our devices at the unknowing creatures. There were still
locked in some kind of chittering argument. I pointed at the smaller one while Lar’s device
aimed at the larger creature. Just as we were about to hit the buttons, the smaller one looked our way. He grabbed his superior and yanked him down out of the way of our green beams of light.
“Come on, girl. Don’t waste time.” Lar jumped over our container in one bound. I tried to do just
as she had done but face planted inside with the fish. After a short struggle, I clawed my way out
only to see Lar in a fist fight with the larger of the two monsters. It seemed both me and the
smaller one was in shock of what we saw.
As I glanced at the little one, he took notice of me as well. Instead of fighting me, he took off out
of the room. “Go get him girl, I’ve got this one.”
“Are you sure? He is so big!”
“GO!”
I did. I ran and followed the screams of people waking up to see what the commotion was about.
It ran toward the edge of town. I had to catch it. It knocked over newly erected stalls for produce
and fish that were being set up by early riser at market. I tried desperately to jump over any
clutter he created.
Finally gaining ground, I grabbed a hanging line of fish and flung it at him. It wrapped around
his feet causing him to fall over. Of course, it didn’t take long for the monster to get free but by
that time, I was on him. Thinking of how Lar was handling the big one, I started punching this
creature. I took the fish and line and wrapped it around his legs.
He fell to the ground hitting his head on a hard table. I held my breath to see if he got up but he
did not. So, I looked for another fishing line. All the other Firen finally stopped screaming. Hal-
mant seemed to see what I was after and brought a large net. He helped me wrap the beast up in
it and drag it to where Lar-Naneth sat on a still body of the larger creature, a rather huge spine
clutched in her hands.
“How did you subdue that one, Lar?”
“When gadgets fail, a blunt object usually does the trick. You?”
“Blunt object as well.”
“Let’s get them to the cage and then summon our town for the sentencing.” Lar grabbed her
prize by one disgusting food and began dragging it behind her as if it didn’t weigh a thing.
With quite a bit of pushing and shoving, we finally got both the creatures into the cage. Lar
attached her device and the humming began. Hal-mant was still with us and helped get them
inside the cage. Lar looked to him now. “Go gather the town in our arena for their judgement.
An hour later, I stood with Lar in front of our congregation. The arena was near Lar’s hut but
closer forward to Torchal’s head. It would make it easier to deliberate with him.
“We gather to pass judgement upon these creatures who dare steal a youngling’s soul. The child
was reunited with her soul but these two would easily return and steal it or another again. What
say you all?” Lar looked out into the crowd.
In unison, the entire town held up red cards for guilty. Not a single green card could be seen. Lar
nodded. “I shall pass on your verdict to Torchal who will decide their fate.”
Lar went silent. She closed her eyes and nodded several times. It seemed to go on forever. No
one dared move and disrespect Torchal or Lar-Naneth. They all waited on baited breath.
After what felt like an eternity, Lar opened her eyes. She looked at me. I knew what would be
said because Torchal had spoken to me as well. She strode a little forward. “Torchal has spoken.
These two evil creatures shall be sentenced to death by sea serpent.”
Gasps erupted through the crowd. No on had ever seen a sea serpent much less been sentenced
to death by one. They were longer but thinner than Torchal, if the myths were to be true. They
could freeze the very waters.
We all felt Torchal shift his direction. Many staggered. Lar stood strong. It wouldn’t take long for
us to reach where ever Torchal wanted us to go. The air around us began to grow very cold. The
creatures awoke and began angry chitters. They thrashed at the bars but quickly learned that
touching them hurt. One of their talons broke through and scratched me down my arm. My
blood pooled on each cut but quickly froze. We all shivered violently.
Through chattering teeth, Lar spoke, “It is time. Hal-mant please assist us in raising this cage.”
He stepped forward with several other young Firen men. They lifted the cage by spines placed
under it until it rose above our atmosphere. Something large swam past at a vicious pace. We
covered our ears when the sound of a roar nearly made us all deaf.
“Do not fear. It is not here for us. Torchal will protect us.” Lar declared.
Still, everyone crouched down. Above us, streaks of light flashed. An enormous form could be
seen coiling just beyond Torchal’s spines. Teeth larger than the longest spine filled a gaping
maw. The cage continued to rise on its own after breaching our air. It floated in the water. The
creatures didn’t move. They stared at their fate without fear.
Suddenly, a crunch could be hear as those teeth encompassed the cage and creatures, smashing
them to nothing. It disappeared beyond that maw. Within no time at all, the serpent was gone
and our air became warm again.
The deed was done. Our people were safe. Until the next mystery or danger arrived, we could
live as we wished and I could finally become a Lar when it was my time. To be like her was all I
wished for now.
