Published at 16th of February 2024 2:23 pm

Chapter 2.10 Shaman's Walk

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Colorful dreams filled Nox’s night. Lights and colors danced. Disembodied voices spoke in languages Nox didn’t recognize. He walked through fields and thickets and waded across rivers. Motes of buzzing lights appeared out of the pink mist and circled Nox. Their flickering reminded Nox of fireflies, but he saw glimpses of human legs and hair through the glow.

When he reached for them, Nox found his limbs short like that of a child. The motes zipped between Nox’s fingers and through his baggy clothes. A teal light settled on Nox’s hand and dimmed. It was a tiny woman. She had a thick dark blue fuzz on the back of her limbs and along her spine and moth wings. Compound eyes like those of insects studied Nox closely.

“Hey, there, little guy,” Nox said. The creature buzzed angrily. “Sorry, my lady. What is this place?”

The creature tilted its head to one side, momentarily reminding Nox of a confused puppy. When he attempted brushing its fuzz with his thumb, she leaned into the digit. The creature’s eyes gleamed for a second. Then she bit Nox’s thumb. Much to his surprise, he felt several needle-like teeth breaking his skin. The entity hissed at Nox before taking flight. Her companions dove at Nox, striking anywhere left uncovered by his clothing. Every sting burned, telling him that it was no ordinary dreanm

The creatures froze when a strange bark reached Nox’s ears. They squeaked to one another and then scattered. As they disappeared into the mist, it transitioned from pink to gold. Foggy tentacles danced around Nox and caressed him before retreating. The mist parted, and he saw a human face in the distance.

Nox’s breath caught in his throat. His chest tightened, and every beat of his heart hurt. Nox saw his father. Before he knew it, his legs were moving. They carried him along the path through the mists. Occasionally, Pallav’s face appeared close, but then Nox blinked, and it was just as far away as before.

“Baba!” Nox called. His voice was high-pitched. It sounded as if his current body hadn’t yet reached puberty.

The flow of time felt inconsistent in the dreamscape—as it did in all dreams. At times, covering a couple of steps demanded an eternity. Other times, he crossed several dozen feet in the blink of an eye. Eventually, Pallav stopped moving away, and Nox reached the face surrounded by swirling mists.

“Baba?” He asked. The word meant father, but Pallav called Nox the same, too. It was a term of love and endearment. Nox never understood the dual purpose and never questioned it.

Pallav smiled. Then the mist parted, and Nox saw the body attached to the face. The glimmer of joy Nox felt disappeared. He saw a stag. The creature stood taller than any deer Nox had ever seen. The antlers grew long and far from the body. Moss coated the mighty horns, and colorful flowers bloomed from their extremities.

The stag approached Nox, and he backpedaled. Plants grew and blossomed wherever the creature stepped. The smile on the stolen face appeared mischievous.

“Hello, Baba,” the stag said. It used Pallav’s voice but lacked his inflections or idiosyncrasies.

“This is because of the Spirit Caller’s Tea, isn’t it?” Nox asked.

“Hello, Baba.”

Pudge had the expertise and training to navigate the concoction’s effects. By indulging in the beverage, Nox had opened his dreams to the local spirits. The entity before him was likely a nature spirit or a being of mischief and malice.

“Hello, Baba,” it repeated.

Nox attempted to will himself awake. He failed. “Why are you doing this?” Nox asked. “That face isn’t yours. Show me what you really look like.”

“Hello, Baba.” The final syllable turned into a goat-like bleat.

“Stop!”

The stag laughed. It started like one of a human but changed, turning maniacal, then monstrous. Its face warped, resembling a bad oil painting exposed to a mighty blaze, bubbling and melting. The creature turned and galloped away, opening a new path through the mist.

“Wait!” Nox yelled. “I have questions.”

The laughter faded into the distance as Nox gave chase. His requests turned into demands but fell on deaf ears. Nox continued racing down the path, not knowing where it would lead. He passed serpents with blue and pink scales and bipedal winged lizards. Some creatures glanced at him, others hissed and growled.

A titanic shadow appeared in Nox’s path. At first, he thought it was a giant pillar, but as Nox got closer, he identified it as an ash tree. He recognized the familiar spread of branches and the giant notch halfway up the stump. It was Ygg. Giant ravens fluttered around the canopy. Their caws and loud wingbeats broke the silence. The birds dove at Nox as soon as they saw him, resembling a shower of black arrows.

Nox ducked, throwing his arms over his head. A head-sized sphere of fur burst from the mist before the ravens reached him. It landed in front of Nox and chirped. The creature looked at him with familiar brown eyes before shooting into the air toward the ravens. The birds swooped upwards and scattered.

“Otis?” Nox wondered out loud.

The fur ball bounced off invisible surfaces in the air, changing direction and chasing after the ravens. They disappeared into the thick canopy, leaving Nox to study his surroundings.

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A tortoise sat at the base of the Ygg’s trunk. It was twice as big as a carriage. Cracks covered the towering shell, and it had fragments missing. Blood dripped from lacerations on the creature’s face.

It stared at Nox. He stared back.

The wounds covering the tortoise looked fresh, but a couple had turned green and black. They were festering. Nox stepped towards the beast, but it retreated. A monstrous growl escaped its maw. Meanwhile, millipedes and other creepy crawlies appeared out of the holes in the shell and disappeared into others.

Nox struggled to tell what it was but sensed an odd connection to the creature. He felt sorry for it. Terror and pain filled the tortoise’s eyes. Despite its size, it appeared harmless, yet something—or someone—had terrorized and abused it. The beast froze and whined. New cracks appeared on its shell, and an invisible blade added a laceration above its eye. Nox saw no weapon but witnessed the cut slowly open. The sight pained Nox. He wanted to help but didn’t know how.

The tortoise released an almost canine whimper as it retreated from Nox. “I’m Nox,” he said. “I just want to help you.”

The tortoise froze. It studied Nox for an eternity. Then, a thundering voice spoke in Nox’s head. “Bi Xi.” It wasn’t particularly loud, but the two syllables reverberated through Nox’s body, shaking his bones. For a moment, Nox thought his innards would turn into jelly. The discomfort intensified, and he fell to his hands and knees.

Nox saw two versions of himself. The hands and arms attached to his body still had a child's proportions. However, the reflection on the wet ground showed his adult self, scars and all. Then, the discomfort and mental turmoil reached a crescendo, forcing him awake.

The first thought that entered Nox’s waking mind involved the stark difference between the top of Aria's and Annabelle’s heads. House Edelweiss’ heir lay naked next to him, her head resting on his chest. He had let go of his inhibitions altogether the night before, making decisions he wouldn’t have otherwise.

Nox's right hand stung. He found a finger-nail-sized bite mark on his thumb. It was where the little butterfly-girl had stung him.

"Bi Xi," he whispered before gently slipping out from under Aria. She had drooled on his chest during the night, leaving a wet, cold patch.

Flashes of their night together returned to Nox. The sex was wilder and crazier than anything he had done with Annabelle. In fact, he recalled getting a touch too rough at times and Aria encouraging it.

There was no denying that Nox had a great night, yet a pit formed at the bottom of his stomach.

"That was wrong," he whispered. Even though his relationship with Annabelle had ended, Nox couldn't help but feel guilty. It wasn't quite a betrayal, but it still seemed like one. He had guessed Aria's intentions within seconds of meeting her. When she refilled his cup, Nox hadn't stopped her. He let her sit on his lap, and he reciprocated the kisses.

Aria was a beautiful woman. Her proportions and natural endowments probably made her the most sexually appealing of all of his previous partners. But she wasn't Annabelle. Nox didn't want to be back with the new Oakheart heir. He misses her and believed slipping under the covers with someone less than a day after their relationship ended was an insult to their time together. However, some hungry part of him wanted to stir the woman in front of him for more.

"No," he told himself and dressed.

It was still dark outside, and mana lamps lit the large bedroom. He noted the products on Aria's dresser while gathering the clothes strewn across the floor. Most of the bottles carried Nox's new emblem. He identified the contraceptive amongst them and was glad he didn't need to worry about the night having unwanted results.

Before departing, Nox wrote a little note thanking Aria for the night and leaving his new shop's address. It felt rude not to leave a means for her to reach him. After all, her father intended to invest in Nox. He left it on her bedside table, weighed down by the water jug. Given how dry the tea had left his throat, he was sure Aria would find it not long after waking up.

"You took my advice," Lillin commented when he reached the Wedge. She sat by a campfire ten feet from the gangplank. A sleeping naked man poorly covered by a blanket lay nearby. The mimic-woman wore nothing but a frilly buttoned shirt. It was much too large for her and almost reached her knees.

"I wish I hadn't," Nox said, sitting next to Lillin.

"Why?" She scooted close to him before lying down with her head in his lap. There was nothing sexual about the action. It was perfectly normal and regular for their sibling-like relationship. One too many people had misinterpreted it before, and neither of the pair cared. "Didn't you have fun?"

"It was amazing," Nox replied. "Unlike Annabelle, Aria knew what she was doing, and we adapted to one other swiftly."

"So she was a better lay," Lillin said matter-of-factly.

"I wouldn't phrase it that way."

"But it's true." She grinned. “Good sexual chemistry is rare, and I hear it can take months, if not years, to develop.”

"It was wrong, though. I can't help but feel bad about it. What would Annabelle think if she found out—"

"Do you really think she's going to wait around pining after you?" Lillin asked. "Don't get me wrong. Annabelle is a lovely girl, and I'm sure she feels miserable about this, too, but it was clear to her that your relationship had no future, and there was no chance of changing that. She's going to move on. Annabelle is at her peak and a desirable partner. If her taking over House Oakheart involved leaving you, it probably requires tying the knot with someone else."

"That's not true. Annabelle doesn't want to end up under the thumb of another man—"

"Not if she is the ruling figure in the house like your mother. Annabelle will need to play political games, but she will still be the one in charge."

Nox sighed. "Maybe you're right. I just hope she doesn't end up as pathetic as Lydia Mercer."

"Give your mother a break.” Lillin’s sudden change in tone surprised Nox. He frowned at the mimic-woman. “It's not easy being a good ruler. You need to balance politics, the population’s security, and happiness with personal interests. Lydia Mercer might be a bad mother, but she's a good queen."

"You're just saying that because she fed you for eighteen years."

Lillin shrugged. "You know it's true."

The Trade Empire ran as smoothly as clockwork because the Mercers gave everyone a voice. They worked closely with advisors, caravan leaders, and the heads of production houses. The Gedges had more power in the kingdom than most of the queen’s advisors because they were essential for maintaining a smooth relationship with the Imperium. Trade with the military empire made profits, prevented war, and opened several new trade routes. Yet Nox hated that the benefits to the empire had come at his cost. Lillin was right, but Nox didn't want to admit it.

"I'm going to get cleaned up," Nox said, rising. "I've got a meeting with the baron at noon. I'd like some alone time in the laboratory until then."

"Go on, workaholic." Lillin chuckled. "I'll bring you breakfast in a couple of hours."

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