The Curse of the Winged Scorpion
Miscommunication

“Isthere anything else I can get you, Madame Chimera?” Meira placed a long stemmedglass before Fantel on the table, removing the plate of orange rinds and puffpastry crumbs as she did so. Over an hour had passed since their arrival butthe elder Innis sister continued to hover with wide eyed attentiveness, andmuch to her annoyance, Rashari’s nickname seemed to have been adopted byTamaki’s entire family as a standard form of address.

“NoI am fine, thank you.” She met the young woman’s eyes, hoping that she wouldleave finally. Tamaki had disappeared upstairs to the family rooms above thetavern with her father and the soppy boy to see Tamaki’s mother some time ago.She and Rashari were tucked away in a private room on the tavern’s ground floorsafe from the prying eyes and rabid curiosity of the local patrons.

“Andyou sir?” Meira turned to Rashari who was picking fastidiously at his own sweetpastry. He had a healing compress and fresh bandages over his wounded shoulderand had been persuaded, albeit reluctantly, to part with his sky blue coat longenough to have it cleaned. Fantel had been intrigued to discover that the highcollared vest-coat he wore under his outer clothing was padded with thin steelmesh just like the coat. The skin underneath had split, needing stitches, andthe wound site was livid with bruising but the padding in his coat and jackethad stopped the bullet from going too deep into his skin. Fantel wondered ifall Raiders were so well prepared against random bullets or if Rashari haddressed with a mind to being shot. The mesh alone did not explain how the ghostinside the bullet had failed to kill him. Armour, no matter how good, was no matchfor necromancy, even if the physical bullet had failed to punch through hisbody the ghost should still have entered through the shallow wound. Blood was akey component of necromantic magic. By all logic the wound should have beenfatal. Fantel had yet to decide if she wanted to know how he had survived badlyenough to ask him. He’d been quiet and somewhat subdued for the last hour,disinclined to talk despite having asked her to accompany him for that verypurpose. Now he looked up and favoured Meira with smile that did not reach hiseyes.

“Icould not ask for anything more.” He assured her. “You have been the veryspirit of hospitality.”

“Well,alright.” Meira looked a little sceptical, and perhaps a little disappointedthat she could not linger further but, finally, she made to leave them inpeace. “I’ll make up the guest rooms with fresh linen for you both – and I’llget started on fixing your coat.” She winked at Rashari as she backed out ofthe door. Tamaki’s family had opened their home to them for the night, butFantel had no intention of taking up the offer. Watching Rashari she suspectedhe didn’t either. Still he didn’t waste any time plying his charms on Meirawhile he could.

“Youare a perfect angel.” He put a little more effort into his smile this time, butto Fantel he still seemed like an actor giving a sub-par line reading. Theyboth watched the door close behind Meira.

“Explainhuman,” Fantel said as soon as she was sure Meira was out of ear shot. Curlingher hand around the stem of her glass she sipped her drink and watched him overthe lip of the glass. “What game are you playing? What do you want?”

“Whatif all I want is the pleasure of your company?” He asked a trifle causticallydropping his dessert fork onto the plate of shredded apple turnover. He lookedtired; bruised circles darkened the skin under his eyes and his mouth was drawninto a moue of displeasure. He caught the look Fantel threw his way and raisedhis right hand in surrender. “Alright, alright; I owe you an explanation, orseveral. So, what would you like to know?”

“Whatbusiness did you have in the Dagoman’s woods?” She demanded, deciding that shewould start at their first meeting and work from there. “You were not lost –you allowed Tomah to catch you as he led me to the mansion. Why?”

“Iknew you were a sharp one from the moment I laid eyes on you.” Cupping hischeek in his right hand, elbow propped on the table, Rashari picked up his forkagain, poking at the mutilated remains of the pastry he had mauled withouteating. “The truth is I wanted to be found by one of the Dha-hali; I wantedthem to know I was part of the Veridree raiders.”

“Why?”

“Becausethen they would be suspicious ahead of time and jump to precisely the rightconclusions when Smith attacked the Dagoman in his private suite.” He explainedwith the air of one imparting an unnecessary and obvious detail. “If I’d leftit to chance there was a possibility the Dha-hali would blame one of the otherraider sects invited to the auction. As it is, even Einar has the necessarybrains to put two and two together and come up with Veridree.”

Fantelfrowned replacing her glass on the table. “You wished to cast suspicion onyourself?”

“Onthe Veridree raiders,” he corrected succinctly. “My objective was to ensureEinar would blame the attack on Veridree. Raiders are notoriously fractious andthe failure of his little shindig has given Einar a bloody nose he won’t soonrecover from. He’ll be planning his revenge even as we speak.”

Fantelwas getting annoyed. Rashari was answering her questions but his answers failedto deliver any actual explanation for his actions. She was no clearer on hismotives now than before she had asked the first question. “You work for theVeridree raiders – why would you want to incite conflict with the Dha-hali?”

Rasharismiled bitterly. “Tell me Madame Chimera do you know how a man frees himselffrom servitude to a Raider lord?”

Fantelfrowned. “No.”

“Death.”He smiled, bright and sharp.

“Explain.”Fantel spoke through gritted teeth.

Rashariwaved a hand, as if to ward off her irritation with his answers so far, “Traditionallyspeaking, once a man is suborned in service to a raider faction that servitudeis a lifelong contract. The only way to be released is to die. Unless,” Rasharipaused, dark eyes glittering in the low light coming from the single phantasmaceiling lamp, “a man is lucky enough to outlive the one he is bound to serve.In my case I was sworn in service to Remus– and through him to Nylous, lord ofVeridree.”

“Sothat’s why you killed Remus; to escape your bondage?”

“Inever intended to kill Remus.”Rashari said, a thread of frustration – even anger – colouring his tone. “Heattacked me. I had no choice but to finish things while I had the upper hand.”He stared at Fantel, intently, almost willing her to believe him. “You werethere. I offered him his life, but he was right. Only one of us was leaving theenclave alive.” Rashari shook his head, looking properly disgusted.

“Idon’t understand.” Fantel stated flatly. “Why did you attack the auction? Whyannounce your presence to the Dha-hali? Why free the rest of the slaves?”

Rashariwas quiet for a moment, thinking, before he answered. “It was about Bashi.” Hesaid quietly addressing the table top instead of Fantel directly.

“Theman Remus shot. Who was he?” Fantel did not think she had ever met a human whomade such a production out of simply telling the truth. Stealing the horns ofan ogdegre while he slept would be easier than pulling a simple explanationfrom this human.

“AluhahnBashi is – was – the richest man inall the Bhuvam isles; the head of the Bashi Phantasma Mining Corporation.”Rashari said after a discernible pause. “Einar wooed him for months, looking togain a controlling interest in the mines. With Bashi in his pocket Einar wouldhave had access to as much phantasma as he desired – and could challenge Nylousfor control of the Verus Channel.” Rashari drummed his fingers over the tabletop and quirked an eyebrow at her, silent question implicit.

Fantelnodded in understanding, “Verus is the main sea trading route between the Tyburand Dushku continents. I imagine it is lucrativefor raiders.” She flexed her fingers around the delicate stem of her glass. “Soyou killed Bashi to prevent a Dha-hali alliance?” She was not unfamiliar withsuch machinations, and could well believe this was the sort of thing raidersdid to one another, but still, why then had he freed Tamaki and the other womenat the same time? Why would a raider care about a group of anonymous slaves,and why had he worked so hard to tip his hand before the attack? It almostseemed as though he sought to sabotage his own side.

“I didn’t kill Bashi,” Rashari snappedsurprising her. He raked his hands through his thick hair, causing it to stickup every which way from his scalp. He stared down at the table, holding hishead in his hands. “Nothing went as planned. I was commissioned by a thirdparty to steal the gem stone in Bashi’s possession. In exchange for handing thestone over to the Bhuvanti Suluman I would receive protection from my formermaster. Obviously everything went awry when Remus killed Bashi.”

“Whatis that stone you took? Remus seemed to think it was important. You do too.”

Rasharistared at her for a long moment, a muscle in his jaw ticking. She thought hewouldn’t answer. Then he pushed back from the table and pulled the pouchcontaining the stone from his belt. He tipped it out of the suede pouch onto hiscrumb covered plate. The stone was perfectly round and about the size of herpalm. It rolled across the porcelain until it stopped against the rim,liberally covered in pastry crumbs. The stone was a dark, tumultuous blue, cloudyand opaque. It barely reflected the rainbow shimmer of the phantasma lampoverhead.

“Everseen anything like this, before?” Rashari asked her curiously. Fantel shook herhead. When she had first seen this bauble attached to the top of Bashi’s caneshe had thought it a piece of polished phantasma ore. Now she was not so sure.It looked somewhat like phantasma, but she could sense no creeping whisper ofpower rising from the stone; no stale reek of the grave clinging to its smoothsurface.

“Thisis the Heart of Anoush,” Rashari told her quietly, “One of the twelve fabledscion stones of the Seraphim. It’s been in the Suluman’s family line forgenerations.”

“Ascion stone?” Fantel’s fingers twitched and she pushed her chair back a little,unconsciously moving away from the innocuous looking stone lying on the table.Everyone knew that scion stones contained a piece of a Seraph’s soul. Seraphimmyth claimed that Dalmund, greatest of all Seraphim, decreed that each of his elevenchildren seal a portion of their power and knowledge into a single stone as agift to the humans of Aldlis. Fantel knew that most of the twelve scion stoneswere in the possession of the High Cleric on the holy continent of Solistia tothe far north, but a few stones were still held in less divine hands. TheTabrian royal house had one, the Stone of Cirroc, but Fantel never imagined shewould ever be so close to a piece of a Seraph’s power.

“Ihave heard the story of this stone,” she said softly unable to take her eyesoff it. “It is said that Anoush was a daughter of Dalmund, sister to the otherSeraphim – a goddess. Like her brethren she was asked to seal some of her powerinto a stone. Yet it is said that she also had a great love of mortals – was in love with a human man - and did notbind a mere fraction of her power into a stone. Instead she gave her heart tothe man she loved and cast away her divine power altogether. She became as amortal herself, brought low by her love, and her issue claimed her name astheir right, becoming the founders of the Bhuvam state. When she died as allmortals must, she willed that her children keep the stone containing all hergodly power forever more, as a token of her undying love.” Fantel raised hergaze to Rashari. “When Dalmund discovered what she had done he flew into arage. It was not his will that humans should have all the power of a Seraph under their command. He tried to takeback the stone. The human descendents of Anoush had no choice but to relinquishher power in the face of Dalmund’s might. But they begged to keep the emptystone – the goddess’ heart – as a memento. Moved by their true grief and lovefor his daughter Dalmund let them keep the powerless stone. The story tellsthat Dalmund made the humans a promise, that if Anoush’s descendents continuedto love the memory of his daughter one day that love would restore the goddessto her full power once more.” Fantel arched an eyebrow, studying Rasharikeenly. “I replace it unlikely that the Suluman would willingly part with such arelic.”

“That’sthe funny thing about priceless relics; they are almost invariably useless.”Rashari reached out and poked the stone with one finger, rolling it back andforth across the plate. “At the very least Hannick Anoush thought so. What goodis a scion stone without true power? Hannick sold the stone to Bashi for astake in his mining corporation.” He smiled thinly. “I’m sure he thought he wasgetting the better deal.”

“Hewas wrong?” Despite her better judgement Fantel was intrigued.

Rasharishrugged, dark eyes darting away from her and skittering around the shadowedcorners of the room. “A dead goddess is still a goddess.” He replied quietly.“And power, even the promise of power, is a compelling lure.”

Fantellooked from Rashari to the stone and back again. “Bashi did not believe thestone was powerless. He sought to restore the goddess to life?”

Rasharishrugged, lifting only his right shoulder. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “I doubthe cared much for an overly sentimental myth. All the same he didn’t become aphantasma tycoon without learning a thing or two about the power of oldstones.”

“Howdo you know so much about the Heart?” Fantel asked intently, forgettingcompletely to maintain her aura of indifference. She frowned as another thoughtoccured to her. “If the story is true, then surely only those of the Suluman’sfamily line, the descendents of Anoush, can revive the goddess?”

“Familialfidelity doesn’t amount to much in this day and age.” Rashari repliedflippantly picking up the stone and tucking it back into his pocket. He seemedto have no qualms whatsoever handling the sleeping heart of a goddess. “Butthere are ways. I didn’t think anyone in Veridree knew about the Heart, untiltoday.” He stopped abruptly and pursed his lips into a thin line, straighteninghis shoulders. Fantel had the sense he had been about to reveal something hedid not want her to know. When he looked up and met her eyes, she could seethat he was about to lie to her. “As to what I know, it’s only what I was told.The Suluman realised he had made a mistake giving up the Heart and wanted itback. I was in a position to get my hands on it.” He shrugged. “So I took thejob.”

Fantelfrowned. “You are lying.” There was nothing in his expression, or tone ofvoice, to give him away, but Fantel was absolutely certain that he was lying,or at the very least, not telling her everything. “You lied before, to Remus,when he accused you of plotting against him. There is more to this story youtell than you would have me believe.”

Rashariblinked, a split second of consternation flashing behind his eyes before hislips quirked in the barest hint of a smile. He inclined his head almost regally.“Well - yes,” He admitted studying Fantel intently. “But I have to wonder MadameChimera, why do you care? Surely the twisted machinations of raiders hold nogreat interest to you? Especially when knowing the truth could make your ownsituation even more precarious.” He smiled then, dark eyes flat and hard behinda carefully constructed wall.

Fantelshifted, suddenly uncomfortable. “What do you mean?” She asked warily,carefully sitting back in her chair and stretching her fingers over the table.

“Onlythat I had assumed you’d be more interested in your own predicament than mine.”Rashari replied politely, casually looking around the room in an exaggeratedshow of nonchalance that was almost flamboyantly disingenuous. Fantel stared athim, refusing to ask him to explain when she knew she was being baited to doso. After another moment of feigned nonchalance Rashari gingerly rolled hisinjured shoulder, not quite managing to hide a wince as he did so, and turnedback to face her directly.

“Thetrue reason I asked you to come with me has little to do with Nylous or thestone. We escaped the Dha-hali enclave together; we had words before the attackbegan. Any of Einar’s men asking around in the marketplace or skyport arelikely to discover a witness who can attest to seeing the two of us together.”

“Whatis your point, human?” Fantel sensed a trap in his words but could not fathomwhy what he said should sound so ominous.

Hehitched his right shoulder in another half-shrug. “It strains the bounds of credulityto suggest we are anything but partners in crime.” He met her eyes head on.“Einar and his men will think you were in on the raid from the beginning. Youare, I regret to say, implicated by association now.”

Fantel’sclaws extended in a rush, and she dug them into the edge of the table, gougingchips out of the wood. “You planned this.”

Rasharieyed the scratches her claws had left in the polished table top. “Hear me outbefore you eviscerate me.” Fantel glared at him and he hurried on. “I admit thatI should have mentioned the danger of our being associated before now, but Ididn’t precisely plan meeting you.How could I? Our meeting was coincidence, Madame Chimera; pure serendipity. Ibelieve in chance, and in seizing opportunity when it comes my way. Meeting youwas a boon indeed.”

Fantelarched both brows unsure whether to be outraged or impressed by hispresumption. “I do not see how our meeting is any great boon.” Despite hergrowing annoyance she realised to her chagrin that her curiosity was stillgreater. She wondered what odd compulsion stopped her from leaving right now,or gouging out his dark, glittering eyes with her claws. It made no sense thatshe continued to let this human manipulate her, yet she had no will to leave.

“Thefact that you were Einar’s captive in the first place suggests to me that luckhas not been on your side of late.” Rashari told her before his tone became alittle more diffident. “I would also suggest that not being sold into slaveryis something of a boon.”

Fantelnarrowed her eyes. She could not entirely dispute his logic, but nor did shelike the direction of the conversation. “I am not beholden to you.”

“Goodgods no,” His eyes widened in genuine surprise and he almost laughed. “Franklymadame you do not strike me as the sort to be beholden to anyone or anything.”He flexed the fingers of his left hand, palm up, lying on the table top so shecould see the faceted stone embedded in his flesh. The stone had been greenearlier, now it was a milky white. “I have a proposition.”

“Youare bold indeed.” She warned him.

Heglanced up quickly and smirked. “Well nothing ventured, nothing gained.”Folding his fingers closed over the stone set into the centre of his palm, heclenched his fist tight enough to flex the metal filaments embedded in hisskin. “Today’s events have forced me to change my plans.” He admitted gazeturning inward as he frowned slightly. Fantel could not imagine the nature ofthe thoughts passing like quicksilver behind his eyes. “I have a…need to travel west, out to theBattlan Steppes. Humans don’t tend to do well unaccompanied out there and iftoday has taught me anything it is that I can’t trust any of my usualassociates. There is more than one rat at work in this mess.”

“No.”Fantel interrupted him already knowing what he wanted. “I will travel with youno further. You have already involved me in your schemes far enough.”

Rasharifrowned, brows angling sharply over the bridge of his nose. He pulled his leftarm off the table and sat up straight in his chair. “You realise that you willbe hunted by the Dha-hali? Yes, they know you escaped with me, but don’t forgetthat Einar took a fancy to you quite aside from that. He is not a man to lethis property up and wander off.”

“Ibelong to no man.” Fantel started to rise from the table. It was passed timefor her to leave.

“Yes,yes – I know.” He flapped a hand waving off her words as he would a buzzinginsect. “I wonder just how far you are willing to go to assert your autonomy,however? The Dha-hali are unlikely to respect your opinion on the matter. Howmany bodies do you think you shall have to wade through before Einar gives in,eh?”

“Youthreaten me?” Fantel towered over as he sat looking up at her, claws fullyextended and twitching.

“Ohfor the gods’ own sake,” Rashari snapped shoving his own chair back – the legsscraping over the wooden floor. “No.I am trying to help you.” He glaredat her, dark eyes hot with true anger. “Whatever my intentions, you and I arenow in this together; don’t you see that?”

Fantelfelt a burst of answering anger kindle inside her. She was no longer amused byhis presumption. “I need no help from a human.” She spoke in a cool, leveltone, as quiet and remote as a winter snowfall.

“Isthat so?” In contrast Rashari’s angry words snapped with the tension of agathering storm. “And I suppose you intended to sprout wings like a goblin andfly yourself off that bloody mountain?” He threw his hands up in the air,frustration writ large across his face. “Do you enjoy wearing chains and beingogled by ill-bred bastards? Was I remiss in rescuing you from slavery?”

Fantelhad not felt anger like this in a long time. Her back was rigid with affront.“You did not rescue me human.” Shespat back. “You speak of things you knownothing about – you are like all your kind, presumptuous and arrogant.”

“Me?”His voice rose, incredulous and mocking. “Madame you are the one being ridiculous. Circumstance has thrown ustogether, we have the same goal – to remain free and alive – and we have acommon enemy. The dictates of logic demand that we stand a better chance ofsurvival together than apart.”

“Youthink me a fool?” Fantel hissed. “Do not seek to play me with words, boy. Wehave nothing in common. Whatever trouble you are in you cannot coerce me intohelping you further.” They were face to face, scant inches between them, eyeslocked together in a bitter battle of wills. “You helped me and the others offthe mountain for your own ends. You wished to use us as a distraction.” Fantelpoked him hard in the chest with one claw, close to his wound. “You planned to trick me into helping youwith tall tales of ancient gods. I am no one, a lone chimera of no account. Itis not me Einar will hunt down. It isyou. Do not seek to manipulate me byclaiming my life is in danger. The only one who endangers my safety is you.”

Rashari’smouth was pinched into a thin, white line, bloodless and tense. Anger drew hisskin taut over the sharp angles of his cheekbones. His dark eyes glittered withfury but he could say nothing to deny her accusations. She watched him wrestlewith the truth, and felt her anger flare hotter still. She realised with a pangthat she was disappointed more than anything else. It was so rare that she foundhumans interesting enough to sit down and talk with, and now this one human whohad caught her attention turned out to be so thoroughly false. She dropped herarms, claws retracting as she curled her hands into tight fists at her sides.

“Youare wrong.” Rashari spoke at last marshalling his anger and controlling histone. He did not meet her eyes, gaze instead locked on the table top. “But Isee that nothing I can say will alter your opinion. Your mind is made up.” Hestepped back, putting distance between them and ran his hands over the front ofthe charcoal grey vest he wore, smoothing out invisible creases, despite thefact that the vest was already ruined and blood stained. They both watched hishands fuss with his clothing until he finally found courage to meet her eyes.

“Iwill take my leave of you, Madame Chimera.” He told her words clipped andformal. “I wish you good fortune with the Dha-hali.” With one last sharp nod toher, quick and brusque, he turned smartly on his heels and strode to the door.He was gone from the room in the blink of an eye.