The Undertow: Session Twenty-Three

A year went by. Mikansia had wanted to go and save Akseli, but Marian had always been a step ahead, reminding Mikansia that the dahaka were not merciful to major breaches in the timeline. But that didn't stop Mikansia from trying, even if that meant abandoning the training she had undertaken to mend holes in Dream from her sword. The day Mikansia knew Akseli was doomed found her exhausted. She'd been training most of the night and couldn't sleep, unless she'd thoroughly worn herself out. That day was no different, even if she knew it was The Day.

A hurricane she'd not experienced in months presaged the arrival of Fish, the dark dragon. Off hopped Nomi, the redeemed dark elf. The last time Nomi had seen Mikansia their compound was being destroyed, hundreds of miles away. She hadn't time traveled, like Mikansia had. She had no idea what had happened in the last year. So she was surprised to see Mikansia there; her jaw dropped. "How... how did you get here so fast? You couldn't have gotten here before me. No one is faster than Fish."

Mikansia continued her drills.

"Hey, what the hell?? I know you can cut a portal and whatever, but even then, that's not instantaneous." Nomi  came up closer to Mikansia.

Mikansia wouldn't even look at Nomi. "Things just sometimes work out, don't they?"

Nomi stared at Mikansia a moment. "No, something happened to you. Did something happen? I deserve to know! They're... they're my people too."

"Ensio and the rest are in the building over there. So is Marian. She can catch you up." Mikansia continued her drill. She didn't look up, not even once.

Nomi opened her mouth. And shut it. After a minute she walked away. Mikansia kept at the drill. Over the last few months she'd trained her sword skills, and it showed. Her movements had achieved a grace that almost no one could track. But it wasn't enough. Krakeru had moved faster. Smoother. And until she was better Mikansia could not rest. She was missing... something. Whatever it was. She would find it.

After awhile Nomi walked out of the ramshackle building Mikansia called home and rounded the corner, out of sight. Marian came out the same door a few minutes later, making her way over to Mikansia, who sheathed her sword. "It's time", she declared to Marian.

Marian nodded. "So it is. What's your goal?"

"The Lone Keep needs to burn. It needed to yesterday. The year before."

"And you're the one to do it" confirmed Marian. "How can I help?"

"How do I find it?"

Marian chuckled. "That's the question, isn't it?" Mikansia stared impassively at Marian. "The Lone Keep orbits Heranyt, like the rest of the Ring of Tears. Find it without a functioning orbital map is impossible."

"So how do I find it? This map?"

"The maps are handed to their agents in the field, who keep them on their person at all times. They're trained to give up their lives rather than that map. I've tried to get one for the last few hundred years, but dark elf agents are trained for centuries  to read even the slightest twinge on someone, destroying their maps at even the slightest of false calls."

"Well, I've not tried it yet."

That made Marian chuckle some more. "Well, you'd have a better chance than I outright. Actually being an elf makes it a lot easier."

"Well, that still sounds difficult. Is there an easier way?"

"Clairvoyants have been known to locate the Lone Keep, but most don't want to look and it takes more to convince them than I find ethical."

"Well I don't want to find a clairvoyant then. I have a former dark elf. If she has a map it's probably not current, but Nomi will know where to get one."

Marian nodded. "See you when you get back then."

Mikansia found Nomi on the roof of the ramshackle, overlooking the slowly resurging human city of Argentum Reskartum. "So. You know about.. you know?"

Nomi nodded. "I'm sorry he went like that. Letting grief take you is never an option that's pleasant." She looked over at Mikansia, who kept her gaze on the city.

The humans had begun their afternoon hustle. They were always so busy.

"I never liked him. Akseli. He was such a goody-two-shoes and it drove me nuts. But he was reliable, which I could claim myself. I respected him for that" admitted Nomi.

Why were those humans in such a rush? Was it because their lives were so short? Mikansia caught herself envying that more than a little.

"Well, nothing makes one feel as good as a revenge murder tour. Want to go find the Lone Keep?" Nomi looked over, a strange smile on her face.

Mikansia's smile was almost exactly the same as Nomi's. "I thought you'd never ask."

"You'll be wanting an updated orbital map, which I don't have. But I know where to look. The Fer Kingdoms was always rife with Lone Keep agents. We should go north, up there."

Fish flew them north and over the Étranger Mountains. Mikansia had heard about the Fer Kingdoms in her briefs from the Sword Singers. The humans in the Fer Kingdoms were pale, unlike their more southerly cousins in the Argentum Empire. Mikansia had always found that strange. Ebony was the only color for skin! The Fer Kingdoms were also colder, with coniferous forests. A few weeks were spent in this darker and cooler clime, as Nomi helped Mikansia search out a dark elf agent.

They eventually found their way to a small and muddy ramshackle town. Sitting down at an inn's common room, Mikansia and Nomi kicked back a moment. Down plopped another elf, hand sliding down Mikansia's inner thigh. "Not too often one meets a former Yetekaida. Hello, gorgeous."

It wasn't as fast a draw as Krakeru's. Mikansia knew that. But nobody else would. The dark elf certainly couldn't. He was deader than a doornail, guts splattered acrost the human inhabitants of the common room. Unfazed by the gore she was covered in, Mikansia flicked the blood off her blade and resheathed in one silky movement. Nomi was laughing and clapping. A quick search produced the orbital map: it had eight days on it before it was no longer relevant.

Chairs scraped and human voices rang in the enclosed space. Nomi jumped out of her chair, sword out. But Mikansia held Jabez's sword aloft in a multivariated flash of light. "This is elf business! Back off, humans!" yelled Mikansia at the top of her lungs.

Everything went quiet; all eyes rested on the pulsating beauty of Jabez's sword. Even Nomi. She was slack-jawed. Stashing the orbital map and grabbing Nomi by the wrist, Mikansia ran out the front door, sheathing the sword. The humans poured our their doors like ants. Did they really think they could keep up? Both Mikansia and Nomi looked back and laughed at their pitiful attempts at running. "This... is.. the most fun... I've had... in a long time!!!" Nomi wheezed.

"Me... me too!" Mikansia said back.

A day's march later later and they were on Fish, riding the whirlwind south and east.

They came back to Argentum Reskartum to find a swarm of humans on the front doorstep, trying to beat down the door of their little ramshackle. "Bring out the half-breeds and that coal-fucker! Coal-fucker! Coal-fucker!" Fish's hurricane scattered the brown ants quite nicely. Ensio and his family hopped aboard as they scattered the humans in the updraft.

"Where the hell are Marian and Telos??" snapped Mikansia as they rushed into the air.

"They left earlier this morning, to deal with a southerly invasion by Golau!" yelled Ensio over the hurricane.

"We have a map to the Lone Keep! We need to set you down someplace and go, now! We don't have much time!"

"There's a family in Vigilance, in the northern Étranger Mountains! We could stay with them! Dale and I are coming with you two!" Ensio belted.

"Oh yeah we are! it's been awhile since I've had dark elf action!" yelled half-elven Dale. Who was sixteen. Yngvar, one of Mikansia's dead friends, had saved Dale from death  by infusing him with a part of his departed soul. Dale had gained Yngvar's expert sword-skills, not to mention some catchphrases and twitches.

Some of which he'd just shown.

Mikansia punched Dale as hard as she could while hanging onto Fish. The crack of Dale's jaw was drowned out by the roar of the wind. Ember's (Dale's wife) and Decima's (Dale's human mother) screams of shock were not. "DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT AGAIN. EVER!! YOU STUPID HUMAN CHILD! YOU HAVEN'T EARNED IT! YOU NEVER WILL! SHUT UP! SHUT. UP!" roared Mikansia over the screams of the wind and loved ones.

She sat back as Dale nursed his jaw, glowering at her. Everyone else stared at her. Mikansia didn't care.