The Following Morning

  Year 612 of the Divine Empire

  Despite her determination, Kanoa would have been tempted to claim Kinohi’s power if it meant she could burn this thrice damned jungle to ash. She and Ailu had set off with the rising sun and had been traveling for a few hours. The sparse forest near the coast that the two of them had grown used to playing in had been replaced by a dense and untamed wilderness. The ground was so consumed by roots and underbrush that there were no real paths that could be followed, and the expected trek had become a mad scramble over any route that seemed even remotely traversable. At least she had her training and physique to fall back on. Ailu, on the other hand, was having a far more difficult time. Other than a touch of Nihil that she could use to improve her endurance and durability, her physical capabilities were not that much better than an average human’s. It certainly didn’t help that she was more accustomed to traversing underwater. She could at least walk and run easily enough, a vast improvement from her first time on land, but adapting to advanced terrain like the deep tropics was a struggle. After falling flat on her face into a pool of what she could only hope was mud, Ailu finally decided she had enough. She wiped the muck off of her face with a swirling bubble of water, calling out to her companion.

  “Kanoa, could we take a break? I don’t think I was made for this kind of traveling.”

  “Hmm?” Kanoa paused her clambering over a fallen log that was wider than she was tall. “Ah, yes, I can see that. Can you not just return to your base form?”

  Ailu had not considered that. “Well, I wouldn’t want to draw much attention. . .”

  “Oh, please, who’s going to see you? The animals would just see it as a reason not to bother us.” She swept her hand at the surrounding area, without any sign of civilization to be seen. “Sea serpents can move on land like regular snakes, right?”

  “Not as well as we can swim, but yes. The flat tail may be an issue, but. . .”

  Ailu’s form shimmered as she began to release the incantation that reshaped her into a humanoid form. Her dress began to warp and segment, morphing into a set of navy blue scales that wrapped around her elongating body. She swelled and stretched and grew until she was large enough for Kanoa to easily fit into her mouth. As a sea serpent approaching adulthood, Ailu was a truly horrifying sight for anyone who wasn’t used to seeing her like her friend was. Not to say that Kanoa wasn’t at least a little bit intimidated, as one should be at seeing a snake large enough to crush them just by shifting their weight. It took some repositioning for the newly realized sea beast to fit comfortably between the jungle trees, but she did seem to be a lot more comfortable now. She did a quick circuit through the surrounding area to test out her new maneuverability seeing that she could now simply slither over any obstacles that would have been significant obstacles for a hominid. Making her way back to Kanoa, Ailu chirped out in her now booming and echoey voice.

  “This is perfect! I can’t believe I hadn’t thought of this earlier.”

  Laughing, Kanoa braced herself for a running leap. “Glad to hear it. Now lower your head.”

  “Huh?”

  Launching herself through the air, Kanoa grabbed onto one of her friend’s coral horns and swung herself onto the back of her head. By hanging onto the protrusions, she could rest on the crook of the neck without much difficulty. Sitting cross legged, she pointed off towards where she assumed Ho’okahi was as if she was leading some sort of expedition.

  “Onwards!”

  “I really wish you would warn me when you do that. . .” Ailu lowered her head to make it easier for Kanoa to hang on. “It’s a lot more startling when we’re not underwater.”

  Kanoa laughed. “Sorry, sorry. . . But we should be able to make a much better pace this way.”

  “Yes, you’re probably right. . .”

  Indeed, this new mode of transportation would make for a far quicker journey than had been previously expected. Ailu’s true form was able to traverse the jungle near effortlessly, only encountering difficulties when the trees became too densely packed together for her large body to fit through. Assuming they rested through the night, the pair could be expected to arrive in Ho’okahi sometime next morning. A great improvement over the expected three day journey. There were even less worries about supplies, as Ailu could just snap up whatever wildlife was unlucky enough to not be paying attention. It was a bit odd to be carrying Kanoa like this on dry land, as the previous times they had attempted something like this had been while underwater. The extra weight on her neck was tiring, though the heat of the blessing was as pleasant as always. It would be a shame for this heat to be lost if Kanoa really did lose her connection to Kinohi, but there wasn’t much that could be done about that. Ailu still wasn’t entirely sure if toying with a greater deity like this was a good idea, but she was choosing to trust her friend for the time being.

  Kanoa, for what it was worth, was an absolute ball of nerves and anxiety. Once the adrenaline of last night had worn off, the reality of how much danger she and Ailu were in right now was really starting to sink in. This wasn’t the first time she had dragged her friend on some hairbrained adventure. They had explored all kinds of dark caves and ocean chasms, in which they encountered a variety of dangerous beasts. Any ordinary children would have died a dozen times over. The only reason they had come out alive was that with the pair being a blessed exemplar and a magus working together, there weren’t many mundane creatures that could truly threaten them. Even if something had gone wrong, Ikaika or Surendra were always close by to bail them out. Everyone had become acutely aware of their limitations after the incident during Surendra’s first training exercise, and thus were able to avoid anything that seemed overly risky. But now those safeguards were gone, and there was no turning back. Not only were they about to face threats that could actually keep up with them, if not outright overpower them, Kanoa was faced with the potential of dying in this trial. Her guardian and mentor were elsewhere, likely trying to track her down. Of course, there was no way anyone would be able to keep up with a sea serpent’s speed, so any chances of receiving backup were probably null. Her heat continued to build as she realized she may never see Nohea again. She hadn’t even given a proper goodbye, just a note saying not to worry.

  “It’s going to be alright, Kanoa.”

  “. . . Huh?”

  Ailu tilted her head slightly to look at Kanoa as she halted momentarily. “No matter what happens, I’ll make sure you come out of it alive.”

  Kanoa looked away, attempting to keep a straight face. “I-I’m fine, it’s just-”

  “Kanoa. . . you don’t need to be brave with me. We’re friends, right? Friends take care of each other. Whatever happens, I’ll be there for you.”

  Ailu attempted to puff out her chest and put on a brave face, which was more confusing than anything given her anatomy. Kanoa’s heat began to shift more towards embarrassment as she realized how stupid she was being. Between the length at which they had known each other and the fact that anyone could tell how she was feeling once they figured out how her heat works, there really wasn’t much point in hiding her emotions. Lowering herself to wrap her arms around Ailu’s neck, she didn’t say anything more. She just lay there, feeling her companion’s pulse while being carried closer to their destination.

  With time, Kanoa began to calm down enough to lean back and really take in their surroundings. This was the furthest she had even been into the jungle, and it truly was a sight to behold. The foliage was already vibrant enough on the outskirts, but once you got this deep things started to take a turn for the alien. The canopy had grown thick enough to shroud the forest in darkness, which had led to some truly bizarre adaptations. Most of the wildlife in āina Hānau was already chitinous in nature, but the creatures this deep became sharp and angular. It felt like everything here was built with efficiency in mind, everything darting out of the way of each other in a game of high-speed cat and mouse. Much of the plant life had developed a sort of bioluminescence, with fruits and flowers shimmering in dim and slightly unsettling hues. The unnatural light and shapes of these plants were made all the more alarming when Kanoa could have sworn she saw some vines moving like an animal. In the dim light of the deep jungle there lay an entirely separate world. Recalling the stories Nohea told of their experience in the jungle made her realize that they had barely even scratched the surface. The warnings of the elders to not venture too far were starting to make a lot more sense.

  Well, the danger was a part of why kālai were forbidden from venturing too deep. The main reason was that they risked angering the goddess. According to the legends, there had once been villages built in these regions, worshipping the power of stone instead of fire. For a time, relations between the seaside folk and the stone folk were healthy. This was until Umphansi, the goddess of stone, rebelled against her mother, Kinohi. The tales weren’t clear on what exactly had happened, but they claimed that an alaka’i nui had been chosen and forced the stone folk off the archipelago. Kinohi had forbidden her people from following in their cousin’s footsteps, and thus living in stone houses or relying on the deep jungle too much had been outlawed.

  Kanoa had always had mixed feelings towards this decree. As someone who understood Kinohi’s true nature, she wasn’t inclined to put too much credence into any laws the goddess chose to put in place. Still, she couldn’t help but look at this bizarre locale and wonder why anyone would choose to live there. Was that why the stone folk built their homes out of the earth? To protect themselves from their environment? She had noticed some old ruins scattered here and there, and the fact that they were still intact did imply they were meant to withstand the world around them. They were far more crude than the stone brick houses of the humans, looking as if they had been grown from the very ground. There was no way for those to have been carved, and the terrain simply did not form in that way. Umphansi must have been real after all, for a magus of stone or earth was the only explanation she could think of. Regardless, all of the buildings were either barely distinguishable from a pile of rocks or strangely well put together for their age. Ailu had brought up using one of the latter as shelter during their next rest, but Kanoa had decided that probably wasn’t a good idea. No need to anger the goddess just yet, after all.

  And so they passed by strange lifeforms and the ruins of a civilization reduced to legends alike. At the very least their surroundings were able to keep the trek from devolving into tedium. Ailu had made a point of avoiding anything sentient at first, but eventually realized that they had no interest in angering such a massive beast. Slithering through this ancient land, the two of them savored the oddities and the ethereal beauty. For as much danger and unknowns as there was on the path ahead, for now they could simply take in the present and be distracted by more novel things. Strangely enough, this dark, forgotten place was likely the safest haven they would be able to find in an archipelago at the brink of war.

  —

  Elsewhere

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  “Sir Surendra, would you care to explain why I’m the only one rowing?”

  “Because you’re the pain in the ass who convinced me to do this. Now put your back into it or you’ll be rowing through the night as well.”

  Surendra and Gabriel sat facing each other on a rowboat that the elder of the two had “borrowed” from a visiting merchant. The knight wasn’t sure exactly how the trader had been coerced, but had a sinking suspicion it had something to do with the cannon ball sized hole in the side of his main vessel. Putting that aside, this was far from what he had expected from this interaction. On the mainland, Gabriel’s title as an imperial knight was more than enough to guarantee the cooperation of any citizens he came across. Even when dealing with criminals or those resistant to the empire’s ideals, there was still a factor of fear that allowed him an easy upper hand. This sasqal, on the other hand, seemed to be almost entirely unimpressed. The man had made it very clear that Gabriel was meant to be a means to an end, forcing him to strip off his armor and paddle the boat they rode as if he was a galley servant. It was humiliating, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it. As impressive as the order’s training had made him, a fight against such a skilled warrior was bound to have consequences. If even half of the tales about Surendra from his mercenary days were true, then only an anointed inquisitor like Balor would be able to defeat him without injury. Sighing deeply and accepting his temporary role, Gabriel decided to see if he could gather some information.

  “. . . Very well. Tell me then, what makes you think that the blessed child is headed to this. . . Moku Hawo?”

  Surendra snorted in amusement. “Your pronunciation is terrible. Just call it Brightmire like all the other humans do.”

  “Wha- Brightmire!?” He stopped rowing for a moment in complete shock. “Sir, nearly a dozen exemplars were slain on that cursed land! My reports suggest that it has become the territory of a deity!”

  “Hmm, yeah it probably is.” The sasqal took a swig from his flask. “Pō’ele Hakahaka, or so the tales say.”

  “Poe- what?”

  “Might be Ibris’ old name, but I’m not certain.”

  “Ibris? Wasn’t that the patron of the first empire?” Gabriel was reeling now, certain his companion was either insane or trying to kill them both.

  “You know your history. And yes, likely so, though he seems to have been demoted in the millennia since. Don’t worry, we won’t be invading his lands until we know it’s worth the effort.”

  The rowing resumed once the initial surprise faded. “I-Fine. That makes me even more curious though. Did Miss Kanoa leave any hints to her destination? Why would she make such a dangerous journey?”

  “Hints? No, nothing of the sort. I’m mostly just guessing here.” Surendra shrugged disinterestedly.

  “Emperor save me. . . At least tell me your guess is at least somewhat based in reality?”

  “It’s less that anything is suggesting she’s going there and more that I know this is the only solution she could come to. Kanoa’s smart, more so than most of the so-called ‘scholars’ I’ve met in your empire. She gains nothing from running away, knows she cannot rally support without influence, and isn’t stupid enough to make a pact with her bastard of a patron. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  Gabriel thought for a while before responding. “Her two choices are to flee the Barrier Isles or to seek power. . . She has family here, so it feels doubtful that she would just leave on her own, and without the goddess to empower her. . . Ah, you think she will seek out Ibris.”

  Surendra nodded. “Pō’ele Hakahaka’s vendetta against Kinohi is legendary. It’s not a stretch to imagine him bonding with a Pōmaika just to piss her off. It might be a tempting enough opportunity for him to offer the power without any strings attached. A night watchman saw Kanoa heading into the deep jungle, so whatever her exact plan is must involve something else before heading to meet him. Our plan is to get there before her, wait on the outskirts for any changes, then handle the rest by ear.”

  “. . . I see. Still, do you really think you'll make that much of a difference? It doesn’t seem like you can use the Black Staff’s power, so what can you even do in a clash between gods and magi?”

  “First off, there are three of us. The pāpaka’s following the boat from the seabed since he’s too heavy for the boat.” Gabriel looked down, wondering who or what Ikaika was. “Second, we’re going to do what we can. Live or die, I’m not leaving that brat behind. I would be here with or without you, so your course is none of my concern.”

  Surendra continued to drink deeply from his flask of homemade fruit wine, clearly done with the conversation. Gabriel was left to gather his resolve for the path ahead of him. Whatever was going to happen, the knight commander had sent him here for a reason. After all, he was the only non-officer in the order who even stood a chance against an anointed one like Inquisitor Balor. They were going to need warriors like Kanoa if the Inquisition’s zealotry was ever to be put to an end. If working with this deranged old man was what it took to track her down, then that was all there was to it. He could only pray to the first regent that he would be able to fulfil his purpose when the time came.

  —

  The Following Night

  During their second night in the jungle, Ailu and Kanoa rested in the hollow of a large tree. They had attempted to find another body of water to create shelter within, but had decided against it once seeing the life that dwelled in the ponds of the deep jungle. The colors were a bit too bright and the fish had a few too many eyes. Besides, the spirits here seemed resistant to anyone infringing on their domains, so creating a safe space could have been risky. At least this way the two could get a good view of what was around them, so they began to take shifts keeping watch for anything or anyone getting too close for comfort.So Kanoa was wide awake while the moon approached its peak. She gazed out at the surrounding wilderness, her eyes constantly being drawn by shifting bioluminescence and her ears straining to detect any danger from the occasional chirps and animal calls that occasionally pierced the silence. She wasn’t truly afraid of anything here, confident that Ailu would be more than a sufficient deterrent for any threat that got too close. The only real danger was something venomous catching them unawares, hence the need for a lookout.

  Despite the necessity for vigilance, Kanoa did find herself almost drifting into sleep. There was just something so. . . soothing about the deep jungle. The soft lights and sound of rustling leaves had an almost meditative feeling to them. She had to catch herself several times as her body naturally fell to lounge on the strangely soft wood of the tree they hid themselves under. It was in one of these moments of near-unconsciousness that she found herself finally snapping back to attention. As much as she would have liked to attribute it to sheer willpower, the more realistic cause would have been Ailu slowly wrapping her arms around from behind. A wave of heat filled the hollow as Kanoa beat down a variety of different emotions and spoke out to her friend in what she prayed was an even tone.

  “Ailu. . . Shouldn’t you be asleep right now?”

  “Mmm. . . S’cold.” Ailu’s voice was muffled from being pressed into Kanoa’s back. “It’s always nice and warm next to you. . .”

  “That cannot be comfortable.” A kālai’s shell was at its most jagged on their backs, and even with Kanoa shifting herself around there were still a couple of pointed bits digging into her friend’s face. “Why don’t you just sit next to me?”

  Wordlessly, Ailu crept over and plopped herself on an angled part of the tree. Of course, she still draped her legs over Kanoa’s. The heat in the hollow continued to shift, but Ailu either did not notice or simply chose not to comment. It was only once she was in a perfectly comfortable position that she made any noise at all.

  “I can’t believe you’re fine sitting out here. Shouldn’t you at least have a blanket?”

  Kanoa looked over for a second, though quickly brought her eyes down upon making contact with her companion’s. “It wouldn’t make any difference anyways.”

  Ailu frowned at that. It had been a few years ago that everyone had figured out that Kanoa didn’t really feel heat the same way most people did. It didn’t matter if it was a beautiful sunny day or a torrential downpour, she always felt slightly chilled. She could feel her own heat, but that was more on an instinctual level than anything that would alleviate the cold. The only thing that could warm her was the heat of a flame. It seemed that Kinohi had made it so only the power of her domain of fire could give any release to her chosen. Wrapping her blanket tighter around herself, Ailu couldn’t help but feel enraged on her friend’s behalf. Kanoa had no idea what she was missing, but it was undeniable that the power of a Pōmaika came with a fair share of banes to make up for its blessings. She wished she could say how wonderful it would be to feel the heat of the sun once the power had been removed, but without the protection of a sanctuary, there was no telling if the goddess was listening or not.

  Leaving things on that somber tone, an awkward silence began to build between the pair. Well, Kanoa was already locked completely still from a combination of nervousness and not wanting to disturb her friend. Ailu, on the other hand, was finding that despite now being comfortably warm she was having a difficult time relaxing. The two of them had spent plenty of time alone before, but there was something that was just a bit. . . more about this moment. Despite there being no real need for it, she felt a building urge to say something to break the tension. It took a while, but she did eventually bring herself to ask a question.

  “Hey, Kanoa?”

  “Hmm?”

  “If you were going to leave āina Hānau at. . . some point,” In her hastiness, she could only hope that the goddess wouldn’t find that too suspicious if she was listening. “where would you want to go first?”

  “Well, if I did end up leaving for some reason. . .” Gods why was she only realizing how bad she was at lying now? “I suppose I would want to go to Tenlac.”

  “Tenlac. . . That’s where Mr Surendra’s from, right?”

  Kanoa nodded. “According to him, the monks there know more about magic and the Ideals than anyone else in the world. There’s a lot of hostile territory you would need to get through to get there, but just imagine all of the things you could learn.”

  “More dangerous than where we are now?” Ailu gestured to the jungle around them. “How bad could it be?”

  Kanoa let a small chuckle slip out, glad to have a distraction from the shifting weight on her legs. “Well, there’s more than just wildlife out there. Supposedly, there are two nations separate from the Divine Empire that cut off any land access. Both of them are fairly isolationist and actively use magic in their defenses, so someone like me would probably have trouble getting through. Maybe if I could find some way to look like a human. . .”

  Her laugh was now joined by Ailu’s, which scared some nearby animals away with its volume and suddenness. “Oh, boy, I can’t even imagine a human Kanoa. . . What do you think you would look like?”

  “Heh. Not sure if I want to think about that. . .” Kanoa faked scratching her chin pensively. “Human women are so odd, it would probably be quite the transition.”

  “Oh, please, it can’t be that bad. . .”

  “No, seriously, think about it.” She was smiling brightly now. “They keep their cords just long enough to be annoying, but they can’t actually sense anything with them. They’re so much shorter than men, which just seems awkward. . . Oh, and their chests just seem like such a pain! Honestly, I don’t know why you chose a form with. . . such. . .”

  Kanoa trailed off as she realized exactly what she was saying. Ailu wasn’t entirely sure how to respond, as this was the first time she had ever seen her friend talk herself into a corner. Her cheeks began to flush slightly, which was a rather confusing experience for someone who was usually a reptile. The awkward silence fell back into place for a handful of moments before Kanoa made an exaggerated cough and desperately attempted to change the subject.

  “Well, anyways, that probably isn’t an option so let’s just not think about it alright?” Ailu nodded her head a bit too quickly. “The point is, getting to Tenlac would be a real pain but barely anyone knows anything about it so that would be a fun place to visit. Surendra’s information is a century and a half out of date, so even he can’t tell me everything. Besides, he says the cities are built so high up the mountains that people can touch clouds from the tallest buildings!”

  “Wow. . . I wonder what they feel like.” Ailu was also pretty eager to move on.

  “Hmm. . . The same as fog does, I suppose. Of course, you could always just make up something more interesting. Who else is going to check anyway?”

  “Hah! You wouldn’t. . .”

  Leaving the previous weirdness aside, Ailu and Kanoa continued to converse throughout the night. By the time they finally fell asleep, there was only a couple of hours before sunrise. Not that the sun made much of a difference in the darkness of the deep jungle. Regardless, it was only thanks to the seemingly endless energy of a teenager in the company of a good friend that they would be able to function at all the next morning. Quite fortunate, then, for they would certainly be needing as much as could be spared. Even nearly thirty years later, when Kanoa found the time to look back on her long journey, she would still remember that day as the longest of her entire life.