Previous chapter of BloodInTheSands, TheRoadSouth

Once the Awakened One (AwakenedOne?) left us, we stood in awe not fully comprehending what happened. In time I began to speak of the Ashani who lead us to this spot. My companions new to the Shawnal and our ways took an interest in my story and the hope that it represented. I told them that I now went south, not only because of the power of the Sand, but also because going south meant possible salvation at the hands of the Pamorii. I also spoke of my belief that the Ashani had guided us here, to provide us with hope that the power of the Sand could be overcome.

As we were speaking we became aware that our horses were looking at us as if they could understand us. We thought perhaps the Awakened One had given them a gift. We would never know if the gift of understanding was a permanent one because we were soon to set them free.

We took time to investigate the items we found in the tomb of the Awakened One. The Staff itself is a powerful item, that when held interfered with the power of the Sand. It does not erase the presence of the Sand, but it does reduce the pull the Sand has on the person who holds it.

The bag was strongly made and very supple. It appeared like it was crafted within the last cycle of the white moon, did not suffer from being buried for who knows how long. I believe that the Awakened One was buried before the Pirem Empire dominated this land. Inside the bag were five golden armbands. Each armband is similar in size and is distinguished by different marking and images. We were able to determine that a different creature, a badger, eagle, wolf, tiger and owl, represented each armband. Perhaps the Ashani were guiding us once again because we took risks that we would not usually take. However, the rewards were worth the risks. We discovered that the staff and the armbands interact with one another. When a person who was wearing an armband and the staff touched the armband, the wearer became the creature shown on the armband. We were all surprised when Cira touch the armband on Telal's arm and he became an owl. Not an ordinary owl, but one the size of very large person. Telal took to the sky as if he was born to it. Perhaps there is connection to his temple and teachings. When he tired of being an owl, he was able to become himself again. In turn Cira became an eagle and I a badger. When in animal form I saw and smelled the world differently, it took effort to remember what I the human wanted and to override the instincts of the badger. Once our rush of exploration was complete, we found that the armbands didn't work a second and the armband could not be removed. At first we thought that we had wasted the gift given to us and we were disheartened with our foolishness. However, the next several days showed us that the power returned to the armbands and that they were usable once a day. Each person is only able to take on a new form once a day. Although you can hear and understand others in the animal form, you can not speak. The armbands provided hope, as the pull of the Sand is not there when in animal form.

On the 24th day of our journey we came to the river once more. Two or three days travel to the west the great river turned to flow east and so on our southward journey we needed to cross the same river we had crossed six days before. On the far side of the bank we saw a column of calvary moving east. I assume they were moving east to join the fight against the Heretic and the Alms who support him. The cavalry speed suggested that was a column of infantry marching ahead of them. We stood watching them for an hour or so and I believe that we saw a thousand horsemen ride past us. Cira became an eagle and found the only path over the river was a narrow archway to the east. It was a short ride to the archway. It was the strangest bridge I have seen, it rose to height of six men was no wider the length of my forearm. There was little on the archway that would tell us about it. We decided that we could not cross the river with the horses and so we let them go. The moved north with no hesitation, they knew their way home.

We crossed the arch, Cira's training as a circus performer made the crossing seem no more difficult than walking down a paved road.

Once we were on the other side we had a few moments to orient ourselves and prepare our burdens for the journey south. Once we resolved to move, two riders from the Fist of Chal (TheFist) stopped us and began to question us. We were asked about our destination, if I had embraced the teachings of Chal and if we were spies. The Fist who spoke appeared to be trying to find justification for our destruction. The silent one and I knew that only one of us would walk away from the riverbank alive. While the others postured we took measure of each other and prepared. One the Fist who spoke had enough reason to kill us he moved to strike us down. Perhaps he anticipated easier prey. I judged him to be the weaker warrior and I knew that we needed him killed quickly. I lead the silent one away from Cira and Telal. Within less time that it takes to tell this story the talkative one fell from his saddle. The silent one was more difficult. He came close to destroying Telal and Cira, but in the end the three of us were too much. Their horses stood over them and protected their corpses. The only way to plunder the corpses would have been to kill the horses. We did not have the desire or the time. A dust cloud in the west hinted at more riders and we chose to run south to the mountains. Telal's gifts healed us of most of our wounds so that we could make the run south. The irony of the situation is not lost on me. I was captured as fled south with my brothers and our Pamorii pursued by the wrath of Chal. I sent a silent plea to the Ashani to guide us as we ran.

Next chapter IntoTheMountains