Category: Aralim

The group home that Nill brought them to that day was a lot more rundown than the other places they had been in Tal’lashar.  For Aralim, this was promising.  He had spent several days during his time in the city with her and the ‘common folk.’  Today however, judging from the leaning wooden support beams and sand-bathed square roof, he would meet the true underlings.  The people who saw Tal’lashar for what it really was lived here, free from the idealizations of structured life and the comforts of decorated bedrooms. Continue reading Aralim 93

For another two weeks, Aralim and his friends continued to live in the besieged city of Tal’lashar.  Aralim spent some of his time speaking with the poor people of Tal’lashar, with the help of Nilless.  He was surprised to learn that there were no homeless in the city.  If anyone could not afford a house, they were given shelter and food from the Queb of their choice.  Nill informed Aralim that all forty-seven offered this privilege. Continue reading Aralim 92

If Aralim had thought the First Tower was busy during his initial visit, half a month ago, it was nothing compared to it was now.  With the quiet army of risen still surrounding Tal’lashar, the Quebs spent their days in full-tilt activity.  The guards at the gate of the tower were even more hesitant about permitting his lantern staff inside, but it entered nonetheless. Continue reading Aralim 91

The undead came to Tal’lashar in scattered groups, slowly striding down the slopes of the mountains towards the city.  The guards at the edge of town had plenty of warning after the return of Lord Rionar’s soldiers.  The men had never reached Vishol Kim’alu—instead they had seen the approaching army of reanimated men and women and turned back for home.  The dead followed. Continue reading Aralim 90

The dry breeze was warm, of course, but the sun had set behind Aralim and the evening chill was beginning.  Each peak of the Amirella Mountains gleamed white and gold from the twilight rays, while the creeping blue of the night spread behind them.  From the top of the Tenth Tower, the Walker could see clear across the flatlands, up the foothills, and into the distinct ridge of jutting, spike-like peaks.  It resembled a single mountain that had been eroded into the head of a rake, perhaps, or someone’s stretched-straight fingers. Continue reading Aralim 89

It had taken nearly three weeks from requesting an appointment at the First Tower to attain such a meeting.  When the day finally came, Aralim’s party consisted of the ever-present Aura, Dullah by invitation, and Nilless by request.  Of course, Grendar insisted on accompanying as Aralim’s guard.

The Walker of the Path had seen the tower may times from afar, and a few times from up close.  It was round, at the base, and spanned at least ten storeys tall.  Aralim was not sure if he had ever seen a structure this tall before; the tallest of the Forty-Seven dwarfed even the height of the Iron Palace, though it had a far narrower floorplan.  There were few balconies in the structure, but many windows. Continue reading Aralim 88

The new Moon had begun, and it was time for Aralim to meet Vishol Kim’alu, the man he had spoken with on the road between Yarik and Tal’lashar.  Nilless, daughter of Queb Rionar, was his guide, and his escort was familiar—the Aura and Carrak, one of Grendar’s guards.  Ever since Aralim had ‘sneaked out’ while the others got settled in at the Tenth Tower, that first day, Grendar had insisted the guards take shifts guarding anyone who left.  Nilless was delighted to join them for an afternoon of scholarly discussion. Continue reading Aralim 87

One of the floors above Aralim’s quarters, in the Tenth Tower, was entirely dedicated to a meeting hall.  The stairs wove around the exterior of the room, leading up to another floor above.  The ceiling was high, but not as high as the meeting halls were built in the distant city of Rema.  Aralim’s lantern staff echoed as he walked across the short span of floorboards toward the oval meeting table. Continue reading Aralim 86

Their journey eventually took Aralim and his friends out of the foothills and onto an enormous flatland that stretched far to the north and west of them.  There was city down there, a hazy gathering of lines near the shining white light that was the Shrinking Sea.  But opposite it, across the sunny, arid plain, was a glorious gathering of mountain peaks.  The flatland sloped up, without foothills, to a great ridge with a hundred windswept points.  “The Amirella Mountains,” Devran breathed.  Dullah added that they truly were beautiful. Continue reading Aralim 85

Once in a while, along the road, they passed travellers.  The first two were merchants, whom Aralim spoke to briefly, before continuing on.  They passed two or three men in sandy robes who did not speak their language.  These three encounters were spaced out by days, for the road from Crossroads to Tal’lashar was long indeed.

When Aralim and his friends were coming down from the arid mountains, they spent a few days walking through the foothills, up and down each ridge, or between when they could.  On the second of these days, they came down a hill toward a man that was untying a sizeable dead rodent from a trap.  He spotted them coming along the road and hurried what he was doing, yanking at the rope that held the critter. Continue reading Aralim 84