Chi O eventually loses its luster for Edrea, as do most towns. This is why she, along with a few other messangers, travels so often, relaying messages, seeking out certain people, and doing other relatively pointless odd-jobs that would take a normal person months to complete. It helps when most of these people are enhanced, though it doesn't often matter. Some are unenhanced and merely like to go different places all the time. So it is that Edrea decides to leave.
She had stayed in Chi O for about a week after Ygatar's death. She worked some of the stones in the open dike into a shrine for Ygatar's soul. That way, when a new person comes along to visit Chi O, he or she will know to be wary in the caves of the mountains, and that not all Harpies are bad. Usually, as in most cases of prejudice, they are simply misunderstood.
Edrea finally remembers her errand as she is cleaning up camp and comes across her delivery. Cursing to herself, Edrea shoulders her pack again, memorizes the target's location, shoves the delivery in her pack, picks up the Haken egg, and casts a flight spell. The adrenhiline rushes and pumps through Edrea's body as she begins to skim over the clouds, avoiding any especially tall mountains as she crosses the Stony Hills.
Edrea coasts onward. Her destination lies in Phi De Phi. She has a very, very long way to go. The entire trip, she has cursed herself for forgetting her duties for the Haken egg. How could she be so careless? She kicks herself mentally and sighs.
The next establishment she reaches around noon. It is a smallish town of little import. Edrea does not have time to mess around in it, but she really should have been a bit less liberal with her supplies. Soon she will be out, and she will have to stop in at a large city.
Becoming acutely aware that she hates cities of all types, Edrea growls. This was all her fault! Sick of listening to the oppressive voice in the back of her mind, Edrea forces a spell of peace to fall upon her. Thus, she can fly onward with only one thought in her mind: Phi De Phi is waiting.
Edrea finds herself nearing exhaustion as she flies over the Sippi River, tracing its path to Phi De Phi that evening. She struggles to keep herself aloft, so she soon begins to descend. It takes her a few minutes to fall three or four miles, the altitude at which she had been flying. When she finally does touch the ground, an enormous wave of relief floods over her. She forces herself to stay awake long enough to build a fire. Then, the light of the fire working to discourage enemies, Edrea sleeps.
Edrea awakens in the middle of the night. A breezy chill had passed over her and stirred her out of an entirely too decent slumber. The fire is trying to die, or so it seems. Edrea, however, will not be discouraged by such happenings. She tosses a few more logs on the fire, watching them burn brightly. Although she was roused unwelcomly, however, Edrea can not get back to sleep.
She lays on the ground, staring into the fire, the egg in her arms. She ponders for a little while before shrugging. Is anything she does really all that important? This world gets along pretty much fine without her.
Why is she thinking like that? What sort of insanity has befallen her? Of course this world needs her! She, like every one else on Elkomiir, is an integral part of the system. If too much of the system disappears, the whole thing deteriorates. Of course she is necessary to the world.
To a world or to this world? Are not all worlds the same in their construction of society? Each works for himself, and at the same time, for everyone else. Such is the way of Elkomiir and the universe.
No! That makes everyone sound as if they are merely weights and measures, striving to maintain a balance. That is not how things are.
Weights and measures? More like small pebbles, easily disposed of, of little consequence, and yet, some are still difficult to destroy.
Even the smallest pebble, when tossed into a still lake, can provoke a wave.
Quit rationalizing and sleep. Sleep is good. Tomorrow is a long day. Perhaps we will agree sometime then.
Yes, sleep is good. I think I will sleep. Tomorrow is a new day. Everything will be better, as Aldi would say.
Edrea awakens the next morning to find the conversation she had with herself about pebbles still fresh in her mind. Is that what exhaustion does to one's body? Evidently. She outs the fire after cooking a smallish breakfast. She will have to go to the city and deal with all of those people soon. It is a necessary evil if she wants to continue to live and function.
Cleaning up her campsite once again, Edrea notices that the Haken egg seems to have rolled off a bit during the night. "Odd..." she whispers aloud. "Why would you be moving?"
Suddenly, the egg shakes and jumps. "What the -" Edrea asks, startled. She grabs hold of the egg. Almost immediately it begins to relax. Edrea sighs with relief, and then the egg bursts open, littering the ground with shards of its stony exterior.
"Aah!" Edrea cries out as the egg - or what had been the egg - squirms in her arms. She looks down to see a snake-like body attatched to a dog-like head. This was a Haken?
The Haken seems to sigh as it looks up at Edrea. Its skin is the same rocky color as its egg had been, and its underside and eyes are the burn-your-retinas green that had also been on the egg.
"So much for camoflage," Edrea sighs.
The Haken rolls its eyes. It seems to be waiting for something. After a moment, when nothing happens it hangs its head.
"There now," says Edrea, her tone comforting. "What's wrong? Don't despair, little guy!" She smiles down at him and sets him onto the ground. Once he touches the firm earth, he seems much happier. Chuckling, Edrea looks at the little Haken. "Now, then, are you a boy or a girl?" she asks.
The Haken looks at her blankly.
"Let's try this again. Are you a boy?"
The Haken nods his head enthusiastically. His eerie green eyes seem to shine with joy that she figured that part out on her own. Expectant, he awaits her next question.
"Okay. Now we're getting somewhere. I suppose you'll need a name. Do you have a preference for a name, little one?"
Pitifully, the Haken shakes his head. He looks up at her, his eyes suddenly sad. With his tail, he points to Edrea.
"You want me to name you? Okay. Your name is... umm..." She pauses, trying to think of a name. She thinks back, and remembers reading an old text in the Mus Am of Was Ton. In the book was a minor character, whom she had liked greatly and who died by what she saw as unfair circumstances. She smiles now and looks at the little Haken. "Cephalus," she announces, for that had been the character's name. "Does that please you?"
The Haken nods his head vigorously.
"Alright, then, little Cephalus. We are going to Phi De Phi on an errand. Do you have any idea where that is?"
Cephalus shakes his head while looking at Edrea quizically.
Smiling, Edrea explains. "Phi De Phi is far away, to the south and west of where we are now. In order to get there, we must fly. I use magic, so this will be easy enough. However, we must also stop in a large city. There, it will be dangerous. Worry not, though, Cephalus, for I will protect you." She pauses, amused that Cephalus' attention is completely snagged by her little speech. "Well, then. Are you ready to come along with me?"
Cephalus nods his head enthusiastically again. He seems ready, happy to go with Edrea. Indeed, his excitement is so much, that he helps her finish packing up camp before crawling into her pack and falling asleep. Edrea chants the flight spell, and the two of them depart, headed in the general direction of Phi De Phi.
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