The Curse of the Winged Scorpion
Once more, things take a turn for the worse

Fantelwas alone once more. She felt cut adrift and didn’t know why. Solitude was hernatural state; she did not seek companionship. She did not regret her sharpwords. The idea was absurd. Rashari had tried to manipulate her; all his finewords and openness had been a ruse to lull her, to charm her, to make her…what?Go with him out to the Battlan Steppes? Was that really so awful? No it wasn’t,but his manipulation had been. He had deliberately manoeuvred events to forceFantel’s hand. She was sure he was lying about the Dha-hali believing hercomplicit with his plans, but it was a plausible lie. Therein lay the rub. Ifhe could lie so plausibly, fabricate likely truths out of thin air to fit hisown ends then it was wise Fantel had no more to do with him. There was noreason for her to feel in any way bereft.

Yetshe couldn’t help replaying the day’s events in her mind, seeing them not asthey were, but as the Dha-hali might see them, or rather as Rashari had claimedthe Dha-hali would see them. Fantelwas not well practiced in the art of considering perspectives other than herown and some part of her balked at doing so now, yet, the more she thought overRashari’s warnings, the more improbable her innocence appeared, even to her.

TheDha-hali slavers had ambushed her in the Kitvik badlands beyond Tabris’northern border. She’d been returning to Danitz and the Wayfarer’s guild thereafter tracking down and killing a wyrm that had been attacking homesteaders.The Dha-hali had ambushed her in a storm; the lightning and thunder disguisingtheir approach until it was too late. Fantel was certain her capture wasnothing more than the product of her inattentiveness but Einar might thinkdifferently. Wayfarers were fighters and nomads, employed to deal with the wildbeasts and occasional Battlan fiend plaguing the roads of Aldlis. Fantel hadbeen a wayfarer for several years; she was no easy meat like Tamaki. Perhapsthe Dha-hali would believe she had been involved with Rashari from thebeginning and had conspired to have herself captured. Perhaps they would evenbelieve she too was part of this Veridree raider fraternity? The idea seemedludicrous to Fantel, yet, Malpus, perhaps her only true friend and fellow‘farer, had told her of others in their trade who greased their palms withRaider coin. Maybe Rashari had not been entirely disingenuous when he claimedEinar would think her involved in his schemes.

Notthat it mattered. Fantel had no real purpose, no home, nowhere to go and no onewho would miss her should she vanish from the face of Aldlis entirely. Not inthe way Tamaki had, certainly not the way it had been when she was stillChimeri and part of the Great Pulse. The truth was Fantel had been captured notbecause she had been unlucky but because she had been careless; careless of herlife; a life with no true value. She had not sought slavery by any means, butneither did she have anything to show for her freedom; her existence wasrootless and drifting either in chains or without. Her work as a Wayfarer wasmerely a means to pass time, and aside from Malpus she had little connection toothers of her ilk. Wayfaring was dangerous and solitary work. Those drawn tothe vocation were either non-humans who could not replace a living in human townsor vagrant souls who had little to live for, save force of habit. If she washonest with herself she was not truly concerned about the danger Rashari mighthave brought upon her. She did not relish being in the Dha-hali’s targetsights, but nor did it unduly disturb her.

Whythen had she become so angry? Standing in the silent back room, catching thefaint murmurs of song and conversation filtering in from the main tavern,Fantel found that she was no longer upset about Rashari’s manipulation. In factshe was no longer so certain he had manipulated her at all. At the very leastshe was becoming increasingly certain his intent had been less deceitful thanshe had thought. Yes, he had told her about the danger she may or may not be inas a means of influencing her to help him, but was that not the way of allhumans? Rashari had been no more or less conniving than most of his kind. Hemay even have believed he was telling the truth about the danger she was in. Hehad also told her about the scion stone, and about Nylous and the Veridreeraiders; surely speaking so openly to a complete stranger about such things wasdangerous for him? Fantel wondered why he had done that. Had he been trying toimplicate her further, or had there been another reason?

Partnersin crime he had called them. No one, not even Malpus, had offered her apartnership before. She could not imagine why anyone would, especially not astranger who knew nothing about her. He did not know her crimes, her disgrace;he did not know that she was a wretched, maligned thing. He knew nothing abouther. He had not even asked her for her name. He had never asked her anything atall about herself, but had willingly divulged a great deal about himself. What if all I want is the pleasure of yourcompany, he had said and Fantel had dismissed him completely.

“MadamChimera – is everything alright?” Meira, laden with a tray of empty tankardsturned toward her wide-eyed as Fantel stepped through the door into the maintavern. Ignoring the human girl she scanned the room.

“Rashari,”Fantel began failing to catch a glimpse of a dark hair or a blood stained jacketamid the tavern patrons, “where did he go?”

“Oh– out.” Meira peered at Fantel curiously. “He said he was going for a walk toget a breath of fresh air. Why? Is anything wrong?”

“No.”Fantel said shortly, thinking to herself that he would not be back. His breathof fresh air would no doubt be found several hundred feet above the ground. Hewould fly away now, perhaps angry that he had failed to ensnare a partner intohis schemes. It surprised her how easily she could see him in her mind’s eye,muttering to his automaton as he piloted Vedeca through the clouds, a sharpscowl scouring his features, dark eyes fixed on the far horizon.

“Iwill follow him.” She heard herself say as her feet propelled her toward thedoor of the tavern. If Meira said anything else she did not hear her. She wouldnot have stopped even if she had.

Thesun was beginning to set and the city inside the crater was thrown into purpleshadow. The dying sunlight banded the sky in bars of orange-red, the eveningclouds painted mauve and backlit with gold. The flood of people thronging thenarrow city streets moved swiftly, a flowing current racing toward theresidential sectors. Fantel manoeuvred around barrow-boys and city officials,street cleaners and bewildered tourists, her senses primed for any sign ofRashari. She made for the skyport, having nowhere else to begin her search, andcertain in a way she could not explain that he would still be there. Ready todepart but not yet gone - waitingperhaps.

Themarket vendors were packing up their unsold wares when she arrived back at thesquare, pulling down the brightly coloured awnings, and dismantling thescaffold of the big marquee. A young human boy, perhaps nine or ten years old,dropped a wicker basket full of balls of brightly coloured wool. The balls ofyarn bounced across the cobbles. Fantel bent down to pick up a red ball as itrolled over her foot, beginning to unravel. She ducked down between two emptystalls. She saw another blue dyed ball of wool sitting underneath one of thestalls and reached to snag it. She froze when she spotted two pairs of feet insilver studded boots on the other side of the market square. Quick as a weaselshe peeked over the top of the stall. Two Dha-hali stood together at the mouthof the street leading toward the skyport. She recognised Tomah. Ducking backdown again she froze, barely breathing, straining to listen.

“TheChimera must be here somewhere.” Tomah said, speaking to the other Dha-hali, aman with deep violet braids and a neatly trimmed beard.

“Brother,why do we bother with the Chimera? It is the Veridree raider we seek.”

“Ourorders are to catch them both. The Dagoman was insistent. He wants the Chimeraas well.” Tomah snapped. “The boy will have gone to ground, hidden away –in thecity he will not stand out. But the Chimera is not so fortunate. She will benoticed, and she will lead us to the Veridree bastard.”

“Heyyou,” The small boy who had dropped his basket pointed at the ball of wool inher hands, “give that back.” He too was hunkered down close to the ground, hischild’s voice high and piping, but thankfully he was not speaking loudly enoughto attract the Dha-hali’s attention.

“Shhh,”Fantel chucked the wool to him, darting another quick look over the top of thestall. Tomah and the other man had left the mouth of the side street andstarted toward the centre of the market square. In moments they would pass her.She slipped under the nearest stall, scuttling awkwardly down the line headedfor the side street and the skyport. The stalls were simply tables covered inwaxed cloth, anyone paying attention would spy her crouched underneath; shewould have to break cover. She caught another glimpse of the twin pair of bootedfeet; they had turned toward her – beginning to walk down the aisle of stalls.The small boy stared at her, expression creased in bemusement; he would giveher away in an instant.

“Youboy,” Tomah snapped, “What are you –“ Fantel burst out of cover.

“Hey!”

Vaultingover the top of another stall she dropped low on the other side, rollingbeneath a table before getting to her feet and breaking into a run. TheDha-hali were in hot pursuit, she could hear them. Sprinting for the sidestreet Fantel didn’t waste time looking behind her. She didn’t slow down as shehit the end of the street and ended up on one of Remenes main avenues.Hover-cabs zipped and nipped along the avenue, and rickshaws queued outside theimposing façade of a city hotel. Fantel ran right past an endless wall of storefronts, eliciting startled gasps from the owners of the expensive boutiques asthey closed up shop. She did not slow down. The Dha-hali would not dare shoother in the middle of one of Remenes’ most populace streets but she knew shecould not outrun them forever.

Behindher she heard a woman cry out, a man shout, and a loud crash. Someone blew awhistle, the sharp shrill note piercing her ears. In front of her the skyportloomed at the end of the avenue; even now a steady stream of people flowed outof the revolving glass doors. Leaping off the curb Fantel dashed into themiddle of the road, darting around the back of one hover-cab and barely dodginga passing horse-drawn carriage. Another sharp whistle pierced her ears. Someoneran into traffic behind her.

“Stop;in the name of the law I order you…”

Fantelbroke out of traffic and dived for the main doors of the skyport. Startled pedestriansleapt out of her way. She hit the doors at full speed. Her first glimpse of theskyport’s foyer was of a high vaulted ceiling, mounted with enormous phantasmachandeliers, a wide expanse of pink veined stone flooring, and a scattering ofproud columns decorated with tiny blue and green mosaic tiles. People milledaround the lobby, baggage handlers manhandled luggage racks and a serried rowof generically pretty young women, all dressed in the blue and gold uniform ofthe Imperial Aviation Company stood sentry behind a wall of dark wood desks atthe back of the lobby, checking travelling permits and stamping boardingpasses.

Fantellooked around; at the far side of the lobby she saw a sign directing peopletowards the private skycraft bays. Fantel ran toward the door.

“Stopthat woman!”

Fantelshoved her way past a man in yellow robes and darted through the door. Sheknocked down a well dressed Imperial as she raced down a flight of metalstairs. The docking chamber was just as loud and busy as it had been onarrival. A group of cloaked goblins stared after her as she dashed down one ofthe platforms, jumped over the safety rail and fell ten feet unto a lowerplatform. She remembered that docking bay thirteen was near the far right wall.She almost ran straight into a motorised baggage cart, driven by a blank maskedgoblin, as it trundled along the platform laden with crates of beer and arather attractive pine wardrobe. Flattening herself against the rails, Fantelsucked in a breath. A flock of flying automatons, resembling oversizeddragonflies, zipped past her through the air as she hurried down moremetal-clanging stairs. She dove under a hovering baggage float, rolled acrossthe metal grating, jumped to her feet and vaulted over another railing. She wasstill being followed.

“Security– stop that woman!”

Shecould see Vedeca; the lavender flourishes covering the ship’s hull one of themost welcome sights she had ever seen. Though not as welcome as the sight ofVedeca’s captain jumping up from a comfortable slouch atop a large packingcrate, bottle of Tabrian beer in one hand and a look of complete surprisedecorating his face. Rashari stared at her agog as Fantel all but flew down theramp, trailed by three skyport security officers and a Remenes city guardsman.

“Flyhuman,” she yelled at him still several feet away. “And be quick about it!”

Hewas fast on the uptake; dropping his beer he turned and darted up Vedeca’slowered boarding steps. The group of goblins he had been sharing a beer withwere equally swift to jump to their aid; as Fantel dashed across the bay andinto the ship and the goblins closed ranks behind her. One of them threw asidehis cloak and mask and spread his long, spindly arms – flaps of skin extended,opening up like the sails of a ship to stretch from his fingertips to his hips.The goblin jumped up, grabbed hold of the guardrail of the platform severalfeet above and clambered up on top, landing right in the path of Fantel’spursuers. He bared needle point teeth in a vicious smile, blunt nosed, furredface creasing into a savage grimace. The humans skidded to a halt, startled bythe goblin’s unmasked appearance, which gave his compatriots enough time torelease the vice-clamps holding Vedeca in place.

Fantelslammed the boarding door closed behind her, spinning the airlock wheel. Theship shuddered, violet lights pulsing through the walls as Rashari started theengines. She hurried into the main cabin, quickly stepping down into thecockpit and gratefully sinking into the waiting co-pilot’s chair. Vedeca roseup, engines whirring to full life as Rashari banked gently to the left,breaking free of the docking bay and turning so they faced the nearest of themany exit tunnels. Fantel glanced out of the window; catching sight of thehuman security officers berating the goblins for allowing them to escape. She breathedout a sigh of relief.

Rasharishot her a quizzical look as Vedeca zipped past a lumbering skybarge, loadeddown with rusty metal containers, and disappeared into one of the tunnelsbefore skyport security could lock down the chamber. “So,” he said brightly asthey popped out of the other side into the purpling sky above Remenes. “I takeit you’ve reconsidered my offer then?”