Session 29
As dusk fell across the Hidden Lightning monastery, a low roar rose from the rear as two whirlwinds arose from nowhere. Almost as one, they whipped across the plains, heading North, and were soon lost from sight.
Lord Ameratsu turned to his assistant, and spoke softly, yet urgently: "Send word to Four Candles Shining. Anathema have come to our very door! Alert the Hunts-master! And bring me the prisoner. He'll talk now, or damn his Soul!"
In the heart of the second Whirlwind, Lady Khensa adjusted her outstretched arms, titling the whirling cone to the left, as Master Sui struggled to keep sight of their quarry. The night falls fast in these parts, but Sui pricked up his ears, and continued to give Khensa directions.
"If they keep adding East to their path, we'll soon be at ... " Water splashed up through the winds, spraying all with a salty tang, until Khensa shifted her feet, and a new draught kept the damp at bay "... the shores of The Dreaming Sea ... I thought I could smell fish."
It was not a restful night. Khensa had only recently learned the secrets of the Storm Wind, and now wrestled to control them, in the dark, at breakneck speed, testing each new manoeuvre and trick as it became necessary. Sui's concentration held firm, as his listened out for the other Storm Wind, and Ben tried to catch glimpses of the sky, of Luna, of the Stars, to try to keep track of their location.
"If my calculations are right, we should be to the East of Champoor by now! We'd best keep an eye out for ..."
The twister lurched to the left as Khensa saw, almost too late, the sails of a large craft through the tumultuous air, and tipped away from it.
"... sailing vessels. The shipping lanes get ..."
Another set of sails, another lurch, this time to the right.
" ... quite busy, I hear."
It was clear that their quarry was leading them into these ships. An experienced sorcerer, they must know well the ways of their Storm Wind.
"We can't keep on like this. And we're nearly at Champoor. Do we have a plan for approaching the City?"
The Storm Wind dipped, and subsided, depositing its passengers onto the deck of a small sloop. The crew and passengers of 'Don't call me Shirley' looked on askance, until the captain spoke up:
"I suppose you'll be wanting cabins?"
Khensa and Sui quickly went below decks, to recover from the travel, while Ben and Korvalis, slightly fresher, greeted their fellow travellers. It readily became apparent that the brightly-clothed passengers were no strangers, as they hailed Ben and insisted they eat with them and told of his stories since he last rode with The Cognoscenti Carnivale.
Korvalis also spent time with the prisoner, the young Brog, Favoured of the Earth Dragon. He learned of The Upright Gentlemen, and other news of this great City.
At last, 'Don't call me Shirley' hauled into shore, and the Carnival moved on to its allotted place, to prepare for The Grand Festival, a great honour celebrating the latest graduations from White Lotus Academy, where young Dragon-Blooded Dynasts are prepared for their life of Leadership.
It was during this upheaval that Khensa received a note from Bountiful Fox, asking her to attend a meeting at the White Flag dojo, to discuss urgent matters.
To Be Continued
