Species (according to Ursa):
19) Satyr
- Human-goat people
- Also know as Fauns
- Greeks and Romans described them as music loving nature spirits who chased beautiful women
- Reality is different from Greek/Roman stories
- Satyr do enjoy music, but more similar to mountain rams
- Satyr villages are divided by gender
o Women and children live in one half of village
o Men live in other half of village
- Male Satyrs believe in strict dominance hierarchy
o Compete physically to establish who is dominant male
o Only top rank males may mate with females during rut season
§ Not uncommon for lower ranking males to find mates outside of Satyr community
- Male and females intermingle during day's activities
o Jobs and occupations are not separated by gender, only living conditions are
- Satyrs are physically strong and extremely agile
o Can jump long and high distances
Watch the flowers bloom and the raindrops come.
Feel the weight of the world lift and your spirit fly.
Come to the fields and watch the moon rise.
My hand in yours and yours in mine.
Someone was singing. Chenoa smiled sweetly. Wiggling around in a something warm and soft, Chenoa wrapped her fingers around tuffs of fur. Blinking, Chenoa opened her eyes slowly. Sunlight streamed in through the branches of massive trees, creating streams and spots of sunlight. Inhaling deeply, Chenoa smelled all the seasons mixed into one. Cor.
Tilting her head, Chenoa peered through thick red-brown fur. She was lying across Cor's back, his wings folded tight around her. His head pointed towards the sky and he sang exquisitely. The words flowed from his canine jaws as if he were a song bird.
With your hands in mine, my darling love,
The moon shall rise like a dove
Above of us bright and loving light
Allowing us to no longer fight
Finally, we shall reach peace
A fitting end for you and me.
Ahead of them, Chenoa saw Ursa strolling, the size of a small elephant. On her back was Chris, whose head was spinning around in excitement, trying to absorb all that was around him. Behind Chris was Lieben, moving his head in rhythm to Cor's song. He seemed back to normal though his hair and eyes lacked their normal glimmer of energy.
For a long time, Chenoa didn't move. She enjoyed lying there listening to Cor sing. His voice reminded Chenoa of the tribal singers at the powwows she used to go to. After about an hour, Cor turned his head and smiled a wolfish smile at her. Surprised, Chenoa hadn't realized he knew she was awake. Nuzzling her, Cor licked her nose delicately.
"Did you sleep well?" he whispered, so that the others did not hear him.
"Yes…what happened?" she whispered back, smiling at him affectionately.
"We found you and that Lieben boy with a bunch of bounty hunters. We grabbed you and left."
"How? Last thing I remember was Quälen striking me and Lieben being on fire."
"It's complicated and not really relevant. All that matters is we were able to heal Lieben and get you away safely. Ursa has been asking around and apparently there is a bounty on your head."
"Why? And by who?"
"No idea, but we assume it is because you are a Spellbinder. News like that travels fast."
"Oh."
"Are you still tired? You can sleep some more."
"No. I am good."
"I am glad. They were all worried about you."
"I am sorry I worried everyone."
"It's just because we care."
Snuggling into Cor's fur, Chenoa closed her eyes. While she didn't want to admit it, she felt so much safer and protected now that she was with Cor and Ursa. After her conflict with Quälen, Chenoa was painfully aware of how out of her league she was in Taikaa. It was bad enough she was permanently connected with Osiris, but now she knew Quälen would come after her and he could kill her with the flex of his hand.
"What are you thinking about?" Cor's face looked concerned.
"Nothing, important."
Turning forward, Cor's ears perked up. Ursa stopped, looking around. Chenoa sat up and straddled Cor's back. Lieben pulled out a bow that had been hanging on his knee. Chenoa briefly wondered where it had come from. There was a tense minute when no one moved, but then Ursa shook her head.
"It's okay. Whatever or whoever it was moved on."
"How can we be sure?" Lieben asked, the bow still taut.
"It is okay, Imp," Cor said, his voice sounding relieved. "We are in the Traveler's Woods anyway."
"The Traveler's Woods?" Chris said, sounding confused.
"One of the gods was known as the Traveler. He was known for eternally searching for something he had lost and thus he always traveled. Eventually, he blessed these woods for those who traveled just as he did."
"So what does it mean that we are traveling through the Traveler's Woods?"
"It just means that there will be many people and creatures in this wood."
"Do we need to worry about any of them?"
"Taikaa is just like Maa-Vallan. There are always dangers and dangerous people. You just need to be smart and careful."
"Could we please just have a small break from excitement?" Chenoa groaned, folding forward so her head was in Cor's fur again.
"We will do our best, Chenoa," Cor said seriously.
"Chenoa, why don't you come and ride on my back for a while," Ursa called, looking back sweetly. "Give Cor a break. He has been carrying you since yesterday."
"That is not necessary, Ursa," Cor shook his head.
"It's okay, Cor. You take a break. It will do the boys some good to walk for a bit," Ursa teased.
Both boys blushed and looked sheepish. They all stopped and the boys climbed off of Ursa's back. Chris stared at Ursa, his face a mix of emotions.
"What is it, human?" Ursa asked bluntly.
"I am sorry to stare. It's just as a kid I always dreamed of riding a dragon and I literally just got off of a dragon's back. It's just amazing and bizarre at the same time. I kind of feel like I'm having a stroke," Chris explained self-consciously.
"I will never understand why humans are so obsessed with us dragons but I will take it as a compliment."
"Why? Because dragons are beautiful and wise and powerful and…"
Chenoa placed a hand on Chris's shoulder and grinned at him. She knew what he meant. Dragons just had to be the coolest "magical" creature that existed. Noticing Chenoa, Chris blushed for a second time and offered to help her up on to Ursa's back. Accepting his assistance, Chenoa hoisted herself onto the dragon's currently soft back. Chenoa thought that was one of her favorite things about Ursa, that she could change from scales to fur to rock to feathers on a whim. It was something Chenoa never imagined a dragon doing.
Cor trotted ahead, claiming he was going to look around. The boys did their best to keep pace with Ursa, though her stride easily outstripped them. Chenoa sat there, trying to remember what had happened. She knew Osiris had been in her mind. Had he done something even with the amulet on? Touching the amulet, Chenoa felt that its texture had changed. Looking down at it, she almost gasped when she saw that it was burnt. The amulet no longer was a soft silver, but a dark black, its top layer peeling slightly. How had it burned? A man's face appeared to her. His eyes were pitiless steel, resting above a royal nose and thick lips. The man's gaze stared straight into her soul. Suppressing a shiver, Chenoa released the amulet. She hoped that it still worked.
"Are you sure you are alright?" Ursa inquired, her eyes darting back to Chenoa.
"Yes, Ursa, I am okay. I just feel confused. I don't get what happened. How did you all rescue us?" Chenoa explained, her index and middle finger resting against the amulet.
"To be honest, we didn't really. Something or someone had done the leg work. The men were gone or knocked out and you were unconscious. Cor scooped you up while I healed the imp boy and we left before anyone woke up."
"That's strange. Do you think that it was the man who brought us here in the first place?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I don't think he wants to hurt me to be honest. I mean Lieben's mom said something that made sense. She said that whoever is after me is powerful and so he could take me at any time. I mean, look at the number of people he hired just to invade my school. If he really wanted to hurt me or capture me, he would have already."
"I can see your point, but why do you think he would rescue you and then leave you there?"
"I don't know. He seems obsessed with me remembering our past as he calls it. Maybe he saved me because he doesn't want others to have me and wants me to keep working on remembering."
"That is an odd theory, Chenoa, and if it is true then he is quite mad."
"I think that is what worries me. I mean Nick and Gabby have been with this guy for almost a week. That's a long time and who knows what he has done to them."
"We can only hope he has done nothing to them."
"Yeah…."
Chenoa's eyes wandered and they came to rest on Lieben. He certainly seemed back to normal. She had been so scared. An image of Lieben on a fire pit with the flames licking at his body popped into Chenoa's mind. It had been so awful. What had happened?
"Thank you for healing Lieben. He has been a big help in getting me to Taikaa."
"I know. He told us all about it. I do believe he is smitten with you."
"Lieben has a crush on me? Naw. He's just being nice and his mom asked him to look after me."
"Don't underestimate people's motivations. They are literally people's driving force. Plus, he is half Nonelement. I can smell it on him."
"So? What does that have to do with anything?"
"Whether full or part Nonelement, those with that blood line do two things very deeply, love and hate. They don't do either half way. So if he has feelings for you, they will not stop at liking you or disliking you. That boy will love you or he will hate you."
"Elixir, his father, said something like that. He said love is the most important thing to a Nonelement. That nothing is more precious or important."
"It is true. Love and hate are literally what sustain them."
"But if they seduce many men and women, how is that love? Is that not just lust?"
"Nonelements are complicated. Yes, they can have casual sex, but they are always seeking a love. That is why they have so many partners. And, unfortunately, while they may not love their partners, their partners always love them. There is something about them that is addictive to their partners. Some have become slaves to their Nonelements because they cannot stand to be away from them. Others kill themselves when they have been abandoned. Yet in the end anyone who has shared a bed with a Nonelement is hooked."
"Priesterin did not seem hooked on Elixir."
"That is because he loves her. While a Nonelement forces others to fall in love, it is very difficult for themselves. That is why they must feed off the love and hate of those who fall for them. Yet when they fall in love as Elixir did with Priesterin, they no longer need to feed. Their feelings sustain them unless, of course, the feelings are not returned."
"What do you mean?"
"Nonelements feed through physical contact. By the sound of it, Elixir and Priesterin do not share a tent or any real relationship anymore."
"No. It sounded like Elixir has never been around for Lieben."
"Exactly. For some reason, Priesterin has abandoned or rejected Elixir, who has fallen in love with her. So he cannot feed off of his own love. Now he could choose to feed off others again, but once Nonelements falls in love, they tend to never stray, unless absolutely necessary."
"What does that mean?"
"If they are starving they will seduce another."
"Can Nonelements die?"
"No. They were never born so they can never die."
"Then what happens when they starve?
"They become weak and almost nonexistent. No has ever seen more than that. They either start to feed again or they disappear."
"Oh…"
Chenoa recalled how transparent Elixir had been when she saw him. Was he starving? Did he refuse to feed on anyone but Priesterin? If that were the case, then he was very ill. What would happen to him?
"I wish you knew what happened to them if they continued not to feast."
"For now it just a mystery."
Looking at Lieben as he walked, talking to Chris, who was trying to explain football to Lieben, Chenoa wondered how sad Lieben would be if his father disappeared. Even though she knew he acted as if he hated his father, Chenoa had a strong idea that was to cover Lieben's desire for his dad to be more present.
"Is it common for Nonelements to have children?"
"No. It is very rare. As I said they have a hard time actually falling in love and when they do, they often have issues with sharing. They can become very possessive. Some in the past have killed their own young so as to not share their love."
"That's terrible!"
"Many animals in your world kill their offspring."
"But Nonelements aren't animals. They are…well…they have rational thought…"
"There is no rationalizing with a Nonelement about their love."
There was nothing else Chenoa could add or question so she fell silent. After a while her hand touched the amulet again. A steel eyed man slipped into her mind's eye so she removed her hand.
"Ursa, is there a way to block people from my mind?" Chenoa asked, suddenly inspired.
"What? Why do you ask?" Ursa replied warily.
"It's complicated."
"There is nothing complicated about someone entering your mind. It is dangerous. They can learn all your strengths and weaknesses that way."
"I just was curious in case someone tries. I mean, TruthSeekers aren't the only ones who can do that right?"
"That's right but it is a rare gift outside of that breed."
"So is it possible?"
"Yes, but it takes a great deal of mental strength."
"Great. I keep hearing about mental strength. What's the big deal about mental strength?"
"Chenoa, I am surprised. I would have thought by now you would get it. Any creature in existence is only as strong as his or her total strength, body and mind. As a child your mind is weak so you rely on your body, but when you are old you must rely on your mind. Yet for a long period of time you have both body and mind, so you need to keep both strong in case of injury, or accident or, as you were talking about, the invasion of your mind."
"Well, how do you strengthen your mind?"
"Someone invaded your mind, didn't he?"
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't need to. I can tell. Who was it?"
"It's not a big deal."
"Of course it is. Tell me."
"Fine…fine…it was this TruthSeeker, although Priesterin said he had to have SoulEater in him, but anyway he was with those guys who came to my school. He peered into my mind and I guess I accidentally attacked him mentally and he somehow absorbed my powers so now he can pop into my head whenever he wants because, according to Priesterin, we are connected."
Taking a gulp of air, Chenoa realized she had said all of that very fast. Ursa kept walking, silently. Chenoa felt Ursa's shoulder's tense underneath her. Working hard to control her temper Ursa mulled over this in her mind. It did explain the unknown scent that hovered around Chenoa. It also caused Ursa to wonder if she should even discuss important things with Chenoa. When Cor came back, Ursa would have to warn him about their tag along. Chenoa couldn't be trusted to hold any secret information.
"Ursa?" Chenoa finally said carefully.
"I am sorry. I was thinking. Mental exercises are very simple but very exhausting."
"Okay. What can I do?"
"Basic mental exercises. Holding levitation spells and other similar spells for long periods of time."
"That doesn't seem too bad."
"That is because you have only held them for a few seconds. The stronger the mind, the longer you can hold it."
"Okay. I can do that."
"Try it then. Levitate a leaf."
Nodding Chenoa called a leaf to her and let it sit flat on her palm. Concentrating Chenoa saw the words that's surrounded the leaf. Lately Chenoa had started noticing that there were words around each plant, animal and thing in Taikaa. They were small and silvery black, but they covered every inch of every creation. Chenoa had decided that she was seeing the narrations of them. Biting her lip as she concentrated, Chenoa saw the shimmering words wiggling and twist before breaking apart and rearranging. Shooting up, the leaf floated in the air. Smiling Chenoa held it in the air, pleased with her simple spell.
Ursa watched momentarily then turned her head back to the woods. She wondered where Cor had gone to. Sure, he had gone to see if anything or anyone was up ahead but it shouldn't take this long. Behind her Chenoa felt the leaf wobble in the air. Creasing her forehead, she concentrated.
Two minutes had passed and suddenly she felt as if her body was straining like she was holding up weights. Small perspiration shone on her forehead as two minutes turned to three; then as the fourth minute approached the leaf fell into her hand. Her body felt fatigued as if she had been lifting weights for hours. Slightly annoyed, Chenoa tried again. The leaf wobbled as it slowly rose into the air. This time she was only able to keep it in the air for a couple minutes before it dropped.
Blowing a raspberry, Chenoa hated the weakness she felt. Osiris had been right. She was hopelessly weak minded. Chenoa didn't like this thought. How was she to save Gabby when she couldn't even save herself? Life had been so much simpler five months ago when Chenoa didn't know about all of this. While she had never been special, at least Chenoa had never felt weak, outmatched, and vulnerable. What a really crappy feeling.
"Chenoa, we all start out as weak. No one is born strong. You will get stronger as long as you practice," Ursa tried to comfort her.
"I thought I was strong. You and Cor always talk about how I'm powerful…"
"Power doesn't equal strength. Power is your ability. Your natural abilities, but strength is from muscles, both mental and physical. You have to strengthen your body in order to handle all of your power."
"I always thought power and strength were the same."
"That is a very human concept. Yet you will learn. You have learned a lot in these few months."
"How am I supposed to protect myself, let alone save Gabby and Nick, if I'm like this?"
"You don't need to worry about that. That is why Cor and I are here. To protect you."
Stomach knotting, Chenoa felt guilty for causing her friends so much trouble. Part of her also wondered how well they could really protect her if they weren't there like with Quälen. She had been on her own. What happens if Cor and Ursa aren't around and Chenoa must defend herself and Chris and Lieben? They would all be in trouble.
Padding back towards them, Cor smiled at the group. Chenoa wondered if traveling was easier in his wolf form.
"All clear up ahead. There are some pixies flying around, but they are harmless," he said, shaking himself.
"Pixies?" Chris asked with genuine interests.
"They look like what you humans think are fairies," Cor explained.
"Pixies and Fairies are real?" Chris seemed stunned.
"Of course. Have you been living under a rock?" Lieben laughed.
"Hey, we don't have pixies in our world," Chris snapped, eying Lieben resentfully.
"Of course, because you humans destroy everything das isn't human."
"Don't be such a racist!"
"Racist? Vhat is das?"
"It means you judge someone based on their race. Seems like I'm not the only one who lacks education."
"Boys," Ursa interjected, her voice low and warning.
The boys were looking at each other with daggers. Too much testosterone, Chenoa thought as the group stopped. Rolling her eyes, Chenoa climbed down from Ursa and stood between Chris and Lieben. Placing her hands on each chest, Chenoa looked at both of them.
"We all have a lot to learn about each other and each other's worlds. Plus, this has been a long couple of days, so we need to just relax and chill," she told them.
Changing their gaze from each other to Chenoa, both boys stopped. Lieben placed his hands over Chenoa's and smiled. All he could think was how beautiful she was. Chris narrowed his eyes as he saw how Lieben was looking and touching Chenoa. So Chris touched Chenoa's cheek and grinned. She beamed back at both of them as they agreed to stop fighting. As soon as Chenoa turned from them to talk to Cor, though, they glared at each other.
"So everything is clear ahead?" Chenoa inquired from Cor.
"Yes. We have about another day or two walk to get out of the Traveler's Forest."
"How far is Gioco's Castle?"
"Excuse me?"
Cor and Ursa both looked sharply at Chenoa. Blushing Chenoa didn't know what she said to get that reaction. Both boys looked confused as well.
"What?"
"What did you ask?"
"Gioco's castle…that's where we are headed right? The guy who talked to me through the door said that he'd be at Gioco's Castle."
"There is no place called Gioco's Castle…least not anymore."
"What do you mean there is no place? He said that he'd have Gabby at Gioco's Castle! I remember that specifically."
"Chenoa, you must have misheard," Ursa sighed, shaking her head."
"I know what I heard…maybe you just know it by a different name."
"We know where Gioco's Castle used to be but it's been gone for over a thousand years."
"What do you mean?"
"Gioco was the Prince of the Gods. Next to the Goddess he was the most powerful god. He created a castle after the Goddess disappeared. It stood for thousands of years then one day it crumbled into ruins. Worshipers of the gods still visit it as a kind of pilgrimage, but it is still just a set of ruins and the whole area is kind of desolate. It's known as No Man's Land because no man can survive there. The ground is barren and life cannot exist there and has not for a long time."
"Well, if we weren't heading there, where were we headed?"
"Honestly, we didn't know. We hoped that we'd catch up with them, but that was before we got separated and you had a run in with the bounty hunters."
"Since that isn't an option anymore, I really think we should head to Gioco's Castle."
"I don't think that is a good idea."
"Why not? He said that is where he will be and we don't have any other leads."
"It's not a good idea for several reasons. One, No Man's Land is a dangerous place and, two, if he told you to go there is it most likely a trap. You should not be ready to rush into such a bad situation. It could be a trap or just a wild goose chase."
"I'm not going to risk not being able to save Gabby and Nick because it could be dangerous. This whole trip is dangerous. It is our only lead and I am going to go there with or without your aid."
"We could stop you," Ursa growled menacingly.
Chris and Lieben took a step back, but Chenoa merely looked at Ursa coldly.
"You could, but you know I would just find a way to escape and that if you did I would never trust you again."
"If it keeps you safe then I'd live with that…"
"Chenoa! Ursa! Enough!" Cor jumped between them. "We must stand by each other. Not fight. Chenoa, you must understand that Ursa just wishes to protect you and, Ursa, you must remember that Chenoa is blaming herself for her friends' capture, so she will not be stopped from doing what she can."
Both females relaxed only slightly. They didn't look at Cor, who stood between them. Instead their eyes were locked on each other. Cor suppressed a sigh because he was not in the mood for such distractions. He was tired as it was.
"Chenoa, you will stay with the group, because it will keep us all safe. Yet as a compromise, once we leave the Traveler's Forest, Ursa and I will fly to No Man's Land and see if there is a castle or any signs of life. We can do it in a day or two and if there is something there then we will all go there together. Does that work for everyone?"
There was a tense silence.
"Yes," Chenoa said grudgingly. It did sound a lot better.
"Yes," Ursa nodded, though she was still sore feeling.
"Good. Then we have a plan. We shall head to Gioco's Castle."