"You see I told you…"
"A star keeper after all this time…"
"Wait till my wife hears of this…"
"Hush! You'll wake them!"
'Why the hell I waking up?' I thought. I had just been drifting peacefully on Bone-lasher's back in the middle if the Caribbean sea when a bunch of disembodied voices caused me to stir.
I was now away but didn't want to open my eyes as u was clinging to the small hope that I could fall back asleep again. I felt a flood of multiple emotions, mainly annoyance and contempt from Bone-lasher.
"His crystal has been glowing this whole time. Are you sure he's asleep?" A voice said in Torapos.
"I think so…" Another replied.
I felt someone warm breath on my face and my eyes snapped open. A Tolapo warrior stood knelt over with his face mere inches from mine. Br wasn't the only one either. There was a group of about a seven crowded in a semi-circle around the couch I laid on.
"Ahhhhhh!" I screamed and popped my claws, taking a swipe at the guy closest to me. He jumped away, and my claw just barely missed him. The other Sox men jumped back as well.
My scream caused Iris, Jane and Astrid to jolt awake and on seeing the group of men suddenly in their rooms screamed.
"JANGLES!" Iris screamed. The tiny hivdrix shot out of her farm crystal, saw the unknown men and charged all of them.
"Wait!" The warriors all screamed repeatedly in Torapos, holding their hands up to defend themselves and backed away into the closed door. Jangles stung one of the warriors and he fell to the ground like a sack of bricks. Iris snapped her fingers and Jangles hovered in front of warriors aiming its stinger at the remaining ones.
"What the hell!?" Astrid screamed.
"Hold on! Hold on! We mean no harm!" shortest of the warriors exclaimed in Torapos, holding his hands up trying to look and unthreatening as possible.
"Why the hell are you in here?!" I demanded in Torapos. The warriors all stilled and looked at me, their eyes as wide as saucers.
"You speak the language of the people?" The tall warrior asked.
"Yes, but if one of you didn't start answering my question you'll see how fluent I am in stab-a-bitch." I said pointing my claws at them.
"We didn't mean any harm!" Another warrior shouted.
"Honestly!" a third shouted.
"Truly!" The forth exclaimed. "We just heard there was a star keeper here in the barracks and wanted to see for ourselves. We didn't mean ant offense."
I narrowed my eyes at them then cycled some mana into my left hand and claws in case I needed to act then looked to the girls.
"They said they mean no harm." I said switching to universal standard. Astrid looked like she was about to have a stroke.
"You could actually speak Torapos…" She gasped.
"What did they say?" Jane asked.
"They came in here wanting to see me. They've never seen a star keeper before. Which I guess is their term for people with star crystals." I replied. "I don't think they mean us any harm."
"Well they definitely harmed my ability to sleep for the rest of our time here!" Iris snapped. Jangles buzzed loudly and acted like it was going to charge again.
"We're sorry! We're sorry!" They all shouted in Torapos.
"They're sorry." I said. Jane groaned and shook her head.
"Can you tell them to leave?" She asked. I nodded and turned to the warriors.
"You all can leave, next time don't creep into a room to watch someone while they're sleeping. That's not okay." I said in Torapos. The warriors all nodded profusely. I switched back to English and turned to Iris. "They'll leave. Let 'em go."
"Come here Jangles." Iris said. Jangles flew back over to Iris and hovered around her head. The warriors quickly opened the door and dragged their friend into the common room outside. I closed the door and scowled.
"What the hell?!" Iris exclaimed as she got out of bed
"That was not how I wanted to be woken up…" I groaned running my hand through my hair.
"What time is it?" Jane asked. Iris shrugged.
"I don't have a watch." She said.
"Me either." I said. "But judging by the light coming through the window I'll say morning."
"Then where is Lady Baset?" Jane asked. I froze then looked at each of the girls.
"That's a good question…I'll go see of I can find Geryo. Baset seemed to trust him." I said.
"Wait you're going to leave us here?" Iris exclaimed. I motioned toward the door and gave Iris a look.
"Well you can come with me if you want." I said. Jane got out of bed and brushed herself off then walked over to my side.
"I'm going with Chase. I feel safer with someone that speaks the language." She said.
"That's…true…" Iris said the looked over at Astrid. She jumped out of bed and rushed over to me.
"You are not leaving me here alone peasant!" Astrid barked. I rolled my eyes. And opened the door. Iris and Jangles got behind me as I opened the door.
The common room which had been empty last night was now full of warriors, at least twenty of them. They were gathered around the six conscious warriors that had barged into our room and the one unconscious one that Jangles took out. They were all yelling and demanding to know what happened. At the center of this inquisition was Geryo. The moment we stepped out of the room a Hush fell over the crowd and all eyes turned to us.
"Well that's unsettling…" Jane said plastering on one of her fake smiles. Geryo was the first to recover and looked the four of us over.
"Baset's students…how are you today?" Geryo asked in universal standard.
"I'd be better if I wasn't waking up to total strangers looming over me." I said in Torapos. Geryo and all the warriors eyes widened.
"You speak the language of the people…I see so you could understand everything that Baset myself and my men said last night." Geryo said switching to Torapos.
"Pretty easily." I replied. Geryo made a slight bowing gesture then made the six conscious warriors do the same.
"Please forgive the intrusion star keeper. These men are young and have never seen one of the Star's chosen before. The last died nineteen years ago before they were all born." Geryo said.
"Wait? Star's chosen? Last Star keeper?" I repeated. Geryo looked confused.
"You know nothing of the legend of the star?" He asked. I shook my head.
"Yeah I just know the language, I don't know anything about Tolapo culture or history. I don't even know why my grandmother knew the language to be honest." I said. Geryo's expression turned serious.
"I see. We'll have to correct that. But first please accept my men's apology for their rude behavior." Geryo said. The men bowed deeper.
"I'm sorry for the intrusion!" They all exclaimed.
"Apologize to them, not to me. I don't know how it is for women here but where they come from it's not normal for a group of men to suddenly appear in a woman's room and can be absolutely terrifying." I said pointing to the girls behind me.
"Really?!" One lf the warriors groaned, earning him a slap from Geryo. The warriors bowed deep again and exclaimed.
"Sorry for the intrusion!"
"They say they're sorry for coming in unannounced." I said to the girls switching to universal standard.
"I'm not apologizing for Jangles stinging one of them." Iris said sternly.
"That's fair." Geryo replied in universal standard. "Is the matter closed?"
I looked at the girls who all gave me a slight nod then turned back to Geryo and nodded at him. He looked relieved.
"Now onto the more important matter. Where is Baset?" I asked in Torapos. Geryo visibly tensed as did all the warriors.
"I don't like that response Chase…" Jane said. I ignited them mana I had been cycling into my claws and glared at all of warriors.
"I swear to all the gods that if anything happened to her!" I exclaimed on Torapos pointing my flaming claws at Geryo.
"Hold on!" He exclaimed in universal standard. "Nothing has happened to Baset. She is with the healers still."
"She's been there all night?!" Astrid exclaimed. Geryo nodded then looked to his warriors. With a curt nod of hos head they all quickly left the barracks, only a few stopping tk take the tome to pick up and carry their unconscious tribesmen out.
"They're wounds are more serious than we originally thought." Geryo explained. Hid expression turned grim. "Baset has been working with our healers to keep them alive…their fates look grim."
"Take us to them!" Jane demanded. "We might be able to help."
"I cannot." Geryo said. "The healers and Baset are attempting to use a healing spell that is very dangerous. Should you interrupt them it would cost all of them their lives."
"And what do you expect us it do? Nothing?!" Astrid exclaimed.
I opened my mouth to add my objection when I felt another tug, more powerful than any I had felt before. My bone claws extinguished and retracted as my farm crystal started to glow brighter. I felt the tug so strongly I gripped my chest tightly and felt unsteady from the sensation. It wasn't pain I felt, though the feeling felt so familiar I felt tears start to well up in my eyes.
I felt another tug and turned my head towards the barracks front doors. I knew that whatever was making my crystal and body react this way was on the other side. The doors were pushed open by two women who seemed to address the room in Torapos. Their words however were deaf on my ears as I caught a glimpse of a face I hadn't seen in years.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl and at the same time my heart felt like it was beating faster than the speed of light. The woman moved to the side allowing the all too familiar person behind them to step into the barracks.
My legs gave out and I fell to my knees, the tears that had been gathering in my eyes finally fell. I felt Jane and Iris gather around me, shaking my shoulders and asking what's wrong but I was too overwhelmed to answer. I opened my mouth and all I could manage was a croak.
"G-G-Grandma…"