He made a detour to Avendale to load the mektoub with a few packs of bhyr. Feinigan would never embark on a journey without something to quench his thirst.
With relief, he put on his helmet for the trip across the Loria. Walking a mektoub alone here, and then into the Heretic's Masure, was hard enough, but Haokan needed to let off some steam, and the predators who thought they were getting an easy steak were dealt a few well-felt axe blows.
Haokan didn't slow down until he reached the Treasure, in the Jardin Fugace. He stopped there for a while, giving both his pet and himself time to rest. He thought back to the tales he and Feinigan had exchanged here. The tryker had dragged him in Jinovitch's footsteps, defending the theory that the tyrant had become evil only because of a failed love, and that to persist endlessly in loving someone who couldn't love you back only led to sadness, bitterness, and then gradually to the expression of our worst instincts. It wasn't a subtle parallel to the impossible love that was breaking Haokan's heart at the time, but the tryker's maneuver had backfired. The Zoraï had pointed to his relationship with Néjimbé, who obviously didn't want to hear any more about the honest trader.
- But noooo, it's not the same with Néjimbé! She loves me, I know it!
- She tied you up in a cellar for several days, then when she finally let you out, she paid guards to shoot you on sight if you came near her house.
- Bodacious love! I'm not saying it could be confusing, but I swear, if she's doing this, she must be passionate!
- And you're a troublemaker. Leave her alone.
- What, you're going to leave your matis alone?
Yes, Haokan had tried. In fact, he'd succeeded quite well. Where was he now? He wasn't supposed to think about it... that part of his life was over. But the twinge of pain was still there, the echo of the suffering that had driven him...
Before his memories could take him any further, Haokan had opened another bhyr, forcing himself to drink it all, then tossing the bottle in the direction of a javing.
- To Jinovitch's treasure... whether it was a lost love, or a very real madness.
His second stop was at Virginia Falls. Haokan had cried there for a while, his tears joining those of the waterfalls, thinking back to a very special moment.
This was shortly after their escapade beyond the New Lands. During this trip, which had a vague pretext (Feinigan was trying to avoid the wrath of a disgruntled client and needed a warrior to watch his back), the tryker had made a pass at him... not in a figurative way at all. It took that level of finesse to get Haokan to open his eyes, anyway. He'd let himself be taken in with pleasure, it had to be said, and this adventure had been the first real glimmer of happiness after years, each more gloomy than the last.
The merchant had described their relationship with every disparaging epithet imaginable. Just for fun, nothing serious, don't think there were any feelings involved, don't start imagining things because it was just another way of taking care of a business relationship, etc, etc. Haokan had almost believed it, until Feinigan "hired" him for an escort to Virginia Falls. There, in front of the sumptuous scenery, the tryker had indulged in a pinch of romanticism about the beauty of the landscape, and it had to be said, he really hadn't needed Haokan's axe to get around the area. And when the zorai had asked him if, by any chance, it wasn't all just an excuse for the two of them to end up in the place known as the epitome of romance, Feinigan had lost his verve for a moment. Before quickly regaining it for one of his cruel jabs. Then to turn back in front of the Zorai's pained expression.
- Don't dream, we're not getting married. Well... okal, I admit, we're having a lot of fun together. But don't get any big ideas, eh?
- I promise, I'm not imagining anything. But I wouldn't mind just enjoying the ride with you, you know?
It had taken a long time for Feinigan to admit that he cared about him. But come to think of it, Haokan had understood, long before that moment, just how much the tryker loved him. It wasn't very difficult. One of Feinigan's great secrets, which he hid behind his sometimes harsh teasing, was that he loved everyone, and some people even more than others. This was undoubtedly one of the things that had brought them together... too much love to give, more than most homins wanted, in a world where it was well thought of to slice others up.
Haokan threw a bouquet he'd bought from Natae into the Falls:
- To the love that sometimes finds it hard to express itself, let alone be heard.
His stopover in Pyr had been longer. There, too, was a place Feinigan watered with his hard-earned dappers. Another orphanage, taking in kids from the streets of Pyr, a place where they could find safety, a hot meal, and if need be, a little help in kicking pests in the face. The old fyros who looked after the place on a daily basis gathered the little troupe at the Forge, as promised. The ceremony here was less expansive and much smaller in number. With this limited company, Haokan felt more at ease to make a short speech, which he concluded in this way:
- For those of you who knew what a passion Feinigan could have for the Dragon, you might have expected the end of the journey to be here, purified by the Sacred Fire burning in the Forge. Which would have been a little too easy for him. Alas, we still have a long way to go, to honor all facets of this creature. According to Feinigan, the Dragon was a polymorphous being, changeable, amoral by nature, capable of the worst and the best, whose essence could only be guessed at through the many stories told about him. To believe we understood him was to have understood nothing. A force impossible to really tame, but which could nevertheless be channeled with care and humility, for a more or less long time, but by definition impermanent, like fire. I hope that most of you will stay away from the path of fyrak, and follow the more... predictable... path of the kamis. But if you ever feel like following it, remember that Feinigan, who followed the Way of Fire far better than many fyros, also managed to outwit the most unhealthy fyrakists, those who deny others the right to live and seek the Truth. And if I catch any of you messing with the wrong homins, I'll be all the harder on you for having had the best possible guide to find an acceptable path.
Seeing that he'd gotten a little carried away, Haokan resumed more gently:
- But I have no doubt that Fei has also shown you that the way of Fire is also the way of passion and inconsistency, and that if all goes to plan, you'll have a lot of fun with it.
No one was expecting him, and Haokan could have cut to the quick after Pyr. Yet he realized that no, here as often, he had to take his time.
His path had led him, not surprisingly, to Dyron. There, on the island in the middle of the lake, Nejimbe and a few Shadows had joined him as he grilled kebabs. There wasn't much to add, but some of them shared a few stories about the tryker, stories that of course everyone would be quick to deny if ever a guard or representative of the law happened to question them. Haokan, despite his title of Guardian of the Federation and Blessed of Ma-Duk, didn't count; after all, he'd been part of the Family for some time, and knew enough about the affairs of these troubled circles to have proved that he didn't really care as long as nobody got hurt.
It touched him to realize just how much these strange, slightly frightening homins had included him in their group. He didn't really want to be associated with their shady affairs, but being part of "something" never left him indifferent. He toasted the end of the evening, again drinking a whole bhyr in Feinigan's honor:
- To the Family, who continued to support my friend, even though you had officially banished him. And to the Shadows, for whom only the unofficial counts, and for whom Light only serves to animate Illusions.
The rest... the rest was difficult, yet obvious. Feinigan had expressly forbidden him to return to the Promontory of Despair. But the tryker had also spent his life demonstrating that every order, every rule, had to be questioned and the relevance of limits tested.
As Haokan made his way through the Knot of Insanity, then into the Haven of Purity (passing well clear of the kami presence and local tribes), he downed a bottle at regular intervals. It was probably the most absurd flogging he could come up with, but it had the merit of getting him to the place completely drunk. There, in that deafeningly silent little corner, facing the crimson mists of the terrible plague, he sat down and wept some more. Then he got to his feet and angrily threw a bottle as far as he could towards the goo barrier:
- Here's to you, Gami! It was me you had to take! Me!!! Not him! Come on, you traitor! Villain! Monster!
Gami didn't see fit to reply. He spent the night there, then in the morning, continued on his way to the Grove of Shadow.
He left the mektoub near the teleporter's kami, ignoring the fur ball's angry grunts at the goo odors of its cargo. Then he checked all his warrior gear, leaving his helmet aside for once... and set off on foot for the Antekami camp.
His intentions were obvious. The patrol he came across hesitated for a moment, which Haokan took advantage of to throw a heavy punch at the first of the group. A free-for-all ensued; as is often the case with Antekamis, one had received a blow intended for the Kamiste, returned it to another, and everyone was fighting everyone else within a minute or two.
- Get that idiot!" shouted the patrol leader.
But Haokan hadn't counted on this kind of ending. Biting and punching, he annoyed his opponents so much that one of them finally dealt him a fatal blow.
He woke up at the foot of the teleporter. Stretching painfully, he chuckled:
- Some people need to be yelled at right now...
Then to the silent body on the mektoub:
- Yui, I know, it was free... But you have to admit that the tour wouldn't have been complete without breaking a few cousins' masks.
Haokan took over the reins of the mektoub, and passed through the vortex, feeling a little refreshed.
With relief, he put on his helmet for the trip across the Loria. Walking a mektoub alone here, and then into the Heretic's Masure, was hard enough, but Haokan needed to let off some steam, and the predators who thought they were getting an easy steak were dealt a few well-felt axe blows.
Haokan didn't slow down until he reached the Treasure, in the Jardin Fugace. He stopped there for a while, giving both his pet and himself time to rest. He thought back to the tales he and Feinigan had exchanged here. The tryker had dragged him in Jinovitch's footsteps, defending the theory that the tyrant had become evil only because of a failed love, and that to persist endlessly in loving someone who couldn't love you back only led to sadness, bitterness, and then gradually to the expression of our worst instincts. It wasn't a subtle parallel to the impossible love that was breaking Haokan's heart at the time, but the tryker's maneuver had backfired. The Zoraï had pointed to his relationship with Néjimbé, who obviously didn't want to hear any more about the honest trader.
- But noooo, it's not the same with Néjimbé! She loves me, I know it!
- She tied you up in a cellar for several days, then when she finally let you out, she paid guards to shoot you on sight if you came near her house.
- Bodacious love! I'm not saying it could be confusing, but I swear, if she's doing this, she must be passionate!
- And you're a troublemaker. Leave her alone.
- What, you're going to leave your matis alone?
Yes, Haokan had tried. In fact, he'd succeeded quite well. Where was he now? He wasn't supposed to think about it... that part of his life was over. But the twinge of pain was still there, the echo of the suffering that had driven him...
Before his memories could take him any further, Haokan had opened another bhyr, forcing himself to drink it all, then tossing the bottle in the direction of a javing.
- To Jinovitch's treasure... whether it was a lost love, or a very real madness.
***
His second stop was at Virginia Falls. Haokan had cried there for a while, his tears joining those of the waterfalls, thinking back to a very special moment.
This was shortly after their escapade beyond the New Lands. During this trip, which had a vague pretext (Feinigan was trying to avoid the wrath of a disgruntled client and needed a warrior to watch his back), the tryker had made a pass at him... not in a figurative way at all. It took that level of finesse to get Haokan to open his eyes, anyway. He'd let himself be taken in with pleasure, it had to be said, and this adventure had been the first real glimmer of happiness after years, each more gloomy than the last.
The merchant had described their relationship with every disparaging epithet imaginable. Just for fun, nothing serious, don't think there were any feelings involved, don't start imagining things because it was just another way of taking care of a business relationship, etc, etc. Haokan had almost believed it, until Feinigan "hired" him for an escort to Virginia Falls. There, in front of the sumptuous scenery, the tryker had indulged in a pinch of romanticism about the beauty of the landscape, and it had to be said, he really hadn't needed Haokan's axe to get around the area. And when the zorai had asked him if, by any chance, it wasn't all just an excuse for the two of them to end up in the place known as the epitome of romance, Feinigan had lost his verve for a moment. Before quickly regaining it for one of his cruel jabs. Then to turn back in front of the Zorai's pained expression.
- Don't dream, we're not getting married. Well... okal, I admit, we're having a lot of fun together. But don't get any big ideas, eh?
- I promise, I'm not imagining anything. But I wouldn't mind just enjoying the ride with you, you know?
It had taken a long time for Feinigan to admit that he cared about him. But come to think of it, Haokan had understood, long before that moment, just how much the tryker loved him. It wasn't very difficult. One of Feinigan's great secrets, which he hid behind his sometimes harsh teasing, was that he loved everyone, and some people even more than others. This was undoubtedly one of the things that had brought them together... too much love to give, more than most homins wanted, in a world where it was well thought of to slice others up.
Haokan threw a bouquet he'd bought from Natae into the Falls:
- To the love that sometimes finds it hard to express itself, let alone be heard.
***
His stopover in Pyr had been longer. There, too, was a place Feinigan watered with his hard-earned dappers. Another orphanage, taking in kids from the streets of Pyr, a place where they could find safety, a hot meal, and if need be, a little help in kicking pests in the face. The old fyros who looked after the place on a daily basis gathered the little troupe at the Forge, as promised. The ceremony here was less expansive and much smaller in number. With this limited company, Haokan felt more at ease to make a short speech, which he concluded in this way:
- For those of you who knew what a passion Feinigan could have for the Dragon, you might have expected the end of the journey to be here, purified by the Sacred Fire burning in the Forge. Which would have been a little too easy for him. Alas, we still have a long way to go, to honor all facets of this creature. According to Feinigan, the Dragon was a polymorphous being, changeable, amoral by nature, capable of the worst and the best, whose essence could only be guessed at through the many stories told about him. To believe we understood him was to have understood nothing. A force impossible to really tame, but which could nevertheless be channeled with care and humility, for a more or less long time, but by definition impermanent, like fire. I hope that most of you will stay away from the path of fyrak, and follow the more... predictable... path of the kamis. But if you ever feel like following it, remember that Feinigan, who followed the Way of Fire far better than many fyros, also managed to outwit the most unhealthy fyrakists, those who deny others the right to live and seek the Truth. And if I catch any of you messing with the wrong homins, I'll be all the harder on you for having had the best possible guide to find an acceptable path.
Seeing that he'd gotten a little carried away, Haokan resumed more gently:
- But I have no doubt that Fei has also shown you that the way of Fire is also the way of passion and inconsistency, and that if all goes to plan, you'll have a lot of fun with it.
***
No one was expecting him, and Haokan could have cut to the quick after Pyr. Yet he realized that no, here as often, he had to take his time.
His path had led him, not surprisingly, to Dyron. There, on the island in the middle of the lake, Nejimbe and a few Shadows had joined him as he grilled kebabs. There wasn't much to add, but some of them shared a few stories about the tryker, stories that of course everyone would be quick to deny if ever a guard or representative of the law happened to question them. Haokan, despite his title of Guardian of the Federation and Blessed of Ma-Duk, didn't count; after all, he'd been part of the Family for some time, and knew enough about the affairs of these troubled circles to have proved that he didn't really care as long as nobody got hurt.
It touched him to realize just how much these strange, slightly frightening homins had included him in their group. He didn't really want to be associated with their shady affairs, but being part of "something" never left him indifferent. He toasted the end of the evening, again drinking a whole bhyr in Feinigan's honor:
- To the Family, who continued to support my friend, even though you had officially banished him. And to the Shadows, for whom only the unofficial counts, and for whom Light only serves to animate Illusions.
***
The rest... the rest was difficult, yet obvious. Feinigan had expressly forbidden him to return to the Promontory of Despair. But the tryker had also spent his life demonstrating that every order, every rule, had to be questioned and the relevance of limits tested.
As Haokan made his way through the Knot of Insanity, then into the Haven of Purity (passing well clear of the kami presence and local tribes), he downed a bottle at regular intervals. It was probably the most absurd flogging he could come up with, but it had the merit of getting him to the place completely drunk. There, in that deafeningly silent little corner, facing the crimson mists of the terrible plague, he sat down and wept some more. Then he got to his feet and angrily threw a bottle as far as he could towards the goo barrier:
- Here's to you, Gami! It was me you had to take! Me!!! Not him! Come on, you traitor! Villain! Monster!
Gami didn't see fit to reply. He spent the night there, then in the morning, continued on his way to the Grove of Shadow.
***
He left the mektoub near the teleporter's kami, ignoring the fur ball's angry grunts at the goo odors of its cargo. Then he checked all his warrior gear, leaving his helmet aside for once... and set off on foot for the Antekami camp.
His intentions were obvious. The patrol he came across hesitated for a moment, which Haokan took advantage of to throw a heavy punch at the first of the group. A free-for-all ensued; as is often the case with Antekamis, one had received a blow intended for the Kamiste, returned it to another, and everyone was fighting everyone else within a minute or two.
- Get that idiot!" shouted the patrol leader.
But Haokan hadn't counted on this kind of ending. Biting and punching, he annoyed his opponents so much that one of them finally dealt him a fatal blow.
He woke up at the foot of the teleporter. Stretching painfully, he chuckled:
- Some people need to be yelled at right now...
Then to the silent body on the mektoub:
- Yui, I know, it was free... But you have to admit that the tour wouldn't have been complete without breaking a few cousins' masks.
Haokan took over the reins of the mektoub, and passed through the vortex, feeling a little refreshed.