Part 10 (1/2)
Ariana shook her head, ”I know you're trying to be nice but we were with other kids too. Kids that got burned and hit and other, worse stuff. At least that never happened to us.”
”It's going to be okay,” said Almara. ”You've got us now, and Lousa.”
The beauty watched for a moment until she felt the tear running down her cheek and then turned to face the other way, ”I'm going to go talk with Shamki for a bit, Ariana, would you like to come with me. Maybe we can talk about that staff?”
Ariana watched as Lousa climbed out the back of the wagon and dropped off with a little spring. ”You go with Lousa, honey,” said Almara giving the girl one last hug.
Ariana then scooted to the back of the wagon, dangled her legs over the edge for a moment, as Lousa walked behind holding out her arms, and then jumped.
Shalalee looked at her mom, ”Do you think their parents really drowned?”
Almara shook her head and dropped her eyes to the ground, ”I don't think so, honey. Sometimes parents don't love their children that much, sometimes children aren't expected, and people aren't ready to have them. Then, sometimes bad things happen.”
Shalalee looked at her mother who also appeared about ready to shed a tear, ”Oh, mom, I'm glad you and dad are our mom and dad!”
”I'm glad too,” said Almara giving her daughter a hug. ”Now what do you think we should make that crew for lunch? I'm not used to cooking for so many and that Shamki looks like he could eat the whole donkey!”
Ariana and Lousa walked along behind the wagon keeping pace easily as the trail west along the lake bottom was merely hard packed dirt and not tended on a regular basis. ”I've never been out of Iv's Folly,” said Ariana with a grin. ”I know there are other towns on Ghoul Lake but I can't remember their name.”
”It's called the Lake of Ghouls actually,” said Lousa, ”although no one knows why. There aren't any ghouls in it at least.”
”What's a ghoul?”
Lousa pursed her lips and closed her right eye while thinking for a moment. ”Remember those skeletons down at the point when we go the staff?”
”Yes,” said Ariana. ”They were dead but still alive.”
”Exactly,” said Lousa. ”Ghouls are the same sort of thing except they have skin and muscle so they look more like a real person except pale.”
”Like a vampire!”
”No, not exactly, but along those lines. The skeletons, they couldn't really think for themselves, they just single-mindedly go about whatever it is they do, but ghouls are smarter, you find them around old grave yards, cemeteries, places like that. Because they are smarter they're more dangerous. They also carry toxin in their bite that paralyzes people.”
”What's toxin?”
”Poison, like a snake.”
”Oh,” said Ariana and stayed silent for a moment. ”What's para ... paraloze?”
”Paralyze, that means when the ghoul bites you it makes it so you can't move and then they can kill you more easily. Have you ever seen a spider bite a bug?”
”Uney loves to watch the spiders eat things. He catches flies and stuff and then throws them into the webs; I think it's kinda gross.”
”That's how boys are,” said Lousa with a smile. ”They never really grow up either.”
”Oh,” said Ariana.
”But,” continued Lousa, and her face lost its smile. ”Is there anything about that staff you haven't told me?”
Ariana looked down at the ground, ”Sometimes, I think it talks to me but really it's just me talking to myself.”
”I know what you're saying,” said Lousa and put her arm around the girl. ”But, if it ever does really start talking to you then you need to tell me right away.”
”Do you think Khemer really knows how to break it?” asked the girl and looked up at Lousa with wide brown eyes.
The woman looked towards the front of the wagon where a faint blue glow, barely visible in the bright sunlight, emanated. ”We don't know how far sound travels in the spirit world,” said Lousa. ”It's best if we keep our thoughts about Khemer to ourselves if there is any chance he might overhear us.”
The little girl nodded her head and looked like nothing more than one of the ancient sages at the study of some mysterious tomb and this made Lousa laugh loud enough for Uney and Shamki at the head of the column to hear and look back at the girl. The two boys seemed deeply involved in some conversation of their own and quickly turned their attention back to one another.
”What do you suppose they are talking about?” Lousa asked Ariana.
”Boy stuff,” said Ariana with a giggle. ”What are the Thilnog Mountains like?”
”Well,” said Lousa and turned her head to the northwest where the great Maw lurked but was still not visible to the naked eye. ”It's really just one big volcano and some hills around it. On the other side of the mountain is a fierce tribe of hobgoblins, it's a kingdom known as Hakor'lum and they've been at war with Doria for centuries. The mountain is a natural barrier to the north along with the Great Eastern Sea.”
”Why is it the Great Eastern Sea if it's north of here?”
”That's a good question Ariana. The kingdom of Doria ...,” said Lousa.
”Why is it a kingdom if we are ruled by a queen, shouldn't it be a queendom?”
”It should be indeed, young lady. You're right about that but we let the men call it a kingdom so they think they're in charge. Sometimes as a lady you have to let a man think he is making the decision, but we know different.”
Ariana giggled again and covered her mouth with her hand. ”Is that why you always tilt your head when you want a man to do something?”
”That's part of it. You'll understand more when you get older.”
”Will I ever be as beautiful as you?” asked Ariana with a look at her feet.
”I think you already are as beautiful as me but no one can know what the future will bring. Now, weren't you interested in the mountain?”
”Oh yes,” said Ariana. ”I'm sorry to ask so many questions but I've never been anywhere and I didn't know there were so many places.”
”The world is big. A single emperor once ruled it all. It was called Corland back then is what everyone says but n.o.body really knows much about it,” said Lousa her eyes sort of looked to the sky and her hands made vague little circles.
”Why not?”
”That's another good question, young lady,” replied Lousa. ”No one knows for sure what happened to the Old Empire and the Emperor but after it fell apart there were terrible wars and most of the records of what happened were lost. All that was really left were the ruins of the biggest cities, like Doria, and the old stone circles that are everywhere.”
”How come Doria is the name of the city and the country?”
”It just is,” said Lousa. ”A lot of the time the queen is named Doria also but now her name is Onolodia VI. But her mother was named Doria.”
”Have you met the queen?”
Lousa shook her head. ”Oh no. I've never met anyone nearly that important. Way out here on the western frontier we don't get to see royal people that much. But, sometimes it's better to be further from authority figures.”
”Why?” asked Ariana.