At Death's Door
Nov 6, 2013 13:57:03 GMT -5
Post by Darastrix on Nov 6, 2013 13:57:03 GMT -5
(Athrug, Winter 1022)
Amann had never expected to return to Athrug. He'd really never expected to return by choice, yet there he was, staggering slowly through the sand toward the great temple that seemed to shimmer in the desert heat. ...he hoped it wasn't a mirage.
Life had been interesting since he'd last been there. He had taken Renlo's suggestion to seek out a performing troupe that had been in Ilyamen, and he had joined with them for a time, but his heart hadn't really been in it. Performing the same things, with a script, was dull. Conning, even though that was what had gotten him into trouble in the first place was interesting and exciting, and eventually, he'd drifted away from the troupe.
When the demons came and rumours about rings and Chosen started cropping up here and there, Amann at least had the sense (and experience) to know better than to try to pass himself off as Chosen or to pass around false rings. Even with the mundane things, though, the whole situation had been bad for business. Nothing like the chance that the person next to you could be a demon in disguise to get people suspicious of motives right off the bat.
But even when he had success, he had to wince a little to think how Renlo had been nice to him, been a friend to him, and had given him the chance to do better than being a con, and there he was, back at it. He'd tried going back to Talen'sul, where he'd been caught by Taed's Reapers the first time, and doing a bit of dancing with the guild, that time with no crime he was covering for, and then the riots happened. That and the suffocating press of people in the temple trying to weather the storm were enough for him, and he'd left as quickly as he could.
Khelek, for the record, was not a fun place to lie low, even if the demons had seemed less active there than in other places.
Then Threnody had died and not only did he lack a reliable mode of transport, she'd been his friend. Sure, she was a horse and he lacked a Beast sign, but they'd been together for years and he'd treated her like something precious. And his only other friend in the world was Renlo. He'd moved around too much to really make any elsewhere.
He'd honestly wanted to see him sooner, but he didn't really want to admit what he'd been up to since he'd left Athrug, at least not before doing things on the up and up again. But that hadn't lasted long, so....yeah.
Wincing at the look of disappointment he was sure he was bound to get, Amann shaded his eyes and looked toward the temple again. ...was it just him or did it seem further away? He groaned and rubbed his hands over his eyes. Just because the heat was less in winter didn't mean there wasn't still plenty of it. It even felt worse than he remembered. Of course, he'd had a functioning Fire sign back then, too. He'd been too preoccupied over the loss when he'd been to Athrug the second time to notice, and maybe some small, lingering bit of power had made it not quite so bad. Whatever the case, it was nigh unbearable now.
It had been stupid to not buy a horse and ride, but he hadn't had the heart to replace Threnody. Maybe, he thought as he stumbled and fell to his knees, I should have. He didn't feel like getting up. He didn't feel like he could. Maybe it was Taed's way of saying he wasn't welcome, having him die before he reached the temple proper.
He hoped if anyone came across him, it wouldn't be Gilda. If the desert heat was going to kill him, okay, but he'd rather her smug expression NOT be the last thing he saw. If he just had his Fire sign, a signal flare would be so simple to do. But lacking that for the past several years, he'd gotten a bit better with his remaining Earth sign. Amann shifted (well, flopped) onto his side so he could touch the sign on his knee, chanting softly for a moment before forcing the sand to burst upward several feet. Maybe that'd do the trick.
Amann had never expected to return to Athrug. He'd really never expected to return by choice, yet there he was, staggering slowly through the sand toward the great temple that seemed to shimmer in the desert heat. ...he hoped it wasn't a mirage.
Life had been interesting since he'd last been there. He had taken Renlo's suggestion to seek out a performing troupe that had been in Ilyamen, and he had joined with them for a time, but his heart hadn't really been in it. Performing the same things, with a script, was dull. Conning, even though that was what had gotten him into trouble in the first place was interesting and exciting, and eventually, he'd drifted away from the troupe.
When the demons came and rumours about rings and Chosen started cropping up here and there, Amann at least had the sense (and experience) to know better than to try to pass himself off as Chosen or to pass around false rings. Even with the mundane things, though, the whole situation had been bad for business. Nothing like the chance that the person next to you could be a demon in disguise to get people suspicious of motives right off the bat.
But even when he had success, he had to wince a little to think how Renlo had been nice to him, been a friend to him, and had given him the chance to do better than being a con, and there he was, back at it. He'd tried going back to Talen'sul, where he'd been caught by Taed's Reapers the first time, and doing a bit of dancing with the guild, that time with no crime he was covering for, and then the riots happened. That and the suffocating press of people in the temple trying to weather the storm were enough for him, and he'd left as quickly as he could.
Khelek, for the record, was not a fun place to lie low, even if the demons had seemed less active there than in other places.
Then Threnody had died and not only did he lack a reliable mode of transport, she'd been his friend. Sure, she was a horse and he lacked a Beast sign, but they'd been together for years and he'd treated her like something precious. And his only other friend in the world was Renlo. He'd moved around too much to really make any elsewhere.
He'd honestly wanted to see him sooner, but he didn't really want to admit what he'd been up to since he'd left Athrug, at least not before doing things on the up and up again. But that hadn't lasted long, so....yeah.
Wincing at the look of disappointment he was sure he was bound to get, Amann shaded his eyes and looked toward the temple again. ...was it just him or did it seem further away? He groaned and rubbed his hands over his eyes. Just because the heat was less in winter didn't mean there wasn't still plenty of it. It even felt worse than he remembered. Of course, he'd had a functioning Fire sign back then, too. He'd been too preoccupied over the loss when he'd been to Athrug the second time to notice, and maybe some small, lingering bit of power had made it not quite so bad. Whatever the case, it was nigh unbearable now.
It had been stupid to not buy a horse and ride, but he hadn't had the heart to replace Threnody. Maybe, he thought as he stumbled and fell to his knees, I should have. He didn't feel like getting up. He didn't feel like he could. Maybe it was Taed's way of saying he wasn't welcome, having him die before he reached the temple proper.
He hoped if anyone came across him, it wouldn't be Gilda. If the desert heat was going to kill him, okay, but he'd rather her smug expression NOT be the last thing he saw. If he just had his Fire sign, a signal flare would be so simple to do. But lacking that for the past several years, he'd gotten a bit better with his remaining Earth sign. Amann shifted (well, flopped) onto his side so he could touch the sign on his knee, chanting softly for a moment before forcing the sand to burst upward several feet. Maybe that'd do the trick.
