meetings: took me to your home

This wasn’t planned. Perhaps I’ve just gotten lazy, maybe that’s what this is about. I haven’t been watching the tides, I haven’t been reading the cycles. Not closely enough. I’ve missed this somehow. Unless, of course, I haven’t. And if I haven’t, things are much worse then if I had. Do you follow me?

 

“…What?” Tanye responded blindly. She furrowed her brows in confusion as the feeling seemed to surge back into her limbs. The newness was odd, something she had never felt before. A swell of heat seemed to pulse from within, animating her body as her mind slowly remembered what had happened. She opened her eyes suddenly.

“I didn’t say anything,” Rishi was beside her.

“Yes you did…”

“What did you hear?”

“Something about… it wasn’t planned…”

It wasn’t until Rishi stood up that Tanye realized she was lying on the ground. She sat up suddenly, her eyes searching around her. The more she saw, the more she remembered. There was an ork lying beside her and she cringed as she saw its black blood running into a greulish pool, mixing with the red of her own. One of her blades was still protruding from the ork’s stomach. His mace was lying limply in his dead hand and Tanye suddenly recalled the last moments of the battle.

“Am I dead?” she gasped suddenly, looking around her and grasping at her chest with her hands. She looked down but felt no pain. Her clothes were soaked with blood. She barely noticed as Rishi gathered a bottle and several strange charms into a leather satchel. Her eyes fell on the small sack for a moment and then met with his.

“Watch out, you’re starting to sound like a crazy person,” He smiled at her.

“How did you…?”

“Sorry, I had to do it. We’re too far away from any civilization. I apologize about the side effects, but I think a few visions from other worlds are worth the confusion for a few extra breaths in Ariale.”

Tanye blinked.

“I  sound like a crazy person?”

“My point exactly.”

Tanye stared at Rishi for a moment, but then shook her head as if to shake off the entire experience. She bent her leg toward her and felt for the wound of the arrow. She felt nothing except a bloody hole in her pants. She pushed her finger through it as if to test its authenticity.

“I’ve never seen anything like this… “ She muttered. Rishi was straightening himself and looking out over the sand. He did not look content as he leaned on the staff he carried. She hadn’t noticed it before, in Midras. Had he carried it then? No, she was certain she hadn’t seen it. But she certainly recalled his usage of it in battle.

“What are you, some kind of Mage? How did you do this? How am I alive?”

“Have you never cracked open a good, old book?”

“I haven’t been to many cities…”

“Well, we should have to remedy that. I suppose you’ve never even set foot into a library?”

“Maybe once, as a child…”

“Travesty…” Rishi shook his head and repeated, ”We shall have to remedy that.”

Tanye stood up, half expecting for her body to collapse as if her impression of vitality had been only the remainder of the wild dream she had been having. No, her legs felt fine. Better then fine, actually. An oddly scintillating energy seemed to be radiating from her center of being, she almost felt as if she could run all the way back to the forest without tiring at all. Rishi noticed as she tested her strength, bouncing slightly on her feet and looking around her.

“For a while you will glow. I suggest you never forget how you felt at this moment. It will become your strength when you have nothing else.”

Rishi was no longer speaking in his usual light-hearted tone. He looked troubled, creases of worry punctuating his face. Tanye turned from him and pulled her sword out of the dead ork’s stomach, gingerly wiping the black blood from the handle. She sheithed it, and then picked up the other blade which was lying in the sand a few feet away.

“You didn’t answer me…” Tanye returned her second sword to its sheith and looked at him. Digo and Deuel were pacing but calm, waiting for a signal from their master.

“No. I am not a mage. Nor do I carry any enchanted trinkets. I don’t believe in them.”

Tanye smirked slightly but unintentionally. Rishi caught it but his expression did not change.

“You think I am lying. You have no faith in anything, do you?”

“I do. But unfortunately people are not high on the list of things that I trust.”

“How many times must I save your life? Does that not give me at least the slightest bit of favor in your worldview?”

“I’ve seen people do better with worse intentions…”

“I do not argue with that. It is a wise standpoint, but you sacrifice much in order to have it.”

“But I am still alive.” Tanye said proudly, still rather enthralled by the feeling of her replenished body.

“And because of whom?” Rishi could not resist. He smiled as Tanye’s expression flattened.

“Thank you.”

“Certainly.”

Both of their heads suddenly snapped up as the first sound of an approaching patrol reached their ears. More orks. They were approaching from the northwest, about 10 of them armed to the teeth, five riding upon {desert monster animal?}. Tanye was about to draw her bow, but Rishi was beside her before she could act. He grabbed her arm and put his finger to his mouth, signaling silence to her as well as his horses. She looked around, ready to explain to him that there was no way they could hide with two horses, out in the open desert, and it was better to be ready, but Rishi already seemed to be attempting to hide. The approaching patrol saw the scene and analyzed it from their faraway vantage point. It didn’t take them long to realize what had happened as the area was strewn with ork’s blood and bodies. They released a terrifying war cry and began running in their direction.

Tanye was braced, and she looked at Rishi to coordinate an attack. But he was sitting on the sand with his eyes closed, a collection of rocks spread on the earth before him. He was speaking under his breath.

“What are you doing?” Tanye stared at Rishi, then back toward the orks who were racing toward them. They were not 20 yards away when they all simultaneously slowed their pace, perplexed looks growing on their twisted faces. Tanye held her breath. She looked back at the ground toward Rishi, but he was gone. He was on top of Deuel, who was pacing and snorting.

“What are you doing?” He said, nodding to Digo,” Let’s get out of here.”

Rishi barely tugged the reigns and Deuel practically stampeded toward the northeast, almost toward the orks. Tanye stared for a moment, but wasted no time in jumping up onto Digo, who was practically already running after Deuel.

“Whoa! Wait—“ She grappled for the reigns, trying not to fall from Digo’s back as he raced after Deuel and Rishi. Tanye barely had time to think about how to strategically pass the ork patrol before they were on the other side of them, heading for the open dunes. She wrapped her arms around Digo’s neck, slightly concerned about the speed, but she managed to glance back at orks. It seemed as though they hadn’t noticed them pass at all.

“Come on! What do you think this is, a game?” 

Rishi called to her from Deuel, then he let out some kind of hooting cry the likes of which Tanye had never heard. She felt compelled to break a smile, and then leaned forward on Digo. They kicked up the sand as they rode. She had never ridden so fast, and the dunes seemed to go on for miles. The heat of the desert was no longer on her mind, only the beauty of the openness of it. She found herself practically standing on Digo, trying to stay out of the dusty trails that Deuel was kicking up. She had never felt like this before, never so strangely free. It made no sense at all. She didn’t even question the destination. She didn’t want to. 

 

 

The ride north had been dream-like, the desert ethereal in its quality. Tanye didn’t know how long they had been riding. It seemed as if it had been an eternity, yet only a moment. All she knew was that the sand had changed. It was no longer golden brown, but was now almost white. It was here that the dunes started to grow taller. In the distance there grew what appeared to be sheer cliffs and rock formations growing out of the desert. Rishi slowed down, and Tanye rode beside him. She was now completely off of her course and if she had been shown a map she wasn’t sure if she could have identified her location. Rishi pointed to the jutting rocks on the horizon.

“There, that is my home. At least, when I can afford to have one.”

“Are we going there?”

“I am. You are invited. I have many books.”

Tanye paused as Rishi proceeded to ride toward the rising rocks. She shrugged to herself, considering the alternative, which was to wander aimlessly. She had allowed the will of the universe to take her off of the planned path, but the feeling was more invigorating then frightening at the moment. She nudged Digo’s side and he promptly followed after Deuel and Rishi.

The cliffs were like a giant island in a sea of sand. From a distance they seemed to harbor no life or civilization. The rock island seemed to be encapsulated within a mote of vast dunes and howling wind. Not another soul stirred aside from the two riders and their horses. Tanye was suddenly aware of feeling completely solitary. Even when she was in the deepest wilderness of the forest, she never felt alone. The animals scurried, the plants spoke. But the desert had a different voice, one she had not yet learned to hear. She squinted as they approached the steep cliffs, trying to discern where Rishi’s home could possibly be among them.

“To the left, at the base,” Rishi nodded toward the place he indicated, and Tanye looked. There she thought she saw the formation of stairs, but they were so organic in their shape that she had overlooked them as a natural part of the rock. Though they were still a ways back from the cliff face, Rishi hopped off of Deuel and patted the horse firmly on the side. He leaned close and Tanye strained to hear what he was saying, but it was of no use. He began removing the minimal reigns from Deuel's head and looked to the ranger.

“We’ll let the horses go here.”

“Let them go?”

“They don’t climb the cliffs, they find their own way. This is their homeland.”

Tanye jumped down from Digo and stood aside as the two horses circled each other. They bucked in the air, as if to show off their stength, or gratitude, Tanye wasn’t sure. She looked to Rishi, who nodded to the horses.

“You’re just letting them run off?”

“Let them? They are the ones who let me. I respect them, they only help me when they feel like it.”

Rishi smiled at Deuel, and his eyes seemed to glint.

“They aren’t yours?”

“Nothing is mine. I only have friends and allies.”

Tanye blinked, and suddenly the two mares reared up, pounding their hooves into the sand. They kicked up a great amount of dust before turning and galloping toward the east. Tanye squinted in the dust, watching them go, but Rishi was already headed toward the cliffs. She watched for what seemed like a long time as the two horses ran together. Then they were joined by three more that swept down like a wind over the dunes. She felt ecstatic watching them, and she was no longer worried.

“Are you coming?”

“Yes.”

 

The stairs were less assailable then they had looked from a distance. As they approached, Tanye became aware of their steepness. Rishi began climbing without a second thought, leaning forward and using his hands as much as his feet. The steps did not lend themselves to typical stair-climbing. They seemed to lean upward as if they were attempting to cause any climber to topple back, and they were shallow. Tanye could barely get a foothold on some of them. She hesitated as Rishi accidentally knocked some rocks and sand down from above. She looked up, surprised to see him almost out of sight and around the corner of a rock ledge. His head popped out from behind the ledge in an almost comical fashion, and Tanye almost fell backward.

“What’s taking you so long? Had orks been trailing us you’d be dead by now, for certain!”

“I’m coming…” Tanye muttered, not entirely comfortable with her shortcomings. Climbing was not a skill she had focused on, but it certainly was not foreign to her. There had been plenty of jutting rock formations scattered about the forest, and the great mountains were no unfamiliar territory. This red desert stone was different, however. It was dusty and crumbly in her palms, and the edges of the stairs were soft and worn down from what appeared to be centuries of use. Her feet slipped again and her hands firmly grasped the ledge above her. The ground was being quickly left behind, and so was she. Rishi was out of sight again, and his voice echoed from above.

“This is the easy part, friend. These are the stairs!”

As they ascended, the climb did not get any easier. Stairs (if you could call them that) had been carved into the cliff sides where possible, but where the rocks lended no structural possibilities there was no aid to climbing. These were steepest and narrowest places, as Tanye had expected. She routinely found herself with her legs suspending her, her feet planted to either side of narrow, red stone ravines, and with no handholds to be seen. But Rishi was ahead of her, having already traversed the same rock face. Her pride would not allow her to give up as Rishi climbed absently, hardly phased, and even proceeded to explain to her the finer workings of the cliffs.

“These ravines were made by rain water. And not much of it, you know. These rocks are soft, if it rained all the time there would be nothing left… and the wind, the wind carved out those amazing shapes in the stone… ,”He went on and on, and Tanye could barely concentrate on climbing. She knew he had to be doing it on purpose as she occasionally caught a wry grin on his face as she struggled.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you…” she muttered to herself.

“I enjoy watching a person overcome. This is easy for me, but only because I’ve done it eight thousand six hundred and seventy two times. I mean three. Eight thousand six hundred and seventy three times. ”

Tanye shook her head and tried to ignore his foolishness. It took all of her concentration and strength to negotiate these cliffs.

“How do you get down?”

“Ah, that’s the really fun part.” 

“You don’t say…”

 

                Her arms were burning even more then her legs, and the tapering of the steep rocks came not a yard too soon. Tanye practically threw herself over the cliff face, collapsing and catching her breath on the flat and dusty rock. Flat land felt like a blessing and she relished it, laying her face against the cool rock. The sun had dropped in the sky and the place where she lay was cloaked in purple shade. Ahead of her were more stairs, but this time they looked reasonable, as if they could have been found in a civilized place. She got up and brushed off the red dust that was clinging to her clothes. It was all over her hands and arms as well, and she shook her head quickly, jostling the dust from her hair.

                Now she looked around her, taking in more details. She looked behind her out at the horizon. The dunes went on forever, as far as she could see, and the rock ledge was significantly elevated above them. A perfectly strategic vantage point, she thought, practically impossible to overtake.  She leaned forward to look back down over the ledges, pondering her journey upward.

                “Tea?”

                Rishi’s voice startled her as he shouted from an invisible location. She stepped back from the ledge and rolled her eyes to herself. This Rishi character was almost more then she could tolerate, like a pleasant little thorn in her side.

                She proceeded toward the sturdy stairs, “Where are you?”

                “Here.”

                She followed the sound of his voice, but it seemed to echo and bounce off of the numerous cavern walls that still jutted upward. She was thankful they had apparently reached their destination and they needed not climb any higher. Up the carved stairs she found a narrow footpath that curved around a deep hole in the rock. She peered down as she carefully made her way around the path. The earth was far below, tapering into sharp crags and cracked rocks. Everything was in the cool shade of the late afternoon. Rishi was in the cave clanking pots and cups and Tanye approached to enter the dark hole. She had to bend over slightly to enter and her eyes needed a moment to adjust.

                A fire was crackling in a remote corner, and her ears perked as the sound seemed to disappear into a large, cavernous space. Her half-elf eyes adjusted quickly and penetrated the darkness of the cavern. Its size was surprising, and it appeared to stretch back and down, into multiple carved out chambers. It didn’t echo nearly as much as the outside ledges, and she noticed that weavings were hanging on the walls dampening the sound. Simple wooden chairs and tables were scattered about the room. And the books! She had never seen so many books. Bound and scrolled, pages and pages of loose paper, pens, inks, and supplies. All over the place. The walls were carved with shelves in places where the organic shape of the rock could support them. Each shelf was packed with books of all sizes. Scrolls were also tucked into small carved holes at various places within the cavern walls.

                “Tea?” Rishi asked again, his voice quieter now that they were both in the same room. Tanye’s eyes were distracted from the books and fell on to the steaming cup that he was offering her. She took it and followed him as he sat down in a rickety chair that seemed almost too short for him. She took a seat across the table but her eyes found their way back to the walls of books as she sipped the hot and bitter tea.

                “Thank you…”

                “You are more than welcome.”

                “You do have many books...”

                “I told you I did. This is just the tip of the ice berg, so to speak.”

“Ice berg?”

“Maybe I should say… the tree, when compared to its root system.”

Tanye understood and he knew it.

“This place, here…” Rishi looked around,” This is one of the most extensive libraries, both known to men and unknown, in the world.”

                Tanye listened and believed. Rishi’s voice was singed with no pride as he spoke about the place, only calm reverence.

                “It’s yours?”

                “No, no. Of course it isn’t mine. I just tend to it.”

                “Then who’s is it?”

                “Why must everything belong to someone?” Rishi smiled as Tanye sipped at the tea carefully. It was scalding hot and she didn’t know how he was able to drink it so easily. It was also of a more bitter taste then she was used to.

                “I guess I mean… who are you tending it for? Who wrote the books? Why is it here?”

                “Better questions. I can tell you the answers, at least a few of them.”

                Tanye’s eyes returned to Rishi and met with his. She once again noticed how strange they were, an almost hazel hue that seemed to shift in the dim light of the fire. It was a startling color when contrasted with his dark skin. She expected dark eyes, but was greeted by a pale pair that seemed to stare through her cloak and her body, into her soul. But she didn’t feel threatened by it now as she had at first, in Midras. She forgot about the books for a moment and narrowed her eyes at him in thought.

                “I still don’t know anything about you…”

                Rishi leaned back in the small chair, the two front legs tilting off the floor of the cavernous room. He broke Tanye’s gaze and looked over at the fire.

                “There’s not much to know about me. I’m just a lost librarian who’s had too much desert sun in his eyes.”

                “You don’t expect me to believe that, do you? I thought you never lied.”

                “I don’t lie. It’s the truth.”

                “But not the whole truth,” Tanye’s taste buds were growing accustomed to the tea as they talked. She continued sipping. She kept her eyes on Rishi, however. He smiled broadly at her words but didn’t look up at her.

                “I suppose there is more to it, but you didn’t ask anything specific.”

                “What about that skirmish back there? How do you explain that?”

                “Well, that was a raiding party of orks that just happened to stumble upon you. Unlucky, I’d say.”

                “You know what I mean… I saw you fight. You saved my life. And what about my fatal wounds? I should be dead. No, you are more than just some crazy old librarian.”

                Rishi looked up at her and his eyes glinted,” Hey, watch it. I didn’t say crazy or old.”

                Tanye just stared at him flatly, and he finally broke. He leaned forward and stopped distracting himself by tilting the chair.

                “I’m just a priest, that’s all.”

                “That’s all? You completely healed me, not a scratch left!”

                “That’s what priests do.”

                “I’ve heard about such things in old stories, but no priest I’ve ever met as ever done anything like that. It’s not possible without magic…”

                “I told you I never use magic.”

                “Then what about that staff you have?”

                “Do you not believe what I’ve told you?” Rishi sounded slightly appalled. He looked to the side. Tanye sighed.

                “You are so difficult.”

                “I am!” Rishi declared sarcastically.

                “What do you mean? You won’t tell me anything! Why did you bring me all the way out here?”

                “You followed me.”       

                “I…” Tanye shook her head but held in the sound of exasperation that she had been about to release. She sat up and folded her arms, starting intently at Rishi who was now slouched down in his chair and glowering into a dark corner. If it was an act, Tanye was uncertain of it. She sighed, “Look, I’m sorry. Just tell me who you are. I want to know.”

                “I’ve told you and the truth isn’t good enough for you.”

                “The truth is all that I want.”

                “Then you have it.”

                Tanye looked at her hands and the small tea cup.

                “Okay, priest.”

                “Correct.”

                There was silence for a moment, and Rishi finished his tea. He got up to get more, leaving Tanye with her thoughts. She kept reliving the events of the day and they became clearer to her as she did.

                “So you promise that your staff isn’t magically enchanted?”       

                “I promise you that. I just like hitting people with sticks.”

                Tanye smiled to herself, but shook it away.        

                “Why can’t every priest do those things?”

                “It takes faith, and most people don’t want to hear that. It also takes a concurrent will with the Creator and a reason. Nothing is arbitrary, you know.” Rishi was back and with the tea kettle. He refilled Tanye’s cup. Tanye furrowed her brows.

                “I don’t quite follow. It just sounds like… magic to me.”

                “If that’s how you wish to perceive it. The effects can be similar. My ‘magic’ doesn’t always work, however. It takes a lot of nerve riding around here not knowing if it’s going to work…”

                “You mean I could have died?”

                “Of course. I thought you would. But it looks like the Creator wants you alive. Your lucky day.”

                “So you can only do magic when your god lets you?”

                “There’s only one Creator, it’s not just my god. And it’s not magic. Let’s show some respect for once.”

                Tanye smiled, but Rishi didn’t look happy. She quickly hid her response from him. His adamancy about the subject was slightly disturbing to her. He grumbled faintly to himself in another language before finishing his second cup of tea.

                “You see why I don’t like to talk about it?”

                “I suppose. But I thought priests liked to spread the word.”

                “Not in times like this. It isn’t wise.” Rishi had no hint of lightness in his tone of voice or in his eyes.

                “What do you mean, ‘times like this’?”

                “We’ve talked enough about me. What about you?”

                Tanye wasn’t satisfied, but she let it go, sensing that Rishi was not about to relenquish any more information.

                “There isn’t much about me. Perhaps you already know more then I do. You said you knew Samsara…”

                “I did. But I don’t know you. I only know what the books tell me, and books have an uncanny tendency to be vague and riddle ridden…” Rishi looked immediately more at ease as soon as he started talking about the books. Tanye noticed the abrupt change but said nothing. She let her eyes wander to the books along the walls. The place was more of a mess then she had first realized. Scraps of paper everywhere, and quills and ink stains. It looked like a very well used study. Perhaps she could find out more about him by talking about books.

                “ Do you write books?”

                “I am not an author. I am a scribe.”

                “You copy them?”

                “Yes. And it is an endless task. There is always at least one, and often many books that are in dire need of new penning. This environement is perfect for preserving them, but the years are unkind and impossible to escape, even for these books.”

                “What are they?”

                “Historic accounts, records, stories, myth and truth. Anything you want. It’s here.”

                “Can I look at them?”

                “Of course, I would encourage you. The library goes deep into the cavern. This is just my study.”

                “You don’t mind?”

                Rishi shook his head. He had brought out his pipe again. Tanye remembered it from Midras,“Actually, I’d prefer it if you went somewhere else. I invited you here, yes, but I need to meditate alone.”

                Tanye was relieved. She also felt the need to be on her own and she was glad he had the nerve to say it. Rishi stood up and headed toward the mouth of the cavern but paused at the threshold. The sun was sinking.

                “Don’t worry about anything. You can stay here as long as you want.”

                Then he turned and left.

                Tanye gazed at the door and waited to see if he would come back. It didn’t seem so, and she started to analyze the room more closely in his absence. There was another table in the corner of the room, this one covered in papers and scrolls. She meandered over to it and hovered over one of the scrolls, gently pushing the parchment back to see the writing. The text was flowing and elegant, almost a vision in itself. But it was not in a language that she could understand. She was disappointed by this, but still admired the perfectly formed letters and the balanced composition of the page. The ink pen was sitting in the well, recently used.

                Her eyes found a crack in the rock wall and traveled up to where it was covered with a tapestry. This one was woven with what looked like dyed wool. It had the colors of a desert sunset: pinks, golds, and purples. There was a giant red disk in the center, Tanye supposed it was the sun. A faint breeze caused the tapestry to flap gently against the wall and Tanye looked at the door. Still nothing.

                The first door was directly attached to the main room and had a dirty linen cloth hanging up to obscure it. Tanye was certain that it was Rishi’s own room, but that didn’t stop her. Her curiosity was too much, and after glancing over her shoulder once, she proceeded to push the curtain back. The inside was not nearly as haphazard as the study. There was a simple cot with simple blankets, which looked itchy at first glance. Several candles were gathered on a box, stuck into the melted wax of numerous past candles, unlit but waiting. There were no images on the walls, no drawings, but there was another tapestry. This one didn’t look as well crafted as the ones in the main room. It looked older, more raggedy, and the shapes and colors were less defined. The edges were fraying. Tanye looked closely at it, sensing that it held great value to Rishi. She reached out to touch, but stopped just short. She felt strange about it. She felt odd about being in his room, as if he could see her through the thick rock walls, so she left quickly.