Risha: Chapter 49

Risha opened her eyes to see a familiar pair of doors. Deep under the earth, below the spider broods, Risha stood, her sword at her side and her bow in hand. The fiery scripts across the doors flickered like actual flames.

Risha needed to get stronger

Her own thought floated through her head, but it was not her voice that said it.

Words in the fiery scripts glowed brighter, mana filling them, and then the doors opened.

***

Risha woke up, her eyes finding a familiar ceiling, several of her spiderlings snoozing on small webs they’d made up there.

Risha pushed herself up, a sleek black fur cloak sliding off of her. 

Risha focused on the cloak, noticing how its edges blended into the shadows around her. It was the fur she’d skinned from the panther yesterday.

Risha looked to a nearby table, where her other creations from the night rested. A necklace of the panther’s teeth sat there, each tooth carved into different designs. Her memory was blurry, but Risha remembered starting on the designs halfway through the night, a shaman guiding her hands.

There hadn’t been a shaman there, but there was.

Next to the necklace were several arrow heads, some needles, and more jewelry, all made from the bones of the creature. The long claws had been placed decoratively onto gloves, with the help of one of the leatherworkers she’d met during the night. 

She remembered the leatherworker well, he’d been an older goblin who gained the High Goblin Leatherworker evolution after exclusively working with the material.

Again, the claws had been carved with several spiraling designs, and she knew that the shaman had helped her. She couldn’t remember his face, what he looked like, or his name- No, she remembered the name, it sat on the edge of her memory, something ready to be called for when she was ready.

She wasn’t supposed to call it yet.

How did she know that?

Because that’s what he told her. 

Risha put her palms against her eyes, annoyed with the fuzziness that came with a night after drinking. The dream, that she remembered well, standing in stark contrast to everything else. Something wanted her to open those doors. There was danger there, but also the strength she wanted.

Risha stood up, and tied the panther cloak to her. Then she found some wooden shafts to place the arrowheads on. Her habit of carving arrows proved useful, as she had several different shafts to choose from. 

The bow she’d bought from the dwarf sat unstrung against the wall. Mist-Prowler must’ve placed it there last night after escorting Risha home. Risha would have to remember to give the kobold extra shinies. 

But for now, Risha sat at a workbench with the materials she needed.

Her morning went slow as she split the wood, then used the panther’s own sinew to glue and tie the arrowheads to the wooden shafts. The familiar movements relaxed Risha, and her quiver quickly filled with the new arrows. Risha could tell that something was different about the arrows, a strange feeling that rested over them, the same as it did all of the items made from the shadowy panther. 

A knock on her door brought Risha out of her thoughts. 

“Come in.” Risha said, deftly tying another arrowhead to its shaft.

The door opened, and Glo stepped in. He looked around at the various panther parts with curiosity. “Did you go hunting?”

Risha nodded, and placed the arrow into the quiver. She grabbed another shaft, and split the end with her knife. “I needed the forest.”

Glo stepped further into the room, “The settlers left to establish their city by the river.” 

“That’s good.” Risha smiled up at Glo, “Feeding everyone was hard.” 

Glo sat on the floor next to Risha, “The lizards ambushed another scouting party.” 

Risha’s hands paused, and she placed the arrow on her desk, “Are they moving?”

“Not yet, but soon. Elder Kulos called the council.” 

Risha stared into the distance.

Why did she want strength?

Because her people needed her to be strong.

Risha picked up the arrow she’d been working on, and attached the arrowhead. She glued it, tied it, and placed it in the quiver. 

“I’m going to be gone for a little while,” Risha said, “I’ll need a small group of warriors with me.”

“Where are you going?” Glo asked.

“Into the depths,” Risha pulled out another arrowhead, there weren’t many left. “There’s strength down there that we need.”

Glo tapped his fingers as he thought, “I know several loyal monsters perfect for the task.”

“When is the council meeting?” Risha placed another finished arrow in the quiver.

“Sundown.” 

“Can you have Sun-Chaser meet me here after? I have a gift for her.”

“Have you chosen her to become a Spirit?” 

Risha looked up, surprised that people other than her were using it as a title, “Yes.” 

“She’s a good choice.” Glo looked down at his hands, he’d picked up one of the arrow shafts without thinking, and was fiddling with it, “Are you sure I was the right choice?” 

Risha paused, then placed down the arrow she’d been working on. Before the other goblin could react, Risha leapt from her chair and squeezed her friend in a bear hug. “You were the only choice!” Risha said, pulling back with a wide smile, “You have proven yourself again and again, Glo. Risha could not have chosen better.”

Glo snorted and squeezed Risha back, “Thank you. Glo doubts himself sometimes.” 

Risha got off of the other Goblin, and offered her hand to pull him off of the floor. 

His hand clasped hers and she hauled him up.

Risha paused, then whispered, “So does Risha. And every time Risha doubts herself, you’re there to remind her how cool she is.” 

Glo laughed as he stretched, “Risha is pretty cool.” 

Risha nodded emphatically, then looked out the shuttered window to see the sun slowly lowering. “I have more arrows to tie. Do you want to stay?” 

Glo shook his head, “Glo has politics. Elder Mo needs more warriors to protect his builders in the forest, and I have to choose warriors to join you.” 

Risha understood, but still felt sad to see her friend go. 

Glo walked to the exit while Risha looked out the window to the setting sun. “Oh, Glo,”

“Yes, Risha?” 

“I’d like a Grey Lupus Kobold by the name of Mist-Prowler to come with me.”

Glo frowned, “A Grey Lupus?” 

“Yep. She was my guard yesterday.”

Glo’s hand went to the dagger at his waist, “Your kobold guard yesterday was Fire-Hunter.” 

Risha tilted her head, then nodded, “I misremembered her name. Actually, forget it. I’ll ask Sun-Chaser when I see her.”

Glo released the dagger, then bowed his head, “I’ll see you soon, Risha.” 

“Soon, Glo.” Risha watched him leave, then turned her eyes to the chest of shinies she kept hidden under her bed. 

Risha was positive that she remembered the name correctly. She also remembered Fire-Hunter. She was a young kobold who’d died during the first week on the other side of the mountains, before Glo had arrived.

Risha pulled out the chest, and grabbed some shinies. Mist-Prowler had said that she was Second to Wind-Whisperer, the Jackal, so Risha would start there. 

Risha tied her sword to her waist, then placed her dagger on her leg. For a moment, she considered grabbing the bow arrows, but she wasn’t done making the arrows. Instead, she slid on the panther-tooth necklace, and the panther-claw gloves. 

As soon as they settled on her, Risha could feel her magic moving through the items. Nothing happened, but the whispers of spirit became audible, a sensation she recognized from when Glo had evolved with the title Spirit.

Risha closed her eyes, the whispers bringing her a strange sense of comfort. She reopened her eyes, then made her way out the door. The two guards standing there bowed, but Risha ignored them both as she made her way through the house. 

She turned down a corridor, and approached one of the rooms. Several kobolds stood straight, guarding the door. “Is Leaf-Watcher inside?” 

The largest, a Black Lupus Kobold, nodded. Risha stepped inside, and was immediately met by a squeal of excitement as a vine-child ran into her legs with a large hug. 

“Hello, Aliya.” Risha knelt down and picked up the child. 

“Hi Risha!” The child smiled at Risha, then placed another purple flower behind her ear. Risha would add the flower to her collection later.

Risha looked up to see Leaf-Watcher standing next to the window, her gaze on the both of them. The room itself was covered in plants, with several large pots filling up half the room, many strange looking trees, and a bed of flowers immediately drew Risha’s gaze.

Talo wasn’t in the room, but Risha had business with the kobold anyway. “Leaf-Watcher, do you know where I can find Wind-Whisperer?” 

Leaf-Watcher looked out the window, “He’s in the tunnels under the city, performing some kind of magic. Why do you look for him?”

“I’m looking for a kobold named Mist-Prowler.” 

Leaf-Watcher smiled, showing her sharp canines, “So she can hide even from you?”

Risha paused, and looked at Leaf-Watcher, “You know her?”

“Of course.” Leaf-Watcher tilted her head in confusion, “You evolved her with me. The coyote.”

Risha remembered that coyote, and realized why she’d known Mist-Prowler’s name but couldn’t place her. “The Coyote, not the Gray Wolf?” 

Leaf-Watcher paused, looking at the child in Risha’s arms. “Aliya, this is a quiet conversation, can you play with Spear-Breaker?” 

Aliya shook her head, “I can keep a secret!” She looked at Risha with wide eyes, her vines shifting to a brighter green, “You know that Risha!” 

Risha looked over to Leaf-Watcher, and gave a small nod.

Leaf-Watcher hesitated, then bowed her head to Risha, “Mist-Prowler hides herself and works in the shadows, but she is the true alpha of Wind-Whisperer’s pack. She does not like to show her coyote form, but you will see her as many other things.”

Risha smiled wide, everything making sense. That had been why she seemed off when Risha first met her. Risha knew she had good instincts, “Can you give her a message? I want to meet her.”

“Yes, Grand Mother.” 

“Good.” Risha set Aliya down, “I must go now, but I will see you later.” 

“Are you going into the dark?” Aliya asked.

Risha looked at the child for a long moment, then shook her head. The child always knew more than she let on. “Not yet.”

“Talo will want to come.” 

“Oh?” Risha thought for a moment, then nodded her head, “He can come.” 

Aliya smiled, then ran over to one of the plants, “I wish I could come, but the trees say I’m not ready.” 

Risha and Leaf-Watcher shared a look.

“Good bye Risha! Come play with me soon?” 

“Of course, little one.”

Risha said her goodbye to Leaf-Watcher, then exited the room. 

With that taken care of, Risha returned to her room to finish the last of her arrows before the council meeting started.