Chapter 8
Eulin felt slightly peccant as he flew away.
He had missed the feeling of flying, the wind beneath his wings, spreading his primaries to the air, feeling them ruffle back and forth in the turbulence of the wind. This was indeed his first long flight since his accident. It felt good; it was refreshing to feel weightless once again, surfing the air currents, Ascending and descending. With luck, Eulin wouldn’t get flight sick.

Watching Mārin village while it was asleep was a comfort to him, it made him feel at ease. The night was calm and silent, which was a good thing because it allowed him to meditate on his thoughts. He kept thinking about the sprites last words to him, over and over again. He had witnessed much good about her, seeing her wide-eyed countenance, how she faced life, fearless, never complaining, but still having the vision, to see beauty all around her. What she lacked, she more than made up in compassion he felt a note of sadness in him as he felt like he was betraying her in going; Still, he told himself It was necessary.

Soaring high above the Amphitheatre and following the river deeper inland. The village had indeed been a haven, in times of trouble, kay had been kind to him, and strangely so had Bieber in a furtive way

Martians were a strange lot. He could communicate with them telepathically, but it always felt like an invasion of privacy. His mind was trespassing, and each of their mindscapes were uniquely different. Kay’s was like an old dark fortress that had been sacked the drawbridge was pulled up, but there were gaping holes that anyone could infiltrate, there was not very much left to take, he wondered what had transpired, hardships, some trauma or bereavement? Perhaps it was better left unanswered.

Then Biebers mind was a misleading maze, you could get lost in it, and you may never find your way out again if you strayed too far in.

The little Sprite, on the other hand, her mind was different uncluttered like a fertile prairie, things were growing, and there was hope and optimism. Indeed it was a good endorsement
for her.

He hadn’t flown too long when the sun arose he could see the light illuminating the fields far yonder and the river below sparkling, he wished if only!?, if only he had enough time to go fishing! He could just make out the land creatures below; they were going about their daily morning routines, aimlessly pottering about setting up the rest of their day without a care or a thought of looking up. Then there were those sky gazers, the ones that gazed up into the heavens with wonder, committing the configuration of the clouds to memory, as if one day hoping to transcend and to be cloudlike themselves.

Listlessness had found Eulin, he felt it in his bones. He had begun to feel tired; he wasn’t used to long flights anymore, he had to rebuild his stamina. Now he felt fatigued, he began to yawn, and his bill began to weigh heavy, as it sunk, and his eyes began to close, luckily, Eulin knew of an eyrie around these parts, he could ask them for shelter, while he rested.
A Tawny Legette he knew of would no doubt put him up for a rest, as he was a goodly fellow with a pretty voice, and he loved to show it off. If Eulin rubbed him the right way he would be more than happy to put him up, it might even seem like a pleasure more than a duty.

Sometime later After some good avian food sophisticated company and a well-deserved rest, Eulin felt like a new bird. He was aware that time was getting away from him, he had heard the woman with the red hair was indeed close a marsh robin who was trustworthy had spotted her whilst out sifting for worms amongst the mangrove everglades at the redwoods.

He knew he had to make haste with speed.

Away he flew, He banked and headed on a vector towards the Everglades, knowing it was only a matter of time before he would find the one they called the paschėlle.

Eulin wondered how his life had come to this? Running errands.

A shape far off in the distance fitted the description kay had given him. A woman who cut an enigmatic figure, young, she wore a uniform, it was navy blue with a leather corset belt that had a star talisman adorned in the center, it seemed to symbolize she belonged to authority, but Eulin did not recognize its significance. Around the thighs she wore a taset of soft leather scales, and she wore a red underdress beneath that. You could see it just went a little beyond the knees and beneath those, she wore baggy culottes that were tucked into her boots. As Eulin got closer, he could see more ?

She was indeed waiting to partake in skullduggery.

There was a breeze it ruffled her ruby red hair, and carried blue fire-flower petals up into the ether, the ones that the ancients said were like nature caressing you as if it were nurturing its most beloved children.

Eulin decided to rest on a branch of a sendel tree, so he could witness from a distance, what was about to unfold?

He noticed on the ground she had drawn a hexagram in the sandy earth and was standing inside of it. The outer perimeter was a mix of trees, wyn trees, sendel trees, wychred, and mangroves. The mangroves roots were stilted; they gravitated to the wet earth, Eulin posited that this was because the damp soil was more abundant in trace elements. The other trees seemed to prefer dryer land requiring stronger foundations. It appeared to be a crossroads, the heart of the forest where the grove met the Everglades.

There was something queer that Eulin couldn’t quite put his beak on, apart from the wind, and the stirring of the red flora, there seemed to be a lack of sound.

The absence of sound was disturbing., no animals, no other birds, no other souls. It was as dead as the grave. Eulin saw that the woman had placed a piece of string with a strange ornament that looked like an arrow pendant on a limb of a tree, it was observable from where she stood, she waited until it was dead still.

It was dead still that couldn’t be right surely the wind ruffling her hair would move the pendant in an undulating movement as if it were an obscure metronome, thought Eulin.

Suddenly the pendant arrow began to move slowly, and it secured the attention of the Woman.

Had a silent alarm been triggered? She gathered up her quarterstaff and stood ready as if to fight.

The pointer was moving anti-clockwise, but even that seemed impossible as the wind was running north to south, and Eulin knew full well
this as it was covered in flightology 101.

A Quarterstaff wasn’t her only weapon, she also had a Saber, which she wore on her back in Mercian fashion, Eulin could see the sword sashes flapping about her in the breeze, where she stood, they were scarlet red.

The undergrowth began to stir as a copse of wyne trees began to sway its leaves. A figure, A shape that almost seemed human was running around through woods, running unnaturally like a Jackal. The form broke into the clearing and laid its eyes on the woman and straightened up in disgust, and began to stand like a bi-ped.

It nearly had a shape, barely, was it male, was it female? Like an old piece of film, it would come into and go out of focus and blur. Eulin could make out a tall, slender figure bald head pointed ears and glowing blue eyes, the pointed ears were not like those of the Martians, more like those of a Boar, it wore black and had a high collar Ashen skin as if its real hide had never really seen the sun.
“Why don’t you show your face!” The woman called out, to the entity as she invited it with a hand gesture that signaled the thing closer.
it replied in a petulant manner “my true face” it paused “it would only frighten you!”.

” that’s close enough…halt! ” she called out, causing the creature to stop dead once again, “I have a warrant for your arrest… to bring you before a Committee, of my peers – for practicing necromancy, I will bring you in -one way …or another!” The woman said with grit and unswerving determination as she looked it dead blank in the eyes without blinking or flinching,
The creature looked back at her with its cold blue eyes and began to laugh profusely
” hahahaha ha ha! Let’s have it then witchchild!” The creature said with contempt, ” your head will make a pretty trophy, and your blood will make a fine bouquet!” It paused, “or maybe I’ll take you alive for experiments, red-headed abomination, take your milk!” The woman grinned ” scare tactics!” She said thinking out loud as she stood in her san ti stance.

He shook both his hands and as if by magic two machetes appeared. ” one of us going to be emancipated from their life!” It said grinning.

She gripped her staff as the creature lunged forward, she parried the double-bladed attack, Eulin could see the changeling was fast. He feared the woman was out of her depth.

The second wave of attacks came more vigorously. The Woman seemed skilled with the staff whirling it around and using the inertia of staff, in a very violent way. Eventually, her staff connected, and the creature was sent flying on to its back, but it didn’t stop it, it only seemed to make it angrier. The changeling moved so fast that it was a blur as it struck the woman in her face, favoring its fist, instead of its knives knocking her to the floor like a pile of crumpled paper. The woman spat out dark red blood, wiped her mouth and slowly regained her San ti stance again.
” do you like that witch!” The changeling asked taunting her pacing slowly in front of her.
She replied,” loved it dear!”

She gripped her Quarterstaff, and her knuckles went white as the blood drained out of them. Assuming a new stance holding the staff lower this time, just slightly hovering the bottom edge over the sandy ground, as the pale monstrosity lunged she whirled it around once again throwing up sand in the direction of the creature and connecting with the back of its skull. Crack it went, as she felt the noise, yet it moved fast, the women somersaulted to evade it, she drove her staff into the ground and drew her saber as she looked back and bolted quickly making a Beeline through the mangrove glades.

She ran through the trees, following a trail she picked in her mind, crashing through the branches and leaves, as the flora about her was just a haze as it went past. The changeling pursued her and Eulin pursued them both; he could see the creature had some ability to move quickly as if it was just a blur.

It caught up with her, but she managed to duck under the stilt roots of a mangrove tree. The creature smashed the wooden stilts out from under the tree, It keeled over, and the women narrowly evaded the tree falling upon her. She wrapped her saber Around the orbit of her body and sent it above her right shoulder and down in a chopping motion and struck the changeling with a glancing blow, she wrapped it once more, but it narrowly missed this instance. The creature was comfortable in fighting, it moved out the way, “you’re not good enough!” It said as the women dove down a steep bank into a mud pit. It appeared incensed that the predator was being denied its sport, following her without a second thought or air of caution, hot on her heels, it made its way down the bank, continuing its diatribe ” should have sent somebody better for me!”

Eulin was perched high atop a tree an unseen spectator watching it all unfold, looking on in horror.
Feeling powerless wondering what he should do?

” you can’t hide witch!” The women had vanished, she was nowhere to be found, the changeling was moving slowly gloating. Had no one ever taught it about the qualities of hubris, Eulin thought as he watched in suspense. It continued, ” or maybe they should have sent a man! You’re too slow to beat me, just a little girl” ” it said wading through the mire. It was knee deep and sinking deeper and deeper. Steadily a black figure began to rise out of the sludge, a dark figure, first it’s head, then its body, it opened its eyes they were fierce and golden ” you’re too slow!” It said repeating itself and looking in the wrong direction; the dark silhouette was, of course, the red-headed woman it was then she struck the creature with an empty palm, sending it across the mud as if it had been hit with considerable and supreme force.

The changeling swung its weapons wildly, but at every instance, the woman kept her composure? She dodged, weaved and warded off its attacks; she barely made eye contact with the allotrope, she proceeded to punch, kick, pummel the creature as if she were now in total control of the environment. The beast punched at her face, but the woman caught its fist, making it look almost effortless she bent it down and spun it like a sock in a laundry machine ” we’re all slow in the mud!” She said with integrity as it became a more apparent that she had neutralized its advantage she delivered the coup de grace rendering the foul creature unconscious.
Beaten and submitted she dragged the thing out of the mire, by one of its legs, and laid it on the sandy ground of the bank, like a fish that had been caught on a hook. Finding a nearby brook, the woman preceded to wash her hands and face, paying no more attention to her vanquished foe.

But the creature although bested was not defeated it began to stir and whilst she wasn’t looking it started to creep upon her, unnoticed.

Eulin decided, he had no other choice but to act, he was no longer going to be impartial. he swooped down at the creature screeching “jsea jsea!!” Flailing his wings in changeling’s face.

Distracting it just enough that when the diversion had passed the woman stood in front of the creature and plunged her dagger into its stomach; the thing looked dumbfounded as it wondered what had just happened. It gasped hard as it felt the cold point of her blade and began to blur and dissolve as if it were an effervescent tablet melting in a glass of clear water. Its very atoms at a cellular level were just coming apart until there was nothing left but dust particles and glowing embers flitting through the air.
Until there was no physical evidence that the awful Shae had existed at all

She passed a cursory glance to Eulin and said ” well! That took you long enough!”

Did she know of his presence all this time he thought to himself?

The woman continued “I know what you really are!” She said pointing at him her expression changed she smirked for a moment and continued “, a rarity, hardly still seen for sure” she gestured Eulin closer. Most of the mud that remained had started to turn grey under the Martian sunshine, only her hands and her face were clean, she had washed away the dirt and the green makeup that had been caked over her eyes Eulin could make out three vertical lilac stripes that ran down her left cheek. She was, Beautiful in her own way, a mess of red hair and mud, with brilliant bright acacia coloured eyes. Eulin could see how young she still was, underneath all the trappings of state.

She removed her tasset belt, jacket and every stitch of clothing until she was virtually naked. Only her red Under-robe remained, and she proceeded to bathe throwing up plumes of water into the air, it sparkled in the brilliant sunshine like diamonds, she laughed as she danced around sculling a handful of water hurling it at Eulin, “got your nose!” She said playfully as she chuckled, what is it with land-dwellers and throwing stuff Eulin thought to himself, as he recalled another encounter.

When it was safe from shenanigans, and frivolity had ceased.
He flew over to her and perched in front of her; she ran her hands over him “you are Beautiful!” she said under her breath ” your not hurt are you Mr whitebird!” She chanted something as if mumbling to herself; it sounded very nasally; he felt better he could feel the warmth coming from her palms. “There you go, a little tonic for you, call it a gift, from a friend, to say thank you, I’m ūna … paschėlle ūna, I’m pleased to make your acquaintance!”