Rena shifted, eyeing the reptiles warily. "I just imagined something more like a camel," she mumbled, wincing slightly at the admonishing glare Kairen shot her.
"The Tolokok are fast, much more suitable for your timeline," Gianni explained, "and they're fiercely protective of their riders, so they'll be a great addition to your group to get you safely through the desert."
He was certainly convincing and he seemingly caught my hesitance melting as he gestured towards me with a smile. I froze at the beckoning, fear blossoming in my stomach.
As I approached he took my hand in his, turning it palm side up, and led me to a beast with grey scales. "The Tolokok are a species as old as the desert itself. They thrive on order and respect." He glanced back towards the rest of the group as he spoke. “When you approach, keep your eyes downcast, offer your palm, and allow them to sniff. If they accept you they'll lightly touch their nose to your hand."
"And if they don't accept you?" I muttered, eyes fixed firmly on the desert sand as I lifted my hand carefully to the beast's nose and waited.
He laughed lightly. “Then you run."
My spine stiffened as the grey Tolokok merely sniffed at my offered palm, its forked tongue grazing my skin before it gave a light huff, pressing its scaled nose into my hand. Gianni gave a small cheer. “A grey beast for a grey-eyed beauty. Mount the saddle now."
I turned wide-eyed upon him and he merely gestured encouragingly until I began to move, my foot lifting mechanically into the stirrup. Eyes clenched shut, I swung myself up and over coming to rest in the saddle.
I expected the worst, yet nothing happened as I peeled one eye open at time, the tension in my body slowly easing. The Tolokok merely shifted beneath my weight, settling itself into the sand to wait for instruction.
It was clearly used to this sort of situation. Hesitantly, my fingers ran over its scaled head. "Does it have a name?"
"Her name is Aziza."
He left me then, instructing the others through their introductions and getting them all into their saddles. Most went by with relative ease, except for Bran. His Tolokok, a blue scaled beast named Beneeth, had snapped her jaw, missing his hand by mere centimeters. Gianni had merely laughed, informing us all that the Tolokok was younger than the rest and apparently liked tojokewith the tourists of the desert.
As he walked us through instructions on how to command the Tolokoks, similar enough to riding a horse that we all easily caught on, I eyed Roan atop his cream-scaled lizard, Tulia. We’d yet to speak since last night and I’d awoken to an empty bed, sunlight filtering in through the curtained windows.
A headache and immediate regret had greeted me the second I opened my eyes, embarrassment flushing my face when I remembered the fool I had acted the night before.
He hadn't so much as looked twice at me when I’d arrived with Rena to the meeting spot.
You're like a storm.
I quickly turned my gaze away. I was indeed a liar because I remembered every Goddess-damned word from the night before. I almost wished I didn’t, that my drunken haze had stolen the words so they wouldn't torture my mind in a constant loop.
Gianni called out that we were done for the day and I slipped from the saddle. Having us all bonded and familiar with our Tolokoks had been the goal before we left to traverse to the next town tomorrow—a four day journey.
I ran my hand down the scaled side of Aziza, her grey scales hot from the desert sun. My fear for the creature having dissipated, I instead appreciated her beauty. The color was nearly reflective in the sunlight, like the metal of armor.
Prince Kairen called out for Rena and I, so I gave the large beast one last pat before I made my way over to him.
"Did you find anything yesterday, regarding the myths?" He asked.
Roan and Bran joined us, Gianni claiming he'd stay back for a while and take care of some preparations for the next day.
Rena nodded. "They have the same myths that place fault for the illness with the Goddess Lua that we have in Amori City, but there's also another we learned of."
She glanced at me as we walked towards the town.
"We heard it first in the old bookshop near the Inn, “ I began. “The people tell a tale of the nine demon brothers. It's said that after Calzar's death and the failure to bridge the gap between the Nine Hells and the Kingdom of the Goddesses, the remaining brothers sought revenge. Knowing the love Soli and Lua had for their people, they sought to wreak havoc upon the Goddesses creations, upon the society they had crafted."
"In the form of The Fever?" Roan mused and my eyes shot to him for a moment before drifting to Kairen, whose gaze was thoughtful.
"Yes, I heard it again in the tavern last night, the locals were telling tales and that was one of them."
"Is there validity to it?" Bran asked, my shoulder lifted at the question.
"Is there validity to the story that surrounds Lua?" Kairen reasoned, speaking my own thoughts. "Any myth we find could have a kernel of truth to it. In the next city we should inquire if they know of it, if there's more details we can uncover."
The group nodded at the plan and I watched as Kairen and Roan walked away, heading towards the direction of the sandy beaches.
