High on the dry and rocky ranges of Sauti, news was slow to spread. It came in little sprinkles of information, tidbits here and there, brought by the trickle of merchants who came for the sail scales. In the small settlement of Iory, a girl like Faamy was always on the lookout for these merchants. News could mean stories, and stories meant songs, and songs meant fun. The little watering hole was by no means a social hub, but when travelers came to the village, that was their main stop. They could get a drink of water and a bite to eat, but not much else, doing their business at the main ranch. The ranch was too much about business though. Faamy would stalk the pit stop for what she wanted to hear.

On this particular day, sitting higher above the water on one of the rocky outcroppings, Fammy certainly did get an earful as she looked down at the little gathering.

A pair of merchants all the way from Oba arrived, and chattered almost non-stop after they’d wetted their whistles. Stories about the new island named Yeal. The Alkidike rebels had been banished there after losing the recent war, but they were apparently not alone.

The first Oban nodded enthusiastically. “Well, sure. Makes sense, seeing as how many types we got on our own land. The way I hear, one of the sets is a bit like normal, except their eyes glow. Probably good for finding their way on that island. Covered in shadows, it is. I bet the Alk wenches are feeling right at home there. Anyway, those Yeali with the glowing eyes have been coming to the main land. Looks like having the Alks there woke up something from underground. Something even scarier than they are.”

There was a dramatic pause, and Faamy craned her head to hear what was to follow. Underground? Scarier than the Alkidikes? She’d heard some pretty horrible things about the Alkidikes; giants with black, empty eyes and a disposition for killing. What could be bad enough to worse than that?

Now, the second Oban piped up, a slight tremor to his voice. “It’s monsters cropping up. They’re probably angry that the Alks are there. You know, the invasion of territory and all that. Something popping out of the ground to defend its home. They’re said to be covered in black slime, and have claws larger and sharper than the Janarii. They don’t care who they attack though. They go after natives and stranger alike.”

Brow rising, Faamy started writing notes down in her little notebook. Slime and claws and merciless... “Maybe the Alks were laying their eggs in the ground there or something?” she called down. Or, blossoms? ..Or, however it was those women reproduced. She wouldn’t mind a baby popping up from a blossom egg for herself. She saw her mother go through bearing her little sister, and wanted no part of that!

One of the Iory residents shook his head. “Faamy, keep your nose out of this. The adults are talking. Sprouting from eggs. Honestly, your imagination...” Still, his brow knit slightly. “I hope they don’t come up our way. The Yeali might be bringing them monsters to get back at everyone else for sending the Alkidike folk to them.”

The nervous Oban trembled again. “I didn’t think of it that way. What if that’s their plan? Would they really want to ruin us all?”

The first merchant gave the second’s shoulder a hard smack. “Don’t encourage such talk. If they do plan to bring the monsters here, we’ll deal with them. They’re coming to flee that island though. Makes no sense for them to let the monsters spread across the whole land.”

Ther nervous one shook his head roughly. “Maybe the Yeali aren’t actually being attacked? Maybe they’re just saying that to make us feel okay letting them in! They’re saying the black things can steal your soul with one look. Living on such a place, maybe the Yeali don’t have their own souls?”

Faamy muffled a snort with her hand. Honestly, men could be such gossips and so superstitious. “I suppose the black monsters will taint your body once your soul is gone. If’n the Yeali are shadow versions of us, maybe they really are just us, inhabited by the slime things~”

That idea brought a peep of fear from the nervous man, which earned him another sharp cuff from the first man. The Iory man sent a glare up at the laughing young girl. “You get on home, Faamy. Don’t you have your shift at the ranch coming up soon?”

Faamy laughed and slid off from the rock. “You guys are worse gossips than my mum!” she said with a laugh as she hurried on home. The guy was right; her shift was coming up soon, and she needed to finish her notes before going! She wasn’t sure exactly how much of the tale she believed, but she knew every story started with a kernel of truth...


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