Paradise, A story set in my world of Teir Options

[redsrock]

Here is the link to: Redsrocks Other Stories


The following is a story set in my world of Teir, and more specifically, the northeastern continent of Kazkaydia. I hope you enjoy it.

Paradise

Chapter One: Sweet Redemption

Escaping hadn’t been easy, and if it weren’t for my Domen claws we never would have gotten out to begin with. The Avlarians sure do go above and beyond to ensure that we Domen don’t escape their slave-pens. And it seemed like it took forever to cut through the rope that was keeping the iron cage lifted. Once I was finally able to cut through, the gate fell down and about two-hundred of us ran out of the pen. That was a whole three days ago. And now I’m still fighting through the snowy forests southward.

As for the exact number of survivors following our hectic midnight break out, I have no idea, for I had lead the pack springing out of the small Avlarian town as fast as my old legs could carry me. In two months I’ll be fifty years old…I think. And now, as I sit in a snow-covered tree that looms high above the even snowier ground, only two of my fellow Domen still follow me. The others were either captured or killed, and I pray to Shaol it was the latter.

“Azril, do you see any of them?” said one of my companions from behind, Razlo.

“Hush, fool! Do you want them to hear us?” I said in a stern whisper. “I don’t see any of them right now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not there. Just be patient, Razlo! We move when I say we move!”

That certainly hushed him up, but I did feel a bit of remorse. Razlo had been a good friend of mine ever since we both met each other in the Avlarian slave camp some thirteen years ago, and to yell at him was…strange, to say the least. He was a good twenty or twenty-something years younger than me, and I felt as if I was acting like a father to him. But I had to be firm, or else risk the chance of being captured or killed. And if any of those two were to happen, again I pray to Shaol it be the latter.

Suddenly I heard movements from down below. We were relatively high above the ground, but I was still able to see down below clear enough to make out what was moving around, thanks to my keen sense of sight. (That was one good thing about being a Doman. Even as you aged, your senses never dropped in effectiveness) The sun was slowly starting to rise, meaning Shenzai was breathing once again, its rays offering a bit of light to help us along the way to Ibisaro, Ibisarian territory. According to a group of Domen slaves that had arrived at the Avlarian slave-camp nearly a month or so ago, the Ibisarians in Ibisaro were housing runaway Domen slaves. After this was learned we began planning our escape from the Avlarian slave-camp in Klor. Ibisarians housing Dome slaves was only a rumor, yes, but it was a rumor worth acting upon.

“Did you hear that?” My other companion, Jariic, asked; he only in his early teens. I quickly hushed him up by holding a finger to my mouth and giving him a scowl.

Down below a figure stepped out from behind a bush, and following that figure were two others. By the light-looking grey robes with a red diamond in the middle they were wearing, I knew they were Avlarian slavers. The scum had followed our trail after all. I still couldn’t believe how they could wear such little clothing in such frigid cold. Granted, the southeastern region of Klout wasn’t nearly as cold as the most northeastern parts. But still, it was cold enough for snow, so it was cold enough for me. I had always assumed that the Avlarians’ skin had developed a tolerance to the bitter cold, and that’s why they didn’t have to wear a lot of clothing. We Domen have a natural fur coat, yes, but I still wished I was wearing some kind of manmade coat. Even the ugly ones the Avlarians sometimes wore during the harsher blizzards that plague the land during the middle part of Aktel, what we Domen refer to as winter.

“Shh…” I said to my two companions. “We wait for them to head back north, and then we’ll move out. Stay here, I’m going to get a closer look.”

I was about to climb down the branches, but Razlo grabbed my arm forcefully from behind before I could do so. “And what if they catch you, Azril? This is not a good idea. Why must you get a closer look anyway?”

I turned back to him and whispered, “Because I have my reasons. Stay here and do not come down. If something is to happen, continue on without me, and remember to keep following the Ailic River.”

And then I left without giving either of them a chance to respond.

Climbing down the branches was harder than I expected it to be. ‘Course, climbing trees in general was harder than I expected as well. As a child I used to climb trees with my friends constantly. After that day when I was captured, however, it all changed. It was all hard labor after that. Two days ago, the day we all escaped from Klor, marked the first day I had climbed a tree since I had been turned into a slave to work for the Avlarian army, and more specifically the army based in the Vericor Sector of Klout. And though Razlo, Jariic and I had been traveling through the trees of the forest since we escaped, my old age has kept me back from getting used to things as they once were. Forty-something years will do that to you. I’m actually surprised I’ve lasted this long. Then again…maybe I’m not almost fifty to begin with…

As I crept down the tree-branches little by little I did my best not to slip and cause a sound that might give away my position, and doing so was much easier said than done. It was dangerous enough because the limbs were wet from the mostly-melted snow, but some of the branches were even frozen. I avoided those branches of course. Still, it was very dangerous, and I was starting to think that perhaps I shouldn’t have left my position to begin with.

“They can’t be too far,” said one of the men, the one who had stepped out of the bush first. I was hanging above them, fairly close to them now, only about ten yards high.

“I doubt it,” one of others from behind said. “They’re probably in the Yonderland now, Duric. Domen are fasts creatures.”

“Yes, Rechi, but one of them was an older fella’. I could see it in his limp. It was a slight limp, but a limp nonetheless. I wouldn’t be surprised if they stopped to rest. Keep an eye out for them.”

Close, but not quite. I didn’t have a limp, and the only reason it had looked as if I was limping back in the small town was because I had stubbed my toe one something hard while escaping.

The three turned around and started to continue along the snow-covered path, and once they were underneath me I sprang into action just as I had planned all along, for I knew they’d catch up with us sooner or later. I jumped from my position and landed on top of the leader of the trio, latching onto his shoulders with my claw-hands and bringing him to the ground. I quickly swiped at the Avlarian’s throat with my razor-sharp six inch nails, slitting his throat. The two men watched in horror as their leader began to gargle, struggling to stay alive. Then one of the other two, the one who had spoken, charged at me with an axe that looked as sharp as my nails. But he was as clumsy as most Avlarian warriors were, and I easily dodged his charge by rolling to the right at the last second as he brought his axe done. The axe-head hit the ground and was momentarily stuck. While the opportunity displayed itself I ran up behind him and dug my nails through his neck, leaving him to gargle on the ground as well.

And as the two dying men struggled to breathe even though they knew it was of no use, the last remaining Avlarian stood where he had been the entire time, his body shaking and his hands shaking even more. He was obviously scared, and I enjoyed that immensely.

“Please…leave me alone!” he yelled as I began to walk towards him. He fumbled for his own axe but dropped it because his hands were shaking so violently. He tried to grab for it on the ground, but I ran over and clawed across his right cheek, causing him to fall back several feet as I bent down and tossed the axe several yards behind me and out of reach for the last remaining Avlarian. And as he lay there, he held his hands up in surrender. “Just leave…I swear I won’t follow you!”

Tears were now beginning to fall down his hairy face, but I didn’t care. Tears and frightful emotion only made the scene more pleasurable. He and his people had killed and abused hundreds of my kind, and for unforgivable reasons at that. He deserved whatever I decided to give him, and no less.

By this time the other two Avlarians had finally passed away, ascending to whatever false afterlife they believed in, to whatever ridiculous false Gods and Goddesses they worshipped. The man that laid on the ground in front of me was about the do the same thing, but I would make him suffer. Slitting the other two’s throat was getting off easy. But just as I was above to begin, I was grabbed from behind, again by Razlo.

“What in the name of Shenzai are you doing?” He asked, looking at me as if I were crazy.

“I told you to stay up in the tree!”

“I was, until you decided to give away our hiding spot! Why did you do that?”

“They were going to find us eventually! It’s better to kill them now before they catch us later. This is for our own good, Razlo. Get back up into the tree with Jariic!”

But apparently that comment was worthless, for that’s when I realized Jariic was standing right behind Razlo, looking rather guilty for disobeying my orders. I was no official leader of anything like that, but I always felt leadership was an important tool.

“Zeg’reh!” I cursed loudly, my hands tightening with anger. “Get back up in the-“

Suddenly I stopped talking as I felt a hot, sharp pain go through my calcaneal tendon. I fell to the ground helplessly and found that the Avlarian had cut me with a dagger. Screaming in agony, I clawed once more at him, this time for the hand that was carrying the dagger. I knocked the dagger aside and then lunged from the seat of my bottom, pouncing on top of the Avlarian. With the adrenaline I was having I was able to hold the man’s two hands down above his head with my left hand, and then using my free right hand I dug into his eyes with my middle and index fingers. The man shouted in sheer anguish, trying his best to get free of my grip, but it was no use. I wasn’t budging.

When I ceased in digging into his eyes and brought my hand from his face, his eyeballs were still inside of their sockets, but it was hard to tell from all the blood that was pouring down his mouth and chin. Regardless, it was obvious he could see no more, for he was now crawling through the snow aimlessly, waiving his hands in random directions and screaming words that made no sense.

As I was walked towards him, now with his dropped dagger in my hand, this time Jariic grabbed me from behind. “Leave him be, Azril! He’s suffering enough! Let’s just leave before his yelling attracts more of them!”

I looked at Jariic with a surprised expression, for it was quite strange to see him so emotional. He was a quiet one, that much was certain. And I suppose it was because of him that I decided to end the fun. “One more moment,” I said sternly, and continued towards the Avlarian that could no longer see me. I stood above him and then sat down on his chest, and he was a position where he could not strike me with his hands or kicked me with his legs. I opened his mouth by pulling down forcefully on his bottom lip with my long nails, and then I brought down the dagger and shoved it down his throat. I then got up and stood beside his body and watched his suffer and struggle. And I smiled, maybe even chuckled. I’m not quite sure. It was certainly enjoyable to see him go through such pain… the type of pain my own people have suffered through for almost three hundred years now. Redemption was a sweet thing.

Behind me, Razlo and Jariic were gawking at me as if I were a monster, there pointed ears pointing straight in the air just as all Domen’s do when they feel something is bad. I’ll openly admit that my actions were somewhat questionable, but at the same time they were justifiable as well. It was the least I could do for the Domen that had died needlessly at the hands of the Avlarians. If it weren’t for Jariic’s sudden outbreak of disapproval I would have went even further.

“I…I can’t even begin to believe what just happened. Are…are you insane?” Razlo asked me.

“Insane? No...not even close. Insane is enslaving an entire race of people because of something that happened three hundred years ago. Insane is cutting off a Doman’s tongue just for the fun of it, and then shoving the tongue down that Doman’s throat. Insane is you in front of me, complaining because I am avenging the pointless deaths of so many Domen before us.”

My speech was started to become slurred because of the anger that was boiling inside of my veins. I couldn’t fathom why Razlo was so disapproving of my actions. If anything, I’d expect him to join in. Then again…he was always one to question rebellious activities. According to him, we Domen were supposed to “accept our role in the world of Teir.” I didn’t believe that nonsense of course, and neither most of us back at the slave-camp. It’s actually hard to believe that we’ve come to be such good friends, given that fact that we tend to disagree with one another. But, as I think I’ve heard before, opposites attract.

“This…this is just crazy, Azril! Look what you did the poor man! He was following orders! How do you know he really wants to see us imprisoned?”

“It doesn’t matter, Razlo! He’s part of them, so he’s one of them! I can’t believe you’re arguing this! What about your brother? He was killed just weeks ago by these…scum! And you’re still going to stand here and lecture that my actions are horrible?”

“He has a point, Razlo,” Jariic said. I was very happy for him to have taken my side. “The Avlarians do deserve what they get.”

“You too, huh?” Razlo exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. “Fine! I don’t care. Let’s just get out of here before more of them come!”

The two continued southward towards Ibisaro, following the plan all of us back in Klorr had originally thought up. And I followed close behind, the blood under my nails and all over my hands having finally dried because of the frigid coldness.

[redsrock]

Chapter Four: A Random Encounter

“Something is wrong with him, Azril. Something is very wrong. And you know it, don’t you?”

Razlo and I were whispering inside a relatively large hollow in the ground. The…nest of sorts resembled something I had heard from incoming slaves. It was said that runaway Domen slaves made these ground-nests in order to live and hide in. When the three of us found that one that we did a few hours ago we were excited and hopeful that perhaps more slave-made codes would be present. Unfortunately there were not. It was just a plain old slave-nest.

“You don’t have to tell me this, Razlo. He’s puking up blood now. Of course there’s something wrong!”

Jariic’s sickness had not improved whatsoever, and in fact, it had only worsened more than anything. All the way to that point of him puking up blood and fainting without warning. Shenzai had just started to show itself no more than thirty minutes ago and unfortunately we likely traveled no more than ten miles or so during the night, maybe not even that. Jariic had passed out several times, once hitting his head on a wrong and causing a nasty bruise to form on the right side of his forehead.

I’ll admit though, I wasn’t too angry about not having traveled very far during the night, for were away from that dark and corrupted village, and that was a blessing in its own. At least whatever Avlarians had lived there had been killed, brutally and mercilessly I hoped. Witches were known for their tendency to torture one’s soul and then eventually eat it to gain power. Nasty business, but nothing less than what the Avlarians deserved.

“Maybe I do, because you’re taking this situation too lightly. You act as if this is nothing out of the ordinary, and you don’t seem to care too much for his ailments. Last night you even got angry at him when he passed out that third time!”

“I didn’t mean to get aggravated with him; I just didn’t want us on the trail for too long. It’s bad enough that we can’t travel through the trees because of our injury, but I fear Jariic is going to be more of a liability than anything. Sooner or later slavers will find us, and it will be because Jariic can’t stop puking his guts out.”

“Well what do you propose we do?” He asked sarcastically.

“I don’t want to kill him, but I just hope he stops soon, especially once we get closer to Ibisaro, where there will be more forts and other slave-camps. If he doesn’t get better by then, well….I don’t know what to say.”

“Oh I know what we’ll do! We’ll just kill him like you did those Avlarians! We might as well take him out now before he gets in the way!”

Razlo walked over to a large boulder and sat down, massaging his head as if he had a headache. Again he had brought up those events that he disagreed with.

“You know, I’m growing tired of the little snipes here and there about what I did to those Avlarians,” I said. Outside I heard the sickening splatter of vomit (and whatever else that was coming out of his stomach) on grass and stone.

“Don’t get me started, Azril. I’m not in the mood to argue, nor is my head. It’s throbbing right now, alright?”

“Then stop bringing it up!”

Before Razlo had a chance to respond, Jariic walked in from outside. His shirt was stained with bits of vomit and blood, and he took that shirt off and threw it outside. He was very skinny I noticed, not that I should have been surprised to begin with. The slavers never did feed us more than what they had to.

“Alright…I think I’m done now, guys. We can continue now.”

Razlo walked over to him and patted him on the back. “Don’t apologize, Jariic. It’s not your fault. And we aren’t going anywhere for the rest of the day. You’re going to sleep, and if you’re better tomorrow then we’ll move out. If not, then you continue to rest while either myself or Azril goes out and looks for medical supplies at a nearby by settlement or something.

“What?” I asked suddenly. “We barely got anywhere last night, Razlo. The last thing we need to do is stop yet again.”

He simply shook his head and said, “I don’t care what you say, Azril, I’m not letting you win this time. We aren’t moving until Jariic is better.”

He was right, I had to admit that. I just didn’t want to take a chance of being caught and going back to Klor. The slave-camps Klout generally worked together, and sent escapees back to whatever camp that had escaped from. But I didn’t want to end up like that. I wanted to move on…and according to the events that took place last night, I wanted to find Looh and Jahk’ren. It was obvious by the witch’s response that they are still alive. I could read it on her face. But was it a daydream or not? I can’t decide…it’s all too confusing.

“Very well. You’re right,” I said, and then walked over to where I found a nice little spot to lay in a pile of old and long-dead leaves. They crumpled loudly under by body, but at least it was better than the cold ground.




I must have fallen asleep shortly after laying down, and by the time I woke up it was nightfall. Heirkalai was present once more and this time with a bit of an orange haze surrounding the enormous moon. That happened sometimes, though I never learned why.

As I sat up in the leaves, a great many of them having stuck to what little clothing I was wearing, I noticed that Jariic and Razlo were both gone. I called out softly, but received no answer. That’s what I stood up and took a peek outside, and near a bundle of thick bushes I found Razlo kneeling next to a body. It was Jariic’s, and it was lying in the snow, blood and other things all around the two of them.

“What the…” I began, utterly confused at what was going on. Razlo looked back at me, and he had blood and…something else smeared all over his shirt. Tears were streaming down his face. And his eyes…his eyes were so frightfully…nothing like anything I had ever seen before. It was as if he had seen death itself. And figuratively speaking, apparently that was what had just taken place.

“He…he’s dead, Azril,” Razlo whispered, just loud enough where I could hear him clearly. He was shaking so fiercely it was almost unnatural. I walked over slowly, and the smell finally hit me. It was the most revolting thing I had ever smelled before, but I can’t even begin to describe it.

“How did it happen?” I asked, covering my nose with the sleeve the long-sleeved shirt I had on. I didn’t work much, but it was far better than nothing.

“He was puking again and he just…fell over. The vomiting was more violent I suppose. And he…he…” Razlo stopped, and was unable to continue.

“What, Razlo? He what?”

“He just started coughing up thick clots of blood,” he said, then stood up, walking back near the entrance. I followed, but I couldn’t help but keep looking back at Jariic’s body. “He kept coughing up blood and vomit, and he wouldn’t stop. He might have died because he…couldn’t breathe or something. I…I don’t know. But he’s gone now.”

We both stood there for what seemed like hours, muttering not a single word. The smell was getting worse and worse, and that’s when I suggested we get back into the hollow. Inside Razlo sat upon the same boulder he did yesterday and buried his head in his hands. “I just wish he didn’t have to go so painfully.”

“Yeah, Razlo…I know. I wonder what was wrong with him. We haven’t eaten anything since we left Klor, so it couldn’t have been food. We’ve drank water from the river, but you and I are fine. Do you think he got bitten by something?”

“I have no idea. That has to be it, though. I’ve never seen anything like that before. And Domen don’t get sick like that, Azril. I can’t even begin to imagine what had been wrong with him. I suppose it is better that he died now rather than suffer, though.

Again, silence for a long period of time, until finally Razlo stood from his boulder. I saw tears still in his ears, just as there still were in mine. He walked over and picked up his own walking stick (even though he didn’t really need one) and said, “It’s time to go, Azril. We don’t know if the body is infected.”




“Do you think we should stop now, Razlo?”

I asked this question some seven hours later as we still walked along the Ailic River. We had passed two villages along the way, both of them rather large and both of them also walled and protected by guard-sentries. We had decided to skip them until we found a smaller town with less security. Getting supplies would be much easier that way, not to mention a lot safer as well.

“No, not really. It’s only been but a couple of hours, and didn’t you say the River empties into a lake fairly soon?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I remember reading a map long ago that showed the river emptying into a lake. I just don’t know where exactly. We’ve been traveling for several days that, but we haven’t covered a whole lot of ground. But, Azril, I…I need to stop.”

I could sense the quivering in his voice, and I turned around to see tears in his eyes once more, obviously for Jariic. “Still thinking about Jariic?” I asked.

“Of course. How could I not?”

“I try not to dwell on it too much. It’s very unfortunate. It’s also very strange as well, seeing as we still have no clue on what exactly was wrong with him. To be honest I’d rather continue to not think about it, Razlo. It’d be in your best interest to do the same.”

He stopped walking, and I had no other choice but to do the same. His body was starting to shake again, and I knew something was seriously the matter with him. I feared he was beginning to lose his mind.

“Azril, we’re not gonna make it out of here at this rate. You’re right about them finding us sooner or later. It’s just a matter of time until they take us back to Klor and then we’ll continue to suffer day in and day out and we won’t be able to do a thing about it and-“

I grabbed his shoulders with my hand shook him as hard as I could. His eyes weren’t looking into mine even after I stopped, but rather looking in random directions, as if he were looking for someone or something. He was breathing was very rapid and while the shaking had slightly subsided, it was still going on. Razlo looked more scared than I had ever seen him before, even more so than when I found him kneeling beside Jariic’s gruesomely dead body. It was clear to me that he was scared he’d suffer the same fate that Jariic suffered. And this wasn’t good. Not for him, but not for our mission either. I wasn’t going to let him jeopardize our chances of finding Ibisaro, and more importantly, finding Looh and Jahk’ren if they were still alive somewhere.

“Listen to me, Razlo,” I said forcefully, holding onto his shoulders as tight as my frail, old hands would let me. “You’ve survived this long for a reason. We’ve only been traveling for few days, yes, but during these three days we’ve survived a lot. Whatever sickness Jariic died from, you and I were obviously strong enough to stay healthy. We are strong, Razlo, and we can make it to Ibisaro. I know we can. But you have to believe in me, as well as yourself. We can’t make this journey with you acting like this. You’ve always been emotionally and mentally strong. Don’t let us get taken back to the slave-camp, Razlo. Can I trust you to continue to be strong?”

He hesitated for a few seconds, and then the shaking all be quit entirely. His breathing, though a tad bit too fast in my opinion, was not nearly as rapid as it was just seconds ago. He finally looked me in the eyes and said, “Yes, I can.”

I let go of his shoulders to see what he would do. He sat there and did not cry. He didn’t do anything for that matter but stare directly into the snowy ground. I assumed he would start bawling his eyes out, but he never did. That was a very good sign.

It appeared that he was about to say something, but before he could get a word out something above us spoke in a high-pitched tone.

“Lookin’ for Ibisara are ya’?”

Above us high, standing on one of the lower thick branches of the tree beside us, was a small little fellow with a dark and almost sickly-colored skin. His eyes were large, but his body was relatively skinny. He couldn’t have been more than four feet in height, and he was wearing a one-piece outfit made from some kind of fur. His long, dark-blue hair flowed freely in the wind.

“Excuse me?” I asked, not really knowing what else to say, for I had not a clue what this creature was.

“I saaaaaid, are ya’ two lookin’ for Ibisara?” He repeated, smiling as wide as his little cheeks would let him.

“Don’t you mean Ibisaro?” Razlo asked.

“Ibisara, Ibisaro…same difference.”

He simple stood there for a few seconds, looking at both of us with that same wide smile. Razlo and I were speechless and completely confused. Finally the little…man-thing hopped down from the tree and brushed off some leaves with his tiny hands. “The name’s Arvus, but ya’ two can call me Arvy,” he said happily while extending his hand. I shook it awkwardly, for that was not the usual greeting for a Doman. Rather, it was pounding the fist on one’s chest whenever meeting another Doman. The Avlarians had some kind of ridiculous greeting, but one that I had forgotten.

“Ahhh, sorry ‘bout the odd greetin’, Doman. I forget that the handshake is meant more towards those Nothren people. Sorry, but I’m not quite familiar with ya’ own greeting ritual or whatever it is ya’ like to name it.”

Razlo’s mouth was hanging open in a dumbfound expression, and I knew he wasn’t going to say anything first. So I took lead instead. “I don’t mean to be rude…but what exactly are you? I’ve never seen your kind before.”

His face lit up even more with joy, if that were even possible. “That’s because me people don’t usually show themselves to strangers such as ya’selves. I am a Paagryn,” he said proudly. “We live in underground cities beneath the soil along the eastern coast, just off the shores of the Kaaric Sea. Or rather…the others do. I don’t no more. Not ever since me own people banished me from the cities a few months ago.”

“Banished?”

“Yes, Doman, unfortunately so. It was quite the mess actually. Me people claimed I was stealin’ from the Food-Maker, so they banished me,” he said, as if he was innocent, which I highly doubted.

“You mentioned a slave-camp. Why?”

“Cause ya’ two were talkin’ ‘bout it a’course! I take it yer looking fer one?”

“Why would we want to find a slave camp? We just escaped from one…”

“Well ‘ow am I supposed to know somethin’ like that, Doman? I don’t even know ya’ two!”

He had a point, but that still didn’t tell me why he was talking to us in the first place. “Right, you don’t know us. Which is why I’m confused why you’re talking to us to begin with.”

“Actually, Doman, I was gonna offer to take ya’ to the slave-camp, where ya’ could be with yer other Domen pals. But you make a good point that ya’ wouldn’t want to be getting’ near a slave-camp any time soon. I guess I’ll jus be goin’ now. I need to find muh food ‘fore it gets too dark anyhow…”

“Wait!” I called out as he was walking away. I believed he wanted attention more than anything, but if there really was a slave-camp around, that was another chance to find Looh and Jahk’ren. “Could you take us to this slave-camp?”

“What? Why would you want to do that?” Razlo suddenly asked, startling me.

“There’s a chance Looh and Jahk’ren could be there, Razlo. Don’t you think it’s at least worth a chance?”

“But you just told me how we’re heading for Ibisaro…”

Then the Paagryn, who had walked over to us on his two little legs, tugged at my pants. “I can get ya’ two there in no time, really. It’s only ‘bout forty minutes from ‘ere. An hour at the most.”

I looked back at Razlo, who was shaking his head, still confused about everything. And then I looked back down at Arvy and said, “Take us.”