The Wraiths Lament 5 - Aronora: Chapter 5

Dark, damp. Smelling like rot and decay. Ara hated everything about this cramped underground labyrinth. It made her uncomfortable to not even be able to spread her wings properly and the very thought of stepping into this murky water made her shiver. But right now she had much bigger trouble, her feathers all ruffled, screeching as her gaze pierced the shadows, searching for the attacker who had just ruthlessly ambushed their group. But they were left to confusion and fright, no sign of General Kali or her soldiers. Aronora shrieks as a warm hand touches her cheek. “Calm, Ara. Are you hurt?” The voice of her rider soothed the Harpia. She was Ravis, a rather lithe and nimble woman with hair white as snow, dark, worried eyes, pointy ears and a wide cloak of red wool. Aronora huffed and touched her with her large beak, indicating she was alright. Ravis took a deep breath, instantly regretting as she grimaced, and looked down into the water.

“Well, honestly, I think this is the lowest point yet. This is awful!” Ravis mumbled and walked up and down. She talked to herself in a low and quiet voice, her hands fumbling. Again and again she looked down into the flowing abyss, still hoping Kali would just resurface and reach out to her. But with the strong current, this was highly unlikely. Aronora knew this behavior, her Rider never performed well under pressure. She was a kind soul, probably even worrying for the rhakos themselves. But she herself was a lot more level-headed and now calm again, thinking. The tunnel they were in was wide and had a rounded ceiling and was only lighted by far away openings up top. Pathways were narrow and slippery, overgrown with algae and mold. Tunnels led deep into Sols bowels left and right. They needed to find Kali and her men before they were swept into the endless darkness of this place. Without her their whole mission was lost. Aronoras dark claws had a decent grip as she bowed down to inspect the stream. They had no option but to follow it in hope that their teammates weren’t as far. But moving in a small space like this, especially with her size, was slow. So they better got moving. The Stryx once again nudged her rider and her head in the direction of the flow. Sometimes she wished they would share a language.

Ravis looked at her trusted companion and nodded, gulping but encouraged by her Stryx determined face. “Let's find Kali. We need to haste.” She already wanted to head out as Ara grabbed her cloak and gently pulled her back, bowing forward. The woman had far less grip in here than Aronora. To carry her would be much faster, even the Stryxs Wings were useless here. So her Rider got up into her saddle. She adjusted her position however Ravis did not sheathe her sword. The rhakos was still roaming this place and it had probably quite an advantage, knowing the sewers and waterways now. One last time Aronora shook her feather coat, trying to get the moisture out as she set out to follow the current.

It was a grim endeavour they pursued as Stryx and Rider made their way through Sols underworld. “I never knew there was such an extensive sewer system down here.” Ravis said, her voice little more than a whisper. The worst possible scenario would be to face the rhakos now, alone and with no backup. Sometimes, they were sure they heard scratching, claws on stone. The clackering of a beak, heavy breathing. And the whole time Aronora was dreading to once again see those piercing bright eyes. They had burned themselves into her soul, sure to leave her some nasty nightmares. But Ravis was right, the tunnels seemed to spread endless. At some points they ended up at crossroads, trying to figure out where the current would have taken it’s unwilling guests by throwing in pieces of rotting wood from collapsed walkways and rails, watching the path they would take. Ara felt so cramped in here that she had to take a moment to stretch as they entered a large reservoir the size of a chapel at least. Tall, unadorned pillars held a round ceiling where light came through holes. The giant pool of water was as black as night in the darkness of the Sewers Whatever bridge may have crossed it once was long gone, eaten away by rot and mold. It was still too risky to fly but neither would she be able to jump over.

“Cmon Ara, let’s get a bit athletic, eh?” Aronora was once again strengthened by her Riders words and planned a path before flexing her muscles and jumping. Not over the pool, put up a pillar. Scaling the height while jumping and holding onto the rough stone with her claws she climbed one of the pillars up to the top, where she turned and jumped over the pool, using her wings to awkwardly glide across. It was much less spectacular as she would later tell the tale. But still, Aronora was proud, rustling her brown feathers in pride as she once again followed the path of the stream, worry for Kali pushing aside all pride quickly. The tunnel was getting narrower now and she had to walk crouched, her rider finally dismounting and taking the lead. As her feathers brushed the damp walls, wetting them, Ara grumbled. She knew this was important. But once this was over this place would never see her again.