Chapter 95 Home

Chapter 95 Home
"Is it dead?" Perrin asked as the Zytherians turned, ready to lead them to their village.

They stopped, and then laughter went through the group. Their leader looked at the young man, and an amused smile crossed her face.

"No, child, he's simply charmed. My name is Zyla, by the way," she added and bowed her head.

"Oh, I'm Perrin. This is Ra'Jeem and Zorrik, from the Imperial City."

Zyla looked them over, one by one, lingering on Zorrik. "Perhaps not 'from'," she observed. "Welcome home, brother."

With that, she beckoned them to follow and turned to follow the others.

Once Zorrik had recovered from his shock, he followed Perrin and Ra'Jeem down the jungle road. They could hear waves hitting the beach nearby, but at first, the trees were still too thick to see it. Then, after about an hour's walk, the jungle suddenly cleared, and a breathtaking cove appeared before them. A white sand beach, surrounded by fruit trees and flowers, made a perfect half circle around a blue water cove.

In the surrounding jungle, they could just make out the frames of treehouses and bridges connecting the buildings. Children played on the beach and fishermen, knee deep in the water, cast their nets wide. A few dragon boats and canoes were pulled up on one edge of the shore.

As they followed the Zytherians onto the beach, Perrin looked around, wide-eyed, and said, "This is magnificent."

Ra'Jeem nodded in amazement and then looked to his Mate, but he didn't think Zorrik had heard. The Master Assassin was taking in every little detail, a look of wonder on his face. Ra'Jeem smiled and reached down for his hand. He wasn't sure Zorrik had noticed that either, but then he felt Zorrik squeeze his hand.

As they drew closer to the village, a few of the children and fishermen stopped to watch, and others came out of their treehouses. Some of the stares were curious, but a few were wary.

"It's the uniform," a young man said. He was around Perrin's age, with the same steel gray hair as Zorrik's. "It's been a very long time since anyone has seen Assassins around here."

"I know the feeling," Perrin admitted.

More and more people began to flock to the beach to see the visitors. Murmurs went through the crowd as they wondered what was going on. There were a few huts on the beach, where fish were being cleaned and smoked. The people started to congregate around them, so Zyla stopped there.

Ra'Jeem, who'd been lost in the same trance of awe as his Master, was now starting to feel a bit like a zoo animal on display. He let go of Zorrik's hand, his instinct to grab the hilt of his scimitar, but he resisted. Most of the faces in the crowd were welcoming, the most welcoming he'd seen on this journey, other than Perrin's, and even the others seemed largely curious more than hostile.

The crowd continued to murmur, but suddenly, another voice cut through the furor.

"Zorrik?" it called out. "Zorrik Vorn?"

Zorrik quickly turned toward the voice, as did everyone else in the crowd. At one of the huts stood an old man. He looked like he could have easily been twice the Master Assassin's age, yet his body still looked strong and his eyes sharp. His long white hair was tied up in the usual Zytherian fashion, but he had a long beard with beads and shells braided into it. He'd been chopping fish and hanging it to smoke, but he put down his cleaver and slowly stepped out of the hut.

"That is you, Zorrik," he said, as if not quite believing it. "You look just like your father."

The Master Assassin looked up at Ra'Jeem and then Zyla, and both smiled with tears in their eyes. Then he looked back at the old man. He had no idea who he was, but as the man suddenly rushed toward him, Zorrik did the same. When they met, both put a hand on the other's chest and pressed their foreheads together.

"Who is he?" Ra'Jeem asked Zyla.

"Zorrik's grandfather was his brother," she answered. "He was one of two other survivors from their village. We'd heard rumors over the years that Zorrik might still be alive, but we were never sure."

Ra'Jeem nodded. "The Assassins found him, brought him back to the Imperial City."

Zyla sniffed loudly, something he'd never seen anyone but Zorrik do before. He knew what it meant, though. It was a subject that displeased her, and now was not the time to discuss it.

As more Zytherians greeted Zorrik and began to ask questions about his life, his Mate took his usual stance, watching closely from the back. He chuckled as Zorrik started getting overwhelmed and shot him a look that cried, "Save me!"

He didn't have to wait long, as a few minutes later, Perrin yelled out.

"Zorrik! Ra'Jeem!"

"What is it with this kid, now?" Ra'Jeem muttered under his breath.

Perrin had gotten the attention of everyone in the village, and they all joined the Assassins in hurrying back down the beach. The young man was standing at the edge of the water, having taken off his shoes and dipped his feet in. He looked well enough, and both Ra'Jeem and Zorrik were annoyed and confused.

"What is it?" Zorrik asked as he rushed to Perrin's side.

"There!" he answered, and pointed out in the water.

On the far side of the cove, something blue-green broke the surface. It was smooth, barely creating any wake, and almost the same color as the water. After a fleeting moment, it disappeared again, and they waited, silent and holding their breath. At first, there was nothing, then more of the body came up from the water, and then finally, a long, powerful neck.

The Zytherians cheered, including Zorrik, and held up their fists. After a few moments, Ra'Jeem and Perrin joined them. As if in answer, the seadragon dove down and then quickly came back up, launching itself out of the water. The crowd cheered again, some of them chanting in their native language.

"I've never seen a seadragon before," Perrin said.

"I'd seen one, on the voyage to Alambra," Ra'Jeem said.

As the dragon continued to entertain the Zytherians, Ra'Jeem looked over at Zorrik and knew that his Master had already forgotten about the mission.