Chapter 356 - Aioa part 4

When I asked how we would ever find Aioa, Sunni had smugly replied, "She will find us." And the child-like Eternal was right. But it took nearly one full cycle of the moon for my grandchild's strange talent to lead her to us. Until then, we traveled in a vaguely northeastern direction, just wandering really, hoping to cross her trail or come across the Uroborans who were pursuing her and engage them in battle. Neither happened, although we did come across a couple tribes of nomadic mortals.

These nomadic people were known to us in Penthos. They were called the Jurango. We considered them allies so we did not feed upon them as we normally might have done. It was tempting, but there were enough beasts in the region to slake our thirst, though the blood of humans is infinitely more satisfying.

The region to the east of the mountains was mostly arid grassland. There were some desert-like areas and a few modest forests, but mostly it was grassland, vast open flat grassland with little to see but the herds of great aurochs that roamed the windy steppes.

Vehnfear joined us shortly after that. The immortal wolf came trotting out of the darkness one night, bright red tongue curling jauntily from the side of his mouth. I was surprised to see him and dropped to one knee to embrace the handsome beast. He was nearly as good at avoiding detection as Irema. "Hello, old man!" I greeted him. "Did Zenzele send you to keep an eye on me?"

Though the wolf seemed to understand man-talk, he could not speak to answer me. What he could do, however, was slather my face liberally with his tongue. Not as eloquent as human language perhaps, but just as expressive. Still, I was glad of his company, and was much comforted by his presence in the days that followed, for Sunni was becoming much too familiar with me and the wolf acted as a buffer between the pushy little woman-child and myself.

Twice I had awakened at sunset to find her sleeping naked beside me, curled against my side like a mortal child. The second time, I had the distinct impression the Eternal had taken liberties with me. Vehnfear guarded me jealously after he joined our expedition and would not allow the diminutive immortal near me while I slept. It was a great relief. Though the culture from which I hailed was very liberal when it came to sex, intimacy between adults and children was still taboo for us. I know Sunni was several hundred years old, but she had the form of an adolescent and the thought of having sex with her made me shudder with revulsion.

Sunni was afraid of the fearsome wolf and eventually left off with her attempts to seduce me. She took her frustrations out on the old man, cursing her fledgling vociferously whenever he displeased her. She wasn't above giving him a smart rap on the head either. I was just grateful I did not have to confront her directly about the issue. I had the feeling she did not handle rejection well, and could be a vindictive creature when aroused.

Many of the nights we wandered the steppes, the God King sent his Eye to spy upon us. Now that we had parted company with my granddaughter, we were no longer shielded from the God King's clairvoyant vision. Although Khronos could not physically impede us—it was just a psychic manifestation—it still vexed me to know that he was snooping on us. The Eye was like a pesky insect, always buzzing to and fro above our heads, chasing after us, radiating its master's cold contempt. Eventually we began to make obscene gestures when we sensed him hovering overhead. We would wag our genitals at him or bare our buttocks in his direction. We pointed and laughed. Made crude jokes at the God King's expense. Insulted his mother. Anything we could think of.

Our scorn never failed to enrage the God King. Sometimes it even drove him away.

"Do you smell that, Drago?" I would say.

"I do, Father!" Drago would reply. "I would liken it to the thunder of an auroch's ass!"

Khronos hated when we compared his invisible presence to mortal flatulence. It really got under his skin. Sometimes he retreated in a boiling rage. At other times he came buzzing down about our heads, zipping through the air like hurled stones. I could practically hear his outraged howls.

It was all good sport, but I knew that he would tear me limb from limb if I ever fell into his power again.

In the modern vernacular: been there, done that.

Night after night we wandered, seemingly without end, traveling further and further north until the amber grasslands gave way to wintry white wastes, and then, without warning, she came.

Chaumas sensed her first. The old man left off from his endless, irksome whistling to laugh excitedly and leap up and down. "They come! They come!" he proclaimed.

We did not know who "they" were, if it was Aioa and her party or her Uroboran pursuers, so we readied for combat. Our elite guard shifted into battle formation, five to a grouping, each warrior facing outwards, ready to engage our enemies and tear them limb from limb. Sunni scampered into hiding with the old man, dragging him along behind her. Drago and I armed ourselves with stone blades while Rayna took up her spear. Behind her, Eris crouched in readiness, fingers curled into claws. The two-natured Eternal was deadly at hand-to-hand combat. With glinting eyes, we searched the dark landscape around us.

A woman called to us from the shadows. "Grandfather, it is I, Aioa!"

I lowered my guard and moved forward to greet her.

"At last, fate has seen fit to draw our paths together again," she said, as her lithe figure swam out of the gloom. There were two other blood drinkers with her, guarding her back. Her dark hair swirled around her pale, round face as she opened her arms to receive me. "And not far from the final segment of your body!" she added.