Gilliam’s Sister

The oars were rested and an extremely tall woman sprung off the stern of 'The Roar' before the ship had a chance to settle on the pier. Just ahead old man Deitmar awaited. His Golem had shifted into the shape of a tall bench letting him sit tall and block the path at the same time.

He lifted and examined a gear timer which sat like a pet in his palm. A thirteen-year-old girl stood at his side, a dense tomb of a book in her arms like she was holding up a feral mastiff. Sweet Grettha stepped up with her hand out and mouth open to speak.

The giant palmed adorable Grettha's face like an apple and pushed her aside, Deitmar's gran-child battled with the push as the book's weight threatened to walk her off the pier and into the ocean.

"Ol' man! Has the meeting begun?" the tall woman asked, her tone's natural tone a yell.

"No." The old man breathed.

"Are all the Leaders and Voices involved? Or just my father?"

"All hands-on deck." Said the old man.

Gaylene gritted her teeth and took a breath. The old man eyed her up and down.

"Now, now, Ilene. Vhye is it dyou look fit vir a fight?" The old man asked.

"My baby brotah vill be pulled in front af tah village! Did people die?"

The old man looked her up and down, sighed and nodded, his muscle easing against his golem. Next to his was lovely little Grettha's golem, which had taken the form of small wooden scarecrow, it stood as she sat on the Golem bench next to the old man.

He grunted, patting the girl's head.

"And tah Head his chosen my brot'a?"

"Vell, consider tah give a piece of fait'h fir dyour leaders." He said tapping his head. The following grin he grew was contagious.

Gaylene smiled and took a dramatic breath.

"But it's Gilliam, not Glendon. Am I right?" She complained.

Gaylene wasn't sure if what followed was a sigh, or the old man's tension melting away. In that moment he became a far older man, he pointed down the pier past an open field of a stone tiles that made the market place towards a three-floor high stone inn.

"My boy's vaiting fir you. He should be very sober." He said with a growl of a laugh as his golem bench twisted out of her path leaving little freckly faced Grettha in the way. She realized her dilemma a little too late, taking a side step when she should have ran.

Gaylene palmed her face and shoved her to the ground.

"I vill tell my ma!" Grettha complained from the ground having managed to get her body under the book to protect it.

"Zat's the point!" Gaylene yelled out a laugh as she left.

Gaylene's grin slowly faded, whittled away by her mind. Absently she palmed the sword hilt at her side, rubbing the hilt's end, it made her skin tingle reminding her of the weight of the shield on her back.

Gaylene was riled up, her hackles high.

Walking thoughtlessly, she just listened to her boots klomp on the wood, the steel toes clanked at the joints. The brisk walk warmed her thighs, the shield heavy against her back. The weight of the situation crushing down on her soul.

There was entirely the chance that everything could go as badly as she imagined. Her bluff would be called, and, if pressed to fight, she would kill.

But The Head's warriors? And the Militia that would form? Was she really thinking about taking over the entirety of Azura village? No, imagine that.

All around her were people working, empty barrels being filled with fresh water, wood being worked in the open, all to be collected by the town's coopers who rushed their work in the open to accommodate a great harvest. Completed barrels were filled with water before fresh fruit was dumped in. The filled barrels just ahead were hammered closed and rolled to a collection point, while others there would be met by her own people. All to be collected by people exactly as herself. In a better world, she would have been running over to make a deal for a few barrels before rushing over to the other islands. Lila would be the first all other ships would rush to, then Ambre then Tukis. Not being able to act, it felt like gold was being bled out of her pockets.

She had to walk around those groups, waving and nodding to friends, and business partners. Funny enough, no one actually stopped her.

But eventually she pushed through the inn's large wooden double doors.

Inside the excited murmur fell silent. Her brow rose as eyes fell upon her and recognition created a series of quiet reactions. That was worrying, maybe she was being ridiculous thinking that people would follow her.

Had things been worse than expected?

"Ylene, dyou look like d'you are armoured vir a fight?" Gunnar asked, turning around at the bar and stepped over to her.

He was a big man, his shoulders were like twin trays. But still over a head shorter than her. They grinned and clapped hands together, gripping and shaking before sitting.

"How much do you know about vhat haz happened to my brot'ar?" Gaylene asked.

He sat down with a heavy sigh.

"The vord is, the Nash family has lost a husband en vife. Killed by volves."

She truly thought about that and took a deep and loud breath.

"Girlie, ale, now." She ordered a teen red head. The young girl's wooden golem held up a tray, many a pint being filled. Gaylene rubbed her hands together "The Nash have good people in the family there. Vas it Kirsten?"

Gunnar shook his head.

"Vas her sister." He said.

"And I know her, husband and child too?"

"The child survived. Not tah husband."

"By tha Gods." She sighed.

Gunnar reached across and touched her hair, pulling at the edges to examine it.

"Ylene, dyou know, all t'hings considered. How did dyou get here so quickly?"

She turned to him absently swirling her pint as he held her hair, letting him hold for a moment before pulling back for a long heavy swig. She dried her lips with her arm. From the floorboards a golem grew out of the wood, the ground rose in a veiny bulge, sprouting until a thin wooden Golem appeared, shaped thin, like a praying mantis.

Gaylene looked to the others 'minding their business' around them. She grabbed the back of his head and pinned their foreheads together.

"I knew to come because my Golem spoke." Gunnars eyes grew wide, he looked like he was seeing something inhuman. "Anyway, I knew somet'ing vas vrong, so I collected tah boys, I tole t'em to prepare fir a fight and ve rushed, but put a varning in case. And as ve release tah anchor, in comes a Na'ari to give word in ta night and ve all pushed and ro'ved until ve got here."

"I t'hink," He hesitated and thought a moment, biting his lip. "I t'hink dyue, should be a part of the trial."

"Oh, trial is it? That be happenen? Is my boy under trial?"

"No, but-"

Bang!

The double doors burst open rather dramatically. And a tall wirey man, drenched in a robe and scarf so long and wide it was its own separate blue and white robe appeared.

"Cousin!" Demanded the stiff mantis like giant. "You are drinking? Now? Have you even gone home?"

Gaylene took one more swig and stood. There would be no more talking. They immediately rushed each other. His large and round stone golem and her wooden mantis lit up under their aggressive intent and they clashed, grabbing and crashing down on each other like bears.

Gaylene was bigger but he was still a man, a large one too. Both were used to milking their size advantage and they fit like a jigsaw. She had to dig deep and go low as she was pushed back until she started shoving up from the bottom, which was a mistake, because, despite being more grounded, she could not lift him. It was a bizarre stalemate.

"Your family is waiting for you!" Her cousin demanded.

"T'ere was no chance of t'hat happenen! T'hey could not know I vould be here!"

"So you don't show?" He yelled.

"I have literally just arrived and vill get home. I do not need to come as I am!"

"You are not in a place to speak such when your family is waiting for you!" He growled.

He shoved, which just went to her spine, and she had to push back, with murderous conviction going for a downwards push. She pushed her wrists together and locked them onto his Adams Apple.

After that, they were in a very different fight.

Gunnar grabbed both their waists, lifted and rushed them out the inn before they could protect their skulls. They were tall enough to bang their heads against the door frame despite its size.

"Ve gonna stop t'hat now. Ve gonna have Ylene clean up, right because dyour people need support. And as a Finger I and tah family vill be behind her and if dyou ken talk, t'hen ydou ken stand!"