Meeting by the River

[Cloud Caelum Garr]

Glade 9 123

Garr heard from his professor in his lessons in the morning that it was possible to attune to elements where they are prominent. Garr got the idea in his head to go to the river and see if he could attune to water. He arrived at the river and found it to be just as incredible as the last time he’d come here. It’d only been a handful of weeks since he’d ventured here to see if water was his arche element. He decided to sit down by the water and sit cross legged. Then, he began to meditate. Well, he tried to. Thirty minutes passed without him feeling any different at all.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration as he sat by the river. He had been looking forward to attuning to the water element, but it seemed that his meditation skills were lacking. He tried to focus on his breath, to quiet his mind, but his thoughts kept drifting to other things. He thought about how he had always struggled with meditation, how he had never been able to still his mind for more than a few minutes at a time. He wondered if he was doing something wrong, if there was some secret technique he was missing. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to make any progress. Eventually, he gave up and stood up, stretching his legs and feeling the sun on his face. Maybe he just wasn't cut out for this kind of thing.

As he walked along the riverbank, Garr wondered if he was just destined to be a mediocre mage, forever stuck in the lower ranks of the magical hierarchy. He tried to shake off these negative thoughts, reminding himself that it was just one failed attempt. He got tired of walking and sat down again to try meditating again. He let out a low hum as he did so and tried to think of nothing but water.

[Hilana Chenzira]

Hilana and Hayima'el made their way along the banks of the River Vasta. She had been a busy girl out here today, gathering plants as she went. She was hidden too, behind her Mask of Midnight's Mother. The large camel was unconcerned, having gotten used to this by now, and he made his way along, eating away at browse as his mistress gathered what she needed. She had vials and bottles for other things, too, tucked away into her pack. The Vastiana had visited a Hedera Ardenta and filled a pack with fruits and a metal container lined with a heavily-waxed piece of cotton with some chunks of the positively vicious cactus. She had use of the sap for a projected and why not?

The monstrous shadow creatures she was determinedly taking out, one by one as she came across them. She had an advantage, at least, in how well hidden she and her enormous piebald camel were. It made it easy for her to manifest fire and set the shadowspawn alight, and she would slip from her saddle and fill jars with the ashen remains. Each jar had a label on it, and in a corresponding notebook, Hilana was making notes: what the creature had looked like, how big it was, and where she had found it. She didn't know if there would be a different reaction alchemically to the individual shadow creatures, but it didn't hurt to have solid notes for when she took them in to investigate them and see what all she could, and what she could then use it for. Vasilei and her Great-Aunt had drummed that into her. It didn’t hurt to have plenty of notebooks to refer back to as a healer and as a poisoner, especially if something stuck out… that way you could always go back and refer to it later. Of course, that was always a downside if you kept your recipes written down, especially when you didn’t want someone to know what was -in- it…

Any which way, Hilana was making her way back to the city, having gotten back to the Vasta and following it home. She wouldn’t have minded looking for some purussaur teeth, just to have them and maybe bring one to Khyan… but the tide was too high for that now, and she didn’t feel like manipulating the River more than she had to. Not with this ever-present, unending sun. In the distance, she saw Garr walking along the riverbank, and she had to wonder what brought the young Patrician out beyond the safety of the city’s walls. He was certainly a capable mage by the Vastiana’s standards, but then again, when one compared her standards compared to those of the broad majority of their fellow citizens, well… and then he sat down again. Taking a break, maybe?

She saw the shadow creature emerging from the sands, and the girl slipped her Mask off, putting it away in its cloth in her rucksack. She didn’t intend to reveal anything about that for now, and Hilana focused her aether to manifest fire as she urged her enormous camel into a trot. The large, crocodilian-shaped shadow was soon set alight, and she let out a whistle to catch Garr’s attention to alert him to the danger coming up on him as the Equestrian closed the gap. The monster crumbled to ash before it could reach him, at least. “Hello, Your Lordship,” she greeted him as she got closer. “Fancy seeing you out here. Exploring?”

[Cloud Caelum Garr]

Garr had been totally oblivious to the shadow creature. He would have liked to have been able to say he was in a meditative state and unable to hear anything… but that was far from reality. He had gotten so bored of trying to meditate that he was nearly asleep. Though the wind tickled him, trying to wake him and alert him to danger, it was ultimately the sound of fire that brought him out of his stupor.

Garr lifted his head and turned it to see the ashes of… something being caried away by the wind. He scrambled to his feet. His vision was blurred but he was ready to defend himself if need be. Then, his eyes focused on someone he would haven ever expected to see. He had to do a double take because he literally did not believe his eyes.

“H…Hilana?” he asked. “You’re not a mirage are you?” He then saw that she was riding a camel and thought that she was probably just out here gathering materials for her business. He responded to her question by saying, “I was trying to attune to the river. My professor said it was possible but I haven’t had much luck so far. What are you doing here? I presume you’re the one who made those ashes?”

Garr had a million questions, which was looking to be the norm when he ran into Hilana. He was naïve and clearly oblivious to the danger he was in when being away from the busy parts of the city. The main places he feared were the places criminals congregated. He was a bit of a coward in that sense. He had grown up powerless and not good at much of anything so running was his go-to response for danger. Now that he had magical power though, perhaps things would change.

[Hilana Chenzira]

She beamed at him when he recognized her, and nodded to him in greeting from aside the massive camel. As the quadrupeds went, this one was a beast, because where Hilana’s upholstered wooden saddle sat high on that hump, the girl was almost ten feet off of the ground. “No, not a mirage. At least, I don’t feel like one,” she grinned down at him, tapping her nose as of to prove a point and going cross-eyed before chuckling. She wasn’t laughing at him, more at her own silliness. “Are you alright, sir?”

She nodded in understanding as he talked about why he was out here, looking from him to the churning waters of the Vasta. She could hear the spirits there, especially the large one, and she smiled. “This is so, you can. But attunement can take hours of meditation in order to be successful, as my tutors have told me,” Hilana looked thoughtful. “That’s something I have to work on, too, and it’s probably safer to practice on that first somewhere quiet in your home or somewhere like that in the evening or early morning when you’re at your most restive. Just another thing to work on, but the more we do it, the better we will get,” she was encouraging. If she shared his feelings on being condemned to mediocrity, she didn’t show them: the nomadic Vastiana apparently felt knuckling down and getting to work would help her pursuit of her studies and her goals, and perhaps it was her way of things. And if it was, well, it seemed to be working out for her so far.

She coaxed the ashes with the wind guiding them like a dark ribbon through the air into a jar. “That was me, yes. There’s strange creatures out here; they’ve been around since the last third of Ash or so. That’s when I started noticing them, at least,” Hilana frowned, closing the jar once the last of the ashes was deposited within. “They’re like shadowy versions of creatures here, but they’re fortunately weak to aether-based attacks. Fire, or lightning, or earth, or piercing them with air or water tends to do the job. But there’s an awful lot of them, and they just keep coming,” the young woman frowned. “I’ve no idea what is causing them, but I don’t like it. I’m collecting the ashes this time to see if I can find anything about them with Alchemy. It’s odd; whatever you use to kill them simply reduces them to ashes, there’s no physical remains beyond that to try to do an autopsy on,” she added. The jar went back into one of the loaded saddle bags.

“Usually with all of the patrols, this stretch of the river is fairly safe from them. The Vastian Guard is always up and down the Vasta, and there’s so many barges and such that there’s a lot of protective activity. But when you get away from there…” she shook her head. “Have you been out here for a while? Do you need a lift back?”

Coming, the earth spirits whispered. They come.

“How are you with hitting things with lightning, Your Lordship?” Hilana asked him as she looked off in the distance, grabbing an approaching canine-seeming shadow monster with the earth to hold it in place for him, in the event he wanted an opportunity to practice. There were more coming, both of the Vastii could see them, but perhaps he could put his Arche and its para-elements to work.

[Cloud Caelum Garr]

Garr smirked at her little joke. He supposed a mirage wouldn't be able to speak.

"It seems you are more knowledgeable about elemenetalism than I thought. Perhaps it would be better to practice in my own home, although to be honest I did not expect a simple trip to the river to be wrought with danger." He knew that attunement could take a long time but he had been a little overconfident in his own abilities. He did not know that attunement was less about how good he was at manipulating elementes, but rather how good one was at meditation.

Garr massaged his temples when he was told about the shadow creatures. It sounded vaguely familiar but he didn't recall many details. He'd probably overheard word of them between his brothers as they discussed trade route issues. He never thought that the creatures would be here of all places, or that he would ever have to face one.

"Hmm, well it seems as though we are aptly equipped to deal with them." He looked to the ashes as they swirled not to far away from him. "I suppose I owe you my thanks, if you destroyed one that close to me."

He gave a nervous chuckle then continued, "Been walking along the river for about an hour or so and well, I suppose if I made it out here I could make it back well enough. However I think I ought to stick with you, if you don't mind. Perhaps I can help you with your ash collection."

He noticed Hilana looking past him and the wind blew right into his ear, causing him to wince. The wind would not allow him to ignore danger after being ignored the last time. He turned and saw the shadowy creature then felt sweat break out on his forehead. He said, "Believe it or not, I have absolutely no combat experience with magic. I guess we will see how good I am."

As Hilana held the creature firm, Garr focused and waved his hands around. He had only created lightning a handful of times and he had never been trying to do anything but create a dazzling display of sparks. He was curious to see if he could actually destroy something. As he waved his hands, sparks started to form around his body. They arced around his person, danced along his skin, and when he pointed at the creature, the sparks leapt towards it.

The sparks sounded akin to chirping birds as they travelled in a jagged motion through the air and skimmed the edge of the creature's earthy restraints. It blew off a piece of the earth, giving the creature a little room to start wiggling around.

"One more try then," Garr said. He put more energy into his attack this time and the sparks evolved into something akin to a mini lightning bolt. Then, he roared and pushed both hands towards the creature. The bolt hit true this time, and the creature was reduced to ash.

"That wasn't so bad," Garr said as sweat dripped down his face. "How many of these do you need to kill?"

[Hilana Chenzira]

When he admitted she might have a bit more knowledge in the subject than it had seemed at first, she just inclined her head to him respectfully. She had faith in her teachers, and what they had taught her and how they had tailored the lessons for her, and those lessons were continuous. They built on each other and enhanced the lessons that came before them, even though she was fairly certain that the Sentinel and the Grandmaster did not know each other. If they had, the girl would have been decidedly suspicious. But as it was, Hilana knew better than to flat-out say what she did and didn’t know; she wasn’t going to start a pissing contest with a Patrician. Even though they were out in her turf, the Sands, and it was just the two of them and she could probably get away with it out here, there would almost certainly be consequences later. Beyond that, she could tell that the young man didn’t mean anything condescending about it. It was just the way the broad majority of the Patricians were and had been raised. That their families were the cream of the Vastian crop, and everything and everyone else that didn’t have Re’hyaean blood was beneath them. There was no benefit to arguing with them. “For what it’s worth, everywhere outside the city is pretty dangerous when you’re not used to it,” she offered as consolation. “It’s just knowing how to handle it and what to expect. There’s crocodiles watching you, too, you know. They’re just below the surface. And at least this is too close to the city for the purussaurs, then we might really be in trouble,” she chuckled. The enormous, giant crocodiles that roamed the Vasta between Solunarium Proper and Tertium were no laughing matter.

“But I’m always glad for company,” she smiled brightly at him. She was clearly as at home in these wild areas as she was within the safety of the walls and her apothecary, and her camel, his hair a patchwork mix of sandy beige and darker brown-black, was clearly used to these shenanigans. “If you like, Hayima’el and I can give you a lift back, too. Did you bring water?” she wanted to know. He may have been an elementalist of considerable skill, but expending aether to manifest water was in multiple ways a self-defeating exercise for a Vastii who didn’t necessarily need water for several days. Still, considering his family seemed to be primarily situated in the Umbrium - and multiple Patricians had moved their families down to the lower city estates because of the split in the Senate and the repressive, unending light of the Sceptre of Avaerys that was in the sky... the girl was a bit surprised he was out here, and it didn’t hurt to share. She was well-stocked for supplies when she went out, but she had grown up in the wild and knew it like the lines of the palm of her hand.

“No? Well, I imagine that your paedagogi will get to that stage,” she was encouraging when she admitted to having little combat training with their shared Rune. She knew it because she had specifically told them that she didn’t intend to ever be sent away from a fight again because she couldn’t contribute, and as her Moonborn and Sunborn instructors told her often, there were two extremes, and it was important to be able to reach and go between both. If anything, perhaps the practice today will give you a step up in class for when the time comes,” Hilana added, continuing to hold the beast in place while Garr began to gather his lightning. The way it produced the sound of birds was interesting, as it caught her attention, but she smiled. Perhaps it was a quirk of some sort, but she rather liked it. When his first shot struck some of the earth she was using to hold the creature, the sand reformed fairly quickly, grasping another one of the quadruped’s limbs to help secure it once more. The girl was calm under the sunshade, the hand that sported the Rune having closed into a fist. The second shot did the job, reducing the beast to a pile that resembled the aftermath of a bonfire. "Dead on, that did it."

“The more we practice, the better we get,” Hilana lifted her other hand to ask the wind to carry those ashes to her, guiding it in a stream the same way that she had with those of the crocodilian that she had taken out with fire earlier. “This one makes twenty. I told my Paedagoga that I’d try to get two dozen or so different samples, so four more, but we’ll see what all we can find on the way back to the city.” This sort of thing clearly wasn’t putting a damper on her mood, but then again, perhaps she was more accustomed to this. She didn’t look any older than he was, but she was also not likely to be a Patrician. But if that made twenty, she’d been out here for some time. “That was fascinating, the way your lightning made the sound of birds like that. Does it always do that? Or do you intend for it?” she was curious, offering him a waterskin once the ashes were sealed away into the jar.

[Cloud Caelum Garr]

Garr felt a shiver run down his spine. He never considered crocodiles. If only water was his arche element, surely the river would have warned him. "I'll take care not to walk too closely to the water then," he said with a nervous laugh. He shuffled away from the river, as if he thought he might be able to outrun a creature that could likely tear his leg off before he could set it ablaze.

"Sure, a ride sounds great. I'll walk though, at least for now. I need to stretch my legs after sitting for all that time. As for water, I brought a little bit. I figure I could always just conjure more of it if needed." He realized he was a little thirsty and did just that. He created a ball of water in mid air then directed it into his mouth.

[fast forward to after the creature dies]

"Twenty? oh my gosh that sounds exhausting," he said as he wiped away the sweat on his brow. "How do you usually kill them? I have a feeling that zapping them with all my might is not all that efficient. Perhaps there's an easier way?" he was proud of himself for realizing this. If this had been one of his lessons he was sure his professor would have chastized him on how much energy he used. He felt like he could conjure a few more lightning bolts but many more than that would likely be going too far since he was still getting a grasp on his blending abilities. Thankfully it sounded like Hilana only needed four more.

"Oh, I don't know why it makes that chirping sound. I always assumed it was just a quirk that's naturally developing. I've only created lightning a handful of times, believe it or not." He smiled and finally felt like his exhaustion had worn off. "Shall we get going?"

Should they start their journey back to the city, they would inevitably run into more shadow creatures. Unlike the last one though, these creatures were busy attacking other animals. There was a shadowy snake that chased after a rodent that scurried away. At the same time there was a desert wolf that was fighting a shadowy wolf over a kill. Garr turned to look at Hilana and said, "which one do you want to handle? I'll get the other."

[Hilana Chenzira]

“I’m not trying to scare you,” Hilana tried to reassure him. “I’m just trying to warn you. One can never be too careful out here, even if it is where I grew up.” She had mentioned when they had met a few days ago in the safety of the Luxium that she was of nomadic stock, so that did in fact track. As holy as reptiles were in the Kingdom, getting eaten by one was not an appealing way to go out...

“I can understand that. Better to stretch and have something to drink to avoid cramping up,” the girl was cheerful. “Even though we Vastii manage better than most out here.” That may have been coming too close to calling themselves similar; but Hilana was hopeful that the young Patrician wouldn’t take offense to it. She wasn’t trying to place herself on his level, after all, as Patricians were higher than Equestrians as the Vastii went, but they were still Vastii. Perhaps of different lines; most Patricians could and would point out their ancestry to the last kings of Vastium when Deus Avaerys and Domina Varvara ascended to Divinity. But at the same time, so too could many nomads, if not further. They were the ones who continued in the sands, even as Vastium had been built up and the Re’hyaeans enslaved. And Hilana was proud of that, too.

“Well, it hasn’t been too bad. I’ve been out here since what would have been early morning if we still had the moon and the stars to tell the difference,” she smiled a little at that. “But I’ve been preparing for this trip for a while,” she opened one of her saddle bags, and pulled something out. It was an oblong quartz crystal, and he would likely recognize it: an empty Lodestone. “I’ve been making and charging these for the last couple of weeks. Beyond that, it’s less taxing on the aether reserves to Influence the elements rather than Manifesting them, right? Mostly I’ve used the Lodestones, but I’ve done some Manifesting of my own. My Paedagoga wanted samples from all four elements, and your Lightning will make an excellent addition to the experiment,” she was cheerful. That suggested there was some science involved in this, so Founders only knew just what the girl was up to with these ashes. Perhaps it was Alchemy or Runeforging, or even Necromancy... it was hard to know. But it was either some sort of science or a World Magic, but considering she was a herbalist, either which way worked.

She found herself nodding at his explanation regarding the chirping sound. “I like it. It reminds me of birds. It’s quite interesting, the way it does that, since normally lightning doesn’t make much of a sound. That’s the thunder’s job,” Hilana used the earth beside her camel to form a set of stairs so that Garr had an easy way to get up to the large double saddle. She shifted forward in it so that he had room to climb up behind her and get out of the sun, as there was a sunshade awning attached to the well-loved upholstered saddle. There was a cushion against the back bar, at least, so the young man would be able to at least sit back comfortably behind her. When he was ready, she let the sand sink down again and the camel began to move. Now that he was up there, Hilana had no need to keep the enormous beast at the same pace as a walking person’s, and she clicked her tongue and got Hayima’el moving. Those long legs were able to eat up distance, perhaps faster than most. It wouldn't take long for them to close the distance to the city.

When they saw the shadow creatures, the snake and the wolf, she twisted in the saddle to face him as he spoke to her, listening and considering. “I’ll take the wolf, if you’d like?” she offered. The snake was smaller, and theoretically should take less effort, especially if he went with influencing the elements rather than manifesting as she mentioned doing. If he was in agreement, Hilana pointed with one finger in front of her, starting to spin it around while her hand was otherwise stationary as she murmured to the air elements. She would like their assistance, if they would be so kind, and they were all too happy to help her. Hilana guided them into a drill-like cone, as sharp as anything and capable of cutting through a great deal as she remained focused on her channeling. It would have been easier to just set it on fire, or to crush it with earth, but she did promise Domina Clelia a good sample range, and so that meant utilizing everything at her disposal. Perhaps not all at once, but...

She made a fist, and suddenly flicked her fingers out, pointing them at the shadowy wolf. The tightly controlled, shaped air rushed into it, piercing and penetrating from the chest, and, perhaps surprisingly, making the wolf disintegrate into ash as the air current bored right through it.

[Cloud Caelum Garr]

Garr had always held an innate sense of superiority over commoners, a product of his upbringing in the hierarchical society of Solunarium. He viewed them as inferior in both social standing and ability, and he could hardly conceive of a situation in which a commoner might surpass a noble. However, his encounters with Hilana had shifted his perspective in a profound way. Her resourcefulness, intelligence, and magical prowess not only matched but at times exceeded his own, forcing him to reevaluate his long-held beliefs. The way she expertly wielded her elemental powers, combined with her vast knowledge of the natural world, had earned Garr's respect and admiration.

For the first time, he saw a commoner as more than just a subordinate; he regarded Hilana as a colleague, someone whose skills and insights were invaluable. This newfound perspective served as a reminder that talent and potential could be found in the most unexpected places, and it challenged Garr to look beyond social class in his assessments of others. His experiences with Hilana had left an indelible mark on his worldview, opening his eyes to the limitless potential that resided in individuals from all walks of life.

"If you can kill twenty of these things single handedly, I have no doubt that you can fare better than most," Garr said with a light hearted laugh.

Later on he said, "Interesting that you keep charging those lodestones. I suppose that's a good indication that you actively use magic. I haven't thought to make more of them let alone charge them... perhaps I should do the same if I'm to be travelling more often. And I'm glad you can make use of my lightning. I will try to use it again later on."

Garr almost blushed when Hilana complimented his magic. He felt that it was a genuine compliment and he couldn't deny that his lightning was a little different than everyone else's. He took pride in it.

"I'll take the snake then!" As Garr focused on the shadowy snake slithering before him, he decided to put his Elementalism skills to the test. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, feeling the connection to the earth beneath him. With a deep breath, he channeled his energy and summoned his earth manipulation abilities. Concentrating intensely, he caused the ground to shift and tremble, directing the soil to rise and form a hollow sphere. With careful precision, he maneuvered the earthen ball to envelop the snake, trapping it securely within its confines. The ball of earth, now imbued with the power of Garr's magic, pulsated with a subtle energy, keeping the creature confined.

Once he was certain the snake was securely contained, Garr shifted his focus to the element of lightning. He raised his hand towards the sky, feeling the electric charge building within him as the air around him crackled with anticipation. With a decisive flick of his wrist, he unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning that struck the earthen sphere, illuminating the area with a brilliant flash of light. The intense heat and energy from the lightning coursed through the ball of earth, permeating its interior and effectively electrocuting the snake inside.

As the lightning subsided and the earthen ball cracked open, the lifeless form of the shadowy snake fell to the ground, reduced to ash by the sheer force of Garr's combined elemental powers. The display of his mastery over both earth and lightning stood as a testament to his skill and determination, leaving an indelible impression on those who bore witness to his abilities.

Unfortunately, Garr consumed so much energy from that dazzling display that he dropped to his knees. "I'm afraid you're going to have to tackle the rest of the creatures on your own. I seem to have difficulty controlling the strength behind my blows. I fear that I may overstep too much if I have another go at it. Might I ride your cammel now?"

[Hilana Chenzira]

The girl chuckled. “I’m rather fond of them,” she admitted of her lodestones. “If I can reuse something without it diminishing whatever action I need it for, then I will keep using them. Those that I’ve outgrown I’ve used for decorations - you can break them apart, or reshape them, when you focus on them. I’ve turned some of my old ones into decorations around my apartment and in the terrariums, or I give them to friends who make pottery and mosaics with them. We trade,” she was cheerful. But cheerful seemed to be Hilana’s default, at least in the two times he has happened across her.

“You needn’t worry about using lightning again if it’s exhausting. Don’t stress yourself and overdo it, sometimes the elemental spirits will stop assisting you,” she warned him. And of all the problems that could come from overgiving, that was the least of them. She’d heard tell of those that had turned themselves to the element that they were trying to use when they overdid it, and if Garr turned himself into a ball of lightning, well, there wasn’t going to be much of anything she could do about that. While she always packed to prepare for a trip outside the city, including restoratives, first aid and other supplies, overgiving was hard on the body, and if it wasn’t necessary, it was likely best to avoid doing so.

While she dealt with the ashes of the shadow wolf that she had dispatched, bringing them to her with the wind, she watched as Garr determinedly electrocuted the snake through the earthen sphere. Hilana was definitely concerned; he had already been sweating and having a harder time when he did that, and that was... certainly a lot of effort and aether that was expended for something so small. “Are you alright?” the Vastiana asked him, looking at him from her seat in the saddle as she bottled the ashes of the wolf that had been pierced through. The bottle was capped and tucked in the bag, and she got out a jar to sift the snake’s samples in much the same way. She thanked the spirits when she was done, feeling them around them, brushing along her hands and against her Rune. He was definitely having an issue with control, though she wasn’t sure if it was his newness to using Elementalism in combat or sustained, regular invocation... but that wasn’t for her to judge.

Hilana used the earth beside her camel to form a set of stairs so that Garr had an easy way to get up to the large double saddle. She shifted forward in it so that he had room to climb up behind her and get out of the sun, as there was a sunshade awning attached to the well-loved upholstered saddle. There was a cushion against the back bar, at least, so the young man would be able to at least sit back comfortably behind her. When he was ready, she let the sand sink down again and the camel began to move. Now that he was up there, Hilana had no need to keep the enormous beast at the same pace as a walking person’s, and she clicked her tongue and got Hayima’el moving. Those long legs were able to eat up distance, perhaps faster than most. It wouldn't take long for them to close the distance to the city.

She handed him a waterskin from her saddlebags, and a pouch of roasted chickpeas. “Here,” she advised him. “Don’t worry about manifesting more water to drink, and you should have something to eat. It’s important to restore your aether so that you don’t vaporize yourself,” Hilana added as they continued along the sands. That made 22, so now she just needed to find a few more... and with Garr behind her on the saddle, she actually turned Hayima’el away from the river with a light move of her foot and a slight twitch of the colourful reins attached to his halter. It likely wouldn’t take long for more: the brighter the light, the more shadow creatures that there were. And the Sceptre of Avaerys led to a lot of light.