The Pearl Fox

Mango Boat

Black Light turned sick, and during the night of many nights, he could no longer trot. Boankra gave the fragile horse a bundle of herbs and fresh grass soaked in dew, cold tea and wild roots.

"I'm so sorry Hanzak," she said, knowing there wasn't much else she could do. Hanzak was going to miss Black Light agreat deal.

"He's old anyway and lived a full life. Thanks for your giving him your compassion, Biankra." He observed how changed Biankra appeared today. She looked taller and more human. Every day she was altering a little, becoming less of a sprite and more of a real person. He remembered when, the following morning after she entered his life, mysteriously as she had always been, she located a nice dry cave where they camped for another night and slept. She even prepared a decent cooked breakfast. So far, since Biankra tagged along, Hanzak was fed fried omelettes, stews of meat and vegetables, cups of tea and even sweet fresh milk from plants. Biankra  always seemed well stocked with food, and she'd managed to gather it all as he slept. He now always woke up to the smell of cooking, and knew that she was going to make a tasty meal. Inside her little sack on a stick were small pots, spoons, cups and a kettle. She kept a vial of salt, and always pulled up stalks, leaves, bulbs and vegetables. She told him that potatoes grew all the time in the right soil.

The following day, he woke up and was awarded with a delicious breakfast. Whoever she was and wherever she came from, he felt so thankful that she was with him on this journey. When he'd eaten, he saw that Biankra had grown again. Now she resembled a girl of fourteen years of age. Her once blue hair had turned golden-brown and her pasty light blue complexion was now a warm apple rose tan. There was glitter around her amazingly blue sapphire-like eyes. Her attire though was always very strange, and that increased whenever she grew up every day. She wore a pair of breeches made of leaves sewn together. Her boots looked it was made from leather-of-plant. The blowse, jerkin and cloak was all a cross selection of ferns, leaves and grass in various textures and colours.

"Who are you really?" he couldn't help but ask.

She made a green paste on a docke leaf. "Biankra, but my true name is Big Iron Thunder. It's what Biankra really means in the former language of Astarkra."

Hanzak laughed. It was an amusing name for such a small person, a tiny creature that she had once been. Biankra went over to Black Light and smoothed the paste around a red gash wounds on the fetlocks. The scratches by thorns were infectious, so Biankra concocted a paste of medicine to ease the pain and itching. She could tell that the horse struggled with a silent creeping illness of dew poisoning that he'd had long before she met Hanzak. She realised Black Light wasn't eating very much. This wasn't a good sign.

"I must go to Luniapolis," Hanzak said. "It's where I plan to earn my living."

"And you'll get caught," she said sullenly, looking at Black Light's eyes. "You're a wanted man. You should go upriver, in the opposite direction, direction is towards Temple Jasmine. They will tell you what to do."

"No, no! I don't want to become any priest! I want to do hard work, and buy freedom from this hunt."

"Hunt. You know absolutely nothing about real hunts or what it feels like to be hunted. You think you can just get a job and make the bounty on you be forgotten. No, Hanzak. Either turn yourself in or go and seek advice from the Sky lore priestsesses. Either choice will be better than running away. There's no chance in your changing your name in Diaphry."

Hanzak was stunned. "How did you know I was going to do that?"

"Because Luniapolis is the city that makes things happen like magic, as people foolishly believe. As you do. Criminals dream of a better life going there. Only, it's a trap."

"What do you mean?"

Black Light entered a deep sleep. This was Hanzak's horse and he was never going to Luniapolis without a horse. She didn't want to tell him that his horse wasn't able to go that far. "Luniapolis has got the largest prison in Diaphry. It's dangerous and your future ends there. Go to the temple and they'll show you opportunities.

"Fine! Have it your way, then, Biankra!"

That same day, Hanzak and Biankra came to the Green Snake River, walking alongside a slow Black Light. Biankra wanted them all to rest there because Black Light wasn't coping too well. It would be two weeks to walk to Temple Jasmine without a horse. Black Light soon died during sunset and Hanzak slipped into mourning. They covered the horse over in leaves and branches, then stood still in calm silence, listening to the gentle wind and the softened music of the animals in the forest. They both decided to leave this area, and they both thought of the extra days added onto the journey towards the temple.

Hanzak noticed a curious thing drifting along the river. It was a flickering light of gold flame floating on the water. He stared at it and went closer to the river bank, just to see what it was. There was a very tiny boat with a small lit candle inside of it.  Biankra sat on the edge of the river, close to the rushes and she pointed at the curious tiny boat and smiled. "That's a spirit boat," she told him. "People send these spirit boats on the river every year, as a way to remember their dead loved ones. This one here is made from a coconut shell." More tiny boats drifted along the river, floating up river, followed by dozens more. Many of the tiny boats were of various colours and from different shells and carved from wood, wicker, paper and fruits. "The priests are behind sending all of these." Brianka lifted one of the small candle boats, and looked inside. This one had been a melon, and a small candle flicked as she carefully picked it up, and looked at it.  Then she lowered it onto the water. "Monks. Villagers. Animals," she said sadly. "They were turned to stone."

Hanzak looked at her. "Did you see any writing in the boat?"

"No. I was told about it by the spirit passenger in the candle boat." 

Biankra pulled a ripe mango from a tree and gave this to Hanzak. "Eat," she told him. Hanzak took the rosy green fruit from her and bit into it's soft flesh. Once he's finished eating it, he left the core and half of the outer skin. Biankra took it away and scraped the inside of the skin, and used a small knife to cut strips. She plaited them together, placed a small bundle of dried leaves on them and lit a tiny slow burning smouldering flame the same size as a beach pebble. She made a little canoe. Hanzak looked on as Biankra lowered it onto the river surface.

"This is for Black Light," she said. They both watched the small boat of mango drift along the some way of the river. Hanzak was deep in thought, when a metal glove struck him over the face.

"Got the fugitive!" A man shouted. "You're coming with us!"

Hanzak was surrounded by three men in chainmail and they handcuffed him. He was bundled into the back of a wagon, and Biankra was unable to stop it.