The group’s pace slowed down as they drew nearer. In a few strides, the Yasta monk was positioned in the middle of the trail they were on. “Please wait a few moments.”
Philo held Chanta close to him. “Is everything okay, brother?” For a moment, Theo was jealous of the ease with which the senator played the part of a loving husband. If he had tried to pull Cierra close like that, there was no doubt that he would have found himself in a sudden swarm of imaginary insects and a flurry of swats.
The monk craned his neck, to see how many others were coming down the path. “Nothing is wrong. We simply recommend that anyone trying to scale the mountain to the Kinyah monastery travels in a group. There is safety in numbers. You should wait until there are a few more pilgrims with you before proceeding. The climb is perilous, and the mountain is steep.”
“Is it really that dangerous?” one of the stragglers that had joined up with them along the way piped up from the back of the group.
“The face of the mountain is home to forces of evil you cannot imagine. The danger will not be just to your body, but also your everlasting soul. There are forces that you cannot comprehend that will try to keep the good, willing souls that scale the mountain from reaching the blessing of Batumah’s light. I suggest that you all take a moment to consider your choices. Some of you will not survive this journey. If you would rather not risk your life—and more importantly your soul—then please, turn away now before it is too late. Once your journey has begun, there is no turning back.”
A murmur passed through the crowd. From the corner of his eye, Theo thought he saw some of them leave and begin walking back through the trees. Cierra rested her head on his shoulder. The sudden affection startled him, but he didn’t pull away. He noticed that Cherish had slipped her hand into Makram’s and that Chanta was still leaning into Philo’s embrace. His heart sank a little, as he realized it was purely play acting. Theo tilted his head until it rested on top of hers. The sweet smell of her hair was hard to ignore. He took a deep breath, trying to memorize the moment. Even with his head on hers, she didn’t pull away. If he closed his eyes, Theo could almost pretend that they were happy, and alone, somewhere far away from the Yasta threat. Unfortunately, that was only a wistful dream.
Three
The first rays of sunlight began to stream through the canopy of leaves, before the ragtag band of travelers were given the okay to start the climb. The group was larger now. Even though they all started the next phase of the climb together, most of the others stayed segmented into their own groups of twos and threes. Glancing back, Theo determined that his group—including the three Josti that were still chatting chummily as they walked—was the largest assembly that was actually on the journey together.
Cierra’s foot slipped on a loose rock. Theo automatically reached out to support her. She smiled sweetly and thanked him. Even though he knew it was all an act, it was hard for him to reconcile the affection she was showing him now with the cold distance she had been showing him the past few days. How could she fake happiness so well?
“So, tell me. How did you get introduced to the Yasta faith with your parents gone? On Josti, the parents are responsible for instilling the faith in the young.” Jaedo was still fascinated with Irane.
The boy shrugged. “I used to beg in the streets for scraps or for some work that would give me enough argents to buy food or clothes. One day, I was outside of the temple when I heard one of the monks spreading the faith. The way he spoke, Yastarti and Batumah didn’t care about your start in life. They only cared that you were strong of body and mind. It was the first time I thought that I could be more than just an orphan begging in the streets. After that day, I would stay outside of the temple as much as I could, to try and learn more about their doctrine. I guess I found it comforting that even if the other people on my planet looked down on me for not having any prospects, the gods could still see me as valuable. That’s why I came here. I want to finally prove my worth to the gods that I heard so much about.”
“And prove your worth, you will! I’ll make sure you get your chance.” Jaedo had clearly become attached to Irane in the short amount of time that they had known one another.
Theo quietly wondered if there was any truth to the story Irane had just told. He still didn’t know much about the young man they were traveling with. No one in the Carbonari ever really talked about their past. Going off of his own experience, Theo was under the impression that most of the members of the resistance joined after they suffered a great tragedy at the hands of the Yasta monks. Not all of them may have lost their whole planet like Theo had, but the fervor with which they fought had to be fueled by something dark.
“One of the most important parts of the faith is staying true to yourself. Don’t forget that.” Jaedo held out two of his arms in front of him, and spread his palms wide, as if he were painting a picture with words. “To spread truth to the universe, you must first have it inside.”
“That’s not the most important part! The most important part is about integrity.” Daja glanced over his shoulder at his comrade. “The path to eternity is paved with integrity.”
“No, no. You’re both wrong. The most important part of the Yasta faith is about hospitality.” Gopa patted his rotund stomach. “To keep a Brother from seeing red, keep him well fed and give him a bed!”
Jaedo wheezed out a good-natured laugh. “Well, judging by your waist line, you’ve had an abundance of hospitality!”
Theo caught himself smiling at their comradery. For the first time, he considered the fact that perhaps not all Yasta monks were cold-blooded killers. It was easy to hate the group that had destroyed his planet, when he didn’t know them personally. He gritted his teeth. If the monks knew about the kinds of horrors their organization was responsible for, would they still be so willing to die for the cause?
The trees were becoming sparser, the further they climbed. Gangly roots dug their knotted fingers into the mountainside just trying to hang on. The forest was slowly becoming replaced with boulders and rocky outcroppings. Overhead, large black birds were circling above the group. Back on Relisse, the birds would have been seen as a dark omen. A general sense of unease coiled around the travelers. Shadows shortened as the sun rose higher in the sky.
Some of the others who had joined the group somewhere along the way were already having to pause to catch their breath. Theo himself was starting to feel a cramp in his calves from the incline, but he was too proud to admit it. As long as the other members of the Strike Force Retaliation team were still climbing, there was no way that he was going to show any weakness.
Sweat dripped in heavy beads down their backs. The only one that didn’t seem phased by the climb appeared to be Cherish. Theo had a strong suspicion that she was actually hovering more than climbing. A disgruntled part of him resented her augmentation. He knew it was just the heat of the day and the arduous nature of the climb that was bringing out his darker side. Absentmindedly, his fingers pressed against the leg of his trousers. The small shard of Relissarium in his pocket pressed into his upper thigh.
Theo accidentally bumped into Cierra’s back. He blinked sweat out of his eyes, and peered ahead of the group. A great chasm lay before them. It stretched as far as he could see across the mountain’s face, to both the left and the right. The wind whipped around them. Philo and Chanta were gazing deep into the bowels of the crevasse. It seemed that no one was ready to be the first to attempt the jump.
“Finally! A challenge!” Daja cracked the knuckles on all four of his hands, and rolled his shoulders back to loosen them up. “I was beginning to get bored.”
The sunburnt orange Josti stepped back a few feet from the ledge. Theo watched as Daja lowered himself until all of his hands and his feet were on the ground. He let out a guttural growl, and charged on all sixes towards the fissure. At the last moment, Daja flung himself in one mighty leap through the air. His powerful body arched over the gap, and he landed with a tuck and roll on
the other side.
Dusting himself off, Daja raised his arms, and faced the rest of the travelers. “Who will join me?”
Philo looked once more down into the ravine. Chanta touched his arm. In her eyes was a warning. He gave her a reassuring smile, and caressed her cheek. Taking a deep breath, he ran and leapt. His shadow passed from one side of the gap to the other. He didn’t land as well as the Josti had, but he did land. At that point, that was all that mattered. Daja clapped him on the back and smiled broadly.
“I guess I’m next.” Chanta let out a deep breath. She stopped, as a strong hand gripped her elbow.
Cherish leaned in and whispered, “I can carry you across easily if you want me to. There’s no need for extra risk.”
Chanta patted Cherish’s hand. “Thank you, but this is part of the trial. I have to do this myself to prove I’m worthy.”
“Very well.” Cherish removed her hand, and stepped back to give Chanta some room.
In a few strides of her long legs, Chanta leapt over the chasm. Her graceful figure reminded Theo of a deer bounding across a field. She landed lightly on her feet, but her face looked shaken. Philo pulled her into a comforting embrace. Her composure faltered for a second.
“We can’t let the humans have all the fun now. Come on, Gopa!” Jaedo smacked his comrade on the arm, and took a place a few paces away from the gap.
“Together?” Gopa smiled and stood next to Jaedo.
“On three.” Jaedo rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. “One…two…three!”
The two Josti ran and jumped into the air. Gopa’s body hurled itself toward the other edge. Jaedo curled his thin frame into a ball, and did a summersault in the air before landing on his feet. He turned just in time to see Gopa falter on the edge of the ledge. The yellow Josti waved his arms to try and right himself, before he teetered closer to the edge. Arms flailing, he somehow managed to regain his balance. Gopa huffed, and placed two hands on his lower back and two on his hips. Sweat mixed with the dirt on his face to make streaks of mud.
“Well done, brother.” Daja pulled Gopa into a hug.
Jaedo smiled teasingly. “Maybe you’ll lay off of the hospitality a little more now.” Gopa shot him an annoyed look, then laughed with relief. Switching his gaze back to the others who still hadn’t crossed, Jaedo motioned for Irane to jump. “Come on, boy! Let’s see what you’ve got!”
Without too much of a head start, Irane bent his knees, and leapt easily across from one ledge to the other. He landed further than the others had. The distance seemed to pique everyone’s interest. Irane had an unfazed look on his face, as if he had merely bent down to pick up a small stone. His jump was answered by the whoops and hollers of the Josti. Irane’s impressive jump had won him favor with their new friends.
Theo sucked in a sharp breath. “Ahh!”
“What’s wrong?” Cierra glanced and him and lowered her voice.
“It’s just a cramp. Don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t worry about it?” Her eyes narrowed at him. “We are about to have to jump across a gap that is three times as wide as Danthois, and you’re telling me not to worry about it?”
He smirked and winked at her. “Why, darling, I didn’t know you cared that much.”
Cierra’s lips pulled into a tight line. “I hope you fall.” She spun on her heel and marched closer to the edge.
“That was cold,” Theo muttered, mostly to himself. Looking at the other side of the ledge, Theo saw that Danthois, Makram, and Cherish had already made the leap. He and Cierra were the only ones that were left. She was taking her sweet time judging the distance. Theo rubbed the knot in his calf muscle. Her body braced for the jump. Without meaning to, Theo held his breath as she made the leap. She landed on the other side without much difficulty. His heart started beating again when she was safe.
He was the only one that was left. Theo stretched his legs trying to loosen the muscles. A flutter of movement from his peripheral vision made him glance to his left. One barren tree thrust its skeleton fingers towards the sky. The black birds that had been circling overhead her perched in the branches. They shifted their weight from claw to claw in anxious excitement. Dozens of beady, black eyes watched him hungrily. Simply put: they were waiting. The question that snagged at the back of Theo’s mind was, ‘Waiting for what?’
Four
“Come on, lover boy! What are you waiting for?” Jaedo motioned for Theo to jump.
“The light’ll be fading soon. Do you want me to come carry you? It would be no trouble.” Cherish could tell that he was in more pain that he was letting on.
Theo felt his cheeks burn. She had already carried him once, when they were on the mission at the Hilarion monastery. If he let her do it again now—in front of Philo and the Josti—he would never hear the end of it. “No. I can do this.”
He winced as his calf seized up again. The pain was only getting worse. He needed to make the jump as soon as he could. Theo took a deep breath and pushed the physical pain down. When he was part of the Carristoux Regional Militia, they had taught him ways to push past physical pain. At least his training was still good for something.
The birds began to dance faster along the branch, positively salivating at the prospect of a meal. The tree was shaking under their weight now. Theo took a few steps backwards. Swinging his arms, he ran at full speed towards the ledge. Just as he jumped, his muscles locked up. Even as he soared through the air, he knew that he wasn’t going to make it. The ledge rushed towards him. His arms thrust outwards to grasp at something, anything that might keep him from plummeting into the depths of the chasm beneath him. The caws were deafening now. It drowned out all other sounds.
Theo’s palms slammed into the hard, rocky edge. Jagged bits of stone scraped his hands. Beneath him in the cavern, something rumbled. Theo felt it, more than heard it. The ground shook. His nails dug into the side of the cliff. His feet kicked and scrambled for a foothold. In the shadows below, something writhed.
“Let go!” Cierra was struggling as Jaedo held her back.
“He must make it on his own, or the creature will take you both!” The green Josti tightened his arms around her. Her hand was almost on the hilt of her lasana blade. The other two Josti were busy trying to keep back the rest of Theo’s team.
Tentacles began climbing up from the black depths of the ravine. They spread upwards like black vines, ready to drag him back down into the abyss. Theo struggled, until suddenly his foot found a small outcropping to push against. With all of his strength, he shoved himself upwards and hauled his body over the edge of the cliff. He rolled away from the edge, and landed on his back. His chest heaved with every breath. Once he was safely on the other side, the rumbling stopped. The birds cawed moodily from the tree. Their disappointment was obvious.
“You have been found worthy.” Daja offered Theo a hand and helped him to his feet.
Cierra pushed Jaedo off of her, and punched him square in the jaw. He raised one of his hands to his cheek and looked at Theo. “Your lady sure can pack a punch.”
“That’s why I married her.” Theo dusted his hands off on his clothes.
“What the hell was that?” Cierra punched his arm. “Why didn’t you let Cherish help you? Your pride is going to get you killed!” Her fists beat against Theo’s chest, but he just pulled her into a tight embrace to keep her from continuing to pummel him. For a moment, he thought he felt her shoulders heave as if she were crying. He tried to lift her head to look at her eyes, but she shoved him off, and turned away before he could see anything.
“Aw, give her a chance to calm down. Women get emotional when they watch the man they love almost die.” Daja waved off her reaction and clapped Theo on the back. “It’s good that you completed the test on your own.”
“Test?” Theo looked at him confused.
“Of course. Didn’t you hear what the brother at the guardhouse said? There are forces of evil that live in the face of the mountain.”<
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Theo glanced back towards the edge of the cliff. “I didn’t think he meant literally.”
“What else could he have meant?” Daja’s arms went to his hips, to form a perplexed pose.
Jaedo was still moving his sore jaw. “Do they not teach you the old stories where you come from?”
“What old stories are you talking about?” Irane seemed particularly interested in the myths and lore that the Josti were hinting at.
“We should walk and talk.” The senator was still looking at the edge of the cliff leerily. So far, no one else that had been behind them on the trail had dared to make the jump after witnessing what had almost happened to Theo.
With the extra adrenaline from almost falling to his death and being eaten by some force of evil pumping through his veins, Theo found his legs suddenly didn’t hurt anymore. If anything, he felt more alive than he ever had before. Everything seemed sharper. Colors were more vivid. Sounds were clearer. He even thought he could smell Cierra’s hair from twenty feet away, in the light mountain breeze. Theo drew in a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly, taking in the jagged horizon. Daaaamn. The last few months have changed me irreversibly. I’m a warrior. For the cause. And hell if I’m not going to punch the Emperor in the face. Personally.
Jaedo had already launched into telling Irane some of the Josti folklore. “Batumah spread his blessed light onto the five holy mountains. His people walked day and night, to bask in the glory of his light and be blessed. The evil in the land saw the goodness that was spreading, and vowed to stop it. Evil swarmed the mountaintops, but Batumah’s power was too great. He banished its creatures from the peaks, and drove them deep into the crevices of the mountain where light did not penetrate. There they reside to this day, waiting on those who are not worthy of Batumah’s blessing. This is our central tenet:
The Relissarium Wars Omnibus Page 27