The Edge of Hope: Wrak-Ayya: The Age of Shadows Book Eleven

by Roberts, Leigh

  Tucker snatched the bag from Storgis’ hand. “What does this mean?”

  “Tell me where he went. I’ll find it myself.”

  “There’s no way you will,” Tucker scoffed. “But have it your way. Head east for about three days and cross two streams; they’re small, and with most everything freezing up by now, they shouldn’t give you much trouble. After you pass the second stream, head North East for about a day. There’s a local village there. That’s where he went.”

  What I suspected, thought Storgis. It has to be the same village that was searched after Grayson and Rachel Morgan were murdered. I’m sure I can find someone else to help me find it. Someone more trustworthy than this fellow.

  Tucker studied Storgis’ face before saying, “Look. You’ll never find it. You’ve no idea how to survive out there. You’ll need supplies for yourself and the horse. Even though we haven’t had a hard frost and the snow still comes and goes, it’s a rough journey for a horse this time of year. I know I come off wrong, but a deal is a deal. I’ll take you. At least get you far enough that you can’t miss it.”

  Storgis looked Tucker in the eye. I don’t like it. Somehow there’s a double-cross, but he’s right. I don’t know anything about horses. Nor about surviving in the wild. Besides, if I leave him here, he may continue to hang around the Webbs. And I didn’t like the way he looked at Grace. “Alright. But only until there’s no doubt I can find the rest of the way myself. Then you must wait until I return, and we’ll head back. I don’t want you anywhere near the village. Understood?”

  Tucker chuckled.

  “Agree to it, do as I say, and I’ll pay you extra when we return.”

  Tucker spat off to the side before nodding his agreement. “Yes, alright.”

  Notar had been drinking from the nearby stream, and he stood up to an unusual amount of commotion. He turned to see his Healer and several other males carrying a limp body. He quickly flicked the water off his hand and stormed over to them.

  “What has happened? Is that Nit? Is he dead?”

  “Yes,” replied the Healer.

  “Put him down,” ordered Notar.

  The males gently laid Nit on the ground.

  Notar stooped down to examine him, first turning Nit’s limp head side to side and then searching the bloodied fur for an injury site. “What is this? Where is the blood coming from? This hole? What caused this?”

  One of the males spoke up. “I was with him. We were foraging, and Nit stepped out of the brush. There was a Waschini, and I think Nit’s sudden appearance startled him. He had a long stick. He held it up to his face—like this. Then there was a loud sound, almost like a tree makes when it cracks at the base, and Nit grabbed his chest and fell down. The Waschini came over to look at him, but I came out of the brush and scared him off. I do not know why he did not use the stick on me. But it was too late for Nit.”

  “We hardly ever see them. What would one be doing here?”

  “He was covered in hides, and he looked as if he was used to being out here. He was upwind, or we would have noticed him. Is it no longer safe here for us?” asked the male who had been with Nit.

  Notar rubbed his face with both hands, thinking. “You were careless. Now Nit is gone, and you have been seen by a Waschini. The Waschini must not know of our existence. If they do, no doubt they will hunt us to extinction as they do all other creatures. And how am I to tell Lezuan that her offling has returned to the Great Spirit?” He scanned the far horizon as if looking for wisdom. “We must all pray to the Great Spirit for guidance, but for now, let us take him home and prepare his Good Journey.”

  They gently lifted the giant shaggy body off the ground and headed back home.

  As they stooped down to pass through the low entrance and entered their cave system, those there gathered around and stood staring at the limp body of Nit. One of the females ran to get Lezuan and led her in by the hand, then stood with her arms around Nit’s mother as she took in what had happened. Once Lezuan realized who it was dangling in Notar’s arms, she ran forward and hugged the body of her dead son, wailing as the others present shook their heads. When Lezuan’s mate entered, he beat his chest in anguish and also wailed loudly at the loss of their only offling.

  Notar’s community grieved with Nit’s parents over their personal loss, but to lose an unpaired adult who had not yet reproduced was also a blow to their population. As they conducted the Good Journey ritual, Notar could not help but worry again about the future of their bloodlines. Despite Pan’s very recent appearance to him, he was struggling to maintain his faith in The Order of Functions.

  Chapter 11

  Acise had gone back home a few days earlier, and Oh’Dar was anxious. He wanted to return to the village to check on her. However, nearly everyone was busily occupied with the upcoming High Council visit, and he knew he had to prepare his grandparents beforehand.

  He first had to consult his parents, and eventually, he found them together in the Leader’s Quarters.

  Adia gave him a hug. “Here, could you hold An’Kru for a moment while I finish this last knot?” She was taking a quick break to work on a new sling for him, simply because it pleased her to do so.

  Oh’Dar took An’Kru and held him for a moment. The offspring’s little feet dangled free, and he smiled up at Oh’Dar.

  “He is such a happy soul!” Oh’Dar exclaimed. “And look at his eyes!”

  Adia chuckled, “That is exactly what everyone said about you.”

  “Well, I think he is fascinating. And he is part of what I wanted to speak to you both about,” he said as he cradled An’Kru in his arms.

  “My grandparents are going to be at some of the High Council assemblies, right? They have met the Sarnonn and the Brothers, but there are still those who are—different? I do not mean to sound rude—”

  Acaraho rescued him. “You are talking about An’Kru and the Guardians.”

  “Yes, Father, I am.”

  “I agree,” nodded Acaraho. “Ben and Miss Vivian need to meet them ahead of time, and so far, your grandparents have only met Haan and Haaka. Their first experience of being among a group of Sarnonn should not take place in a crowded room.”

  “What are they occupied with today?” Adia asked, pulling the knot as tight as she could. She then looped it over her shoulder and let it rest on the front of her hip. “There. Hand him back to me, please,” she said as she reached for An’Kru. Oh’Dar gave him back, and Adia placed him in the sling. He looked up and smiled again.

  “I think Grandmother is finally taking a break,” Oh’Dar answered, peering down at An’Kru snug in his little holder. “Ben is probably back at the Wall of Records. Even though he and Bidzel and Yuma’qia cannot communicate, he seems to be able to understand the patterns of the markings to quite an extent.

  “Did I like being in a sling when I was little?” he asked.

  “You and Nootau both,” smiled his mother. “You both loved it. You, in particular, seemed to enjoy looking around to see what else you could take apart and put back together again.” She chuckled. “Whenever you were able to, you were always reaching for something you should not have! Now, I am ready if you are. If you want to go and find your grandmother, we can meet you at the Wall of Records in a little bit.”

  Oh’Dar looked at his father, who nodded.

  Before long, Adia and Acaraho were making their way to Kht’shWea with little An’Kru bundled up in a tiny wolf pelt in Adia’s arms. The foot coverings felt good as she padded along the path. As always, a sense of reverence fell over her as she approached what used to be the Healer’s Cove, now the opening to Kthama Minor.

  Haan had told Acaraho and Adia they were always welcome at Kht’shWea and did not need to send a message ahead. The moment they walked in, High Protector Qirrik turned and signaled for one of the others to fetch Haan.

  Accompanied by several males, the Sarnonn Leader appeared almost as if out of nowhere. “Welcome,” he said as he walked over to them. Su
ddenly, he noticed that Adia held the offspring in her arms.

  His gaze froze, and Adia gently uncovered the little face, at which Haan and the others each dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. As he had done when An’Kru was first introduced at Kthama, Haan slowly returned to his feet, raised one hand over his head, and announced, “An’Kru! The Promised One has come!” Then he bumped his fist over his heart.

  The others also rose, although they simply stepped back.

  “You honor us with your visit. What can we do for you?” Haan was still staring at the tiny offspring.

  “We have a favor to ask,” said Acaraho. “We would like Oh’Dar’s grandparents to meet at least one of the Sarnonn Guardians. As you can imagine, they are going through a major transition, and with the High Council meeting coming up, we thought it would be better for them to know of the Guardians existence ahead of time. Oh’Dar is bringing his grandmother here now.”

  Haan nodded and turned to those behind him. He shouted out some orders, and two of them split off from the group.

  “The grandfather is at the Wall of Records. He will be here soon, as will Thord or Lellaach.”

  “Thank you, Haan,” said Acaraho.

  “They have been anxious to see An’Kru, the Promised One. They will be overjoyed at this,” Haan added.

  A few moments later, Oh’Dar arrived with Miss Vivian. She was heavily bundled up in her Waschini overcoat, hat, and scarf. When she arrived, they all went together to one of the rooms not far from the entrance.

  Once they were comfortable, Oh’Dar addressed his grandparents. “You know there will be many different people coming for the High Council meeting. Many will be our people who live here, and there will also be many of those who live in the communities farther away. Some will be Chiefs of the Brothers, and Haan and his people will also be there. There will be lots of announcements and much sharing of news. And there will be introductions to people whom many of the community don’t yet know exist.”

  “Since we know you are already dealing with a lot, we wanted to soften what could be another difficult moment by preparing you ahead of time,” Adia added softly.

  Miss Vivian looked at Oh’Dar and raised her eyebrows.

  “This is my offspring, An’Kru,” Adia said. “He is revered by the Sarnonn because their prophecy foretold his coming. You will see his coloring is unlike any of ours.” Adia gently pulled back the covering from An’Kru’s face.

  Miss Vivian let out a gasp, and Ben frowned and leaned forward. “What the—” He caught himself.

  “Oh, my heavens,” Miss Vivian exclaimed. “His beautiful eyes. And his hair.” She looked up at Adia, “He’s remarkable!”

  Ben moved closer to Adia, “May I?” he asked breathlessly, taking out his reading glasses and putting them on.

  Adia carefully handed An’Kru to Ben, and the offspring immediately reached up toward Ben’s glasses.

  “This is your child? Yours and Acaraho’s?” Ben asked.

  Adia nodded.

  “Does either of you have this coloring in your background?” he asked, looking first at Acaraho, then Adia.

  “From what the researchers tell us, no,” said Adia, answering for them both.

  Ben looked at his wife and shook his head. “From everything I understand after years of working with breeding combinations, this shouldn’t be possible. I’m sorry, but it just shouldn’t,” he stammered.

  Haan came through the doorway with Thord and Lellaach behind him. Seeing the giant silver-white forms behind Haan, Ben handed An’Kru back to Adia and stumbled back to Miss Vivian.

  “I have brought Thord and Lellaach, Leaders of the Sarnonn Guardians,” Haan announced.

  Oh’Dar said to his grandparents, “I’ll explain about the Guardians later,” to which Ben quickly nodded.

  Haan stepped into the room to allow Thord and Lellaach to enter. As Haan had done, the moment they spotted An’Kru in Adia’s arms, both dropped to one knee. They then rose and pounded their fists over their hearts in what Adia and the others now recognized as a gesture meant for the offspring.

  “Are the others coming?” asked Oh’Dar.

  “There are more like them?” asked his grandmother, staring at the silver-coated behemoths standing in front of them.

  “There are twelve in total,” explained Adia.

  Haan said, “The twelve cannot be in the presence of the An’Kru, The Promised One, until the appointed time. The prophecy strongly prohibits this until they have been prepared to engage in the Ror’Eckrah. We must work together to make sure they are never all in the same room at one time.”

  “The One Mind,” Oh’Dar translated. “My mother explained that it is a type of trance that they go into from which they can summon tremendous power.”

  Adia’s frustration rose. “Pieces of the mystery but never the whole story,” she whispered under her breath to her mate.

  “So much to learn,” said Ben, who was trying not to stare at Thord and Lellaach.

  Finally, Acaraho thanked everyone. “I believe we can all get back to what we were doing.” He turned to Oh’Dar, who was helping Miss Vivian to her feet.

  “May I hold him sometime?” Miss Vivian asked Adia, who was still sitting.

  “Of course. Here,” Adia answered and handed over An’Kru.

  Miss Vivian looked down at the little offling and rearranged his bundling so she could see his face better. “Oh. He’s so sweet!” she exclaimed.

  “Before you leave,” said Haan. “The six Guardian females are all with offling. I thought you might want to know.”

  Adia stared at him. “All six? All at the same time?”

  Haan nodded.

  Adia looked up at her mate, “I need to speak with Urilla Wuti the moment she arrives, please.”

  “Of course, Saraste.’”

  Ben decided to return to his work with Bidzel and Yuma’qia at the Wall of Records and asked if Oh’Dar could stay awhile and translate as his questions were piling up. Oh’Dar agreed, and Acaraho said they would again escort Miss Vivian, who wanted to rest in the quarters at Kthama.

  As they left through Kht’shWea’s entrance, Adia looked back to see a semi-circle of Sarnonn lined up and watching them leave.

  Safely back in her room, Miss Vivian took out another piece of paper and wrote about the day’s events. She knew that no one would ever read the entries and that, even if they did, they would not believe such a fantastical story. But it helps me to write it down, anyway.

  Chapter 12

  As well as he could, Storgis dressed according to Tucker’s instructions. He rented a horse from the local livery but had to pay a premium due to the keeper’s concern about the horse’s welfare. That and the money Tucker said he needed to pay for supplies had drained his pockets.

  Tucker pulled up at the appointed time, and Storgis looked at the small wagon hitched up behind the horse. “What’s that for?”

  “Food for the horses. They can graze a bit if we don’t get any deep snow, but they’ll need more than that. Since there aren’t any towns between here and where we’re going, I had to bring enough for the whole trip. Also, they need about ten gallons of water a day, hence the barrels. There won’t always be a river or stream handy.”

  “Isn’t that going to slow us down?” Storgis asked.

  “Not as much as a dead horse would. Come on, let’s get going.”

  Despite fair weather, the trip was still grueling. The men had to make many stops to care for the horses. The nights were bitterly cold, and only the thought of one of the animals dying kept Storgis from stealing their blankets to add to his.

  While Tucker was caring for the horses, Storgis would pull out a small writing pad and make notes along the way. He made sure to tuck it back into his jacket pocket before Tucker caught him at it.

  The days and nights passed. Storgis was in a perpetual state of hunger and cold. He suspected Tucker was sneaking food and eating more than his share as the man never seemed to comp
lain about not having enough to eat.

  He won’t get paid anything more if I don’t survive, and he knows this. I guess he’s just a mean, spiteful individual. For some reason, he resents me and wants me to suffer.

  A winter hunting party returned to the village, and after Isskel had dismounted, he immediately went to Chief Is’Taqa.

  “Two Waschini riders are approaching the far ridge. They appear to be setting up for the night,” Isskel told him.

  Pajackok had been talking to the Chief, and after some discussion, sprang to his feet.

  With Pajackok leading them, Isskel and two other braves approached the Waschini men. A pair of horses and a small Waschini wagon were tethered to the trees some distance away.

  The man who first saw them called out to the other, who walked over to the Brothers.

  He looked Pajackok squarely in the eye, raised his hand to show height, and pulled his fingers straight down both sides of his face to indicate long, straight hair. Then he pointed to his eyes, to the blue sky, and back again.

  Pajackok glanced at the other riders. “He is looking for Oh’Dar.”

  “They look terrible,” said one of the braves. “And I can smell them from here!”

  Pajackok brought Atori up closer to the man. He made the same gestures back, then pointed in the direction of their village.

  The man in the background nodded wildly and stepped forward, his hands outstretched. He pointed at himself and then in the direction Pajackok had indicated.

  “He wants us to take him to Oh’Dar,” Isskel said unnecessarily.

  Pajackok circled Atori and motioned for the men to follow. They all waited while the two Waschini conversed.

  “I’m going with them, and you can wait here. That was the deal,” said Storgis.