by C J Benjamin
“No,” I whispered even though I knew that nothing I could do or say was going to change what I saw.
Mali sat on the steady branch cradling his best friend, whose limp limbs dangled lifelessly from his lap. Everything around me seemed to go still; silent. Everything except the slow drip of blood from Talon’s open hand. The Bellamorf tree looked deadly, as it rained slow droplets of blood from Talon’s extended index finger, which pointed directly at me.
The haunting vision was all I could focus on as my friends rushed around me. Shell-shocked, I could do nothing but fall to my knees. It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion. My mind couldn’t grasp what my eyes were seeing. I found myself hoping and praying that this was some sort of vision or nightmare. Something finally broke through the gloomy, quicksand of my mind. Jovi’s hysterical screams shattered my thoughts and slammed me back to the tragic reality we were faced with. This was no vision. Talon was dead.
59
“Kobel, what’s taking them so long? The mercenaries should have reported back by now. They haven’t lost her, have they?”
“No, Master. The Betos thought they were being clever by having multiple groups morf at once, but the Eva is easy to track now that I’ve tapped into her mind.”
“Well tap into her mind now! I want to see what’s taking the men so long.”
Kobel stood over the large map that had been splayed out over the massive desk in his master’s office. He held his left hand steadily above it and waited for the man with the dark hair to unsheathe the blade he carried with him. When he stabbed the shining blade of the dagger into Kobel’s open palm, the old man winced with pain. Kobel grimaced as he squeezed his hand closed, allowing his blood to drip onto the map.
The droplets of blood pooled like possessed beads of mercury, into one location; a waterfall. Kobel dipped his index finger into his blood and then touched it to his master’s forehead. Both men closed their eyes, tapping into the Eva’s mind.
They saw what she saw; panic, battle, death and destruction. They watched as the Eva and her brave comrades skillfully battled the Ravinori soldiers, fending them off with an astonishing display of power and fighting ability. Kobel and his master were bewildered by their seamless communication, anticipating the mercenaries every move. They weren’t all lucky though, the phantom mercenaries injured a few of the Eva’s defenders. At least one suffered a mortal wound as he defiantly held his position, blocking the exit from the crumbling bridge.
Kobel gasped in horror as they watched the vine bridge plummeting to the ravenous waters of the gorge below. The water bubbled to a frothy pink, as the mercenaries met their demise in the churning current beneath the destroyed bridge.
The man with the long black hair slowly opened his eyes. He rocked his head back and roared furiously.
“I WILL HAVE HER HEAD!”
60
After the disaster on the vine bridge, we sent Quin with word of the attack and the chief sent scouts to retrieve us. They took us to a cave to hide while we waited for Jaka and Vida to arrive.
Upon arrival, Vida rushed to Jovi’s side and spent the rest of the day sobbing over her son, while we went over the attack with Jaka again and again.
“I don’t know what happened next,” I said to the chief. “I already told you, we ran back onto the bridge to fight the Ravinori. We took out as many as we could and then morfed to safety. The boys stayed behind so we could get away . . . I can’t tell you anything that happened after that because I wasn’t there! We’ve already been over this. Why are we wasting time?”
“Geneva, it’s okay,” Remi soothed from my side.
“No! It’s not okay. None of this is okay! Talon is dead! He’s dead! And it’s my fault!” My voice cracked. I was reaching hysteria but I didn’t care. “We have to leave now. I’m not staying here a moment longer. No one else is going to die because of me.”
I turned to rush from the chief’s tent, but Vida was blocking my path. I stopped short of running into her and sucked in my breath. I hadn’t spoken to her since we returned to camp.
“May I ask one thing of you before you go, my Eva,” she asked bowing her head.
“Yes, anything, Vida,” I whispered.
“Please stay for the funeral to honor my son.”
I couldn’t form words. Hot tears streamed from my blood shot eyes as I nodded. Then, the most unexpected thing happened. Vida wrapped her arms around me and pulled me close. She held me tight while we both sobbed, shaking and exhausted with grief.
That night I couldn’t sleep. I’d never felt so tired or drained, but every time I shut my eyes I saw Talon’s face. I gave up sleeping and grabbed my journal. I thought writing might help me get my emotions out, but it was too dark in the cave. Jaka had told us he preferred we stay inside the cave even though Mali had assured him that all of the Ravinori that attacked us had perished. He said Talon’s final task, which cost him his life, had been cutting the vine bridge down with the Ravinori phantom mercenaries on it. That’s when one of them managed to plunge a sword into Talon’s chest, while Mali could do nothing but watch. He said he’d barely been able to get to Talon and morf them from the plummeting bridge, before it collided with the raging river below. But he was sure it had swept away whatever Ravinori warriors it met, saying no one could have survived that fall. And when he described the way the water had churned into a red mass grave of ravaging liquid, I believed him.
I’d fought alongside of Mali and I trusted him inexplicably. I decided if Mali said the threat was gone, then it was good enough for me. Besides, I needed some air. I poked my head out of the small opening of the cave and was greeted by the songs of the night birds. I crept out into the lively night atmosphere of the forest and looked up at the beautiful starry sky, drinking in the cool night air.
“Beautiful night, isn’t it?”
“Mali!” I shrieked. “You scared me.”
“Sorry. I couldn’t sleep.”
“Me either.”
“I was just out here checking out Talon’s view,” he said as he leaned back against the cave and gazed upward to the spectacular shimmering sky.
“What do you mean?”
“Ah, I forget you know so little about Beto culture,” he said patting the wall next to him.
“Yeah, sorry,” I said sheepishly.
“It’s okay. Don’t be embarrassed. I know you haven’t really had a chance to learn everything yet. Don’t worry, you’ll get there. I’ll give you a crash course for now and it’ll be helpful in preparing you for tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“The funeral.”
“Oh,” I said, feeling my heart instantly plummet.
It’s not like I’d forgotten about it, or could even if I wanted to. Talon seemed to be haunting every moment since I’d seen him lying lifelessly in Mali’s lap. I knew I was the reason he had been killed and that was an enormous guilt to carry around. Why should I get to live and he should not? I’m alive and he’s dead. These thoughts and many more like them, were whirling around in my brain so much that I guess I hadn’t had room to think much about the funeral, but suddenly I felt even more overwhelmed.
“I’ve never been to a funeral,” I said once I settled in next to Mali, leaning into the coolness of the mossy cave wall behind me.
“Well, Beto funerals are beautiful,” Mali said. “When a Beto passes away, we believe that they pass on to another realm,” he said nodding up to the sky. “Everyone gathers at twilight and we bow remembering the person who has passed as we await the sunrise.”
“What happens at sunrise?”
“Betos believe that the sun rises each day to help usher all the souls that have passed on. The light and warmth of the sun guides the souls so that they don’t get lost on their journey to their final resting place among the stars. It’s said that a tiny bit of their soul remains with the sun, to help power it and guide others. It’s also how we can stay connected to the ones we’ve lost. They watch over us
every day, guiding us with their light, warming us with their love. Then when night falls, they shine bright from the heavens, filling the sky with their beauty. So you see, the ones we lose are never very far. They always remain with us, you just have to know where to look.”
I looked over at Mali. His eyes were shining brightly as he gazed straight up to the vast night sky. I had a feeling he was studying it closely so that tomorrow night, he might find Talon’s star and be comforted knowing where his best friend lay resting, watching over him.
There was such beauty in his words that I found myself longing for them to be true. I wanted to believe that all those I’d loved and lost were always with me. I wiped the tears that were streaming from my cheeks and once the dry tightness in my throat dissipated, I reached over to grab Mali’s hand.
“Thank you,” was all I could manage.
He seemed to know what I meant anyway and he returned my heartfelt hand gesture as we studied the night sky together.
61
Just as Mali said, our day began at twilight. We moved silently through the forest until we came to a clearing. There were dozens upon dozens of other Betos already there. Just as many as had attended my Eva ceremony had turned out for Talon’s funeral. They were already kneeling in orderly rows, each of them with their arms stretched forward and foreheads touching the ground. It was an eerie sight, watching their backs slightly rise and fall in the last fading bit of moonlight.
My friends and I joined them. We each fell in line, kneeling quietly among the worshiping Betos. I thought about what Mali had told me last night. I found myself clinging to his words, for I found hope and peace in them and I needed that. I also wished for hope and peace for Talon and his mother, Vida and his little sister, Jovi. I couldn’t wrap my mind around someone being here one moment and then so completely gone the next. It made everything so fleeting and fragile and I found myself having trouble breathing every time I let these thoughts take over.
I felt my chest constricting as I pictured Talon running past me, so full of life, into the face of danger on the vine bridge. He had been selflessly willing to fight for me, taking my place in front of the sword so that I might continue to fight and save our people. The guilt was pounding my soul, weighing me down and just when I thought I couldn’t take it, I felt the sun suddenly warming my skin.
I opened my eyes without moving my head from the ground and I saw light. It was noticeably brighter than it had been when I closed my eyes moments ago. The sun was rising. I felt my skin grow warmer. The crown of my head and my shoulders felt as if they were being kissed by the sun. I kept my eyes open and let the sun burst in through the tendrils of blonde hair that cascaded around me. I felt the light encircling me, engulfing my heart and filling the broken pieces of my soul. I was sobbing, but these tears were filled with joy.
I felt the air around me moving and I lifted my head to see the most glorious sunrise I’d ever witnessed. The huge orange ball of light floated before us, just over the ridge of the clearing. It looked as if it were so close that you could touch it if you dared. My mouth was open in awe and I squinted my eyes against its overpowering brightness. I smiled, thinking how the sun was much like my friend Talon; bright, bold, and fearless.
I felt Nova reach over and take my hand. I never took my eyes off the sunrise, but I was so grateful that he was beside me to share in this moment of beauty and tranquility as we watched the light spreading across the horizon. It was gradual, yet fast all at once.
When the sun reached a place just above her head, Vida stood up to address us. Jovi was by her side, holding her mother’s hand and biting her lower lip, trying to remain strong.
“I want to thank you all for coming today to celebrate my son, Talon. For those of you who knew him, today is bittersweet, but I know Talon would have wanted us to focus on the sweet. I am comforted to know he is surrounded now by so many who care for him, just as he was surrounded by his friends when he passed and will now be surrounded by all of our loved ones who have passed on. As his mother, I am eternally proud of my son and so grateful for every moment I spent with him. I did my best to nurture and teach him. Yet, I feel like I am the lucky one, because he taught me so much about life, courage, bravery, and kindness. I will do my very best to honor him each and every day, and to live my life with the zest he always showed. I will take comfort in knowing he will be shining down on all of us, bathing us with the warmth of his love in the new light of every day and guiding us each night in the brightness of his star alongside our ancestors.”
Vida closed her eyes and put her palms together, bringing them slowly to her lips. She kissed her steepled fingers and then raised them up to the sky, slowly shaping them into a heart that was instantly filled with bursting sunlight. Everyone around me followed suit, mimicking her gesture. I released my hand from Nova’s and raised them up to the sun as I said farewell to my noble friend, Talon.
We said our tearful goodbyes to Mali, who’d decided to stay behind to protect Jaka and Vida. Then we waved farewell to the remaining Beto tribe members as we prepared to set off for our trek back to the Troian Center. The Betos were already a group of few words and since the funeral, everyone was especially somber. They mostly just nodded to us, but Vida had given us all tearful hugs and wished us a safe voyage. She wanted us to send word with Quin as soon as we arrived. After promising her that we would and assuring her that we had enough to eat, she let us go.
As the distance between us and the Betos grew, I turned to look over my shoulder. The last image of my days in the forest with the Beto tribe was of Vida watching us go, griping an empty basket to her chest while stoically resisting wiping the tears that streaked her cheeks as she watched her only remaining child march with us into the unknown.
We hadn’t wanted to bring Jovi on the trek to the Troian Center after losing Talon. But Vida insisted Jovi was safer with us, and it was her duty to serve the Eva. No one was in the position to argue with a grieving mother. Plus, from what I knew of Vida and Jovi, they were both very determined and headstrong, and fighting them on this would only delay the inevitable. I resigned to let Jovi come along, but at the same time I’d made a vow to myself to protect her above all else. I would rather die, than let her fate be the same as her brother’s.
It concerned me that we still weren’t sure how the Ravinori found us. But I refused to stay at camp with the Betos a moment longer and continue to endanger others while we tried to figure it out. I hoped our swift departure might help us reach the Troian Center before the Ravinori had time to regroup and mount another attack.
We were traveling quickly; morfing when we could and hiking at a determined pace. There was little talking. Everyone was alert and on edge after what we’d encountered on our last attempt to reach the Troian Center.
With the vine bridge out we had to take a different way. The route was more direct, but more exposed. Journey had been against it, but we were out of options. He led the group, using his hunter skills to ensure our safety. We knew the Ravinori were on to us and not using our powers hadn’t prevented them from finding us. It was still risky to use them, but at least this way we’d sense them coming.
We’d been on foot for half the day. The hours passed uneventfully. The undergrowth was thick and slowed our pace. The forest was dim, yet still bright enough to see where we were going with the sunlight that filtered down in dappled beams, bathing us with warmth as we passed through.
Suddenly, Quin’s howl sliced through the air, bringing our group to a halt in an overly dense area of the forest. I’d been using my hunter skills and her howl felt like it pierced my eardrums. I crouched grabbing my ears in response. I honed my vision, but I had trouble extending my view beyond our group in the thick jungle to see what startled Quin.
“Jovi, get control of Quin,” Jemma whined looking aggravated.
“Sorry,” Jovi said, starting to follow Quin in the direction she darted. “I’ll get her.”
“No, wait,” Journey commande
d looking serious. “Eva, do you hear that?”
I closed my eyes and concentrated. There was a faint humming sound growing overhead.
“Yes,” I said as I walked up to him, motioning for Jovi and the others to come closer until we were huddled together.
“I hear it too,” Jemma added sounding frightened. “What is that sound?” she asked looking to Journey.
The others were starting to look a bit spooked. Not being privy to our hunter powers, they were unable to hear what we could.
“I think it’s civer ants,” Journey said. “Everyone huddle low, get under the brush. Quickly. We can’t let them see us.”
“But I have to get Quin!” cried Jovi, resisting as I pulled her toward a large thistle palm. She wiggled free of my grasp and started after the sound of Quin’s howling. The wex’s yelps were almost drowned out by the hum of whatever was approaching.
I stood to go after Jovi, but Journey’s large arm held me back. “Don’t be stupid,” he warned.
He was right, but I was beginning to panic. Jovi’s shrill cries for her beloved wex were fading and I could no longer see her head over the wild underbrush of the forest. Suddenly the sky went dark, as if a blanket had been thrown over the forest canopy, cutting off our vital beams of sunlight.
We looked to where the sunlight had been moments before. Journey and I saw them first; civer ants. Thousands of them. Their wings were beating so fast it was stirring up a wicked wind. I shielded my eyes as I used my hunter vision to rapidly scan the forest for Jovi. I promised her mother I would take care of her and I intended to keep that promise. I couldn’t even be angry with Jovi. She had just lost her brother and was now even more attached to her wex. I understood her love for her pet. I knew I would have done the same for Niv, who I felt safely nestled in my pack. I slipped it off and handed it to Remi giving him a pleading look as I ran into the churning forest before anyone could stop me.