by S. S. Segran
Aari let out a laugh, though it sounded more harsh than humored. “Are you serious, Kode-man? Listen to yourself. You three wouldn’t leave Mariah and me here alone and wander off.”
Mariah agreed. “He’s right. We’ve been through too much over the years for you to actually leave a part of the group behind.”
“That plays two ways,” Jag said finally. “If Teegs, Kody and I left, you guys would hate being all by yourself, stuck here.”
They stared at each other, confused, hesitant, and helpless. Tegan groaned. “Come on, guys. We need to decide this now, so think about it. What do we gain from remaining here?”
“Oh, gee, I don’t know,” Aari said. “Maybe staying alive?”
“Okay, that’s debatable,” Tegan admitted. “But . . . you two, come on. What could we accomplish by avoiding making a decision? I don’t want to waste any more time here. I want to go back to Great Falls and be with my family. I know you do too.”
The neyra was silent and for a while, the only sound to be heard was of the rain falling outside. Aari mulled over their two options, mentally listing down the pros and cons of both sides while also weighing his emotions. At last he said, “Okay, what’s the plan?”
Mariah groaned and gave a solid punch to his shoulder. “You’re a loser, you know that? I was counting on you to hold your ground against this madness.”
“I know, Mariah, I know,” he answered, massaging where she’d hit him. “But if you think about it, what are our options, really?”
“What about these people? They’ve been sheltering us, caring for us, feeding us . . . For crying out loud Aari, if it weren’t for them, we’d be dead!”
“I’m not suggesting they’re bad people,” Aari protested. “I like them. We all do. We can’t continue to live here is all I’m saying.”
“And I don’t know about you guys,” Kody added, “but even though I’ve kind of grown fond of them, I feel imprisoned. You can’t tell me that you haven’t noticed how they’ve curbed our movements. And they don’t want anyone else to meet us. Kind of disturbing, if you ask me.”
“But they are nice people,” Tegan supplied quickly.
“Nice, yes,” Jag said. “But there’s secrecy about them that I don’t get, and it’s making me uncomfortable. Kody made a really good point. The restrictions they’ve put on us makes me feel like I’m a captive or something.” He glanced at Mariah. “You can’t tell me you haven’t felt that.”
Mariah sighed. “I never said that. Look, the main thing I’m concerned about is our safety. That’s all.”
“Believe me,” Jag said, staring at his hands, “we’re all a bit worried about that.”
“Looks like we’re all on the same page now,” Tegan said. “I think it’s about time you laid out your plan, Jag.”
Jag looked at Kody and nodded once in confirmation. Kody reached under his sleeping bag and pulled out a rolled-up parchment. Tegan peered at it inquiringly. “What’s that?”
“A map from Huyani’s neyra,” Kody said slyly. “One of the dozen or so she’s got.”
Aari and Mariah leaned closer. “You stole it?” Aari asked incredulously.
“Hey, talk to the man who told me to swipe it,” Kody shot back, jerking his thumb at Jag.
Tegan, Aari and Mariah glared at Jag, who shrugged and said, “I’d like to think of it as borrowing.”
Mariah crossed her arms. “Without the intention of returning it.”
Jag cleared his throat. “Not true. I do intend to . . . somehow. Plus, we need something to rely on when we’re out there.”
They watched as Kody picked gingerly at a knotted string holding the parchment in its tube form. The fiber fell away, and slowly the map unfolded by itself. The friends crowded around it, hungry eyes picking up every detail. It was an old map but whatever ink the maker had used to sketch was still very much visible. Rubbing their fingers over the material, they realized the parchment was made from animal hide and was cool to the touch.
As the rest watched, Jag and Kody carefully outlined the plan, working out some details and taking suggestions. The main idea was to leave Dema-Ki from its western end and enter an adjacent valley marked with a pinecone on the map. They were to keep heading in the direction of the route the bears may have taken when they brought the teenagers to the village.
Jag hoped that following the course through the “pinecone” valley would somehow lead them to the crash site. To his recollection, the mountain range around them had been to the east prior to their crash; it seemed logical to trek westward. Once at the crash site, they would search for the plane’s radio and call for help. If the radio was broken, they would have no choice but to head to the closest town. As they recalled from the map they’d studied before the trip, it would be either Ross River or Mayo. Or so they hoped. Even then, as Aari pointed out, it would take a good number of days before they reached either place.
A thrill grew as the group discussed their escape. The night wore on with the rain pouring steadily on the roof. The friends decided to break away only after they poked their heads outside when the rain ceased, surprised to be greeted by the first light of dawn.
Although sleep was the furthest thing from their minds, they knew they would require all the rest they could get. Besides, there was a fair amount of preparation to be done. They bid each other a wry good night as the girls headed back to their neyra.
They didn’t notice a figure crouched high on a tree branch in the shadows, not far from the boys’ shelter. The figure watched the girls trudge to their neyra and waited patiently as they disappeared from sight, then leapt off the branch and swooped toward the ground, landing quietly on his feet. He slunk through the trees, head down. A hint of a sinister smile grew on his lips as he weaved toward his home, and his fierce blue eyes glinted with malice.
16
The soft yet steady footsteps alerted the squirrel that a visitor was nearby. Squeaking, it dropped its nut and scrambled up a tree with its bushy tail waving.
Pulled away from his foreboding thoughts, Tayoka glanced up at the creature that was chattering irately at him and smiled. He paused at the foot of the tree, bent down to retrieve the nut, and looked up at the squirrel. “Sorry, little one. I did not mean to scare you out of your business. I believe this is yours.” He held open his palm with the nut resting atop. The animal gazed at it for a few moments then clambered down onto Tayoka’s hand. Grabbing the nut, the squirrel whizzed right back up the tree and hid in the safety of the leaves.
Refreshing, mused the Elder as he continued on, the little things in life that can make a man’s day so much brighter. Hefting the glass jar in his hand, he pressed his mouth into a thin line. He and six other men were venturing outside Dema-Ki toward various bodies of water to gather samples and check for contamination. After a quick briefing earlier in the morning, instructing the men not to drink from the waters they were testing, Tayoka had sent his brethren off in different directions.
The lake the Elder was heading to was the same one where Mitska’s mate had camped with their grandson before falling ill. What in the world would have seeped through these waters? Tayoka wondered. They have been safe for generations.
He grabbed a water pelt from his daypack and took a quick drink, then wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. It was midday, which meant he’d been walking for a few hours already. He figured that at this pace, he would reach the lake shortly. With his incredible speed, he could have run the whole way and back at a fraction of the time, but taking long walks by his lonesome was a treat he cherished greatly.
The forest had the fresh yet damp scent after a good rainfall that Tayoka enjoyed. He spotted several birds pecking at the ground, attempting to capture a delectable meal. Not wanting to bother them, he walked around the creatures.
Maneuvering around a large boulder, he halted in surprise, for not ten feet in front of him was a dead mountain lion. Goodness, what happened to the poor fellow? The Elder put his jar and pac
k on the ground and made his way over to the carcass. He grabbed a broken branch and prodded the body. As he flipped its head over, he snarled and leapt back. The stench emanating from the creature’s open jaws was beyond repulsive. Yellow foam encrusted its mouth and dried blood soaked the animal’s fur. Upon closer observation, the Elder found that the source of the blood was the creature’s maw. It had bled internally. Disturbed, he walked in circles around the carcass. It could have been rabies that the animal had contracted, but there was a tugging in his gut that told him it was something far more serious that stole the life of this once-magnificent creature.
Retrieving his belongings, he gave the carcass a wide berth as he strode past. The image of the dead animal still bothered him as he reached the lake a half hour later. Walking down the pebble beach, he rubbed his head and squinted against the sun, spotting an unusually large poplar tree with massive overhanging branches. He walked toward it and placed his hand on its bark. Then, in catlike fashion, he leapt onto one of the branches and found a comfortable spot to sit. He shrugged off his daypack and fished through it, bringing out some caribou jerky. He took a big bite from it and smiled. Leave it to Saiyu and Tikina to pack him off with something he loved most. He made a mental note to thank them both once he returned.
Scanning the lake from his vantage point, he munched down the last of his snack, then leapt fifteen feet down from the branch, landing in a fluid motion with his knees flexed.
He padded down to the shore and uncapped his jar, filling it with water and ensuring that his fingers did not come in contact with the lake. He headed further down the shore until he reached the midpoint of the beach. As he filled a new jar with a fresh sample, the wind picked up. With it came an awful smell—the stench of something rotting. Scrunching his nose, he recapped the jar and walked until he came upon a sight of dead fish scattered at the edge of the water. He crouched, forehead creased. He thought the fish were still preserved until he found one partially eaten. Oh, no. Tayoka looked toward the shore and pinched his bottom lip. Confirming his fears, a raven lay dead on the ground about thirty paces from the waterline, its blood-encrusted beak open and its feathers dry and brittle. The animals that eat the contaminated creatures are also dying.
Making a quick decision, Tayoka took out the wrapper in which the caribou jerky had been packed in, flipped it over, wrapped one of the fish in it, and carefully placed it in his now-empty pack.
The Elder stood up and stared across the beautiful blue-gray water with ominous thoughts churning in his mind. Upon seeing dark storm clouds forming over the far side of the lake, he started trekking back to the village in haste. If the contaminant in the water is so lethal, how long do the infected ones in the village have before they succumb to it as well?
17
“If we get caught, I am ditching all of you,” Aari hissed. “I’ll tell them I was trying to stop you.”
The group had covered a fair bit of ground since leaving their shelters. It was the dead of the night and the valley was eerily silent, as if the village itself was watching the friends leave.
Jag chuckled. “I’d like to see you try that, especially with Tegan here.”
Tegan smirked at Aari. The gray-eyed girl did not take kindly to those who turned their backs on a team.
“It’s odd, though,” Jag continued. “You agreed to leave this place a couple nights ago. You even suggested some ideas while we were planning.”
Aari grumped. “Yeah, but I’m still wary about the whole thing. It’s in my nature to be skeptical.”
“I thought it was in your nature to advance, what with your partial German heritage.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”
Jag’s only response was another chuckle. He jogged to catch up with Tegan and Mariah. Putting his arms around them, he murmured, “Huyani’s neyra is coming up. Since you’re both more . . . eh, light on your feet, it’s probably a good idea if one of you went ahead to scout it out, just to be safe.”
Tegan gave a thumb’s-up and trotted ahead, keeping low. Kody muttered, “Someone should’ve told her to watch out for that wolf—what’s his name?”
“Chayton,” Mariah answered. “But I don’t think we really need to worry about him. Plus, he’s in and out of the village. And he’s made good friends with us.”
Jag checked over his shoulder to make sure no one else was around. It was the second night since the friends had agreed to leave the valley. The day after the decision was made, they’d wandered around parts of the village where they were permitted and deftly swiped supplies they for their journey.
They’d managed to cajole Akol into giving back their original clothing, which had been mended by some of the villagers. The boys happily slid their hoodies on and the girls were more than pleased to have their jackets back. As they’d changed into their clothes, they noted that a thin but incredibly warm layer of fur had been added inside their clothing for insulation.
The food and the packs had been the hardest of all to obtain, but with Tegan’s craftiness and Kody’s humoristic charm, they persuaded Huyani to give the friends some “extra food to munch on throughout the day and a bit more for Kody’s large appetite.” Huyani had thoughtfully put the provisions in a backpack, which Kody took while giving Tegan a discreet wink. With one bag already in their hands, Jag and Aari seized four more from shelters that hadn’t been occupied during that time. There’d been some commotion afterward, but Akol told the friends that the villagers figured some mischievous children had decided to pull a prank and would fess up in due time.
Though the group was relieved to hear no one suspected them, the thieving didn’t make them feel exactly merry. They kept a low profile for the rest of that day and the next, resting as much as they could in preparation for the escape.
Now, in the middle of the night, wearing their comfortably extra-padded clothes, the friends waited for Tegan to return. “I still don’t know why you insisted on going through this way,” Mariah whispered to Jag. “There’s an exit on the east side of the valley closer to where our shelters were. We could have taken that route.”
Jag cocked his head at her. “I’ve pointed this out on the map before. I’m convinced the bears we rode brought us through the pinecone valley, which is west of Dema-Ki, so logically the wreckage would be in this direction.”
“You better not be wrong, Jag. I’d hate to find a few hours from now that we’re on the wrong track.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, sis.”
Tegan returned and waved at them to follow her. She guided them past Huyani’s neyra. Carefully weaving through trees and bushes, they kept a steady pace. They reached an incline at the western edge of the valley and mounted the grassy slope. When they reached the top, their mouths rounded in amazement.
“What is that thing?” Kody murmured, pointing to the shiny spherical structure ahead. It was about two stories high. The entire surface of the sphere seemed to give off a faint glow. At its base, two cylindrical assemblies protruded for a good length before submerging into the ground.
Kody walked up to the sphere and pressed his fingers against a foot-long metallic strip attached to a grove on the structure. With a muted yelp he drew back his hand. “That thing is hot!” Behind him, he heard Aari laughing out loud, followed by a “Shh!” from Jag and the girls.
Kody whipped around and glared at Aari, shaking his burning fingers. “What are you laughing at?” he growled.
Aari waved at the sphere. “That is probably the villagers’ hot water reservoir, you moron.”
“Well excuse me for not being aware, because hot water tanks are normally not huge globe-like thingies. And besides, how do you know? Did Akol show you?”
“Nope. We didn’t get this far during the tour. I just worked it out.” Aari tapped his temple with a smug little grin.
“How?”
“Pipes leading into the tank from the ground. Pipes going back into the ground for distribution, and—your scalded fin
gers. Duh.”
Now the girls were trying to suppress their laughter. Kody hissed at them and pressed his hand to the dew-covered grass to cool it. “Not even out of the valley yet and I got my first injury,” he muttered. “Okay, then answer this: Why is it so shiny?”
“It’s made of glazed clay,” Aari explained. “Huyani told me that her people use it a lot around here. The pipes are made of it as well. It’s a great way to channel water and the clay is extremely heat resistant. The strip that you touched is probably some kind of gauge the villagers use to monitor the heat inside the tank.”
“Smart people,” Tegan commented. “So I guess it’s from this reservoir that the folks get their hot water and heat piped in.”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” Aari said.
“But wait.” Mariah paced around the sphere and tried to look underneath it. “I don’t see a fire or any source of heat that would boil the water. So how . . . ?”
Aari walked around it as well, then snapped his fingers as he suddenly recalled something. “Huyani told me about this. They must have built it over a hot spring.”
“A hot spring?” Jag sounded surprised. “Up here, this far north?”
“Oh, dude, hot springs are everywhere on the planet regardless of climate or geography. It comes from inside the earth. I think they use the sphere to capture the steam and carry it through a series of pipes to the entire village.”
“Ingenious,” Mariah approved. “And isn’t the sphere the most efficient shape for pressurized content anyhow?”
“Yep,” Aari said. “I see Mr. Tseng’s class is sticking with you.”
“Shush, Brainiac. You’re not the only one who does well in school.”
“Guys, look over there.” Tegan was with Kody a few yards away, close to the river. She gestured across the water at something the pair were staring in awe at. The others joined them and couldn’t muffle their stunned gasps.
On the river’s other flank, the land was a near mirror image of the side the friends were on, but there was one dramatic difference: An imposing five-sided structure rested on a beautifully landscaped terrace carved out of the hill. Five large columns built from logs rose to a height of thirty feet. Statues of human figures with their arms raised stood at the top of each column, supporting the domed roof.