by S. S. Segran
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed since the Elders had left. It might have been twenty minutes or two hours. He picked up the crystal and stared intently at it, but the only image he saw was that of his reflection. He squinted at it for a while, noticing the stark contrast of his emerald-green eyes against his darker skin. He chuckled to himself. His father’s genes were dominant; even his two younger brothers sported their African heritage physically, although only he had inherited his mother’s eyes.
As he rolled the small crystal between his fingers, he allowed his thoughts to drift homeward, knowing it was exactly the opposite of what the Elders wanted the friends to do.
His mother was never the cook in the house, but his father was. Kody had picked up most of his culinary know-how acting as a sort of sous chef to the older Tyler. Many a food fight had happened in the kitchen with his two younger brothers, much to their parents’ dismay. His brothers, aged five and nine, were constantly getting in his hair—as much as he loved them, he wished he could have more time to himself.
Kody returned from his thoughts, feeling a pang in his chest, and focused on the crystal. Still nothing.
It was going to be a long day.
28
The four men whom the Elders had sent out earlier in the day had split into pairs and were following the two different rivers upstream to the Ayen Range. Akol’s father, Rikèq, and Hutar’s only uncle, Aydar, hiked alongside the river to the east of Dema-Ki. The villagers rarely ventured that far east of the valley. There was a mysterious mountain within the range often mentioned in several of the villagers’ folktales. Known as Ayen’et, its peak towered above all the others.
As instructed, the men scooped water samples into a jar at every interval as determined by the timer. They had dropped crystalline gels into the samples and the gels had changed color every time, indicating that the water was in fact contaminated.
As they walked, the men spoke of many things, most of little importance. There was a pause in their chatter for several minutes and Aydar lost himself in his thoughts. Wistfully, he said, “I wish Hutar was more like your son.”
Rikèq glanced at the other man. Aydar continued. “Ever since he lost his father in that accident, Hutar has grown solitary.”
“I have seen him with a few of the youths in the village, though.”
“Yes, but he does not consider them friends.” Aydar rubbed his face. “He did not want me going on this trip, you know. He does not want to somehow lose me like he lost his father.”
“That is understandable. You are the only family he has left, after all.”
Aydar shook his head. “As he grows older, I see something in his eyes. I cannot quite put my finger on it, but he seems distant . . . cold, even.”
“I have noticed that his demeanor has changed, too. What do you suppose is spurring it?”
“That is what I have been trying to discern, but so far nothing has come to light. It is frustrating.”
“Have you ever tried speaking about your concern?” Rikèq asked.
“I have, but he seems to sense the impending question and retreats before I even get the chance.” Aydar sighed. “For goodness sake, he is my nephew and I try to reach out to him but he dodges my hand. He knows I love him, and I know he cares for me, but it truly does not appear as if he wants any sort of help.”
“Perhaps he would like to figure this out on his own. Some youths tend to prefer solving their dilemmas by themselves. Plus, it must be hard for him, never having known his mother and then losing his father.”
“Be that as it may, it troubles me.” Aydar stepped over a tree root, startling a shrew that was on the other side. “Tell me, Rikèq. How do you and Akol deal with the challenges of the formative years?”
Rikèq chuckled. “Akol used to get into some mischief when he was younger, but growing up, he has shown some restraint and has become more responsible. Mind you, he has his sister to talk things over with, so he is not alone in that regard.”
“I have seen him and Huyani. They certainly have an incredible bond.”
“Indeed. They rarely come to us with their problems. They seem to be quite capable of sorting matters out on their own.”
Aydar nodded, silently wishing that his nephew would one day demonstrate those qualities.
For the next few hours, the men trekked northward along the river, stopping only to test the water. The river was contaminated at every checkpoint and they were starting to get impatient. “How much longer will we have to walk?” Rikèq grumbled. “The one night my mate makes her appetizing fish tart stuffed with delicious herbs, I have to be out.”
Aydar snickered. “Hush now, my friend. You would not want the Elders hearing you complain.”
Rikèq turned his nose up, feigning a flippant attitude. “As Nageau and Tikina’s son-in-law, I will be easily pardoned.”
“You wish,” Aydar retorted. “If anything, you would be reprimanded even more harshly.”
“I know. In all seriousness, though, they are such wonderful people. I am blessed to be related to them.”
“That is quite an honor, to—” Aydar was cut off by a loud, peculiar noise.
Startled into intrigued silence, the men decided to investigate. They strayed from the river and into the forest. Following their ears, they hiked for several minutes as the sound grew louder and more spine-chilling. Rikèq came to a sudden stop behind a bush and crouched, Aydar almost tripping over him. Rikèq pulled the other man down beside him just as the noise erupted again, fierce and wild. Aydar balanced himself, keeping one hand on the ground, and peered from around the bush. He slapped a hand over his mouth.
In a clearing thirty yards ahead, four mountain lions were entangled in a gruesome battle. The largest of the four, a male with his entire muzzle slashed and bloodied, lunged at the smallest—a female—and dug his foam-covered jaws into the back of her neck. The female screamed in pain and tried to twist out of the other cat’s grip. The screaming stopped as the male violently shook his head from side to side, severing the female’s spinal cord. The other two cats were snared in their own fight and the female’s anguished cry didn’t faze them. The two males savagely ripped at each other; their claws pieced the other’s pelt and grazed down. Their muzzles were stained and revealed large, chipped incisors when they opened their jaws to let loose a roar.
Rikèq and Aydar looked on in horror as one of the cougars clamped its jaws down on the other’s muzzle and tore the skin away. “They are sick,” Aydar breathed. “These are solitary creatures. I’ve never seen then behave this way.”
Reaching to the same decision in unison, the men rose to their feet as one and slowly and carefully backed away.
As they retreated, Rikèq’s heel struck a root. He tripped, falling over backward. The three cats looked up and located the men through the bushes. Their lips curled back, revealing bloodied teeth. Rikèq cursed himself vehemently as he sprang to up and took off at a sprint, Aydar following closely.
The large male dropped the cougar he’d killed and tore after the men. Rikèq and Aydar searched frantically for an escape as they whipped past the trees. Neither had great stamina but they could sprint for short bursts.
The mountain lion leading the chase leapt and tackled both men. Aydar managed to wriggle out but Rikèq was pinned. The animal hissed, foam dripping from its jaws. As it opened its maw to bite down, a thunderous roar boomed over them. The cats froze, only the tips of their tails twitching. Rikèq tried to crawl out from under the big male’s grip but the cat hissed again. As it opened its jaws around Rikèq’s neck, another roar sounded and a huge mass of darkness bowled over the big male. The cats yowled and the one trapped under the surprise attacker screamed.
Aydar helped Rikèq up and the pair dodged behind a tree, then peeked around it. Their gasps caught in their throats. A gargantuan bear fended off the three cats, protecting the men from the attackers. The two smaller males jumped onto the bear’s back and dug their claws into its t
hick fur, trying to grab hold. The bear, weighing over three thousand pounds, shook the cats off effortlessly.
The large male cougar charged the massive creature head-on, spraying foam everywhere, and lunged. The bear reared on its hind legs and now stood taller than two men. The cat tried to brake when it saw the bear rise but couldn’t stop its momentum. The bear came crashing down onto the smaller animal, crushing its body. The mountain lion hadn’t even had time to make a single sound before its swift and merciless death.
The bear turned to look at the other two deranged cats and roared again. Behind the tree, Rikèq and Aydar flinched, covering their ears. If there was any creatures around that hadn’t already vacated the area, they would have been completely debilitated just from the shock of the roar.
The cats yowled again and fled; though the sickness that pervaded their bodies drove them to kill, they feared the gigantic death instrument on paws and did not want to be trampled.
The bear stared after them for a few moments, making sure they had left the vicinity, then lumbered over to the men. Rikèq and Aydar stepped out from behind the tree as the bear drew to a halt in front of them. They gazed up at it with reverence and rightful fear, knowing that this was one of the five Guardians that protected the forests from outsiders. They murmured a few words of gratitude. The Guardian snorted, almost as if amused. With a shine in its dark eyes that seemed to tell the men to stay safe, the bear brushed past them and disappeared into the trees.
* * *
Breyas and Keno, the other men tracking the source of the illness, had heard the roar as they strode along Mayet River. Only the Guardians could produce such a resounding sound. Whatever problem that had arisen must have been dealt with by now if a Guardian was around.
Breyas had volunteered for this outing because of his father, who had come down with the illness; he wanted to do something to stop the progression of the malady, and he figured this would be as close as he would get. Likewise, Keno, who was Fiotez’s brother, wanted to help stop the spread of the disease and prevent more horrific deaths. He hadn’t been around to witness the demise of his brother but he’d heard the stories and was shaken. The funeral that had been held for Fiotez two nights before was a somber one. The villagers were in deep shock; never had such a violent death occurred to one of their own. Many started to truly fear the illness and, although the Elders made an attempt to reassure, people were still apprehensive.
As Breyas stooped to retrieve a sample of water, Keno said, “Why do I have a strange feeling that in order to find the source, we will have to hike all the way to Ayen’et?”
Breyas emitted a sound of dismay. “Oh, please do not say that. I would rather not have to walk the entire length of this river only to find out that the source is actually in that accursed mountain.” He dropped the crystalline gel into the jar and the men regarded it closely as the translucent gel gave way to color. “Still contaminated.”
“I am telling you,” Keno insisted as Breyas drained the sample back into the river, “we should just pass along this entire river and head straight up to the mountain.”
Breyas grunted, not keen on getting too close to Ayen’et. As a child, he had never had any good memories while visiting the highland. “Let us walk for another two intervals, and then we should camp for the night.”
The hours passed quickly enough, and the source of the contaminant remained unfound. The men set up their tents and built a fire, then sat around it whilst eating their packed food. They conversed about unimportant things, wanting to forget for the time being the strange sickness that afflicted their people. When they turned in, they silently prayed, hoping that they would soon find the source of the disease.
29
The friends lounged on the grassy hill beside the boys’ neyra that overlooked Esroh Lègna, the beautiful emerald river that rolled through the valley. They discussed their day in the training area with their crystals, stupefied by the fact that they had each been successful in finding an image in their crystal; all except Kody, that is. The friends listened to Kody as he grumbled about his problem.
When the Elders had arrived much later in the day to retrieve them, they’d asked the group if they’d seen anything and were delighted upon hearing that they had. Jag’s image was that of a lone paw print of a wildcat; Mariah’s was a full moon over a crest of wave; Tegan’s had been the eye of an eagle; and Aari’s image was a silhouette of half a dragonfly. Kody had stood there, unable to provide an answer. He’d briefly contemplated making up an image, but cleared that thought. The Elders had complete trust in the five of them—he could not forsake that simply because he felt left out and embarrassed.
Tegan scooted over so she could rest her chin on his shoulder. “Hey, remember that song your mom made up when we all slept over at your place when we were little?”
Kody rolled his eyes. “Which one? She made up many.”
“The one about the little sea lion who felt left out because he was unable to fish as well as the other little sea lions.”
“Oh, jeez, please don’t go there.”
Jag grinned and started to hum the tune. Aari joined in, then Tegan sang along with Mariah. After the first sentence Kody was rolling away, hands slapped over his ears. “Spare me!” he yelped. “Please!”
“We’re not going to stop until you give us the moral of the song,” Tegan threatened.
“What? No way. Scram. Get outta here.”
His friends sang louder and repeated the song like a broken record. Kody, sure that his ears would begin to bleed any second, finally gave in. “Alright! Alright! I get it! Don’t give up, and don’t give in to self-pity just because others achieved something you didn’t. I got that. Now just stop!”
His friends beamed victoriously. Kody glowered at them, then pulled out his small crystal from his jeans. The Elders had lent him the quartz until morning in hopes that he would get his image yet. He bounced it in his palm and held it up to the sky. “How on earth did you guys get your images, anyway?” he asked.
Mariah shrugged. “For me, it kind of just . . . happened. I can’t explain it.”
“Same here,” Tegan agreed.
Kody looked discouraged. “What kind of thoughts did you have beforehand? Did you go all Zen? What did you guys do?”
“I really don’t know, Kody,” Aari said. “All we did was focus, just like we were told to. There was a lot of noise initially, a lot of distracting thoughts, but it got easier with practice. At a certain point, there would be total silence. It was brief, but that’s when we saw our images.”
Kody held the little crystal in front of his face and stared at it in disgust. “Who knew that some of the anguishes in my life would come from an inanimate object that isn’t even the size of my thumb?” He snorted and sat in silence for a while, then said, “Think I’ll turn in early.”
Though the sun had only just set, the friends didn’t protest. After wishing them good night, Kody vanished into the boys’ neyra. Aari picked at a blade of grass. “Poor guy,” he commented. “I wonder why the rest of us got our images and he didn’t?”
“You know how he is,” Jag said. “Boring stuff doesn’t suit him well.”
“We all found it boring,” Aari said. “But I get what you mean. The dude’s got less focus than we do . . . But still. Even Tegan managed to get an image, and you know her—Miss Ants-in-her-pants. She can’t sit in one spot for too long unless she’s doing something fun.”
Tegan smiled slightly. “I feel like I should be offended, but I can’t be because I have no argument there.”
* * *
It was the middle of the night when Kody bolted upright in his sleeping bag. “Got it!” he whispered.
When he’d entered the shelter to sleep six hours ago, he’d fallen into his sleeping bag and slumbered off. Something had woken him not long after, though he didn’t know what. Blinking exhaustion away in the darkness, he could just make out Aari on his right and Jag on his left, and heard them snoring
softly. Unable to fall back asleep, Kody had lit the lamp a couple of feet away from his head and turned over to lie on his stomach. Facing the light, he’d pulled the small crystal from his pocket. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been staring at it, but the image suddenly flashed in the quartz: a five-pointed star woven from twigs.
He now sat in his sleeping bag, too excited to sleep. He didn’t know if he should leave to find Huyani and Akol and tell them, or wait until morning. He shifted impatiently but decided to save his announcement for daybreak. He grinned at the crystal. “And you thought you could evade me, you deceptive piece of rock.”
Aari cracked open an eye but quickly squeezed it shut when the light’s glare hit him. After a few seconds, he eased both his eyes open and raised his head, seeing Kody. Trying to get his vocal chords to work, he mumbled, “Kodng.”
Kody looked over at him, quizzical.
Aari tried again. “. . . Kody.”
“Yes?”
“What are you doing?”
Kody smiled and showed him the crystal. “I found the image,” he replied, keeping his voice low so Jag wouldn’t wake up.
Aari laid his head back down and closed his eyes. “Congrats,” he snuffled tiredly. “Do you mind turning that bloody light off now?”
“You’re so grumpy when you’re groggy, you know that?” Kody reached over to turn off the lamp.
But Aari was already fast asleep. Kody rubbed his eyes, feeling suddenly worn. He snuggled back down into his sleeping bag and fell asleep with the small crystal clutched in his hand.
30
The next morning, the friends stood with Akol and Huyani outside the large wooden gate of the training ground, anxiously waiting for the Elders to emerge from the temple. They were curious to find out what “stage one” held for them. The Elders had briefly given a general idea: basic physical and mental training.