Aegis Rising

by S. S. Segran

  “Not if we are stealthy, my friend.”

  The guard leveled his gun at them uncertainly. How was he to tell them that they were not allowed to converse? Scrambling, he slammed the butt of his rifle against Rikèq’s temple, almost causing him to black out. His three friends protested, and the guard instinctively pointed his weapon at them. They quieted down but glared at the guard.

  “Rikèq,” Breyas murmured. “Are you alright?”

  Rikèq groaned and hung his head, fighting to remain conscious. Long minutes passed until he spoke again, his speech slurred. “As I was saying, there is only one guard at a time in this room. Surely we can take one down.”

  “And then what?” Keno asked, hushed.

  “Even before we can think of that,” Aydar whispered, “how do we strike? Do you not see how we are bound to our chairs? Our individual abilities will be of no help here.”

  “Perhaps, but Keno might be able to—” Rikèq clamped his mouth shut when the guard neared, casting his shadow on the villagers. The guard said something in an unfamiliar language, but it was plainly understood that if the man was not pleased, he would not hesitate to use his weapon. The villagers decided it was best to remain silent.

  * * *

  The friends left the training ground and raced each other to Huyani’s neyra for their lunch break. As they strolled into the living quarters, Huyani looked up from where she was working in the kitchen. “You look worn out already!”

  Jag flopped down on the sofa. “You left me alone at the mercy of Elder Tayoka,” he said, feigning accusation.

  She stuck her tongue out at him good-naturedly. “You know I must leave to prepare your rytrèni before you are dismissed for your afternoon break.”

  “Oh, you mean our protein shakes?” Aari asked.

  “You can call it whatever you please, but it is an ancient formula handed down to us by our ancestors. It was generated to strengthen not only your body at its cellular level but also your mind, and is specific for each of you due to the difference in your latent powers.”

  “That’s a lot to go into a mug.” Aari lowered himself onto the couch beside Jag but was surprised by a yelp.

  “Watch where you sit, knucklehead!” Tegan quickly pushed Aari away before he could sit on her.

  “Sorry, sport,” he apologized, patting her cheek. “Didn’t see you there.”

  She ‘mmfed’ and burrowed into her side of the couch, allowing Aari room to squeeze in between her and Jag. They watched, slightly amused, as Kody trotted around the kitchen after Huyani as she prepared the friends’ drinks.

  “It’s hard to tell if he’s following yon fair maiden over there, or if he’s following the smell of the ingredients she’s carrying,” Mariah said from the opposite couch, leaning her head against the armrest.

  Jag chuckled. “I think it’s both.”

  The four of them chattered, enjoying their break while it lasted. Mariah tilted her head so she could look at her friends. “It’s a shame we don’t get to see each other much during training. How are you guys doing so far?”

  Tegan perked up. “I’m having a blast, actually.”

  Jag was skeptical. “Don’t you just sit there and meditate or something?”

  “Well, kind of, but at the same time not really. What Tikina’s teaching me at this point is to focus on a basic life form and to connect with it at an elemental level.”

  “Oh . . . and have you achieved that?”

  Tegan wiggled upright, all trace of fatigue gone. “I did! It was unbelievable. I managed to link with this grand old pine tree at the training site. I could actually feel all the minute motions inside it, like the particles of water moving upward from the roots all the way through the trunk, into the branches and to its leaves. It felt strange but so refreshing at the same time. Not going to lie, though, it was a little spooky. It’s just not a sensation that we’re used to as human beings.”

  “So, technically, you were a tree?” Mariah asked.

  “Not exactly. It was a projection of my mind into the existence of the tree.”

  Aari scratched his head. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t see how it benefits you. Seems like you’re taking a couple of steps down the evolutionary ladder.”

  “If you wanna get to the top, you gotta start from the bottom, right?” Tegan countered. “Tikina said that right now, I’m only able to handle this level of training but if I keep exercising my mind, I can do this with more complex life forms, like birds and other animals.” Her eyes gleamed.

  “Riddle me this,” Jag proposed. “Say you get really good at this ability. Would you be able to one day move past animals and take this to a human-to-human level?”

  Tegan rested her chin in a hand, brooding over the concept. “I don’t know,” she finally said.

  “If you could, that would probably make you the most dangerous person alive,” he grinned.

  She smiled faintly, but the thought perturbed her for some reason so she pushed it aside. “Oh, hey, I forgot to tell you guys. Tikina told me a little secret. Remember the lynx you and I came across when we first were here, ’Riah? Tyse?”

  “Yeah?” Mariah said.

  “Well, that was actually Tikina linking with her.”

  “You mean . . . the reason it stopped and blocked our path . . . was because your mentor was controlling its actions?

  “Bingo. Now, do you guys remember the eagle that helped us out when we were fighting the wolves?”

  “No way,” Aari said.

  “Uh huh. That was Tikina giving us a hand.”

  Jag was impressed. “That was her the whole time? I thought the animals of this forest were all just crazy.”

  Huyani, overhearing, looked pleased that the friends were discussing her grandmother in a good light. She turned around only to bump into Kody. “You,” she said, scolding him mildly. “Off with you. I must finish preparing your drinks.”

  Kody sulked and went to sit beside Mariah, who nudged him. “How has your day been so far?”

  He stretched. “I’ll tell you something about Elder Nageau: There’s a reason why folks here hold him in special esteem. He’s got so much wisdom to share, and he’s such a practical thinker.”

  “Hopefully that’ll rub off on you,” Aari chirped.

  “Anyway,” Kody continued delightedly, “you guys know that he’s got hyper-sensory abilities, right? He told me that I’d be in full possession of those abilities soon enough if I can stay focused during training.”

  Jag grinned. “If that’s the case, it’ll take you a few years.”

  Kody was narked. Tegan, seeing the look on his face, clobbered Jag and Aari with a couch pillow. “Knock it off, you two. Can’t you see he just wants to share without your dumb interruptions?”

  The pair mumbled apologetically. Mariah looked at Kody to carry on, and he said, “Over the past couple of days—and Aari, I think you’d appreciate this—we’ve been working on understanding the nature of sound waves. Nageau said that before I learn it, I’ll have to master stillness inside and out. I didn’t know I could actually be that comfortable in silence. I mean, you guys know what I’m like. But once I got it, even though it was sort of in and out, I was able to hear every single sound of the forest around me. It was an unbelievable experience. I even heard the sound of a bird flapping its wings, but the insane thing is that the bird was nowhere near the vicinity.”

  “Where was it, then?” Tegan asked.

  “Nageau heard it too, and he said it was about three hundred paces from where we were training.”

  “What? How could he tell?”

  “He’s been honing that ability for years, remember? He’s able to estimate the position of a sound.”

  Mariah ventured, “So when you complete your training, you’ll be able to do that too?”

  “Yep!” Kody sang. “But not just with hearing. I’ll be able to do it with all my other senses, too.”

  “Who would’ve thought,” Aari said after
a moment of wonderment, “that this was gonna be our future? Imagine what the rest of our lives will be like now that we have these abilities. It’s gonna be crazy.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Were you guys told that we’d be starting the intermediate stage of the training tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, and training will be intensified,” Jag said. “Apparently we’re jumping from stage one to stage two in this short a time because we’re grasping what’s being taught real fast.”

  Kody jerked his chin at Aari. “How’s your training with Elder Ashack going?”

  “Eh . . . exhausting, both for the mind and the body.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Mmhm. To begin with, we’ve all got our daily workout as part of the routine, and you know that’s physically demanding. Don’t get me wrong—the fact that we’re getting all this strength training and also being taught Dema-Ki defense techniques is great. But then comes the mind part, and I can’t say that I’m enjoying it. I know there’s a lot of science in this, and I love to explore reality logically, but this stuff is . . .”

  “Too far-fetched?” Jag supplied.

  “Yes and no. I’m a bit skeptical, y’know? But my mentor proves me wrong every step of the way. And then I learn something new, but not before it messes with my mind.”

  “You’re working on bending light or something, right?” Mariah asked.

  Aari nodded. “Right. It’s supposed to help camouflage and make any object or person I want seem invisible.”

  “How can you do that?”

  “Well, we see things because light reflects from the objects we’re looking at. If I were to deflect the light particles from an object, I would have made that same object invisible. In theory, of course.” He searched his friends’ faces to see if they were following him. “Take this example. Imagine we’re in a pitch dark cave and Tegan shines a flashlight on Kody. You’ll all be able to see him, but if I were to deflect the light that’s bouncing off him and into your eyes, I’ve practically rendered him invisible to you.”

  “How does it work?” Jag asked. “If you’re bending light around a moving person, how would you know where they are to keep covering them?”

  “Ashack said when I’m ready, I’ll be able to sense a person or animal in the novasphere and keep them covered that way. As for inanimate objects, that’s just a matter of practice.”

  “Handy!” Tegan remarked. “Could we get a demo?”

  “Not yet,” Aari said. “I’m just being prepped for it right now—that alone has already tired my mind and I have to get back to it after lunch. Once I get stronger though, I’ll blow you guys away.”

  “Speaking of lunch,” Huyani called from the kitchen, “your rytrèni is ready.”

  The friends pulled themselves off the couches, grabbed their individual mugs, then sat on the stools by the counter.

  “I know that this is actually nourishing and is supposed to help us build up physically,” Kody said, “but it makes me sad that this is all we get three times a day in place of actual meals.”

  Tegan flicked her fingers on his head. “No, dork. We still get dinner. I don’t know how you keep forgetting that.”

  Huyani sat across from the friends. “I never got a chance to ask you how you felt at the village gathering last evening.”

  Mariah tapped her knuckles on the side of her mug. “Awkward. For me, anyway.”

  “It wouldn’t have been too bad if it were folks we knew, but we were in front of hundreds of people whom we’ve never met before,” Tegan said, taking a sip from her drink. “Not only that, but we were being held in such high regard for something we’re not entirely sure of.”

  Huyani hummed. “I can only try to imagine being in your shoes. I cannot, however, pretend to fathom the importance of the role that destiny has chosen for you. The fulfillment of our prophecy is a tremendously significant event in the history of our people.” Noticing the unsettled looks friends gave each other, she added, “While most residents of Dema-Ki will give you their complete acceptance, there will be a few who will need time to come around to this big decision. Regardless of that, I want to assure you that you will not be alone in this journey.”

  The friends drank from their rytrèni without uttering a response as they reflected on Huyani’s statement. Tegan, without meaning to, glared into her mug. Huyani quirked her head to the side, then got up. “Tegan.”

  Tegan snapped out of her staring competition with the mug. “Uh?”

  Taking the younger girl by the arm, Huyani said, “You look as if you need some fresh air.”

  Though bewildered, Tegan didn’t protest as she was led out of the neyra. Outside, Huyani closed the door and turned to her. “Is everything alright, Tegan?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you sure?” Huyani’s tone, though quiet, had a firm edge.

  Tegan grunted. “Okay, fine. I’m still skeptical about the training. I’d like to talk it out fully with the others, but they all seem to be into it. Not that I’m not interested.”

  “But?”

  “But I don’t know where this is going. With the prophecy, I mean. I don’t think—no, I know we didn’t—delve into that part of the deal when we were discussing the Elders’ offer to stay.”

  Huyani brushed some of Tegan’s hair from her face, her sisterly touch somehow comforting to Tegan. “It is natural to be concerned for one’s wellbeing—”

  “No, no. Not me. I don’t care for myself. It’s the others. We don’t have a full picture of this whole prophecy thing, but I can tell it’s a big deal to shoulder and I worry about where this could lead and what the future might bring for my goofballs in there. I want them safe, Huyani. That’s all. So I don’t understand why we’re just dropping our lives and leaping into the unknown.”

  The older girl studied Tegan with gentle eyes. “We can never know what the future holds, yet it is up to us whether we want to rise and meet it or run back to our past. I know not how the events in the prophecy will unfold, but I do know this: The five of you were chosen for a reason. The only way you will discover your destiny is by walking the path.” In an even softer tone, she said, “A ship is safe in its harbor, but that is not what it was built for. Its destiny is to sail the oceans.”

  Tegan shoved her hands into her pockets, heaving a world-weary sigh. Huyani rubbed her back for a while before the pair reached a wordless agreement and return to the others inside. The friends cast questioning looks at Tegan as she took her seat, but all she did was pick up her drink and down it in two gulps.

  Huyani gave the friends a moment before broaching a light subject. “So how does it feel to not be a village secret anymore?”

  “It’s a lot freer, that’s for sure,” Jag said. “At least now we don’t have to move around in the shadows, and we’re more aware of what’s going on.”

  “Hear, hear,” Kody agreed.

  Huyani let the rest of the group finish their drinks before saying, “Another villager has passed away from the illness today.”

  “That’s awful,” Mariah said. “I’m so sorry. I take it a cure hasn’t been found, then?”

  “Not yet, but our village scientist is working hard to find one.”

  “Have your dad and the other men returned from their expedition?” Kody asked.

  “No. The courier falcon has not returned either, and my grandfather is growing concerned.” Huyani traced absentminded figure-eights on the countertop. “I hope they are alright.”

  Mariah squeezed the older girl’s arm reassuringly.

  Aari set his mug down. “Tell us a little about this Ayen’et mountain that people are speaking about. I sense some nervousness when people make mention of that name.”

  “It is folklore normally used to keep children in line,” Huyani answered. “It is especially effective for encouraging them to not stay up past their bedtime.”

  “I’ll say,” a new voice agreed.

  The group swiveled around on their stools as Akol walked through the door.
“I remember my father telling me that story when I was younger and refused to go to sleep.” A bug was circling his head and he swatted it away. “I just came to let you know that the Elders will be expecting you at the gates soon.”

  The friends jumped off their seats and hurried to get their shoes on. “Thanks for lunch, Huyani!” Aari called as they ran out of the neyra.

  Huyani waved. “Good luck with your training, all of you!”

  * * *

  It was late in the evening when Nageau entered the temple to meditate. He paced leisurely through the hall, admiring—as he always did—its elegance and grandeur. At the far end of the temple, he found a small area with mats on the floor. He sat cross-legged on one and closed his eyes, and was soon oblivious to the material world.

  He did not know how long he’d been away when he was jolted back by a high-pitched shriek. His eyes flew open. The courier falcon swooped inside the temple before it came to rest on a pedestal by a nearby wall. Nageau smiled and approached the bird.

  “You are late,” he said. The falcon made a clicking sound with its beak and inspected the temple. As Nageau’s gaze moved down expectantly to the bird’s legs, his face fell. The message beads were not attached to its talons as they should have been.

  Something is wrong. He rushed out of the temple toward the Elders’ living cluster, sending out a telepathic blast to his companions. They each responded to his message and were gathered in the clearing outside their homes by the time he arrived. Apprising them of the situation, he said, “We must get a search party organized right away.”

  Saiyu glanced up at the sky. “It will be too dark by the time they are ready to leave, Nageau. We will gather the party now, but let them leave at first light.”

  Nageau reluctantly agreed. Turning to his mate, he said, “Tikina, we will need your eyes on this trip. Can you establish a mindlink with Akira?”

  “Yes,” she assured him.

  Nageau clenched the folds of his cloak into a fist, trying to get ahold of himself. “I suppose all that is left to do is pray that our men are safe.”

  38

  It the temple the following morning, the Elders counted off the eight villagers who made up the search party. Nageau and Ashack were having a quiet chat with the group, assessing the party’s preparedness. As Tikina watched, she was reminded of the morning when the four men they had sent out—one of them being her daughter’s mate—stood in the temple’s foyer and were being readied by the Elders, a morning much like this one with gray clouds at first light.