by S. S. Segran
“Jag!” he yelled, knowing his friend would not be able to hear him over the din.
The others on the mountaintop looked toward the Osprey and murmured nervously to one another as the plane’s shadow drifted toward the edge of the mining site.
Tegan and Aari had left Tayoka in Ashack’s hands. They now gaped at the huge plane from behind the barracks. The aircraft’s rotors were tilted forward as it chomped through the tops of the trees in its path. Pieces of rotor blades and chunks of wood whirled away and were spat onto the ground and the surrounding landscape. A form dangled from the edge of the plane’s ramp; the friends cried in dismay when they recognized the figure.
They looked on, horrified, as the Osprey vibrated violently when a large piece of a rotor broke loose and struck a fuel tank, setting off a fiery blast. The noise resounded across the mountain and the engine began to sputter. The aircraft tilted over, losing altitude rapidly, then tumbled over the edge of the mining site. A thunderous explosion rocked the ground and a towering cloud of black smoke mushroomed from the side of the mountain.
Tegan and Aari sprinted around the building with only one thought—to find Jag. As they tore past the rubble of the vehicle shed to their right, a couple of earth-shaking roars froze them on the spot.
The two Guardians faced off against the last beast as it stood over the debris of the vehicle shed. The beast slowly twisted its head over its shoulder at Tegan and Aari, fangs bared. It stood still for a moment—then, with a twitch of its cropped tail, it leapt away from the oncoming Guardians and sped after friends. Within moments the beast was in striking distance.
Aari knew they couldn’t outrun the creature. Searching wildly for something to protect himself with, he spotted a torn metal door on the ground and hoisted it, holding it up like a shield. In his haste—and not realizing just how heavy the door was—he swayed off balance. The beast took advantage and lunged on top of him, knocking the teenager to the ground. Aari let out a yelp as pain shot through his body but he stubbornly held onto the door, which was the only thing protecting him from the animal’s deathly jaws.
The beast struggled to sink its teeth into the flat metal. Grabbing the edge of the door in its maw, it peeled the corner back until it exposed its prey’s face. Aari almost cursed his throat raw as the morbid creature’s eyes bore into him. Helpless, he watched as the beast flung the deformed door aside. With its victim now fully bared, it moved in. Aari shut his eyes and covered his face.
A guttural screech forced his eyes open again. His jaw dropped. A long steel pipe pierced the creature’s side. Tegan stood a few feet away, her face a mask of fury even as every part of her shook. Letting go of her end of the six-foot spear, she fell to her knees beside Aari.
“I guess we’re even,” was all he could manage to say.
Distracted by the momentary agony, the animal yanked the blood-stained pipe out of its side with its jaws and dropped it. Enraged, it turned and sprang at the friends. They were within its reach when a large form leapt over the beast and knocked the creature aside. The silver Guardian reared protectively in front of the friends, snarling. Hastily backing away, the beast turned to flee but found itself face-to-face with the black-furred Guardian. It cowered, snapping its jaws and swinging its head from one side to the other as the bears closed the gap.
Still shaking, Tegan pulled Aari up and they darted away from the titans. Aari glanced back when he heard a blood-curdling howl and, against the rising sun, saw the silhouette of the beast in the jaws of both the Guardians. The last thing he heard was a booming roar from the victorious bears as they reared to their full heights of fifteen feet, the remains of the beast strewn across the dirt.
Having brought the sniper down from the ceiling and tied him up, Saiyu and Mariah headed towards the exit. Just as she was about to step out, something shiny under a broken shelf on the floor caught Mariah’s attention. She knelt down and picked it up, studying it for a few moments before slipping the curious object into her pocket.
As Elder and apprentice poked their heads out of the door, Aari and Tegan ran past them into the trees. Mariah took off after them, Saiyu close behind. “Where are you going?” she called.
“Jag!” they shouted, ignoring her question. “Jag!”
Weaving through the debris and the blackened vegetation, the friends reached the edge of the mining operations and peered down the side of the mountain. A few hundred feet below them, the charred fuselage of the plane was lodged between several trees. Fire and smoke were scattered all around the crash site. They strained to find Jag but there was no movement around the wreckage. Tegan and Mariah clutched Aari’s arms. Saiyu stood behind the friends, anguish painted on her face.
Tegan knelt to look closer at the destroyed plane. She stared for a long while, silent, and a couple of tears slid down her cheeks. Mariah buried herself against Aari’s side, who stood with his arms crossed, his jaw working and his eyes red as he bitterly fought back tears. No one spoke, but all were grieving.
A figure crawled up from the mountainside some yards away, puffing. Pulling itself up, the tall form stumbled over to Aari and Mariah and draped his arms over their shoulders, staring down at the wreckage with the others.
“Never want to go through that again,” the figure said in an exhausted, husky voice.
Aari froze for a moment, then slowly turned to look. A smoldering, ragged Jag stood next to him with a lopsided grin.
“Jag!” Aari bellowed. “You . . . you . . .” He gave the other teenager a hard thump on the arm before wrapping him in a bear hug. “You crazy sonofagun! What were you thinking?”
The girls, stunned, shrieked and tackled Jag into a group hug. Saiyu covered her mouth with a hand, and gazed at Jag with relief.
A round of cheers burst from the top of the mountain when Nageau and his team spotted Jag, so loud that it could be heard all the way down at the mining site. Jag squinted up and waved, though he could barely see them, then turned back to the others with a broad smile.
Saiyu stepped off to the side as Nageau linked with her. This conflict is over, he said. We have halted their destructive activities. I will join you shortly. With a twinge of sadness, he added, Let us gather our people, both the survivors and those who have sacrificed, and bring them home.
57
Sitting on top of several large boulders by the rock wall at the end of the valley, the friends looked out over the village as it lay in the midday sun. Young children waddling by the edges of the emerald river, squealing happily and splashing each other while their parents stood back and chatted. Several villagers walked in and out of the temple to the friends’ right, often pausing to greet each other with warmth. The entire atmosphere exuded a sense of calm and contentment.
The friends could not deny it—they were fond of Dema-Ki. It had become their home and the people had become their friends. Since returning from Ayen’et, the residents had invited them for gatherings and meals, most of which the friends politely declined so they could rest and recuperate.
Jag rubbed his head, feeling the shorter haircut he now sported since having some of his hair singed off. Thanks to Huyani and Saiyu’s medicinal skills and healing powers, most of his injuries had been taken care of and he was well on his way to full recovery. The others had not been as badly injured and fared well.
Jag’s eyes drifted to his friends as they gazed out at the village. He observed the peace each one of them wore and had to resist the urge to pull them all into his arms. Though not one for sentimentality, he harbored fierce love for the people he’d grown up with and sometimes couldn’t help himself.
It had been a life-changing time for them. Since the plane crash and their subsequent treatment and training in the valley, they had each grown in body, mind and spirit. All five friends had learned much through their training, giving them more confidence in themselves.
Through their rigorous drills, they had witnessed noticeable changes in their physiques: The boys were bigger and fitte
r and the girls were more athletic. And the skills they’d learned, although powerful, had taught them the importance of keeping their feet firmly on the ground.
It was an uncommon path that they trod and they did it with strength and courage that surprised all of them. Though their experiences and contribution during the Siege of Ayen’et had strengthened their faith in the prophecy, they were still attempting to come to terms with the roles bestowed upon them by the ancient scripture.
“I can’t believe it’s been a week since we were on the mountain,” Jag said, breaking the quiet. Since returning, the group hardly spoke of the experience; it was almost as if they shied away from the subject. Jag particularly tried not to think of the Osprey’s co-pilot as he’d tumbled out of the plane.
Tegan, sharing the boulder with him and Mariah, nodded. “Never in my life did I think I’d be a part of something like that . . . And never in my life did I ever think I’d see such mayhem and destruction.”
Kody, sitting on a smaller bounder, murmured, “Me neither.”
Jag glanced at him. “You probably saw way more than we did up there, didn’t you, bud?”
Kody pressed his palms to his cheeks and rubbed. “Probably,” he said bitterly. “It was brutal. I lost count of how many people we lost that day.”
“At least their sacrifice wasn’t in vain,” Tegan said.
Kody snorted. “In my opinion, there’s no such thing as a victory if even one person has to die.”
“Sometimes lives are lost in order for good to prevail. It’s been like that throughout history. Sitting on our hands and doing nothing can’t be an option if we have the ability to make a difference.”
Mariah looked over Jag’s head to smile at Tegan. “Well said.”
Jag outlined a cut on his arm that was nearly healed, then let out a scoff. The others looked at him, puzzled. “Off topic,” he apologized, “but I was remembering the look on that guy’s face when the Elders gave him a shot to restore his consciousness.”
“You mean the sniper Saiyu and I took down?” Mariah grinned.
“That’s the one.”
“Mmh, yeah. It’s interesting that the Elders were compassionate enough to leave a satellite phone tied to him so he could call for help.”
Aari jumped down from his boulder and went to pluck some dandelions before returning to sit. He held one up and blew on it. The friends watched as the seeds rode the gentle breeze toward the village.
“I saw Tayoka walking with a cane this morning,” Tegan said, rubbing her knuckles against Jag’s temple. “He’s getting better every day.”
Jag batted her hand away with a smile. “I know. If we had these folks with their healing abilities in the outside world, imagine how they could help.” He nudged her. “How’s your mentor?”
“She’s healing.”
“She and Tayoka got really lucky.”
“I know.” Tegan watched the children playing by the water. “Hey, did you guys hear? Nageau said Magèo estimated that the contamination outside the valley should wash away in the next six months or so.”
“I wonder how he came to that conclusion,” Kody mused.
“It’s like wondering how the scientists back home figure things out,” Mariah answered with a shrug. “You won’t know exactly unless you’re one of them. And Magèo is practically the scientist of this village.”
“The scientist and the old coot,” Jag quipped.
“You’re awful.”
“And you’re trying not to laugh.”
“Whatever.” Mariah watched as Aari let another batch of dandelion seeds blow away. “You guys remember that silver coin I picked up from the sniper’s office at the mining site, the one with the weird symbol on it?”
“Yeah,” Aari said. “Any new developments?”
“Well, when I showed it to Saiyu, she had a strange look on her face, like she recognized it or something.”
“Do you still have it?” Tegan asked.
“No. She wanted to show it to the other Elders.”
Jag rubbed his chin. “Hm . . . interesting. There’s gotta be some significance to it, then.”
“That’s what I figured,” Mariah said, “but it raises more questions.”
“You know what I have questions about? What those beasts were.” Kody shuddered. “They can’t be natural.”
“I doubt they were,” Aari said. “At the site’s infirmary, there was this huge guy lying in the rubble. He had a device on him and it looked like a remote control with a screen. On the back, there was an engraving that said ‘Marauder Control Unit’. I think that’s what the creatures were called—Marauders.”
“You’re saying those animals were actually being controlled?” Kody asked.
“They might have been.”
“But that would make them some kind of machine, wouldn’t it? When the Guardians tore those suckers up there were no metal parts. They were all flesh and bone like any other living creature.”
“Well, it’s just a thought.”
The friends winced inwardly at the notion and brushed the prospect aside. Collectively taking a breath and exhaling, they leaned back, relaxing until Huyani strolled up to them with a basket in hand and Akol next to her.
As they arrived, Huyani greeted them with a wide smile. “Here are the heroes again!” she said playfully, although the awe that radiated off her in waves was unmistakable.
“The tales of your bravery are spreading like wildfire, my friends,” Akol added. “You have achieved so much, so quickly. We are all astounded.”
The group glanced away, faces flushed from the kind words. “Thanks,” Aari mumbled. “But we know there’s much to learn and more training ahead of us.”
“You sure were missed up there, though,” Mariah told the siblings. “It would’ve been great to have you by our side.”
Akol beamed. “Huyani despises conflict, but I would have done anything to stand with you against those intruders. However, the Elders had another plan for me—I was instructed to watch over the village in their absence.”
“They definitely picked the right person for the job, then.” Jag smiled, respect evident in his eyes.
Akol dipped his head. “Thank you, Jag.”
“The entire village has an elevated faith in the Elders for recognizing the five of you as the ones promised by the prophecy,” Huyani said.
There was a moment of odd silence. Tegan jumped on it to change the subject. “So what’s happened to Hutar? No one has said anything since . . . that night. All we know is that the Elders confiscated his crystal.”
Huyani shifted her basket from one hand to the other. “They have decided to send him to an edification program that should aid in centering and restoring his spirit.”
Kody was puzzled. “Wouldn’t it be safer to just lock him up in a reformatory or something?”
“Putting Hutar away will not address the root of the problem,” Akol said. “One of the foundations of our community’s belief system is the proper centering of each individual’s spirit.”
“So . . . he’ll be allowed to run loose?”
“Not quite. He will spend five moon cycles in a special neyra where the Elders will take turns working with him to improve his ways. For half a day every day during that time, he will be active in rigorous community service. He will tend to the crops in the greenhouse, help build new neyra, assist wherever he can in the stable, and he will be rebuilding the old community hall.”
The friends were both intrigued and content with the answer. “But why would you want to rebuild the old community hall?” Tegan asked. “Don’t you already have a new one?”
“It will not be a community hall, as such,” Huyani said, finally breaking into one of her charismatic smiles. “It will become a youth center.”
Tegan raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Nice.”
“If he improves, what will happen to him then?” Jag asked.
Akol pointed over the river to a large building below the t
emple. “He will be teaching the young ones at the school.”
“What?!” The friends stared at him, unable to believe their ears.
“I don’t understand,” Aari said. “Why would you do that, putting him in a roomful of kids?”
“And he doesn’t seem like the educating type, if you know what I mean,” Kody added.
“Teaching is an essential part of learning,” Huyani replied. “Learning is just like breathing in, and teaching is breathing out. It is necessary for our progression. What the students are taught inside the school are virtues, sciences, our relationship with nature, understanding our bodies and minds, and harnessing our innate skills.”
“How does teaching that help Hutar learn?”
“If you wish to lead others, you must first learn to lead yourself, no? Through teaching he will learn patience and gain maturity among other valuable assets. Once he has successfully completed his rehabilitation, then perhaps one day he will regain the crystal he was given and be a responsible member of this community.”
Mariah tucked her folded arms against her chest. “What if this doesn’t work and he doesn’t change?”
The siblings went quiet, then Huyani said, “That is not a thought we wish to entertain. Positive projections are what Hutar requires to regain stability in himself. The alternative is unthinkable.”
The friends nodded, hoping that the corrective program would help Hutar in becoming the better man he could be. The seven of them slipped into silence again, then Huyani held up her basket. “We know you are supposed to meet with the Elders soon, so we brought your midday meal. You may eat here and then head to the temple.”
The friends laughed and slid off the boulders. “Thanks, Huyani,” Jag said, taking the basket from her. Kody snuck up behind him and snatched it before frolicking off.
“Hey!” Jag exclaimed.
“You snooze, you lose.” Kody settled down on the grass, opened the basket, and dug in. “I’m gonna miss your cooking when we leave, Huyani. This is delicious.”
The others rolled their eyes and shared their mirth with the siblings before joining Kody for a satisfying meal.