by Davis Ashura
OUTBACK TRIALS
October 1987
* * *
William stood on Linchpin Knoll and shifted about nervously. He couldn’t stand still. Today he, Jason, Daniel, Mr. Zeus, Rukh, and Jessira would travel to Australia and attempt to confirm that Sinskrill’s lorasra polluted other saha’asras. The trip had been organized within days of his and Serena’s meeting with Rukh and Jessira, and the others stood nearby as well.
Also present were some who wouldn’t make the journey—Jake, Serena, and Bar Duba, a large, native-born Arylyner and the Councilor for Cliff Air. He had the frame of a grizzly bear and the high-pitched voice of Mike Tyson.
William shivered when a chill wind blew. Clouds had rolled in overnight, bringing with them unseasonably cold weather. It might have been considered balmy anywhere else, but for Arylyn it was downright frosty. The gray clouds also hid the early morning sun, and the weather reminded him of Sinskrill.
He watched as Bar and Mr. Zeus held a hushed, heated conversation. They flicked a glimpse at Rukh and Jessira before whispering furiously to one another again. William wondered what they were discussing.
“What’s that about?” Serena asked William, apparently noticing the same conversation.
For whatever reason, she’d decided to see them off. William tried to think of it as a kind gesture even as distrust at her motivations rumbled beneath the surface of his thoughts.
“What’s what about?” Jason asked, overhearing them.
“I think Mr. Zeus and Bar Duba might have a problem with Rukh and Jessira,” William said.
Daniel scoffed. “They probably caught wind of some of Jason’s suspicions. You know.” He mimed Jason’s voice, but took it up a register, making it sound more like a girl. “Who are they? They’re so mysterious. Where did they come from? Blah, blah, blah.”
“Ha, ha,” Jason said.
William flicked a glance at the focus of Mr. Zeus’ and Bar’s conversation: Rukh and Jessira, who were busy checking their weapons—compound bows, arrows, and swords. As soon as they finished, they packed them away in long, canvas duffle bags.
Jessira noticed William’s attention. “Better to be too careful than not careful enough,” she said with a wink.
Once again, it struck William how much Jessira had changed since he had first met her a little over a year ago. Back then she’d been a gangly freshman, lost and confused. Now she stood like a Greek goddess come to life, with power and certainty in every movement and graceful expression of her striking face. She took a knee and cinched up her gear.
They viewed her from behind.
“I could watch that all day,” Jake whispered to William, his voice sounding strangled.
“Better not let Rukh hear you,” William replied.
“Watch who?” Serena asked. She noticed the object of their fascination and rolled her eyes. “Men,” she muttered.
William felt unaccountable guilt. Why did he care what Serena thought of him?
“How’d we get stuck in this mess anyway?” Daniel asked of no one in particular. “I like going to the Far Beyond as much as the next magus, but—”
“Since when did you become a magus?” Jason asked. “You’re still a journeyman.”
Daniel dismissed his words with an airy wave. “Whatever. My question still stands.”
“You could have said ‘no,’” William reminded him.
“No, I couldn’t,” Daniel replied.
“Saying ‘no’ is easy,” Rukh said, approaching them. “You only have to say ‘No thanks,’ or ‘I don’t want to.’”
“Easy for you to say,” Daniel said, “but if I didn’t go, these three,” he pointed to William, Jake, and Jason, “would have forever reminded me that I was the guy too chicken to go visit an empty saha’asra. They’d never let me live it down.”
Mr. Zeus called their attention to him. “Gather round. I want to review the plan again.” He waited until they’d drawn near. “First, does anyone have their swords?”
A muttering of ‘ayes’ met his question.
“Wouldn’t a gun be better?” Daniel asked.
“For what?” Mr. Zeus asked. “Killing a wandering kangaroo?” He rolled his eyes. “We’re only taking the swords because the Village Council insists we have some kind of weapons with us.”
“A weapon is merely a tool,” Rukh said. “You’ll miss it most when you absolutely need it.”
Mr. Zeus harrumphed. “At any rate, we’re going to a saha’asra in Australia linked to Arylyn, and thankfully it’s relatively close to a small town. Once there, we’ll have to convince someone to let us borrow their car.”
Jason wore a cheesy grin. “On the weak-minded does the Force have a strong influence,” he said in a Yoda voice.
“You’re butchering the quote, dummy,” Jake said. “Besides, it was Obi-wan who said that.”
“Don’t you have some place to be that isn’t here?” Jason asked Jake.
“I do,” Jake said, “but making fun of you is a full-time job.”
“Who’s Obi-wan?” Serena whispered to William.
He stared at her in disbelief until he saw her eyes twinkle with suppressed laughter.
“I don’t like stealing,” Rukh said, “and we shouldn’t force others to do our bidding.”
“It won’t do them any long-lasting harm,” Mr. Zeus said in a placating tone.
“It’s the principle of it,” Jessira said.
“If you have a better idea, then let’s hear it,” Mr. Zeus challenged.
Rukh shook his head. “Not for our current trial, but from this point on we should have a vehicle ready at all the saha’asras linked to Arylyn.”
Mr. Zeus grumbled. “Desert sand ruins a car.”
“Are you not a magus?” Rukh asked.
Mr. Zeus grumbled further. “Fine. We’ll leave cars from now on, but in this one case we’ll borrow someone else’s and drive out to the other saha’asra connected to Sinskrill. William will tell us what he sees, we’ll spend the night, and then come home. Any questions?”
A smattering of ‘nos’ met his words.
“Then it’s time,” Mr. Zeus said.
“Be careful,” Jake warned William. “Don’t stay any longer than you have to.”
“Wise advice for all of us,” Jessira said.
“Good luck,” Serena told William. She moved aside before he could respond.
Mr. Zeus sourced his lorethasra, and a hint of vanilla wafted on the breeze. He triggered the anchor line, and from a foot off the ground, a tall line rose and split the air. It rotated on its long axis and opened as a two-dimensional doorway. A welter of shapeless colors and patterns filled it, and a flare of Fire pulsed rhythmically. The odor of sulfur drifted. The colors took shape when a bell-tone rang out, and a rainbow bridge extended into infinity.
“I’ll go first,” Rukh said. He sourced his lorethasra, and a hint of sandalwood emanated from him. He tethered to the anchor line, stepped into the doorway, and disappeared.
William followed Jason onto the rainbow bridge of the anchor line, and a sense of extreme motion caused vertigo. His body elongated, stretching until it seemed paper-thin. He frayed at the edges, tearing. In the midst of his pain, he wondered if this was how Reed Richards or Stretch-Armstrong felt.
He snapped back together and stumbled off the anchor line.
William found himself in a saha’asra cloaked in night. He blinked in confusion at the darkness.
How was it night? They’d left Arylyn in the early morning.
The answer came to him a split-second later. The time zone. Australia was hours behind Arylyn.
William shook off the last of his confusion and got his bearings. A half-moon and starlight provided enough illumination to take in his surroundings. He and the others stood in a canyon surrounded by sheer cliffs. They grew off the desert floor like towers, and blots of what might have been trees dotted the landscape. An intermittent wind moaned like a vagrant ghost amongst the stones and hills
, and carried a floral scent.
“What’s that smell?” William asked.
“Golden wattle,” Mr. Zeus answered. “Now, which way is the road?”
“Over there.” Jessira pointed south. “In this terrain, it’ll take us a few hours to get there.”
“Everyone have plenty of water?” Mr. Zeus asked.
William checked his two canteens. Both remained full. He also checked the two nomasras he’d need in the Far Beyond for lorasra. They hung from a chain around his neck.
Everyone nodded to Mr. Zeus.
“Good,” he said. “Braid your lights to life. I don’t want any of us breaking an ankle on this ground.”
They began hiking, their asra-powered flashlights lighting the way as Jessira took the lead. She walked with purpose and poise, and her head swiveled as she scanned their surroundings. Rukh paced beside her, equally vigilant. Occasionally, they conferred.
“I thought Mr. Zeus would be up front,” William whispered to Jason and Daniel.
“Jessira always knows where she’s going,” Jason said.
“What do you mean?” William asked.
“I mean she always knows where she is,” Daniel explained.
“That doesn’t really answer my question,” William said.
“I don’t know what else to tell you,” Daniel replied. “On Sinskrill, Mr. Zeus got us lost, and Jessira got us unlost.”
“Is ‘unlost’ a word?” Jason asked.
“It is if I use it and it makes sense,” Daniel replied.
“Quiet,” Rukh hissed.
For a wonder, Jason and Daniel did as Rukh commanded.
After several hours of hiking—shortly before dawn—they reached a four-lane road and waited. The sun breached the horizon, and soon thereafter, a vehicle that could transport all of them trundled along, a Volkswagen microbus.
Mr. Zeus reached out with a trickle of Spirit, and the driver of the bus slowed down and pulled over. They hitched a ride to a nearby town and found an old Holden Jackaroo for sale. The big sport utility vehicle reminded William of Mr. Zeus’ International Harvester.
Mr. Zeus haggled with the owner over the price. After a few minutes of back-and-forth, he took possession of the vehicle, and they headed westward. The outback passed by in a blur of reds, browns, and greens, and around noon they stopped for lunch at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in a small town.
Afterward, William took over driving, with Daniel up front in the passenger seat, Jason and Mr. Zeus in the middle row, and Rukh and Jessira apparently dozing in the back.
An endless dull scenery stretched in all directions.
Daniel sighed. “This is so boring. Are we there yet?”
William felt the same way. The drive was boring. Who knew the outback could be so godawful monotonous? Right now it felt like their journey was taking them from the town of Tedium to the village of Apathy.
“We’ve still got hours to go,” Mr. Zeus answered.
Daniel sighed in clear disappointment and disgust, and went back to staring out the window. Minutes later he spoke again. “Are we there yet?”
“That question wasn’t funny the first time you asked it, and it’s less so now,” Rukh noted, his eyes still closed.
“I think it’s funny,” Daniel said.
“I think my shoe shoved up your butt would be funny,” Jason said.
“I think your shoe up your own—”
“Don’t finish that thought,” Rukh warned Daniel, and again, for a wonder, he obeyed.
The miles rolled by. No one wanted to stop for supper, so William stayed on the wheel while the others passed out sandwiches they'd brought with them.
Hours later, with sunset approaching, Mr. Zeus said the words William had been dying to hear. “We’re almost there.”
“Thank God,” Daniel said.
“It’s up ahead, right past that speed limit sign,” Mr. Zeus said. “Take us off the highway there. The saha’asra should be about five miles north.”
William took the turnoff and followed Mr. Zeus’ directions. He drove slowly, not wanting to lose a wheel in the rugged terrain. The Jackaroo lurched and bounced as they inched their way toward the saha’asra.
A half hour later, an itch formed in the back of William’s mind. “I think I feel the saha’asra,” he said.
“Same here,” Jason said.
The sun had dipped below the horizon by the time they reached the saha’asra, several acres of broken stones in the middle of a line of red hills. William immediately felt better when they entered the saha’asra’s borders, less achy and tired. He pulled up next to a broken rack of towering, red rocks that leaned against one another like fond friends. Boulders littered the ground.
William burned with curiosity as he stepped out of the Jackaroo, and he braided to the lorasra of the oasis. He nearly retched. “Gah! It tastes like sewage,” he said.
The others made similar gagging noises of disgust.
“Now I remember what shit tastes like,” Daniel complained.
“Is the lorasra from Sinskrill?” Mr. Zeus asked with a grimace.
“It feels like it,” William answered. He spun in a slow circle, searching for the anchor line. An instant later, he found it. A thin line of lorasra puffed out of it in a continuous stream before dissipating into the oasis.
William told the others what he could see.
“Are you sure?” Mr. Zeus asked.
“Positive,” William said.
“And you’re not making this up?” Mr. Zeus pressed.
William shot him a glare.
“Fine. It’s real,” Mr. Zeus said with a sigh. “I was afraid of that.”
“I guess we’ve got our confirmation,” Jason said.
“Yes, we do,” Mr. Zeus agreed. “It looks like Sinskrill’s lorasra bleeds into other saha’asras.” He sighed again. “We’ll rest up tonight and head back in the morning.”
Shortly afterward, everyone hoisted their tents and lit a fire before settling in for the night.
William awoke with a start, unsure why. Grittiness filled his eyes, and he rubbed at them before sitting up to check his watch. He groaned. He’d been asleep for less than a half hour. Dammit! He flopped his head onto his pillow, wanting to go back to sleep.
But an alarm kept triggering in his mind. Understanding came in a rush. Oh, no.
William snapped upright and yanked on his boots. He darted out of the tent, sword at the ready. The fire still burned, and in its light, he saw Rukh and Jessira already awake and shouting for everyone to get up.
“The anchor line is opening,” Rukh yelled.
Jason stumbled out of his tent, his longsword at the ready. Mr. Zeus followed right behind him. Daniel poked his head from his tent and yawned.
Idiot!
“Get up!” William roared. “They’re coming!”
“We need more light!” Rukh shouted.
Jason sourced his lorethasra, and a crackling scent of sulfur filled the air as he created a braid of Fire and Spirit. Fiery lines rippled across his chest, and Jason thrust out his hands. Flames poured down his arms and off his fingertips. The braids of Fire smashed into several nearby boulders, igniting them with a whoosh. The saha’asra lit up to daylight brightness.
Daniel finally lurched from his tent. He tripped on a guy-line and fell on his face before making it to his feet.
A rainbow bridge split the air, and eight mahavans entered the saha’asra. At their head strode Adam Paradiso, Serena’s Isha. He smiled when he saw William. “Take them,” he ordered the other mahavans.
William acted before the mahavans could. He drained the lorasra around them. Their nascent braids of Fire, Air, and Earth petered out.
Rukh and Jessira surged forward, swords ready. They moved like a tidal wave to take on three mahavans.
William’s jaw dropped.
Swords clashed as Rukh parried a diagonal cut. He slipped a thrust. A thudding kick to the head, and a mahavan fell bonelessly to the ground.
<
br /> Jessira slashed. Blood spurted, and a mahavan groaned. She’d cut deep into his bicep. A hilt to the chin put him out.
Before he fell, the third mahavan cried out. A front kick from Rukh had sent him soaring. The mahavan crashed into the ground. His head thumped, and he didn’t get up.
Three mahavans had fallen in less than three breaths.
The entirety of the Sinskrill warriors’ attention appeared focused on Rukh and Jessira, and William moved to stand beside Mr. Zeus and the others.
“Think they need our help?” Jason asked, sounding bemused.
“It doesn’t look like it,” William said. He felt like a spectator, watching the mahavans battle Rukh and Jessira.
“What do we do?” Daniel asked Mr. Zeus.
“We help if we’re needed,” Mr. Zeus answered. “Otherwise, I guess we watch the show.”
William caught Rukh smiling as he faced off against two more mahavans. A moment later, he blurred into motion.
“Good God,” Daniel whispered in awe.
Rukh blocked an overhand swing. He flowed, sliding aside, spinning, and hammering an elbow into the other mahavan’s face. The man groaned as his nose crunched flat and blood poured down his mouth and chin. Rukh parried the first opponent again. A snap-kick buckled the mahavan’s leg. A knee to the man’s chest cracked ribs. The mahavan crumbled to the ground, gasping for the breath. Meanwhile, the broken-nosed mahavan had stumbled back, tripped over his own feet, and landed on his butt.
Two breaths that time.
“He’s sourcing his lorethasra, but using it in a way I’ve never heard of,” Mr. Zeus said.
William’s eyes narrow in concentration, wanting to see what Mr. Zeus meant. Rukh and Jessira’s lorethasras pulsed more powerfully than any asrasin he’d ever met, but they only used thin fibers of Spirit, Air, and Fire.
How did they weave so tightly?
Rukh and Jessira swept toward Adam Paradiso and the two remaining mahavans.
Rukh slid aside a thrust. In a spin too fast to follow or counter, he landed a heel-kick to one mahavan’s head. The man dropped like a stone. At the same time, Jessira blocked a thrust, twisted at the wrists, and disarmed her opponent. She casually drove a brutal knee into the mahavan’s gut. The air whooshed out of her opponent’s lungs, and he fell, gasping.