by Rae Knightly
His upbeat thoughts were short-lived, however, because when he reached the edge of the cornfield, he found the seven Wise Ones sitting in a circle, glancing his way with less than friendly eyes.
Mesmo stood, his eyebrows drawn together as if warning Ben to brace himself.
Ben held his breath, hoping no one noticed his wobbly legs as he approached the silent group. He could sense the tenseness in the air. There was no room for a chat; he had just landed in the middle of a war of words.
He sat beside Mesmo, and the latter spoke, “These are unusual times, and unusual times call for unusual measures. That is why I am authorizing this boy to join our meeting at your request. His name is Benjamin Archer. As you already know, my daughter entrusted him with her translation skill with her last dying breath.” He looked at them in turn and added. “I trust you understand the meaning of such a burden.”
Ben swallowed, searching for sympathy, but found none.
“Benjamin,” Mesmo said, unfurling a hand in the direction of the man who sat to his left.
The elderly man wore a colourful hat with ear flaps – something that struck Ben as familiar because Mesmo had worn something similar in the past.
“This is Amaru, from Bolivia,” Mesmo introduced him.
Amaru nodded with his sun-beaten face. Did Ben catch a hint of kindness in his wrinkled eyes?
“Beside him is Yakut, from the polar regions of Canada.”
Ben nodded at the short woman with long, black braids flowing from both sides of her neck to her waist. She had a straight nose, high cheekbones and slanted eyes. Two parallel lines tattooed on her creased skin went from her mouth to her chin. He suddenly wondered how many stories these Wise Ones could have told, had the circumstances been different.
“Wonomanga is from Australia.”
Ben stared shyly at the round-faced man who did not move an inch. His dark face and eyes were topped by thick, curly hair and a dense, graying beard.
“Akeya is from Kenya,” Mesmo continued.
The woman smiled at Ben, and he breathed a little easier. Her black skin was flawless. She was bald and wore large, round earrings that dropped to her shoulders. “Welcome, Benjamin Archer,” she said, sending a rush of hope through his heart.
“Kahalu is from the South Pacific,” Mesmo explained. “She provided us with the information we used to visit the coral reefs in Polynesia.”
Ben nodded in understanding, though the woman’s multiple-braided hair, heavy eyebrows and parallel lines tattooed on her front did not show any emotion.
The next man’s scowl turned Ben’s blood cold. He had a white beard, shoulder-length hair tied in a bun, with one braid to the left and right of his head.
“This is Einar, from Norway,” Mesmo said with slight contempt in his voice. He pointed to the last man with a white goatee, sitting in a wheelchair to their right. “And this is Su Tai from Chi…”
“That’s enough!” Einar burst. “You insult us. Thousands of years and countless generations of service to the Toreq, and for what? For a boy who knows nothing!”
“Watch your mouth, Einar,” Mesmo retorted.
Einar stood to his full height, his eyes on fire. “I have remained silent. I have listened to your positions with respect. But this crosses the line. I will not be part of your side project, Observer.” His eyes threw daggers Ben’s way. “My task on this planet was defined eons ago by the Toreq Arch Council. My ancestors and I have been faithful to it ever since. I will not be waylaid by a Toreq who has lost sight of our purpose and a human boy who does not belong here.”
“Einar!” Akeya spoke sharply. “Mesmo is not some random Toreq. The Arch Council placed their full trust in him. His word is our command.”
Einar smirked as if he had been waiting for this comment. “An interesting point, wise Akeya. One that I intended to raise myself. You see, now that the Observer decided – of his own accord – to return to Earth indefinitely, do you truly believe he still has the full support of the Arch Council?”
Akeya fell silent, and they all stared at Mesmo.
Ben balled his fists without realizing it.
Einar’s voice dropped low. “Are we – Wise Ones – not a council of our own? Do we not come together to vote on important matters in the absence of word from the Arch Council? And in the absence of word from the Arch Council regarding the Observer, should we not be the ones determining his fate? For the day the Observer decided to join with the humans, well, did he not turn his back on his own people?”
Akeya hissed, “You undermine the Observer’s authority, Einar. Your suggestion borders on mutiny.”
The air was so tense Ben could barely breathe.
Amaru stood with difficulty and addressed the Norseman. “Einar, please, sit with us.” He invited the imposing man to join them. Einar glared at him, then did so.
Amaru spoke. “We are faced with difficult questions, which we have discussed at length. Yet decisions cannot be made while emotions are high. We are all pained at not having been able to travel to the Mother Planet.” He stared pointedly at Einar as he said this. “But let us not forget who is to blame here. It was the heinous shapeshifter, Bordock, who destroyed our transport home, who killed Mesmo’s daughter, and it was his actions that left this young boy with the burden of a prized Toreq skill. Now, those of us present are left to deal with the consequences.” He turned to Mesmo. “Observer, I believe I speak for all of us when I say the loss of your daughter weighs heavy on our hearts, and the sacrifice you made by returning to Earth is not lost to us, either. Your decision will be a great blow to the Arch Council. And, of course, to your father.” He let the last words hang.
Most of the Wise Ones dropped their heads at hearing this last comment, startling Ben. He frowned at Mesmo, but the alien remained impassive beside him.
Amaru took in a deep breath, and continued, “However, it pains me to say there is some truth in Einar’s words. The task of the Wise Ones is clear: we serve the Toreq by thoroughly registering human activity and reporting to the visiting Observers every two hundred Earth years. When possible, the Observer provides us with safe passage back to the Mother Planet in thanks for our services. This mission must continue until the Arch Council decides otherwise. That is all.
“Never has there been mention of meddling with human affairs. Never has there been mention of revealing ourselves to human governments. It is not the task of the Wise Ones to influence humans, change the course of their destiny or determine their fate. That last part is the task of the Arch Council. That is how it has been and how it always will be. Until the end of our mission.”
Ben sprang to his feet. “You can’t mean that!” He spoke before he could stop himself.
“Ben,” Mesmo warned. “Not now.”
“Yes, now!” Ben retorted, facing the Wise Ones. “How can you just sit by and watch? You have it easy, don’t you? You’ve got your safe ticket to another planet. Why would you care what happens to this one? And yet you hold all the information in your hands to make things better, to teach us how to change, but you choose to hold it back and watch. There are creatures on this planet who are screaming for help. Our help. If they die, it will be as much your fault as ours.”
“Ben,” Mesmo repeated, taking his arm.
“No, I’m not finished. Were the Toreq not like us, once? Are you seriously going to tell me that they have always been the perfect civilization? That they never did anything wrong? They must have made mistakes and learned. So why will you not give us this chance to do the same? Why will you not teach us, instead of sitting by and watching from the sidelines? Are you not human, yourselves?”
Several Wise Ones shifted and glanced at each other. Ben caught Amaru give Mesmo a discreet smile. It caught him off guard but stifled his anger. Suddenly, feeling like he had put himself in the spotlight, his cheeks flushed, and he took his place beside Mesmo again.
It was Einar who now stood, tense veins pulsing in his neck. Mesmo sprang to his feet
as well, taking place before Ben, as if he were in need of protection.
Both men faced each other at eye level.
It seemed to take all of Einar’s willpower to remain calm. “A’hmun blood ran through Bordock’s veins. He robbed a Toreq skill and used it for evil. Why would it be any different with this human boy? He knows nothing of the ways of the Toreq. He knows nothing of Toreq skills. You turned your back on your people, Observer, and returned for this boy. I truly hope, for your sake, that he is worth it.”
Mesmo’s voice spewed molten lava. “You will cease your threats, Einar, and discuss the matters at hand, or I will strip you of your title. I take it you would not want to be known as the one who put shame on your lineage?”
Einar’s nose curled as if he did not like what he was hearing, but his steady gaze showed he was not afraid of Mesmo. He straightened and turned to the others. “And hence, I return to my original question: is the Observer still the Observer? Has he not turned his back on his kind? Has he not chosen Earth citizenship above his own? I call for a vote!”
Murmurs rippled around the circle.
Mesmo dropped beside Ben.
Akeya lifted her angry voice. “You would strip the Observer of his Toreq rights and remove him as head of our group?”
Einar sat with a smug look on his face without answering her.
“Can they do that?” Ben whispered.
Mesmo nodded. “If a vote is called, all members are required to participate.”
Voices rose and ricocheted from one side to the other.
“Einar is protecting our position.”
“But the boy is right; we are accessories to crimes of humanity.”
“The Observer is stuck here, just like us.”
“He rescinded his Toreq rights the day he returned.”
“But that’s not fair!” Ben chimed in.
Mesmo raised his hands to silence the group. “Einar has called upon you to vote. What is your decision?”
Einar smirked. “Place yourself in the shoes of the Arch Council. Raise your hand, those in favour of stripping the Observer of his Toreq citizenship, meaning he will be banished from our circle and live among humans, never again to mention our existence.” He lifted his hand high.
CHAPTER 26 High Stakes
Ben stared from one to the other in alarm. Were they really going to allow such a vote, after everything Mesmo had gone through?
Wonomanga and Kahalu hesitated, then raised their hand.
Einar’s expression tightened as he waited for more votes. When no further hands raised, he fumed, “Do you not understand what you are voting for? If the Observer remains, he will ask you to reveal yourselves to the world, to share your knowledge and teach humans the ways of the Toreq. You will directly influence their development, meaning you will defy a direct order from the Arch Council. Are you willing to take that risk?” His eyes fell on Amaru. “Amaru, did you not say you agreed with me?”
The Bolivian man did not seem fazed by the Norseman’s digs. “I may not agree with the Observer, Einar. But until the Toreq Arch Council replaces him or reverts its support of him, it is crystal clear to me that Mesmo is the Arch Council, here on Earth.”
Einar’s face reddened. “Fool! It will take two hundred years before we hear from the Arch Council again. Mesmo will long be dead by then. And as you all know, the Toreq way forbids him to take on another spouse or bear children.” His eyes darted accusingly Mesmo’s way, and Ben felt the alien tense like an arrow. “Who knows who he would leave in his place?” Then, his eyes shifted to Ben, and he paled as if he had just found the answer to his question.
Mesmo said in his most neutral voice, “The vote stands three against four. Your request is denied, Einar.”
The Norseman’s eyes narrowed. “That’s one vote short, Observer. You may not be so lucky next time.” He stood and straightened.
“This meeting isn’t finished,” Mesmo growled.
“It is for me,” Einar seethed. And with that, he turned and left.
It wasn’t long before Kahalu rose, gazed at Mesmo, then walked away without a word.
Wonomanga stood as well. “Forgive me, Observer,” he said. “But voting otherwise would go against my conscience. I cannot change my ways; it has been too long.”
Mesmo nodded once. “I understand, Wonomanga.”
The old man took his walking stick and headed away.
Those who remained cast each other sidelong glances, until Mesmo spoke. “Thank you for your vote of confidence, my friends. Contrary to Einar’s opinion, voting for me does not mean you are voting for my new mission.”
He gestured towards Ben. “Benjamin and I are not bound by the same promise your ancestors made to the Arch Council tens of thousands of years ago. The boy has decided that he must use his skill to help humans and creatures of this planet live in balance with each other. It is a bold decision for such a young one, and he will need all the help he can get.
“I, for one, stand by him. Not only because he holds my daughter’s legacy, but because I know him, and he is deserving of my full support. For is he not the type of human that the Toreq would wish to see more of? The type that the Toreq could negotiate peace with? So, I ask, but do not command, that you help him in any way you can. You are already aware that The Great Gathering will take place...”
“…at the mouth where the greatest river meets the ocean,” Ben breathed.
“Brazil, at the mouth of the Amazon River.” Mesmo nodded. He paused, then said, “I can’t force you to follow us down this same path. However, it would be unfair to place the whole burden on this young child’s shoulders. I have pledged to help him in any way I can, and I hope you will, too.”
Akeya smiled. “I stand by you all the way, young Benjamin. And you, Observer, you can count on me. I will head home at once and begin sharing my knowledge with all who will listen.”
“I will do what I can, Observer,” Su Tai said. “Though I am old and on my way to retirement. I must speak to my daughter about her new responsibilities, so she may carry forth this new flame you give us.”
Yakut, the woman from polar Canada, remained silent, but when she spoke, her words were parsed and studied. “I applaud your efforts, you and the young one’s. I will share my knowledge with my human kin, though I strongly suspect they will not listen.” She paused. “My only fear is that it is too late, and I regret the Arch Council did not order this done many generations ago.”
“I agree,” Amaru said. “The Great War of the Kins is long behind us. The Arch Council should have given the descendants of the A’hmun a second chance a long time ago. It is because of this lack of openness that crooked elements like Bordock have surfaced.”
Mesmo spoke, “Bordock said he wanted humans to survive so that one day they could take their rightful place on the Mother Planet. Meaning he would see the Toreq decimated and replaced by humans.”
Akeya gasped. “If Einar hears of this…” she let the sentence hang.
Mesmo nodded. “Indeed, if Einar hears of this, nothing will change his mind to help us. But what worries me more is that Bordock did not act on his own. He was sent here.”
“By whom?” Su Tai exclaimed.
Mesmo looked at them in turn, then sighed and said, “That is something we may never know. It will take us two hundred years to find out what is happening on the Mother Planet. I pray the warning I sent the Arch Council through the wormhole will help them uncover the treacherous elements who sent Bordock. If they don’t act on this, an underground movement of hidden A’hmun could grow and become a danger to the Toreq.”
Yakut gasped, “I understand now, why you wish to help humans. Should this rogue A’hmun faction truly exist on Torequ’ai, we will want humans on our side to face this new threat.”
Ben stared at Mesmo with wide eyes.
“You read me well, Yakut,” Mesmo said. “I can see only gain from helping Earth humans. We restore the broken balance between Earth’s inhabitants, we he
lp them reach a healthier civilization that will align with the Toreq’s, we negotiate peace between our peoples, and then the rogue A’hmun faction will have no reason for being.”
“Are you not overly ambitious, Observer?” Su Tai said softly.
Mesmo grimaced. “Probably. But I can’t sit around and watch humans destroy their habitat, just as I can’t watch Bordock’s masters grow stronger on the Mother Planet.”
They fell silent.
Ben beamed at Mesmo.
Then Akeya said, “Your father would be proud of you, Observer.”
CHAPTER 27 Unidentified Flying Object
Mesmo watched Su Tai, Yakut, and Akeya disappear down the path through the cornfields. Only Amaru and Ben remained behind.
Ben sagged onto his back, puffing through his cheeks. “Oh, man! That was intense!”
Mesmo turned and stood over him. “You, my friend, are grounded.”
“Huh?” Ben squinted up at him. “What did you just say?”
“I said, you’re grounded,” Mesmo repeated, then added as an afterthought. “For the rest of the summer.”
“You… I’m… whaaat?” Ben pushed himself up to rest on his elbows. “Now, where did you learn a word like that?”
Mesmo rubbed his chin. “I don’t know. Must be your mom. Or a TV show.”
Ben gave him a scornful look. “Seriously? I think you watch way too much TV…”
Mesmo shut his eyes and shook his head. “Don’t change the subject! I told you not to get into trouble!”
“I… what? What trouble? I…” Ben stood in haste, brushing away the dust from his trousers. He blinked rapidly, then his shoulders drooped. “How… um… who told you?”
“I read it in the paper. A reporter from the Provincial Times was found drifting out on the ocean, after trying to cover the event of the beached orcas. He said that two teenagers were with him, but their names were not released because they were under-aged.” Mesmo’s eyes narrowed. “Your mom didn’t see it. And I haven’t told her yet.”
Ben fumbled, glancing around as if searching for help. “I… I was going to tell you about it, I swear! It’s just, I’ve been so busy, and you were in the meeting and… and…” He waved his hands around helplessly, then groaned. “Ooh! I forgot! Mesmo, I connected with the ocean creatures. They have accepted our message. They will spread the word and come to The Great Gathering on the day of the winter solstice.”