Io Deceneus: Journal of a Time Traveler (The Living Universe)

by Florian Armas

  We plunged feverishly in pursuit of the Nogi group drawing closer under the rising sun. The sun of death! The Nogi were entering the caldera valley, attracted by my small force of riders harassing them step by step. They were regrouping in the middle, where rocks could provide some shelter against the riders.

  “Now is the time,” I nodded to Siena; she acknowledged and gave the signal for the troops lying on the ground to show themselves in the margin of the caldera. In a few seconds, the Nogi in the middle saw a circle of soldiers appearing from nowhere, surrounding them. Duras mounted his horse and the first column of Munti started the ride toward the imaginary circle, two hundred feet from the Nogi. At any moment, ten of those columns were harassing the enemy with clouds of arrows. Another twenty were in stand-by position, replacing them when their charge had run its course in an endless carousel of death. Death was plentiful, and on both sides, as the Nogi were able to catch some riders from behind, and their strong axes put down both men and horses. The next columns enlarged the circle by forty feet more, but the Nogi reacted by throwing axes with the same deadly effect as our arrows. What started as one of us going down for every two Nogi soon became one to one, and then a reverse, two of us to one of them. Siena's eyes sank deeper in their sockets. I wanted to tell her that even with these losses we would still win as our numbers were much higher, but I dared not.

  What I was afraid to tell her became obvious to the Nogi, who split in three groups, charging to get out of the valley. The people on the caldera’s margin moved closer to let two of their columns pass, the third one was attacked by the rest of the Munti cavalry, led by Rholes. Nine thousand riders against one thousand Nogi, a ratio we felt sure about. The clash almost disappeared behind a curtain of dust. At the edges, horses were taken down by axes, together with riders; the Nogi were punctured by spears. Horses neighed, howls of anger passed over the plain, cries of pain, death taking her toll. Then the Nogi’s will faltered and they retreated, running towards the center again. The other two groups turned back to help their comrades. We were back to square one, with five hundred Nogi and two thousand Munti lying in the grass. The archers started their game again, then again at Siena's sign the people from the caldera’s margin marched toward the center. The circle was tightening, and as the circumference became smaller, the length of the rows grew. Halfway there they stopped and they looked like double the number. That was the moment when we stopped all attacks while raising white flags.

  “I will go now,” I said to the war council. But Siena provided her own surprise. She came with me, followed by Duras and another Munti, along with three Erins. Rholes stayed to take the lead. Just in case. Seven Nogi separated from their fellows and we met in the middle. For seconds each party measured the other, and I felt so small under their gaze; I barely reached their shoulders.

  “We can stop all this madness or we can continue to die. We are not afraid of an end here, but this is not a wise choice. You are here only because the Travelers persuaded you to start a war.”

  “We are here because we will die anyhow. The north is freezing.” He was speaking slowly, as if trying to find his words, but this was merely an impression. There were no hiccups in his speech. “The Travelers helped us, but the final decision was ours. Better die in a fight than famished and frozen. We no longer want to live with the fear of our children dying prematurely. You now know our fate. Do you still think you have a solution for this?”

  “Why did you not ask for the help of Erins or Munti?”

  “Our last people to meet the Munti did not return to tell their stories. We mourned them in our hearts.”

  “That was a mistake for which we are sorry. Some Munti were pushed by the Travelers to do what they did; they were afraid of you and listened to advice they should not have taken.” Siena's face color was ash-like, but she said nothing.

  “Have the Munti not their own heads to think about their actions? Why pay so much attention to people who come and go? Those who don't live here have no feeling for this land, no feelings for the people breathing our winds.” This was surprising even for the Erins, and I would have liked to see the real Houston chewing on this surreal dialogue. The Nogi, the supposed tools of the Travelers, were as independent as the Erins and, even better, they were able to take advantage of Travelers' actions.

  “We are no longer paying attention to them.”

  “Because the Travelers have helped us now? Will you do the same next time?”

  “We have all agreed to let you settle on the High Plain. Does this answer your question?” His answer did not come immediately. They all stared at us, each of them taking one of us at a time. They then exchanged short glances.

  “We see no trickery in your words or in your bodies. Things can be settled. Peace will come over us, but we will remain the fools of our time that so many people died today for nothing.”

  So peace was settled, but the last words of the Nogi chieftain (ironically, his name was Borg) would linger for a while. “The Anogi from the west peninsula split from us some time ago. They are not part of this agreement.”

  *

  People were celebrating; I preferred the silence of a night filled with fragrances; my Faction's ultimatum resurfaced. Now what? In two days, I have to leave. Dava is far … no farewell to the Queen, the King, Maug and the others. Altamira… Her picture formed in my mind; she was smiling, and a huge sadness embraced me.

  “Don't ask me how I feel”, Houston was staring at me from the cave's semi-obscurity, “you already know that we won, but many will not see again the light of the day. The Nogi agreed to make peace and left the Munti plain. ‘We are the fools of our time’, they couldn't describe it better. And cui prodest? The moment I leave, Travelers will stir the war pot again.”

  “Hmm, being a hero gave you a tingle in the spine. What's the next step, challenging Travelers with your samurai sword?” This disconcerted me so much I could not answer back. “This mission is not only about fighting; you must be also a teacher.” I was never a teacher, I mutely protested. But, neither was I a traveler or a warrior...

  “How can I teach them to avoid the black hats’ hypnosis?” I tried to find some usefulness in that discussion.

  “You cannot, but the Erins can if properly approached.” Her violet eyes narrowed slightly, so slightly that in the past I would not have seen it. A symbol of my evolution, I sighed, her deliberate signs are more and more subtle.

  “What can I do in two days? It will take months, if not years, to convince them to regain skills they discarded a long time ago because they despised them so much.”

  “It is your problem and you have to solve it.” A straight statement, no equivocation in her tone, but she matched her almost harsh tone with a gentle smile. For a second her smile was so much Altamira that I almost stopped thinking.

  “What if I take a vacation and come back again later?” This curious question came to me from that smile, an independent flow of thinking triggered by the joy associated with that smile. A wandering mind is not necessary a useless mind. You used her smile on purpose.

  “You would receive a message that your time here had come to an end and I would send you back to Earth. Time here will run its course irrespective of where you are.” She continued, enunciating each word very precisely, calmly and slowly, like a hammer covered with soft silk.

  “Vacations are not ruled by my contract.” I was suddenly gripped by the powerful sense that I had something to throw in the game, something to disturb it, to break the rules, their rules, rules that are good if used as they were intended to be. Why on Earth should I abide by some rules they are breaking every second on this planet?

  “No, vacations are a private endeavor, and no one can rule over your actions. And before asking, you have all the protection as always.” She was waiting patiently, and I had the thought that she was already aware of my next step.

  “What if I chose this planet as my travel destination? Would you have any objection regarding this
? How would the Faction hiring me react to this?”

  “I cannot say anything about the Faction's will, I can guess that they would not be very happy, but from my side you have the liberty to choose whatever destination you like.” Neutral tone … your way of wait and see.

  “Will you inform the Factions about this?” I pushed further, sensing a hidden approval, but as usual, I had to figure out exactly how much I could change the game. Gentlemen, my rules now, I bragged inside.

  “That you are going on vacation? Certainly, I am poised to provide any information altering the course of your mission.”

  “Don't play with me; will you tell them that I will still be on this planet while I’m on vacation?”

  “I have already given you the answer. This is private. I only have to say when you leave the mission and when you are back, fresh to do the job they asked for.”

  “You pushed for this from the beginning. You are playing your own game against the Factions,” I said bitterly.

  “You are inconsistent.” But there was a thin smile on her face. “First you accuse me of not having any human feelings about this planet's inhabitants being murdered in cold blood, which is of course true, as I am not human, thank God, as you like to say, and the next moment you accuse me of tricking you into saving the same people that one second ago you protested I was letting down.”

  Fallen masks

  Coming from far away, red sand swirled around with long whistles. ‘The sound depends on the grain size and wind power’, I remembered. This sand has coarse grain. I felt them on my face. My horse neighed, scared by the storm. The gate must be closed. Don’t be afraid, I patted his neck, you’ve survived harder times. The dust turned the world into a ghost; the desert claimed its power over the land; the city was a specter of red, and I was tired. We passed the bridge late in the afternoon. “We are home!” I shouted to my cadets, gesturing with joy. Their lips moved, but the answer did not reach me. You did not hear me either, I smiled. They smiled back. Yes, we are home. The road is always longer when you return. “Message from the King.” The gatekeeper pressed a piece of paper into my hand. There was no wind in the inner courtyard, only suspended dust dancing around. ‘The council is waiting for you,’ I read in the message. “Something wrong?” I asked the gatekeeper. He shrugged, and his head went left to right in silent negation. I know ... the dust, I understood his mute answer. Bloody council, I want a bath, not to admire Sarul’s face.

  “Welcome, Deceneus,” said the King, “our honorable guests are here to meet you.” Good timing... I checked their belts. Both Factions… Will they…? What? Kill? Check? They don’t need a council to kill.

  “Greetings, Travelers.” I bowed briefly in their direction and took a place at the table; my chair scratched the floor from an uneasy hand, its screech silencing the room, for a moment. I received no answer; they were busy scanning me with some devices. I hope these are not thought-readers.

  When the scan ended, my Faction man talked to the worm in the grass: “Your mind pattern is more Nogi than Baragan.”

  “Good evening to you, too, gentlemen. May I know your names?” May I know how can I kill you? Please…

  “Please answer our guests’ questions,” interrupted the King. You should kick their asses for this impertinence. He can’t. You can’t. Nobody can.

  “Yes, we have to be polite with our guests.” And break their necks on the first occasion … politely. “We have a legend that centuries ago northerners came to Ardava, and they looked like Borg, whom I killed in combat four weeks ago.” Baragan whispers started instantly: “Who, Borg? Really?” I ignored them, trying to read something on the grays’ faces. I could have read more in a stone. What are you able to see on my face? More than you can read from theirs.

  “There is no one named Deceneus in the place you come from.” The gray ignored my bragging about Borg. Did they check the past of Ardava? No, Houston said that after the SAT-mine all time travel was blocked for two hundred years around ... with our precious exception. How did she manage this? They asked ... they know nothing.

  “My name is none of your business.”

  “The small brain is impolite,” he said in a bland tone as if talking about a fly. “This will serve you as a lesson.” A strong force began to press on my neck like a strangle-knot getting tighter and tighter, but nothing was visible – the force field. My voice was gone, and I was breathing badly.

  “You are our guests, and we respect you, and the help you provide us,” the King finally intervened. “Coming here, you have to respect our people and our rules.”

  “And if not, you will do what?” But the pressure faded away. I massaged my battered neck, still not able to talk, not that I really wanted to say anything. Your stupid mouth will break your neck. Wait for the moment to play the game with the same toys. He nodded to the King, who took out a small metallic bracelet from a wooden box.

  “This is a communication device given to us by our Traveler friends; it enables us to know when they are visiting this planet.” Friends ... they have no friends. We are no more than toys to them.

  “They carry the voice of your masters. Try to listen ... for your own good,” the bland voice addressed me again.

  “How do they work?” I was hoarse, and I had to force my breath out to produce sounds again – in a strangled voice. My face and my neck tightened up and my body was tense from the lingering pain. I hope it would fade fast.

  “The bracelet will glow with blue light, before speaking. Now, I have some news for you. Your quarrels with the Munti have come to an end; they are no longer your enemy, the real terrorists are the Erins, they killed your villagers. Your women and children are not safe until all the Erins are destroyed.” Women and children ... the Erins will kill them … as if you really care. It was worth checking the councilors’ faces; I could at least read human faces. The hawks were calm, they were already ‘instructed’, the doves were pale, like they had their fingers stuck between a rock and a hard place.

  “Only weeks ago, the Munti were the bloody terrorists.” Shut up! Keep your mouth shut.

  “There are things we know that we know, and there are known unknowns. New and truthful information points now to the Erins as the real enemy. The Munti will be your allies against them.” I think the Erins have prepared some surprises for you. His pathetic discourse lingered for a long time, in my mind.

  “Congratulations,” said Batranu, “you are the newest member in the Library Council.” Late in the night, I was tired, and I had had enough politics from the black hats for one month, let alone one day, and a warm bath was waiting for me, but this was really news, pleasant news always being the last.

  “I don't remember the Magister being happy about my presence there anymore.”

  “The last papers you submitted to the Physics and Chemistry departments made you a lot of fans, so he has accepted a temporary loss.”

  “I am tired, but not too tired to remember that I never sent any new paper there.”

  “You wrote some papers before leaving.” Batranu’s thin smile told the real story; he had done the job for me. “I sent them to the departments.”

  “You should change your name to Vulpe[1]. Do we now have a majority on the Library Council?”

  “I think so; it's time to replace him.”

  *

  “Welcome back Mr. Super Marshal,” Scorylo served me the words with his bitter, ironic smile. I saw your smile so many times, and I never realized the bitterness, only the irony. ‘His parents died when he was only fifteen, his mother died in his arms.’ Houston’s voice played in my mind. ‘He was our first choice, but he is too shrewd, we moved him to the smaller project.’ He is too shrewd … he had no childhood.

  “Who told you about the super marshal story?” Batranu asked in my place, the burst of memories had killed my awareness.

  “Gentlemen, as you know my sources are confidential.” This time the bitterness was missing. You are mocking us. “I bet the council is
now aware of your war exploits.” He bowed slightly. “Our far away warrior.” Far away... Ardava or Earth?

  “Where are you from?” I finally said.

  “As you already know, I am from the same bloody Earth as you.” ‘As you already know’… this is Houston. “The place where I was born was ravaged by war; I mean bombs, depleted uranium, napalm and phosphorous, not arrows. I do not wish anyone to live what we lived.” The smile on his face vanished, leaving behind old imprints of sad memories. In the silence that followed, the modern war ghosts slowly receded back into his mind. “My Erin contact told me that the Travelers took a bad hit, and you played an interesting role in their story.”

  “Nobody in the council knew about this.”

  “The Erins have an interesting mind; I was never able to guess too much about them. They always make me feel like a child.” How much do you know about Erins? Later. “I had to accept their suggestion that it serves better if you bring the story to our glorious leaders.”

  “Don’t curse him,” Batranu whispered after Scorylo left.

  “Why curse him? Things would have been much harder without his help. And he was right; I do not wish to know the life they lived.”

  “I have heard your name all day: in the streets, in the office, on the halls, Baragans and Baramunti alike.” Who pushed my name into the streets? You? Scorylo? “Only a few realized that we were the next in the line... The fewer, the better.” The Queen did not wait for me to get accustomed to the light on her terrace. I am tired, tired of politics, tired of war, tired of black hats, I wanted to shout, give me some days of doing nothing. “The Baramunti would die for you now; their hearts are still in the mountains you saved, something worth considering.” I met her eyes, keeping the contact for a few seconds, then I moved away, bumping into Altamira’s green gaze; we were the only three people on the terrace. You want to use my fame there to move things here. Why not? If Garon falls... Altamira will be free from Scharon. If. Today we bargain. ‘If everything goes well here, a new reality will be formed, one with much influence on Munti and Baragans alike.’ Altamira’s words whispered into my mind, the old lady. She is not so old for nothing, listen to her. That moment an errand came from the King asking for Altamira, and she left. This will make things easier.