“But the Blade Kin have guns—and the Hukm fight only with clubs,” Darrissea warned.
“Yet the Hukm fight in total darkness, when guns will not avail the Blade Kin. And there is another possibility—Bashevgo’s slaves could revolt, or they could flee into the wilderness, where we could turn them into an army, given time.”
Fava studied the Starfarer, became caught up in his fantasy. “Will you lead their army?”
“That is for Ironwood Woman to do. They would not let a male lead them, much less a human. I may advise her, even fight beside her.”
He got the wood in place, opened his pack and produced some long, thick matches. He struck one, set it under the kindling, and the fire blazed. “So, what are you two planning to do?”
“We’re going to Bashevgo,” Fava said, “to free Tull and my family.” Fava’s voice sounded small and frightened to Darrissea, and she looked around.
They were surrounded by redwoods, and still on both sides of the camp, the giant Hukm passed like mist in the night, and they were sitting here speaking to Phylomon the Starfarer, more of a legend than a mere man, and Fava’s voice sounded so small and frightened. Two women, planning to sneak into Bashevgo, were insignificant.
Phylomon went to his mammoth, pulled off a pack, and brought it to camp. He put a skillet on the fire, opened a sack of ground corn to make bread. He did not speak during all this. Instead, he furrowed his brow, and moonlight gleamed from his hairless head.
“So, everyone wants to go to Bashevgo, but for different reasons. Ironwood Woman wants to make war. You want to rescue Tull. I find my loyalties divided. I don’t know which of you to help.”
“Perhaps you can help us both,” Fava suggested.
“I am not sure I want to help you.” Phylomon peered into Fava’s eyes, and the Starfarer said softly. “Has your father told you what your husband is?”
Fava shook her head. “My father told me that Tull would become powerful someday, if he could free himself.”
“I believe—your father believes—that Tull may be more than a Spirit Walker. He may be a Talent Warrior.”
Darrissea cut in, “Like Thunatra the Dream-giver, or Kwitcha the Healer?”
“No. Like Terrazin the Dragontamer.”
“Oh,” Fava said. “I have not heard of him.”
“What do you know of the Talent Wars?” Phylomon asked.
“I know you led the Pwi to battle against Bashevgo, and that with the help of Thunatra and Kwitcha and the faders, you threw down the Slave Lords. For a hundred years after, there was peace.”
Phylomon smiled in the firelight, kindly, as if speaking to a child. “Three hundred and sixty years ago,” Phylomon said, “I led a ragtag band of warriors to Bashevgo. In those days, there were over four hundred Starfarers in Bashevgo, and they all wore symbiotes like mine that helped keep them young and strong and invincible, and their human children wielded weapons brought from the stars to enslave your ancestors.
“My friends and I were outcasts, for we objected to the practice of slavery, but we did not have the weapons we needed to fight.
“So we looked among your people, took their most talented psychics, and led them into battle. You know of Thunatra who could do battle in his dreams, and Kwitcha the great healer, and you know of my brother who wore a fader, a device that let him walk almost invisibly into Bashevgo. But the warriors of Bashevgo also had faders, and they had Crimson Knights, and they outnumbered us.
“But we had Terrazin, and all the terrors of Bashevgo could not stop him. He was young, fifteen, a boy who wanted only to rescue a sister who had been captured by the Slave Lords. But he was a powerful warrior.
“Terrazin called the dragons from the skies and ordered them to hunt the Slave Lords.
“He was a powerful Spirit Walker, and he confounded his enemies in every battle. He alone hunted the Starfarers to extinction, and the rest of us were but minor players in the great game.
“At the height of his power, Terrazin learned to do more than Spirit Walk the futures of other men. He used his power to manipulate people, so that the last of the Slave Lords slew themselves. Of all the Starfarers, only I and my brother survived.”
“Why have we never heard of him?” Darrissea asked.
“Because he grew corrupt.” Phylomon said. “In his long hunt for the Slave Lords, Terrazin often connected with their spirits. He did more than learn their thoughts; he took on their nature. He became … deformed—as if he were the sum of all Slave Lords.
“Once he won the war, there was no hundred years of peace. That is a myth. Instead, Terrazin seized the world by the throat.
“Because I was his friend, Terrazin did not kill me. Yet he suspected me, as he grew suspicious of all people. He grew paranoid, deadly.
“His allies were forced to turn on him. He killed my wife, my children, my brother—I couldn’t stop him. But because I was his friend, I was able to murder Terrazin.
“No one ever spoke his name again. It was forbidden. Thunatra and Kwitcha spent the rest of their lives trying to heal the hurt that Tull did.”
“You mean Terrazin,” Fava said, her heart leaping.
“Uh, yes, I mean Terrazin,” Phylomon corrected.
“You are afraid of Tull, aren’t you?” Fava asked. “You are afraid he will become a new Dragontamer?”
“Yes, I’m afraid,” Phylomon admitted. “Chaa has already begun to open Tull’s spirit eyes. The sorcerers of the Blade Kin are sure to see him for what he is, and they will want him to join them.
“The sorcerers do not walk the paths of the future as the Pwi do—instead, they struggle to control men in the same way that Terrazin did.
“He was their first great teacher. He is still their ally in the Land of Shapes.” Phylomon got a jug from his pack, poured a mug of beer and passed it to Fava.
Darrissea said, “What do you mean, he is still their ally?”
“A hundred years ago,” Phylomon said, “At the south gate of the city of Denai, the gate they call Oppression Gate, the sorcerers built a statue in honor of the god Adjonai, whom the sorcerers call ‘The Beast.’
“The statue wears the face of Terrazin the Dragontamer, though I alone would recognize him.”
Fava covered her face with her hands. “Is this the same beast that came to my father’s house?” she asked. “The one that my father said ‘approved’ of Tull.”
“Yes,” Phylomon answered. “The beast recognizes its twin here in this world.”
Fava got up, paced beside the fire.
“Why did you have to tell her that?” Darrissea hissed. “She loves Tull. You’ll scare her to death.”
Phylomon looked into Darrissea’s eyes, and spoke loudly, so loudly that Fava was forced to hear. “She needs to know. She may love Tull, but other women loved Terrazin just as a blindly. When I killed Terrazin, I was able to do it only because he loved and trusted me. Perhaps, if it becomes necessary, only Tull’s love and trust for Fava will allow her to kill him.”
Fava spoke, her voice ragged, “You are wrong about Tull. He is nothing like this Terrazin. He … my father would not train him to be a Spirit Walker if he thought Tull would do anything bad. Who are you to judge him? You condemn Terrazin, yet was he any more ruthless than you? Everyone in town has seen how you behead slavers. You are a fanatic!”
Fava ran from the fire, stood out in the shadows among the trees, and cried.
Darrissea looked between Phylomon and Fava, not sure what to say.
“Give her a moment,” Phylomon said. “She has too much to worry about. I should not have added to her worries. Will you tell her that I’m sorry?”
“She’s terrified of what you might do.” Darrissea said. “Your apologies won’t alleviate her fears, and I doubt that you can gain her trust now.”
Phylomon looked at her sharply, narrowed his eyes, and Darrissea’s heart leapt. For the first time, Phylomon seemed to notice her. “You’re very perceptive. I have seen you in Smilodon
Bay, but I don’t know your name.”
“Darrissea. Darrissea Frolic.”
“Was your father Dedemon Frolic?”
“Yes.”
Phylomon nodded solemnly. “A good man. A good warrior. With ten thousand like him, I could free this land. You look nothing like him.”
“Except in the eyes, I’ve been told,” Darrissea said.
He looked into her eyes a long time, and let his gaze drift down over the rest of her body. Darrissea lowered her head, embarrassed.
“You should not be so shy,” Phylomon said. “Styles of beauty change over the years. By today’s standards, you are too tall, too thin and long of limb. But among your ancestors, the ancient Starfarers, you would have been considered beautiful.” He lowered his eyes and began cooking the corn cakes, as if her beauty did not matter.
Darrissea’s heart pounded, and she felt her face flush. She wanted him to say more. “Can we ride with you and the Hukm to Bashevgo?”
Phylomon nodded. “It would be a pleasure.”
***
Chapter 32: Mortal Enemies
The sky was a soft cerulean blue out to the horizon, and the sun glinted on the waters. Mahkawn stood on the deck, squinted, looking off into the haze where sea met sky.
“See,” Atherkula said, pointing into the distance. “There it is.”
Mahkawn studied the white spray, finally saw it: a deep-red dorsal fin, slicing through the water. A sea serpent, a large one. “Yes, there he is. What of it?”
“That serpent has been following us now for six days.” Mahkawn said ominously.
“There are many serpents in these waters,” Mahkawn said. “I’ve seen as many as twelve at a time.”
“But none that follow ships,” Atherkula said. “This serpent is following us. More than once, it has come close, as if to attack the ship.”
“I know,” Mahkawn said. “I read the reports. The cannon fire drove it away.”
“Still, it follows us. It began following on the day that we caught Tull.” He halted, letting the words sink in. “It follows Tull, to protect him. It is his animal guide, and the spirits of the two are connected. If we do not act, it will attack. It’s only waiting for the right time.”
“You can’t be sure of that,” Mahkawn said.
Atherkula nodded, his gray braids barely moving as he kept his eyes out to sea. “I’m sure. We should kill the Pwi. Now, before it is too late.”
“You seem—overly eager for his blood,” Mahkawn said.
“You hunted him too, after he killed your men in Denai. You were so eager to prove yourself to Tantos, you practically did not sleep.”
“I thought he was only an escaped slave,” Mahkawn answered. “Not a Pwi.”
“Yet you hunger for his blood, and he has killed a Crimson Knight since. He has done you harm. And he has done me harm. He killed two of my sorcerers—one tenth of my forces.”
“Calm yourself,” Mahkawn said. “Even your master in the Land of Shapes ordered you to let him live. It is over.”
“It is not over,” Atherkula warned. “I don’t understand you anymore. You’ve killed hundreds of men for lesser crimes than Tull’s.”
Mahkawn turned, held Atherkula’s piercing blue eyes. “You are becoming senile in your old age,” Mahkawn said. “It shows in the way you rage. A Blade Kin should have more control. You embarrass yourself. Are you just a Thrall?”
It was a terrible insult, the ultimate cut. One should never dare ask a man of Atherkula’s stature such a question. It begged retribution. Yet Mahkawn knew—it was the question that every Blade Kin asked himself from time to time.
Atherkula spat at Mahkawn’s feet. “I will kill him for that. You can’t stop me!”
He turned away, and suddenly there was a great splash. Water surged over the deck. A shadow fell on them, and Mahkawn turned.
The serpent reared out of the water not forty feet behind the ship, its jaws gaping wide in the air, its huge eyes glaring. The rear gunner fired his cannon, scoring a hit on the serpent’s dorsal, and it dove as quickly as it had struck.
Mahkawn looked at Atherkula, and the sorcerer’s face was pale.
Mahkawn grabbed Atherkula’s black robes, pulled him to the railing overlooking the sea. The serpent was there, underwater, a great black mass trailing the ship.
“Think about it,” Mahkawn shouted, holding Atherkula perilously close to the edge. “Think about killing Tull, and that serpent will attack again. Kill Tull, and that serpent will take you. Do you believe you could stop it?”
Atherkula struggled to free himself, and lunged away from the water, stumbled. The old sorcerer sat on the deck, gasping from his exertions.
“You see,” Mahkawn added, “you cannot even consider killing Tull while we are still at sea. It is over.”
“It is not over—” Atherkula warned, “in Bashevgo lives a Thrall woman named Pirazha, with her three sons. The boys’ father will be fortunate if he never has to feel the pain of losing a son.”
Fear seized Mahkawn then. The sorcerer knew his secrets. From a man like Atherkula, Mahkawn realized, he could keep no secrets.
The old sorcerer got up from the deck, and wiped the sea rime from his robes. Then he walked down below deck, his back bent, as if he were a crooked and broken man.
***
About Blade Kin
There is a theory of writing nowadays that says that “Every story is an argument.” I think that I became conscious of that while studying Shakespeare’s plays, a few years before I wrote this.
The theory, which is written at Dramatica.com, goes on to say that the arguments in a tale tend to gravitate between the purely emotional side of a debate and the purely intellectual side, with a few characters who try to seek a balance of some kind.
In reading this now, I’m very conscious of how I wrote this piece in just such a way. On the issue of justice, Fava takes a purely emotional stance, being fiercely loyal to those that she loves, while Phylomon feels no loyalty whatsoever. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say that Phylomon is loyal to ideals, not to people.
Others in the tale—in particular Mahkawn—are struggling for their own private balance between idealism and the desire to remain true to the people that they love.
I’ll talk more about this when I sum the novels up, but for now I’ll let you ponder this as you get to the conclusion.
***
Glossary
Anee—A mineral-poor moon 11,000 miles in diameter that circles a gas giant named Thor near a type I star 1950 lightyears from Earth. In the year 2681, the Alliance of Nations began terraforming Anee in order to create a terrestrial zoo—a place where genetic paleontologists could store specimens of animals recreated from the Jurassic, Miocene, and Pliocene Eras. Each of three continents stores representatives from one of the Eras.
Creators—A race of highly intelligent beings, part machine and part biological organism, designed by genetic paleontologists to maintain the ecosystems of Anee. The Creators are living DNA synthesizers. To control animal populations, they frequently design and give birth to predators and parasites. The Creators are strictly programmed to perform their specific jobs. After the death of the Creator named Forester 1, the Creators designed Dryads to protect the forests.
Dire Wolves—Canis Dirus—A heavy-bodied dark gray wolf common during the Pleistocene, short on cunning but long on tenacity and viciousness.
Dragons—Warm-blooded flying carnivores that were created by the Starfarers to be an eco-barrier. Each continent has several varieties of dragon in various sizes—from the giant great-horned dragons to the tiny hawk dragon. Each dragon is born with a genetically transmitted memory that encourages it to destroy species that it recognizes as foreign to the environment.
Dryads—A being made by the Creators to maintain forests in Pliocene areas after the Creator Forester 1 was killed in an earthquake. Dryads are humanoid females with long life spans and strange abilities. The abilities, size, and coloration of t
he Dryad depends upon the type of forest it was created to maintain.
Eco-barriers—Certain animals have the ability to migrate across oceans. For example, many types of semi-aquatic carnivorous dinosaur could easily make such journeys, and the introduction of such animals into an area populated by Pleistocene sabertooths could be disastrous, since the sabertooths could not compete with the larger predators. The paleontologists who terraformed Anee recognized the danger such transoceanic migrations could cause. Therefore, they erected a series of “eco-barriers” to prevent migrations. These barriers consist of artificially engineered predators: primarily, the deep-ocean “sea serpent” to patrol the waterways; and various species of “dragon” to patrol the sky. Both the sea serpent and the dragon are ruthless predators without equal in nature.
Eridani—An alien race that went to war with humans in the year 2902. Using small faster-than-light drone warships, the Eridani successfully stopped all extraplanetary travel between human settlements within a matter of four years.
Hukm—Homo-gigantis. A race of large apelike humanoids with long brownish-red or white fur. The Hukm, one of several races of giant hominids once native to Earth, were originally restricted to a small region of Northeast Asia, and the species thrived only for a few thousand years. Fossil evidence indicates that the race probably died out about 396,000 BC. Extinction appeared to occur due to climactic changes between glacial periods, and may have come about as a result of inter-species warfare accompanied by starvation. When reintroduced into the wild on Anee, the Hukm showed themselves to be highly social vegetarians who quickly domesticated the woolly mammoths.
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