by Dreagen
“Wow, I had no idea,” said EeNox, feeling more than a little dumbfounded. “I didn’t realize that there was so much pressure to get into the Science Guild. Were they paleontologists too?”
“No, they were more the stay-at-home type,” he replied, smiling to himself. “I suppose you could say I was the adventurous one in the family, wanting to discover what had not been previously known.”
“How did they take you not following in their footsteps?” Rex asked.
“At first they were concerned that I was making the biggest mistake of my life,” he grinned. “But in time they came to see that I could do more to bring honor and respect to my clan by following what my flame was telling me to do—venture forward into the unknown.”
“Funny you should word it like that.”
“Oh?”
“Moving forward, I mean. It’s just that as a paleontologist, your work is all about the past.”
“A fair point. However, if there is one thing I’ve learned through my work, it’s that time is a spiral, not a fixed direction, and so we must look to the past for clues on what may lay ahead. Now, if you’ll both excuse me, I need to get back to making the rounds. It would seem my work is never truly done these days.”
They both nodded in turn and watched him resume walking around the room, saying hello and smiling broadly at everyone he spoke to, almost as if he himself was on display. Rex took in the man’s words, giving them serious thought. The idea of the past not necessarily being behind him was an interesting one. Then again, it should have been obvious given the world he now inhabited. Everything about it seemed to be made from bygone ages, and yet here it was in the present. “Hey, EeNox,” he said, turning to the other boy. “I just remembered something. That boy you talked to last night, the young one. Didn’t you say he was your informant?”
“KenSito, and informant would be implying far too much.”
“Point is he’s the one who keeps you in the know, right?”
“I guess, but I already know what you’re going to ask me next, and unfortunately the answer is no. He couldn’t tell me where they were holding the CeraVora.”
“I see. So where does that lead the investigation?”
“Dead in the water, quite frankly,” EeNox replied with a sigh. “It seems that VayRonx probably already had him moved down to the capital. Most likely a while ago. I assumed that all the secrecy surrounding him was to conceal where they were holding him, but now it looks like it was a simple case of out of sight, out of mind.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“Do I?” he replied, looking somewhat surprised before returning to his look of defeat. “I suppose I am in a way. I’m not happy because of what happened, but for better or worse it was nice to be at the center of it so I could maybe do something about it for once.”
“I thought you didn’t like getting involved. You seem to prefer staying on the fringes of everything.”
“You’re one to talk.”
Rex smiled. “Oh, I’m not arguing with you on that. My point is that I thought you would rather just leave this to your father and VayRonx.”
“I know, and you’re right, but all I ever hear from them is how I need to step up and start taking on more responsibility. You know, that old song.”
“You’re lucky to have so many people believe in you.”
“Hey, I’m not the only one. KyGahl gave you quite the vote of confidence a moment ago. I wouldn’t take that lightly.”
Rex just shrugged his shoulders. “A part of me feels he was just being nice.”
“Are you serious?” EeNox gasped. “Do you have any idea how rarely he takes on an apprentice, not to mention the amount of requests he gets every year from young scholars?”
“If he’s such a hot commodity, then why does he have so few students? Why even consider me?”
“Honestly, no one really knows. He just turns most, if not all of them, down every year. Only when he sees someone he finds special does he agree to take them on as an apprentice. To this day he has only taken seven, when the rest of his colleagues have had at least several dozen under their wing by now. It’s something to consider, that’s all I’m saying.”
Rex began to give the idea of studying to become a paleontologist more and more serious thought. What it would be like to travel EeNara in search of fossils. The thought brought a warm feeling to his heart and a smile to his face. Still, could he really just leave KaNar and everything he had only just come to know? The mountain tribe had begun to feel like home, and the people like his family. But were they really? Did he truly belong, or was he simply allowing himself to be lured into a false sense of comfort, fooled by his own innocent desire to be part of something? It was a difficult question, made even harder by its elusive answer. Furthermore, there was DiNiya, the girl who was still pulling him from the pit of darkness that he was in danger of being swallowed up in. Indeed, he had not had another episode in some time. The strange white-eyed phantom and the monstrous beast that haunted his mind, that would come and go all the while filling him with fear and confusion, had been silent for cycles, causing him to wonder if they had ever been real at all, or if they were just products of his subconscious trying to piece back together his shattered mind.
Regardless of what they were, their hold over him seemed to wane the more he was around DiNiya. With her by his side, he felt lighter, like he was walking slightly above the ground. It was a strange sensation, but all he knew was that the idea of not seeing her every day stirred up old feelings of anger and resentment. Feelings he himself did not fully understand but knew he did not want to fall back into. Not after making so much progress. “Maybe one day I’ll take him up on his offer,” he said at last. “But for now, I’m content with just being here with all of you.”
“Aww,” EeNox mused as he gave him a big hug. “Who knew our Rex was all warm and soft at heart?”
“Hey! Stop that,” Rex growled as he tried to pry the other boy’s arms off. “Get off!”
Later, after deciding that they finally needed a small break from all the excitement, they made their way out into KaNar’s rolling fields. The night air was filled with the now distant sounds of song and celebration, and the aroma of the food tents could be smelled even from this distance.
“It’s so nice out tonight,” DiNiya said as she sat down. “Not like last year when we had that bad cold snap.”
“I remember,” her brother replied. “We lost half the crop because of it. All that hard work for nothing.”
“TemBol was furious,” she laughed. “I don’t think anyone dared to look him in the eye for the next two cycles.”
“Sounds like a lot of complaining for just a little cold,” LyCora said. “I prefer it myself.”
“Ooh, me too,” AnaSaya chimed in. “I wish it was this cold back home this time of year.”
“Well, if you think we’re complaining, then you should hear the people down in the capital,” ShinGaru mused. “They hate anything below sixty degrees. Not to mention you have the ones who come from the Southern Continent. I personally don’t care for it all that much.”
Rex looked around then tilted his head up. High above was the now familiar but still breathtaking EeNarin night sky. Spreading his arms out, he allowed himself to fall back and hit the ground with a thud that surprised everyone but failed to faze him. “It’s beautiful,” he said at last. “Any of you ever just find yourself…staring up at it all?”
They all turned their heads to the sky before slowly lowering themselves into the grass, where they all lay with their heads together and their bodies radiating outward in a circle. In silence they lay, their eyes drinking in the celestial glow shining above them.
“It really is pretty,” DiNiya said after a long stretch of silence. “You see it your whole life and get used to it after a while.”
“I wonder if that will happen with me?” Rex wondered aloud.
“Not likely,” said EeNox. “Nothing ever gets ordinary with you. You have
a way of keeping things…interesting and new.” Rex smiled.
“I remember the first time my mother took me to the base mountains of ClyVen,” LyCora chimed in. “The aurora up there is so beautiful. I always knew it was just radiation from the sun burning in the atmosphere, but when I finally saw it…it was like a blue flame. Unburdened by form…dancing in the sky. It looked so free.” She suddenly heard some muffled laughter as she turned and saw the others grinning. “And what is so funny?” she asked angrily.
“You, quite frankly,” replied Rex.
“Excuse me?”
“No, I mean it’s just that I never figured you for the poetic type.” LyCora turned away and crossed her arms.
“Don’t be upset, LyCora,” AnaSaya said, turning on her side and looking at her. “I think it sounded beautiful, and I would very much like to see the aurora one day. Until then, I am very happy to have you here to tell me all about it.”
LyCora gave the other girl a look before sighing and saying, “You’re welcome.”
Smiling, AnaSaya snuggled up closer to LyCora, who looked somewhat unsettled by the sudden act of affection.
Seeing this, DiNiya decided to try her luck and moved closer to Rex, who seemed to either not notice or mind. Gently, she leaned her head against his shoulder and asked, “Rex, what is it like on Earth? The sky, I mean?”
Rex took in her question, giving it some thought, before noticing that everyone’s attention was now on him, as if expecting him to say something miraculous. “It’s very different from this,” he replied, pointing up. “Not nearly as bright or colorful. Most places you can’t even see the stars.”
“Really? That doesn’t sound very nice.”
“I suppose it isn’t. Still, it’s all anyone really knows back there, so they can’t miss what they never had.”
“I couldn’t imagine living in a world without them,” said EeNox as he gazed up in wonder. “The light of thousands of celestial bodies. Amazing to think that they’re all dead.”
“They are?” Rex asked, looking over at him.
“Of course. Didn’t they teach you anything on Earth?”
“Apparently not.”
“The astronomers teach us that those stars up there are so far away that it takes eons for their light to reach us, and by the time it does, they are long since gone.”
“Wow,” said Rex, looking back up. “I had no idea.”
“It’s a comforting thought,” said AnaSaya.
“What is?” LyCora asked as she shifted slightly.
“The idea that long after you’re gone, the light of your flame still burns for all to see. Like a lasting impression.”
“That is comforting,” EeNox said with a smile.
“But maybe not everyone’s can,” DiNiya said. “Not everyone can burn as bright as those stars.”
“There is more than one way to shine,” Rex said, leaning over to her. DiNiya smiled before realizing she was and turned away, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Besides, maybe what we’re seeing is their last gasp. It took their whole life to be able to burn that bright, so maybe it’s the same for people.”
“You’re saying we still have more life to live before we can ever hope to burn so bright?” LyCora asked.
“Maybe not life,” offered ShinGaru. “But the experiences that fill it. A lifetime made of moments that burn like the single flame of a candle. Make enough of them, and they will burn bright enough for all to see.”
They all lay still, staring up in silent wonder until they felt as if they were falling into a sea of stars. Feeling something crawling on his finger, Rex raised his hand and watched as a tiny insect, illuminated by the blue glow in its abdomen, turned its head towards him; all the while its long antennae swiveled in every direction. He watched the seemingly small and unassuming creature with the backdrop of the starry sky above it and realized that he was truly no different—a tiny creature floating in a sea of light, comprised of the very fire that gave birth to the cosmos and pushed it continuously outward ever since.
The sounds of the festival grew distant, but none of them seemed to care, for in this moment they themselves felt so much a part of the twinkling lights above and connected with the fire that burned in all things great and small.
16
UNDER SIEGE
The last night of the festival felt like the end of a long and beautiful dream, for when the sun rose the next morning, KaNar saw the departure of the tents filled with wonders from the world over, performers of all kinds, including The Vanguard, who before leaving assured them that they would indeed return again soon. Rex was sad to see them go but also looked forward to the day when he could experience their music again. Perhaps even accompany them onstage. Just before leaving, he noticed FiNaya speaking with DiNiya in hushed tones away from the group, conveying something secret that made DiNiya give a curious look that bordered on amusement and dread. He wondered if he should ask what it was the FiNaya had said, but decided it was best to respect DiNiya’s privacy. She had been the only one he felt comfortable around for so long now that he forgot that she had had a life of her own before him, and that she too had thoughts and feelings that she no doubt preferred to keep close to her heart. That, or it’s just a girl thing.
Despite feeling exhausted from all the fun they’d had, BaRone put the six of them to work, having them break down the stands and tents that were KaNar’s. The task occupied the entire morning and most of the afternoon, finally concluding `just before dusk.
“Well done, everyone,” VayRonx said to the whole of KaNar who had been working tirelessly all day. “Tomorrow we will resume our regular affairs, but for the time being, take what remains of the day off and get some well-deserved rest.”
The crowd mumbled in agreement and began dispersing, mostly to their homes, but some to the tavern.
“My shoulders are so sore,” LyCora said as she rotated them.
“Mmmm,” DiNiya agreed. “The back of my neck feels like it has a knot in it the size of my fist. A soak in the hot springs sounds amazing right now.”
“You read my mind,” EeNox said he glanced up at two CyTorians flying overhead. “With any luck most of the town will be heading home to sleep so it won’t be crowded.”
“What are we waiting for?” asked Rex as he turned toward the caves.
Following his lead, they all proceeded down to the springs, which like EeNox had theorized, were mostly empty, save for the several occupants scattered throughout. They quickly undressed and climbed into the soothingly warm water.
Rex let out a low groan of pleasure as he leaned back in the water, trying to float on his back, but as always managing only to keep his face above water. “This feels nice. Why is it we don’t come down here more often?”
“For the same reason no one ever does the things they love to do more often,” EeNox answered. “Life gets in the way.”
His words rang with a degree of truth in Rex’s his ears. “Suppose so. Still, between the training and the work we do for your father, we really should take more time to relax.”
“What’s wrong?” LyCora asked. “All work and no play makes Rex a grumpy monster?”
Rex looked up to shoot back a mean-spirited retort, but he saw LyCora smiling and realized that she was actually for the first time indulging in some good-natured banter with him. Grinning, he replied, “Aren’t I?”
Everyone, including LyCora, laughed as Rex folded his arms behind his head, looking quite pleased with himself.
“Rex, I have a question for you,” AnaSaya said as she glided over to him. “Why do you look different than everyone else?”
“Are you serious?” Rex replied, looking more than slightly irritated by the question. “Has the novelty of my eyes not worn off yet?”
“No, I don’t mean them,” she replied apologetically. “Although they are very pretty.” Rex’s stern expression lessened. “I mean your face.”
“What’s wrong with my face?”
“Sorry,
AnaSaya,” LyCora said. “But no, it always looks like that.”
“Ha, ha,” Rex replied sarcastically, while LyCora gave him a teasing grin.
“I meant it looks…” AnaSaya continued. “I don’t know, like it’s built differently.” She began tracing the line of his jaw with her fingers. “Your jaw is longer and broader, too.” She continued to run the tips of her claws over his face before putting her thumbs into the corners of his mouth and pulling his lips up and apart. Rex growled something incomprehensible as she began to inspect his teeth.
“Are you mad, girl?” LyCora called over. “Pull your fingers out of his mouth before he bites them off!”
“I’m just trying to get a better look at his teeth.”
Rex grabbed her wrists and pulled her fingers out of his mouth. “Then you could have just asked me to smile.”
“Oh. I’ll remember that next time. In any case, I noticed when we first met that unlike the rest of us, all your teeth are sharp.”
“Yeah, so?”
“So I was curious why that was?”
“I don’t know. Guess I’m just weird that way.”
“It’s not weird,” she said, looking at him quizzically. “It’s just different. But I like it. They make you look a lot more ferocious than other people,” she said with a smile.
Rex regarded her for a moment, not sure at first what to make of the comment, before deciding it was actually a rather nice compliment. “Ferocious, you say? Hmm.”
“Now you’ve gone and done it, AnaSaya,” ShinGaru mused.
“As if his ego was not big enough,” LyCora added while shaking her head.
“Hey, DiNiya,” Rex said, turning to her and baring his serrated maw. “What do you think? Do they do anything for you?”
“Do anything for me? I don’t understand?”
“He means do they make him more attractive than other boys,” AnaSaya explained happily.
DiNiya looked mortified. “I…I really can’t say…I mean, that is to say…they are…nice.” The toothy smile on Rex’s face faded and was replaced by a look of abysmal defeat. “No, wait! I didn’t mean to say that there was something wrong with them! I just meant…well, yes…of course they add something…desirable in appearance. Wait! I mean…”