The Last War (The Noukari Trilogy Book 1)

by Alex Davis

  'What do you intend to do, Asha? Are you going to smash this temple? Tear down its decorations, its walls, with that paltry tool of yours? Even if you could, we would willingly rebuild it!'

  This brings a few cautious cheers from the crowd. Asha is not about to acknowledge them.

  'I have no intention of harming your temple, Re'Nuck. I have come to harm you.'

  Apius can feel his own face grow pale, the threat of violence meted this morning about to come to an unlikely conclusion. He can feel his body tense, but does now know if it is in readiness to run or fight back. How would he even fight back? The wooden rake may not be much of a weapon, but it is more than he can bring to bear. He tries to stutter a reply of some kind as Asha mounts the steps to the altar itself. One of his braver followers, a man he cannot name, leaps up behind Asha and tries to launch a crude attack of his own. Apius never finds out what his intention was, because she turns quickly and lashes out the rake. The clash sends shivers through the Re'Nuck, and the would-be attacker falls by the wayside, knocked silly by the force and hatred behind the blow.

  'Do something, brothers and sisters! Take this despoiler away!' Apius finally wrenches from his throat, but the words bring no action. Asha turns to the timid flock, knowing they will do nothing. Many are still transfixed by the prone form lying on the floor, a livid bruise rising on the face. They have never seen an act of violence before, and Asha finds herself delighted by their fear. With a wolfish smile, she says, 'I suggest you leave now. This is between me and your precious leader.'

  Apius dives to the floor, as though the altar can offer him some protection. There are only one way out of the temple, and the front door is blocked by Asha's coiled form – and Apius can hardly believe the sight of his followers leaving him behind! They are afraid, he tries to tell himself, they have no experience of such things. They must be forgiven. I will forgive them. If I survive this, he adds morbidly.

  She continues her climb of the stairs to the altar, amused at the sight of the Re'Nuck cowering without the strength of numbers to fall back on.

  'It is no use trying to hide, Re'Nuck. You would give yourself more honour in facing me.'

  Apius gathers all his courage to stand before the feral, aggressive spirit of the Noukari given flesh. Swathed in mud, ready to explode into violence, Asha makes a sight to chill the strongest of their number.

  'Thank you, Re'Nuck. At least now you may die with some dignity. Your death will mean the death of your religion, and all the darkness it brings.'

  'Animexianism will survive. Someone will step into my place.'

  'From among your loyal followers? Those who fled at the first risk to themselves? They are unwilling to put themselves in the line of danger for their precious gods.'

  'You speak of darkness, but you are about to commit the darkest of all acts.'

  'Do not moralize with me, Apius. My act is the lesser of two darknesses. I have no doubt of that.'

  The conversation comes to an abrupt end. Asha leaps up onto the top of the altar, a sinuous and strangely graceful motion, before striking out with the rake. The wood smashes against the side of Apius's skull, sending him sprawling. His fall seems to be impossibly slow, the floor rising towards him with all the speed of a plant's growth. Then comes the sickening impact, one side of his skull staved in by the rake, the other clashing with the solid floor of the temple. What a strange way to die, Apius reflects to himself. With so much yet undone.

  The crack of head and floor is quickly followed by a sound every bit as potent. From the back of the temple, Viarus re-emerges, just in time to see his friend – his leader – crashing to the floor. The sight fills him with a horror and revulsion the likes of which he has never known. From deep within him – a wellspring that has yet to be tapped – he lets out a scream that rings around the temple.

  But it does not only echo within the four walls. The psychic scream brings a fresh agony that sears within Apius's brain. He has never felt such pain, a jolt that fights off the threatening unconsciousness with pure mental force. Apius brings his hands to his ears, but it is no good.

  So much pain, Viarus!

  His mental response has no effect, and the interior screaming simply continues.

  He is not the only one to hear it, and Asha turns in shock to see Viarus and his contorted face. Their eyes meet, the avatar of violence and the avatar of pain linking gazes, and Viarus only redoubles the unexpected cacophony. Asha tries to resist it, but the wall of sound builds within her head, impossible to overcome.

  She cannot believe what is happening. She was so close to triumph, so close to victory.

  She tries to reply with her own cry of rage, a battlecry that builds from her whole being, but even this is just the buzzing of a fly compared to Viarus's brutal noise assault.

  Still she tries to keep her feet, take a step to close in on the downed Re'Nuck.

  She lifts her left foot, but it does not touch the floor.

  Dizziness consumes her. She flails, unbalanced. Tries to restore equilibrium.

  Fails.

  It is as though she watches the fall through another's eyes. It is another's body that tumbles over the first of the steps. It is another's body that finds no footing.

  It is another's skull and spine that shatter on impact.

  So close. So close.

  Apius has simply concerned himself with trying to drown out the pain of both his physical and mental wounds, but at long last the mental reverberation of Viarus's scream fades away. With that gone, he realises the true extent of his physical injury. He can see blood beneath him, and his vision swims disorientingly. Through watery eyes, he sees Viarus lean down, mouthing words that Apius cannot seem to understand. Is he alive? He thinks he is. The pain makes him believe this is the case.

  Viarus reaches out cool hands, delicately holds the Re'Nuck's face, and gently kisses his forehead.

  That is the last thing on that sunup to remain clear to him.

  Aftermath, Consequences

  Apius awakens in a sweltering bed of furs, pushing aside the stifling material weakly. In moments the bedding is off of him and he finds himself laying in a simple robe, drawing in air as though it were the very essence of life itself.

  Flashes of the past come back to him. A confusion of hands, the sensation of being lifted. Sunups and moonrises out of an unfamiliar window. Viarus's face, peaceful and benevolent. Viarus's mental voice, a wave of lightning-quick misery.

  He tries to rise, but his head feels as though it is made of stone. The weight of it keeps him laid down, at least for now. He can hear a cry from not far away.

  'The Re'Nuck is awake!'

  Apius does not recognise the voice, but it is followed by a flurry of activity just beyond his peripheral vision. Then he sees a familiar visage at last – Viarus. Of course.

  'Thank the gods you have returned to us, Re'Nuck! We have all prayed for you.'

  'Viarus... what happened to me? So much feels... unclear.'

  'You were attacked, Re'Nuck.'

  'You attacked me! I recall it now! I remember the screams...'

  'Re'Nuck, surely you know I am capable of no such act. You were attacked by a bitter woman from Genem. Asha, who spoke against you so strongly.'

  Asha. The woman. The blow. The blood...

  'Of course, Viarus. Forgive me. I am... groggy.'

  'This is only natural, after what has happened. She came to the temple, like some uncivilized wild woman. I was afraid.'

  'I was afraid also, old friend. There is no shame in fear.'

  'She struck down Lineus as he sought to defend you. We had never seen the like of it. To think of such violence within the temple!'

  'How is Lineus?'

  'He is well enough. Naturally he is shaken, but his physical wounds were quick to heal.'

  'That at least is good news.'

  'And then... and then she went for you. Like a Hiyel on the hunt.'

 
'It is coming back to me, Viarus. Such hatred...'

  'I do not think anyone will forget what happened. I doubt it will ever leave their memory.'

  'She struck me, yes?'

  'I am afraid to say so. And there was much damage done... I must apologise, Re'Nuck! I was supposed to be your closest follower, your friend! And I fled like the rest of them in the face of her!'

  'Do not castigate yourself, Via...'

  Apius fights his spinning head for a moment.

  'I can come back, Re'Nuck, if you do not feel...'

  'I am fine, Viarus. Just light-headed. I would like you to stay.'

  'Very well, Re'Nuck.'

  'You came back, Viarus. You were the only one to do so.'

  'I did not know what I was going to do.'

  'You saved my life, Viarus. That is the fact of the matter.'

  'I do not know what happened, Re'Nuck. I have repeated all of it in my mind so many times...'

  'How long have I been here?'

  'I am afraid you have been cared for over the last four sunups.'

  'Four sunups? So long?'

  'I am afraid so. The woman did you substantial damage. You have been attended to by many of your congregation, and the prayers for your wellbeing have been almost constant.'

  'And they are appreciated. How long until I am back on my feet?'

  'I do not know, Re'Nuck. We must simply monitor you progress. It will do no favours to rush back to the temple and your duties. We all depend on your strength, so you must allow it to return.'

  'You are right, of course, Viarus. But I shall become impatient in time.'

  'Think of yourself this time, not everyone else. The temple remains full and our belief remains strong. Sermons are still busy...'

  'Sermons? Who has been giving sermons?'

  'Well... I have, Re'Nuck. I thought that it would be the best thing to do, in your absence.'

  'How dare you assume...'

  'I assume nothing, I assure you. I was badgered into it. I lay no claim to your authority or your oratory skills. I have merely been caretaking at a time when people have needed their faith.'

  Apius can see the logic, although his emotions still rage against it. Viarus has always had a good heart, always aimed to help him with the whole of his being. Misguided or not, this was an action meant well for both him and his flock.

  'I apologise, Viarus. You have... done the right thing. Please continue to take sermon in my absence, and let them know that I shall return to them soon.'

  'Of course, Re'Nuck.'

  'I begin to tire, Viarus. I must rest.'

  'As you wish.'

  ***

  Viarus leaves the hut, looking behind at the suddenly fragile-looking form of the Re'Nuck. He breathes a sigh of relief, thankful he had returned. It has been tough to swallow his fear, ready to aid however he could, perhaps offer his own sacrifice in place of the Re'Nuck. While Viarus feels a pride in his importance to Animexianism, he knows his own significance pales next to that of its figurehead. He would have done it gladly too – he had never considered what death might bring, or even what the pain to bring it might feel like.

  When he had entered the temple, and seen Asha preparing for the killing blow, something had happened. Something he had never foreseen. Something he hoped would never happen to again. There was no conscious choice in it, no thought process. The mental scream had simply poured from him...

  He shakes his head, trying to free himself of the memory. But he knows it will never truly be gone.

  ***

  On the opposite side of Genem, through streetways filled with half-lies and half-truths, there is another man laid prone within his furs. But he is not there because he is injured, at least physically. Zerial has been laid there for sunups, refusing to move, refusing to go and fulfil his duties. The news had been handed to him coldly, uncaringly as he sought to help build what would eventually be a school. He had arrived for a day like any other to be given the most devastating of news. Asha – so long his wefi – had been killed in the Temple of the Animex. There was little detail more than that, and for sunups Zerial cared little for the details. The bald fact was more than enough.

  His mind had turned the very concept over in his mind hundreds of times as he lay still, all energy and enthusiasm sucked away. Dead. How could anyone in Genem die? What had caused it? No-one had ever died. No-one had ever seen a corpse on Noukaria, beyond those of the native animals. What had been done with her body? Had she been buried here in Genem, or cast out into the forest? Now the questions hit him with what felt like a physical impact, anger beginning to swamp his sadness. What had they done to her, those religious zealots? She had spoken so often of her hatred for them, offered so much resistance with her words. Had she gone one step further than that? Was she driven on by his rejection of her, or was it more to do with damned Ajerus? He would only get the answers he sought one way. He pushed aside the enveloping furs and rose to stand on unsteady feet. He looked down at himself in shame. For days he had not eaten, and barely raised the effort to reach out for the bucket of water. He has not even risen to go to the toilet, such was his misery, and he looks down at the state of his body and the furs with disgust. How had he fallen so far? Just ten, twenty sunups ago he had been a loyal Hasban with a happy wefi, a man who knew his place within society. Now he was barely an animal, spending days wallowing in his self-pity and abject depression. He wants to break down again, but steels himself. There is much to be done.

  The first thing he must secure if information. The word first reached him from Lionis, so he will start there. After that? Who knows. Perhaps there will be more violence, this time at his hands.

  Unravelling

  As Zerial approaches the half-built school, he becomes aware of a hubbub from his fellow workers. They look at him uncertainly. He approaches with all the calmness he can muster, trying to fight the fury that rises within him. He passes many of his colleagues and goes directly to Lionis, who takes a step back as Zerial makes his approach. It was Lionis who first delivered this news, in hard words.

  'Zerial! What a surprise...'

  'It must be that, Lionis. I would like to talk to you. Alone.'

  'Talk? Alone? I am working, Zerial. I have my duties.'

  'Funny that did not come above gossip the last time we spoke.'

  'I was not gossiping, Zerial...'

  Zerial pushes Lionis against the unfinished wall, holding him in place with balled fists on his shoulders. 'You are going to come and talk to me. Your duties will wait, my friend.'

  The rest of the group turn their eyes away, afraid to incur Zerial's wrath.

  'Let us go for a private discussion, Lionis.'

  ***

  Zerial drags Lionis into a quiet stand of trees just away from the streets of Genem. He tosses him to the floor, where his old 'friend' sits up warily.

  'What are you going to do, Zerial? We are not given to violence.'

  'I used to think so. But perhaps I was wrong.'

  'What are you talking about?'

  'I have nothing to lose, Lionis. I am going to find out what happened to Asha, every ugly detail.'

  'I had nothing to do with Asha...'

  'You told me, and to the bargain you cared nothing for my feelings when you did so!'

  'I did not mean to be so cold, Zerial. I am sorry if that was how my manner came across. I simply...'

  'Do not try and apologise. I want to know one thing.'

  'What is that?'

  'I want to know what happened to her.'

  'I know only the vaguest rumours picked up around the village. There has been much talk, half of it contradicting the other.'

  'Try and discern the truth. Indulge me.'

  'There is not much known for sure. We know that Asha died, four sunups ago. She died within the walls of the temple, although there are none who claim to have been there or witnessed it.'

  'None? So she jus
t... died on her own!'

  'I do not know, Zerial! No one I have spoken to was there, that is all I can say.'

  'How did she die? How!'

  'The whisper is it was a bump to the head. That's all anyone has said.'

  'You know nothing more than that?'

  'Why should I? We talk little. We are busy with our work. I have never even been to the temple!'

  'I believe you.'

  'Are we done? Is our business finished?'

  'For now, yes. But do not think that I have forgotten the delight you took in sharing news of my wefi's death. Now begone.'

  Lionis scrambles to his feet, leaving the stand of trees cautiously, watching Zerial as he goes.

  ***

  Zerial sits still in the clearing, trying to calm himself. The temple. Of course. Where else could it have been? The temple she hated so much. The temple that had driven the wedge between them.

  Where did that leave him? Was he really willing to take up the same crusade as his lost wefi, taking on all his fellow men and their beliefs, let alone the venomous Re'Nuck?

  With only the faint sound of distant building, he makes a resolution. He knows that he will – that he must – continue what Asha started. She would have done so for him, and he cannot bear the thought of any more blood being shed thanks to the madness of that religion. There had never been a death in Genem before its emergence, and he could not stand another person to feel these emotions.

  He would begin his own crusade. But this would be devoted to everything that Asha stood for – duty, responsibility, crafting a great society without worrying what any 'gods' may think of it.

  And he would start with a visit to the Temple of the Animex.

  ***

  From the edge of the clearing, Zerial watches the followers file into the temple. He tries to count them, but loses track. This is what he is going to have to fight. He has seen them, heard them enough to know that changing that faith is going to be a deep challenge. What if it proves impossible to eradicate those beliefs? What if the religion goes on regardless of his efforts? Asha had tried, and ultimately paid a fatal cost. If he has to die also to succeed, then he will do so gladly.