Tainted: The Life of Uktesh Book 2

by Aaron Hicks

  Guy, however, insisted that she wouldn’t leave him on the first day of a vacation, she’d leave him on the last day, if that was her plan. He couldn’t deny that accidents do happen, but he vowed that he wouldn’t stop looking until he found her or found her body. They hadn’t seen him at breakfast, lunch, or dinner in three days. He’d last told them he was going to retrace their last trip.

  They’d searched for him yesterday and found nothing. They didn’t know where to look, other than that they had been in the shopping district. Since then, they’d decided to walk in pairs whenever possible, though Heathyr said she felt perfectly safe on her own.

  Esolc asked, “So boss what’s the plan for today?”

  Uktesh said, “Eat, swim, light training, eat again, get ready for the play, then the after party.”

  Repus asked, “What’s the plan for tomorrow? I need to know how much fun I can have with Pamfilo at the after party.”

  Uktesh said, “For the next few days you’ll probably have to train on your own. You can do Bull Rushes Down, but you can’t yet use it continuously as a run. So I’d work on that, as well as flowing from one form into the next, and maybe work a bit on your unarmed forms.”

  Laurilli asked, “What about me? I can do most of that.”

  Uktesh said, “You can, but you can’t Rush for more than half a minute, and for you I’d say sparring. You know the basics, but now you need to learn how to use it in combat situations. Those two have the fighting knowledge, but not the forms, so it may be harder for them to untrain their brains from the wrong way to the right way. So I’ll add sparring to both of your training schedules, but only use forms, as much as you can.”

  Heathyr asked, “And you’ll be training with the dragons?”

  Uktesh nodded and said, “I passed their test a week ago, but they said to wait for training until after the play, so tomorrow I’ll be doing that. Actually, I’ll probably be doing that for the next few weeks. I’ll still train you three, but we’ve only got three and a half months left before we leave. I want to absorb as much from them as I can.”

  All four nodded that they understood his reasoning. Esolc asked, “Are you two nervous about the play?”

  Uktesh said, “I think we’re both ready, but I’m not sure about the dragon fight, since we’ve never rehearsed it. I think, here on this island, there’s more to it than we know about.”

  Laurilli said, “But even if there is something we don’t expect, Uktesh can probably handle it.”

  Uktesh said, “I appreciate the confidence, but Riu had just become a three flame dragon, and he nearly killed me, even though I was armed. There are two levels higher than that.”

  Laurilli gasped, “Do you have to get their tattoo?”

  Uktesh felt his jaw drop, “I don’t know. That henna tattoo of the stupid zero-looking eye that they put on my forehead finally went away. I don’t know if I want to get that tattooed on my forehead in gold ink.” He rubbed his forehead self-consciously. “And I know I don’t want a tattoo that covers an arm and most of my chest.”

  Esolc said, “If you’d stayed in Sinai I’m sure you would’ve gotten the nickname, ‘Zero.’”

  Laurilli said, “His nickname is Tesh.”

  Repus said, “I’ve got an idea. We’ll spar throughout the week for Uktesh’s nickname. That way we’ll all try harder.”

  Laurilli lifted her right eyebrow and said, “I assume you’re talking about the nickname ‘Zero?’”

  They both nodded and Uktesh asked, “Don’t I get a say in this?”

  All three turned to him and said, “No.”

  Heathyr laughed and said, “That’s the fun of a nickname. You don’t get to choose it, others do.”

  Uktesh said, “Fine, but just remember the actual Numbers might take offense to someone calling me Zero.”

  Laurilli said, “One didn’t seem to care, why would the rest?”

  Uktesh said, “Well, I’m not sure about that, for a few reasons. First, it was spoken by One as a jest. Second, we were at a celebration and he wanted to make it more enjoyable. Third, I doubt One actually thought I would win again Riu.”

  Esolc, serious now, said, “That’s what makes it perfect, each of the numbers is known as the best with their weapon. Sword, Spear, Axe, Mace, Morningstar, Bow, Staff, Halberd, and Broadsword are the current nine, but you could be Unarmed!”

  Uktesh said, “I beat him with a sword.”

  Repus joined in, “Semantics. I think just beating two that have never been beaten is enough.”

  Uktesh said, “I don’t want to have my name changed to Zero.”

  Laurilli chose then to say, “Now that it’s gone, I realize I did like the zero on your head.”

  Uktesh said, “Hah, Li, I refuse to believe that.”

  Laurilli stood up and shouted, “Stop calling me a liar!”

  Uktesh stood up and shouted back, “Then, stop lying!”

  Uktesh noticed the three adults glanced at each other nervously and he knew they were thinking about the play. Laurilli took a deep breath to continue. That’s when Uktesh saw that there was not just anger and indignation, but also hurt in her eyes. Before she could say anything, Uktesh said, “Wait! I should clarify. I love that you tell stories and that you lie so well. I will stop calling you Li, if you want me to. I didn’t know you didn’t like it. I just yelled because you yelled. I’m not actually angry with you.” Uktesh knew that Laurilli knew he was lying about not being angry, but left it up to her to call him on it.

  She took a deep breath and glanced at the people watching them before she said, “I think I overreacted. I’m sorry.”

  Uktesh saw the instant relief in the expressions of the three adults, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you didn’t like my nickname for you.”

  They sat down and she said, “It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that I’ve tried really hard to lie less, and then the first time I do in weeks you call me on it.”

  Uktesh said, “I’m sorry, I did notice you’d been really honest lately.” He thought back on the three occasions where he thought she should’ve lied where she hadn’t. When Pamfilo came out with her dress for the play and had asked if it made her look fat. When two people were loudly complaining about their sunburns. And the last and most shocking was when she’d walked up to Curiel, who liked Leilani, and told him that he was annoying her by pursuing Leilani when Repus was dating her.

  Laurilli said, “You’re thinking about the Pamfilo incident, aren’t you.”

  Uktesh nodded, “She just needed a belt, and it would’ve been fine, but now she has the most curve fitting dress ever created.”

  Esolc grinned and said, “Not that anyone will complain about that.”

  Repus said, “Unless you’re the other mother in the play and your dress looks plain in comparison. Especially if you’re supposed to be the wealthier of the two parents.”

  Esolc asked, “Leilani’s no longer happy with her dress?”

  Repus shook his head and said, “Nope.”

  Uktesh said, “Also the sun burnt couple incident, and the Curiel incident.”

  Repus said, “Curiel incident? I didn’t hear about that. What’s the Curiel incident?”

  Uktesh smiled and Laurilli said, “I simply told him I didn’t like him pursuing Leilani when you were already dating her.”

  Repus said, “Oh. Thanks.”

  Uktesh said, “I believe what she said was, ‘Hey you, quit trying to get in Leilani’s pants, she’s happy with who’s already there.’”

  Laurilli and Repus both turned bright red and she said, “I wasn’t lying.”

  Uktesh laughed and said, “Your new nickname might need to become ‘girl who’s so honest it hurts,’ or something like that.”

  Laurilli stuck her tongue out at him, and he smiled sweetly in response. They finished their food, dumped their dirty dishes in the bin, and together Uktesh and Laurilli headed to the lagoon to go swimming. Heathyr said that she would join them if she fel
t like it later, but she might just help with the finishing touches for the set before the play began. Uktesh and Laurilli walked back to their house and after they unlocked the door they grabbed two towels, locked the door behind them, and continued on to the lagoon.

  They heard people shouting, and Uktesh recognized one of the voices. They came to an opening in the trees lining the path and saw Pamfilo and an older man arguing. The man had her wrist in his hand and was bending it at a painful angle. His other hand was waving a finger in her face. Uktesh saw the telltale tattoo of a dragon wrapped around his body. Uktesh Rushed, the Soared to her side and jabbed the man’s wrist with a quick punch that cause him to release Pamfilo. Uktesh continued into perfect, but not full strength, Palm Strike, which lifted the man off his feet and away from Pamfilo.

  Uktesh turned to her and asked, “Are you okay?”

  She nodded and the man got to his feet, “Is dis him? De pale skin ya’ve allowed ta defile ya?”

  Pamfilo shouted, “Yar jus an ol’ drunk! Dis is my friend Uktesh!”

  The man shouted, “Liar!” He kicked at Uktesh with unexpected speed and power, but Uktesh was able to block his ribs before the kick crashed him into Pamfilo. Laurilli finished her Rush with a balanced Crescent Kick attack that the man blocked. He kicked her leg out from under her and pulled his leg back to kick her while she was on the ground.

  Uktesh jumped in the way of the kick and was only able to partially block the kick before he landed on Laurilli, who rolled out from under him. The man kicked Uktesh again, and when he readied another kick, Uktesh rolled into his legs and toppled him to the ground. From there Uktesh jumped up and away, knowing that against an adult he’d have a great disadvantage. The man stood up panting, and Pamfilo jumped in front of Uktesh and said, “Da yer a daft fool! Dis is Uktesh and his fiancée Laurilli. He’s not my lover!”

  Uktesh said, “He’s your dad?”

  Laurilli added, “But he was hurting you!”

  The man said, “I don’t care anymore. Dat boy attacked me! Ya attack a dragon, ya feel its fangs!”

  The man pushed Pamfilo to the ground and Uktesh decided he’d had enough. As the man kicked out at him, Uktesh used the balanced Leaf on the Wind to stomp on the man’s pivot foot. Then he moved into an imperfect Instep, again to the man’s pivot foot, and he felt something break. Uktesh finished it by hitting the man with a perfect Palm Strike and this time didn’t hold back as much as he had the first time, and again he felt something break. Oops too much.

  The man rolled on the ground holding his dislocated arm, and Uktesh said, “You need to get your shoulder relocated to where it normally is, and quickly, or you may have permanent damage.”

  Pamfilo stared at Uktesh in shock. Uktesh reached down to help her to her feet. “Ya beat a dragon!”

  Uktesh said, “Yeah, didn’t Esolc tell you about the tournament?”

  Pamfilo said, “It’s one thing ta hear something, an’ anadder ta have it proven before yar eyes!”

  Uktesh looked at her dad’s chest and said, “He’s only a first-flame dragon.”

  Pamfilo’s jaw actually dropped at his statement, “Dat’s like saying it’s only a baby leviathan.”

  Uktesh shrugged and asked, “Will you get in trouble for this? Do you need a place to stay?”

  Pamfilo smiled and said, “If I do I’ll jus’ stay wit’ Esolc. I’m certain he won’t mind.”

  Laurilli said, “Do you need any help with him?”

  Pamfilo shook her head and Uktesh had to avert his eyes. He swallowed and said, “Well we’re off to swim at the lagoon. Feel free to join us if you’d like.”

  Pamfilo grinned at Uktesh and said, “I have ta get ta work, and see ta my da.”

  Uktesh and Laurilli continued toward the lagoon and ran into Cimmie who said he would join them. As he ran off to get more friends, Uktesh and Laurilli made their way down the dirt path into the lagoon. They squeezed through the crack in the mountain that was the opening into the lagoon and walked to the beach. Uktesh marveled again at the crescent bay, with the mountain rising straight out of the sea. He felt, not for the first time, as if he was inside a mossy bowl. At the opening, where the occasional shark or leviathan found their way in, there was a wall of fallen rocks that the waves were crashing against.

  He knew the odds of a shark getting knocked into and over the barrier was rare, but leviathans, being able to breath either underwater or on land, occasionally walked across the stone barrier. Together Laurilli and Uktesh walked around the lagoon both ready to run, on the off chance that a leviathan was hiding in the deep water. Uktesh guessed that if they Rushed they could probably make it to the crack in the mountain that led to safety before the leviathan could chase them down, but he didn’t want to test that theory.

  When they’d made a full circuit of the lagoon and hadn’t seen anything suspicious Uktesh had Laurilli wait by the mountain crack while he jumped into the water. He swam for about a minute before Laurilli jumped in with him. They swam for a few more minutes before they got out and climbed up to a ledge fourteen feet above the water. Uktesh sat on the edge and Laurilli joined him.

  Uktesh said, “I love it here.”

  Laurilli leaned on his shoulder, “Me too.”

  Uktesh said, “Listen to that.” He heard the sound of the waves crashing against the stones, the squawking of birds, and the wind as it rushed around the bowl-like sides of the lagoon.

  Laurilli said, “I don’t hear anything.”

  Uktesh said, “Exactly. We could be the only people on this island for all we know. It’s so peaceful being alone with you.”

  Laurilli blushed and lay back with her legs dangling off the edge and Uktesh lay back to join her. “You think when we’re old, every day will be like this?”

  Uktesh looked at her and asked, “What do you mean?”

  Laurilli said, “Nothing to do, no expectations, and no danger. Just sitting on the porch in two rocking chairs watching the world pass by?”

  Uktesh said, “That’s your plan for us?” She nodded and he said, “That’s fine by me.”

  They heard the sounds of Cimmie arriving with several friends, “Think when we’re old we’ll have to deal with Larut interrupting our peace like Cimmie just did?”

  Cimmie shouted from below, “I see your feet! Jump down and join us!”

  They sat up and saw that Cimmie had brought Ayala, Aoen, and Cyala. Ayala and Aoen were clearly siblings as they both had light-colored hair. As Uktesh stood and helped Laurilli to her feet, he looked over the edge, “Ladies first?”

  Laurilli said, “So gentlemanly!”

  She took a deep breath and plugged her nose before stepping off the edge. Uktesh took a running leap and landed in the water a dozen feet from where Laurilli was treading water. Together they got out of the water and headed toward the others.

  Cimmie came forward and grabbed Uktesh’s hand in a high five that became a back slapping quick hug, “Uktesh you got ta jump in first ta make sure it’s safe.”

  Uktesh smiled and waited for Laurilli to come to his rescue, which she did immediately, “He did. We were swimming before we climbed to the ledge.”

  Uktesh asked, “Are we going to stand here all day or are we going to fight?”

  Cimmie raised a questioning eyebrow to the rest of his friends. Cimmie’s girlfriend Ayala said, “We can’t let these non-islanders mock our sacred right of combat!”

  Cimmie smiled as Aoen nodded and his girlfriend Cyala said, “Well we should probably beat them once before we can say we stopped their mocking.”

  Uktesh laughed and asked, “Which combat today?”

  Cimmie smiled and said, “We’ll climb!”

  Aoen and Ayala cheered while Uktesh groaned. The sides of the lagoon were perfect for climbing, if you fell, you fell into water. But because they were covered in moss climbing was a challenge, although two of the people in their group were insanely good at it.

  Uktesh said, “You two are just cheering, bec
ause you have spiders in your ancestry.”

  Ayala slapped him lightly on his stomach and said, “Your belly-aching offends my ears. Come brother, we will get them a two minute handicap.”

  Aoen couldn’t stop his surprise from showing. The goal was to get to a certain point on the wall that was fully covered in moss and hold yourself there until you fell. A two-minute head start in a game such as this was a huge disadvantage. The group walked to the water’s edge and swam to the cliff edge, without pause Aoen and Ayala started to climb and Uktesh started to count. When he got to one hundred twenty he started to climb with the rest of the group. He’d barely gotten his feet out of the water when his hand hold broke and he caught himself, but knocked Laurilli off the cliff. Spitting out water as she surfaced, she shouted, “You have to win now!”

  Uktesh cursed himself and realized he should have just fallen to the water. Laurilli was much better at this game than he was, and his hand hadn’t fully healed yet either. Cimmie and Cyala both had reached the mossy area as Uktesh began to climb again. By the time he reached a mossy spot on the cliff wall his hand was starting to ache. He wedged his feet into the wall for a better position and started to flex his right hand. Abruptly Cyala fell and in her scramble to stay up she took Aoen with her. When they came up from the water Cimmie shouted, “You just wanted to watch us sweat with your boyfriend!”

  Cyala shouted back, “I’m giving you more time with your girlfriend, once Uktesh falls that is.”

  Uktesh knew they believed he would fall, as he’d been the first to fall the other times they’d played this. He didn’t mind this game as his hand needed the exercise, but while he was playing it, he had to keep reminding himself that it was helping him. Cimmie yawned and lost his grip. With a curse and a splash he was out and Uktesh jumped off from the wall into the water.

  Ayala said, “Hey I’m still up here!”