Tainted: The Life of Uktesh Book 2

by Aaron Hicks

  Thulman shook his head and clapped Uktesh on the shoulder, “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about Laurilli’s safety if you’re around!”

  Uktesh ignored Laurilli’s shout of indignation and said, “That has been my goal since I met her, with more success some days than others.”

  Thulmann said, “Now that you’re married it’ll take on a more demanding place in your mind. You have to worry about not only her safety, but also her future. I know you have money, but before you know it you’ll have a family to think about too. Then you’ll have to worry about how their friends are influencing them, because she’ll worry about it, and then you’ll worry about her too. You see where I’m going with this?”

  Uktesh shook his head and said, “No I don’t.”

  Thulmann said, “You’re going to start to worry about not only what you worry about, but also what she worries about even if it is silly.”

  Heathyr said, “If you mention the lake, you’re going to be in trouble.”

  Thulmann said, “I wasn’t going to, but now that you brought it up, we had a cabin by a beautiful lake below a waterfall, because she’d told me that’s what she wanted when we got married.”

  Uktesh thought that he’d heard her mention that during her story about how she’d met Thulmann. Uktesh asked, “But then she didn’t want it?”

  Thulmann said, “Nope. She said it was too dangerous a place to raise children, so even though it had taken me two years to build that cabin we stayed in the place you know of as our home, even though it’s too small for more than one more person.”

  Heathyr said, “That’s because the lake was full of flesh eating fish!”

  Thulmann replied, “I hadn’t gotten around to killing them all yet. They didn’t taste very good either.”

  Heathyr said, “What happened to the couple you sold the land and cabin to?”

  Thulmann said, “Well they all died when they went swimming one day, but I had told them not to swim because of the fish. They must not have believed me.”

  Heathyr said, “Or maybe they thought they’d killed them all.”

  Thulmann added, “Things like that are what I’m talking about Uktesh.”

  Uktesh blinked a few times and said, “I see your point. You’re very wise. So soon I’m going to not only have to worry about my own worries, but also hers, and eventually the worries of any children we may have?”

  Thulmann nodded and said, “Exactly.”

  Uktesh said, “From my wife’s expression I fear she’s beginning to worry that this conversation will never end and she’s got her swimming suit on and wants to swim.”

  Thulmann threw his arm around Uktesh and they started walking toward the main path. “You see, and you were able to worry about her worries. You’ll make a fine husband, as long as we clear up one thing.”

  Uktesh waiting, but Thulmann didn’t say what that one thing was. Finally Uktesh asked, “What is that one thing?”

  Thulmann said, “I will need to be call Pop Pop instead of grandfather, or grandpa, or anything else kids call their parents’ parents.”

  Uktesh thought about it and said, “If you want them to call you Pop Pop, then you probably will need us to call you that in front of them, which means you’d also like me to call you Pop Pop. So I think in the spirit of understanding I should start now, Pop Pop.”

  Thulmann took a step away from Uktesh and said, “Woah, I’m only thirty six, don’t you go making me a grandparent yet! Some of my friends aren’t even married yet!”

  Uktesh said, “Well, then Thulman you shall be until you become Pop Pop.”

  They turned onto the main path. Only Uktesh and Laurilli had come prepared to swim; they headed toward the pier while everyone else went to their own houses to get changed. They Rushed away from the group and dove off the pier into the water.

  Uktesh noticed a strange-looking boat as they swam back to where the water was only up to their chests. He figured it was just a different type he’d never seen before. He floated on his back as the waves rolled under him. He looked over to see Laurilli on her back and became instantly more interested in the way the water glistened off her skin. They floated for a few minutes before Uktesh noticed people on the pier waving at him. He went under the water to clear his hair from his eyes.

  He surfaced and saw the panic on Laurilli’s face, and turned to see the dorsal fin of a shark no more than twelve feet away. Uktesh felt a moment of crystal clarity. Time seemed to slow down, like when he’d attacked Riu. He spun in toward Laurilli in a balanced mix of a dance step he had learned and Glide Under the Fence, and pulled her in close. He kissed her lips and as he spun away, his hands went to her chest and between her legs and into another imperfect mix of Leaf Falls with Spinning Elbow. He lifted her out of the water and threw her most of the way to the beach. He spun again in time to see row upon row of teeth, and flowed into the perfect form of Palm Strike with his left hand.

  He knew that he couldn’t palm strike any of the teeth without injury, and everything else was too far away to hit, so without any idea why, he performed a second Palm Strike with his right hand in the opposite direction. He also threw all the spirit and air he could into both attacks. The impact, with what, he didn’t know, deafened him and abruptly returned time to its normal speed. Water flew away from him in both directions. He stood on damp sand for a few seconds before the water flowed back and crashed into him. He felt dazed as he started to head toward the shore. He looked behind himself, but didn’t see the shark. He made it to the shallows only to have Esolc and Laurilli grab him and throw him on the sand. His thoughts were blurry when he thought, when did Esolc get here? He threw up his breakfast and felt Laurilli’s hand rubbing circles on his back.

  “Uktesh!” he heard from far away, “his ears are bleeding!”

  Unable to concentrate Uktesh saw Heathyr. She grabbed his head and he saw Esolc as she turned his head to look at his ears. “We need to get him off the beach, now.” Even from his faraway trance Uktesh could tell that she said it urgently. He put a finger into his ear, but it didn’t block out the ringing. He felt his hand slapped away and Heathyr said, “No, don’t do that,” so he didn’t. He noticed that Esolc looked far away, like he was at the end of a tunnel. He felt Esolc lift his arm and then he saw his arm at the end of that same tunnel. Laurilli did the same on his other side.

  He swung his head and heard Laurilli say, “Leilani’s bar is just over there.” He felt himself lifted off the ground and then he was floating forward. He looked down and saw that at the end of the tunnel his feet were digging deep trenches into the core of the earth.

  He heard Esolc ask, “Why is he so heavy?”

  Uktesh lifted his feet off the ground and stepped forward onto a towel that he realized was his. He looked over his shoulder and saw Heathyr quickly grab their stuff and hurry after them. When he looked forward he saw that his feet were destroying the earth again and picked them up.

  “I got him, Laurilli, let me get his other side,” he heard Repus say, and felt Laurilli move away from him as Repus replaced he. “I heard a commotion and thought I could help. Then I realized it must be Uktesh.” Uktesh wanted to tell him to speak up, but when he opened his mouth all he did was throw up again. “What’s wrong with him?”

  “We don’t know what he did.” There was a long pause during which Laurilli must have whispered under her breath, but he caught, “shark, threw me nearly forty feet,” and then nothing for a long while.

  “Impossible! Even for him!” said Repus in a normal voice.

  “Shhh,” Laurilli hissed, “do you want to get him in trouble?”

  The sun disappeared from the sky and suddenly everything went black. Uktesh tried to jerk out of the darkness but only succeeded in falling from Repus and Esolc’s arms. He landed on sand and rolled to see that he was inside a building. “What happened ta Uktesh!” he heard Leilani say.

  “Oh, hi Leilani,” he meant to say, but all he heard was a moan. He blinked and p
ushed himself off the floor. He must have pushed off too hard because he found himself flying, but noticed he was still laying on the floor. How is this happening.

  “He’s burning up!” Heathyr stated clearly. He heard more murmurs but he couldn’t tell what any of the words were. Repus and Esolc must’ve grabbed him before he floated away, because next he knew they had put him in a chair.

  Uktesh heard a loud voice call out clearly, Uktesh focus! Stay awake! I was stunned by that too. I can’t help you yet.

  He saw Laurilli Rush out the door and past dozens of people who seemed to sway back and forth with the doorway. This building must be on built on a tree! Why didn’t I visit this place before? He looked away from the door that had quickly filled with faces. That can’t be real. How did all those people get room to stand on the tree? He saw Leilani return with two bags of ice. He tried his hardest to fight it, but he couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped his mouth, though he truly didn’t know why he said, “fun bags!”

  He saw a spark of anger, and he instantly felt sorry, although he had just meant the ice. She shook her head and handed the bags to Heathyr who put one on his neck and the other on his head. He blacked out for a moment and when he again looked at the door he saw it full of faces. That’s creepy. They shouldn’t have a door like that in a tree building! This would probably a fun place for kids, except for that door! He heard Laurilli say, “Get the hell out of my way!” The face door opened and Laurilli burst through. Heads with bodies attached to them came out of the door and Laurilli handed weapons to everyone; even Leilani who must have worked for years in the tree without any monkey business. Monkey business! He heard himself laugh and then felt Laurilli’s lips on his, “You always protect me. I love you, but now it’s my turn.”

  Uktesh saw Larut, Sara, and Thulmann standing in front of the door. They were holding people back, and wouldn’t allow anyone into the tree house. Uktesh remembered that Laurilli had just said she loved him and he knew it was important to tell someone that you love them too if they said it first. He saw blackness creeping into the edges of his tunnel and with the last of his will power said, “I love you too.”

  VIII. You’ll have to go through me

  Laurilli felt like she was on the verge of either panicking, crying, fainting, or throwing up, but when Uktesh said, “I love you too,” she felt like they had a chance of surviving this situation.

  “Step aside! Wha’s going on dere?”

  A man stepped into the doorway and Laurilli thought for a moment that perhaps they would not have to fight their way out of the bar. He wore the distinctive feather cap of one of the Justicers for the island. “Dat boy’s Afflicted!”

  “Dat boy who’s drooling on himself?”

  Then Laurilli realized the Justicer recognized Uktesh and saw him grin to himself.

  Laurilli turned and saw that Uktesh had passed out where he sat. She moved to him and gently laid his head on the table. His left hand twirled some of her hair before she backed away. She thought she had heard him say her name, but wasn’t sure.

  “He’s not Afflicted. He was next to an explosion. Someone threw a bomb into the water to kill a shark and he was right by the explosion. He doesn’t need a mob, he needs a healing Mother. Please he’s my whole life!”

  “Do’n cry lil miss,” someone shouted from the crowd. “We’ll get Mudder Anjali an see if she can’t help dis boy. Someone go get Mudder Anjali!”

  Laurilli didn’t see anyone run off, but he must have because the Justicer nodded and turned back to Uktesh.

  “Do’n listen to her. Dat boy’s Afflicted or me own mum is a mermaid!”

  The Justicer said, “Dat is one o’ our most rarely used swears, lil one. Dat means he believes dat yar man is Afflicted so much so dat if he isn’t he’ll have ta prove dat his mum is not Afflicted. So I have to ask ya if he isn’t Afflicted how did he survive da blast?”

  “He was the champion of Sinai in this year’s tournament, so he’s naturally more able to take damage than an average person. That’s how he survived the bomb,” Li said She had never wished to tell a convincing lie like she did now.

  “Dat weren’t no bomb! Dat were him, dat exploded dat shark!”

  She moved to stand in front of the man who seemed the only one who wanted to speak, and realized it was Pamfilo’s father!

  “How?” she screamed into his face. “How could a person, even an Afflicted person blow up a shark! Don’t you think that if he was Afflicted and his only power was to blow things up that he would also have a way to not be hurt by the very same explosion!”

  “Dat girl’s got a point!” someone shouted.

  “Yeah, I saw it too. Dat boy’s a hero!” said another person.

  “Yer just an old angry man, who wants others to be as miserable as ya,” shouted Pamfilo as she pushed her way into the bar.

  “Yer mum’s not even alive ta prove she ain’t no Afflicted!” shouted another.

  Pamfilo moved to stand near Esolc. The man grabbed her neck, and shouted, “Ya slut! Yer sleeping wit dat pale skin! Like anyone out dere would want ya after ya been wit him!”

  “Father, yer just old an bidder now. Once ya were de man I would look ta fer guidance, but not now! Yer just angry, bidder, and alone. Dat’s how yer gonna stay til de day ya die. And I don’ want anyone else. He’s asked for my hand and I said yes!”

  “Yer just as much a disappointment as yer mother! I gave ya life, I can take it away!”

  He moved his other hand to her chin and twisted it. Heathyr jumped forward and stopped him before he could hurt her, but he started to squeeze with his hands, even as those behind him grabbed him. Laurilli took a more direct approach and slashed her knife against the back of his hand. His fingers let go. The law enforcer moved toward the man who pulled a knife and threw it at Uktesh. Laurilli saw it spin end over end past her reach. It was aimed directly at Uktesh’s head.

  She saw her mother step into the knife’s path, but even before Laurilli could fear for her mother Thulmann dove and pushed Heathyr out of the way. The knife barely missed him. He made a desperate grab for it, but missed. Laurilli Rushed, then Soared after the knife. She knew she’d done the Hawk Soars right as soon as she tried it, and had she known how to move into the perfect forwards leap that Uktesh had just invented she would have tried it. Instead she tried to Soar again, but crashed into the ground and skidded to a halt. She thankfully missed the horrible sound of the knife as it ended the only love she knew she’d ever have.

  She got up slowly as her muscles screamed at her for the failed attempt of the second imperfect she’d tried to use in a row. She refused to look at Uktesh because she knew what she would see. Her tears hit the wooden floor at her feet, and she had one thought. She turned toward the man who had thrown the knife. The whole mob took a step back. She knew what they saw, because she had felt it stir inside her when she watched Uktesh blow a fifteen foot shark into chunks with his bare hands and then collapse on the beach. She felt a madness call out from within her. It told her to release it and she would feel no more. She looked inward and started to release it, when a hand, then an arm wrapped around her, and she smelled him, as he pulled her against his strong chest. How?

  “Stop!” she heard his voice and even though she wanted to lean into his arms, his command held her in place.

  IX. A Dilemma in the Life of

  Two weeks and six days.

  “You tried to kill me,” Uktesh heard himself say and was surprised at how calm he was. He knew it was because of who he held in his arms. “I think I need to thank you for that. You see, without that catalyst my wife would’ve taken months or years before she was able to do an imperfect skill.”

  He kissed her ear and murmured, “Though you shouldn’t have tried to Soar a second time. You’re lucky you didn’t hurt yourself.” He kissed her ear again, and Uktesh felt her shudder. “Didn’t you trust me? I said that I wouldn’t leave you. I can’t very well die the day after we get married!”

&nb
sp; She leaned into him and pulled his arms closer around her.

  “Son how did ya do dat?” asked the Justicer.

  “The thing with the knife? It was simple. I woke up in time to catch it and I directed it into the table where I’d been resting my head so I wouldn’t be tempted to throw it back at the man who attempted my murder.”

  “I don’t mean no disrespect, but I saw dat knife hit yer head.”

  “With Heathyr, then Esolc, and finally Laurilli in the way it’s a wonder that you saw anything, but what you must’ve seen was me moving at my full speed, which can look like a blur. Trust me I’ve fought against enough Afflicted to know that a knife to the head is pretty much a death sentence. What I would like to know is who threw that bomb at the shark. I owe them some gratitude.”

  With the idea of a possible reward for a near murder people began claiming that they threw the bomb at him, so he asked, “Leilani, do you think you have enough drinks for all these people who helped me?”

  “I’m sure I do,” she said with a smile.

  He raised his voice, “Though next time, people, only one bomb will be enough. I did almost die!”

  “Alright, people form a line. Leilani, please let me have the first two drinks. This gentleman needs it before he takes an attempted murderer to jail and the attempted murderer needs it as his last free drink.”

  “Coming right up!”

  Slowly the crowd filed in. Each person thanked Uktesh and told him that they were glad he was fine. After a few minutes Laurilli, Esolc, Repus, Larut, Thulmann, Sara and Heathyr jumped behind the bar to help out Leilani, while Pamfilo had to go back to her job.

  “… don’t know about a bomb.”

  “… care? ‘e can be Afflicted if’n ‘e buys me a ...”

  Uktesh heard the conversations, but ignored them until he heard bits and pieces of two men clearly from a land Uktesh had never been to. They both had bronze rings in their bottoms lips.