by Mark Angel
“We’ll take a short break soon, Eko,” she said, stretching forward to speak nearer the animal’s ears. She patted his neck affectionately. “But we don’t want to miss Jenay’s advancement ceremony this dusk.”
Her grey streaked hair was plaited into several tight braids that laid flat against her head in a way that fit comfortably under her sleek helmet—made out of rawhide, tightly woven over bent metal rods. She thought about her daughter and the upcoming celebration. Soon, Jenay would take on more of the responsibilities of the family trade, and then Vintar would be able to spend a little more time at Riverford, a small protectorate where well-trained smugglers were a rarity. It had been a quarter moon since she had last seen Jenay, not unusual for a typical foray between kiths. Nevertheless, she was glad to be heading home.
Vintar twisted back to check the saddlebags behind her, and also the pair of baskets attached to the saddle’s cantle that contained dactylite homers. With citrus green bodies as long as her arm and translucent azure wings, the flying creatures were an integral part of the Rexian communication system. As a smuggler, one of her ongoing duties was to transport these lizard-like creatures away from their native roosts to settlements throughout the land. Their dependable tendency to fly home when released made them ideal for carrying urgent messages.
Vintar and Eko had made good headway throughout the dark time. But now it was light, and they were passing through the open wilderness where wild prairie rexes reigned. Vintar noticed Eko's ears perk up and rotate forward, and then he slowed his pace and finally stopped, crouching belly down until his smaller front legs touched the ground.
Vintar stirred uneasily, scrutinizing the path ahead. “What is it, boy?” she whispered, her lips near his right ear, which twitched back briefly to intercept the sound.
The road here was hemmed in on either side by thick reed-shrubs twice Vintar’s standing height, each covered with fluffy pappus seeds, and though she could see above the shrubs from her elevated position on Eko’s back, there was ample cover among the plants for even a large creature to hide. She sniffed the air and her heart accelerated. The air, not long ago filled with the aroma of dry vegetation, was now permeated with something else. The subtle scent rolled in like a malevolent fog laden with traces of death.
“Mystery!” Vintar gasped.
As the word escaped her lips, abrupt movements disturbed the reeds on both sides of the road. Plumes of feathery florets puffed into the air like swarms of white sand flies, as six wild prairie rexes, four females and two males, charged through the tall growth toward her. Their scarred bodies were similar in basic shape and size to that of her domehead, but instead of being sandy beige, they had brown and white stripes in varying patterns on their skin. Also like Eko, long, stiff, muscular tails stuck out erect behind them, counter-balancing their heavy heads that cantilevered over their muscular hips and two, stout hind legs. That is where the similarities ceased. Their short forelimbs ended in two-pronged claws instead of five fingered paws. And their craggy heads were little more than eyes, ears, and nostrils set upon a massive, gaping jaw with acidic saliva dripping from dozens of dagger-like teeth. As they sprung to the attack, their big, yellow eyes burned bright, sights set on the domehead and his rider. They would be upon their prey in a finger of time.
Vintar slapped Eko with the reins urging him on. If they hurried, they could get by the trap before it closed in on them completely. The rexes plowed through the brush, bounding toward their prey with violent strides.
Vintar drove Eko on down the road toward an area where the height of the reeds diminished, putting some distance between her and her pursuers, but another large bull rex bore down on them over a rise dead ahead. She yanked the reins bringing Eko to a sliding stop.
“Prime Bull,” she growled to herself. The beast’s crown quills—pale and frayed indicating advanced age—were erect with exhilaration; his pate-skin a bluish hue from the excitement of the hunt.
The predators' thick odor now gagged Vintar. The Senior Smuggler straightened her honor-sash embossed with azure dactylite wings—the emblem of her office. A few well-aimed spears would drive off a small pack of raptors, but evasive maneuvers were the only way around rexes. It would be tricky, but she was confident she and her mount could pull it off.
“Ha, Eko!”
Vintar leaned left. Eko sprung sideways off the roadway.
Another whiff of rotten breath was upon her; she was certain she heard the snapping of jaws over Eko’s steady gait.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Vintar’s heart pounded.
The certainty that they had made it to the bush line came courtesy of the branches, some no thicker than twigs, that slashed at Vintar’s face. She feared for her eyes; but the best she could do to protect her face was adjust her orange scarf—a gift from Jenay who had woven it as a child.
A burst of memories about her daughter, now grown, poured over her. Dearest Jenay . . .
Her reverie was cut short by the flexing knot in her stomach. Inaudible exchanges between nearby prairie rexes, obviously still in relentless pursuit though unseen behind walls of green, had a visceral effect on her. One last barbed branch whipped across Vintar’s weathered face, shredding her scarf and gashing her temple. The vegetation dropped away on either side of her, restoring her view just in time for her to watch a pursuer go down hard with a great—THWACK!—against a large overhanging branch to her left. The smuggler could only hope that the rex was down for good. She shook her fist at the fallen beast.
“That’s one, Eko! Only six left!”
The rexes had split their formation again, though they had lost some ground in the brush, now that they were out in the open and closing in from right and left. The swaggering Prime Bull, surprisingly quick, was nearest, front right.
“Well, we’ll see who’s on!” Vintar shouted.
She pulled the reins and Eko turned sharply in a billowing cloud of dust. They now faced the Prime Bull directly, and the startled predator stumbled to reconsider his attack. Not wasting a moment, Vintar kicked her heels into Eko’s side with a loud, “Ha!” Her domehead charged toward the prairie rex, slamming his heavy, horned brow into its side, nearly wrenching Vintar from her saddle and spilling several spears from the quiver. The impact caused the rex to go down hard.
It also caused Vintar’s saddle bags to rip loose, scattering missives and receipts to the wind. Both homer cages flew open, and the small flock of dactilites took to wing, shrieking as they climbed upward into the deep blue sky, and then they headed off in various directions toward their respective roosts.
Recovering quickly, Vintar turned Eko back toward home and vigorously kicked him up to speed along the well-worn road. The Prime Bull, back on his feet, roared angrily from behind.
She looked back to see the rexes slowly receding into the distance, issuing a diminishing chorus of roars. Eko had gotten his second wind and they were moving fast away.
As if to celebrate, she gasped a mouthful of air, the first conscious breath she had taken since the ambush. Perspiration poured down her face. Mixed with the blood and grime it left a slurried mask. She knew the Red River lay close ahead, but also knew it would prove little respite for her and Eko. Giant river crox often lurked beneath its serene, glistening surface. Nevertheless, it was obstacle she had cross in order to get home.
Eko’s pace began to slow again as they approached the swath of water. Vintar reached for a spear from her saddle-quiver with her free hand. Only one remained. She pulled it out and lifted it to her ear in readiness to launch. Down stream, crox sunned themselves on the river bank. After surveying the meandering waterway, she found no sign of lurking crox in the water, so she guided Eko in.
The domehead’s slight splashing disturbed the river’s stillness until deeper water allowed him to lean forward and swim silently. As the two swam, Vintar noticed several of the large crox slip into the water. From this safe distance, they looked as harmless as long-snouted scrub lizards, but that was decepti
ve, and who knew how many already might be submerged nearby. Some of the crox weighed more than Eko, their toothy jaws as long as Vintar was tall, and when encountered on their own terms in the water they were as dangerous as any aggressor found on land.
Eko’s claws soon found ground and he plowed forward. The long dry season had helped make this a short crossing. As the domehead lurched toward the shore, Vintar slid back in the swale of the wet saddle. Once out of the water, Vintar relaxed the grip her legs had on Eko’s flanks. The domehead slowed to a trot in response. Vintar was grateful to have the river between her and the territory of the wild rexes. She glanced back and saw that the rexes she had encountered earlier pursued her still, but were reluctant to enter the water. They seem to know better than to come after me, into the territory of the Western Clan to hunt! She thought.
As Eko climbed up the small rise leading out of the riverbed, his ears perked up again. He cocked his head.
More prairie rexes? Vintar wondered.
They were across the river now, so any rexes on this side were likely domestics, perhaps the Riverford Pride out for a hunt. Under those circumstances, Vintar could welcome the sour smell that had again become apparent.
As Eko trotted up an easy incline away from the river, he remained tentative. Vintar returned her last spear to the quiver and shook the reins.
“On you go, Boy. We’re in home territory.”
But Eko slowed even more, and by the time they reached the top of the hill, he had stopped completely, and for good reason.
“Mystery be dammed!”
Shrouded in a cloud of dust of their own making, an uncommonly large group of wild rexes moved toward the ford, boldly traveling along the main caravan route and well within the Western Clan’s territory. "There must be fifty!" Vintar said. All heading directly toward her from the direction she had intended to go.
Fortunate to be downwind she prayed they had not seen her. She made Eko pivot sharply, retreating back toward the river. Going back across was not an option, so she turned upstream along the mud flats, running parallel to the water, hoping to distance the predators moving toward the ford.
Vintar was baffled. She had neither seen nor heard of so many wild rexes hunting together; nor could she recall a time so many dared come into the Western Territory—an occasional pride in pursuit of prey, perhaps, but never anything like this.
I have to warn Riverford!
Vintar pushed Eko harder than she had ever pushed him before, bringing him up to a full run before edging back toward the upper bank. But then, a wild she-rex appeared running along the rise to her right. It could not keep pace with the bonehead, but that mattered little; the impact of heavy footfalls that suddenly erupted behind her signaled that she had been spotted.
“Go Eko!” She tugged him even closer to the river. It would be easier to outrun the rexes on the crispy mud of the evaporating waterway than in the brush, even if it she had to dodge a few crox along the way. She glanced longingly at the greenery in the distance. If we could just get to the Easthook Woods! she thought. There the prairie hunters were unlikely to follow.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Eko accelerated away from the predators.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Vintar’s heart rose to her throat.
As Eko maintained a flat out run, kicking up dried mud behind him, the sound of aggression from the rear slowly faded. After half an arc, Vintar felt safe enough to contemplate guiding Eko back up the rise, but then he skidded to a halt. A multitude of rexes came charging down the incline. Groaning, she turned back toward the river. The rexes were everywhere but between her and the river. Though the far bank was steep and high at this point—she could not see what lay beyond it—charging headlong into the unknown seemed her best option. She advanced into the river at a full run.
Eko was clearly panting for breath. Vintar, too, felt the weight of fatigue.
“We can do it, boy!” She patted him reassuringly on the neck.
They reached the other side. Eko scrambled up the slippery bank on all fours. At the top, he stumbled to a stop. The small pride from which they had first escaped was only a handful of strides in front of them. With a dozen malevolent yellow eyes blazing at her, Vintar had to admire their determination.
The knobby head of the Prime Bull they had previously knocked down rose above his pride. A layer of tight blue skin lay under his fully extended crown quills. A younger bull stood immediately to his right, almost as tall, maw glittering in the setting sun, his multi-colored crown feathers just beginning to fill out. Another older bull—likely unrelated by blood, but sanctioned by the Prime Bull as a welcome, non-breeding member of his pride—stood to his left. To Vintar’s surprise and added horror, she heard more rexes crossing the river behind her.
As Eko shivered, Vintar thought to release the homers hoping the roostkeeper would know something was wrong when the dactylites returned without messages. But the homers were already gone. Just as well, she thought.
“You might have us trapped, but we won’t make it easy!” Vintar shouted, and pulled out her only spear. She flung it at a she-rex that had edged too close.
The she-rex staggered back a step as the weapon hit her chest, but she flicked it off with a fork-claw. Then the rex roared, her reeking jaws dripping syrupy saliva. Eko was frozen in his spot, head darting from right to left and back again in dull-eyed terror. He side-stepped apprehensively, but the pride fanned out to block all routes of escape.
The Prime Bull stepped forward. It was apparent he considered Vintar and Eko as his prey. His subaudible rumbling began to lull the smuggler and her mount into a fear-induced acquiescence. Fighting its hypnotic influence, Vintar hollered, “Choke on us!”
She snapped the reins and kicked Eko hard. Despite his near catatonic state of terror, the domehead sprung forward, rushing full bore at the bull and slamming into the wild prairie rex once again, knocking him off his feet like before, but this time with full head-on force.
Upon impact, Vintar flew out of her slippery, wet saddle. She tucked into a roll as she landed. And though slightly winded and a bit dizzy, she leaped back to her feet and ran to grab the spear she had thrown earlier. As Eko dashed off riderless in the opposite direction, all three of the she-rexes went for him. One clamped onto his hind leg with its jaws. As he bellowed in agony the she-rex jerked his leg out from under him. Another crushed his throat with a bite. The third dug her talons deep into his soft belly, splaying moist intestines onto the dry earth. The sanctioned bull joined them once the domehead was down, and each predator ripped off large chunks of living flesh and gulped it down. Stopping only to snap fiercely at each other, they ate as much as they could before their Prime Bull or some other larger beast drove them away.
Nearby, the injured Prime Bull managed a few wretched coughs while trying to catch his breath. He was still unable to get upright. Vintar lifted her spear and turned toward the adolescent bull, who was closing in on her, his bright green and yellow crown quills fanned out along the crest of his head.
“Come on, Lizard Breath!” she called, looking upward. “Let’s see how tough you really are!”
She flung the weapon as hard as she could. It struck the bone under his right eye hard. The rex howled and shook his head, loosing it. Vintar pulled out her short-sword, using the brief distraction as an opportunity to spring forward toward the huge rex and slash at his belly, cutting deeply before the young animal had a chance to leap away.
Blood and bile poured out of the gaping wound as the creature stumbled. Vintar smiled grimly and yelled, “Pa’Tai,” loud and long. Then she felt the ground shake. The Prime Bull was on his feet again, approaching from behind. He whipped his tail at her. She jumped up and it passed under her with a great Whoosh! In one continuous motion she landed nimbly on her feet and charged toward him burying her sword in the base of his back. A shriek exploded from his maw and he swung back around to face her, sword still lodged deeply in place.
Out of the corner of her eye, she sa
w the jaws of another rex snapping at her. The sanctioned bull’s acidic saliva, mixed with Eko’s blood, splashed her face. She leaped out of immediate danger, but then came the heavy weight of a three-toed claw upon her hip. Down she went, face first into the dirt. The Prime Bull put half his weight on her. She heard a loud crack like a tree branch breaking loose as her pelvis shattered.
The heated stench of the rex’s breath engulfed her, and she sensed a deep rumble that came from all directions. The deep sound somehow soothed her instinctive panic and soon induced her surrender.
That was when Vintar heard, or rather sensed, someone whispering her name. As the rex’s teeth ravaged her body, she faded into the warm darkness of Beyond, thinking, Jenay, forgive me. The last thing she noticed in the living world was a large red ant carrying a tiny purple dawnflower blossom in its jaws.
I am a messenger of the Divine,
Here to increase Divine Light in this world.
When I achieve this my Spirit will shine,
And my wings shall again be unfurled.
--Guardian code
3. Passing
Stonehaven, outside Guardians' Gulch after dawn, 09/01/1643—
Tamik gripped the decorative triangular knocker on the gate of the guardians’ compound and smacked it three times against an etched iron pad. A small window in the round wooden door slid open and a young man glanced out.
“Who comes here?” he asked.
“A brother,” Tamik replied.
“Have you the pass?”
“I have.”
“Then give it.”