Rexrider (First World's End Book 1)

by Mark Angel

  Focused intently on the fruit in his hand, Tara flattened down on her belly.

  Ruko chuckled. “She behaves so much better when you have a treat for her,” he commented to Pirlan and his father.

  “Here you go,” Ruko said as he plopped a long orange screw-fruit into her waiting mouth. In was in her stomach, peel and all, before he had a chance to pull back his hand. “That’s for being such a good girl,” he said into her ear, brushing the flower petals from her crown, her head wider than his torso and equally as long.

  Pirlan tossed her another piece, and a game quickly developed as they lobbed her treat after treat. She reached for and caught each morsel with an acrobatic turn of her head and neck, her forepaws rarely leaving the ground.

  “Enough of this!” Rudanomi finally commanded only half seriously. The domehead had consumed most of the large fruit. “If she keeps eating, she will not be able to carry us across the paddock!”

  Ruko geared up the domehead, first slipping a light tether through her wooden nose peg, and then fitting her with the rest of her headgear and shoulder girth assembly. Ruko mounted first, followed by Pirlan. Rudanomi climbed on last, his weight closest to Tara’s haunches and they all held on tightly with their feet looped through the girth strap and their hands gripping lashes on the chest harness.

  “Up!” Ruko instructed when all were ready, and Tara rose slowly under her full load.

  “Ha!” Ruko cried, gently digging his heels into Tara’s upper ribs. She trudged off across the inner paddock toward the perimeter wall and across an arched bridge over the Kazak River, past a few sloggerbeasts who were drinking at the river on the far side. Pirlan tossed his last pieces of fruit in their direction just to see them clamber after it.

  The pastures throughout the inner paddock were crowded with thousands of domestic animals: the giant female thunderrex Surpus lounged peacefully on her favorite hilltop while a flight of tick-bats feasted on her dead skin and parasites; flocks of fowl raised for down, feathers, meat, and eggs foraged amicably nearby; bees from nearby hives kept for their wax, honey, and healing stings hummed incessantly; a herd of skaw, providers of fur, milk and meat, were being driven to a new pasture by their minders; and, of course, the local pride of prairie rexes, who were currently being hustled toward the perimeter gates by their riders.

  Not all the inner paddock was for grazing. Orchards, vineyards, and cultivated fields blanketed some of the area. High stone walls protected certain crops from domestic animals and filchers. And then there were the numerous areas found in the nether canyons and gullies that had been established by Outsiders.

  Ruko pulled Tara to a halt just inside the main gate. The smooth inside surface of the wall was clearly visible. Rudanomi and Pirlan dismounted and headed up to the promenade via the main stairway. Ruko rode Tara to her assigned stay, a perimeter wall locker south of the gates, and tethered her there. Then he hurried up to meet his father, scaling a dangerously steep and narrow route of staggered support stones built into the wall’s superstructure. Once atop the protective structure, he took a moment to survey the outer paddock. Beyond the outer paddock to the northeast on top of the rising cliffs stood the Fen Woodlands, a large deciduous forest that stretched from Stonehaven to the base of the Red Mountains. And southeast beyond the canyon mouth, the rolling hills of the prairie seemed to march on forever.

  Ruko often rode through the outer paddock and watched the flockmasters and growers and their crews just beyond the gates where they maintained a network of irrigation ditches that kept much of that area growing throughout the sar. Sometimes a herd of migrating herbivores would discover the fertile grazing area and rove through for a fat meal. A group of large beasts could turn the colorful flower fields and vegetable plots into nothing but black mud in a matter of arcs. Rarely, however, would they have a chance to cause such damage as the Stonehaven Pride would usually take advantage of the proximity of prey, driving survivors away in the process.

  The crowd on top of the wall was still somewhat sparse, and Ruko easily found his father in his distinctive worm-thread teller’s cloak. He and Pirlan had settled with Melok, securing a good vantage point to view the behavior of the pride.

  Almar and the other rexriders cracked their whips and sounded their riding horns to drive the pride toward the gates and the outer paddock. Gar-rex loudly snapped his jaws near the back of Rayak-rex. Rayak flicked his tail in response, thrashing the aggressor under his chin. When Gar retreated a few strides, Almar came between them, whipping his mount violently as Pako confronted Gar. Both riders were intent on getting the recalcitrant rexes away from the other domesticated animals before they caused a stampede.

  Once the Prime Bull was compelled to stride through the gates, Gar and the others followed eagerly. The massive doors were then closed and the riders removed to the top of the wall to observe the beasts. Most of the rexriders gathered in the general area on the promenade that Melok had chosen, and just like the scores of other interested people, joined in the observation. Now they could do nothing but watch.

  The two bull rexes slowly circled each other.

  Ruko listened intently as the riders talked about Gar’s challenging behavior and how it had started to flare up again in the inner paddock since long before high meridian. All the evidence indicated that a Primacy challenge was imminent.

  From what Ruko saw below him, the assumption looked to be true. The boy understood that such an encounter would lead to one of the rexes being driven out of the pride. For the sake of his grandfather and uncle, he hoped that Gar would be the victor. He also understood that, as a tribal teller, no matter what happened, his father was duty-bound to carefully observe, accurately remember, and diligently record this significant event in the history of the Civilization of Rex. It unnerved Ruko right now to think that some turn that job would be his.

  Melok repositioned himself more comfortably on the portable camp chair provided him by one of his saddler’s attendants. “Did you happen to see Tamik?” he asked Rudanomi.

  “No,” the teller replied, "but Meera told me he was on duty in the market when he heard about the rexes. He came over to change uniforms and was headed toward the paddock before I gathered the boys." and went on to explain that the young man had told Meera he on guardian duty in the marketplace earlier in the turn, and that Meera saw him a short time.

  The disabled rexrider shook his head contemptuously. “All of the other rexriders are here with their mounts. Whatever his other duties, the fact that Tamik isn’t participating in should not have missed the roundup.”

  Rudanomi nodded, but spoke on Tamik’s behalf. “His dedication to his duty as a guardian is not such a bad thing.”

  Melok barely responded dismissively.

  Ruko watched his grandfather study the scene through the crenellations of the parapet as denizens from the citadel continued to move toward the perimeter wall like columns of ants marching toward a snake's carcass. What had started out as a calm progression had become frenzied, as people frantically clambered for spaces on the overloaded transport carriages and calashes hauled by domeheads or teams of sloggerbeasts.

  Anyone who handled a beast from a nobhead—a smaller cousin of the domehead—to a sloggerbeast, seemed intent on seeing the spectacle. Even Sonjay, the thunderrex rider, had spied his friend, Rudanomi and was on his way to join him. And many who were unfamiliar with the riding arts, even completely indifferent to the beasts of the paddock, were still interested in the hierarchy of the pride. And then there were the gamesters.

  “Half the population of Stonehaven must be here,” gasped Ruko.

  “I think that might be an exaggeration,” Rudanomi replied, and patted his son on the shoulder.

  Neither Ruko nor Pirlan had seen a challenge for Primacy. That his uncle’s future with the kith would be determined by the result of the battle added to the excitement for Ruko. But where was Tamik?

  “Why are the rexes fighting?” Pirlan whispered, gently tugging on his frien
d’s sleeve.

  “Gar-rex wants to lead the pride,” Ruko replied, trying to sound knowledgeable and authoritative. “Rayak-rex has been the Prime Bull for a long time. No other rex has driven him away. Now it’s Gar’s turn to try.”

  “I heard Rayak-rex is the strongest of them all,” Pirlan replied.

  Ruko shrugged as they watched the older rex move gracefully, stepping cautiously over the uneven ground.

  “Being a Prime Bull is not just about strength, boy,” Melok explained. Pirlan shifted from foot to foot. He had always been intimidated by Ruko's grandfather, whose neatly-trimmed beard had turned fully gray since the accident, and the small wrinkles etched into the skin at the corners of his eyes had turned into folds.

  “The beast has to show his ability to hunt, find prey, and defend the hunting territory,” Melok instructed. “Gar not only has to defeat Rayak, he has to win the support of the pride.”

  The rexrider exchanged glances with the teller. The eyes of Ruko’s father then fell on Almar, rider of the Prime Bull, and therefore Speaker for the Order of Rex. Rex-Almar looked worried.

  “It’s time,” Almar said to no one in particular.

  Four modes of life wend through Manifestation:

  The Producer that grows from basic elements;

  The Prey that grazes upon what is produced;

  The Predator who feeds upon the spoils of the hunt;

  The Parasite that gains sustenance from all others.

  — Pirlan

  24. Primacy

  Stonehaven perimeter wall after high meridian, 01/02/1643--

  Gar-rex circled Rayak-rex. Both beasts displayed colorfully feathered crown-quills. Gar’s quills, like those of most younger bulls, stood upright upon his head like miniature, brightly colored palm trees. In the case of Rayak, some 23 sars his senior, a third of the delicate orange, blue and green webbings on the quills had been lost like withered fern fronds.

  The Prime Bull let out a final warning roar to ward off the challenger. He bared his long, sharp teeth, caustic saliva dripping from them, and extended his tiny, two-pronged foreclaws in a threatening manner.

  Gar hissed aggressively in response, not the least bit intimidated, and clawed into the dry earth with his massive hind legs. Now his full complement of feather webs sprouted from his pate like stickweed, brightly displaying his readiness to fight.

  Sire and scion studied each other with the intensity of mortal enemies, walking large circles around each other, sometimes advancing, sometimes retreating, all the time testing the space between them.

  Gar stumbled on a sharp rock—to the gasps of some onlookers—but the Prime Bull did not attack. He instead seemed content, for now at least, to posture with an unhurried confidence. Proudly, he held his head high.

  Gar had followed the old bull his entire life, learning how to fight, hunt, and lead. He eyed him now with a new intent. It was time to use the knowledge he had gained against his teacher. And though slightly smaller than Rayak, the younger bull was lean, in peak condition, and free of age-related infirmities.

  The circling stopped. Gar crouched down until his body was parallel to the ground, but not quite touching it. He then stretched his head toward his adversary, tail curving out behind him. Balanced on his hind legs, he took a deep breath, clawed up another puff of dust, and with his mouth barely open, rolled out a long roar that was at first inaudible to the people watching from the top of the wall, though they could feel its vibrations viscerally. The sound grew in volume, intensity and frequency, and the rumble echoed among the canyon walls like thunder.

  High on the now crowded promenade, Pirlan groaned and held his gut.

  “It’s the inaudible vibrations of Gar’s challenge roar,” Melok whispered in answer to an unframed question.

  Rudanomi guided the boy by the shoulder around Ruko to a spot behind a merlon in the crenellated wall. It was apparent that others, too, felt discomfort.

  “Stay behind the stone. It blocks some of the vibrations upsetting your belly.”

  “There is no turning back now,” uttered Almar, who stood a few crenellations away.

  A significant cross-section of the population was by now represented on the promenade. The transport operators were making a fortune. When Tamik finally arrived, it was on a crowded cart, but at least he was dressed appropriately.

  Almar watched sour-faced as the alleged rexrider climbed the steps to join his father.

  “What’ve I missed?” Tamik asked breathlessly as he navigated through the crush of people. He took a casual seat in a crenellation between Tyna and the teller.

  “They’ve already begun,” Tyna replied in a hushed voice.

  “Where have you been?” Ruko asked.

  “Working the market,” was his uncle’s curt reply.

  “You should've been in the paddock.” Pako scolded. “If your father can’t attend to Gar it is your duty, not ours, to mind him. That rex is going through the most critical moment of his life and you’re off playing guardian!”

  “Does anyone else want to have a shot at being my father?” He opened his hands in front of him and shot a severe glance at Melok, who remained silent, but sported the faintest trace of a grin on his face as others reprimanded his son.

  Rudanomi raised his hand to check the discourse, and all attention returned ro the trial below.

  Rayak snapped at Gar, who spun away easily and countered his opponent with a tail-blow to the neck.

  Thwack!

  “Yes!” Pirlan blurted out, but his exclamation was barely heard as the rest of the crowd cheered loudly. It was more a collective release of tension than a cry of support for either beast, save for the especially vociferous gambling contingent.

  Rudanomi showed no emotion, but the teller’s effort to act disinterested seemed forced to Ruko. Melok and Tamik, however, made no attempt to hide their sentiments.

  Rayak recoiled and sprang back to face his adversary. They fell back into circling each other.

  Tyna squeezed Tamik’s hand. “Your mount is going to be fine,” she said.

  He smiled at her briefly, appreciating the show of support, but he was not keen to be seen too intimate with the she-rexrider in public. The next move the rexes made provided him with the opportunity to break away from her gentle clutch.

  “Look at how Tiga-rex is positioned off to the side with the rest of the pride,” Tamik said quietly, pointing at the she-rex. “See how she crouches on her belly, lifting her body up and down with her foreclaws like a lizard on a hot rock. Her anxiety is obvious; she knows she is going to lose one or the other.”

  Melok nodded.

  “What will the sanctioned bulls do if Gar wins?” Ruko asked. “Will Gar have to drive Kaved or Neff off along with Rayak?”

  “No way to know which will remain sanctioned,” Melok replied.

  “But if the majority of the pride doesn’t accept a victory by Gar, he will have no victory at all,” Pako added.

  “What about Tiga-rex?”

  Ruko’s thirst for understanding the subtlties impressed Rudanomi and he smiled to himself.

  “She’ll mourn the outcome either way,” Melok answered, also pleased to see the interest in the proceedings displayed by his grandson. “And even if her mate is driven off, she’ll remain here at Stonehaven as Pride Matriarch, at least until Gar finds a worthy companion.”

  “If Gar loses, what will happen to you?” Pirlan asked, directing his question to Tamik.

  Tamik scratched his chin, but said nothing.

  “Your uncle Tamik will follow after him and find him,” Melok readily answered. “As Almar will if Rayak loses. If Gar is injured, Tamik will care for him. If Gar finds safe haven with another pride, Tamik will relocate there and I’ll follow later. If Gar is killed, we’ll retire.”

  A troubled look clouded Tamik’s face.

  “Don’t worry, Tamik,” Almar chuckled somewhat ruefully, cutting in on the family conversation. “These things rarely end with serious injur
y to either beast. The real challenge will come for you if Gar wins. Your father will become Speaker for the rexriders. You will be next in line, finally obligated to commit a bit more of your precious time to the Order of Rexriders, or so some might hope.”

  The gloomy look on Tamik’s face darkened. Melok studied it for a finger before returning his full attention to the contest. Down below, the audience of rexes squatted silently watching the contest, their black and yellow eyes rapt.

  Gar feinted to the left, and then leaped to the right of Rayak in an attempt to get behind him. Rayak matched the feint and caught Gar off balance with a body slam, knocking the younger bull with a crash into the massive doors of the perimeter wall. The impact shook the edifice, eliciting fearful shrieks from the onlookers and compelling Tamik to grasp the parapet more securely. Gar’s belly was now exposed, but before Rayak could pounce, the younger rex jumped to his feet, two strides from his foe, maintaining his balance by keeping his smaller front claws on the ground. He tilted his head and snarled up at Rayak, his hind legs set beneath his tense body.

  Rayak feinted to the left then surged forward, ramming into the less experienced bull, and Gar toppled over again. Rayak bit at his chest, but the downed beast continued to roll as if he were a crox in the brine, and pushed up on his strong hind legs to land on his feet, leaving Rayak to slam into the dirt where Gar had just been. That was when the younger bull bit the back of Rayak’s head, inducing first blood. It flowed heavily from the wound.

  “Is he going to die?” Pirlan asked breathlessly.

  “Not from that,” Melok answered. “It looks worse than it is because it’s in the area of his pate and he’s aroused. He can bleed a whole lot more before he’s at any risk.

  “But Gar has tasted blood,” Tamik added. “He’ll be relentless, now.”

  Melok’s smile broadened at the enthusiasm surfacing in Tamik’s voice, and he glanced at Tyna as if the two Primary Rexriders had been conspiring to bring the younger man more into the fold.

  Rayak tucked his head, twisted around and kicked backward, connecting with Gar's shoulder, gashing it and breaking the young bull’s tentative bite grip.