by S. S. Segran
The Elders had never come back to him about his father. They’d never told him if his father had been found or if he was safe. They never told, and he never asked. He trusted the Elders to inform him if they had any news, so he didn’t see a reason to keep nagging them for an answer they didn’t have.
He continued gazing up at the sky, brokenhearted. I miss you, Dad.
“Kody?”
Kody snapped up and found Nageau looking at him with concern. He jumped to his feet and rubbed his eyes, then looked up at the tall Elder.
“Is something bothering you, youngling?”
Kody shook his head, knowing that Nageau could clearly see it wasn’t the truth. The Elder didn’t persist. If Kody wanted to speak his mind, then he would.
Nageau led him to the center of the large clearing and gave him his instructions. “I have placed different objects around here. Without moving, I want you to first tell me which direction the smell is coming from; and second—tell me what it is that you can smell.”
For the next half hour, Kody was assessed on the keenness of his olfactory senses. It was a relatively easy task; his sense of smell was naturally excellent. Nageau voiced how impressed he was as they wrapped up the evaluation. “This particular ability of yours is astounding, Kody.”
“Thanks,” Kody grinned. “I use it to help me figure out what’s cooking around the neighborhood during the summertime. People get their grills out on their decks, so there’s food everywhere.” He mimed flipping a burger on a barbeque, then stopped and adopted a thoughtful frown. “Elder Nageau,” he said.
“Yes?”
“The contaminant in the water. Does it have a scent to it? Maybe that could help locate where it comes from. Back home, we’ve discovered that some breeds of dogs are able to smell certain illnesses that their owners have, so I was thinking that, with a strong sense of smell, maybe we could pick up the scent?”
“Actually, I have attempted that,” Nageau answered. “I must say, though, it pleases me that you thought of it as well.”
“You tried? So did you find a scent?”
“No. Unfortunately, it seems to be odorless.”
Kody tilted his head slightly. “Could I try?”
Nageau patted his pupil on the back and chuckled. “After we finish today’s training, yes.”
* * *
Akira soared in the sky, drawing ever closer to the Ayen Range. With Tikina in control, the eagle scanned the ground for any signs of the four men. It had been three days since the search parties had been sent out, and their hope of finding their kin was starting to dwindle.
But when we last communicated with them, they were closer to Ayen’et than where the search parties currently are, Tikina reasoned. Akira neared the base of Ayen’et as the setting sun began to cast shadows across the land, but the eagle had superb vision for the approaching darkness.
Akira circled around the mountain, eyes searching, then landed on a tree to rest. Tikina allowed the eagle a respite, understanding that she had been flying almost continuously.
An unexpected noise startled the Elder. Curious, she took the bird to flight and searched the area. The noise sounded again, quieter this time. Tikina cast an eye over the ground, daring to hope.
She saw motion at the base of the mountain, by a large boulder. She flew Akira closer to get a better look and her breath caught in disbelief. Breyas lay on his back, his hands beneath him. His arms and face were bruised and scratched, and one of his legs was twisted at an impossible angle. Akira landed beside him and ran her beak over his cheek. His eyes were closed, but he groaned.
Tikina observed his injuries, her heart pounding. She led Akira to fly again until she spotted another form face down in the dirt not far from Breyas. Rikèq, the Elder realized with a pang. Her daughter’s mate; father to Akol and Huyani. He was unconscious and looked just as gravely battered as Breyas. What happened to them?
Akira flew in circles until the sun was almost out of sight, frantically searching for Aydar and Keno. Where are they? Tikina guided the eagle around one last time, hoping to find any sign that would lead her to believe that Aydar and Keno were alive. She didn’t.
Torn between relief at finding two members of the team and the urge to keep looking for the missing villagers, Tikina at last decided that the men she had found needed to be tended to immediately. Perhaps when the search party arrives, they may have more luck finding Aydar and Keno.
She turned Akira around and the eagle flapped her wings madly toward the villagers in the distance, breaking the stillness around her with a shrill cry as night finally fell upon the forest.
44
The two separate search parties had met just before sunset and gathered around a campfire as, one by one, stars appeared in the cloudless sky. Both teams had similar things to report: Neither had found any sign of the missing men, and both had discovered more animal carcasses strewn around the forest.
They were interrupted by a piercing cry from an invisible form. Lifting their heads, their eyes darted back and forth across the heavens. The woman in the red bandana pulled on her leather glove and leapt up.
Akira’s silhouette appeared as the eagle descended, gliding toward the woman’s outstretched arm. The bird landed on the glove and cawed again, her gold feathers glowing in the light of the fire. The woman half-closed her eyes and listened as Tikina shared what she had found.
“Elder Tikina has found Breyas and Rikèq, but they are unconscious and injured,” she informed the rest of the search party.
“What about Aydar and Keno?” asked one of the men.
“Elder Tikina does not know. She thinks that we might be able to find them once we reach the other two.” She nodded to the eagle and the majestic bird flapped its giant wings until she was hovering above the search party. “No rest tonight, I am afraid,” the woman said. “Put out that fire and let us be on our way.”
* * *
“You need another fifty barrels of the chemicals?”
“You heard me.” Ajajdif rested his feet on his desk and traced invisible lines on his office ceiling with a finger.
“That means I’ll have to fly out one of the Ospreys again.”
“Adrian, you know that we need to do everything necessary to keep this project moving.”
“Don’t use that condescending tone with me.”
“I’m just saying we need those chemicals.”
“Okay, fine. We’ll get them out to you. Is that all you called for?”
Ajajdif looked down from the ceiling. “Actually, no.” He lowered his voice. “I happen to know that those Ospreys weren’t bought just for their cargo hauling capabilities.”
“Excuse me?”
“Those birds are the civilian versions meant for the commercial market, but we know full well their pedigree, no?”
Black sounded wary on the other end of the line. “Yes, it’s true. Quest Defense has modified the aircraft so that we can equip it with a range of offensive and defensive capabilities. Why do you ask?”
“Well, I was just thinking . . .”
“Get to the point, Vlad!”
“With the four natives dead, I’m just worried that others might come looking for them.”
“Others?”
Ajajdif sighed impatiently. “Yes, others. The others from their tribe, or whatever they call it. I detected a strong sense of cohesiveness and I’m sure they had capabilities we did not see.”
“And?”
“And if others come looking for their dead friends, I’d appreciate some extra help.”
“You already have the Marauders and some small arms.”
“That might not be enough, Adrian. Those trespassers weren’t normal. Normal people don’t escape heavy chains and jump off the side of a mountain with their hands tied behind their backs. And I looked through their packs. They had weapons, and these were no cheesy sharp-ended sticks they carved with a flint.”
“You’re really worried, huh?” Black said flatly.
“I’m just trying to take precautions so that everything continues running smoothly. We’re up to eight kilos of the mineral now. One more to go and we’re back on track.”
Ajajdif could almost imagine Black sitting in the San Francisco headquarters with his fingertips pressed against his temples. At last, a loud exhale came over the speaker. “If you really believe that the bird is essential to getting you out of there by the deadline, then I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thanks.”
They exchanged a few more words before Ajajdif ended the call and walked out of his office. He passed a secure storage unit and took a brief look inside. Each kilo of the mineral was in its own sturdy container. He opened one of the containers and looked at the fine, black, odorless powder that sparkled as light touched it. He snorted. “Three months of hard work and pain for this small pile of dust?”
As he closed the lid and double-checked to make sure it was secure, he shuddered at the thought of what Quest Defense was planning to create with the fenixium.
* * *
The search party had trekked tirelessly through the night. Though bleary-eyed, no one had asked to stop for a break even though it was nearly midday. As Ayen’et loomed ahead, its shadow eclipsing the search party, some of the villagers grew visibly skittish.
The team followed Akira as the eagle soared, unguided, the purpose of her flight embedded in her brain. She circled back often to see if the search party was still with her, then flew ahead. At last she lighted on a tree near Breyas and Rikèq. Both men were still unconscious.
It was only minutes later that the search party arrived at the scene. The woman in the red bandana scoped the area, then assigned two members to scout for Aydar and Keno as she and the others tended to Breyas and Rikèq.
One of the villagers removed his journey pack, unfolded it into a stretcher, and set it down beside Breyas. Another member of the party did the same with his own journey pack, placing it by Rikèq’s side.
“Cut the ropes that bind their hands!” the woman with the red bandana ordered.
The men pulled out their knives and sliced the bindings off, then gently turned their unconscious brethren onto their backs. The rest of the search party surged in, administering emergency treatments with honed skill and precision.
When the searchers had done all that they could, they carefully lifted the injured men onto the stretchers and strapped them down to keep them immobilized. The woman in the red bandana stepped back and observed the team’s handiwork. “Good job, everyone,” she praised. “We will take a quick break before returning home.”
The team settled on the ground and took out their midday meals, hastily devouring them. The two men who had been sent to find Aydar and Keno returned, downcast.
The woman waved them over. “What news do you bring?”
One of the men rubbed his jaw sullenly. “We have not found them.”
“Where have you checked?” the woman asked, struggling to keep her tone even.
“We hiked a little way up the mountain but they are simply nowhere to be found,” the other man answered.
She removed her bandana, running her fingers through her hair. “Are you certain you have combed through the area thoroughly?”
“Yes.”
The woman brought her knees up to her chest and hugged her arms around them. She closed her eyes, whispered a quick prayer, then stood up. “I will need four volunteers to remain here and continue searching for Keno and Aydar,” she said, even though in the depths of her heart, something told her the effort would only result in disappointment. She turned to the others and saw that they were done with their meals. “Let us bring our brothers home, friends.”
As the others picked up their packs and carefully lifted the stretchers, the woman pulled her hair back and retied her bandana. She glanced up at Akira, who was still perched on the tree, and reached out with her mind. When Tikina was once again in control of the eagle, she expressed her appreciation to the Elder for leading them to the missing men.
The eagle dipped her head in response, then took flight. The woman watched the regal creature soar, momentarily diverted by its striking grandeur as it retreated in the direction of the sun, then inspected the stretchers again to make sure everything was secure.
She took in the unconscious villagers’ badly bruised and scraped faces. Resting a hand on each of their foreheads, she murmured a few words of healing, and headed to the front of the party. She glanced over her shoulder at the men staying behind to search for Keno and Aydar. Even as she thanked them in silence, she felt burdened by the thought that they’d only managed to find two survivors.
45
The pinecone looked astonishing. From such close proximity, the scales appeared helix-like as they extended from the tip to the end of the cone, much like the scales on a dragon. It was something most would have wanted to stop and inspect.
But not this creature. It had other things in mind and Tegan could do nothing but tag along for the ride. The squirrel scampered around the training area with frantic excitement, sniffing everything and scuttling through the grass. It swung around and nearly had its eyes poked by the antennae of a large snail slowly crawling over the dirt. The squirrel nosed the slimy creature inquisitively before turning and zigzagging away with an incredible amount of energy compacted into its small body.
Tegan’s eyes fluttered open as she let go of her mindlink and placed her hands on either side of her head to steady herself. “What a rush!” she exclaimed.
Tikina, sitting a few feet across from her, smiled. “Do tell.”
Tegan thought the Elder seemed distracted, but she was too enthused about her training to question it. “It was . . . wow! That thing is crazy. It has so much energy. I couldn’t keep up with it so I had to let go. I’m sorry.”
“That is quite alright. It is to be expected at this point in your training. Tell me, what did you see through its eyes?”
“Everything from the dirt to the tips of the grass. All the small insects going about their business. The feel of the grass under my—uh, the squirrel’s paws. And I could smell so many things, too. The clarity of it all was incredible.” Tegan whistled, traces of incredulity in the long note. “An out-of-this-world experience.”
“And imagine,” Tikina said, “this is only the beginning. At this point all you did was follow the animal around. Later, not only will you be able to link with larger creatures, you will also be able to control their movements.”
Tegan thought of what was to come in her future and wanted to bounce around like a child with a new toy, but instead opted to stay seated. She couldn’t help herself from grinning, though.
Tikina seemed pleased by her enthusiasm. “We still have a bit of time before your midday meal. What would you like to do?”
Tegan pointed to a gray jay that was gazing at them nosily from up in a tree. “I’d like to mindlink with that little guy right there.”
Tikina followed the line Tegan’s finger made and her face softened further. “That fellow takes quite naturally to us humans. Go ahead.”
Facing the small bird, Tegan closed her eyes and focused her consciousness on finding the creature’s energy field in the novasphere. When she found it, she easily established the mindlink and was soon looking through its eyes. She could see herself sitting and thought, I really do look like I’ve been living in the wild.
Before she got a chance to inspect herself further, the gray jay took off, flapping its tiny wings. Tegan marveled at how the bird was able to pilot through the trees so quickly without hitting anything. Her heart skipped a beat each time the jay zoomed past a tree, avoiding collision by mere inches as it expertly navigated its way around the forest.
When the bird decided to land on a branch again, it was on a tree overlooking Aari’s area of the training ground. Aari was a couple of dozen feet away from the bird’s perch. Ashack stood nearby, pointing to four objects placed in a row in front of them.
Ak
ol stood with Ashack, rapidly translating the Elder’s words. The objects were pentagonal prisms that stood about five feet high, each constructed of different material. The one to the far left was transparent, like glass, and the one next to it was translucent. The third object was a solid white, and the last object, on the far right, was as reflective as a mirror.
Having described each of the objects and what was expected of Aari, Ashack and Akol huddled with the boy for a quick pep talk and stepped back when Aari nodded. The Elder and Akol went to stand behind him, directly under the branch the bird was on, and watched as he faced the transparent object. He exhaled and extended his arms in front of him at a slight upwards angle, then pressed his palms together.
Nothing happened.
Then, the top left corner of the prism began to shimmer and slowly the edges disappeared, but only for a fleeting moment. Then the bottom corners of the object took on a hazy appearance before they vanished completely. The pattern continued until the entire front face of the prism disappeared.
Tegan saw Ashack’s stone face break into a brilliant smile. She smiled to herself as well, proud of her friend.
Feeling the jay was about to spread its wings, she steadied herself. The little creature took off, fluttering over the heads of Ashack, Akol, and Aari. The trio looked up as it flew from their sights. Tegan laughed. Aari would be in for a surprise when she informed him that a little bird had told her what exactly he’d done today.
* * *
Standing with Relsuc under a tree, Hutar watched as the friends crossed the bridge to the other side of the river and made their way to Huyani’s home for their midday meal. “Is everything set for tomorrow?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the group as they entered the neyra.
Relsuc unsheathed his knife from his belt and held it up as the sun glinted off the blade. “Yes. All that is left to do is invite the five of them to join us.”
“Perfect.”
They headed toward the stable. Hutar said nothing the entire way and Relsuc, not wanting to disturb him, remained mute as well. But the silence was short-lived. As they took a step into the stable, a torrent of shouts rose up in the village. Hutar and Relsuc looked at each other, then turned and ran to the eastern end of the valley where a crowd had gathered.