Sunlord

by Ronan Frost

  Elio leapt a log that had fallen across the narrow animal trail he was following and paused on the other side to regain his breath. In his belt was a flask of water but he did not need to use it yet. He knew that he would need it later, for the day was just beginning. Exhaling, the eloprin once again picked up his pace through the heavy undergrowth.

  He walked without deliberate thought to his direction although his subconscious mind kept track of the twisting of the trail and the position of the sun overhead, as well as the instinctive side-to-side glancing to make sure he did fall prey to any lurking predators. Elio let his mind wander as he walked, for that was what he liked about his regular hunting journeys to the borders of the swamp-lands. He could be satisfied with his thoughts and such was his nature that he would often spend weeks at a time on long journeys alone, simply for the freedom he felt. Armed with his short bow, knife and knowledge of the land he would explore and sometimes map where no other eloprin had been before.

  Glancing skywards Elio noted the sun was nearing its zenith and he decided to look for a stream where he could drink without depleting his supplies unnecessarily. Veering off from the narrow trail he followed Elio headed down the slope and through ground that grew increasingly soggier underfoot. The gurgling of the small stream over the rocks drew his attention and he headed forward, unaware of the presence he was about to stumble into contact with. Later he would curse himself for allowing his hearing to lapse, but at the time his thoughts were far from caution as he scooped a handful of the stream water to his mouth.

  The snap of a twig made the eloprin boy whirl in time to see a shadow emerge from the brush. Elio leapt backwards, his feet caught beneath him, and he fell. With a splash and flurry of activity he landed in the shallow stream, unable to take his eyes from the mud-encrusted figure.

  "Easy there, youngster," laughed the newcomer in the language of the eloprin. As Elio watched he saw his eyes had deceived him. The figure moved forward into the sunlight and Elio saw it was an eloprin, dirty and ragged but eloprin none-the-less.

  "Here, let me help you up." The newcomer leant forward and aided the small boy to his feet, his back dripping with water. "Sorry I gave you such a fright, youngster. My name is Capac Fletfod."

  "My name is Elio, of the Great Water clan." Still nervous, the boy took a surreptitious step backwards from the battered and strangely menacing stranger. To meet with another this far from the village was the last thing Elio had expected.

  "Capac?"

  Elio spun as another voice came from the trees and two more eloprin entered the gravel clearing. No, they both weren't eloprin - and although dressed in the same ragged manner the other was somehow different. Gathering together his courage, and praying that no more strange people would step from the trees, he asked; "Who are you?"

  Ashian spied Elio standing ankle deep in the stream. "Capac - who is this?"

  "This is...er..."

  "Elio," prompted Elio.

  Capac nodded. "That's it."

  Ashian stepped forward and placed his palm against the shoulder of the young eloprin before he could think twice. "Greetings, Elio," said Ashian in the formal eloprin manner of greeting. Elio could not help but instinctively return the greeting by in turn placing his hand upon the currach's shoulder.

  "Greetings, gracious wanderer."

  "Call me Ashian." Discovering Elio's bemused expression he explained his currach origins.

  "Currach?" asked Elio hesitatingly, for he had never seen one of the city folk before. But all the fables he had heard must have been wrong, for this currach was not dressed in finery and were not as condescending as tales made them out to be. "If you are a currach, then how do you know the eloprin greeting?"

  A wry grin pulled the corner of his face as Ashian indicated towards his friend. "I guess I've been hanging around this fellow for too long."

  Untrue to form, Capac did not rebuke. His orblike eyes set in critical determination he straightened and surveyed the forest. "How far to your village, Elio."

  But Elio's mind was elsewhere. "You've been with the Sunlords?" He didn't know how he knew - just somehow, the way these people carried themselves; he knew that they had been through something no other eloprin had before.

  Instinctively Ashian's eyes flickered upwards to the sky and memories flooded back, but he did not allow himself to become distracted. All of a sudden his eyes turned seriously dark and he leant closer to the hapless boy.

  "Lead us to your village quickly, son." Ashian looked over his shoulder where Myshia leant doubled-up against a tree. Elio had not noticed before, but now he saw the other was female. Blinking, he saw she looked ill to the point of death.

  Ashian pushed the moist moss to Myshia's forehead with his breath pursed in his throat, praying over and over in his mind. They rested in a glade nearly five hours hard walk from the swamplands and despite his own exhaustion Ashian was willing to push on for another five hour. But Capac had shaken his head, and ordered they rest for a period while they waited for the moons to rise before they set out again. Ashian knew they would walk all night to reach Elio's village for it was there that her only salvation lay. Capac had tried aiding her, but her efforts were in vain for even his knowledge could not help.

  "But we know what the problem is!" cried Ashian.

  His hands moving swiftly in quick motions Capac did not look up from his task of ripping the outer bark from a bulbous fruit. "It's worse - much worse."

  Elio's wide, innocent eyes flickered back and forth, feeling unwilling to distract these determined men with his thoughts. "It is the time of her Bearing."

  Capac's heart missed a beat and he grimly kept his face set in an unmoving mask. Myshia had not moved since she had passed out three hours ago although her face was flushed red and sweat beaded from her brow in rivulets. Using a makeshift stretcher fashioned from two saplings and tightly bound palm fronds she had been carried so far, her condition growing worse with every passing minute.

  Watching her glazed and sightless eyes Ashian could not help feeling a wrenching deep in his stomach, in his heart knowing that if a woman was not under immediate care of a healer while in the time of her Bearing she would die as poisonous chemicals broke free of her organs and contaminated her blood. The time of Bearing was a time sacred to those of the eloprin race and its secrets kept only with healers. Male hunters had no business in such matters, and, over many generations, society had constructed itself in such a way that questioning such a subject was to call upon the anger of the Forest Mother.

  Ashian bowed his head. "If she was so close why did she come with us?"

  Tossing aside his skinned fruit in anger Capac strode a few paces into the undergrowth. "I've already told you - it's worse." He glanced up at the sky and narrowed his eyes towards the growing sliver of the moon begin to show between the treeline. "We should go now."

  Strangely relieved that discussion in the matter had passed Ashian took one end of the travios as Capac carefully lifted the other.

  "Are you alright?"

  Disturbed at the transparency of his pained expression Ashian made an effort to nod firmly. He had stood too quickly and his upper thighs and calf muscles ached with physical pain. "Yourself?"

  Capac licked his thin lips and drew a breath. "I've been worse...by the Forest Mother - would you look at that!"

  Laid out upon the inky blackness of the night sky above them were lights like pinheads moving slowly amongst the stars. Even as the companions watched several lights plumed brightly and plummeted like meteorites, and both knew that forces greater than their comprehension battled above.

  * * *

  He awoke with a start, knowing that in exhaustion he had slept for too long. Startled to consciousness Ashian struggled upright, suddenly disorientated in the gloom of the tent. The air smelt of mid-afternoon - leaving an alarming gap in his memory. What had happened? Ashian freed his feet of the coarse sheets and furs, racking his mind to remember where he was. Memories of the previous
day seemed as distant as another lifetime and try as he might he could not recall falling asleep.

  Heart beating in panic Ashian stumbled about the interior of the tent in a search for the exit, all thought of sleep forgotten in his haste to find his friends.

  A shaft of bright light dashed across the gloom as someone entered the tent from a far corner. A gasp followed. "You frightened me! Please, you must rest."

  Ashian did not recognise the strange voice but subconsciously knew it was an eloprin, and his unease abated slightly. Although no longer fearing for his safety Ashian still suffered from disorientation and, unheeding of his aches (he noted, with a small part of his mind, that his wounds had been cleaned and bandaged, and the gash below his eye stung with fresh stitches), strode forward to better view upon his benefactor. Opening his mouth to speak all that emerged was a croak and Ashian had to swallow hard in a throat feeling like sandpaper before he could force words from his lips.

  "W...Who are you?"

  Dressed in a heavy woollen shawl, weighed down by carved ear-rings beads the small eloprin shuffled forward, all her weight upon the walking stick standing almost as tall as herself. She moved with evidence of great age as she looked up meet Ashian's gaze.

  "I am Caropra, of the Great Water clan. Your friends are here, under our care."

  Ashian shook his head as he tried to fill in the blanks in his head. "What happened? How did I get here?" Unknowingly he had sunken to the bed, allowing level eye contact with the old woman.

  "Our hunters found you early this morning, still walking despite obvious exhaustion." Caropra chuckled and her face wrinkled into a thousand creases of age. "Young Elio - he was the one who led you in - has not stopped talking of you since. It seems you have acquired legendary status within the clan's children already; rumours are spreading that you have been aboard the Sunlord's ship."

  For as much as his own befit as Caropra's, Ashian recounted their deeds aboard the Urisa, finding that in following his thoughts through he was able to piece together the last few days. Cursing himself for falling asleep, he queried Caropra of the time that had elapsed since he had been discovered.

  "You have been resting for three days, my son." Caropra's faceted eyes darkened in severity. "It was only the efforts of my healers that kept you alive. Several times we thought you were not -"

  "Three days?!" Ashian stood and bit down hard to stop his head from spinning. Three days I have been out of it! Feeling somehow betrayed Ashian demanded, "What of Myshia? Where is she?"

  Caropra bowed her head and Ashian's heart froze instantly in dread. "She was deep in her time of Bearing when we found her...Our healers have done their best but-"

  "I must see her." Ashian moved past the old woman and made for the tent flap.

  "Wait!" The conviction in Caropra's voice instantly made Ashian stop. Judging by the confidence in her tone the old eloprin expected respect. "You cannot see her. Our healers have not been able to ward away her Bearing, to see her now will incur the wrath of the Forest Mother upon us all."

  The Bearing. Ashian knew little of it, except that a male could only look upon a female in her time of Bearing was when she asked for him. "She does live." It was a statement, not a question.

  To his immense relief Caropra nodded. "She needs time," the old woman lied, knowing that despite the skill of her clan's healers there lay no hope in repairing the damage done upon Myshia's body.

  "Capac? Where is he?"

  Caropra gestured outside the tent with her ornate walking stick. "He awoke yesterday and, upon his insistence, remains outside."

  A wry humour stole into the corners of Ashian's mouth as he pictured Capac demanding to be out in the open. Capac was never one to remain indoors any longer than was necessary.

  "I must see him."

  Caropra nodded. "Of course, my child. This way."

  Allowing himself to be assisted by a woman more than twice his own age Ashian stumbled out into the slanted light of the afternoon shafting through the mighty yellow and purple leaved trees of the forest. The village was constructed about a large sheltered area, an obvious focal point for which the wicker huts were set about. It seemed that these eloprin preferred the safety of the tree tops for numerous shelters sat upon boughs high in the trees accessible only by rope ladder, some huts so elaborate their designs were ingenious.

  Ashian followed the curving of the path and subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief as he recognised Capac's form sitting upon a log at work at something in his lap. The hunter looked up at his approach.

  "Ashian! Welcome back to the land of the living!" Capac lay aside the wooden carving and his knife and fumbled at the ground for his crutches.

  Concern clouded Ashian's visage. "Your leg."

  A muscle twitched on Capac's cheek. "Somewhere along the line a chunk was taken out of my thigh and it got infected in the swamp - I can't move it yet, but they say it'll heal." Raising his eyes from his leg Capac looked back at his friend. "You look worse than a gutted drusk bull."

  Ashian's hand stole up, tenderly probe at the stitches mending the gash below his eye, recoiling quickly as tingling bolts of sensitivity cascaded over his face. "I feel worse."

  Laughing, Capac bade the former city-man to sit down. "An impressive scar to show the youngsters, that's for sure!"

  Unwilling for his heart to be lead into blitheness Ashian remained standing. "Have heard what has become of Myshia?"

  Capac shook his head slowly. "They will tell me nothing."

  * * *

  Sparks flew from the ashes of the smouldering fire as the small rock smote a burnt log. Picking up another, Capac flung the second stone into the hearth. "Have you heard any more?"

  Ashian stepped over the crudely fashioned bench seat and stood staring numbly at the fire, as if unaware that the night air at his back bit with the sting of late winter.

  "No word," he answered morosely.

  Capac lowered his eyes and watched the flames flicker and dance over the half burn logs. The tribe was silent in sleep at this late hour of the night save the movements of the hunters walking the perimeter of the camp, patrolling to ward off scavenging animals.

  "You must relax." Apprehension clouded Capac's voice as the minutes past and still Ashian had not seated himself.

  The currach looked up as if startled from reverie. Appearing to search for a rebuke he gave up and simply collapsed upon the seat, his gaze returning to the fire as he spoke. "It was all a failure. All of it."

  "What?"

  Ashian raised his brown eyes; insectile eyes that could not weep yet somewhere in their depths there reflected powerful emotions. "The whole thing. Don't you see? I set out to free my city of the Sunlords by 'sending them away,'" Ashian scoffed. "How naive I was to think that they would turn and leave us in peace."

  "What are you talking about?" Capac drew himself up. "Shaun has called upon the Federation to end this...enslavement."

  Ashian did not speak for a long time. "Will it?" he questioned simply. "Will it stop the war?" Swallowing, Ashian tried but could not speak the thoughts most prevalent upon his mind. His heart ached to share the burden it carried, yet he could not share it. He would forever carry the guilt of killing the Sunlord leader; and worse, so many Sunlords aboard the ship were now floated lifeless in space.

  Neither spoke for a long time. The fire had burnt low when a sudden movement from the healers shelter sent Ashian snapping alert as an apprentice moved into the circle of light. Before she could speak Ashian was on his feet.

  "You have news?"

  "Her time of Bearing was too close." The apprentice swallowed. "The poison is already in her system - our Healer is unable to help your friend."

  Ashian clenched his fists and squeezed his eyelids closed as if he could force himself to awake from this terrible nightmare.

  "She has asked for you," finished the apprentice.

  Ashian opened in eyes in surprise, all of a sudden knowing that his waiting was ended. Without consc
iously forming the thought he knew deep in his soul that he would accept. The decision had already been made. "Then I shall go."

  "I simply convey her request." The apprentice bowed his head. "You may join with her life force if you will but the chances of survival for her or her child are small."

  "If I don't go?"

  "She has only hours to live."

  Capac was silent as he watched the proceedings, his heart heavy and mind refusing to believe what he heard. He had lost his brave companion Huso to the reaper of souls, and now...

  Ashian spun and took Capac's hand solemnly, his insectile eyes sparkling. "Goodbye Capac."

  "You are going to her?"

  Ashian nodded. Capac returned to formal wrist clasp that was shared between hunter and hunter. "I'm sorry...these last few hours have been terrible for us all." Capac straightened himself. "You shall be remembered. May you walk in peace with Abas."

  The corner of Ashian's mouth lifted with Capac's reference to the god of the city people. The forester had learnt now that his own Forest Mother and Ashian's Abas were very similar - creator and collector of all life.

  And it was with a simple "goodbye" did Capac see the last of the young currach. He knew it should not have been like this; the cruel twists of fate intervening when least expected. But how could have Capac prepared for the moment when he lost a friend of his soul?

  Turning back to the fire a sudden cold washed across his heart, and Capac knew what it was to be alone.

  Chapter Nineteen

  War.

  War is the science of destruction.

  - John Abbott.

  One year passed.

  The face of the planet changed in that period of turbulence and death. It would long be remembered both in the computer archives of the Federation and Hartrias armies, where this was seen as the ultimate battle for control of the universe. It would also leave its mark upon the natives, for their hearts and minds bore testament to the battle over their homeland and no matter the outcome, it seemed those remaining eloprin and currach would spend an eternity in recuperation.