Strength

by Angela B. Macala-Guajardo

  Yayu smiled and began vigorously kneading some dough. “He and I have known one another for quite some time.”

  “A good few years,” Aerigo said through the window.

  “Yes, but when he says ‘a few years’ he really means decades. He forgets about how much longer he lives, sometimes.”

  Roxie nodded numbly. The thought of living for thousands of years scared her.

  “So, he and I met when I was only twenty, and that was over fifty years ago.”

  She went wide-eyed. “Why do I keep meeting people that are way older than they look?”

  “That’s how people age on Sconda,” Aerigo said.

  “I wouldn’t worry about it, Rox,” Yayu, said. “Once I reach a hundred, my age will catch up with me, as it does with everyone on Sconda.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, we look young a long time, but not forever. Maybe we age the way we do because of the healthy foods and drink, or maybe it’s all the exercise we get. Could be a combination of both. We stay young for most of our lives, but there’s a certain point where we drop off the plateau of youth. Once we hit that point, it’s only a couple of years—no more than three—until we die. During those last few years, our bodies physically catch up with our true age.”

  “Isn’t that, like, really abrupt? Getting physically old and then dying, in just a couple of years?”

  “I prefer it to slowly aging and having a weak body for many years.”

  “I guess,” Roxie said. “It just seems wrong, somehow—the way you age, I mean. You get to enjoy life for so long, and then it gets taken away from you before you can blink twice.”

  “You’re just not used to the idea, my dear,” Yayu said. “I, along with the rest of my people, am quite content with the way things work.” He began cutting the dough into bun-sized portions, and placed them on a pan. “I was huntin’ one morning for some chickens, which we call kaiga, and I was just about to shoot one with my bow when someone appeared next to me.”

  “Aerigo, right?”

  Yayu nodded. “He scared the livin’ daylights out of me! Mind you, I’d never seen anything like you two before. I didn’t know what to make of him. Soon as I decided to shoot an arrow through him, he told me in Scondish to stop, which just added to my confusion.”

  “When was your first visit to Sconda?” Roxie said to Aerigo.

  “Hundreds of years ago, I think.”

  Yayu continued his story. “I just remember starin’ at him for a few seconds before he pointed out that my chickens were gettin’ away. I looked from this stranger back to my runnin’ food, tryin’ to figure out what I should do. I ended up runnin’ after my dinner an’ shot two of ‘em. Thankfully, this creature from another world was polite enough to wait for me to return, not that he had to wait long. I escorted him to my village and presented him to the council—a different group of people than you’d meet today. They explained things to me and spoke a bit with him before they ordered me to provide Aerigo with a temporary home.” He broke off. “By the way, I learned his name from the council. He,” Yayu pointed at Aerigo, “didn’t ever think of introducing himself.”

  “I had a lot of things on my mind,” Aerigo said defensively.

  “You always do,” Yayu said, not unfriendly, then turned back to Roxie. “So I ended up sharin’ my home with him for two years, plenty long enough for us to get to know each other. Once I learned that Aerigo was trustworthy, I worked on making him smile more. He can be so serious!”

  “He smiles a lot more when you’re around, that’s for sure. He seems to forget how once you’re out of the picture.”

  “I can still hear you,” Aerigo said.

  “I guess old habits die hard,” Yayu said, ignoring Aerigo.

  Aerigo came to the window, placed his hands on the frame, and cleared his throat. The other two put their hands up as if asking “what?” Aerigo gave them an injured look. Roxie cracked a sympathetic smile. He tried to frown at her, but the sides of his mouth twitched into a grin. He shook his head and returned to repairs.

  “Anyway,” Yayu said, “he finished his business as an Aigis, then agreed to enter into our annual race before leaving. It’s a very special race that holds a lot of meaning for Sconda. Afterwards, there’s a huge celebration that lasts until midnight. Not only is it a competition between tribes from all over the continent, but it helps bring unity and keep peace among them. On top of all that, our god visits us in person and celebrates the birth of our world. It’s a very sacred occasion.”

  “Your god comes down and visits?”

  “You’ll be meetin’ Din in a few days at the celebration, and he’s really nice. And mind you, it’s a really long race—long enough for us to get tired. You’ll see for yourself.”

  “Wait a minute! I’m not fast enough!” I can’t compete with people a gazillion times faster than me!

  “You’ll be fine,” Aerigo said reassuringly.

  Roxie thought a moment. Could she really hope to compete without embarrassing herself? Aerigo and Yayu both seemed to believe in her, however, so the least she could do was be a good sport.

  “I bet you’ll do well,” Yayu said. “Out of all the runners, Aerigo finished near the top, with me beating him by a neck.”

  Aerigo and Yayu began chatting back and forth while Yayu put the rolls in his brick oven, but Roxie tuned them out to ponder along more personal lines. If Yayu was around seventy years old, wouldn’t he have a wife by now? “Are you married?”

  The question deflated Yayu’s joviality. He blinked and Roxie saw him frown for the first time. “I was,” he said. “But now I am widowed.”

  “I’m sorry,” Roxie said. And she meant it. “May I ask what happened?”

  Yayu spoke softly. “Most people on Sconda get married about age thirty. It’s a tradition and something we cherish and love to celebrate as a Clan.

  “Through some friends I met the most beautiful woman in the world. It was love at first sight for me, but I had to charm her into returnin’ my love. Just a little. I met her a few years after I met your Aerigo,” he added.

  My Aerigo? Roxie dared not ask what the heck he was talking about.

  “We were one of the few couples to marry before the age of thirty—and she was a year older than me. What a wonderful woman!” Yayu said in a voice wracked with affection and pain. “We enjoyed me chasing her all over Ormolu for months. I still have the necklace I made her when I asked her to marry me.” He reached for his sternum and made a fist over an invisible necklace. “The high council approved our union and the Clan priest gave us his blessing. We had three children. I’ll have to introduce you both to them on race-day.”

  “I’d like that,” Aerigo said.

  “Me, too,” Roxie added.

  Yayu smiled wanly before continuing his story. “About ten years ago my wife was taken from me. It was a water sage, a drogue, as we call those vile creatures. When they’re out of the water, drogue look like dragons without hind legs or wings. In the water, they’re invisible. They look like water, except their outline doesn’t quite blend in. You have to look carefully for them. It’s only a shimmer that distorts their surroundings, and their eyes... they don’t go invisible at all. It’s chilling to see a pair of amber eyes staring intently at you with nothing attached to them.” Yayu shivered. “Napora, my wife, had gone to the river for her morning jog. Drogue are very rare in this part of the world. They prefer cooler places, but one happened to wander downstream.” He paused to collect himself. “A witness said my wife never saw it coming, but he did the right thing and killed that heartless monster. The guy brought me the drogue’s jaws as a token of vengeance, and in honor of Napora. Now I have them hangin’ by my door.” He nodded towards where the jawbones of a massive creature loomed. They reminded Roxie of an alligator. “You might think it odd that I keep them. But they serve as a reminder to live life to the fullest every day. You just don’t know what the future holds.”

  Roxie said,
“I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  “Don’t you mourn for me. I’m always sad when I think of her, but she was the best woman any man could ask for. I’m so grateful she was mine, even for a short time. Napora wouldn’t want me to feel any other way.”

  “That’s very sweet,” Roxie said. Aerigo stood silently, absorbing the saddest news his friend could tell.

  “I never thought I’d be able to live without her. Even with our kids, it was hard at first. I considered suicide, just so I could get back to her. But I had a dream one night.” His face contorted and he took a deep breath before continuing. “Strange things happen in dreams, and that dream will always be at the top of my list,” he said in a faraway voice. “I knew I had to keep on living—living life to the fullest—after I had that dream.” His voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. “She came to me. She came and told me we would be together again, in a different life. She hugged, kissed and held me all night, and then she told me that she would always be with me. She told me to never stop loving her—I wouldn’t have it any other way.” Yayu looked to Roxie and his voice found more strength. “Strange magicks inhabit this world. We don’t understand all of it yet. We may never understand it all, like the magic of dreams and what power they hold.” He licked his lips. “You see, after I woke up Napora was still with me. She even spoke to me some more.”

  “How is that possible?” Roxie feared that Napora’s presence may have been a hallucination caused extreme emotions, but she doubted that was the truth. This world didn’t need psychology when magic was real. Maybe it had been his wife’s spirit or ghost, or something like that.

  Yayu shrugged. “The fact that I could still see her, even after I was definitely awake, proved that it was really her and not just my imagination. However, she’d faded after my youngest child ran into my room to get me out of bed. She never came back, though, but that doesn’t matter. I’d already decided to fulfill my wife’s wishes. And here I am today, doin’ the best I can and enjoyin’ life to the fullest while it lasts.”

  Roxie gazed fondly at Yayu, who stared at the floor, and she decided it best not to say anything. She glanced at Aerigo, also lost in thought, and she yawned uncontrollably, which snapped both her friends out of their trance. It had been a long day, and an overly long week. Everything was catching up to her now. New worlds, meeting a god, learning she wasn’t human and could do unnatural things, magic, more gods, strange people and more. So much had happened in what? A week? A week and a couple of days, if she counted right. “Yayu, I’m gonna take a nap before dinner, okay?”

  Yayu gave her an amused smile. He’d already started chopping up what looked like pork tenderloins. Roxie headed for the loft past the living room area and ascended the ladder.

  ***

  Nexus lay sprawled in his throne-like chair, leaning to one side, his head resting on a fist, waiting. He hated waiting, but this time he knew action taken too early would be fatal to his plans. His prophecy demanded patience and careful action, and right now he was taking a mental breather. His own body has forced him to waste years recovering from the last fight with his father.

  Finally, the giant doors to his palace swung open of their own accord, making way for a collection of minions. Leading the procession were a pair of men wrapped in dark green cloaks and blood red bandanas wrapped over their faces so only their eyes showed. Four Elves—the four who hadn’t volunteered to spy on Aerigo—followed the men, three burly trolls twice as tall as the Elves followed, their arms swinging low and long like an ape’s, and two black dragons squeezed through the towering entrance with their wings folded by their armored sides. The group crossed the open hall and stopped before Nexus. The men, Elves, and trolls dropped to one knee and bowed their heads. The dragons closed their eyes and lowered their massive heads to the floor.

  Nexus rose and took a regal stance. “Welcome, my esteemed warriors. You may rise. I have a special task you must fulfill before I can initiate my war.”

  “What is it, Nexus?” one of the dragons said in a voice that rumbled like Leviathan’s, though it lacked omnipotent strength.

  “There’s someone who must die first,” he said, pacing before them. “Kill his companion, if you feel like it, but only the one named Aerigo needs killing.”

  “He owes us his head for what he did to my people,” one of the Elves said. “Curse him and his god!”

  “He’s an Aigis,” another Elf said. “Death won’t come easy.”

  The dragons stood silent, their fiery eyes betraying a rising sense of doubt.

  “Fear not,” Nexus said. “You’ll get the job done. This Aigis doesn’t harness all the exceptional powers he was born with.”

  “Then why don’t you take care of him yourself?” one of the trolls said.

  Nexus stopped pacing. “Because I’m employing the power of Voice of Prophecy. I don’t have time or attention to spare for such things, and you’ll be well rewarded for performing this task.”

  “Well said, Nexus,” the troll said, bowing low in apology.

  The young god ignored the apology. “There are details that you must heed to. First, Kabiroas, Frawst, Sodo, and Dahl are to join Chionas in spying on the two for some time, with the aim of extracting valuable information about our enemies’ plans. Kabiroas,” Nexus said, addressing the lead Elf, “I know you’ve spied on him before. Be patient. Any advantage you can gain will make our victory all the better. Second, no one is permitted to attack Aerigo until I say so. I don’t want it to be too soon or things will backfire. I’ve been covertly eliminating Aigis one by one for centuries. These last kills will be executed no differently.” He paused, making sure he was understood. “Kabiroas, take the spies I assigned and go. You know where they are.” The Elf nodded. “The rest of you are to wait until I give the command to kill.”

  One of the men looked a little confused. “I beg your pardon, Nexus, but why are there so many of us to get this one little murder done?”

  “I’ll tell you,” Nexus said in an excited whisper. “Just because you asked nicely.” He sat in his throne-like chair and steepled his hands. “The Elves will appreciate my plan the most. You remember Phailon?”

  “Burhdeorc! The city that was stolen from us!” Kabiroas clenched a hilt under his dark cloak. “It’s been over a thousand years since Aerigo helped the humans steal it from us. I and my people wish to see Phailon razed. Leviathan destroyed its beauty by turning the stone from black to white.” The other Elves muttered their anger to one another.

  “Vancor filled me in on the horrid details,” Nexus said. “Now’s your chance. And I’ve provided you with some help.” He spread his hand towards the monsters standing behind the Elves.

  “But what’s the purpose of destroying Phailon now? Your war is nigh, Master.”

  “It’s a dual-purpose trap. We’re luring our enemy to where we want him. Without a doubt, Aerigo will play the role of hero and try to save the city. He’ll be left exhausted and weak, making things just right to deal the deathblow. And the one who kills Aerigo will get a special reward.”

  ***

  Roxie rolled over in bed and gazed out a window beyond her feet. It was a cloudy morning, but the sun was up and it smelled like it had rained all night. She loved that smell and breathed in deeply, knowing it would be another fine day in Sconda, like the last few.

  Aerigo was still fast asleep. He looked so young and relaxed sprawled out on his back in his navy-blue boxers, the bed sheet only covering one leg.

  She felt a pang in her heart that had become familiar ever since the first time she saw him without a shirt, and her breath tightened. The reaction was unexpected, but she liked it. Aerigo always made her feel more at peace with herself and the world around her. He made her feel safe, protected. She wanted to shout her feelings to everyone on Sconda, but only so long as Aerigo wouldn’t hear.

  Aerigo shifted and kept on dreaming. It was odd for him to sleep longer than her. He’d always been up and about before her, even on the
cruise ship. Still, she let him rest. They’d trained hard all week.

  Beads clicked as Yayu entered his home, carrying jugs of water. He glided to the kitchen and set them on the counter, then looked up at her and smiled.

  It wasn’t until they had the table set that they heard Aerigo stirring in the loft. The timing was rather convenient, Roxie thought, as she climbed the ladder and sat on the floor next to him. She watched his muscles flex as he stretched his limbs like a cat, his eyes still closed. He sat up and rubbed his face. “Hello, Rox,” he said pleasantly, looking at her with one uncovered eye.

  “Good morning to you, too.” On impulse, Roxie leaned over and gave Aerigo a hug. She’d been craving such contact all week, but hand’t been able to gear up the courage to do such a thing. To her relief, he returned it, gentle and solid, his touch comforting, and she let her head rest on a broad shoulder a moment before letting go. I shouldn’t be doing this. She felt her eyes start glowing with fear and started for the ladder as she averted her gaze.

  “What’s wrong?” Aerigo asked.

  Taking a deep breath, she peered over the top of the ladder. She shook her head and dropped to the floor, landing with a minute thud. “Nothing.” I can’t afford to fall in love with you. Not now. That’s what. With effort, she turned her thoughts to the pancake breakfast she’d helped prepare, which had filled the house with their sweet scent. If Aerigo had snatched a glimpse of her glowing eyes, he kept silent about it.

  Yayu brought over more energizing tea and filled three mugs and Roxie took a sip. Aerigo donned some pants and a shirt, then dropped down the ladder and joined them. He seemed to be in a particularly good mood, having apparently forgotten about Roxie’s strange behavior a moment ago.

  “Today’s the last day of spring. You remember what that means?”

  She swallowed. “Already? I thought I had another day to prepare.”