by Shane Cogan
Aluum stepped out of the purple river and onto the dry land. She looked around her. Large trees caught her eyes, tall grass lapped her feet, small birds and insects flew around her. The creatures guided Aluum and encouraged her to walk further. Slowly, she glided across the green surface. Each strand of the forest floor brushed her naked feet and legs. She felt each piece of the forest floor had a different sensation on her skin. Some a slight pierce, some a smooth touch, and others a quick jab. She looked at her body and noted that nothing had penetrated her skin. No blood flowed. No scratches. Nothing. I feel protected by the surrounding creatures. She entered its prism even deeper. The forest returned the fervour by opening its doors even further for her. It is as if they had expected my visit. I feel safe. It welcomed Aluum. The trees whispered her name. They swayed to open a clearer path. Foliage slid away from the forest floor to create a small path made of small russet stones. Aluum’s small feet fitted neatly onto each stone as she walked effortlessly along its winding path. The sound of the birds around her head, small blue and yellow feathered grew louder as she continued on the path. She let her eyes close naturally and felt the forest’s vegetation push and pull her naked body, but ever so slowly and gently. The forest’s entities motioned her on. The path suddenly stopped as she reached a wall.
Aluum opened her eyes and saw it. She reached out with both her hands and opened a large wooden door. The hinges grumbled, as if they had not been used for some time. Aluum pushed the door open further and stepped through into the darkness. She could see nothing. A strong breeze slapped her in the face and pushed the door firmly closed behind her. She turned behind to face the forest. My allies are shut out. She felt uneasiness take over her body as she stood alone in the darkness. A light came on, first, ever so slightly, and then the whole room was bright. She flicked her eyes frantically adjusting to its brightness. Where is my purple comfort colour? Aluum thought she heard a voice as she rubbed her eyes. ‘Welcome, Aluum we have been expecting you. Welcome home,’ the voice said.
******
Fareth was shouting words randomly and shaking his head frantically, his long silver hair bobbing around. Samarth was standing close to him, his hand placed on his shoulder with his eyes locked onto his brother’s. ‘How could you send a low level Manith on a cause that is simply all in your head? he yelled to his brother. ‘A pointless waste of time and energy. My wife has been taken by those political grudgers, and not by a phantom ghost living in some wild faraway mountain village. Utter nonsense!’ he yelled at Samarth. ‘You are thinking with your heart again, and not with your head. What is wrong with exploring all our options? There is something unnerving about Wormblack, as I have always said. There have always been rumours that his crazy ‘missing’ sister has found solace with a dark mysterious magic hill tribe. Why not find out once and for all?’ he asked, his voice calm on every word. He paused before saying, Just give Tiuus until the next triple full moon. If he produces no results, then you win and we return to dredging rivers and lakes.’ Fareth gasped. ‘What do you mean by that?’ ‘Apologies, my King, the river comment was but impulsive. I meant we continue with the search, at your instructions.’ Much better,’ Fareth said.
‘That is many months away, but I will grant you the timeline request. We shall await the return of this Tiuus creature until we decide what to do next. Please leave me now,’ Fareth snapped. Samarth walked backwards slowly towards the door, nodded his head and made his exit. Fareth was busy looking at his feet and saw some of his hair had become entangled in his toes. He reached down and pulled the strands of hair out and came back upright while exhaling deep. ‘Damn Maniths,’ Fareth muttered. He rubbed his forehead hard. I will allow my brother his own little crusade, as a new approach was needed because everything else had failed to find my wife.
Following the heated discussion with his brother, Fareth tried to go to bed early that night. He looked at the low level bed, still folded and unslept on. He rested on the terrace. The palace courtyard below was silent. He looked at the stars, some shooting and some changing colours. To the west he saw the first half of its light. Oh Lunis, our fullest and my most precious. The fight with my brother was unnecessary and rare. My brother has only my best interests at heart. Yet, he sensed something much deeper. He began to think. While the Maniths are small in number, they do indeed, as Samarth had pointed out, hold something far higher than the Tarracullans. Mental Strength. While we have the ability of a sixth sense and a communication as supreme as telepathy, the Manith’s do not resist any temptation to give up. ‘Defeat, perhaps is not something they contemplated,’ he whispered out to the night sky. His white cape hid his entire body, with only his long hair dangling in the light breeze. He groaned deeply as he uttered more words. As a leader of the planet, I have to be suspicious of all groups, especially the minor ones. The Maniths are our allies now. Before the last war they were not. They were once enemies. But I have no choice but to trust my brother and, with it, the man they called Tiuus. Let us hope that this giant of a security man will bring back some news.
******
Tiuus jumped from the dirt filled bus. For two days solid he had not slept, but focused on the job at hand. He had memorised each piece of information that had been given to him again. Going over it again and again on the journey. He had studied each map, each village, each town and the various mountain trek lanes that appeared in front of him. Glow Mountain sprung up in front of him. Despite his large frame, he was but a spec under its monstrous shadow. He thumped the side of the muddy old bus and waved at the driver in appreciation. Getting a lift was the easy part; staying and behaving modest would be the difficult part. Tiuus felt ready.
For the task at hand, I have to dig deep, think differently and act very odd. Before the two days on the rocky roads, he had locked himself away for a week, with just one other soul - a creature called Soface. It had taught him how to act differently. For seven days straight he ate different food, drank different drinks, wore different clothes, rose at different times, slept at different times. He looked at his hands, as he recalled how he had laboured with his hands until they bled each day. He used every tool known to his teacher. This alone would be my disguise on Glow Mountain. To all affects, I am a reborn man; a simple man looking for work. He strode away from the departing bus. He chuckled to himself. Tiuus, the mountain farmer. I like it.
At the foot of Glow Mountain he noticed dire thorn paths welcoming him. He looked up and saw high above the first of the jagged slopes. Strange animals that pierced the night sky lived up there and nowhere else on the planet, if the myths are to be believed. As he walked, Tiuus thought back to the stories he had heard as a kid, while living in the capital, Aria. Giant creatures espousing all Atisians. Some with legs, others that slid in the dark of the night. Part reptile – part what? As a kid he believed these to be simple folk tales from the people of Glow Mountain. Never did I think that I would have to encounter them, let alone fight them. He reached into his bag at the thought of the last remark and slid his nimble fingers along the silver blade. He did not pull it. He pulled his hand out of the bag and, assured, he walked on.
Best to take the main pathway first. It was a few hours until dusk and he spotted some locals returning home. Further ahead along a small well-trodden track, Tiuus spotted a bunch of scrawny mountain shoats. He quickened his pace and engaged with the male leading the pack. He paused and stopped. With the briefest of glances, Tiuus reached down and grabbed some mud from the road. He rubbed his hands on it and slapped some of the dry mud on his neck, arms and hands. These mountain people rarely washed and smelt far worse than the urban folk. Tiuus coughed and made a few internal moaning sounds. ‘Hey, hold up,’ he shouted. The male, who was chasing shoats up the slope, looked around with a startled look. Mountain people are suspicious by nature, none more so than a shoat herder. ‘Why…?’ the male replied. He did not finish his remark, but slowed his pace.
‘Why should I stop for you?’ The mountain herder kept rep
eating. His accent made the words merge into each other. ‘I am rushed. I need to get my animals to shelter before the sun goes down and those things come out.’ Tiuus quickened his pace. ‘I can help you get the animals to the shelter faster, if you let me,’ he said. He paused and looked at Tiuus, with his eyes squinting, scanning the Maniths physique. With the sun behind them, two distinct shadows could be seen, one double the size of the other one.
Tiuus eyed the small male with a courteous look. The small male was indeed filthy and smelt like he had never washed in his entire life. The shoats even smelt better and appeared to be cleaner. The mountain man rubbed his dirty hands over his round face. The black dirt was dry where most others had hair. ‘Ok,’ he shouted back to him. ‘But we need to be fast as we have less than one hour before the next moon awakes and the sun vanishes over Glow Mountain,’ he paused before adding, ‘and with the new moon, those foul creatures will come out.’ Tiuus nodded expressionless, while he tried to understand what the small male had said. ‘What foul creatures might they be my little friend?’ Tiuus asked. For the first time the mountain herder stopped and looked at Tiuus. He stared at him, while stretching his neck upwards and then he said: ‘Ice Dogs.’
C H A P T E R 18
The Sasa
Samarth sat opposite his wife and watched as she criss-crossed their room. Her bare feet slid first left, then right, backward, forward. ‘I keep getting that move wrong, Samarth. Pay attention, my love,’ she said calmly with one eye on him and one on the floor. ‘I’m watching. I’m focused on…’ He tried to grab her arm, but missed it and heard the smash of her right elbow as they both fell on the floor. One panting. One holding her arm, inspecting it with her eyes. ‘Dancing is not your thing, my love. We have no rhythm anymore,’ he said. He inspected her arm and her body. Her long delicate dress lay ripped from the fall, revealing her back and an outline of her leg. He rubbed her faint yellow skin with his hand. ‘Nothing broken. And stop with the dancing, Laal. It belongs to the past and with that other tribe,’ as he pointed out the window. ‘Perhaps. But I miss it. If only we could…,’ but she was interrupted by his finger on her lips. ‘Not here. We can discuss this another time,’ he said. ‘And when is another time?’ she asked as she stood up and removed his hand from her arm. She sighed and stared at him. ‘Is it your brother?’ she asked. He nodded.
‘It’s Fareth. I too have concerns about sending a Manith to do the King’s work. In fact, he is representing the Kingdom, even the planet. But I trust Tiuus like a brother. He has been in my service for a generation,’ Samarth said with his hand in the arms of Laal. She stroked his face and neck. Her long fingers flowing down his back and up in gentle movements. ‘Easy, my love. Easy,’ she whispered in his ear. ‘There is no other choice. No other option. This was the only way,’ he said as she slid her hand further down his back and around towards his stomach. His breath was on her ear; her hands on his pale, yellow flesh. He sighed. She felt its new pulse, with one hand on his heart and the other gentle urging it outwards. And then his low moan broke through the night’s silence.
Like all dynasties, this causes ill feeling and opposition. It is as normal. What am I to do? Even on Atis, people were allowed to have opinions, but they used words and not wars. He signed heavily and pulled away from her. ‘I can’t,’ he whispered. She let him go. Laal slid backwards, towards the middle of the bed. Her eyes following him as he walked away. I feel her deep blue eyes following me. He decided to go outside for a walk. Samarth continued to mull over these words and thoughts as he walked around the palace courtyard, its silence increasing the sound of his feet on the stone. He gazed at the new moon of Lunis. What have you in store for us now?
The moonlight filled half the courtyard. He glanced at it. Your quarterly new shadow seems off. It could be that Atis’ light was not hitting it during this lunar cycle. He continued to walk. I want to leave the palace confides and walk within the ferns that grow a bright yellow on such nights and marvel at the sky’s beauty. I need to feel its calmness. He walked to the guards as they had heard his footsteps.
A sole guard on duty stopped moving and came to attention. Samarth approached the guard – ah, a young Manith. ‘No need for such formalities, my friend. There is no one else around,’ said Samarth with a smile. ‘Any enemies about?’ The young Manith remained silent. No reply. Samarth eyed the young guard. Why we even need a guard is questionable, as there has been little hostility on the planet for generations. Oh, my brother. Certain protocols had to remain in place. ‘Clear rules have to be respected in and around the palace when it came to the security of the King and his family,’ barked out the guard. ‘Even more so after the Queen’s disappearance,’ he added. ‘Yes yes,’ said Samarth. ‘I shall go outside for a short walk and to enjoy the night sky, you can rest at ease,’ he said. The young guard shifted uneasy. I might get in trouble. But I have heard that Samarth frequently went outside for late night walks and was told to merely allow such events to naturally occur. ‘Ahem. Yes, I guess so. But not too far, your majesty,’ the guard repeated a few times. Samarth merely glanced at him. ‘You won’t get in trouble with your boss,’ Samarth said. And he walked through the main gate and outside, leaving the guard rubbing his face, his mouth half open.
Samarth found the yellow ferns he craved to see, as he edged slowly along its path, with Lunis providing her light. He inhaled through his nostrils. Your scent and colour alone gives me inner peace. He glanced upwards and felt their strong energy. He placed a hand on the hard bark and rubbed his fingers between its contours. Samarth continued to walk through the forest vegetation, his feet brushing and snapping on its old decay. With his eyes almost closed, he eased his way along the narrow path. Nature has recognised my presence and accepts my challenge. He found his spot.
He sat on a large rock, his naked feet dancing around the short grass. He loosened his long hair. The bright moonlight caught its dark colour and glistened it further, as it fell halfway down his back. The insects that were making their nightline noises went silent. He held his arms aloft as the moon fell upon his face. I feel its silver energy on my body. He let his robe fall down. He stood tall on the large rock, with his head arched towards the moon. Naked, he closed his eyes. Its light sprinkled his silver spots on his lean body. He chanted some words. He repeated them. He focused on his stance, his movement, his breath. He folded his arms ten times, in quick succession. He repeated the words in barely a whisper. He held out his arms in parallel to his naked body. Again, he whispered the words. ‘Edaark. Sasa. Nasp. Eappi. Sloua,’ he said aloud. The forest became silent. His eyes were closed all the time as he chanted the words. Then a slight tweak and loud shudder could be heard. And again he shouted out the words: ‘Edaark. Sasa. Nasp. Eappi. Sloua!’ Then its shadow emerged from under the tree. One creature, then two, then all five.
He slid down from the large rock and went to greet the creatures. One creature he called, the Sasa, approached him. Its eyes grew redder the closer it got to him and its scales blew in the light breeze. It stood upright on its smaller back legs and held out its long tongue. Samarth patted the reptile on its little head. It gave off a small light warm hiss sound and fell back onto its four legs.
Samarth knelt beside the creature, looking it in the eyes. The Sasa moved its head in a friendly manner and stuck out its long red tongue. It gave the royal a lick across his neck and made low gurgling noises. The creature fell down beside the naked Tarracullan prince. He encouraged the next creature to come forward. Ah, the Eappi. The small creature hopped towards Samarth. A few of its feathers fell off its body, as it shook frantically. It leaped uncomfortably towards Samarth. The Eappi flickered to reveal its deep yellow eyes. Samarth snapped his fingers and its ears wobbled in a frantic fashion while making the faintest of sound. Its ears moved uncontrollably as it approached Samarth. ‘Someone is excited,’ Samarth said. The creature picked at Samarth’s foot. He reached down and flicked its ears on its head.
The remaining creatures had
formed a line in front of Samarth. Some giving space to the one in front, others snapped and hissed. Samarth obliged by kneeling down so that the creatures could touch him. The Sloua was next in line. It approached him with thin whiskers moving in the breeze. With each step closer to Samarth, he could see its spots changing from yellow, to red and to black spots. Such magic. The Sloua let off a screech as it sat beside Samarth and showed off its sharp teeth. The other creatures backed off. Samarth gently patted its head and the creature responded and rolled up beside him; its blue piercing eyes scanning the area vigilantly at all times.
The remaining creatures were jostling for position, becoming anxious and agitated. Sensing this, Samarth motioned the tallest creature to come next. ‘You’ve grown, Edaark. Taller than me,’ said Samarth. The creature struggled to stand and slouched back to the ground, landing on its two small feet with a thud. ‘Such a rare creature. Alas, there are but few of you left,’ he said. The Edaark looked up to the trees, while holding its glaze. ‘Soon, my friend, I know you prefer to be up there rather than down here,’ Samarth said. It stroked the Tarracullans face with his hands and slid in beside its friend, the Eappi. The Sloua let off a sharp piercing sound. And the Eappi kept its distance.
The Nasp was already on Samarth’s lap. You really could wait no more. Various sounds were coming from its mouth. The prince cupped his hands, so the creature rested its head on one of Samarth’s hands, while its feet kicked the other. The Sloua hissed as the Nasp came closer to its resting place. It increased its noise again, and the final creature retreated slowly. The Nasp poked its long thin nose deep into the prince’s hands and frantically searched every crevice of his skin. Satisfied, it regained its natural posture and eyed the other creatures.