AKLESH (Under Strange Skies)

by Samuel Jarius Pettit

  “When Kai was about nine or ten Dael took part of the great hunt which takes place just before the feast of Dryrise, towards the end our summer. It’s very dangerous. The chosen hunters seek the Rasclaan, a huge, fierce creature with long sharp tusks.”

  Gar had a feeling he’d seen the creature before, in some variation, floating through the dreams that came from Kai. She went on.

  “Apparently, it was an incredible battle from those who witnessed it. But tragedy struck and Dael was run through. He did not die instantly, but instead lingered in great pain.”

  Gar interrupted. “What’s this have to do with Kai’s mother? Did his death make her lose her mind.” She smiled her sweet smile, taking his impatience in stride. “For most people who are connected mentally, especially those that are related directly, like a father and son, when one or the other dies, they sort of slip out of the person’s conciousness. It’s like they’ve traveled a very long distance away till they are simply gone. The absence is felt, of course, and missed, yet the survivor moves on. But there are very rare instances, and only in a few of those who have joined, where the other partner follows their mate into their death. I’ve been told that the experience is so horrible it is indescribable. The partner’s mind breaks, and they are never the same.” Seema looked at Orna’s hut as she said this, her expression sad. She felt great pity for the occupant.

  “So, this happened to Kai’s mother? That’s why she lost her mind?” asked Gar, although he knew the answer already.

  “She can’t let go,” Seema replied. “She can’t seem to pull herself out of that moment. Orna has times of clarity, but mostly she lives in her own dark world. She knows the people around her but can’t really see them. When Dael was killed, her world stopped as well.” Gar became very nervous,

  “How often does the ‘following into death thing’

  happen? Does that happen a lot?” He figured if it had happened to Kai’s mother, then maybe it was something genetic and that may happen to Kai if they separated, or worse--him!

  “No,” she reassured him. “Orna was the last known instance for a very long time. Before her, it had been a good 70 years since the previous one.

  At least, according to Zaela.” Seema could tell that Gar was concerned for his well-being. “It was one of the reasons you were not told about Orna, at first. She’s also very shy of strangers. So it wasn’t likely you were going to come across her unless you actually looked.”

  When she said this, Gar felt a little guilty. That was exactly what he had done.

  It was quiet for a little while as Seema finished one legging then moved on to the other, rethreading her bone knife with the sturdy white thread. She continued with the project and then picked up her narrative.

  “Of course, Kai also mourned his father. Dael had loved his son very much, He hadn’t cared that Kai was small for his age or a little awkward. He was a doting father. His passing had not scarred Kai as it had his mother. Of course, she was no longer able to take care of him, so his grandmother took him in. But, there was another problem.”

  “Another problem?” Gar asked.

  “Well, Orna was unknowingly pushing all her mental anguish into Kai. She was torturing him, and remember he was just a boy of ten. He had no way of protecting himself. The council decided he should be apprenticed to the Healer. She’s the one who taught him how to block out and shield himself from Orna. For a long time, most of the tribe worried that Kai might lose his mind as well.

  It was an incredible thing to ask of a child, that sort of mental discipline. Somehow, though, he managed it. I’ve heard Zaela remark about Kai’s mental power. She says he has one of the strongest minds in the Keep. That strength kept him from descending into madness.”

  Gar could not imagine losing parents the way that Kai had. Or the fact that his mother’s mind was capable of causing him so much grief.

  “Kai’s old enough,” said Gar. “If distance makes her problem affect him less, why doesn’t he run away? Go to another tribe or something?” She looked at him quizzically. “This is his home.”

  “Not everyone seems to appreciate him in his home,” Gar pointed out.

  She sighed. “That’s their shame. He’s just a little different. If those people took the time to get to know him, they’d understand how special he really is. Of course, you can see that in him, probably better than most.”

  This off-hand comment shamed Gar the most.

  He hadn’t even bothered to try. He was no better than the people in the tribe who had shunned not only Kai, but himself as well. He appreciated Seema’s benefit of the doubt, although he didn’t deserve it. Last night he had poked his nose where it didn’t belong. He couldn’t blame Kai for reacting the way he had. His own thoughts had been so cruel towards him, it made sense that he was on the defensive.

  He needed to make it up to him somehow.

  “What happened to his grandmother?”

  “Shiel’mhal passed on a few years back,” Seema replied. As she said this Tilo was slowly leading Orna out of the hut that she had been hiding in ever since Gar had arrived. She came very tentatively.

  When she saw Gar, the older woman became skittish and turned to go back, but the little boy kept promising it was all right. The prince looked at the bags under her eyes and the worn lines in her face. She looked at him but also seemed to look past him. Orna’thal was a shell of a woman. It was very sad and very tragic. After much coaxing from the little boy, she sat down near them and began to absentmindedly chew on some of the left over nuts.

  “He and Orna have been with us ever since,” Seema continued. “But really, they’ve always been a part of our family.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Gar found Kai by the water in a private little nook surrounded by foliage.

  It had taken him a while but eventually he located the young tribesman by standing on one of the higher platforms on the keep and reaching. He was proud of having been able to do this, but was pretty certain that if Kai had not wanted to be found, he could have prevented it.

  There were certain personality traits that Gar was aware he possessed but tended to ignore -- his pride being one of them. And apologizing was something he never did. Royalty never had to humble themselves, for anyone.

  So, he stood watching Kai for a long time working up the nerve to do it. The young native sat on a large rock, his back to him, facing the water.

  Gar fought with the opposing forces in conflict inside him. Of course, Kai was aware he was present, and probably even knew what was happening in the prince’s mind, but he gave no acknowledgement. The warrior was not going to meet Gar halfway. He’d done enough of that since he’d arrived -- and most of his life as well.

  It was someone else’s turn.

  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for Gar, he walked over to Kai and climbed the rock, perching precariously on the edge to the native’s right. There would’ve been enough room for the both of them but Kai was making no concession.

  So Gar did his best to balance, as difficult as that was.

  “I’m sorry,” said Gar after he got stable. The words felt foreign in his mouth and he resented them as they tumbled out. It wasn’t the sentiment that bothered him, it was having to communicate it.

  Kai said nothing. Gar sighed in exasperation.

  “Look, I don’t really do this…I mean, I’m not really good at the whole ‘apology’ thing…“

  “That’s pretty obvious,” said Kai flatly.

  “Forget it,” grumbled Gar as he climbed down off the rock with about as much grace as he used getting on it.

  He walked about eight feet away then stopped and turned around.

  “No. It’s not going to go this way. You want me to be sorry. Well, I am. I’m sorry I butted into your personal life and I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with the crap I’ve had bouncing around in my head for…I don’t know, however long I’ve been stuck here. And you’ve had it tough. I got that and I’m sorry for that too.
But, you can’t expect me to be thrilled about being here or being like we are. I want to be home more than anything. You of all people here must understand that. So yes, I am bitter and resentful and pissed off!” Gar charged over to the rock and placed both hands on it.

  “Look at me, Kai.”

  Kai didn’t turn.

  Look at me! He thought harshly.

  Kai’s body stiffened when Gar sent. He hadn’t meant to be so forceful with his thoughts and was nervous that he’d been too aggressive. Slowly, Kai turned about to face him.

  “So you are going to use you mind to hurt me now?” he asked, ice in every word.

  “No more than you have hurt me with yours, or don’t you remember?” Gar retorted.

  Kai looked away. He did remember.

  Gar changed tactics, his anger abating now that he had vented a little. “Kai, listen to me. I like you.

  You’re a good guy, but we have got to figure this out or we’re both gonna keep lashing out at each other, intentionally or not,” he pointed to his head as he spoke to indicate what he meant. “I don’t know when the Healer is gonna figure out how to separate us, but we can’t continue on like we have been.”

  Kai saw his point. He understood it took a lot for someone like Gar to humble himself like he had.

  That meant something, even if it was a rather botched apology.

  “What do you suggest then?”

  Gar realized he’d made some headway with Kai and it made him feel a little better, though he would have to re-examine his opinions on making apologies at a later date. He climbed the rock again, but this time Kai scooted over to give him room.

  “Well,” Gar began. “I take it that it’s better for both our mental health to be near each other. Can you explain that to me?”

  Kai scratched his head, looking for the best way to say it.

  “Joined couples…um…people feed off each other mentally. It makes them stronger. They help each other. If one becomes weak, the other can pick up the slack or take some of their pain. It also brings comfort. And if they both are feeling good…” Gar understood that part already. “Its not like they can’t be separated for periods of time, but too long and both will eventually become vulnerable.”

  “I see,” said Gar. “Well, I think its pretty clear.

  You need to stay in the hut as well. For yourself and to be near your mother.”

  Kai smiled a little and looked at the ground. It was the first time he’d smiled since the day before when they had flown on the hovervac.

  “I’m not sure it would be appropriate,” Kai said.

  “Why?” asked Gar. “Are there not any joined people in your tribe of the same gender?” Kai eyes grew wide with surprise. “Oh no, of course there are.”

  “Really?” said Gar, a little astonished. “Have I met any of them?”

  Their discourse had changed drastically, and now they were talking as good friends might, the argument long forgotten.

  “Well, yes,” Kai said, and began to list them.

  “There’s Vol and Vree…” That one came as no surprise to Gar. Vol had some decidedly masculine traits. “Graith and Dar, Zaela and Sala.”

  “Wait,” said Gar, stopping Kai. “You mean, the High Mother and the Healer are…?”

  Kai gave Gar a look.

  It definitely put a new angle on Aklesh life for the prince.

  “It is preferred if the High Council Leader and the Healer are a joined couple of the same gender.

  Since they will have no children of their own, their total focus is on the welfare of the tribe.” Gar had to concede that there was logic to that idea.

  They spent the next hour talking about what Gar considered to be the Aklesh version of gossip; who was joined, the different hunting groups and major families.

  After a while, Gar realized the politics and petty dramas of the tribe weren’t much different than that of the court on Orestus. It reminded him of how he and his sister had reveled in the latest trivial news about this or that senator’s wife or which baron was having an affair with what galactic starlet.

  Gar was unaware he was even holding the image of her in his mind, but apparently it had been clear enough for Kai to ask, “Who is she?” The prince was snapped back into their conversation.

  “That was my sister. Her name is Gweni…

  Gwendolyn.”

  “She’s very pretty,” Kai said. “For your kind.” Gar raised his eyebrow slightly at the comment of

  ‘your kind.’ Kai responded by raising his eyebrow in the same fashion, imitating him. But somehow on the native, it was more funny than anything else and they both laughed.

  “Tell me about your home, Horr-est-tus?” requested Kai, trying to pronounce it.

  Gar chuckled as he watched Kai wrap his mouth around the name. He didn’t bother to correct him.

  “What do you want to know?”

  “I’m not sure,” Kai thought for a moment. “What is it like?”

  Gar was unsure how to describe Orestus in a way that Kai would understand without a reference.

  “Kai, I don’t know if I can really do it justice,” he explained awkwardly.

  This statement sounded better to Gar than:

  ‘Calling it a sky village just won’t work.’

  “Then show me,” Kai said.

  Gar looked quizzical.

  “It is referred to as recall,” he said, taking Gar’s hands into his own and placing them on his temples. The prince was reminded of when he had first awoken on the planet after Kai had saved him and showed him what had happened.

  “What do I do?” Gar asked nervously.

  “Close you eyes and remember your home, like you remembered your sister,” Kai instructed gently. “Hold it in your mind and I will see it as well.”

  Gar closed his eyes and slowly pulled Orestus into his mind, as he had seen it flying in his favorite shuttle, the one which was now at the bottom of a large lake. He let the later thought go and focused in on the pinnacled majesty of his home. It was easy to conjure with massive detail, his love of home helped breathe life into the pictures in his mind.

  Their two minds working together made the sensation in his memory almost tangible. Gar felt as if he was there, flying around the epic space city.

  Orestus shined like a like a shard of pure silver from a distance.

  It appeared deceptively small compared Phrayen, the giant planet of swirling red gases it orbited.

  As he flew towards it the slice of silver grew in size and detail.

  The bottom, pointy part became clear and Gar could make out several individual spires that hung upside-down, surrounded by massive amounts of circular lights that tinkled like little necklaces made of stars. These made up the Galactic Space Port and the public galactic access terminals.

  Above this were long cylinder-like shapes that hugged the center hub, which threaded through the whole structure, top to bottom. These were what made up the organics center.

  Large, grey rectangles hung off the hub like fingers. It was where the military and police forces of Orestus were housed and trained. They had a few light rings outside minuscule rectangles that were framed inside the larger ones. These were docking ports for the Orestian fleet. At their distance, small specks flew to and from the ports.

  In a closer view the specks were actually large space vessels.

  As they came closer to Orestus, it became apparent that the city in space was massive, beyond any scale that Kai had ever encountered before.

  The place was more like three cities encased in large rings that encircled the hub. The two bottom rings were contained in a synthetic atmosphere created by the central hub and were held out from it by long silver supports that created a web-like structure. Buildings of amazing grace and architecture could be made out, even from their distance.

  But, at the top was the crown jewel, Orestus City.

  It was laid out like a crescent moon on its side and glowed as if it were one.

&n
bsp; The spires of the buildings lifted into its man-made sky, glistening and sparkling in competition with the stars around it. Gar’s vision took them closer to the city that rested like a crown over the whole amazing structure.

  As they drew near, one building, which was more like several combined together, came into focus and anchored the city’s skyline with a majestic elegance. This was the royal palace, resplendent and magnificent like an ornamental sapphire in a silver crown.

  Kai had witnessed every detail, his breath taken away.

  Gazing upon the palace, he felt a surge of emotion come from Gar.

  The image faded and Kai opened his eyes.

  Gar gently removed his hands from Kai’s temples and placed them on his own lap. The native now knew how much Gar missed Orestus, which was more than simply a village in space. It was practically a world unto itself.

  The young native felt a great ache for the loss of the prince out of his star.

  He could understand why Gar was so unhappy. He would have felt the same if he’d been forced away from his home.

  Kai now found he could forgive much of Gar’s behavior and wished he could help him find the joys of life in his planet. But, he also understood that the stranger did not belong there.

  He needed to be home.

  “Don’t you dare feel pity for me,” said Gar, taking a deep breath and realizing he’d opened himself in a way that had never been able to with anyone else.

  Kai smiled. He did pity him, but he was also now mindful of the prince’s pride, which he chose to respect in that moment.

  There was a new understanding between them and it didn’t need to be spoken.

  “I was only going to ask if you wanted to eat,” said Kai with a smile. “I’m starving.”

  CHAPTER 18

  Prime Minister Lorvan Omato sat in his chambers, the large picture windows presenting a glorious view of the governmental quarter in Orestus City.