by S. M. Welles
Roxie’s heart sank, just a little. They hadn’t won, but third place out of ten was definitely respectable.
“In second, with five-hundred and forty-five points is Clan Jakushi. And finally, this year’s winner, with five-hundred and fifty-one points, is Clan Seneca!”
A deafening roar filled the entire arena with clans-people cheering, banging on the tables and jumping up and down. Anyone who might be expressing disappointment was drowned out.
Roxie and Aerigo must have been the only ones left sitting. She punched for the sky and let out a whoop. Aerigo kept his arm around her. Yayu and his family hugged each other, jumped up and down, and cheered until their voices cracked.
Once the arena settled down, Din spoke again. “Yes. Congratulations, everyone. Now that you’ve got that out of your system, it’s time for the Clan leaders to take their seats.”
Ten shapes zoomed down the length of the tables perpendicular to the stage and began circling the stage so fast that they were only blurs.
“If you pretend you’re running fast right now, you’ll be able to see them properly,” Aerigo said.
She gazed fixedly on the circling blur of people and imagined herself running alongside them. The shapes snapped into focus.
“Good job,” Aerigo said when Roxie sat up straighter in surprise. “You learned something new today.”
“Do I get a cookie for it?” she asked. He smiled but seemed to be sighing on the inside.
The Clan leaders looked like cool, respectable young people. The men and women had energetic faces and long, colorful hairdos. They all wore straw hats with two cloth ribbons trailing alongside their flowing locks. Those hats reminded Roxie of the same ones Asians wore while working in rice fields. The leaders also wore light, flowing robes in their respective Clan colors, and no footwear.
All ten leaders leapt into a mid-air cartwheel and landed softly at the heads of their respective tables. They took off their hats and bowed graciously to Din. Their god bowed back, then the Clan leaders faced their tables. Benches shifted as everyone rose to their feet and bowed to their leader. And so did Roxie and Aerigo to theirs.
“Brama, Ormolu!” the female leader at the head or Roxie’s table hailed as the other leaders hailed theirs.
“Brama, Spirra!” Roxie’s table hailed back.
Spirra hung her hat on a hook provided on Ormolu’s pole, then sat. There was another wave of bustling as every Clan took their seats, and then pregnant silence.
Finally, Din spoke. “Your food is ready for eating.”
Bodies moved around the tables. The valley grew loud with rustling clothes, sliding baskets, clinking plates, and low murmurs.
Din shrank to human size and took up his place at the head of the winner’s table. Aerigo and Roxie both began filling their plates with a wide selection of breads, meats, cheeses, salads, fruits and vegetables, all within reach or just for the asking. Once the food started disappearing, talk turned to the race.
After the better part of an hour, most people were finishing up the last of their meal. Aerigo had only reached his halfway point. People began to stare openly after he’d emptied his plate a few times over. Some realized they were staring. Others took a good minute to move on.
As he filled up yet another plate, Roxie stood and stretched. “Man, I can’t believe you’re still eating. I’m going to go over to visit Issa and her friends for a while.”
Aerigo nodded but didn’t say anything as she walked away. He wasn’t quite full yet and didn’t feel like doing anything until he was. He did feel he was close though. He downed another cup of water.
“Where do you fit all that food?” Yayu said teasingly.
Aerigo looked up to see his friend smiling at him and couldn’t help but smile back. He didn’t know why Yayu’s smile always broke through his pensive moods. It was out of character for him, but Aerigo welcomed the mental break. It was one of the reasons why he wished he could come to Sconda more often. Aerigo turned back to his plate, slowly finished what was left with real relish, and drained one last cup of water. He sighed, satisfied.
“Done?”
Aerigo pushed away his plate, interlocked his fingers and stretched his arms in front of him. “For now.”
Yayu laughed, his voice mingling with the din of the celebration and the crackling of the giant flames above them. He reversed the way he was sitting on the bench and rested his back against the table edge.
Aerigo did the same and looked around for Roxie. She was with Yayu’s grandchildren, along with a few more kids that had joined in a game of tag. Roxie was getting chased a lot by whoever was “It.” The little group was alive with shouts and giggles, and the occasional scream when a child realized that they were being chased.
“Aye, to be a kid again,” Yayu said dreamily. “Such blissful innocence childhood is, isn’t it?”
Aerigo grunted and watched Roxie pick up Kika, Yayu’s youngest grandchild, on the run. “It” was chasing her but the young woman had saved her little friend.
“You really care for her, don’tcha?”
Aerigo came out of his trance and looked Yayu.
“Roxie,” he said. “You really care for her.”
Bad memories milled around in Aerigo’s mind, along with some good. “Baku told me to protect her. I’m just making her feel safe.”
“My friend, it’s been a long time since Sandra died.”
Aerigo turned to the game of tag. “I know. And it’s tearing me apart.”
“Why?”
“I don’t want to lose someone all over again. I don’t want to feel that way for Rox, but I find myself slipping every now and then.”
“Aye. That morning hug,” his friend said, looking canny.
“That was a perfectly innocent hug,” Aerigo said.
“What about that hug in the river?”
The Aigis gave him a hard look.
“I was right there, remember? In the calm patch of water. It was hard to miss two people standing alone in the middle of the Oromo River.”
“She tricked me!”
“Ah, and all that casual cuddling you two have been doing all evening?”
“It just... happened.”
“You’ve already lost the battle, my friend. I don’t know why you’re still fighting.”
Aerigo’s eyes flicked to the ground, but soon found their way back to Roxie among the children.
“Besides, Roxie is an Aigis. She won’t succumb to old age any time soon.”
“That’s not what happened,” he said.
Basho yelled, “Get her!”
“Help! Attack of the children!” Roxie yelled as all the kids tackled her. She carefully let herself get wrestled to the ground. “No! Please! Stop! I’m too young to die!” She and the kids were all laughing but their struggle didn’t let up. “Aerigo! Yayu! Help me!” she yelled once pinned on her back.
“Your damsel is in distress, Aerigo,” Yayu observed calmly.
“I think she can handle herself this time.”
“Okay, you all win!” she yelled out, giving the children a few seconds to enjoy their victory. Once she was free of their grasp, Roxie gave congrats all around before going back to the table. She found herself leaning against Aerigo’s side without a second thought. Aerigo and Yayu exchanged looks. Before she had the chance to ask that was about, a nail tapped her shoulder. Shaku, the Wangama who’d healed her foot, was standing behind her and Aerigo.
“Brahma, Ichi’hun Roxie.”
“You can just call me ‘Rox’ or ‘Roxie’ if that doesn’t make you uncomfortable.”
“Not at all, Roxie. How’s your foot?”
She flexed her ankle. “All back to normal, thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome. That cave gets a few people every year, but we Scondish people would never be persuaded to alter the track onto a safer course.”
“Would you like to sit down?” Shaku settled down on the grass as she patted a modest space on the bench. Th
at wasn’t what I meant, but whatever.
“I prefer talking face-to-face,” Shaku said. “The other side of your table is full for the time being.”
After taking a quick glance to confirm the lack of seating, she said, “So, what brings you back to us?”
“Curiosity,” Shaku said. “More than anything. You are both aerigosos after all.”
“Aerigos?”
“Aerigosos,” the Wangama corrected. “It happens to be coincidence that Aerigo’s name is similar to what we call your kind. Then again, perhaps it’s not so coincidental. Many thousand years ago, when all the clans were isolated, there were just as many versions of Scondish as there were Clans. Yet it was clear from the beginning of when clans started interacting, that everyone’s version of Scondish had many striking similarities. Since Aerigo’s name is practically the same for what our world calls your kind, it comes as no big surprise to me. Who’s to say that worlds beyond Sconda’s stars don’t use some of the same words we do?” Roxie shrugged. It was too complicated a thought to pursue for now. “By the way: Aerigo’s name fits him very well. ‘Aerigoso’ in Scondish means ‘guardian.’ You Aigis are keepers of hope, faith and peace.”
Roxie came up with the idea that Aigis were supposed to be guardian angels or something, but visualizing Aerigo with a set of wings and a white toga while wielding his dagger and fighting dragons just—nah.
“As I said before: I’m curious... from a Wangama’s perspective.” His golden eyes fixed themselves upon Aerigo. “I caught but a glimpse when I pushed you onto the bench earlier today. So many scars...”Aerigo tensed under Roxie’s back. “And in turn for the favor,” he continued without altering his gaze, “I’ll answer whatever questions you might have, Roxie, seeing how you know so little about Scondish people.” Shaku stretched a clawed hand toward Aerigo’s knee. “I’m so very curious to—”
“No!” Aerigo said, his eyes flashing red.
Shaku blinked, holding his clawed hand extended. “But... why not?”
“My life is my own.”
The sudden tension disturbed Roxie. She tried to lean against the table instead. Aerigo squeezed her arm with unexpected gentleness. She relaxed her posture and chanced looking up into his hard stare. Aerigo ignored the attempt at eye contact.
Shaku rose to his feet. “If that’s what you wish. But you’ll never heal with that attitude.” He turned to Roxie. “Ichi’hun Roxie, I’m afraid you’ll have to get your answers elsewhere.” Shaku gave them a Scondish bow, then jogged off.
“I don’t get what just happened.”
“Shaku was behaving selfishly,” Aerigo said.
“How?”
“On one of my visits to Sconda a long time ago, I came here specifically to learn the healing arts Wangamas practice. I found out I didn’t like how the magic worked.”
“Is it dark magic or something?”
“No. Just very exposing. In order to heal an internal injury, a Wangama uses certain skills to peer into your body. Do you know what an aura is?”
“Bunch of colors surrounding our bodies that can tell things about the individual? Something like that. I’ve never seen or felt one.”
“Pretty much. Wangamas look at auras to locate injuries. Also, they can take this a step further. Say you broke a bone and went to Shaku again. He’d look at your aura to see where exactly the break is, but then take it a step further by focusing on your injury. That way he could see into the past and watch how the injury happened, and how the bone broke. With such knowledge he’d use the healing branch of Ambura magic to basically reverse history—or rather reverse the break.”
“So why don’t you like what Wangamas do? It sounds like reliable precision work.”
“Not all injuries are physical,” Aerigo said quietly. “Shaku was probably in an altered state of awareness once the first people crossed the finish line, so he could react to injuries quickly. This means he could find injuries by touching a person, instead of focusing on an aura. However, the touch-search gives broader feedback, meaning they see more than just recent injuries. And since I wasn’t hurt when he touched my shoulder, he saw other things. In his defense, it was probably unintentional that time. But when he came back and tried to probe me again...” The big man shook his head.
“What did he see when he touched your shoulder?”
Aerigo studied her a moment, his jaw muscles tightening, and Roxie could feel uneasiness in the arm cradling her.
“Memories that don’t make me happy,” he said distantly.
We all have bad memories. But, considering how badly Shaku wanted to see them, and how equally determined Aerigo was to hide them, it had to be something far more serious than stealing gum from a grocery store as a kid. “You have skeletons in your closet, or something?”
Aerigo turned away and nodded.
Roxie wanted to know what had happened, and she wanted to tell him she’d stick by him no matter what he’d done. But now didn’t feel like the right time to ask such questions, or to admit to such loyalty. Appropriate timing or not, Din reappeared in his giant form over center stage, his presence wordlessly commanding everyone to be quiet and pay attention.
“Alright, alright!” he began in his booming voice, “I hope everyone’s stomach is full after all that wonderful food and drink. Dessert will be served as usual during the concert, but now I wish to make a special announcement.
“As some of you have already discovered, we have two very special guests with us this year and I cannot pass up the opportunity to introduce them to you.”
Roxie felt all the color drain from her face as she realized that she and Aerigo were going to be presented to thousands of people. Her sockets warmed with a golden yellow glow.
“It’s a real privilege to meet such beings, and while the history of their kind is veiled in secrecy, except to those who partook in such parts of the past, it is a deeply honorable one. Let us welcome not one, but two Aigis!”
Roxie and Aerigo stood together. Her heart pounded in her ears and her legs stiffened as she listened to all the murmuring and excited exclamations washing over the arena. Aerigo’s hand slip into hers, and she clutched it for dear life and got her eyes back under control. He led her towards the stage, apparently ready to take on people once again.
“I present to you the very special Roxie, and the legendary Aerigo!”
The two hopped onto the stage to a collective gasp of excitement before the whole place exploded with cheers and applause. Din shrank back to his human size and stood beside them. His cheerful aura soothed Roxie’s nerves. A radiating sweep of energy flowed from the god and into her, leaving no room for fear. Her heart sank back to its rightful place and slowed. She eased her death-grip on Aerigo’s hand and smiled at the audiences.
“I know most of you—if not all of you—have heard of Aerigo and what he’s done for Sconda in the past,” Din said. “This is the Aigis who helped control the dragon population, making it possible for you to live more peaceful lives.” The god addressed Aerigo directly. “After two thousand years I, along with my people, remain very thankful.”
“You’re welcome,” Aerigo said in his deep voice.
Din let people’s cheering subside before turning his attention to Roxie. “And you, child, have much of life before you,” he said, his tone bordering on seriousness, but light enough not to worry his audience. “Both of you have hard tasks to perform. May you find the power and courage you need.”
Din’s bright eyes looked worried, Roxie observed, yet she thanked him. The audience showered them with applause once again.
Din told them in a normal voice that they could return to their seats. Once they had and the clapping faded, Din hopped into the air over the instruments and settled down to tell his people a story. He began in his sonorous, confiding voice. “In honor of their presence I shall tell you a little history about the Aigis.
“When the universe was young there was a war among the gods that we could not end ourselves.
It was the Aigis who came to help us in our darkest hour.” He leaned toward them, as if letting them in on a secret. “I know that sounds clichéd, but that’s what other gods told me. I didn’t exist until some time after that war.” His voice trailed off, then picked up again more seriously. “I was told a hundred Aigis came and put an end to dark times, and that was not the first time they had helped us in such a way. Yet after that war they began to disappear, and they only numbered in the hundreds to begin with. We don’t know where the first ones went, or why they left, but the remaining few stayed to protect our worlds to make sure we all stayed at peace. Over the eons their numbers have dwindled further still. There have been rumors as to why, some good and some bad, but nothing established in fact. But never lose hope. For here in our very presence are two guardians, two protectors with the power to help anyone anywhere. That alone brings me great comfort, as it should you. To come across one in your lifetime is one of the rarest and most beautiful things.” The god turned to his guests. “I share Baku’s faith in your powers.”
Roxie and Aerigo both said a warm “thank you” in unison.
“Now,” said Din, raising his arms like a music conductor. “To lighten the mood, let’s have some music!” He snapped his fingers and vanished, only to reappear at the head of Clan Seneca’s table. A group of thirty men and women at an outer table rose and headed for the stage. They were greeted by more applause. As they walked by, Roxie heard Issa whisper enthusiastically, “Go, Daito!”
The musicians made their way to their instruments and began warming up. After a minute of cacophony, a man yelled something in Scondish and the musicians fell silent. He shouted another command and a solo drummer on a dampened base drum began to play.
He tapped out a slow heartbeat rhythm for a couple of measures, was joined by another base drum at a lower pitch, a third, then a fourth, until the heartbeat rang on a chord. Those drummers beat out their heartbeat while a fifth covered the second and fourth beat with a quarter-note.
The tempo picked up pace.
With each measure more instruments came and soon a complex and hypnotic beat was layered upon the first, simple one, sounding like either a Latin or Rock beat. The tempo doubled its speed, and then suddenly cut off to silence. The musicians shouted a short chant (Hoo! Hah! Mira dru Sconda!) and also fell silent—except for one drummer who picked up a new rhythm on an instrument that looked like a set of quints. The audience cheered wildly at their clean cutoff.