Kingdoms Away 1: Jorian Cluster Archives

by S. V. Brown

  There were times in Fin’s life when she still had moments of grief but there was always some comfort at hand. These times grew less frequent and the Heikavians enjoyed her humor and quick smile. She was always busy with chores and had much to learn. Despite being a close-knit community, the Heikavian people seemed to know when she needed space. They did not resent the times when she would quietly meld into the background. They accepted her into their society and taught her their ways. They were a patient people, always monitoring the young and keeping them busy according to their abilities. In the beginning, she grew impatient and frustrated with activities and communication.

  She missed technology and the speed of ship life. She eventually learnt that time was relative and, in the caves, moved at a slower pace. If she showed signs of impatience and acted churlish with her peers, she would be kindly redirected back to the task. If too brusque, they sent her out. Sometimes, other young Heikavians joined her, as embarrassed as she was. There were often times when she simply couldn’t contain herself and, when separated from the class, she would attempt to rein in those feelings and would rejoin the class after a nominated time.

  Thon, as she often called her brother when the maturas weren’t around, learned very quickly not to tease her about this subject. On one occasion, while waiting to go back in, she suddenly realized that she was fighting against the Heikavian way of life. This was creating friction. She adjusted her thinking and set about applying herself to learning how to create things from “scratch.” Her life improved. If she missed the sagacious looks of the Ellri as they registered her self-transformation and dedication, she nevertheless basked in their inexhaustible nurturing ways.

  Thon was happily showing her his journals one day, unaware of the envy and hunger her face held at that moment. He missed the look but a matura did not. Thon had three journals now and had great pride in his recordkeeping. The first one was his compulsory Time Keeper and in this journal, he showed her the section when she had arrived. Main events since that time included the death of six Ellri from different clans. She felt saddened by this, for they had died of old age. She promised herself that if she were ever rescued, she would help them to apply for extended life.

  Also, in Thon’s journals, there had been seven Major Journeys and seven Minor Journeys and he’d included maps, times and routes for each. There were many other significant events neatly recorded. On the journeys the white wolves, who always accompanied the Heikavians, would reconnoiter the surrounding territory and warn of any danger from weather, terrain or Terasians.

  Fin noticed over time that they seemed to avoid travelling in the general direction of where she assumed the Terasians and the beasts might be located. She believed they wished to avoid them to prevent any conflict. But it wasn’t a subject discussed with such young ones.

  In time, she went on two Minor Journeys with Thon in the warmer seasons. This meant that instead of being fifty below it was ten below. She had been a little worried that they would not allow her to journey at all, even though she had met the required skill level. At first, she had been apprehensive that her brother might be upset at her progression, but he was the epitome of all Heikavians, peaceful and welcoming even if, as a brother, infinitely irritating.

  Fin sat next to Thon by the family fire that was kept burning throughout the day for warmth. Fin was repeatedly poking a stick through the coals, agitated. Her large, hairy brother scowled at her and tried to swat the stick from her hands. She ducked from his swat but stopped poking. A wattle bat flapped down from the ceiling onto her back. She waited until it climbed to her neck before gently removing it. The small bat started its gentle murmuring in her hand. Fin glanced at Thon. “Do you think they’ll let me go?”

  Thon smiled at her holding the bat. “Yes, but they are concerned about you feeling the cold. They are organizing something for you—”

  “What?”

  “Imp Fin—”

  “Thon, don’t say that, what are they doing for me? Pleeeeeassse?”

  “I don’t know, but I wouldn’t tell you anyway. Master Hernnurrenna says that you must learn patience in all things in your life, but especially before your first Major Journey.”

  “He did not.”

  “Well, maybe not specific to the expedition, but he generalized.”

  Fin snorted. She had heard it a dozen times before she’d begun to improve and Thon now felt free to tease her about her impatience. She knew there was some concern about her ability to withstand the cold and it was twenty below outside.

  Finally, after a few days of waiting, the Ellri approached Fin, who was working beside three maturas in a well-ventilated specialized cave. They were preparing herb lotions and the fumes were causing all four to cough even though they wore masks. They stepped back to allow room for the two elders, but the Ellri, gaining a whiff of the stench emanating from the potions, stopped short and motioned for the girl to come to them. Fin noticed the maturas were smiling from behind their masks.

  “You may go on the Major Journey, Fina—”

  She gave a shout of joy but a firm hand rose up, which had the effect of snapping her jaw shut. “In a cradol. Klarrannyouu will carry you.”

  She nodded and took off her mask, stepping further away from the fire. “Thank you Ellri-Noppellurranna and Ellri-Dirrullemmulla.”

  Her golden eyes expressed her gratitude and the two Ellri turned to leave after a nod to the maturas. Once they had reached a safe distance, the Ellri chuckled, knowing exactly how she was feeling. A few years ago, she would have blurted her emotions out for all to see and hear. Now she was learning and exercising self-control. Just.

  In the smelly cave, Fin grimaced slightly, trying hard not to say anything to the maturas now beckoning her to continue her work. She finished her duties and hurried back to the family caves, where she met up with her six foot eight mother Yewennossua and received a big hug, the furry arms wrapping themselves around the small girl. Yewennossua released her little daughter and set her back down on the ground. Fina was only a tiny thing, but physically powerful and sinewy. Yewennossua brushed the fine hair away from the freckled face and noticed the disturbance.

  “What is it, Fina? You’ve had some good news, haven’t you?”

  Yewennossua could only just hear the little sigh as the two entered into the family’s cave. They sat down by the fire on a soft blue rug with Fin leaning up against her mother.

  “Yes.”

  “But?”

  “Klarrannyouu has to carry me in a cradol.”

  “There is no shame, Fina. I’d imagine that some of the younger ones who have to walk will be quite envious of you.”

  “I’d rather walk.”

  “It would kill you, Fina. I know it’s hard for you to accept these limitations, but to attend and enjoy the long journeys it is a necessity.”

  Fin considered this. She knew she wouldn’t be able to survive the journey without protection. She barely managed in the ten below temperatures. Yet, she still felt torn between humiliation, desire and excitement. The excitement grew and desire strengthened.

  “Do you know our twenty-third maxim yet?”

  Fin shook her head and looked up into the blue eyes.

  “It says that, ‘When you know your limitations, you will be set on a path of humility.

  ‘When you accept your limitations, you will be set on a path of peace.

  ‘When you work your limitations, you will be set on a path of achievement.’”

  “I don’t understand the last one, how can you work your limitations?”

  “You’ll learn that it is not always necessary to remain passive about your limitations. Often there are ways to work around your limitations.”

  “Or others.”

  Yewennossua smiled over Fina’s head without her seeing it. The girl’s startling perceptions made the Heikavians speculate at her origins and if Fina’s people had similar traits or whether it was unique to only a few.

  “Yes, but I am t
alking about you.” Yewennossua gently touched Fina’s nose. “You can work around them, through them or for them.”

  Before Fin could ask another question, Yewennossua hugged her again. The question did not come and they were silent for a few minutes as the girl pondered over the maxim. Another sigh came and a change of topic.

  “How was your day? Did you get the Bolan Trees planted?”

  “All of them. We were able to plant the understory seeds as well. The weather on the plateau was kind for a change. According to our records, we have achieved excess resources. By the time these trees are fully grown they won’t need to be logged for some time.”

  “Did you have time to check the Isacio Trees? I relocated some owls there …”

  “It worked wonderfully, Fina. The Ellri were very pleased with your suggestion. The Isacio Trees have a wonderful hollow network through their trunk system. If you hadn’t fallen through one, we would never have known.”

  Fin and her mother laughed, Yewennossua remembering Fina’s astonished face as she had disappeared down a hollow and Fin remembering her shock at falling in. The huge trees, no longer logged, housed animals requiring tree hollows. That had been a hot summer, two degrees above zero and she’d been allowed out.

  Fin loved listening to her mother’s musical, soft voice. All the Heikavians had gentle voices but her mother could talk beautifully and sing like a Grey Shrike-thrush.

  Fin became despondent, once again thinking about the cradol. “Well, it doesn’t matter about not actually walking the journey; I can’t record it anyway so it’s not like it’ll be there for someone’s historical reference …”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that, Fin …” Thon came in through the colorful hanging rug and saw his mother give him a look, “… err … Fina. I might put it in my journal and claim your glory …” he grimaced when he saw his mother’s exasperated expression, “… or not.”

  “Not, young Thonnurran, if you don’t want to have a reverse Tendere.”

  “What?”

  Thon looked aghast and Fin twisted in her mother’s arms to find out more.

  Fin grinned suddenly, and gave her brother a look. “Watch out, Thonnurran, or should I say Thon?”

  He stared at his sister through narrowed eyes. His mother smiled but didn’t tell Fin off for shortening his name. “They couldn’t reverse it. Could they?”

  His mother got up and left the two to their squabbles. She had chores to complete and then had to return to the Eastern Forest for five days. At least Fina would be distracted with her brother for a time.

  Thon and Fin always used their infan names with each other but were very careful to use full names in the company of others. The Tendere ceremony was very significant and was a serious occasion. Name extensions had been going on ever since the Heikavians first arrived on Aislant. Every five or so years a name was extended to include more letters. After so many years, the extensions stopped but designations began if you chose further qualifications.

  Fin was daydreaming when Thon interrupted her by poking her in the side. “You have to go to the main cave. You have some unfinished chores.” They eyed each other.

  She got up, knowing he’d win the stare contest and headed out humming a little song.

  The day of the Major Journey finally came. She felt the embarrassment rise up in her when she saw the cradol lying on the sandy floor in the main cavern by other equipment. Fin tried to tell herself it wasn’t that bad in a cradol. It didn’t work. But the Heikavian she was attached to made a difference, for she was slung to the chest of a Great One. He was seven foot five tall and very wide. There was no shame. In fact, near the end of the journey, Thon looked envious. Every now and then, he would complain of the cold. He really did know how to irritate his elders sometimes. At every stop, she was set down to wander around studying different plants, rocks and icy waterways. She had thick woven material covering her upper and lower body, a woven headpiece, thick socks and woven shoes. Under the thick fabric, a thinner layer allowed her trapped body heat to flow around, providing plenty of warmth. Even so, she had to return to Klarrannyouu before her body temperature dropped too low. Her face was covered with special transparent gauze so at least she could peer out from the folds of the cradol.

  It was not her last big journey. After some experimentation, she went on many. It was on these journeys she learned the skill of navigation and grew to love it. Klarrannyouus’s mate was a Great Navigator and when they noted her interest, they would often walk together so that Fin could watch.

  Though Fin did not walk on the Major Journeys, she had to maintain her fitness with additional exercises when back at the caves. The stretching and folding continued throughout her days, and as she got older she danced and ran through the caves and when she reached womanhood, additional exercises were drawn up to improve her strength.

  After that first journey in the cradol, she would try to find any work nearby to watch the preparations of all journeys. One of her jobs was to take Klarrannyouus’s cloak to him. She could barely drag its great mass, but after some thought went down to the animal caves and herded up a young bull. He snorted at her but stood his ground as she heaved the cloak up and over his back. The first time it had slid down the other side but she was determined. The second time she succeeded and the bull followed her to the preparations after she clicked and clucked at him. Klarrannyouus stared at her grinning face with the lumbering young bull plodding behind her. He saw his cloak on the top of the broad back and lifted it off when she ushered the bull to him. He sniffed it carefully but noted the sudden concern in her eyes. He did not want to dampen her exuberance so he smiled at her and nodded. It was enough approval for her.

  Still, as she herded the animal back, she was chewing her lip in agitation. Why hadn’t she considered the smell? Did he smell? She sniffed the back of the bull. It smelled all right to her. Would it affect the trip? Maybe they were careful with smells so as not to attract the Terasians. She arrived at one of the huge caverns and settled him with the other young bulls. Fin reached up and rubbed around his ears; his head was higher than hers was. Soon, she saw that other animals were plodding, click clacking, ambling, hopping and trotting her way, up the wide path. Whenever she finished milking the cows, animals would appear out of nowhere. It was time to go. Otherwise, she’d be stuck down there all day patting and scratching. She could hear them quicken their pace behind her but she could run fast through the narrower fissures that led up to the living areas.

  Four family groups of Heikavians were busy in the main caves. Fin, slightly puffed, joined her brother by one of the fires. Geonglings, aged between five and nine, and older ones were talking quietly amongst themselves in smaller groups.

  “Come here, Fina, see this.” Thon was showing off his journals, again.

  He opened his second compulsory journal, his “Allotted Chores.” Neither he nor she thought that journal particularly exciting. The third was of free choice where he specialized in Herbal Law, which she found a little boring but listened politely as he explained the new entries and drawings to her. The fourth one would be the study of any animal on the planet and he hadn’t decided what animal would be his subject. She and Thon spent many hours arguing over which animal it should be. Patient maturas, and not so patient friends, broke them up.

  Heikavians could maintain up to four journals at once. The “Time Keeper” was the first journal and a continuous record of all goings on.

  Because Fin had no real knowledge of the planet itself and her own life cycle was so different from the planet’s natural timing, the Heikavian people knew that her own home must have been very different, but at the same time, they had their own traditions to follow. So when Thon left Fin’s side, Ikaren, not yet a matura, had an idea. She went to the Ellri who cared for the needs of Fin. They listened and expressed their approval, as it would not break with traditional law.

  Fin was busy practicing tying knots with some thin rope when she felt the gaze of Ikaren up
on her. “Fina, why don’t you keep track of your cycles? They will start to become more regular as you get older. This can be your Time Keeper.”

  Fin met the idea with such enthusiasm that the women, geonglings and Thon all helped her set up her first important journal. Once she had this journal started, she could then begin to maintain others. The journals were bound in beautiful cloth but she knew that once a level of expertise was reached her journals would be bound by the skin of a white wolf that passed away of natural causes. Now, she could also be allotted chores instead of being directed by the maturas.

  But more importantly, she could begin her chosen journal, that of Navigation. She knew there would be little or no resistance to her choice as she applied herself studiously to her basic navigation lessons. She looked forward to the time when she could be out on her own and stare up at the bright stars and satellites. The Master Clothiers were already working on new clothing for her. Hopefully, they would keep her warm and allow her to still move around in them. The Clothiers had recently made her an outfit to try on, and when she couldn’t move, Thon had burst out laughing. Even mutimi and fadar had chuckled. The only thing the clothes had going for them was that they were warm. In fact, inside the caves, she had broken out in a sweat so Thon carried her out. By the time they were outside both were laughing so hard Thon couldn’t stand up anymore and Fin couldn’t bend over.

  On some clear nights, Thon would carry the clothes out onto a rocky ledge and Fin would dash out at the last moment and dress in them. Or Fin would dress in them, and Thon would carry her out complaining. Despite their squabbling, Fin and Thon would often study the stars on the top of a side ridge near their family’s cave. Every now and then, they fancied they saw movement in the night skies. Fin thought they may have been ships but wondered why they didn’t communicate with her people. But mostly she and Thon shared fanciful plans of visiting other planets.