The Download

by R. E. Carr

  “I swear to you, Ji-ann. I swear by the sun and all of the holy gods, including Kukulkan, who favors me, that my life belongs to you and only you. If I should once betray you or stray from your wishes, I give my soul to hell and my flesh to the void. I can offer you no more than that.”

  Jenn sat dumbfounded for a moment. Eon never once looked away.

  “All right, you can help me. But there are a few conditions. Number one: no more killing. Number two: you will always stay where I can find you. Number three: once we’ve opened these seals, you will stand trial for your crimes against the Beast Tribe.”

  “I accept all these conditions. Shall I wait here in this prison for you?”

  Jenn walked over to the gate and knocked. “Open up. Eon, let’s go.”

  “Jenn, I must warn you that this particular Phantom has the ability to disrupt our communication as well. He may be a spy for those who—”

  “CALA, I’ve made my decision. If we are going to get the remaining seals open, Kei and I need help. I can’t explain it, but I have a feeling he means everything he says.”

  “I am not sure if I share your confidence. Most assassins are trained in acting and impersonation.”

  “If I’m wrong, I know I’m dead, but for once I am going to follow my hunch here. Now I need to get back to business. Save your worries for tonight, OK?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “My Serif-fan, you are taking this prisoner with you?” one of the guards asked.

  “Yes, he is under my care from now on. Prison is not the punishment he deserves,” she said.

  Both guards nodded and let them pass. Jenn led him through the maze of people with difficulty. Eon’s great height and purple hair stood out in the crowd. A few passers-by spat on him but most simply scurried clear. As they rounded the dirt road to the palace, however, she could see one pair of people who didn’t intend to move one inch. To the right was Winowa, who stared with icy eyes. Her basket of herbs shook in her pale hands. Beside her stood an angry cat-man, arms crossed over his chest.

  “I remember him,” Eon said, squinting. “He has a strange stance, and he doesn’t like me at all.”

  “He’s jealous,” Jenn whispered back.

  “That must be his woman. It’s interesting that he would choose a commoner,” Eon remarked.

  “Um . . .”

  “What is that monster doing out of prison?” Kei asked. Winowa took a few prudent steps back. Jenn quickly filled the gap.

  “I released him, Kei.” Jenn tried to keep her voice as level as possible.

  “You did what?” Kei growled.

  “His life is mine until we open the seals; then I am turning him over to your father to atone for his crimes.”

  “I will not—”

  “You will!” Jenn snapped. “If he steps out of line once, we’ll talk, but for now you don’t touch him.”

  “How dare you—?” Winowa started.

  “Last time I checked, I was the Serif-fan, right Kei?”

  “We will talk later,” Kei hissed as he noticed a crowd gathering. “Winowa and I are going to the lake.”

  “Fine. Eon and I have a lot to talk about anyway.”

  The two pairs parted ways as quickly as possible. It took a little bit of explaining to get Eon into the palace without his bonds, but finally the guards acquiesced. The taller human had to duck to follow Jenn up to her room.

  “Your quarters are very simple for a holy woman,” he remarked.

  “They aren’t really mine, I guess. I used to have a place over in the Temple Tree. But it’s kind of nice not having a lot of stuff. There’s never anything to clean.”

  Eon knelt by the window. “It is so bright. I’m not used to it.”

  “We have a lot to talk about. I know everyone thinks I’m crazy for letting you out . . .”

  “What does it matter what they think? You are following your heart right now.”

  “I hope it’s my heart I’m following,” she muttered as she stared at Eon’s chiseled profile and lean, suntanned body. “Well, where shall we begin?”

 

  Kei tore the bark off an innocent birch tree as he howled. Winowa sat on a stone, chewing on her knuckles as she watched the scene.

  “Please, Kei. You will only anger the spirits,” she cried.

  “My own spirits are angered, Winowa. Why must she—?”

  “Kei, perhaps she does mean it for the best. If this Eon is truly reformed . . .”

  Kei shook his head, sending beads of sweat flying. “No. I saw the way he looked at her. He had more on his mind than serving her.”

  “Please, Lord Kei, if she is truly being unfaithful then the spirits will punish her. Don’t torment yourself like this. She isn’t worth it.”

  He slumped beside his friend and let her run her fingers through his hair. Eventually some of the sickening, grayish-pink color faded from his cheeks. As Winowa stroked his ears, he finally relaxed.

  “Why could I not have married you, Winowa? I never wanted to be Sora-khar.”

  Winowa stared off into the evening fog. “You know that the temple never would have allowed it.”

  He looked at his bandaged hand. “If only they knew,” he muttered. “Winowa, you know I . . .”

  Winowa caught her breath for a second. Kei watched her closely. In the bright moonlight, her skin took on a soft, silvery tone. He traced his hand along her cheek and sighed.

  “You don’t want to be an outsider. You never have,” Winowa said, pulling away.

  Kei toyed with one of her blonde curls. “But, if I was an outsider we could be together.”

  “Maybe.”

  Kei’s face fell.

  “Lord Kei, it’s nothing like that. You know that I lo—I’ve loved you.”

  It was Kei’s turn to catch his breath. Winowa rested her hand over her mouth and shook her head.

  “But it wouldn’t be right. Your place is serving the Tribe. I would only be in the way.”

  “Do not say such things. Winowa, you have always been with me. I cannot imagine you being in the way.”

  “And what about Ji-ann? Think about her . . . feelings.” Winowa choked out.

  “Ji-ann does not want me. She should have chosen Saikain and then none of this mess would ever have happened. I am a freak to her, a man who has no place in her life.”

  “And you feel nothing for her?” Winowa asked.

  He said nothing.

  “Lord Kei?”

  Kei began picking at the clover near his leg. “I want to tell her to go away. I sometimes hate her, but—”

  “Stop there, please.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. As he rested his head on her shoulder, he felt a tear drop on his neck. “I am sorry, Winowa. When I become Warlord then we can finally—”

  “Don’t make me hope.”

  “My father was considered tame for only having one consort and one wife. My mother was a Machidonian, so surely—”

  “Kei, I want to come with you. When you go to unlock the next seals, I want to be by your side,” Winowa interrupted. “Please.”

  Kei wrapped his arms around her even tighter. “Of course. I will not leave you behind again. We will always be together.”

  “I hope you’re right. Kei, I swear to you I won’t interfere—”

  “Winowa, I would never think that.”

  “Good,” she said as she returned his embrace. They stayed that way for as long as they dared before finally starting the long walk home.

 

  “So who wants me dead, Eon?” Jenn asked between bites of stew. The Phantom ate his supper reluctantly beside her.

  “The name was Farris Adair, a Knight pledged in service to a Machidonian lord.”

  “Machidonian like Kei’s mom?” Jenn said.

  “I suppose. The particular Machidonian this Farris serves is different. He’s one of the Machine Men, who are normally very
predictable, slaves of a god they call the Probability Machine. It struck even my enslaved mind as odd that that group of Machidonians would care enough about the tribe of Beasts to order one of them dead. While it is true that the Beasts and Machine Men have collided in the past, the Machidonians have never initiated the conflict.”

  “So why would they start blowing us up now?” Jenn muttered.

  “I do not know. This Farris clearly knew of your existence, but he gave no details about your mission or purpose. I was only told to kill the messenger from God,” Eon said. He gulped down another mouthful. “Don’t these people believe in seasoning their meat? I know it’s fresh, but it gets gamy after a while—”

  “Eon!”

  The Phantom put down his spoon. “Ji-ann, I won’t lie to you. Farris is a Knight. His kind are not like other men. They possess all the strength and memories of their forefathers. Most are eventually driven mad, but if a Knight has his wits about him, no normal man can defeat him. The Machidonian who employs Farris must be powerful and ambitious, with his sights set on destroying the Beast Tribe once and for all.”

  “Why? Why would they start by killing me?”

  Eon smiled sadly. “Statistics, Ji-ann. The Probability Machine is a precise and logical god. It knows and Farris knows what zealots the Beasts can be. The key to their defeat has always been their faith,” he said.

  “So what do we do? He’s gonna try to kill me again, isn’t he?”

  “I wouldn’t worry too much for now. After all, the Knight thinks that I am trying to kill you. We will have some time before he realizes that I have failed, so long as you remain unseen.”

  “Air ships, Knights, Machine Men . . . None of it makes any sense. I mean, won’t that thing be back to destroy Gracow while we are gone?” Jenn asked.

  Eon shook his head. “If they could have blown up your city, they wouldn’t have hired me. We must concern ourselves now with the Knight. His people are legends among the rabble. He commands formidable resources via this respect.”

  “So how are we supposed to stop him?” Jenn asked. She buried her face in her hands.

  “Stay out of his way. I can sense this Farris from quite a distance. He has so many ghosts in his head I can hear the hum.”

  “Hum?”

  Eon nodded. “It’s something about the ancestors. Whenever they are within range, I hear this whine. It’s rather annoying. Farris was deafening.”

  “Deafening?”

  Eon smiled at her breaking voice. He grabbed her hands to steady them. “Do not be afraid, Ji-ann. Phantoms are trained to cancel even Knights. I can silence the ghosts in his head.”

  “So you can beat him, right?”

  “No. No Knight has ever been beaten in fair combat. I can cancel his skill. Most Knights are weak without the dead ones to guide them, but there are always a few who have not only listened to their ancestors, but truly learned their techniques.”

  “But . . . ,” Jenn asked. “But you can stop him, right? Right, Eon?”

  Eon continued to hold Jenn’s hands. “I can make him sick long enough for us to escape. That alone is my power.”

  “I have a bad feeling about all of this.” She finally pulled her hands free and finished her supper. “I guess I should ask you about the seals. I heard that the second seal is called the Seal of Water. Do you know of anything that is like a lake within the ocean? That’s what the scrolls say I should look for next.”

  Eon scratched his chin and kicked his feet up on the table, lost in thought. He began to toy with his last remaining feather as he pondered.

  “Caybera Island,” he mused. “It’s a trader outpost off the Port of Jasturia that’s an island with a lake in the center. Legend has it that the water is magical and sometimes sparks with a life of its own.”

  “I guess we should we check it out, then?”

  “A good three day’s ride will get us to the edge of the Jasturia Province. It’s another day or two to the port. The travel isn’t too bad, but there is one problem.”

  “Do I want to know?” Jenn asked as she lowered her head to the table.

  Eon sighed. “The entire province of Jasturia is controlled by the Knights, and I would guess by Farris’s accent that he’s one of that tribe.”

 

  Gladiator

 

  “I’m scared, guys,” Jenn sighed as Kaschaka adjusted her dress one last time. “The Warlord is—”

  The swan shaman shook her head and put Jenn’s necklace on. “You should not worry so much. The Great Bear is one of the most reasonable Warlords ever to grace the sacred stone.”

  A ferocious roar echoed from the great hall. “Are you mad, boy?” bellowed from behind the doors. Jenn gulped as even the normally unflappable Kaschaka flinched.

  “I should drag you out of here by your ears!” Jenn heard as the door opened a crack. Sotaka craned his head through the door and gave a pained smile. “The Warlord will see you now, Serif-fan,” he said.

  Kaschaka took a step forward, but the Great Spider shook his head. “Alone,” he added.

  Jenn took a deep breath and cracked her neck and knuckles a few times before she could work up the courage to take a step into the domain of the Warlord. Sotaka led the way through the living columns that supported the rest of the Palace Tree. Two familiar forms knelt before the thundering Bear. Jenn gasped when she saw the Obsidian Scepter swing mere inches over the tips of Kei’s ears.

  “Father,” Kei started. “I am as loathe as you are to listen to an Outsider—”

  “No! You will not dare lash at me with your mother’s tongue,” the Great Bear snapped. He dropped his scepter in front of the stoic Maya. “And you—you should already be dead,” the Warlord growled.

  “Warlord?” Jenn asked as she gingerly approached. “You wished to see me?”

  She found herself face-to-face with the hollow, glassy stare of a bear headdress. Matahk tilted his chin so she could see his one good eye in its shadow.

  “Tell me, can you make the trees obey you again, Serif-fan?” the Warlord asked.

  “I honestly don’t know,” Jenn confessed. “But I think so.”

  “My son says that you can destroy that abomination in the skies when all the seals are broken. This Phantom says that he can protect you, but only if you hide so that the Machine Men think that you are either dead or cowering. What do you say, Serif-fan?”

  Jenn took a deep breath. “I think we need to open these seals sooner rather than later. You saw what that thing did,” she said.

  Matahk stormed back to his throne. “Great Spider, send the order that the Holy Woman is to be guarded by our finest warriors and held in the Temple Tree. Proclaim to the people that we will defend our lands with the spirits, and tell them that the Machidonians cannot touch us. Also, double the patrols on our southern border. No Beast shall leave these lands!”

  “What?” Jenn exclaimed. Both Kei and Eon jumped to their feet.

  “Honorable Warlord of the Beast Tribe—” the Phantom started.

  Matahk roared loud enough to shake the pillars and send servants running for cover. He slammed his scepter into the ground, sending splinters into the air.

  “Enough. It is the tradition of our Tribe to stay in our lands, to honor our lands, and to defend our lands. We will not send our only defense into a province controlled by rabble and ghost-speakers. We will not anger Delphi.”

  “But Father, the Machidonians have already broken the Delphi Accord. They used an unfair weapon—”

  “And the Oracles will declare that we must have used one in return, and they will use it as reason to punish both sides. Believe me, boy, there will never come a day so desperate that I would seek out those witches’ help,” the Great Bear growled. “Now have my orders been made plain? Great Spider, take my son and the Serif-fan to the temple. You know what to do with the Phantom.”

  “Yes, My Warlord,” Sotaka said with a bow.

  “P
lease! You have to listen!” Jenn cried as Sotaka tried to lead her away. “Warlord, please! The Machidonians already sent this guy to kill me, and I have no idea if I can—”

  “Enough!”

  Jenn walked, dumbstruck, as Sotaka led them away from court. Kaschaka ran to join them as soon as they reached the hall.

  “My Lord Spider, you must remember the teachings,” she said as she prostrated herself in front of them. “The Scrolls of Nanut . . .”

  “Make a room ready for the Serif-fan, and keep her in there until she is needed,” Sotaka said flatly.

  “But—”

  “I rule the council now,” Sotaka snapped. “Do as you are told. From now on, only you will attend the Serif-fan.”

  “The spirits shall hear of this, False Spider,” Kaschaka spat.

  “So shall everyone else in this city, I am certain,” Sotaka muttered. “Go, woman! Make the arrangements.”

  “Sotaka?” Kei asked. “What has come over you?”

  “Follow me,” Sotaka snapped as he led them to the servants’ corridor. The three confused followers stopped dead as a familiar blonde peeled aside a tarp and tossed them each a satchel.

  “Winowa?” Kei and Jenn asked in unison.

  “There isn’t much time. Hurry,” she said as she dragged them into the shadows.

  “She is right,” Sotaka added. “Kei, the change of patrols that I am about to order will give you only from between sunset to the rise of the Blood Moon to reach the south river pass.”

  “Wait, what did I miss?” Jenn asked.

  “The Phantom Eon is about to make a daring escape, which everyone will assume is to try and kill the Serif-fan,” Sotaka said.

  “Well, I am a heartless mercenary,” Eon finished without skipping a beat. “I must be very motivated to kill the Serif-fan. Good luck to you guards in finding me!”

  Winowa wasted no time unhooking Jenn’s necklace and passing it off to the shaman. She then formed a human shield so that neither the dumbstruck Eon nor Kei could see the Serif-fan’s dress fall to the floor.