Nori shifted in the saddle so he could inspect her. Apisa rode beside him, absolutely relaxed. She gently held her reins and watched him expectantly.
“Why do you want to know?” Nori asked. “No one ever wants to know that kind of stuff about me.”
Apisa said, “I don’t want you to feel left out and unappreciated. Even though I said you were unwanted and unneeded before, that doesn’t mean I can’t make you feel welcome now. We’re traveling companions now.”
Nori viewed the road ahead of him. “I suppose we are. So you want to know about Onista, huh? Imagine being surrounded by the tallest peaks you’ve ever seen. The cool winds constantly blow around you like a mother’s delicate embrace. Every time you draw in life giving air, you feel a part of the mountain’s splendor in your lungs. Beauty lies all around you, in the forms of clouds, trees, and even the majestic mountains. The people who live in Onista all care about one another. They’re like extended family. No matter what, you have someone to help you.”
“Wow,” Apisa said. “That does sound nice. My home’s plenty pretty too. We don’t have mountains like you. We have some rolling hills, but most of it’s flat. The people who have lived in Buka before me cultivated the land to yield bountiful harvests, over and over again. We’re living on the fruit of their labors. The work we do today will serve the children of tomorrow. The air’s probably not as sweet as where you are from. Especially around the pig farms.”
Nori scoffed. “We have a couple pig farms in Onista. I remember the stink being pretty bad.”
“You haven’t truly smelled awful until you’ve strolled past the Buka farms. It changes you forever.” Apisa chuckled. “So you like poetry, and you play the lute. Why did you become a chew um… what’s it called again?”
“A Qu-Tar,” Nori said. “I didn’t have a choice. After I earned these scars, I was drafted against my will. I never got the choice to be anything other than an Imperial bodyguard.”
“So what would you have been, had you the opportunity to choose?” Apisa asked.
“You’re asking some deep questions,” Nori said.
“Well, I want to get to know you.” Apisa gently pet the back of her horse’s neck. “How else are we supposed to become friends if I don’t get to know you?”
Nori winced. His stomach clenched tightly and he averted his eyes from both the road and from his companion.
“What?” Apisa asked. “Did I say something wrong? You look even more upset than before.”
“No, it’s fine.” Nori sighed and slowly urged Mac to trot faster.
Apisa fell behind, but Nori heard her talking with someone. He kept his eyes forward. Nori’s insides squirmed as he rolled up the scroll and placed in back in his bags. Apisa still whispered to someone, but Nori distanced himself from the noise. He took several deep breathes and cleared his thoughts of his anxieties.
Over the next couple hours, the storm on the horizon had rolled much closer. Darkness had trailed underneath its cloudy mass, and thunder cracked in the distance. Judging from the discoloration under the thickest part of the storm clouds, Nori and the others could expect a heavy downpour. Nori beheld the immense splendor of the sea to his left, and to his right a vast plain of grass and hills stretched out as far as the eye could see.
He pulled on the reigns and stopped Mac. “We may want to make camp. There’s no telling how bad this is going to be. I want to make sure the horses have effective cover.”
Rayko, Apisa, and Flara turned their attention to the sky, and then nodded collectively. Apisa helped Nori set up the stable tent for the horses while Rayko and Flara worked on the sleeping tents.
Apisa waited until she and Nori got four of the posts put into the ground before she spoke. “Did I say something to upset you? I’m really sorry if I did.”
Nori tested each of the posts for stability, but refused to look her way. “I promise that you didn’t say anything to upset me. Don’t worry about me anyway; I’m just Flara’s bodyguard. I don’t really matter all that much.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but then refrained. Once the tarp was secured around the four posts, Nori led each of the horses inside and secured them to a thick iron bar that had been planted in the ground at the far end of the tent. At first, the horses reacted nervously to being put in the makeshift stable. After Nori gave them the feedbags, the horses calmed down.
The great downpour started just as Flara and Rayko finished the first tent.
“Get under cover. I’ll work on my tent,” Nori said.
Apisa and Flara gave him disapproving glances, but Rayko took them by the arms and led them to the first tent.
Rayko said, “You heard him, darlings. We need to get under cover before we catch colds. Nori comes from the mountains. He’s used to being out in the elements, I’m sure.”
The girls disappeared into the tent while Nori set up the posts for his tent. He stored his belongings in the stable to avoid them from getting soaked. It took more than ten minutes for him to get completely done. Water dripped from his clothes, so he took them off to let them dry. Thunder cracked overhead and the wind howled wildly. Rain fell upon the camp with such vigor. Nori just stared out into the rain. A profound emptiness pulsated within him. His imagination painted what life in Onista must have looked like at the moment.
He saw Onistans trying to get home in the pouring rain. Rather than get completely soaked, they would stop at a friend’s home or business. They collected together and shared stories and connections. Laughter kept the gloom of the rain at bay. It didn’t matter what they talked about, for they had one another. They weren’t alone.
Nori sighed and prepared his bed roll. A chill blew into the tent, but he couldn’t close the tent flap. Someone had to keep watch. The storm subsided after about three hours. By that point, the sun had only an hour before dipping below the horizon.
Nori put on his wet clothes and left his tent. He moved into the stable tent, opened one of his saddle bags, and took out the emergency stack of fire wood he had bought in Jadai. It didn’t take a long time to start up a fire.
As soon as it started crackling, the girls exited their tents and sat alongside the fire. A strange solemnness had come over the girls. They gazed into the flames as if searching for meaning.
Nori broke the silence. “So how much farther is this forest we’re looking for?”
Flara shifted in her seat and peeked at him through cautious eyes. “I’d s-say we’ll get there by the end of the d-day tomorrow. It would p-probably be a good idea to camp one more night before trying to go into the woods at night. F-forests are dangerous at night.”
Nori let out a humph. The warmth of the fire felt nice, and soon his wet clothes started to dry. Rayko yawned and moved toward the tent.
“I’m going to bed now. A lady does need her beauty sleep after all,” Rayko said.
“Actually, I have a question.” Apisa turned to Nori. “How is this going to work? Aren’t we supposed to take watches or something? Or did you plan on doing that all yourself?”
Nori gripped the tetsubo beside him. “I’m the most equipped to handle that. I’ve been trained to operate on less sleep than a normal person.”
“That’s just silly,” Apisa said. “How is it supposed to work anyway? We each get two or three hours for a watch? If so, I’ll take second watch.”
“That’s unnecessary,” Nori replied. “You all get some sleep.”
Flara interlaced her fingers together and closed her eyes. A purple and pink hue glowed up from the back of her dress. Pink mist floated up from her barely parted lips. A moment later, three fairly large brown spheres floated out of the ground. They took shape into half people, half ghosts.
“E-excuse me,” Flara asked. “C-can you please watch over us while we sleep?”
The kami spirits nodded and then descended into the ground. A few moments later, giant rock columns rose from the ground. Nori rose to his feet and held up his tetsubo. Giant figures made of rock
pulled themselves from the ground and lorded over the group. The top of Nori’s head reached their waists.
Rayko chuckled. “Easy there, you brute. You don’t have to destroy everything you see. Those are earth kami. I assume they’re going to solve our ‘who’s going to be on watch’ quandary, right?”
Flara simply nodded. “W-we can all get a f-full night’s rest now. After eight hours, we c-can resume our j-journey.”
The three massive earth kami positioned themselves around the camp and remained still like statues. Nori studied them for a moment, and he lowered his tetsubo.
He said, “If it’s all the same, I’ll stay up for about three hours, just to be safe.”
Flara and Rayko moved to the tent, but Apisa remained where she sat.
“Would you like some company or something? It might be really lonely just sitting out here with them.” Apisa pointed to one of the massive forms. “I doubt they’re going to be good for conversation.”
“No thank you,” Nori replied. “I appreciate it. Get some rest.”
Apisa frowned as she moved toward the tent. A pang of guilt struck Nori in the heart.
“Hey Apisa,” Nori called out.
She gazed back at him. “Yeah?”
“How about you and I talk tomorrow?” Nori asked. “While we ride to the forest I mean?”
An appraising twinkle danced in her eyes. “You promise? We’ll actually get to know one another? I hate having people around me feel lonely or unwelcomed.”
“I promise.”
Apisa approached him and held out her littlest right finger to him. “Do you pinky promise? My granny always used to say you’re never supposed to break a pinky promise.”
Nori couldn’t help it. A small chuckle bubbled up from him, and he grinned.
As soon as Apisa saw it, her expression soared. “Ha! I did it! I made you smile! Now pinky promise me so I can go to bed. I’m tuckered out after a long day’s travel.”
Nori interlocked his pinky with hers. “I pinky promise I’ll talk with you tomorrow.”
Apisa nodded and then went to her tent. She didn’t look back before she closed the tent flap.
Nori gazed up at the sky and saw the last bits of light fade from existence. Soon the stars would appear, Nori always loved seeing the stars. When the first little light appeared in the heavens, Nori focused on it. He and his mother used to watch the stars come out, many years before. His soul trembled, but he couldn’t identify a cause. A deep longing took hold of him. It refused to let go. The darkness surrounded the camp, and the fire died down. Nori rose and went to his tent. Before he moved inside, he breathed in a final whiff of the sweet night air. Tomorrow would be better. After all, he had made a pinky promise.
THE QUIET STILLNESS that had dominated Tov’s camp all morning finally started to dissipate as the sun reached its zenith. Tov sat on the log before the burned out spot where the fire had burned the night before. He twirled a small blade of grass in his fingertips.
It had been so easy to pluck it from the thousands of other surrounding blades of grass. With little effort, it was split apart from its roots. By all accounts, the blade of grass was weak. During last night’s storm though, Tov had seen something unique. A great storm had ravaged the area, with howling winds and frequent crackles of lightening. The gusts had been so great that the few trees in the area groaned in protest as the wind had nearly snatched their branches away. When that same wind had blown upon the oceans of grass, the individual blades just danced about, unconcerned with the storm’s fury.
Tov studied the grass closer. How could something so weak be able to withstand forces that boasted the strength to topple tougher entities? The humans and yokai of a thousand years ago managed to topple their divine masters. Now, the Yaoguai were the grass whereas the human filth had become tall trees. The yokai traitors had no doubt thrived as well, while the Yaoguai had to cling to the shadows, hoping to avoid detection. Would the same principle that worked a thousand years ago work today? Would the weaker of the races be saved while the dominant ones were consumed by the ravages of destiny?
The Celestial Ones promised that the Yaoguai would emerge and thrive once more.
Intense, yet pleasant warmth covered his right arm. Tov glanced down to the little golden armband with the pebble sized yellow jewel embedded within it. The armband covered his wrist and traveled half way up his forearm. As the warmth continued to seep into Tov’s veins, the jewel glowed with a bright yellow hue. The jewel flashed several times. In the depths of Tov’s mind, he heard the all too familiar voices.
They sounded like a beautiful choir who spoke in unison. With each word that entered his thoughts, Tov shivered.
The voices said, “The Mogwi are near. Establish dominance. They are needed.”
Tov balled his fists up and stood up from a prone position. The vast sea of grass danced all around him, and yet he didn’t see anyone or anything. Unseen eyes drilled into him. His spine quivered under pressure of hidden presences. A palpable malice festered in the air.
He surveyed the grass one more time. “I know you’re out there. Come out, I have summoned you.”
The wind blew past him, and a strange musky animal scent filled his nose. A furry creature rose up from the grass. How it had been concealed before mystified Tov, for the creature stood as tall as he did. A pair of long pointed ears jutted from the side of the monster’s face. A pair of bulbous eyes watched him with keen interest. The creature licked its cracked lips with a slimy purple tongue. Rows of jagged teeth rose up from dark purple gums. White and brown hair covered every inch of the creature’s body. It had claws for hands and feet.
The Mogwi spoke in a screechy voice. “You are the one who summoned us? A lowly human?”
Tov narrowed his eyes at the monster. “I’m aware that your kind has lost much in a thousand years, but surely you can see I’m not a human. Have you truly fallen so far that you’re little better than beasts?”
“Beasts?” The Mogwi asked. It took a threatening step toward him. “I’ll show you a beast, you sickly wretch. I’ll suck out your intestines through your neck.”
The Mogwi lunched at Tov, but Tov rolled away from it. His energy sword appeared in his hands as he made it to his feet. The Mogwi whirled around and stared at Tov with a wild, crazed glimmer in its eyes. It advanced on him again.
Tov swung his sword at the Mogwi’s body. The energy blade touched the creature’s fur and burned a bald spot on the creature’s skin. A foul stench wafted all around Tov, but he ignored it. Welts had formed on the bare skin, but nothing more. Tov’s heart thumped harder.
“Did you think your magic stick would kill the likes of me?” The Mogwi said.
Its savage claws raked against Tov’s chest. Blood seeped from the wounds as he fell away from the monster. Before Tov had the chance to inspect his wounds, the monster leaped at him again. Tov countered and added more welts and bare spots to the monster’s hide.
The Mogwi grinned devilishly at him. It leaned in and tried to bite him. Tov shoved the energy blade into the creature’s teeth.
A dreadful scream poured out from the hairy monster. It pawed at its mouth and felt where several teeth had melted away.
Tov whirled around the Mogwi and slashed at one of the welts that he had created earlier. The skin turned even redder, and blisters covered the exposed area.
“Perhaps you’re not as tough as you think!” Tov said.
The Mogwi turned around and tried to rend Tov with its claws. Every time one of its razor fingers came toward Tov, he dodged the blow. As the Mogwi tried to attack again, Tov counterattacked and focused on the welts. Any amounts of glee the Mogwi once had faded behind a mask of concern.
Tov brought the edge of his sword against one particular welt over and over again. With each graze, the skin got redder and more agitated. As the wound got more agitated, the Mogwi attacked with even more furious ferocity. Tov slid his blade against the same welt again. The Mogwi’s side split ope
n, and blood seeped out like a waterfall. As it tried to close up that wound, Tov focused on another welt.
His lungs heaved at the effort, but Tov kept pushing himself all the harder. Even in its wounded state, the Mogwi could kill him if it landed one good blow. More blood fountains opened up on the Mogwi, and its fur turned crimson .
The Mogwi fell to its knees and held its hands up. “Okay! I concede. Mercy!”
Tov stepped in front of the monster and thrust his sword into its right eye. The blade sizzled as eye juice covered its brilliant edge. For a moment, the Mogwi just crouched there, open mouthed. Within seconds, it collapsed on its back.
The area around Tov grew quiet. The peculiar animal scent still lingered in the air.
“I know you’re there! Come out and attend me!” Tov said. “I have summoned you for a purpose.”
He whirled around and stared into the long bushes of grass. Smaller shapes rose from concealment. Thirty smaller Mogwi had gathered in the area. They all watched Tov with grave concern. One of the larger Mogwi crept up to him, but it placed its belly on the ground.
“W-who are you?” The Mogwi asked. “Why have you summoned us? H-how did you summon us?”
Tov extended his energy wings and flapped them several times. A collective gasp spread throughout the meadow. He raised his energy sword high.
“Heed my words, Mogwi. My name isn’t important. I’m simply a herald for the Celestial Ones. They command you to serve them.”
The Mogwi crouched down and visually cowered.
“What would your masters have us do?” The larger Mogwi asked.
“Our Masters,” Tov said. “Our Masters command you to grow as many babies as you can. An army is needed.”
The Mogwi’s eyes opened wider. “An army?” It looked around at the other Mogwi. “We would have to harvest thousands of humans to do this. We would be noticed. Our kind would be hunted to extinction.”
Tov pointed his energy blade at the Mogwi’s face. “The Celestial Ones are about to return. By the time you’re finished with this task, the humans will be marching to the brink of extinction. Do this and your kind will be greatly rewarded. Use the closest city as your feeding grounds!”
The Wrath Of the Forgotten Page 8