“I told Jaradee to stay hidden.” He uncurled his fingers and stared at his palms. “I promised to find her daughter, but she refused to remain behind. We left together, but soon separated to cover more territory. Had I not sent Toa to watch over her, I would not have known she found Rayn or that the RomPeer’s men were in pursuit. By the time I reached them, Jaradee lay motionless between two soldiers.”
A loose wooden shake caught by a gust of wind beat against the roof. Kuparak paused to let out a long, emotion-filled breath. “Rethdun, it would be best if you did not hear this.”
Rethdun returned his serious gaze. “Momee is dead, isn’t she? I must understand how.”
Kuparak squeezed the bridge of his nose. “How did you—” He shook his head. “Never mind.”
Floree twisted to look at him. “Will you at least sit in my lap, Rethdun?”
He kissed her cheek. “I will stand, but you may hold my hand, Aunt Floree.” Intertwining his fingers through hers, he brought his full attention to Kuparak. “I am ready.”
A nod from Mylos and Kuparak picked up the thread of his story.
“I dispatched the two soldiers to meet their gods and examined your mother. When I rolled her over, blood soaked her clothing. The superficial wounds to her arm and shoulder would have been easily managed. The knife wounds in her stomach—” He clasped Rethdun’s free hand. “There was nothing I could do. She knew she was dying. Even so, she tried to hold on. She asked me to guide you to manhood and made me promise to find Rayn and to give her the moonstone locket.” The ebony features, already soaked with sadness, filled with pain. “She begged me to help her die.”
A blast of wind blew the door wide. He lumbered to his feet, pushed it shut, and secured the latch. For a time he remained there, his shoulders weighted by the burden of his actions. When he returned, he knelt. His amber eyes scrutinized Rethdun’s face.
“I am what is known by our people as an Animilero. Do you know what that is?”
Rethdun thought to search his grandsire’s memories, decided Kuparak must speak, and shook his head.
“Animileros are men and women who are born to protect the leaders of the Eleo Preda. We are taught to value all life. We are also trained in the arts of death. Your mother knew I could help her die with peace and dignity.”
Thunder rumbled in the distance. The wind’s wailing decreased to a whisper. The rain’s pounding ceased.
Rethdun controlled his desire to deny his mother’s death. “I know you helped her. Tell me how.”
Kuparak’s unwavering gaze held his. “I gathered her into my lap and held her next to my heart. A wave of unbearable pain consumed her. When the pain dimmed, she whispered her love for you, for Rayn, and for me. When it reclaimed her, I sliced through a large artery in her inner thigh. As her blood soaked the ground, she reached up and touched a tear on my cheek. In her final moments, her beautiful face grew still and peaceful. Pain no longer held her in its grip. Death claimed her gently, Rethdun, and escorted her spirit to reside with her ancestors. I brought her body here. She is buried out back in an unmarked grave.”
Enshrouded in loss, Rethdun could not move. Words gathered but remained unspoken. Tears formed but refused to fall. His heart, like his eyes, felt dry and empty. He squared his shoulders. “Thank you for your love of Momee, Kuparak. Tell us of Rayn.”
Surprise showed momentarily on the man’s face before it hardened. “A Klutarse has taken Rayn to the RomPeer in Chunarrie. She is, at this point, beyond our reach. The last time I saw her, she was trying to jump off his horse.” A tiny smile appeared. “She fought hard to get away.” The smile faded. “But she is small to overcome a well-trained man. He did not hurt her; he dared not. I knew I could not rescue her from her captors, so I chose to help your maman.”
Closing his eyes, Rethdun tethered to Aquila and stretched his consciousness outward until he discovered his birth-mate’s essence. Satisfied she lived, he clasped Kuparak’s hand. “Show me Momee’s grave.”
He found it hard to imagine his beautiful mother beneath the mound of dirt and rain-limp leaves. Across from him, Floree’s tears fell, soaking the grave with their fluid farewell. Mylos whispered a song of passing. Kuparak waited in silence beside him.
Rethdun gripped his stomach. A sense of urgency roiled into existence. SaHal’s presence strengthened. Rethdun looked from one adult to the next. “I must not be captured.” His grandsire’s essence faded. He sighed. “I am very tired. Will you decide what is best to prevent it?”
Floree’s arms enclosed him. He sat in her lap, rested his head on her shoulder, and cried. Tears tumbled; sobs quaked. The world seemed dark, forbidding, and filled with loss. Aquila landed next to him on the back stoop. Forêst’s image flooded his mind. Beside the silver wolf, his mother smiled. The image dissolved. He looked up at Kuparak.
“I’m glad you came back to El Stroma.” Wiping his tears, he climbed from his aunt’s lap, walked into the cabin, wrapped a blanket around himself, and let sleep mute his sadness.
The murmur of adult voices drifting around him ended his escape into dreaming. Dim light filtering through the open door dispersed over the floor. Yawning, he sat up. Momee is gone. The RomPeer has Rayn. I am too small to fight for her. He climbed to his feet. I will find you someday, Rayn, and we will fly together again.
Walking onto the porch, he surveyed a clearing reclaimed by nature. Mylos and Kuparak talked in subdued tones. Floree sank onto the steps and lifted a sorrow-filled face to the morning sun. He sat beside her.
“She isn’t gone, Aunt Floree.” He touched his heart. “She is right here.”
Floree put an arm around him. “How did you ever get so wise?”
He shot her a you-know-why look.
Her soft laugh made him snuggle closer. “What’s for breakfast?”
She passed him a piece of fruit. “Do you know what we’re doing today?”
He chewed a juicy bite. “Are we leaving?”
Mylos joined them. “Kuparak is going to Chunarrie to watch over Rayn. You and I and Floree are going to Tic Calag. Do you know where that is?”
Rethdun ignored his memories and shook his head.
“Do you remember Kuparak saying he took his sister sibling to another planet?”
“Yes.” He shoved the last piece of fruit in his mouth.
“I’m going to take you to the transport center and you and Floree—”
Rethdun covered his ears. “Don’t tell me anymore. That way it will be an adventure, and my memories won’t know what others should not discover.”
Kuparak walked up. “Better listen to him, Mylos.” He offered a hand to Rethdun. “I’m leaving, and I doubt you will be here when I get back. Take good care of Floree.”
Rethdun shook the hand. “Take good care of Rayn.”
“I’ll do my best.” He turned to Mylos. “Toa will keep you informed via ReRe.” Gathering Floree up in a bear hug, he released her and smiled. “Good knowing you. If you ever get to Thera…”
She grinned. “I’ll look up Tala. Take care of yourself.”
Two smoky galees soared upward. A lump formed in Rethdun’s throat. Aquila fluttered to the ground beside him. His tukoolo’s telie-eye scanned the dome and contracted.
Rethdun knelt and put an arm around him. “Thanks for being my compeer, Aquila.” The woodland galee nibbled his cheek and flew to a nearby tree.
Mylos stood at the edge of the stoop. “Tic Calag is a good distance from Tahellive. I’m sure glad Alkina’s return to its direct orbit is complete. We should have good weather. I suggest we fly.”
SaHal’s memories stirred. “Why don’t we alternate flying and traveling as wolves? That way we can cover more ground and keep the Pheet Adole guessing.”
The strain in Floree’s face softened. “Your grandsire speaks?”
A shrug and a smile provided his answer.
“If you are captured, Rethdun, how will you hide your grandsire’s memories?”
“I don’
t know, Aunt Floree. Let’s not get caught.” He joined her on the stoop. “How soon do we leave?”
Mylos scanned the dome. “Tonight, we travel in wolf form and rest during the day. We don’t have Forêst to guide us, but I know this side of the Chaporticas Mountains. I suggest we rest until dusk, then we can eat and begin our journey.”
Floree climbed to her feet and stretched. “I could use a nap. Come on, Rethdun.” She led the way into the dim cabin and arranged a blanket into a bed.
Rethdun curled up beside her and listened to her soft breathing. “I will escape from El Stroma. I have to.”
24
Jaradee’s Legacy
Part 2 - Escape
T hree long turnings of travel had passed and three more lay ahead when Rethdun woke, his wolf senses reeling. The night had been colder than usual. He, Mylos, and Floree had assumed their wolf shapes and curled up together close to their small fire. Sometime earlier, he had perceived Mylos shifting to hawk, but dreams had pulled him further into the bottomless depths of his grandsire’s knowledge and power.
SaHal, a chieftain leader and master shameen, had lived a long, full life. He, like his grandsire before him, bore the stewardship of his family’s ancestral memory. Rethdun now shouldered the responsibility. He rose each morning steeped in new learnings and spent the day observing life from his fresh perspective. On this waking, he looked around, knowing something inside him had transformed.
Across the way, Floree sat alone on a rock by the fire. An aura of fear cloaked her like morning mist.
He stood, shook his furry body, and changed to Human. “Where’s Mylos?”
“Toa alerted ReRe. Kuparak’s in trouble. Mylos left to help…if he can. You and I will continue to Tic Calag.” She seemed to shrink. “I’m afraid, Rethdun. Every day the threat to your life grows. Mylos has contacts at the transport center who can help us. I don’t know anyone.” A sigh of hopelessness exited her body like air from a deflating balloon. “How will I ever get you to safety?”
Newfound knowledge spun through Rethdun’s mind and grew still. “Forêst will be here soon. He knows the way.” Scrambling into her lap, he snuggled into the crook of her arm. “We will be fine, Aunt Floree.”
She rested her cheek on his dark hair and sighed. When she released him, he smiled. Her fear had lessened, and hope brightened a slight smile. “I don’t know what you did, but thank you. Let’s see what we can scrounge up for a meal. I’m hungry.”
Rethdun climbed to his feet, tethered to Aquila, and shifted to a wolf. A soft yip brought a barked response. A short time later, Forêst walked from the trees and deposited breakfast at Floree’s feet. She tethered and shape shifted. The three shared his fresh kill and then began their journey through the rocky terrain. The sun shimmered close to the horizon when they came to a halt on a narrow lake-shore beach. Lapping noisily, Rethdun quenched his thirst and sat back on his haunches. Beyond the lake, stands of sgàile aspen scattered over rolling hills. Shimmering white leaves fluttered in the late afternoon breeze. Slender, white trunks cast long shadows over the shore. Forêst nudged him to standing, gave a clipped yip, and trotted along the beach. Floree flanked him. Rethdun jogged close behind.
Forêst paused. Intense, silver-blue eyes searched. The stench of horse and Human drifting over the water laid his ears back. A soft warning growl cautioned Rethdun to stay close. The big wolf lengthened his loping stride and led the way. When the copse of trees enclosed them, Forêst shaped an ivory galee, something SaHal had alluded to but Rethdun had never seen, and soared upward. Floree made a quick shift. Rethdun felt Aquila urging him to change. A final sniff and galee wings carried him between translucent leaves. An unexpected break in the canopy left him exposed above a narrow glade bordering a much older and less hospitable forest. Aquila hovered, then swooped into mist-dulled light and gnarled, forbidding trees.
An arrow whizzing past sent Rethdun streaking after him. Tundi oak, bristling pine, and ulmus elm surrounded him. Soaring to the top of an ancient tree, he landed. Gold-tipped green feathers camouflaged his presence. Not far ahead, he sensed Floree’s blanked mind.
Twigs snapping and an occasional equine snort announced the arrival of four mounted soldiers. Riding single file, they wound their way between the sgàiles. Helmet-shaded eyes searched the vale. Where open terrain transitioned to primordial forest, the leader, a squat, burly officer, raised a hand and halted. He peered into the murkiness, turned, and glared at his men.
“See anything?”
A chorus of negatives left him scowling.
The man behind him patted his horse’s neck and indicated the oppressive woods. “Is that Seerdrum Wood?”
Dismounting, the officer looped his horse’s reins over a low branch. “It is. Bring the SorTech and the girl. We’ll wait here.” He cast a worried glance at the woods. “And hurry.”
The soldier wheeled his horse and trotted back the way they had come. His comrades dismounted.
Rethdun considered flying after the departing man. Knowledge and memory held him in check. Obscuring his thoughts, he allowed his grandsire’s wisdom to be his guide. He did not move nor think. Nearby, he could feel Forêst’s ivory galee. Aquila and Puna circled high above the trees.
The soldiers formed an uneasy group. Talking in low tones, they cast furtive glances in the direction of the lake. When the two horses ambled into the vale, they moved closer together. The lead horse carried the SorTech and his black box; the other, the man who had fetched him and a small dark-haired child. At a signal from the leader, the SorTech jumped to the ground, untied the box, and began to set up his equipment.
Curiosity teased Rethdun to fly nearer. SaHal’s wisdom, a soft murmur in his mind, held him motionless. He melded with leaves and rough oak bark. Floree’s presence faded into elm and beech. Nothing of Forêst’s presence remained.
The SorTech peered into the woods. “Are you sure you want me to use this here?”
“Get it done so we can leave.” The officer hissed between barred teeth.
Giving a shrug, the SorTech donned his patch, removed the lid from the box, and proceeded to twist knobs and press buttons. The horses tossed their heads and snuffled uneasily. A tingling sensation shot up Rethdun’s spine. The child, her chin resting on her chest, dark hair obscuring her face, remained unaffected.
Much about the child reminded Rethdun of Rayn. And yet… Again, strong memories kept him still.
A frenzied howl, rustled the tops of the trees and wailed around the glade. A horse reared. A soldier ducked. Another dodged a horse’s frightened sidestep.
The officer yanked the SorTech to his feet. “Did you feel anything?”
A windy gust scattered the yelled words. A second whipped the trees into a writhing dance. The black box trembled and lifted above the ground. As though thrown by an invisible hand, it shot through the air and crashed into a tree. Men ducked flying debris and fought to calm their frightened horses.
Rethdun fixed an eye on the immobile girl-child. Using the chaos to obscure a mind touch, Rethdun reached out. Shock left him stunned.
The SorTech spun around. Bulging eyes scanned the woods, hesitated on Rethdun’s tree, and narrowed. “I found some—”
The officer’s horse laid its ears back, tucked its tail close, and swung its hind quarters. The SorTech stumbled backward. Grabbing the horse’s reins, the burly leader, threw himself into the saddle and shouted, “Get out of here!”
Another frenetic howl shook the vale. Fighting to gain control of his mount, the man guarding the child lost his grip. Limp-limbed, she flopped to one side, toppled to the ground, and lay unmoving, a single spot of stillness in the seething panic around her.
Gripping the horse’s mane, the guard cast a frantic glance from the girl to his leader.
“Leave her!” Urging his horse forward, the burly officer, galloped for the lake. His men mounted and raced after him. The SorTech cast a final look in Rethdun’s direction and galloped back through the copse o
f ghost-white trees.
Seerdrum Wood went deathly quiet. Luminous fog wafted through the trees. A suffocating silence crept over the glade. Aquila circled lower. Puna landed near Floree. A silver-gray wolf stepped from behind a tree and walked to the child’s side.
Rethdun flew to the ground and took his human form. He knelt and put a small hand on her forehead. His brow furrowed. Tears blurred his vision.
Floree materialized and knelt. Gentle hands turned the child over and brushed dark hair from the pale face. “She resembles Rayn, but…” The words followed a quivering exhale. “She’s empty of any conscious thought or memory. I believe she’s what SorTechs call a mimic.” She peered closer and took a small wrist between her fingers. “Although faint, she has a pulse.”
Rethdun moved to Forêst’s side. “She is Eleo Preda. They harvested her memories, stole her will to live, and imprinted Rayn’s features over hers.” An inquiring look from Floree almost made him smile.
She shook her head. “SaHal. You have absorbed much of his knowledge.”
“It is my destiny, Aunt Floree.” He stared through the sgàiles. “We don’t have much time.”
She blanched. “We can’t just leave her here, Rethdun.”
He slipped a hand into hers. “We don’t have to. Look.”
An aged woman walked toward them. White hair brushed hunched shoulders. Eyes the pewter gray of storm clouds gazed at Forêst, moved to Rethdun, and then to Floree. Kneeling, she placed a gnarled hand over the child’s heart. The small body quaked. Dulled eyes blinked open. Fear flared.
The woman smiled. “You are safe, child.” She turned to Forêst. “You and your pack may traverse Seerdrum Wood. Do not linger and do not look back. The girl will join the Callichea.” She and the child began to glimmer. “We will protect you within the boundaries our domain.” Like a mirage, they melted away.
Forêst’s head swung in the direction of the distant lake. A low growl rumbled.
The UnFolding Collection Three Page 82