The UnFolding Collection Three

by S. K. Randolph

“You were in shock and terrified. I knew your safety depended on your silence, so I placed the suggestion in your mind before I sent you with the Klutarse.”

  “I want to be an Animilero. Teach me.”

  “You do not know what you ask. It is not an easy journey or a short one, and we have little time.”

  “If you cannot teach me, who can?”

  “How old are you?”

  “Almost seventeen sun cycles.”

  Kuparak rose, repositioned the chair to face her, and sat down. “We’ll talk more later.”

  Awinta hurried into the enclosure, carrying a laden tray. “You are anxious to leave, Kup, but you must eat before you go.” She placed the tray on a low table next to him.

  After several mouthfuls, he looked from the Serveero to Rayn. “I am taking Rayn with me. I doubt she’ll be back.”

  A gasp from the passageway preceded the shuffling of feet and a muffled expletive.

  “Rasiana and Vygel, come in here now.” Kuparak’s command gave no room for disobedience.

  The two eavesdroppers entered. Vygel hesitated by the entry. Rasiana walked straight to Kuparak. “If Rayn is going, so am I.”

  Implacable and forbidding, the full force of his personality created a barrier between them. She didn’t blink or flinch.

  Rayn squirmed on her chair. “Kuparak, please let her come. She is my first friend and…”

  Awinta shook her head. Rayn shut her mouth and waited.

  “How much of our private conversation did you hear?”

  Rasiana answered. “We heard you tell Awinta, Rayn is leaving with you and might not be back.”

  Kuparak looked at Vygel. “How old are you?”

  The angular face reddened; the bulgy eyes widened. “Twelve sun cycles, sir.”

  “And you, Rasiana?”

  “I’m twenty-one.”

  “Hmmmm.”

  Kuparak cupped a mug of water in his hands. “Vygel, you will stay here. You will work hard in all your classes. You will be Awinta’s helper. When she decides you are ready, I will come back for you. You will forget the conversation you heard. Tell no one Rayn…” He paused, took a sip from the mug, and placed it carefully on the table. “…and Rasiana have gone with me. Do I make myself clear?”

  “You do, sir, but I want to go. Why can’t I?”

  Kuparak stood. “Sometimes life does not give us what we want, Vygel.” He turned to Rasiana. “You have a tukoolo?”

  She grinned. “Yes, it is an El Stroman whak. I call her Oha for friend. Thank you, Kuparak, for taking me.”

  “Don’t thank me. The journey will be difficult. The place I am taking you won’t be easy either. I understand you have a gift for healing. Is that correct?”

  “It is.”

  “Good. We will be traveling light. Wear layers. I’ll meet you here in half a time-circle.”

  Rayn clasped Rasiana’s hand and pulled her into the passageway. “Where do you think he’s taking us?”

  “I guess we’ll find out when we get there. I’m hungry. You?”

  “Yep. Better eat while we can.”

  Rasiana strode ahead of her. Rayn followed, her thoughts in a whirlwind. I’m to be trained as an Animilero… I know it.

  Rayn met Rasiana at Awinta’s enclosure a half circle later. When they entered, the Serveero knelt in front of a small fire pit, feeding twigs to the dancing flames. Rasiana moved to her side and assisted her to standing. “Thank you, Rasiana. I will miss your instinctive understanding.” She held out a hand to Rayn. “And you, my dear…I will miss your eagerness to learn and your quickness.” She released her hand as Kuparak entered.

  He gave the Serveero a quick hug. “Thank you for all you do and will do. I’ll check in when I can. Daar is in charge of the Vasrosi while I am away.”

  Awinta nodded. “You will be gone how long?”

  “I’ll be back when I’m back. Come, girls, we have a long way to go.”

  Awinta led them through a short passage and across a wide, dim expanse. Behind a natural barrier, a narrow opening the height of the average man looked over the rugged cliff face to the trees beyond. She hugged Rasiana. “Take care of our girl.”

  Rasiana kissed her cheek. “I promise.”

  Awinta’s attention focused on Rayn. “You have not yet seen the carnage of warfare. When you do, don’t allow it to taint your spirit.”

  Rayn accepted her words and her embrace with a strained smile. “Thank you for all you have done for me. Please tell Katareen goodbye. Tell her I will never forget her.”

  Vygel dashed around the barrier and ran straight to Rayn. “I wanted to say goodbye. I’ll work hard. When Awinta says I’m ready, I promise to find you and to fight at your side.”

  Rayn touched her heart and bowed. “I will be honored to fight at your side, Vygel Vintrusie.”

  Vygel grinned, hugged Rasiana, and bowed to Kuparak.

  The Vasrosi leader placed hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Help Awinta keep Cimondeli safe.” He stepped away, shifted, and shot through the opening, his black and silver feathers gleaming.

  Aquila’s forest green plumage glowed as he glided to his side. Oha swooped into sight behind them. Rasiana shifted and soared after her compeer. Rayn embraced her galee form and flew into the filtered light of mid-turning.

  Intermittent clouds scattered across the dome obscured the sun and her companions. Pinning her attention on Kuparak’s smoky galee, she abandoned herself to the joy of flight. Although she had flown often since her rescue, she had stayed close to Cimondeli. Kup had said little about their destination except that it was a long distance away. Where are you taking us?

  Aquila sailed higher, disappeared through a dragonesque cloud formation, and tugged at her mentally to hurry. Fog-white dampness closed around her. Catching a sudden updraft, she shot from luminescent gloom into bright sunlight. A glance to the side gave her a glimpse of Rasiana and her tukoolo. Above her, two smoky galee circled higher and higher, reached an apex, and dove. Black and silver bodies gleamed in the sunlight one moment and disappeared beyond a misty curtain the next.

  Aquila soared upward. Two red-tailed whaks flanked Rayn. Leaving the bright sun behind, they broke through the clouds. A grass-bordered beach stretched in both directions below them. Two smoky galee landed. Kuparak searched the dome, then scanned the shoreline.

  Rayn came to rest beside him, caught her breath, and bent to touch the foaming edge of a breaking wave.

  Rasiana materialized beside her. “Oh my.”

  “It is the Dirredaca Seâ.” Kuparak looked grim. “Catch your breath. We must cross it before Alkina reaches perigee. Six birds together in flight inspire curiosity in the light of the turning, but six at night will bring the broticos.” He searched the wide stretch of knee-high beach grass. “We need water. I saw a stream from the air. Spread out. Let’s see if we can find it.”

  The sound of the water against the shore, the dampness of the sea breeze, and a nagging disquiet accompanied Rayn through the grass. Wet earth gripped her boots, then let go with a soft, sucking sound. A sea bird shot upward, the warning of a nest nearby in its squawk and whistle. Rayn altered course, cutting a diagonal in the direction of the splashing song of water over rocks.

  “Found the stream!”

  She knelt and cupped her hands. Cold water dripped between her fingers, washed the dryness from her tongue and throat, and left her revitalized and refreshed. Straightening, she peered over the top of the grass and froze. Kuparak and Rasiana had disappeared. An unfamiliar sound overhead flattened her to the ground.

  Three broticos flew wide circles over the beach. She inched away from the stream and into the taller grass. “SorTech,” her compeer warned. A tether eased into place. Rayn became grass and mud.

  Grateful for the dusky dimness creeping over the landscape, she pressed her ear to the ground. Two human heartbeats intermingled with the many life forms inhabiting the beach.

  The winged men swooped overhead. Two landed a short
distance upstream. The third brotico shot further along the beach.

  The rhythmic pounding of horses at a full gallop vibrated the ground and sent tremors through Rayn’s body. Suppressing the urge to run, she sank deeper into her connection with Aquila.

  A scream washed the beach in terror. A second, cut short, left the unuttered sound strangling in the turning’s end.

  Two horsemen slowed opposite the spot where Rayn had knelt and forded the stream. Luck obscured her presence but not Rasiana’s. A fourth brotico dropped from the dome. The soldiers dismounted. The temptation to rise and fight died a quick death. Rayn smothered her fear in earth and matted sea grass and observed the action playing out through the images Aquila placed in her mind.

  Whispered orders sent two broticos into flight. The riders remounted. One settled Rasiana’s limp body in front of him, and, at a signal from his comrade, trotted after him into the pre-moon duskiness.

  35

  Jaradee’s Legacy

  Part 3 - Conflict

  D yad had crested the distant mountain tops by the time the last two broticos took flight, their winged shapes melting into the blue gloom of early evening.

  Rayn’s tether to Aquila released. One limb at a time, full consciousness returned from mud and grass to awareness of her human body. Tiny pin prickles raced over her skin. She started to rise. A hand on her shoulder kept her prone.

  Kuparak leaned close to her ear. “Crawl upstream. Shallow ravine ahead.” He crept by her.

  She wiggled forward on her belly until her fingertips found water. On hands and knees, she made her way upstream. The flatness of grass and sand transitioned to the ravine where Kuparak sat, ebony skin shining and amber eyes soaked in Dyad’s cool blue light. Rayn almost smiled.

  He beckoned.

  Scrabbling up the bank, she sat next to him. “We have to rescue Rasiana.” The quiver in her soft words made her angry.

  Kuparak’s intense stare turned her direction. “Toa is in touch with Rasiana’s tukoolo. The Pheet Adole have hidden her near the outskirts of Port Saticch. Do you think you’re ready for what might be a tough encounter? The RomPeer’s men are well-trained and more experienced than you.”

  Rayn fingered the handle of her dagger. “It’s past time to test my skills. What better cause to fight for?”

  Kuparak’s chosen route to Port Saticch carried them along the water’s edge. The incoming tide chased the waves higher up the beach to soak the tidelands and return in a repeated pattern…one large wave, four smaller ones, and a large one again. Near the outskirts of the seaside town, he landed in a junkyard between old farm equipment, ancient vehicles, and wrecked boats.

  Aquila descended and perched on the metal roof of what might once have been an office. Toa remained airborne, a solitary silhouette against the blue moon.

  Stooped low, Kuparak led the way between rubbish heaps to the edge of a narrow patch of open field and dropped to a knee. Rayn squatted beside him.

  He pointed and spoke in an undertone. “Oha senses her in the house on the far side of the vineyard. Keep your wits about you, and do exactly what I tell you. Toa says two broticos patrol the area. If we get separated, hide in the junkyard. I’ll find you.”

  Wishing she had already trained as an Animilero, she quieted the accelerated beat of her heart and nodded.

  A zigzagged path brought them to the fence bordering the vineyard. Kuparak clipped three wires closest to the ground and pushed them aside. On his belly, he shimmied through the gap, climbed to his feet, and motioned her to stay. Umbra-like, he slinked between trellised-rows of vines heavy with fruit and disappeared.

  Rayn smothered the desire to disobey, inhaled a quiet breath, and bit down on her lip. The next instant, he knelt at the end of the first row of trellises, motioning her to follow. Throat tightening against unexpected fear, she shimmied under the fence and dodged after him.

  The rambling, old farmhouse, shadowed by the trees surrounding it, stood at the center of a wide, overgrown yard. A rutted driveway wiggled a circuitous path through calf-high grass and ended to one side of the house. A single light cast an eerie glow over the back porch. Blank windows stared, dark and ominous, across the moonlit expanse.

  A stocky, balding man in the uniform of a ranking officer stepped onto the porch and whistled. Kuparak gripped Rayn’s arm and pulled her lower. Two soldiers jogged around the corner of the house. One remained by the steps. The other joined their commander on the porch.

  The officer’s quiet words floated across the clearing. “SorTech in place?”

  “All secure.”

  Waving both soldiers inside, he scanned the clearing one final time. After a moment of intense listening, he pivoted and followed. The small light blinked out.

  Kuparak’s grip continued to bite into her arm. The message—be still . At last, his hand relaxed. He pointed at her, and then around the house to the left. He pointed at himself and to the right. A whisper rustled her hair. “Look around. Keep your eyes open for the SorTech. Meet me on the opposite side. Questions?” The spot where he had been emptied before she could utter a response.

  Rayn slipped from bush to bush along the front of the yard, and then dodged to a rough-trunked sycama. Aquila’s quiet presence in her mind helped to calm her anxiety. She wiped her hands on the seat of her pants and gripped the handle of her dagger. A cloud shrouded the moon and blacked out the clearing. Dashing to the house, she pressed against the rough planking and sidestepped her way to the corner. Nothing stirred. Pitch-black still camouflaged her presence. She searched the area for a good place to hide. A tree at the edge of the drive caught her eye. Hunching low, she ran. Midway to the tree, the clouds parted. Dyad’s blue light illuminated the night.

  A soldier stepped from the bushes, his unsheathed knife glinting in the moonlight. A slow smile made all the more frightening by its lack of warmth exposed uneven white teeth, then vanished into a threatening sneer.

  Rayn held herself steady, her gaze fixed on his face. Her mind clicked into defense mode. Her fighter’s instincts heightened.

  He closed the gap between them. She danced from side to side. His fist shot out and met only air as she pivoted out of reach. He dropped to a predatory crouch. Dominant hand free, she spun around. He lunged. The palm of her hand cracked against his nose. His head snapped back. A yelp… A stumble… Kuparak darted from the trees behind him. A black hand found the man’s mouth. The gleam of silver flashed across his throat. A soft sucking sound and he slumped against Kuparak’s chest.

  The Vasrosi leader dragged the man into the trees and lowered him to the ground. Rayn looked at him. “He’s dead?”

  “He is.” Kuparak put a finger to his lips. He pulled her behind a tree. “Oha and Toa head this way. Where’s Aquila?”

  “Near.” She shivered. “SorTechory! Wait.” The tingling faded. She dropped to her knees and peered at the house.

  Rasiana wiggled through a basement window on the near side and scrambled to her feet. Aquila whistled. She started to run. A soldier yanked the front door wide, bound down the steps, and sprinted after her.

  Oha streaked from the trees, extended talons aiming for his face. Rayn started to rise. Kuparak shoved her lower. “Hide. They mustn’t know you’re here.”

  Two long, loping strides brought him to the soldier’s side as the whak’s talons raked his cheek. The man yelped and flung up a protective arm. Kuparak moved in.

  Rasiana reached the trees. Rayn grabbed her hand and pulled her in the direction of the junkyard. With a hunter’s stealth, they circumvented the vineyard. Crouched in the shadows, they waited for fast moving clouds to curtain Dyad’s light, jogged across the field, and came to a stop in the dark shadow of the office hut. High overhead, a brotico circled.

  Rayn shot a look at her friend. Rasiana, doubled over and gulping in air, raised her head. “I’m fine.” She scanned the dome. “Better hide.”

  Aquila flew from a tree, circled over the yard, and landed. A quick image shot thr
ough Rayn’s mind. “Aquila found a hiding place.”

  Rasiana gulped in another breath. “You go first.”

  “Not leaving you.”

  The older girl straightened. “Then follow me.”

  Dodging from one junkheap to the next, they reached a narrow opening between a wagon bed and a mangled piece of farm equipment, where the tukoolo perched. Rasiana paused, listening.

  Crawling beneath a broken wagon wheel, Rayn peered past the crushed cab of the tractor. A soft, scraping sound made her pause.

  “No one followed.”

  Rayn’s head flipped around. Rasiana knelt next to her. “Da’am, you’re quiet, Rasi.”

  “I pulled a broken barrel in front of the opening. Better move. Oha signaled trouble.”

  Rayn scrambled under jagged metal and splintered boards to a hollow under the wagon seat.

  A moment later, Rasiana touched her arm. “I’m here.”

  Huddled next to each other, they strained to locate their stalkers. When only night sounds penetrated to their hideout, Rasiana rested her head on bent knees. Rayn tethered to Aquila and searched for Kuparak. He and Toa seemed to have vanished.

  Rasiana stirred. “Can’t find Kup. Do you think they have him?”

  “No. I think he led them away from us. When it’s safe, he’ll be in touch.”

  “What if he doesn’t come back?”

  Rayn tried to see her friend’s face in the dimness. “He will. Our tukoolos will warn us of danger. Tell me how you got away.”

  Rasiana lowered her head and hugged her knees. When she finally looked up, she tucked her hair behind her ears. “Are you sure you want to know?”

  Rayn merely waited.

  “They brought me to the farmhouse and dumped me on the floor in the basement. I feigned unconsciousness and waited. After they went upstairs, I explored and discovered barrels piled beneath the window. I had just jimmied the lock when I heard footsteps overhead. Since they had discovered the knife in my boot, I grabbed a brick and lay back down.

  A soldier clumped down the stairs and rolled me onto my back. He straddled my hips, smoothed my hair back, and licked my face.” Her nostrils flared. “I did not move. He got up and peered up the stairs. When no one appeared, he unfastened his britches and let them drop. Clutching the brick, I came to my feet and hit him as hard as I could on the back of the head.” She hugged herself. “He staggered, tripped on his pants, and fell. The side of his face slammed into a step.”