"You have fine friends, brother," Tang-hong said weakly with a grimaced smile. "I feel life in my body again."
Soldiers came running onto the dock with clean rags and buckets of fresh water. Murmurs ran through the group of soldiers as they saw the scar on Tang-hong's abdomen. Master Khatama dipped his hands into a bucket and rinsed them. A soldier promptly handed him a rag, and Boris wiped his hands dry. He touched Niki gently on the shoulder and the girl's eyes opened. She stared at the wound and gasped.
"It worked," she said with surprise. "It really worked."
Master Khatama smiled and extended his hand to her to help her rise. He turned and surveyed the remaining wounded and led Niki towards the next patient.
"They will get easier now," smiled Master Khatama. "Let us see what you can do with this one. Try to concentrate harder on the healing of the wound. Shut out everything around you and listen only to the flesh."
"Listen to the flesh?" echoed Niki. "What do you mean?"
"Flesh is living tissue," explained Boris. "It may exist within a host, but it is alive. Talk to it. Calm it while you cast your spell. Let your mind communicate with that which you seek to heal."
"Well this one should be easy after the last one," Niki reasoned. "I shouldn't have to do anything different."
"That is not the attitude of a healing mage," scolded Master Khatama. "Each patient must have everything that you have to offer. Listen to my words and follow my instructions. Connect your mind to the wounded flesh. Only when you communicate with the wound can you hope to heal it."
"Alright," frowned Niki. "I will follow your instructions, but just so you don't get mad at me. I am the mage after all, and I should know what I am doing. Imagine a merchant tell a healing mage how to heal."
"Imagine what you wish," retorted Master Khatama, "but you need to learn to take the advice of others more gracefully. I did not get to be this age without learning some things. I have seen healing mages work before. The good ones communicate with the wounds. Do you wish to be a good healing mage?"
"Alright," sighed Niki. "I will do as you say."
Master Khatama and Niki spent the rest of the day tending to the seven wounded soldiers and the wounded fisherman. They were both very tired by the time they finished, but all of the men had been saved. The soldiers had kept a steady supply of water and rags coming to the dock. They also carried those who were healed off the dock and placed them in beds to rest. As Master Khatama and Niki left the dock, Officer Tang-shei blocked their path.
"Master Khatama," smiled Tang-shei, "and friend, we wish you to join us for a meal on the beach. You have saved many men of Barouk today and the village wishes to celebrate. The fishermen have captured and prepared fine fish. The farmers outside the city have provided rice and vegetables, and someone even donated a splendid cured ham. Will you honor us with your presence?"
"It would be our honor, Officer Tang-shei," smiled Master Khatama. "My traveling companion's name is Niki. I would very much like to join you in honoring her efforts today."
Niki's face grinned broadly and belied the fatigue she felt throughout her body. The entire village was turning out to honor her. Sleep could wait.
Chapter 23
Endangered Species
"I do not think this will be a restful night," frowned Tedi as he listened to the pounding drums.
"No," agreed Arik. "We will need to keep watch throughout the night. We also do not have a good escape route from this campsite, unless we swim the stream. I will lay the wire. You and Wylan decide on the watch details."
"What wire is he laying?" asked Wylan as Arik strode back up the trail.
"It is a trick Alex taught us," explained Tedi. "A strand of wire is stretched around the campsite. Arik will attach several pieces of metal close together on the wire. If anyone moves the wire, it will make a slight noise and we will be alerted."
"Slight noise?" questioned Wylan. "You expect to hear a slight noise when you are sleeping."
"Yes," nodded Tedi. "I also doubted it at first, but you become attuned to hearing it. You will learn to associate the noise with danger. Trust me, it works."
"It sounds like you learned an awful lot from Alexander Tork," declared Wylan. "I would give anything to meet him."
"He is a great man," nodded Tedi. "He knows more about battle and survival than anyone I have ever met. He made us practice our skills everyday. We should still be doing that."
"That doesn't sound like something we should do here in the jungle," frowned Wylan.
"No, it isn't," agreed Tedi, "but once we get out of danger we will start up again. You will enjoy it, and you will learn to hone your skills well. You will get to meet Alex if you stick with us."
"Really?" grinned Wylan. "If that is the case, you will have a hard time getting rid of me."
"I would like you to take the first watch," Tedi stated as his mind focused on the drum sounds. "Just sit quietly and listen for anything that sounds dangerous or abnormal. If you hear anything, wake us quietly. If you are not sure, wake us anyway. I would rather be woken for a false alarm than have too little time to prepare for an attack."
"How long should I keep watch?" asked Wylan.
"If you can gauge a third of the night," instructed Tedi, "that would be good. If you begin feeling drowsy, wake me up even if you just took over the watch. A sleeping sentry is worthless."
"I can easily do half the night," offered Wylan.
"We don't want you to," frowned Tedi. "Do not try to push your watch too long. It is tedious and your mind tends to wander. Alertness is key to our survival."
"I understand," nodded Wylan as Arik returned to the campsite.
"I only put the wire across the trail," reported Arik. "The jungle is too dense to enter, and we are sure to hear anyone approaching through it."
"You will have last watch," Tedi informed Arik. "Wylan will have first."
"Alright," agreed Arik. "I want to start as soon as it is light enough to see in the morning. What do you think the drums mean?"
"I don't know," frowned Tedi. "The drums concern me. Either the cannibals are having a party, or they are using the drums to communicate with others. I have not heard any response to their beating though."
"Do you think they found the bodies we left at the fire pit?" asked Wylan.
"I think we should assume that they have," interjected Arik. "They will be desirous of finding the people who killed those four warriors."
"Do you think they might have witches?" shuddered Tedi. "That is something we haven't thought about."
"That is a disturbing thought," frowned Arik. "Having a mage with us would sure make me feel more comfortable."
"Me too," Tedi admitted. "I know that I have been critical of them in the past, but I do realize how much we have come to depend upon them."
"Well, I could use some sleep," declared Arik. "I am turning in for the night."
"Me too," added Tedi. "Don't forget to wake us, Wylan."
Arik and Tedi stretched out in the small clearing. Each of them positioned his bow, quiver, and sword close by. Arik also extracted two Lanoirian Stars from his pouch and laid them near his hand.
Wylan was nervous as he listened to the drums, but after a while the beating stopped. The jungle was alive with night noises. Things moved through the tree branches overhead and the bushes on the ground. The noises all sounded far away, but they still caused Wylan to feel nervous. He remembered how much safer he had felt standing watch on the wall of Southland in a setting that was more familiar to him.
The first two hours of Wylan's watch felt like an eternity. His mind had drifted to how wonderful it would be to meet Alexander Tork, when the sounds of metal tinkling finally reached his ears. He bolted upright as he realized what the sound meant. He started to crawl over to Tedi and wake him, but Tedi bolted upright before Wylan got to him. Tedi's hand went automatically to the hilt of his sword. Wylan was amazed to see Arik also rising silently.
Tedi signaled to
Arik. Arik nodded and grabbed his bow and nocked an arrow. Tedi moved stealthily towards the trail and paused to listen. Tedi's attention was drawn to sounds of movement in the jungle. He brought his sword up and moved further up the trail. All of a sudden, a monkey emerged out of the jungle and onto the trail. It squawked loudly when it saw Tedi and scampered quickly up the trail and back into the jungle.
Tedi moved cautiously forward until he reached the wire. He inspected the dangling pieces of metal and repositioned them. For several long minutes, Tedi squatted on the trail listening for any signs of attack. Finally he rose and returned to the campsite.
"Best I can tell," Tedi advised quietly, "it was the monkey that set off the alarm."
"You two really can hear that wire in your sleep," remarked Wylan. "That is amazing."
"Not really," replied Tedi. "You will get used to it, too. Why don't you get some sleep and I will take over the watch now."
Hours later, Tedi woke Arik so the heir could take over the watch.
As the sky began to lighten, Arik quietly woke Tedi and Wylan. He signaled for silence and pointed across the stream. Several hundred paces downstream were two ogres drinking. The ogres were bent over and facing away from the boys. Arik silently signaled his desire to leave the clearing. The boys quietly gathered their belongings and headed up the trail. Arik stopped to retrieve the wire and stow it in his pack. Arik waited while Tedi moved past him and assumed the lead.
Tedi led the way for several hours. They passed through numerous intersections, and Arik marked them with rocks. At each intersection, Tedi took the path that led them closer to the strange mountain, which had started to loom high in the sky over the jungle. When the lightness indicated midday, Tedi called a halt by the side of a small lake.
"We are going to wish we hadn't lost those straw hats in the storm," Tedi remarked as he wiped the sweat from his brow.
Already perspiration was soaking the clothes of the boys. Arik stripped off his tunic and laid it over a large rock. He stepped down to the lake and washed his face. As he returned to the group, Wylan's mouth hung open and his eyes focused on the mark on Arik's breast.
"What is that?" Wylan asked.
"I am not exactly sure," Arik answered as he grabbed some food from his pack. "I thought it was a rash when it first appeared, but it means something to the fairies and the unicorns."
"Means something?" chuckled Tedi. "Why don't you tell him the truth?"
Arik shrugged and Wylan looked to Tedi for an explanation.
"To the fairies, he is known as the Bringer," explained Tedi. "The entire fairy nation has sworn allegiance to Arik."
"Really?" responded Wylan.
"To the unicorns, he is the Deliverer," Tedi continued. "They also have sworn allegiance to Arik."
"Fairies and unicorns," mused Wylan. "I have heard stories of both, but frankly I didn't believe in them. I think you are having fun with me."
"Tell him, Arik," prompted Tedi.
"What he says is true, Wylan," nodded Arik. "I am not sure how their prophecies tie into the Ancient Prophecy, but there is no doubt that they are related somehow. In each case I had to bring something to them to receive the gem for the Sword of Heavens. I had to bring the Crown of Light to the fairies, and I had to deliver the Golden Horn to the unicorns. They both saw this mark upon my chest as a sign of the fulfillment of their prophecies."
"You aren't kidding, are you?" responded Wylan. "You really mean that the fairies and unicorns do exist?"
"Oh they exist alright," nodded Arik. "They used to live in other Universes before the Collapse. Now they all exist in this Universe. Those ogres we saw earlier used to share a Universe with the fairies."
"Is that what they were?" asked Wylan. "Ogres? I do not think I have ever seen anything so large and scary before."
"I will admit that I have never seen one before," replied Arik, "but I have heard descriptions, and I am sure that is what they were."
"They also explain the large prints we saw elsewhere on the island," added Tedi. "I wonder how they got down here."
Suddenly, the mountain towering over them belched out a column of dense, black smoke. The ground vibrated and everything in the jungle swayed back and forth.
"That is not a welcome surprise," frowned Arik. "The mountain, which I had hoped held the statue of Abuud, is apparently a volcano. Where do we look now for the statue?"
"We could search this jungle for years and not find a statue," frowned Tedi. "It would be easier to go back and just take the Diamond of Edona from Azmet."
"We have not had to resort to force to gain the other gems," Arik pointed out. "Somehow I do not think the Sword of Heavens would sanction that."
"You think the Sword of Heavens has a mind to think with?" quizzed Wylan.
"I don't know," admitted Arik. "I guess I have never thought about it that way, but maybe it does. It knew when one of the Children of the Prophecy touched it. It also shows us the way to the next gem. Maybe it can think."
"Maybe we should still head for the mountain," suggested Tedi. "We do not have to climb all the way to the top, but gaining some elevation over the jungle will allow us to see the rest of the island better."
"That is a good idea," agreed Arik as he grabbed his tunic and dressed. "Maybe there is a portion of the island that is not jungle."
"We won't find the statue sitting here," declared Tedi. "Let's get back on the trail."
Tedi took the lead again, and Arik marked the trail. The mountain got closer with every passing hour. By the time the lightness was on the decline, Tedi was looking for another place to stop for a meal break. Once again the ground rumbled, but this time it was more intense. The boys lost their balance and were thrown to the ground. The foliage in the jungle swayed furiously and large trees snapped and tumbled to the jungle floor.
Arik looked up and saw a huge cloud of blackness emanating from the top of the mountain. Fiery particles shot up into the dense cloud and showered down on the sides of the mountain. It was several minutes before the shaking stopped.
"I don't like being this close to the mountain," Arik said as he stood up. "That thing just might blow its top."
"Did you see the fire shooting out of it?" asked Wylan.
"It is still shooting out," responded Tedi as he pointed upward. "I don't want to be in a burning jungle, and I suspect this might become one soon."
A pair of large jaguars came tearing down the trail. They saw the boys on their path and darted into the jungle, but they could still be heard running swiftly away from the mountain.
"I think the animals are smarter than us," frowned Arik. "Those cats know better than to stand around this mountain. Perhaps we should turn back."
"Our trip is wasted if we do not succeed in finding the statue," objected Wylan. "We already agreed that we have little chance of finding it in the jungle. We need to get a view from higher up. The mountain appears to be getting worse with time, so we should hurry to accomplish what we came for."
"You are right," conceded Arik. "Let's not waste any more time talking about it. Lead on Tedi."
Tedi nodded and looked once more at the top of the mountain before taking the lead. The black smoke was still billowing out of the mountain, and Tedi decided to pick up the pace a little. He started trotting and the others matched his pace. After a few minutes, Tedi thought he heard something and slowed down as he neared an intersection of trails. He held his hand up, and Wylan and Arik stopped completely. Tedi eased cautiously into the intersection and then jumped back quickly.
"Off the trail," mouthed Tedi as he waved towards the jungle.
Arik looked at both sides of the trail and saw mostly dense foliage that they could not move into quietly. He turned and ran back along the trail until he saw the slightest opening in the foliage. He waved to his two friends and slipped into the jungle. Wylan and Tedi ran to where Arik disappeared and slid in after him. The boys positioned themselves facing the trail and held their spears before them. Wi
thin minutes a band of blue-dyed cannibals appeared on the trail, but they came from the same direction that the boys had originally come from.
Arik looked to Tedi for an explanation, but all Tedi could do was shrug and shake his head. Arik gathered that the cannibals were not the threat that Tedi had seen. A moment later there was loud shouting amidst the sounds of battle. Cries of anguish mixed with hostile threats. The boys stayed silent and hidden while the battle raged.
"What is going on?" Wylan whispered.
"I guess the reds and blues don't get along very well," Tedi whispered back.
Within minutes the sounds of battle died, but the boys were not anxious to leave the relative safety of the jungle. They continued to hide for another five minutes before they heard the sound of footsteps approaching. The footsteps grew louder and the boys gripped their spears tightly. They watched as the band of blue-dyed cannibals returned along the path. There were fewer of them now, but each man carried a body over his shoulder. A few of the bodies were blue-dyed, but most of them were red-dyed.
Tedi waited another ten minutes before standing up and easing himself onto the trail. He looked in both directions and then ran softly to the intersection. He returned and waved for Wylan and Arik to emerge from the jungle.
"What was all that about?" inquired Arik.
"There must be two bands of cannibals on the island," shrugged Tedi. "Evidently, they don't like each other."
"So we just witnessed a raid by the blues into red territory?" queried Arik.
"I guess," answered Tedi. "It is a good thing we saw the reds when we did. We could have been trapped between the two."
"Worse than that," posed Wylan as he stared at the trail.
"How could it be worse?" chuckled Tedi.
"I think the blues were tracking us," declared Wylan. "Look at the trail. We are wearing boots and they are all barefoot. I think the reds just saved us from being massacred."
Tedi's eyes opened wide as he stared at the tracks in the path. He nodded and then shook his head.
"I should have known better," Tedi berated himself. "They found the bodies of the ones we killed yesterday. Of course they would track us. We forgot one of Alex's basic lessons."
Abuud: the One-Eyed God Page 28