“I’m afraid not, Master Rindu. As I explained before, it is difficult to direct exactly where or when I see. I’m sorry.”
Rindu nodded. “It is all right. You cannot be blamed for the limitations on your talents. It is said, ‘The fool believes he can do anything, but the wise man recognizes his limits.’”
“If I may,” Dr. Walt broke in, “I have found some information that may be useful. I have been searching the records since Lahim mentioned the artifacts three weeks ago. It’s amazing how much information the Gray Man, I mean Grayson, had gathered. There are so many books, scrolls, and fragments that I could read all day for years and never get around to all of them. In fact, just in the main library—”
“Dr. Walt,” Nalia interrupted, “please remain on the point of the discussion.”
“Oh, yes, yes, sorry.” The old man looked sheepish. “As I was saying, I have been trying to find information on the artifacts he mentioned and I believe I have found something of use. It was in a partial book that is very old. It was, in fact, just a copy of something even more ancient, perhaps on the storage plaques deep in one of the lower libraries. Those plaques appear to be some type of media on which things were recorded, but the technology is something I’ve never seen—”
Nalia cleared her throat.
“Yes,” Dr. Walt’s face burned crimson in between his whiskers and his unkempt hair. “Anyway, here is what I have found. It appears to be a poem or part of a song about our artifacts.
Of ancient lore has come to be
A tale of totems, numbered three
When gathered hence can make a whole
A master mage to take control
And then the supreme power be
Booming, rumbling, crushing meter
Orum’s sound in wartime theater
Rushes forth to crush the ramparts
Causing fear in all viewer’s hearts
Breaking flesh and stone and cedar
The toll of Azgo clear and true
Allows the master to pursue
Another place to be transferred
From whence the crystal chime is heard
To the desired place anew
Bruqil is the key to stealing
Other places’ paths revealing
Through its clear and sacred calling
Doors to other worlds unbarring
Veils to dif’rent homes unpeeling
Gathered three to one and using
Nat’ral energy abusing
Three in one the power beckons
Use for good as user reckons
Power for the mage’s choosing
“So, you see,” Dr. Walt continued, “the three artifacts seem to be very powerful. This bit of text predates even the technological age on Gythe. These artifacts must be ancient indeed.”
“But,” Sam said, “that really doesn’t give us much to go on. What exactly does each item do? Where are they found? How are they used? We just don’t have enough information.”
“Yes, I agree,” Dr. Walt said, head dipping in defeat. “I will keep looking. Maybe I’ll find more information. We have a few days yet before you catch the force that captured the hapaki, even running yourself ragged each day like you did today. They have a large head start on you.”
“I guess you’re right, Dr. Walt,” Sam admitted. “I’m exhausted, and the rakkeben are probably feeling it even more so. I want to catch them quickly, but I suppose it’s better to pace ourselves. I don’t like spending the nights here in the fortress when we could be chasing them down at night, but we will.”
Rindu spoke up. “Sam, we must be patient and work within the limits of our—and the rakkeben’s—abilities. If we push too hard, travel too quickly, we may injure ourselves or our mounts. Or we may run headlong into the force without sufficient preparation. It is difficult, I know, to rest when the matter seems urgent, but that is the path we must take. It is the wireh.”
Sam didn’t like it at all, but he saw the sense in what the Zouy was saying. “I will try to be more patient,” he said.
“And while Dr. Walt is trying to find information in his way,” Lahim Chode added, “I will try to find some in mine. We will determine what to do next, Sam. Trust that we will.”
Sam forced a smile and hoped it looked genuine. “Thank you, Lahim. That eases my mind. I am still anxious to catch the hapaki-nappers, but I won’t worry about what to do after we catch them. Not just yet.”
He looked at Nalia, who smiled and nodded firmly. Rindu stood there, looking as if he was content to wait in his relaxed stance for the next week. Dr. Walt was softly muttering to himself, working through something in his head.
“Okay, I think I’m going to bed. We have to be up and on the trail as the sun comes up tomorrow. I don’t want to lose any daylight. I’ll see everyone tomorrow morning. At an hour before sunrise. Goodnight.”
They all left Lahim Chode’s crowded chambers and went their separate ways. Nalia kissed Sam and rubbed his neck for a moment before splitting off. Soon, he was alone in the corridor near his room, thinking about what he had heard and what he needed to do. He would worry about artifacts and villains later. For now, he needed to concentrate on the hapaki. He must rescue them. That was his primary concern.
Chapter 19
Nicole Sharp looked to the west and sighed. It had only been nine days since she left Whitehall, since she left Sam, but it felt like much longer. She could hardly believe that it has been barely over a month since she had come to this new world. She thought she had probably experienced more new things during that time than she had in any five years back on Telani. Maybe any ten.
Where her gaze fell looked to be solid forest, as if the green could stretch to the other side of the world, though since she wasn’t on high ground, it could just have easily ended a mile from where she was. It was beautiful, but scary too. They would be traveling into that dense green world. And hopefully coming back out again.
“Are you well, Nicole,” Chisin Ling asked her in the hybrid Kasmali-English they had developed. The captain of the guard unit escorting her had learned as much English as she herself had Kasmali. The soldier seemed to have a facility with language Nicole wished she had.
“I’m fine,” she said, only half-truthfully. “A little homesick, a little anxious, and maybe a little queasy from the boat ride.”
Chisin laughed. “I understand. Some do not prefer travel by boat.”
They had taken a boat from Wethaven—she still thought of the place as Seattle, but she needed to get used to their name for places and things here—across the water to the northeastern edge of what would be the Olympic Peninsula in her world. The water was choppy and she had gotten a little nauseous from the motion.
Nicole eyed her friend—yes, she did see her as her friend, though they hadn’t known each other for long—and laughed along with her. Chisin Ling was a massive woman, the biggest woman Nicole had ever seen. Not fat. No. She was perfectly proportioned, but just big. When she first saw the captain, from a distance, Nicole thought the woman athletic and almost slender, with maybe a little more muscle than she was used to seeing on a woman. When she came close, though, Nicole had realized Chisin was well over six and a half feet tall and probably outweighed most of the men in the guard unit, with not an ounce of fat on her.
Her long black hair was tied behind her to keep it out of the way. Her face, narrow and long, had high cheekbones and full lips that always seemed ready to smile. Or smirk. Her thin brown eyes seemed to catch everything. Nicole didn’t think she was either pretty or ugly, though what that meant to someone from Gythe, with their peculiar notion of beauty, she didn’t know. She thought that maybe Chisin was just plain and pleasant-looking on both worlds.
There weren’t really uniforms for the new government’s troops yet, but they could do worse than to pattern them after Chisin Ling’s attire. She wore snug britches and tunic, large pockets sewn throughout where plating could be slipped in, turning normal tactical ge
ar into battle armor in a surprisingly short time. Her boots, also with pockets for armor plating, extended nearly all the way up her calf and laced ingeniously on the side so that the plate pockets were not obstructed. The finishing touches on her uniform were the two swords she used—both heavier than Nicole could have used with both hands on one—in scabbards strapped to her back, their hilts jutting up above each shoulder. Nicole had seen her practice with those and if anyone could protect her from dangers on the road, she knew it was Chisin Ling.
Nicole looked around again, feeling her stomach lurch when her eyes rested on the water. The twenty guards—seven women and thirteen men—who were her protection were still unloading the boat.
“What’s the plan?” she asked.
“Well,” Chisin said, “it’s not quite winter yet, but we can probalby expect some snow along the way. That will make things slower. The interior of this area is very mountainous and travel will be difficult, not only because of the weather but also because of the heavy forest. I’m thinking we should skirt around most of the mountainous areas and hug the coast, going around until we get to the eastern side. Then we can head inland. Of course, it’s your decision. I am just here to protect you.”
“I agree with you,” Nicole said. “About our route. I do not agree with you about being just a guard, though. I want your help and guidance. I’ve only been in this world for a handfull of weeks, so please, don’t ever hesitate to tell me what you think. I know Danaba Kemp said that I’m in charge, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want your opinion.”
Chisin Ling smiled at her. No, maybe more than just plain. That smile made the woman pretty. At least, to her it did. Nicole wondered if that meant it made her uglier to people from Gythe. It was all very confusing.
“You have yourself a deal,” the warrior said.”I better get things all settled for travel. We have a long way to go.”
What am I doing here? Nicole thought. I’m way out of my league. I have no clue what I’m supposed to do.
That’s easy, Max sent into her mind, you do whatever I say.
The sending was tinged with humor, though there was something else there, too. Anxiety maybe? She really had to have a talk with Sam about the communication with the hapaki. How could she keep her stray thoughts from being broadcast to any of the telepathic creatures who might be closeby? It wasn’t a problem with Max—he was her friend—but when they were visiting a whole community? That could be embarrassing.
I heard all that, Max sent. Nicole laughed, both in sending to Max and out loud.
I’m nervous about this whole thing, Max. I’ve only been in this world for a few weeks and now I’m off on a mission that I am not sure I can handle.
Feelings of sympathy leaked into her mind from the hapaki. I know. It is new for all of us. We will do fine. After all, I’m here to protect you and tell you what to do.
Feelings of affection welled within her for the little hapaki. They had become good friends, much like Sam and Skitter had. Truth be told, it did make her feel better that he was along, and not just because it would better their chances that the hapaki community would communicate with them if they saw one of their kind. She knew that Max would do his best to help her in any way he could.
Sam had described the peculiar honor and loyalty of the hapaki. Well, of Skitter. He hadn’t had any dealings with other hapaki. She could see now, after contact with Max, that it was not simply something Skitter had developed. It was a hapaki trait. Yes, Max would be there for her, just as she knew she’d be there for him if things got difficult. A spike of emotion pulled her out of her thoughts. It felt like excitement.
Max? she sent
I just realized something. She could feel the smile in his sending. I am probably the first hapaki ever to go across a large expanse of water in a boat. We are not known as a sea-faring people, after all. It was interesting to Nicole that Max was able to pull thoughts from her mind, using phrases that he otherwise never would have used. Like “sea-faring.” Sam had told her that even the concept of words was foreign to the creatures. They saw no reason for labels when they could communicate mind to mind, expressing feelings and sending vivid pictures that articulated their thoughts more fully than words ever could. She found that while he became more comfortable with words, she became better suited to sending thoughts and feelings directly. It was amazing.
She wondered if Sam had described it all to Dr. Walt. He would probably want to write a book on it.
Max continued. I don’t think that even the great traveler Skitter has done such a thing. I will be famous, a renowned explorer!
Max, Nicole sent, what do you think about what we’re trying to do? About trying to find a hapaki community that only Lahim Chode knows about, one that is in rugged, isolated terrain?
The hapaki’s excitement turned to anxiety. To be honest, he sent, I am a little apprenensive. It’s a big world and we will be traveling a long way, relying only on the vision of one man and on our friends for protection. What if there are pantors or rakkeben—not the friendly kind that Sam has but the kind that only want to eat hapaki—or something else that we don’t even know about? It makes me nervous.
Me too, Nicole sent back.
They sat there together, looking out over the landscape, silent. Nicole could feel the moisture laden air blowing in from the water. She normally liked sea spray, but it was chilly and she didn’t appreciate it right then. After a few minutes, she realized that it wasn’t the spray she was feeling. There were droplets falling on her.
“Oh no,” she said, and cursed under her breath as the heavens opened up and rain started falling in earnest. She pulled up her cloak and drew it tight around her.
Chisin and her soldiers had finished loading the supplies onto the manu birds and were leading them toward where Nicole and Max were.
“We need to find some kind of shelter, or make it,” Chisin Ling said. She pointed toward the trees a stone’s throw away. “Over there. Come on.”
Nicole stumbled after her, the uneven ground trying to snatch her foot and trip her with each step. By the time she got into the trees, the rain was falling in sheets. She was impressed that the cloak she wore did not soak through in the first few seconds. It seemed to have some sort of water-proofing on it. Sam was right, cloaks were very nice. Especially in the rain.
It was so cold, she wondered why it wasn’t snowing instead of raining. Even if she could stay dry, she felt as if she would freeze to death in no time if they didn’t get shelter. She was surprised that before she even finished the thought, she no longer felt the rain striking her. Looking up, she saw that three of the soldiers had spread a tarp over her and were securing it to surrounding tree branches. She hadn’t even noticed them working.
“Thank you,” she said and they nodded their heads in acknowledgement.
Within ten minutes, there was a fire glowing in front of her—somehow the soldiers had found deadwood that was not soaked through—and warmth suffused her body, enough so that she took her cloak off. That she hung on a branch under the tarp. She watched it as the water dripped off the ouside and onto the ground.
“I’m not sure what the weather is like in the area,” Chisin Ling said, sitting down next to her. “We only know what the geography is because of Dr. Walt and some old maps. I’ve never talked to anyone who lived here or has been here.”
“I know a little,” Nicole said. “I visited here once, on my world. It’s called the Olympic Peninsula. As we discussed, there are mountains in the center, with Mount Olympus—I don’t know what the mountain is called here—dominating. They have what they call a ‘rain shadow’ on the western side of the mountains, so there is much more rainfall there than here. It doesn’t snow as much along the coast as in the interior, either, but it still does snow occasionally. The forest is thick on my world, but I’m sure it is heavier here. I think that’s about all I know.”
Chisin considered. “That information will be helpful.” She looked out from the tarp at
the sky. “I don’t know how long this will last, but I do know that we will have to do some traveling in the rain, even in snow, if we want to finish by Qiyat.”
Nicole nodded. She knew that Qiyat was the summer season, just as she knew that they were in Teshyrat, the fall, right then. The captain was exaggerating. At least she hoped the woman was. “I figured as much. We’ll keep as dry as we can, and hopefully we won’t freeze to death.”
The women and the hapaki stared out at the rain as the soldiers bustled about to prepare their meal. What have I gotten myself into, Nicole thought. She knew it wouldn’t be the last time she asked herself that.
Chapter 20
The days seemed to stretch on for much longer than the clock could account for. Sam scanned the endless path of tamped-down vegetation as they traveled. At least they didn’t have to waste time finding trail signs or tracking their prey. If it wasn’t for them trying to prevent running the rakkeben to exhaustion, they could easily follow the trail during the night, even with a partial moon. He thought of using manu birds so they could keep traveling each day after the rakkeben were tired, but it was too late. All the birds had been taken with the group going to the other hapaki community. The group with his mother. It made him feel anxious that they were limited in how far they could go each day.
Rindu had apparently noticed how tense Sam was. He spent a good portion of each day training Sam and trying to refine his skills. Nalia helped, too. When they took breaks to allow the rakkeben to rest or to eat, she would spar with him, working him hard so he could expend some of the nervous energy he had. Rindu would work with Sam on using the rohw for defense against another rohw-user. He was glad of his friends. Even if only for a handful of minutes at a time, they distracted him and calmed him.
“Sam,” Rindu said at midmorning as they were moving down the path, “I must speak to you of an important part of your training that you are missing.”
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