by N E Riggs
He closed his eyes briefly. He remembered every moment from that night. He didn’t think he could ever forget it, even if he tried. He wished with every fiber of his being that Cethon hadn’t died. He wasn’t worth her life. Brigid had thought he was, when she saw Bramira, but that was before she got to know him. Before she realized he was a jerk. Before she realized he didn’t believe in her religion, before she realized he didn’t want to spend his life on Bantong. Before he flirted with her and then pulled away just as they were getting somewhere.
Despite their fight, he still liked Brigid, and he wasn’t allowed to. He could try to find her. While he was busy, he had some time to himself. He knew where her office was. It was better if he didn’t talk with her. After everything he’d done to her, she must hate him. He could only hope that, when information on a gateway back to Earth came, she’d share it with him.
“Cardinal Jing died because of you?” Anur asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
David looked up, wincing. The other four acolytes stared at him. “Um, yeah?”
“And she knew you?” Anur asked. He nodded. “A Passion Priest must have had a vision about you. You must be destined for greatness.” She stared at him, her eyes shining.
“Maybe the vision was of you carrying Bramira,” Niam said. Her eyes were also very wide. “If one of the legendary weapons is being wielded again, it must be a sign.” Her whole body shook.
Bellon frowned. “There must be a mistake. A traveler would never be given such an honor. And Bramira is on Mu, everyone knows that.”
“Maybe Cardinal Jing went to Mu and retrieved Bramira,” Conal said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. “If she asked, the keepers would give it to her.”
“But to give it to a traveler!” Bellon slammed a fist into the table, making the plates and cups shake from the force of it.
Conal whirled on him, suddenly furious. “You would accuse Cardinal Jing of making such a mistake? Of throwing her life away for nothing?”
Bellon’s face twisted. “No,” he finally said.
“Then we must assume she was right about David,” Conal said.
Into the silence that followed, David asked, “What was that about a vision? I thought Passion Priests just saw visions about where and when gateways appear.” Both Brigid and The Guide had made mention of other visions as well, but never with any detail.
“Passion Priests mostly see gateway visions, but sometimes they see other things as well,” Niam said. She studied him closely as she spoke. “Those other visions are called prophecies. They’re usually pretty vague, but the Passion Priests also interpret their meaning.” Then she paused, frowning slightly. “Four years ago, when Cardinal Jing retired, didn’t Cardinal Lomudra see a prophecy?”
“Let’s look,” Anur said. She reached into a pocket and flipped out a com pad. To David’s surprise, the other three also pulled com pad out of pockets.
“What, you’ve all got those?” he said. He’d seen them with her com pads before, but only during lessons.
Conal rolled his eyes. “Everyone on Bantong has one.”
“I don’t.”
“Yeah, except you. You’re an exception to a lot of rules.”
Anur swatted at Conal’s arm then pointed to a bookshelf against the wall, beside the cooker. “You can help. Start with chapter one.”
As the others messed with their com pads, Bellon stabbing the screen with more power than he probably ought, David wandered over to the bookshelf. He’d not paid it much attention before now. There were many volumes of The Tome of Ages on the shelf, including the Condensed version. He found The Book of Anan near the bottom and pulled out the second volume of the first chapter. The font was tiny, just as in his still unread copy of the Condensed version. He read,
Sword Steward Mont Yener of the seventh infantry division came before the Council of Cardinals to bring a report regarding Nephilim. “There have been rumors for years of Nephilim on Bantong, Your Excellencies,” he said. “Up till now, those rumors have remained such: rumors only. A day ago, a brother in my unit spoke with a man, a traveler from world 68971, who claimed to have seen a person with wings. The traveler knew little of Nephilim and did not understand what he had seen. He had also glimpsed the creature for only a moment, and could not describe it in detail.”
“Then it is possible the man was mistaken?” asked Lost Cardinal Zhao Jun.
“That is possible, yes,” said Steward Yener.
“The report your subordinate made reads, ‘I turned my head and saw another amazing creature. How wondrous are the marvels of this land Bantong! From the corner of my eye, I spied a man of great beauty who had wings like an angel. And such magnificent wings they were, surely large enough that the man could take to the sky and fly like a bird. I tried to follow the man, but he turned a corner. By the time I pushed through the crowd, the angel was gone.’” Law Cardinal Yun Tong put the report down on her desk and stared closely at Steward Yener. “I do not believe this could have been a Nephil. No Nephil would ever allow himself to be observed.”
“Even if it is a mistake, can we afford to overlook it?” said Sword Cardinal Cethon Jing.
David suddenly started reading more closely, now that Cethon was mentioned. It wasn’t easy though. The Tome was frighteningly dry reading, and most days he could barely make himself read interesting books.
“Even if it is a mistake, can we afford to overlook it?” said Sword Cardinal Cethon Jing. “The rumor alone of Nephilim should, must, be looked into!”
“That will be nothing but a waste of man power, chasing after shadows,” said Jun.
“Then it is a waste,” said Jing. “If need be, I will personally lead the investigation.”
Passion Cardinal Supsha Lomudra nodded. “I have had many unsettling visions lately. Sadly, none of them have been clear enough to put words to. Nonetheless, I am certain that dark times lie ahead of us.”
“Here it is!” Niam called. She put her com pad on the table and pointed. “There’s not much, unfortunately.” The others crowded around her, reading over her shoulder. David couldn’t tell where in the book her passage came from. It said,
After Aeons vanished, Passion Cardinal Supsha Lomudra came to the retired Sword Cardinal Cethon Jing. Seeing how deep her mourning was, Lomudra said to her, “Do not despair. I have had a vision. These were the words of my vision: ‘He burns like a thousand suns. He is lost. He must be found. He is waiting for you.’ This vision was meant for you, Cethon. You must leave Pardis and seek out its meaning.”
“Who is this man I must find?” Jing asked. “Aeons?”
“I cannot say,” Lomudra answered. “But find him you must.”
So Jing gathered herself up from her sick bed. She left Pardis the next day, never to return.
Then the book started talking about making a treaty with a different world.
“That could mean anything,” Bellon scoffed. “It definitely doesn’t refer to Kemp.”
Conal nodded. “I have to agree. Even Cardinal Jing believed that the prophecy referred to Aeons. Many people believed she went looking for Aeons after she retired. She needed him to forgive her.”
“But this is the only vision that fits,” said Niam. “Because Cardinal Jing disappeared after that.”
David barely heard any of their arguing. He stared down at the book, shaking. He’d thought that was just some weird, Bantong saying. But if so, what was it doing here, in a prophecy?
A hand pressed against his arm. He jerked up to see Anur looking at him in concern. “David? What is it?” she asked softly.
“He burns like a thousand suns,” he said, pointing to the words. His voice shook, and he had to take a deep breath. “Cethon told me I burn like a thousand suns.”
“Then it does refer to you,” Anur said, clasping her hands together over her chest. “Oh, David, you are a gift to us, to all Bantong.”
“Cardinal Jing must have been searching for you,” Niam said firmly, placing the com pad s
till open on the table in front of her.
Conal clasped both David’s forearms tightly. “I look forward to what you’ll do.”
Bellon stood there, shaking slightly.
David looked between them. “You’re thinking I’m some sort of... of prophesied hero or something? I can’t be! You’ve seen me, I suck compared to you guys. I’ve been on Bantong for, like, two weeks. I don’t know anything.” They continued to stare at him, as if waiting for him to start spewing nuggets of wisdom. “Seriously, I’m nothing special.” I just want to go home, he thought.
“I’ll teach you,” Anur said eagerly. “I’ll teach you anything you want to know.”
“And me,” Niam said. She smiled. “It’ll be fun.”
Conal laughed. “Well, if everyone is, then so will I.” He slapped David on the back. “Although you should maybe work on your physical skills first. Er, no offense.”
“None taken,” David said. “I come last in everything we do.”
“We have evenings free. We can all practice together,” Niam said.
Anur nodded. “The extra practice will do all of us good.”
Conal, who was on cleaning duty, put away the plates and dishes while Anur, Niam, and David headed back to the gymnasium. Anur hit the light switch. “Are we allowed to be here now?” Niam asked, looking around. She was probably looking for Scatha, but they were the only ones there.
“No one said we couldn’t practice in the evenings,” Anur said. She led them towards the mats. Once there, she raised her arms and turned to David. “Come on. We can spar. When I’m done with you, you can fight Niam.”
Niam grinned at that, looking eager. David sighed and turned to Anur. She still had that reverent look in her eyes when she looked at him. He wondered how long it would take her to lose it.
“Well? I’m still waiting,” Anur said. She bounced from one foot to the other.
He sighed again then pushed off towards her with a punch. Anur caught it easily, turning it aside before he could hit her. David managed to move along with her, then tried to kick her. Anur sidestepped him neatly and turned her hand, grabbing his wrist. She placed a foot between his and tugged.
A moment later he was on his back on the mats. He closed his eyes. He was getting used to ending up like this, after a few days of practicing with Scatha.
Anur pulled him to his feet for another bout. This time she attacked first. David raised his arms just in time for her to get a hit on his forearm. He winced; Anur had plenty of power for someone her size. Anur stepped back and grinned. He blinked, and she repeated the exact same punch as before. This time he stepped aside before she could hit him.
“Better,” she said cheerfully.
“Don’t be an ass!”
David and Anur both turned as Conal and Bellon stepped into the practice room, glaring at each other. Niam also turned to look.
“And you are a fool, Vikor,” Bellon yelled back, “thinking there’s anything special about Kemp!”
Conal scowled and stepped closer to Bellon, trying to be intimidating. He might have succeeded, if Bellon wasn’t about twice his width. “I don’t think there’s anything special about David, Cardinal Jing did! Can’t you get that through your head? Anyway, all I suggested was that you practice with us. Or would it kill you to be friendly for once?”
“I do not require extra practice,” Bellon said, tone frosty. Then both he and Conal realized that they were the center of attention. Conal ducked his head, but Bellon just scowled harder. “Unlike you lot, my skills are not deficient.”
“Oh, then I must have imagined it this morning when Vicar Draste humiliated you?” Anur snapped, glaring at Bellon and putting her hands on her hips.
“Everyone here knows you’re the best,” Niam said. “Think of it as helping us out.”
Bellon looked aside. “I have better ways of spending my free time.”
Conal sighed. “Niam is right. We shouldn’t argue. Look, Bellon, I don’t like you, but you are the best. Give us some tips at least? It’s not like you’ll be a worse fighter for teaching us.”
Bellon looked around. Finally, he sighed. “Very well. But you must do exactly as I say.”
David and Niam nodded. Conal and Anur hesitated a moment but also nodded. Bellon headed out onto the mats, head held high and for once looking happy. Internally, David winced. If it helped him improve, he could put up with it anyway.
* * *
Three hours later, David climbed out of the shower. Bellon was an even harsher task master than Scatha. He ached everywhere. But the fighting had gone well. David had even managed to get a solid hit in against Anur. He smiled as he closed and locked his bedroom door behind him. Then he froze. He wasn’t alone in the room.
He whirled around, fists out. He wished he had Bramira in hand, but it lay on his bedside table. Then he saw the person who’d been waiting for him and gaped. “Ma’am?” he choked out.
“Kemp,” Scatha said. She leaned casually against the wall, legs and arms loosely crossed. She wasn’t wearing her usual uniform but a pale green robe. The robe slipped off her left shoulder and was belted loose enough that some of her cleavage showed. “David,” she said softly.
David took a few steps away from her, until his knees ran into the bed. “What-- What are you doing here, ma’am?” he managed to say, trying to keep his eyes where they belonged.
Scatha smiled at that, pushing herself off the wall. “It can’t be that much of a mystery.”
“Well, no, but...” He flailed his arms desperately. “You’re my teacher.” She was also his superior, which probably mattered too.
“So?” she asked, stepping even closer. She was now almost in reach. “There are no rules against this. And we are of an age.” She shifted her stance, her robe slipping further down. “Or are you not interested?”
He bit his lip before he could make an embarrassing noise. Not interested was as far from the truth as possible. Scatha was easily the most beautiful woman he’d ever met, and one of the most interesting – if also one of the scariest. Her bright red hair seemed to burn in the faint light of his bedside lamp. Her green eyes glittered with intent. Her breasts were pert and plump. He recalled her muscled arms and could imagine what her legs might look like.
Then she was pressed against him, pushing him back. They fell down onto the bed, Scatha on top. David winced a bit; the springs on the bed weren’t very good. Scatha reached down and yanked his loose shirt off. She ran her hands down his chest, a soft smile on her face. She leaned down enough for her long hair to fall against his arm.
He shuddered. “Do not fall in love.” Cethon’s words rang in his ears. He’d pushed Brigid away because of those words. But Scatha was nothing like Brigid. She was fierce while Brigid was sweet. She was powerful while Brigid was comforting. He’d thought he was falling in love with Brigid. He wasn’t in love with Scatha. So this was okay.
Scatha leaned down and pressed her lips against his in a passionate kiss, and David stopped thinking.
She was every bit as amazing as he had hoped, and more. It was a good thing he hadn’t tried to stop her, because he didn’t think he could. Not that he was complaining.
He tried to slow them down when Scatha got off the last of his clothes. “Wait. We can’t do this.”
“Why not?” She didn’t look happy.
“We don’t have any protection.” When she frowned harder, he added, “I’m not ready to be a father!”
For a moment, Scatha didn’t move. Then she threw her head back as she barked a laugh, her red hair whirling around her head. “You are clueless, aren’t you? When you arrived, you must have been given shots. The Lost do that with every traveler.”
He remembered that. “Yeah. What about it?”
“You got an injection at the same time. You can’t have children, not by accident. I have one too. It’s better that way.”
So Bantong had easy, sure-fire contraceptives too. That shouldn’t surprise him. He might have asked
something else, but Scatha reached down and did something amazing with her hand. David decided his questions could wait till another time.
Later, as they lay sated in the afterglow, David wondered why Scatha had come to him tonight. He couldn’t help but think it was because of Bramira. He closed his eyes, trying not to think like that, but he couldn’t help it. Bramira made him special in Bantong. Without it, where would he be?
He loved using it, loved the way it made him special, loved the power and beauty of it. But sometimes he wished he could be special without it.
9
Quiet Relations
David woke alone. The space beside him in bed was cold. Scatha must have left hours ago. While his alarm clock made a hideous racket, David stared at the faint indentation beside him. Scatha was gorgeous, skilled, intelligent, amazing in bed, and apparently not looking for anything complicated – everything he wanted right now. So why did it feel like he’d just made a huge mistake? He groaned and rubbed a hand across his face, finally shutting off his alarm.
As he got dressed, he wondered if Scatha would act differently around him now that they were lovers. He’d soon find out.
He was the last one to sit down for breakfast. He remembered how the others had helped him the night before and couldn’t help the dopey grin that crossed his face. The table was silent, as breakfast was a time for meditation. He wondered sometimes what the other acolytes thought about, if anything. He watched them closely, thinking warm thoughts about each, even Bellon. Really, he couldn’t imagine better training partners.
After breakfast Niam cleaned up, and David gathered the laundry – an easy task, since one device could wash, dry, and iron. It just had to be filled and turned on. That done, he hurried to join the others in the gymnasium.