by Sam Puma
Jankaro plucked a worm from Ixtlayo’s fur and held it up in front of his face. He watched it squirm back and forth between the tongs as he wondered what it would become. “Don’t think too hard about it,” said Orion as he dropped one in the fire.
“He’s wondering what it tastes like,” said Rafael, and they both laughed. “Go on, pop it in your mouth and chew!” He said as he pushed Jankaro’s tongs toward his face. Jankaro grimaced as he stepped back. He hastened to the fire and dropped the worm on the flame. He watched as it hissed and crackled and dried up in the heat.
“Make sure they burn to dust,” said Janesa to Maximus as he tended the fire. “Don’t let them crawl away.” Her head jerked up to look up at the doorway.
“What is it?” Jankaro asked.
“Anhael is coming! Can’t you smell him?”
“She’s got a nose, this one,” said Orion as he dropped another worm on the fire. “Did I just see you stick one in your mouth and eat it?” He scolded Maximus as he twisted his face up in mock revulsion.
“No chance!” Maximus shouted as he shook his head rapidly from side to side.
“Franco,” said Rafael, “fetch Maximus some salt and pepper.” He turned to Orion and they both laughed. Janesa, Franco and Jankaro couldn’t help but share the amusement while Maximus fumed with indignation.
“What are you doing to this poor Ashtari?” Jankaro was surprised and relieved to see Anhael stride through the bars standing upright, carrying his medicine bags and looking healthy. He walked around Ixtlayo slowly, observing him as he went. He stopped in between Janesa and Jankaro, and his pipe was already lit as he leaned in closely to observe the worm that slithered in Jankaro’s tongs.
“You recognize it?” Janesa asked.
“Could be many things. Just something that grows on Ashtari and it was able to flourish in the cool darkness. Or it could be something more foul, something the Cruxai mixed in with the venom.”
“Surely it is the latter,” said Rafael as he dropped another worm in the fire and watched it crackle and hiss. “Let’s make sure we burn them all.”
“If it’s all right with you,” said Anhael, turning to Rafael. “I want to keep a few and see what they become.”
“I think we should kill them all,” said Orion. “This kind of attack is designed with one purpose: to end the war.”
The chamber fell silent but for the sound of the fire and the crackling of Anhael’s pipe as he inhaled. “Yes.” He looked to Orion to acknowledge his concern. “And,” he turned back to Rafael, “what if we could find a way to throw this back in their face?”
Rafael’s face lit up. “Ooh… yes… I like your thinking! Just make sure you keep it contained.”
Anhael pulled a small chest out of his bag and opened it. “Put three of them in here.”
When they finished plucking off all the worms, Anhael instructed them to give Ixtlayo a juzi stick to flip him on his other side. “Wait,” said Jankaro. “He flipped over on his own last night. Let’s see if he can do it again.” He stood by Ixtlayo’s ear and spoke softly to him. “Ixtlayo.” He rubbed the fur on the back of his neck and squeezed his muscles. “Can you turn over on your other side?” Ixtlayo heaved a small sigh and stretched his front paws, but still seemed to lack the energy to get up. “How about we just give him a little puff? I don’t want him to jump up and bash his head on the ceiling.”
Rafael and Orion were standing by the bars. “We will leave you to it,” said Rafael. “We need to prepare for the war council meeting at noon. Jankaro, meet us at the hall in an hour.” Jankaro nodded and the two of them departed.
Janesa shaved off a few pieces of juzi stick and crumbled them with her hand. She knelt down in front of Ixtlayo’s nose. “Ready?”
“Everyone stand back,” said Jankaro.
Maximus, Franco and Anhael stood outside the bars, in the arena.
“You want me to do that?” Jankaro offered to Janesa.
“It’s all right,” said Janesa. “I’m already here.”
Jankaro stood a few steps behind her.
“Okay Ixtlayo, just get up and lay down on your other side,” said Janesa as she opened her fist and blew on the juzi powder in her palm. The juzi powder went up Ixtlayo’s nose. He sneezed on her and she fell back with a disgusted grunt. Jankaro took her arm and pulled her out of the way as Ixtlayo started to get up. His eyes looked glazed and he rumbled as he sat up on his belly. He looked groggy, like he didn’t want to wake up.
“Roll over on your left side again.” Jankaro motioned with his arms as Ixtlayo squinted and tried to focus his eyes.
He yawned and started to tip to the right. Jankaro ran up and pushed on his opposite shoulder.
“Other way! Come on everyone, push!” The others came forward, put their hands on Ixtlayo and pushed. With a grunt, he went down on his left side and fell back to sleep.
“Whew,” Jankaro exhaled and brushed the loose fur off his hands. “Thanks everyone.”
“Let’s check him out,” said Anhael as he started to comb through the fur. Maximus stoked the fire while the others inspected him. They searched for a little while but only found two worms.
“It must have happened because he was lying there on his left for so long and they thrived in the warm, dark, moist environment. Make sure he flips at least twice a day.” Anhael picked up his bags and walked out.
Janesa and Maximus resumed their duties while Franco was left to look after Ixtlayo. Jankaro walked alone towards the main hall where he would meet with the war council. He dreaded seeing Titus. On his way there, he came around a corner and Valera was right in front of him, walking toward him. Both of them stopped and Jankaro’s breath caught in his throat. All his muscles tightened as he remembered the last time he encountered her.
“Hello,” she said with a polite smile. Jankaro looked around to see if Titus was anywhere nearby. “I am leaving now, to stay in Calixo while you fight. I just wanted to thank you for the fan. It is beautiful.” She looked down at her feet and the dark memory of the bird’s death passed over her face.
Jankaro opened his mouth to speak but his tongue was didn’t seem to work. Even though she was dressed more simply than before, she still radiated from within and without in her blue dress, with her wavy curls dangling past her shoulders. She looked up into his eyes again and he felt like she could see into him and recognized his heart and his worth. He felt warm.
“May Sagaya bless you on your journey,” he said as he bowed his head in acknowledgment and continued past her. As he walked by he felt the heat rise in his body. His muscles were tight as he realized he was resisting the urge to once again take her by the hand. After a few strides he looked back, but she was gone.
Jankaro descended into the main hall and found it empty. Two torches illuminated the carving of the ram’s head and he felt the ache of the arrowhead in his heart. Beneath the ram’s head and to the right, he saw Orion’s head emerge from a doorway. Orion waved his arm, beckoning him to come down. There was something about the ram’s head on the wall that fanned the flames of emotion burning inside him. He was worried for Ixtlayo. He hated the Cruxai. He wanted to hold Valera. He dreaded entering the chamber and seeing Titus. He had no idea how to council the king about the war. He wished someone would hand him a rope so he could bite into it. He clenched his fists and teeth and breathed deep. The sight of Orion’s calm and confident face helped to ease the tension as he descended the steps.
When he entered the chamber, Titus was leaning toward the king, making a point about something. When he saw Jankaro enter, he stopped talking, crossed his arms and leaned back, eyeing him with a stoic expression.
“Sit down,” said Rafael, “let’s begin.”
Jankaro clenched his jaw and tried to keep his composure as he slid quietly into his chair. Orion set his leg in a bent position, unhooked the ringlets from his hand and
crossed his fingers on the table.
“I am returning to Calixo today,” said Oranos. “Rafael is in command while I am gone.”
Jankaro fought to keep the surprise from his face. Oranos spoke directly to him as if the others already knew.
“The only people who will stay here are the soldiers and the servants, but we will maintain a chain of food and supplies coming in from Calixo by boat.
“I will protect the people in Calixo. I am too old to fight and lead in battle, so I will leave that to my sons. If anything should happen to Rafael, Titus will lead. If anything should happen to Titus, Orion will lead. If anything should happen to Orion, Jankaro will lead.”
“Father, how long have you known him?!” Titus did not hide his irritation. “I could name 20 soldiers who have served you loyally for years, who have fought in several battles. He can’t lead.”
“If I die,” Oranos growled as he turned to Titus, “and Rafael dies, you can make changes. Remember up on the pyramid? We held a ceremony and Jankaro gifted you. He hasn’t seen or spoken a single word to your wife since then.” Jankaro felt blood rush to his face as he listened to the king’s misinformed proclamation. “You said you had let it go.”
Titus leaned back in his chair and looked at the wall past Rafael’s shoulder.
“Now, before I go,” said Oranos, “I want to hear from all of you about strategy. Who has a plan?” He looked around to each one of them.
“Caladon is the plan,” said Rafael. “They can’t break us here. Let them come and come. We can break down their numbers from here. After a few more battles they will be so depleted that we can start reclaiming our lost territories.”
“I concur with Rafael, my king,” said Orion. “There is no better place to fight them in all the land.”
“Hmm,” said Oranos. “I tend to agree myself. But I would like to know if there are other options. Jankaro, what do you think?”
Jankaro’s mind went blank as he looked into the king’s eyes. Oranos was dressed regally, ready to depart with his personal guard and the last groups of civilians. The crown sat on his head and Jankaro felt a stirring from deep within to reach out and grab it. He remembered the snake and shook his head out of disgust, trying to free himself from the memory.
“Oh,” said Rafael with a challenging tone. “So you think you have a better idea?”
Jankaro realized they had all seen him shake his head. He knew he had to say something, so he opened his mouth and just let his ideas flow.
“Caladon has a big wall. You could say it’s the best place to defend.”
“Who is this idiot?” Titus shouted in disgust as he stretched his arms out in a challenge to his father. “I can’t believe you allow him to sit with us!”
“Don’t be a fool, Titus!” Oranos turned and scolded him. His face was bright red and spit flew from his mouth. “I will hear what he has to say!” Titus grimaced and put on a stoic face, but it was easy to see that he had not forgiven, nor did he intend to forgive Jankaro for his perceived trespass.
Oranos turned to Jankaro. “Go on, let’s hear it. What is your plan?”
“Caladon has the same problem as Dorfin,” he said softly, trying to muster up the confidence to speak in front of the four most powerful men in the kingdom. “We are easy to find here. If the Cruxai want to kill us, they know exactly where to find us.”
“So we just open the gate and let them in?” Orion had a confused expression. They all looked skeptical.
“The jungle is vast. We could all live there. We could spread out, set up traps and ambushes and pick them off one by one. If they know we are there, it won’t matter. There’s no big grey pile of rocks where they can find us. They don’t know the jungle at all. Anhael, Janesa and I could teach you the skills of survival…”
“A big grey pile of rocks?” Jankaro gulped as he saw that he had offended the king. “This is the greatest fortress ever built! My ancestors have been here for centuries and this city has seen many attempts at invasion, but none have succeeded. We will not fight them in the jungle. They would kill us all! We have walls for a reason! Titus,” he turned to face his son. “What do you have to offer? Do you still want to ride to Dorfin and attack?”
“Yes,” said Titus as he leaned forward. “I do. We’re always sitting back and waiting for them to come to us. We can get back inside Dorfin through the tunnels and attack them by day. We could slaughter them all.”
“You are forgot one thing,” said Rafael. “It takes two days to ride to Dorfin. The whole area is swarming with Cruxai scouts. They could ambush us in the open field while we rest our horses. You would rather fight them in the open? We would lose the advantage of this fortress. It’s crazy to attack until we know that they are too weak to attack us here.”
Titus grimaced. “You’re right. But wait. I just thought of something. Yes, it’s two days ride to Dorfin. But for an Ashtari it would be less than one.”
Everyone turned to look at Jankaro. “We only have one Ashtari,” he said.
“That’s all we need to get him in,” said Titus to Rafael. “He could crawl in through the tunnels and scout their defenses, burn their food supply, poison their water, and report back. Then we could ride out and hit them while they’re weak and confused!”
“Sounds like a dangerous mission,” said Orion.
“But it makes sense!” said Rafael. “Titus is right about the Ashtari. Jankaro could make him wait in the wide part of the cave. Then Jankaro could crawl through, sneak around by day and get an inside look at their operations. We would gain a big advantage if we knew what went on inside those walls.”
“Or,” said the king, “If we could find a way to get our army to the caves without the horde coming for us. If we could do that, we could turn the tide.”
It sounded risky to Jankaro and he thought it might be Titus’ way of trying to get rid of him. Still, he couldn’t help but feel the excitement of being involved in a mission that could turn the war around. He saw himself riding Ixtlayo all the way to Dorfin, crawling through the caves and getting back into the city. He saw himself sneaking around, gathering information, figuring out a way to get the army in, and slitting more than a few Cruxai throats along the way.
“Imagine this, Jankaro,” said Rafael. “Ixtlayo gets better. We suit him up with yanigo. You ride out at dawn. You get to the caves, Ixtlayo waits there. You crawl back in the way you came…”
“Through the temple in the back of the city. Remember?” Orion said and Jankaro nodded.
“You gather information. How do they defend Dorfin? What are they building to get them into Caladon? Find out whatever you can about their next attack. Count them. How many Juruga? Who are their leaders? Like Titus said, before you leave, burn their food supply if you can. And poison… do we have any poison for them?”
“Maybe Anhael can make one,” said Orion. “He could make one of our Cruxai prisoners eat one of those worms and see what happens. I’m sure he can come up with some sort of poison.”
“Anyway,” said Rafael, “Jankaro you get the idea. Are you willing to do it?”
“What do you mean ‘are you willing to do it?’” said Titus. “Just give the command.” He turned to Oranos.
Oranos was about to speak, but Jankaro beat him to it. “I’m willing.”
“Then may it be so,” said Oranos as he stood. “I can see that I am leaving Caladon in good hands. I trust you will send me word of our victory within the month. The queen and I don’t want to be away from home for too long, and I’m sure the rest of you would like to see your wives again soon. Jankaro can go back to the jungle and find a wife. Or he can stay here with us and we can find him one. Anyway, now I must be off.”
“Before you go,” said Orion. “Should we review the fallback plan?”
“No!” The king shouted. “No more talk about the fallback plan. It stays the sam
e with the caves and the boats and everything else set in place. Let that plan collect dust for all I care. All I can see is victory riding on the back of an Ashtari!” Oranos stood to leave, Rafael and Titus followed him out.
Orion turned to Jankaro. “Next council meeting,” he said as he slipped his rings on his fingers and stood, “it will be you and me with the winning idea.”
He was clearly humbled, but he still managed to smile and clap Jankaro on the shoulder before he walked out. Jankaro sat for a moment in a daze as he imagined sneaking around Dorfin spying on a horde of Cruxai.
Jankaro strode through the arena toward Ixtlayo’s cage as he imagined himself on the mission. He had to admit the strategic value of the plan, and he was not going to back away from the challenge. It angered him to know that Titus would be perfectly content if the plan failed and resulted in his death.
Franco stood outside the bars with a large fish held against his torso. He leaned forward and heaved it between the bars. Jankaro stood next to him and watched as Ixtlayo leaned his head down, picked up the fish in his mouth and chewed it. It fell out of his mouth a couple times but he kept crunching away and finished it in a few swallows.
“That’s his third one,” said Franco. “He took a swipe at me. Lucky for me he is not back to full strength, but I am not going back in there.”
When Ixtlayo met his eyes, Jankaro saw his strength and focus returning. He still looked tired and sluggish but he was eating and lying on his belly with his paws forward. After a moment he turned away and lay back down on his side. He let out a heavy exhale, flipped his tail one time and closed his eyes to rest. Jankaro slipped between the bars and ran his hand along the fur of Ixtlayo’s side. He felt the bulge of his full belly. “Still giving him breath of life?”
“No need. He’s drinking water now. Janesa put some tonic in it. See the basin over there? The bottle next to it has the tonic. It’s a more refined version of breath of life. He won’t need it any more, now that he is eating and drinking. I’ll be back; I need to fetch more water.”