Eos Rising: The Third Book of Regenesis

by D. Scott Dickinson

  On-o-Peia, the brash and curious youngest sister, leads the way. Ever alert to the slightest movement and least noise among the tall reeds on either side of the narrow waterway.

  They have marched far into the twilight, pressing ahead to reach their destination rather than spending an additional night among the reeds. A nagging disquiet prods them farther through the deepening darkness.

  .

  The suns have set five times since they embarked on the scouting expedition to the west, and lines of anxiety are etched deeply across their brows.

  “We are beyond late,” Lin-o-Peia observes, giving voice to the fear all the sisters share. “Curse these choking reeds.

  “Mei-o was due to arrive two nights ago. Too long for one person to remain alone on the beach if sea-wolves are prowling about.”

  Her words lend greater haste to their journey. As the sisters stretch long legs through the night to reach the wicker craft as quickly as night-time travel conditions allow.

  On-o-Peia raises a hand to slow their pace, as the sisters confront the leading edge of briny mist clawing its way up from the south.

  It is nearly dawn, but the fog envelops eveything in a twilight world of fine, salted mist. Slowing the sisters to a more cautious pace.

  The faint ebb and flow of surf is the first indication they are nearing their destination.

  Hewing to the stream’s narrow bank, they glide along purposefully and in utter silence as the thin mist continues to thicken. When, suddenly and without warning, the firm footing turns to sand as the reeds end and the waterway washes across the beach.

  Sensing unnatural movement ahead, On-o-Peia again raises a hand. And motions her sisters to seek cover among the reeds fringing the open shoreline.

  Peering through the mist, they are astounded by the scene before them!

  The wicker craft’s sternmost mat moves to one side, and six blurry figures emerge. Dropping one-by-one down onto the beach.

  They look like wraiths through the murky fog, and the sisters are fearful they may have disturbed malign spirits haunting the derelict craft.

  It is difficult to make out their fine features through the mist, but the sisters get a clearer picture as their eyes adjust to the milky medium around the wicker craft.

  They are six bronzed men. All appear robust and youthful, with short manes of curly black hair and thick black growths on their chins. All are naked, except for their groin area which is hidden by a narrow patch of some material. And all are armed with long, supple lances not unlike those carried by the sisters themselves.

  There is no sign of Mei-o-Peia, and they wonder if she is held captive in the wicker craft.

  As the strange men near the stream, the sisters back away noiselessly, under cover of the reeds, toward the wicker craft. So silent is their passage, none of the men is aware of their hidden approach.

  They are focused on a more immediate object: the silver-sided fish they will eat for breakfast.

  While her sisters remain concealed in the reeds closest to the craft, Lin-o-Peia stealthily makes her way through the mist and climbs to the stern hatch. Peering inside, she sees neither the oldest sister nor any bindings to suggest she has been held prisoner there.

  Slipping back into the reeds, she whispers:

  “Mei-o is not here. And there is no sign she has been. So, either she has not yet returned or she is dead. I wager that, like us, she is late in coming.

  “But until we know more about these strange men, we should hunker down to see what we may see.”

  Scarcely are the words out of her mouth when the men return with fresh-caught fish. Huddling on the landward side of the craft to break fast. Chattering away amiably.

  “I do not know how much farther east this shoreline goes,” Shem admits, “but we are bound to reach the other branch of the great river eventually.”

  Voicing the frustration shared by all, he adds:

  “I will be relieved to rejoin Adam but, brothers, our journey through fen and delta has been for naught. We are, alas, alone in this virgin landscape.

  “There is none other like us in these parts.

  “Nor, perforce, in any part of the wide world,” he adds dejectedly.

  As Shem speaks his mind, the mist begins to clear. Surrendering its tenuous moisture to the heat of the rising suns. That is when the sisters are able to make out the fine features of these remarkable strangers.

  “They are beautiful!” Em-o-Peia gasps in a barely audible whisper.

  “More to the point,” Lin-o-Peia interjects, “they cannot have seen Mei-o if, as the one man said, ‘there is none other’ like them here. We are so like them I wonder we haven’t encountered others in our exploration along this shore.”

  But her listeners hear little of what is ventured as the intrigued sisters stare longingly at the handsome figures on the beach.

  Casting her eyes on the man who spoke, Lin-o-Peia, too, experiences an arousal and longing she has never felt. But out of concern for their missing sister, she counsels the others to caution.

  Remaining silent and undiscovered.

  Almost immediately, the men set out toward the east. While the sisters follow a safe distance behind. Knowing this is the direction they, too, must travel to find Mei-o-Peia.

  The next two days are a curious game of cat and mouse. As the soft-footed sisters noiselessly dog the brothers’ trail along the shoreline, catch and eat silver fish a safe distance away, and spend the ensuing evenings concealed in the reeds.

  Eavesdropping on the brothers’ conversations.

  By the second night, they are thoroughly enamored of these handsome, genteel men. Hanging on every word. Thrilling to their gentle, open nature and respectful regard for the natural world.

  As twin suns break the eastern horizon on the third day, sharp-eared An-o-Peia hears the faint sound of human voices approaching from that direction. She quietly wakes her sisters as the voices grow louder.

  “That is Mei-o,” she whispers. “But the second voice is one I have not heard before. Sounds like the men we have been following, only huskier.”

  The words are scarcely out of her mouth when, like a mirage, the oldest sister appears, walking arm-in-arm with yet another bronze stranger, along the beach. By this time, the six men sleeping on the sand are awake, and they all utter a single cry of relief:

  “Adam!”

  Dashing from the reeds, the six sisters cry out in unison:

  “Mei-o!”

  While the men stare in astonishment at the totally naked copper-skinned beauties who have seemingly materialized out of thin air from the reeds.

  The sisters rush to Mei-o-Peia’s side, as Adam approaches the awestruck men.

  “Put aside your lances,” the eldest sister counsels. “You have no need of them here.”

  While Adam reassures the others, “stand down, brothers. We are among friends. More than friends.

  “Let us join them, and all will be made clear.”

  As fourteen figures huddle together, Mei-o-Peia holds up a hand for quiet.

  “Sisters,” she pauses . . . “and brothers. It is time to rejoice. Our greatest hopes have been realized. The seekers have found one another.

  “Our quest is done!

  “The Earth Spirit—she who guided us through fierce storms and even fiercer creatures across a savage sea—has led us to this place, and this place alone in all the dry earth, to consummate her promise of a renewed world.

  “Just as she set us on our quest, so, too, did these fair men embark on a journey of their own. Pursuing a common destiny. To fulfill a sublime promise.

  “Like Adam and me, my sisters, you are fated to mate with his brothers to remake that world. To replenish the earth through the stewardship of a new and caring race that will husband the precious gifts of a generous, sustaining nature.”

  Turning to Adam, she nods. As he completes the message.

  “Yes, brothers, it is true. You can see it in our union. Mei-o and I are o
ne, just as she says the Earth Spirit ordained. And so shall each of you be.

  “It is time we join together.

  “It is time we embrace our shared destiny . . . and one another.”

  The sisters wade into the surf to catch silver fish for breakfast, while the brothers gather a huge trove of driftwood.

  They spend the remainder of the day lolling on the sand. Getting to know one another. As the sisters yield throbbing hearts to the mates of their choosing. By nightfall, the match-making is complete.

  As the darkness thickens, they ignite a huge bonfire. And every sister leads every brother on an exploration of exquisite intimacy. And every union is consummated by the time the last ember winks out in the night.

  There is magic in the air. Even the stars seem especially bright. Twinkling merrily. As the Earth Spirit looks down on her good works. And sighs contentedly.

  It is an energized, giddy, optimistic company of young lovers who turn their steps westward early the following morning.

  At Mei-o-Peia’s urging, they will return to the wicker craft, retrieve every useful thing, and then strike out for the western branch of the great river. To retrace the route the six brothers followed from the Great Northern Fens to the sea.

  And, as Ham confirms from the brothers’ earlier uneventful journey across this shore, every westward step will take them that much farther from the domain of the sea-wolves.

  It will be a march of many days. But unlike the daunting trek south and the peril-fraught voyage across a savage sea, all know they will savor every moment in the company of their remarkable mates.

  Love dulls the edge of even the keenest hardship.

  Their arrival at the derelict craft is cause for renewed celebration.

  After retrieving the coils of vine and other practical objects they can easily carry, they set fire to the wicker as couples renew their intimacy in the shadows beyond the burning pyre.

  Strengthening bonds that will bind them for life. Severing the last link between the seven sisters and the savage sea.

  It is a trek of several more days before they reach the western river. And every member of the company relishes every leg of the journey.

  Along a sandy shore bathed in various hues as the suns shift position from dawn through dusk.

  Beside a serene bay whose blue-green surface and gentle surf lend vibrant color and throbbing rhythm to the immersive joy of each new day.

  Walking into every fiery sunset. Filled with burning passion. In lockstep with their mates.

  Chapter 19. The Stronger Sex

  As they travel west, a natural, comfortable hierarchy emerges between the sisters and their mates.

  Whether out of deference to their mates’ sensibilities or to their aggressive sexuality, the brothers gladly follow the sisters’ wishes in everything they do.

  It is the sisters who lead the company.

  It is the sisters who set the pace of each day’s travel.

  It is the sisters who choose the hour and place of each nightly bivouac.

  And it is the sisters who assign the chores at every meal.

  By the time they reach the western branch of the great river, the chemistry of the company and of every individual couple is firmly established.

  The sisters decide; the brothers comply.

  So artful are Mei-o-Peia and her sisters, they wield their leadership skills with grace, sensitivity and a nurturing deference to every want and need of the brothers. Who, in turn, are perfectly content to follow the sisters’ lead.

  As love leavens every choice and act, the company achieves a comity that would be the envy of even the most enlightened societies in the human experience.

  It is a matriarchical model unalloyed by the pagan superstitions and bestial practices of the sisters’ lost island home. As the finer instincts of the stronger sex guide the couples to a level of caring self-governance that only strengthens their mutual endearment and bond.

  Theirs is truly the utopia that has eluded idealistic thinkers through the ages. Grounded in the assertive, nurturing nature of the sisters. Ensuring the future of the next generation as well as their own.

  Striking north and east along the bank of the western river, the company regretfully leaves the shoreline behind them. Cherishing the love-filled days and nights of affection that cemented each couple’s embrace of love and commitment.

  As new hope soars in the breasts of Mei-o-Peia and her sisters for a bright future with these remarkable men. A future they know will be made even brighter by a new generation soon to come.

  Their progress is swift, and it seems no time at all when they arrive at the lively cataract feeding into the delta river. Reminded of the waterfalls lacing the cone-mountains of their island home, the sisters feel a growing welcome to this place.

  The company bivouacs on the bank at the base of the cataract to rest before undertaking the arduous climb up the escarpment on the morrow.

  Chapter 20. Earthquake!

  Meanwhile, far to the north, across the Great Northern Fens, the band of furry bipeds is filing along the seaside cliffs to the caves they have made their home.

  Overlooking an unfamiliar sea.

  Where lively waves formerly had lashed against the rocks at the base of the cliffs, the sea has become unaccountably still. Its placid, unbroken surface mirroring the starry firmament above.

  The deepening darkness magnifies the reflected brilliance of the astral display and, as the leader looks out across the quiet water, ocean runs to sky in a seamless tide of silver splash enveloping the world around him. It is as if the band is surrounded by pulsing starlight.

  But its beauty and magic are lost on him as he wonders at the preternatural calmness of a sea that has ever only boiled and churned.

  It reminds him of the volcanic eruption of the band’s ancestral valley, the mountain of ocean that pursued them to the cove and the implosion of the coomb-like canyon of spiteful spirits.

  Leading the band down into their cave-dwellings, the leader resolves to remain alert to any sign of impending misfortune. He rests fitfully this night. As a long-absent visitor invades his troubled thoughts.

  It is the Old One. He brings an urgent message.

  “Awaken at once, and lead our people away from this place!

  “The earth grows restless. The ocean is gathering strength. The cliff-side dwellings will not survive this night.

  “As the suns begin their rise into the heavens, the shore will rend, the water will rise, and these cliffs will be swallowed by earth and water.

  “It is time for our people to seek their new home.

  “Far to the north. To the frozen land of snow and ice. To the familiar land where we belong.

  “I will guide your steps to the place you are destined to reach.

  “But you must first make haste, gather the band and leave at once!”

  As the Old One’s voice trails off into fading echo, a temblor shakes the leader to wakefulness.

  Springing to his feet, he makes a quick circuit of the cliff-side caves, rousting every member of the band and leading them forthwith to the crest of the cliffs. Headed directly toward the homestead to warn Noah and Davina of the calamity to come.

  But they, too, have felt the earth’s warning and are just emerging onto the veranda when the band arrives.

  After a few, hurried words between the leader and Davina, they all strike out inland toward the sierras towering beyond the sprawling cultivated fields to the west.

  Dawn catches them on the edge of the tree-line at the base of the foothills. Where they are hurled to their knees by a sudden violent shaking of the ground.

  Looking back toward the sunrise, they view a scene of horror and devastation!

  The homestead sinks slowly out of sight, melting into the land.

  The ocean erupts skyward in one smashing blow against the seaside cliffs.

  A wall of flame vaults a thousand feet into the air above the cliffs.

  And a heavy
curtain of steam hisses loudly as the great ocean wave falls back down upon rising whorls of lava.

  Thick fog envelops the horizon, blotting out the epic spectacle of the continental rim sliding into a boiling sea.

  Only the cultivated fields remain of human presence here.

  Only footprints attest to them who passed this way.

  And only the prints of the furry bipeds remain visible, as their passing erased those of the couple traveling in their midst.

  Late in the day, as the violence subsides and the fog begins to clear, Davina and the leader discuss where they should go from here.

  “We go north,” the leader states with finality.

  “I have received a sign. It is what warned me the earth would shake, and it is what tells me where my people must go.

  “You are welcome to join us, but our decision is made,” he concludes.

  “No, we cannot leave now,” Davina replies. “Noah and I will remain here until Adam and his brothers return.

  “We wish you every good fortune on your journey north.”

  With that, the band sets out immediately. To cover as much distance as possible while the suns are still in the sky.

  Not one to linger over long farewells, the leader is infused with a sense of urgency from the words of the Old One and means to return to a world of ice and snow as soon as possible.

  As the band vanishes into the haze, Noah turns to Davina and assures her:

  “The homestead is gone, but we can rebuild. Thankfully, we are safe and the boys were not here when the earthquake struck.

  “Turns out, we built our homestead and our friends settled into caves right on top of the eastern subduction zone of the continent. The implosion of the seaside cliffs is fair warning against remaining along this stretch of coast.

  “The only questions are: Where do we go from here? And when? Or, I should say, how soon after the boys return?

  “It is time to rest. As soon as I am certain the danger has passed, we can assess the damage and decide what to do from there. But that is a matter for another day.

  “Today, we will find a suitable place to shelter. Until our sons return.”