Fall of the Drjeen

by Sarah Cathey

  While Shook never challenged him on it, eating the Rawkta raw would have been the preferred method and the method which provided the most sustenance. However, something led Aput to cook the animal, relinquishing the poison of its effects. Could it have been a simple mistake, lack of thought, or tiredness? Or, could the stars be speaking to him and leading his path? He did not believe in luck, but surely something was on his side. He also could not hide from the idea that there was also an opposing force. Someone had tried to kill him and while he couldn’t bring himself to believe it, he wondered, if for only a moment, if Shook had been ordered to make sure the assassination was followed to the end.

  Shook rolled onto his side, letting out a painful cry as he slept. Aput had never seen such a warrior. He’d never experienced a Drjeen willing to give his life for another. No, Shook was not the assassin. But, then who?

  “Through here, quickly!” Shakja still hadn’t seen the strange Drjeen, but she didn’t hesitate as the young female led her deeper into the pits of the dungeon. Still, though, she was throwing all of her trust in a Drjeen she’d met in the floor of a dungeon.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “You ask a lot of questions.”

  “I think I am owed that, at least a little.”

  “You need to learn to trust more.”

  “I am following you in the dark in a dungeon and have no idea where you are taking me. For all I know you could be leading me to the king and queen to be executed.”

  “That would be a funny twist would it not?”

  “No, it wouldn’t!” Shakja hissed, “Not at all!”

  “Well, I am not, so don’t worry. Why would I waste my time to do something with such an awkward and inevitable end?”

  “I am leading you out of the palace. It is a secret escape.”

  “Surely guards will already be posted at all escape routes.”

  “Do you not know what a secret means? My parents were so wrong about you. You are not intelligent at all.”

  The young Drjeen gripped Shakja’s talon tightly and pulled her down another dark corridor.

  “Parents? Who are your parents and what do they know of me?”

  “I suspect everything by now. I’m sure the advisors have been asking many questions and watching from a distance. That is how my parents do things.”

  “Wait!” Shakja yelled out, grabbing the young Drjeen’s talon and coming to a complete stop.

  “Hey, why did you do that. We don’t have time for this.”

  “Who. Are. Your. Parents?”

  “How do you not know that?” replied the Drjeen “You are not intelligent at all. My parents are the king and queen of course. Do you think they allow just anyone to sneak around in the dungeons?”

  “Wait...The king and…” Shakja couldn’t move. Her muscles tensed and she didn’t know if she could go any further. “Why would they allow you to roam around in the dungeon?”

  “Oh,” the young princess paused. “I guess they don’t allow me. At any rate, the longer we wait around talking about my family the closer you get to meet them directly.”

  Shakja finally relented and tightened her talon around that of the princess. They ran until Shakja could barely take another step. The young princess finally released her talon and after a few moments, torches began lighting the small room.

  As she watched the torches seemingly light on their own Shakja turned as each new one went aglow, but it was not the torches which drew her attention. When the full ring of torches was lit, Shakja couldn’t believe what she was looking at. Surrounding her, piled nearly twice her height Shakja found that she was standing amid the greatest treasure of jewels and precious metal she’d ever seen. She gasped just to take it all in and didn’t release her breath until the princess strolled around one of the massive piles.

  “Where are we?” Shakja managed to get out.

  Shakja also did not dismiss the opportunity to see her savior for the first time and was surprised to find one of the most beautiful Drjeen she’d ever seen. Unlike other Drjeen, the young princess was slender with green eyes and burgundy stripes along her back spines which were also present in her glistening scales.

  “Oh, this? There are chambers like this littered all around the catacombs.”

  “The what?”

  “I guess most don’t know. Maybe I am the only one. Even my parents don’t know what exists deep in the mountain. The ancients who first came above ground. They built these catacombs and buried their dead here. They never knew if they would ever have to go back underground. This room, from what I can guess was special.”

  Looking at the piles of treasure Shakja could understand why, “but it is not because of the treasure,” the princess explained. She let one of her wings spread and point away from the treasure piles. “Look, over there. Can you see the thrones? The skeletal remains and the artifacts behind them?”

  Shakja looked in the direction and could see what the princess was talking about.

  “I believe those were the first rulers to leave the caverns.”

  “How do you know so much if you are the only one to know of this place.”

  The princess deliberately thought on this for some time. Then she responded, “I don’t know how. But, in the time I spent down here, I just know I am right.”

  “Did you tell me you can see in the dark?”

  The princess giggled for a moment, then humbly stood up straight revealing a sense of natural regality Shakja hadn’t yet seen. “I can. These tunnels carry with them mysteries I do not understand, but what I do know is that the longer I spend down here the more abilities I have. For one, the biggest is that I see as well in the dark as I do in the light.”

  “That is interesting.”

  The princess walked to the thrones and pulled out a piece of parchment. She studied it and then slid it back in place.

  “What was that?”

  “A map.”

  “To?”

  “To escape this room. I know this is where we go, but not how to find the escape.”

  “And you do now?”

  The princess paced around the room looking in all directions. She shook her head as if mentally scolding herself. Then she walked around more. “I don’t get it.”

  “Get what?” Shakja asked.

  The princess looked at Shakja with a quizzical look. “How many times must I repeat myself? I am looking for a way to escape. Truly, my parents overestimated your intelligence.”

  Shakja threw up her wings in annoyance and then let them fold back behind her. Her tail wrapped sharply on the floor, something she knew she’d not be able to control. Her tail then swayed from one side to the next as Shakja rummaged through the treasure mounds wondering if there was anything that could help her.

  Walking up to the throne Shakja found the leather and metal armor of an ancient neatly laid out as if being inspected by the king and queen. Shakja took the heavy material and quickly put it on, amazed at how well it protected her vulnerable underbelly, neck and other sensitive areas. It was heavy when lifted, but surprisingly light and nimble as she moved. Alongside the ancient queen’s chair was a long sword and the most beautiful blade Shaja had ever seen. The blade was adorned in red and green stones that emitting a soft light when she picked up the handle. She peered around her shoulder making sure the young princess could not see what she was doing. She held the knife in her hand and felt a burst of energy rivet through her body. Her tail lashed out and struck the chair. Suddenly a loud rumble began to shake the chamber. The jewels and precious metals began to fall and roll like waves. The princess came running toward Shakja.

  “What did you do?” She noticed the leather and metal armor. “What are you doing? What are you wearing?”

  Shakja couldn’t speak as terror ripped through her. The princess grabbed hold of two knives laying on the ground next to the ancient queen’s chair and looked up at Shakja, “If you get a weapon then so do I!”

  The room began to sha
ke as Shakja grabbed hold of the princess who’d lost a bit of her abundance of confidence. “Stay near me.”

  The highest and lowest caste stood side by side, the latter in the arms of the former as the piles of treasure slowly began to fall and filter out of the chamber through the floor. Shakja could’ve cried knowing how the treasure, only what had been in the room could have changed the lives of nearly everyone in the settlement.

  Soon the rumbling stopped and Shakja and the princess were standing alongside the two thrones. The piles of treasure were gone and only half of the torches remained lit.

  The princess was the first to step away from the thrones and walk to one of the holes in the floor. She looked down. “This is our escape,” she said.

  Shakja walked up next to her. “What is down there. I can see nothing.”

  “It’s open to the mountain below. The base of the mountain.” As Shakja struggled to look down into the darkness another rumbling began to overtake the chamber and the floor below the two started to move. The princess didn’t waste any time and she dove forward thrusting herself at Shakja who collapsed into one of the holes and fell nearly a hundred lengths before she could unfold her wings and keep herself from plunging into the depths of the outer mountain. The princess was soon alongside the irritated Shakja.

  “Why in the world would you…”

  “The chamber was closing. This was our only escape.”

  Shakja looked up and in the faint light of the stars and the dropping second moon she could see that the princess was right.

  “Now what?” Asked the princess.

  Shakja put her horns back formulating a plan. “I need to go home. Then...I don’t know yet.”

  As Shakja led the young princess toward the settlement she couldn’t help but notice that strange blue star in the sky, seemingly brighter than the last time she’d seen it.

  Chapter 9

  The blue star had grown enough to light the small part of its own end of the sky. While the light was not deeply penetrating, in a high altitude the reflection off of passing night clouds could not be mistaken. Yet as the faint glow slowly emanated from the distant object hurtling toward Jeen something unfamiliar about it overcame those Drjeen who’d taken to regular observation. That would include those manning telescopes in the Tower of the Moons, the king who sat perched in the highest tower of his castle curiously staring up, Aput who was still nursing his warrior and Shakja who now flew a length ahead of the princess as they took a swift current through the mountains and coming out a considerable distance from the farms which Shakja was certain she would never return.

  Surprisingly the young princess kept up with Shakja every step, and the larger and faster Drjeen considered that even if she wanted to lose the princess, she may not have the strength, nor the speed to do so. However, considering the circumstances, trying to escape her young ward was now the least of her troubles. She also surmised that with the princess’s curious acts, there must either be royal disposition or an uncanny spirit pushing the princess to accompany Shakja. Either way, her help may be needed in the future.

  The mountains were now well behind the two and Shakja hesitated to send off any vibrations for fear she would be recognized. From what she could visually intercept there were no others flying nearby, nor below. Yet, in the distance piercing and horrifying sounds began to emerge. Initially, the sounds were soft like a humming beckon, but then, the further the two flew, the louder the sounds became.

  The princess flew over Shakja and then dove down quickly at such a speed that Shakja turned to her side and nearly knocked a wing into the young Drjeen.

  “Whoa! That was close!” The princess gasped as she leveled out and flew alongside Shakja.

  “Yes, well, princess. It is better that we know where each other are.”

  The princess didn’t seem to care about Shakja’s criticism, and she took another spin in the air, arching her head back toward the mountain. “Looks like my father has sent out a few patrols. I wonder what they’re looking for.”

  “Yes, I wonder.” Shakja sarcastically muttered as she took to a hard and drawn flapping of her wings propelling her forward in a burst. There was now no more time for gliding. She must get home fast.

  The princess caught up as if she’d never been left behind. “Do you think they are coming for us?”

  “I can think of no other.”

  “How exciting!”

  “For you maybe. Nothing will come of you if you are caught. For me…”

  A few lights in the distance told Shakja that she was close to her home, though she had no idea if she would make it.

  “Come now, fly faster,” Shakja said as she propelled herself forward in another burst.

  “What will happen to you?” The princess asked.

  “I’m not so sure. Usually, my people are not killed. That would be too high a praise. I assume I will be banished if I am not already.”

  The princess seemed to dwell on this for some time. Shakja took only the briefest moment to turn her head and see if a patrol was following them. The lights were so far off it was difficult to tell. She and the princess were flying relatively blind although the princess seemed to have some ability to see in darkness, so Shakja depended on her own knowledge of the terrain and sky and the hope that the princess would warn her if Shakja happened to get too close to something that would take her down.

  Shakja surmised that they were flying hard over the barren ground below which was good for speed and for staying hidden. Few Drjeen, even scouts, could send off vibrations that wouldn’t be affected by the mineralization of the ground below. Also, the wind drafts were especially high in the direction of the settlement through the barren land. If they were where Shakja surmised, then she felt she had the upper edge.

  “So, what will we do when we get to your home?”

  It was a good question, “I am not sure. I will find my friends, so I know what my fate has been.”

  “My father would not have announced your fate yet, not if you were still in the dungeon. He does not announce those things until the punishment has been placed.”

  Despite the circumstances, Shakja couldn’t help but raise a smile at the edges of her mouth. It was good to see that naivety was just as popular with the elites as it was with the lowest castes. “Trust me, if a decision has been made my people will already know of it.”

  The princess brushed off the statement doubting it as impossible, yet she said no more about the subject.

  Beyond the barren lands and rounding the outer edge of a small mountain which even Shakja knew no name for the two were soon descending hard on the settlement.

  “The light ahead, do you see it?”

  “I do.”

  “That is the direction, but not the destination. Follow me in and land quietly. I do not know what awaits us.”

  Shakja was happy that the princess could follow direction well and as Shakja thrust herself toward the single light, she threw out her wings to catch the surrounding winds and slow her as quickly as she could. When she turned, she was surprised to see the princess standing next to her already having landed soundlessly. The young Drjeen’s wings were tightly tucked in and ready to walk wherever Shakja led. This was Shakja’s territory and whether the young princess was nervous, afraid or simply used to following specific orders Shakja had little time to find out.

  She moved two huts down from the light.

  “This is disgusting.” The princess tried to whisper as she clenched a talon to her broad nostrils. “What are we doing here?”

  Shakja paused as she rifled through the items under the bedding. “This is my home and really I don’t know what I’m doing here. I’m looking for anything that might help us.”

  “Help us what?”

  There was a long pause as Shakja found a small fire-starting kit that Shook had given her many turns ago. It was illegal for the low caste to have such tools, but Shook was looking out for Shakja at a time when she was nearing banishment.
Her body warmed at the thought of Shook whom she so missed and couldn’t help but think about as she pulled the small kit out. She quickly found a bag to strap to her body and filled it with as much as she could.

  “Help what!” The princess stammered.

  Shakja turned and in a hissy whisper, she nearly scolded the princess, “Help us...err, help me survive. I don’t think you will have many problems.”

  The princess stepped back. “Why do you speak to me like that. I’ve done nothing but help you.”

  “Yes, yes you have. I appreciate that, but you also don't seem to understand my predicament. If I am found and I am not killed on sight, then I lose everything and will likely die in the Banished Forest. It was not that long ago that I was almost Gramen fodder.”

  Shakja tightened the strap around her neck and then two more around her legs.

  “That is a story I would like to hear. How did you escape?” And again, the concern from the princess was gone.

  Shakja looked at the young Drjeen as she glanced out the doorway to the hut. She saw nothing but couldn’t help but feel the dread for her loss of Shook. She would likely never see him again.

  “We must go.” Said Shakja.

  “I want to know how you escaped.”

  The sounds from the royal palace could be heard even across the vast land separating the lower caste settlement from royalty. “I have no time for this.” Shakja hissed again.

  “I want to know.”

  In an abrupt huff, Shakja let out a heated breath. “I was saved by a friend.”

  “A male?”

  Shakja blushed slightly, her body again warming to the thought of Shook.