Aegis Rising (10 page)

Mariah sat straight. “Maybe yours aren’t, but mine are. Or at least a bit. I really like reading. I mean, we all do, but Aari and I read the most. I love riding horses as well, and Tegan’s picking up the sport too. The guys are too afraid to give it a shot, though.”

“Not true,” Kody said. “I was going to try it this summer, but then we had this trip planned before vacation started.”

“Mmph—I’ll let you get away with that excuse for now.” Returning her gaze to the Elders, she said, “I love challenges, and I don’t back down from one. Throw something at me, anything.”

“Okay.” Aari chucked a pebble at Mariah that he’d found while walking to Huyani’s
neyra.
He grinned as it hit her smack on the side of her head.

“You loser,” she growled. “I didn’t mean it literally.” She rubbed her head. “If I could, I would have flipped that thing around and made it hit you between the eyes.”

Aari’s grin widened. “Yeah, and that’s called telekinesis, by the way. And if you had it, I think we can all agree that Kody would find himself headfirst in the nearest garbage disposal every time he goes off wise-mouthing.” The friends laughed again.

The teenagers didn’t catch the look of intrigue the Elders shared. The tribe members sat quietly for a while, observing the five intently as they spoke amongst themselves. Finding a brief pause in their conversation, Saiyu spoke up and Akol translated her words for the five. “Elder Saiyu asks if you have any siblings.”

Surprised by the switch in subjects, the friends answered that all had siblings except for Mariah, and she was contented that way.

The Elders had a few more questions for the friends. They freely shared whatever they could, and the talk was sprinkled with funny stories and bantering. After a while, Tikina realized they’d left Tegan out during their earlier conversation and looked at the sixteen-year-old. “We have not forgotten about you, youngling. What do you like? What are your interests?”

Tegan made a funny face. “I thought I got a lucky break, but you got me. I don’t really like talking about myself.” She remained silent for a while, then shrugged. “I don’t know . . . I like drawing, I guess, but I really haven’t been doing much of it lately. Most of the time, they’re just sketches anyway.” She thought for a moment, then stretched her arms behind her friends’ shoulders. “And I love my best friends.” Jag and Aari, on either side of her, grinned warmly. Kody reached over and ruffled her hair.

The exchange revealed that there was far more to the five than their constant bantering. Growing up in a tight-knit neighborhood with their families as close friends, the group had nurtured a strong bond.

Kody’s cheery appearance gradually faded. His face grew sullen, his green eyes downcast. He slowly pulled back. His friends looked at him with concern. They missed their families as well, but not knowing where or what condition his father was in must have been harder on Kody than the others could have imagined. Mariah and Aari gently pulled him back into a group hug and held him close.

Silence loomed around them until Jag stirred a little and looked up at the Elders. “Okay,” he said quietly. “You’ve asked many questions and we’ve answered them.” He hesitated, then continued. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, you promised you’d answer our questions.”

Nageau smiled kindly at the five as he looked at each one of them. “You have all gone through a difficult trial. You need to rest and recover. Here in our village, you will be safe and cared for. We will answer your questions as promised, but for now, you must restore your energy. When you are revitalized, you will be ready to hear the answers to your questions. We will see each other soon, perhaps tomorrow.”

Upon hearing that, the other Elders stood up and smiled at the five and made their way to the door. Nageau, the only one still sitting, got to his feet, unfolding his six-foot-five frame. He gave the friends a look of assurance and said his goodbye, then led the other four Elders out of the
neyra
.

Mariah squinted toward where the Elders had been just a few moments ago. After a moment of quiet, she said, “We practically got ripped off here. I’m kind of tempted to go after them and make them answer our questions.”

“Chill, ’Riah.” Aari rested an elbow on her shoulder, a gesture he used to calm her down and keep her in place. Like Mariah, he was irked at the Elders.
But they’re kind of right,
he thought discontentedly.
I still wish they’d answered our questions, though
. An odd silence engulfed the shelter.

Finally breaking the awkward feeling in the
neyra
, Jag stood up and stretched. “Man, I need a walk. Who’s with me?”

Tegan got to her feet as well. “I am. I need some fresh air.” She looked at Huyani and Akol. “May we?”

The siblings looked at each other for a few moments, then Huyani said, “You may, but please stick to the path behind the trees. Our valley is large, and the Elders have told us beforehand that we must keep you safe.” It appeared that she was about to say something more, but she didn’t continue. The five didn’t think much about it and nodded in acceptance.

Tegan and Mariah gently pulled Kody up. “We’ll just be hanging around our shelters, then,” Jag said.

Akol nodded. “Sure. We will bring your afternoon meal later. Or would you like to eat in here?”

“We’ll have it out there, if you don’t mind.”

“Good as done, my friend.”

“Thanks.”

The friends said goodbye to the siblings and walked out of the
neyra,
then headed toward their shelters. They were silent the whole way, but at last Kody voiced what was on their minds.

“I want to go home.”

11

T
hat evening as the Elders were walking together toward their assembly
neyra,
Ashack became increasingly aware of a pair of mischievous gray eyes on him. He spun around and snapped, “What?”

Tayoka grinned. “What?”

“What?”

“What, what?”

Ashack was about ready to knock his head on the nearest tree. “Stop playing games with me, and tell me what!”

“What.”

“Tayoka . . .” There was a hostile note in his voice.

Tayoka’s grin widened. “Well, you told me to tell you ‘What’, so I did.”

Saiyu and Tikina let out hushed laughs and Nageau smiled. Ashack glared at Tayoka, but the younger Elder only did a happy one-handed walkover followed by a handspring.

“Why are you so joyous?” Ashack growled, his curly black hair being blown every which way by the strong breeze. He tried in vain to push it back into place.

“I do not know exactly,” Tayoka said, straightening, “but I feel glad to have met the five young ones and am exhilarated to have learned a few things about them.” His festive expression gradually faded. “But it makes me feel a little guilty to be in such a mood when the five were rather unsettled as we left them earlier today.”

Ashack voiced what had been on his mind. “While that may be true, my concern is for Fiotez’s health at the moment. Does anyone know his condition?”

Tikina nodded. “I checked on him after we parted at Huyani’s earlier today.” The other Elders stopped walking and looked at her keenly. She gazed along the pathway to their assembly
neyra
. Tall, elegant spruce trees bordered the sides of the path the Elders were walking on. Finally, she sighed. “It does not look as if he is faring any better, though it is hard for me to tell. With what I gathered from Huyani and Saiyu, he is rarely conscious and none of the herbs we are using seem to work. It is uncanny for this to happen. Our people have lived long and well in this valley; what could possibly be the reason for Fiotez’s condition?”

“Whatever the case, it is crucial that we find a remedy,” Tayoka said. “This
must
be solved quickly before others begin to fall ill.”

Nageau agreed. “We should also continue to keep Fiotez in isolation to protect everyone else.” He turned to Tikina and Saiyu. “But what of you? Are you and Huyani doing anything to protect yourself while tending to Fiotez?”

Tikina stood quietly for a moment. Her hand reached for the crystal pendant hanging down her neck and clasped it, then she looked at her mate and said gently, “We will be fine, Nageau. We have to take care of this. You know it well.”

Ashack shook his head and his stoic features softened as he put a muscular arm around Saiyu. “We do know it. But the situation is potentially unsafe. As Nageau said, you, your granddaughter, and Saiyu risk becoming ill.”

“It is a chance we must take,” Saiyu said firmly, turning to give him a quick hug. Then she looked at her cohorts. “Come. We have dallied long enough here.”

The Elders started to their assembly
neyra
again, never once spotting the shadow up in the trees about fifty yards behind them. Dark blue eyes had watched their every move and sharp ears had heard their every word. As the Elders walked, the lithe figure, clad in a sleeveless moose-hide jacket with white seams, leapt silently like a phantom onto a branch in the next tree. He kept in pace with the Elders until, on his last jump, a protruding sliver of bark pierced the skin on his right palm when he landed. He bit his lip and hissed in annoyance.

Nageau’s head snapped up and he looked around at the trees. His companions turned to him curiously. “What is the matter?” Saiyu asked.

Nageau stood still as his eyes narrowed, and focused on a particular tree not too far behind the Elders. He said nothing for a moment, then slowly turned away from the tree and muttered, “I thought I heard something.” With one last scan over the tree line, Nageau continued on, the other Elders falling in step.

The youth in the tree exhaled in relief. He was furious with himself for being that careless when he knew so well that Nageau had highly sharpened senses. A split-second decision to leap back to a tree away from Nageau’s line of sight saved him from being caught.

Now, with the splinter removed and keeping well back, the shadow leapt quietly among the next few trees until the Elders entered their assembly
neyra
. He waited for a while, then, certain that the older villagers had settled inside, descended the tree swiftly, confident that he was a safe distance away from the shelter.

Like his brethren, this tribe member possessed inherent abilities. However, there was always the occasional person who was born with multiple powers and no one knew why it was so. This youth was one of those special ones. The people of the tribe would always wait to be bestowed by the Elders with a particular crystal meant for the individual. This youth had been extremely impatient and, in his selfishness, had broken one of the cardinal rules of the tribe. He had stolen some of the crystals from the temple to advance his abilities.

Lurking in the shadows of the subalpine trees, he calmed himself and entered a meditative-like state. Nageau had heightened senses; so did he. Focusing on the
neyra
, he strained to listen in on the Elders’ discussion.

Tikina’s voice became audible:
“. . . ‘Shades of Earth, Sky, River, Mist and Fire’, it says. We thought the prophecy was referring to the crystals, but I think we have to see it a little differently . . .”

“Please explain,” Tayoka prodded.

Tikina was animated. “Let us look at the prophecy again, my friends, especially the third line.” Breathlessly, she said, “
‘Gaze upon them for portals that decipher 
. . .” She paused to study the expressions of her companions, wondering if any of them were able to foresee her line of thought. There was silence in the room as the other four Elders unconsciously lowered their heads and watched the fire burning in the fire pit, deep in thought.

Tikina tried a different angle. “Think about this: When you meet someone for the first time, where does your gaze fall?”

She watched them intently, waiting for some kind of reaction. She saw Saiyu’s countenance light up with realization. “The eyes!” she exclaimed, then after a moment’s thought, added, “What if the shades mentioned in the prophecy refers not to the colors of the crystals, but instead, to the color of the youths’ eyes?”

There was dead silence.

A smile grew on Tikina’s face. “Exactly.”

“My goodness.” Saiyu shook her head in disbelief. “And it does make sense, does it not? Eyes
are
portals. They are windows to the soul.”

Nageau smiled admiringly at his mate. “The younglings’ eyes are a perfect reflection of the shades mentioned in the prophecy.
Earth
is obviously brown, and
Sky
, blue.
Mist
is gray.
Fire
 . . .”

“I suppose that would be amber,” Saiyu answered.

Nageau turned to Tikina. “What about
River
? We have seen different shades of rivers.”

Tikina smiled mysteriously. “True . . . however, what if it is referring to Esroh Lègna, the river in our valley?”

Nageau’s eyebrows rose to his hairline at the notion. “Green . . . like the boy Kody’s eyes, perhaps?”

Tikina nodded slowly. “And brown, like the girl Mariah’s eyes.”

Tayoka caught on. “Amber, like Jag’s.”

“And Tegan, her eyes are gray, like mist,” Saiyu added.

Ashack, under the eager, hungry look in the other Elder’ gazes, reluctantly finished, “And blue, like Aari’s eyes.”

They all leaned back in astonishment. “Amazing,” Nageau murmured.

Tayoka grinned. “Tikina, you are brilliant.”

Tikina shrugged modestly and smiled.

Ashack folded his arms and looked at his companions. “Does anyone else think this seems too easy?”

“Well, perhaps so,” Tayoka said, “but Ashack, look: What are the chances of the events that have happened, happening?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“What I mean is, consider the chain of events that have unfolded lately. Remember the skycraft that took on the image of Cerraco as it soared overhead?”

Nageau nodded. “Just as foretold in our ancient narratives.”

“Exactly. Also, what are the chances of having these five youths brought to us from Cerraco, by the Guardians themselves? It was not four, it was not six. It was exactly
five
, and they are not old—no, they are young, like ‘saplings’.” Tayoka looked around at his companions and saw them listening carefully. He continued. “Lastly, what are the chances of the shades mentioned in the prophecy matching the eyes of the outsiders? Could all of that be mere coincidence?”