Aegis Rising (23 page)

“And I was supposed to know that, how?” she replied sarcastically.

“You know, I think it’s better to leave you up there for the moment. You’re cranky right now.” His joking tone sounded flat as he looked behind him, worried that a wolf might attack at any moment.

“Well I’m so sorry if I just nearly avoided being ripped open by a fanatical canine.”

“You and me both, sis.” He turned back to look up at her. “Alright, so move to my left.”

Tegan did and peered down. “I can’t really see anything. You sure there’s a vine?”

“Trust me.” Kody squinted. “Yeah, there’s a vine. Just bend down and feel around until you get a grip on it.”

She carefully reached down. “Found it.”

The chorus of snarls that echoed around the enclosure suddenly picked up. The three froze for a moment, then Tegan started to quickly scramble down the vine. In her haste to reach her friends safely, she nearly lost her grip.

“Be careful!” Jag called out. He and Kody moved closer to act as a safety net in case their friend fell. They saw the log and the wolf’s body and stepped around them, sharing worried looks. The boys helped Tegan down as soon as she was within their reach.

“Where are Mariah and Aari?” she asked.

Jag looked at the group of boulders and felt a jolt when he saw a wolf viciously attacking a small opening. “Mariah’s in there, but I’m not sure where Aari is.”

“He’s probably up in the tree that wolf is trying to climb,” Kody said. Sure enough, through the tree’s needles they saw the familiar color of Aari’s light gray jacket.

Tegan stepped over the wolf’s carcass and the boys followed her. Jag quickly loped to the bonfire and then ran back once he’d grabbed a handful of burning brands from the fire. He passed one each to Kody and Tegan and they approached the boulders where Mariah was trapped.

They halted when they saw the eagle fighting with the wolf, blown away by the ferocious engagement. The wolf bounded skyward and the eagle hovered just out of reach. When the wolf landed back on the ground, the eagle screeched and dove at it, talons outstretched, clawing at the wolf’s eyes. The wolf yelped and shook its head. Blinded in one eye, it turned tail and fled the scene. The eagle followed it and chased it out of the enclosure.

Though captivated by the battle, Kody, Jag and Tegan had more urgent matters to deal with. They approached the second wolf attacking the boulders Mariah had taken refuge in and jabbed the flaming sticks at it. It backed away hesitantly, its tail twitching from side to side. Just as the three thought the wolf would flee like its comrade had, it hopped forward, muscles bunched, and launched itself at them, jaws wide open to reveal sharp, stained fangs.

Her instincts heightened, Tegan saw this coming. She held her ground and in the split second the wolf was airborne she shoved her flaming stick into its jaws and right down its throat. The wolf landed short of its targets, choking. Tegan pulled the stick right back out and the wolf fell to its paws as blood clotted its scorched throat. It tried to howl but was unable to. With its tail tucked firmly between its legs, the wolf turned and stumbled out of the enclosure as if intoxicated.

Kody and Jag, on either side of Tegan, stared at her with a mixture of respect and shock. Tegan just shrugged as if it was all in a day’s work, but an instant later realized her knees were shaking and quickly tried to steady herself.

From up in the tree, Aari yelled, “Hey, Tegan! That was great! Now could you pull the same stunt on my friend over here?” He pointed at the hysterical wolf trying to climb his tree.

In response, Tegan waved her flameless stick. The boys were coaxing Mariah into the open and helped her make her way out. Jag put an arm around her and she limped along beside him. Tegan ran up to them and gave Mariah a quick hug. “Got a bum leg?” she asked.

Mariah nodded. “Think it’s sprained. Probably happened when I kicked the wolf in its face.”

“What am I, chopped liver?” Aari hollered from the tree. “This little four-legged nuisance is still trying to rip my legs off, just to let you know.”

The four looked at each other. Although they were extremely tired from fighting for their lives, they felt more assured. Kody smiled blearily. “One more. Shouldn’t be too hard.”

They pulled themselves together and advanced toward the last wolf. As they drew closer to the creature, a howl echoed from the second entrance, the sound amplified as it bounced off the walls of the enclosure. The friends froze. They scanned around, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of them. Their eyes caught sight of six pairs of red eyes on six shadows. Hackles raised, a second pack of wolves stalked toward them.

Tegan, Kody and Jag let go of their sticks, worn out. The friends didn’t have the strength to face six new predators. The sight of the menacing creatures depleted their newly-won confidence from the last battle.

Tiredly, they watched with heavy hearts and drained emotions as the creatures of death approached them.

23

T
he wolves moved toward Mariah, Tegan, Jag, and Kody, keeping low to the ground. The friends were frozen in place. Worn and exhausted, they came to the painful realization that, barring a miracle, their chances of survival were next to none.

From the shadows of the night, a figure flipped high over the friends’ heads and landed a few feet in front of the group. Two more figures somersaulted over the four’s heads and landed on either side of the first. One landed in a crouch, a fist on the ground. The other figure landed straight as an arrow. All had their backs facing the friends.

Hidden from view up in the tree, Aari was dumbfounded by the unexpected entrance. He peered closely at the newcomers but the bonfire’s light was against their backs. Even then, he was almost certain that the arrivals were—

He felt a sudden rush of wind past his face. He looked to the left and would have yelled if a hand hadn’t covered his mouth. He came face-to-face with Akol. Once Aari had regained his wits, Akol removed his hand and smiled.

“Akol,” Aari whispered, gawking. “Akol! Man, am I glad to see you!”

Akol chuckled. “And I you, my friend. Now stay here.”

“What—”

“Stay here and do not move. My kin and I will take it from here.” Akol’s eyes twinkled the same way his grandfather’s would. “You five managed to hold your ground quite well against the first pack.”

With that, Akol did a backflip out of the tree, well over the wolves’ heads, and landed facing the creatures. He spun around to flash a smile at the four stunned friends on the ground and then turned back to face the beasts.

The animals were as surprised as the friends were. They kept their eyes on the humans as Akol and his three companions spread themselves out in a line, preventing the wolves from reaching Tegan, Mariah, Jag, and Kody. From their garments, they pulled out slim, cylindrical objects made of polished wood. They slid their thumbs over something on the devices and suddenly both ends of the cylinders produced extensions, one end of which was a spear and the other a blade. The youths spun their weapons over their heads and to their sides. The collective sounds made a “whoomp-whoomp-whoomp” like a helicopter’s rotor. The blades were a spinning blur.

The wolves lowered themselves further to the ground. One of the wolves growled deep in its throat and took the smallest of steps forward. A teenager with short brown hair and dark skin reacted instantly and rushed at the wolf as it leapt toward the humans. The youth roared and pierced the wolf through the ribs as it lunged at him. Using the wolf’s momentum, he hoisted his staff and the creature over his head. He followed through the wolf’s trajectory with a backflip, gripping his weapon firmly, and was in mid-air when the wolf landed on its back with the weapon speared right through its body. The youth completed the backflip, pulling out the spear at the same time, and ended with a perfect landing.

The friends stared, completely mesmerized. The whole motion had been fluid and had taken only seconds to complete. The wolf lay on the ground, lifeless. Its pack snarled uneasily, their tails slowly swinging back and forth.

Without missing a beat, two other youths put away their staffs and quickly pulled bows that were slung across their backs, each nocking an arrow. Drawing back on the strings, they let their projectiles rocket toward the wolves. They both nocked another arrow and let those fly a mere second after their first volley. The youths’ arrows struck their intended targets. The creatures dropped in their tracks.

Akol faced off with the three remaining wolves. Two of them lunged at him. Not having room to use his staff, he ducked and sprang into a handstand before kicking out with his legs. One wolf was struck full in the muzzle and fell to the ground, rolling away. The other was hit under the snout and tumbled backward.

Arching his body to the ground, Akol straightened up and spun his staff as he approached the creatures. The wolves backed away reluctantly. One of them crouched and prepared to leap. Akol, with his staff still whirling, knocked the beast on the side of the head. The force of the impact threw the wolf’s head sideways. Before it could react, Akol pierced it through the chest and pulled his staff back out as the wolf went limp.

The youths took a few advancing steps forward. The two remaining wolves hesitated for a few moments before bolting out of the enclosure.

The friends were at a loss for words. Akol looked up at the tree and called out, “You can come down, Aari.”

Aari descended the tree cautiously, making sure no other wolves were lurking about, then joined his friends in staring at the villagers with a thousand questions buzzing in their minds.

“Akol,” Tegan said, sounding out of breath, “what . . . how did you . . . ?”

Akol held up a hand. “I understand you will have many questions, but first things first. Are any of you injured?”

The five checked themselves and each other, then Jag said, “Only Mariah. It looks as if she may have sprained her ankle.”

Akol looked over at his fellow villagers and said something to one of them in their language. The youth with short brown hair slung his bow back over his shoulder and carefully picked Mariah up. Mariah wanted to squeak in embarrassment but kept her mouth shut as color bloomed in her cheeks. Even having gone through their ordeal, her friends managed teasing looks in her direction.

The friends watched as Akol grabbed one of the dead wolves’ carcasses. He pulled a face at the sight and smell of the creature up close. “The horses will be pulling this one,” he muttered. He motioned with his head for everyone else to follow and exited the enclosure.

Outside, they found two horses grazing calmly. With some help, Mariah mounted one of the horses because the youths refused to let her walk all the way back. Akol and his comrades quickly fashioned a stretcher from thick vines and branches. They rested the carcass on top of it, then tied one end of the stretcher to the second horse. Instantly the equine whinnied and tried to pull away, ears pinned back; the smell was terrible to its nose. The youths quickly jumped in to settle the horse. Akol secured the wolf’s body, then looped a rope around the horse’s neck. He went around to the front of the horse and stroked its forehead, saying a few soft words in his language. The animal calmed down almost immediately.

The five were still bursting with questions but Akol stopped them. “I shall provide you with answers later, but for now, we will head back to Dema-Ki where you will be safe.”

The friends nodded, too tired to argue. Having witnessed the amazing feats of the youths who had come to their rescue, they were rather eager to head back to the village. As Akol took the lead, the five were all thinking the same thing:
Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to be with these people for a little while longer.

PART TWO

24

N
ageau and Akol were walking side-by-side along the river that snaked through Dema-Ki. It was just after noon, and Akol was reporting the details of what had occurred during and after the rescue of the five.

Nageau listened quietly, asking short questions only on occasion. Once Akol was finished, the Elder couldn’t help but smile. “You always make us proud, Akol. Without fail.”

Akol dipped his head, grateful for the compliment. “Grandmother was a great help to us,” he said modestly. “I am thankful that she was able to help out the five long enough until we got there.”

Nageau nodded and continued walking for a moment before turning serious. “Are you sure none of the five were hurt by the wolves?”

“We checked them immediately after we killed the animals. They were scratched and bruised, and Mariah has a sprained ankle, but they were not bitten. When we brought them back, Huyani took a good look at them and said they were alright. Mariah is already faring much better thanks to her.”

“I saw that you also brought back one of the wolves’ carcasses.”

“Yes. I gave it to Magèo to study.”

Nageau nodded once more and clasped his hands behind his back. “How did the five react when you mentioned they would be brought back here?”