Aegis Rising (4 page)

The deafening roar was gone. In its place there was an eerie silence as the object started to spiral toward the ground, leaving a trail of smoke that drew circles in the sky. The inhabitants watched in muted shock as the object vanished behind a distant ridgeline.

The villagers turned to look at the Elders, confused and anxious. The Elders glanced at each other knowingly. One of them, a man with wispy white hair and bright blue eyes raised his hand. Understanding the signal, the other four followed him along a winding path to the edge of the village where they entered a five-sided shelter. Its walls were made of pine logs and its roof where the pointed peak met at the center of the pentagon was made of smoothened hides.

“So, what do you think?” the leading Elder asked the others once they’d sat down around a small fire that burned inside a shallow clay pit. He adjusted his black-and-silver cloak so it didn’t crumple.

An elderly woman with lively green eyes nodded thoughtfully. “I believe that the time has come.”

Another senior member of the village, this one with short, flame-colored hair, arched his thick eyebrows. “We cannot be sure,” he muttered. “If it is, then the Guardians will show us a sign.”

“True,” agreed a tall female observer. She was the younger of the two women in the group. “I shall trust their judgment.”

The last Elder ran his tanned hands through thick black locks and shrugged his muscular shoulders without a word. The others sensed his indecisiveness and let it go at that.

The leading Elder looked around at his companions. “Alright. We shall wait. Let us see what daybreak brings.”

The five of them stared into the glowing embers in silence. In the stillness, the first lines of the prophecy recited itself in the deep recesses of their minds.

“From the flames of Cerraco five will arise,

Saplings of Aegis, the bearers of light . . .”

3

J
ag found himself falling. He tried to yell for help but was unable to form the words. He felt the rush of wind whipping past his hair and stinging his eyes until they watered. He was still falling.

The sudden rush of cold water came as a shock; he had expected to crash on solid ground. Ahead, a huge wave rolled up and swelled over, submerging him. He tried to claw his way up to the surface for air. His vision was getting dimmer with every passing second . . .

Suddenly, he felt something come from underneath him and lift him up, out into breathable space. He gasped for air. As he recovered, he felt the heavy waves subside, and was surprised to find himself floating along with the now gentle current that was carrying him safely.

Jag’s eyes eased open. Instantly the dream vanished. He let out a strangled gasp. His breathing was labored, and it was painful to take in the air for the atmosphere around him was cold.

He blinked.
What . . . where am I?

Too confused, he allowed himself to shut his eyes. Exhaustion made his limbs and body uncomfortably heavy.

All at once, he realized that he was moving. But it wasn’t him moving; something was moving
him
. The sobering knowledge sent a shudder through his spine. He noticed that he was lying facedown on something warm and . . .
furry?

His arms were wrapped around something huge. Tightening his grip, he heard the rhythm of padded strides striking the ground beneath him and felt the rise and fall of calm breathing. He swallowed nervously, unsure what to do, but was soon distracted by an increasing awareness of a stinging pain on his left thigh. He lay still for a while, trying to ignore it. Then, jolted by a thought, he lifted his head.
The others! Where are they?

The tremendous amount of energy it took to just raise his head left him weary. He gazed about, letting his eyes adjust to the night. The clouds had cleared and there was a crescent moon that threw a faint, shimmering light all around him.

What he saw made his heart jump into his throat. There were four humongous bears padding together in an arrowhead formation behind him, their fur outlined with slivers of white, and their dark eyes gleamed with curious light. He saw shapes set horizontally on their backs, and one by one, made out Aari, Tegan, Kody, and Mariah. His eyes grew wide.

Turning his head slowly, Jag looked at his own steed. Sure enough, it was a bear. He couldn’t believe the size of it. He estimated that from its head to its back end, it must have been about twice his height, and it was stocky and muscle-bound. It was without a doubt the largest living creature he’d ever seen.

He grasped hesitantly onto the thick, furry neck of the bear and held on. He wasn’t going to chance anything, including bounding off the beast; he wasn’t sure how the animal would react, and he acknowledged that he was in no shape to do it anyway.

He managed to look up at the sky glistening with stars that seemed faintly lit. His grip on consciousness was slipping again. He tried to make sense of what was happening, but it all seemed like a dream once more.

The moments slid by as the lulling motion of the bear acted to numb his senses. His mind began to drift off again when suddenly the bear he was on stopped, wrenching him away from his hazy thoughts. It lifted its bulky head at a forty-five degree angle and made a low rumbling sound deep in its throat. Jag felt the vibration ripple through the bear’s back and, for a moment, he felt like throwing up.

The other bears beside Jag’s halted as well and stared expectantly at their leader. A moment later the large animals were on the move again. The question was, on the move to where?

A gust of wind lashed toward Jag, making him shiver. He buried his head in the hollow of his bear’s right shoulder, shielding his face from the cold air. With his arms still enveloped around the animal’s thick neck, he scrunched up into an awkward ball in an attempt to hide himself from the weather. He was astonished to find how much warmth the bear’s long, dark fur provided. He half-smiled to himself, and with the rocking motion of the mighty beast, sunk back into his semi-conscious world.

4

K
ody groaned and coughed up some spittle. He struggled to open his eyes—it felt as if his eyelids were made of lead. As he tried to take a breath, a sense of wariness came over him.

It took a couple of minutes for his vision to kick in completely. When it did, he found himself staring up at the inside of a smooth, pointed ceiling. He just barely lifted his eyebrows.

Feeling weak, he struggled in great pain to sit up, then looked around and quietly took in his surroundings. He was in what he supposed to be a hut. He turned his head to his left and saw two still forms lying beside him: Jag and Aari.

The energy from sitting had sapped too much of his strength. He collapsed back down and winced in pain as a dull pounding started up at the back of his head. His breaths came raggedly, as if he had just run five miles without stopping. He sluggishly turned over so he was belly-down on the ground. Faintly, he was aware of the comforting warmth that cloaked him. A ghost of a smile touched his lips. Opening one of his eyes a slit, he scanned downward and was surprised to see that he was in some sort of a sleeping bag. The outside of it looked a bit rough and patchy, but the inside felt warm and cozy and seemed to be lined with soft fur. He noticed that his friends were also in similar sleeping bags, and all three boys were resting on a wooden platform raised a foot off the ground. Kody was about to sink back into sleep when he heard the sound of a door opening as it scraped against the ground. He raised his head and glanced over his shoulder.

A tall form was silhouetted against the light from outside. Kody made out broad shoulders and assumed it to be a man. Seconds later, a distant-sounding voice called out from the outside in some unfamiliar language. The man turned his head and replied in the same language, his voice sounding slightly younger than an adult’s.

Who’re they?
Kody mused tiredly, and closed his eyes. His ears were still open, though. He heard soft murmuring of two voices, one male and one female. Kody had no idea what they were talking about. His mind soon drifted elsewhere.
Where’s Tegan? Mariah? And Dad! Where’s Dad?

Kody jerked up involuntarily, cringing as pain struck him once more, and the throbbing at the back of his head grew denser. He let out a pained growl. A cool hand placed itself on the back of his head and almost immediately, the soreness subsided.

He turned his head sideways and in the dim light found himself looking up at the source of the gentle touch. A girl with a striking appearance was kneeling beside him, her hand still resting upon his head. She looked to be around seventeen, and wore a buckskin tunic and a pair of knee-high moccasin boots. She gazed at him with warm, caring brown eyes. Her straight, raven hair tumbled over her slender shoulders, and her white teeth shone as she gave him a small smile that perfectly contrasted her light brown skin.

Kody’s eyebrows shot up. He wanted to say something, but he lacked the energy and promptly fell back into his prone position. The girl stroked his head until he was wafted back into deep sleep.

Dad . . .

*  *  *

Mariah’s eyes snapped open and she jolted upright. She blinked several times, her head bowed, trying to understand why she had awoken. Slowly looking around through a carpet of dark copper-blonde hair, she realized that she could barely make out a thing. She was able to tell that she was in some sort of a rustic shelter, wrapped in a sleeping bag. Faint light glowed somewhere. Some sense of relief washed over her as she spotted Tegan asleep beside her in her own sleeping bag. Taking in a deep breath, Mariah covered her face with her hands. She felt soft, rectangular patches plastered to her bruised cheeks. Drawing her hands away from her face, she observed long, ragged cuts on her forearms, although they appeared to have been cleaned.
How . . . ? Who . . . ?

A murmur of odd words made her jump. She looked around, afraid. She thought that she’d been alone. In a far corner of the shelter sat a sweet-looking, raven-haired girl and a pleasant young man with regal features. They both looked to be older than her by a couple of years. The girl slowly got to her hands and knees and crawled over to Mariah. Mariah studied her warily but dared not move. She could see the girl was slim and graceful, and her eyes seemed kind and honest.

The girl halted beside Mariah and, from the ground next to her, picked up a mug and handed it to her. Mariah frowned at it and at the girl, obviously quite guarded. The girl sat back on her heels and held the mug in front of Mariah. Mariah glared at it. The girl moved the mug closer. Mariah pursed her lips and shook her head. Faint lines creased the girl’s forehead, and she held the mug so close to Mariah that the younger girl nearly went cross-eyed. She pulled away and shook her head again, muttering hoarsely, “I don’t know who you are, or why you’re giving me this.” She looked around. “Where are my other friends?”

The girl replied, or so Mariah assumed. She was not speaking English. The language sounded like nothing Mariah had ever heard before, but the girl’s tone was so sympathetic and gentle that she decided to take the mug into her hands. She gazed down at it and her expression formed into one of repulsion. The liquid in the cup looked thick, and the color was a mix of green and brown.

The older girl pressed her fingertips against one of Mariah’s hands and pushed the mug toward Mariah’s nose. As Mariah breathed the scent in, she blinked in genuine surprise. The color may have looked disgusting, but it smelled of refreshing herbs. She couldn’t resist the temptation to take a sip. As the warm liquid trickled down her throat, her pain began to fade. Soon, the remnants of her aches bowed in submission. Her eyelids drooped, and she smiled drowsily. Handing the mug back to the waiting girl, she mumbled her thanks and slid down into her sleeping bag. Exhausted, she nuzzled her hands like a kitten and slipped into restful sleep.

5

“I
ntriguing, isn’t it?”

The words were spoken by the white-haired man with the black-and-silver cloak. He leaned forward, a strange gleam in his blue eyes.

“Yes,” the woman beside him whispered. “Yes, Nageau, it certainly is.” She wore a beautiful green ruffled blouse that matched her sparkling eyes. A small smile appeared on her lips and she clasped her hands together against her heart.

A slightly younger woman with a royal purple headband fiddled with the zircon bracelets that decorated her left arm and spoke. “The evidence is slowly building.” She turned to the muscular Elder with black hair and ran her hand over his forearm. “Ashack? How do you feel about this now?”

Ashack exhaled quietly. “While it is true that the Guardians brought them here, Saiyu, more information is needed. As we all know, the prophecy is not to be taken lightly. There is a lot of responsibility resting on our shoulders as Elders of this community. If what we perceive to be true proves false, then we are accountable for the ills that befall the land.”

His four equals nodded in silent agreement. Saiyu gazed into the embers at the center of the Elder’s assembly shelter and continued to fiddle with her bracelets. “Perhaps now would be a good time to recollect the events of the last couple of days and ascertain if they unraveled as prophesied.” She paused. “It began when that object appeared in the storm. It bore a resemblance distinctive to the Cerraco, even down to its flaming wings.”

“From the flames of Cerraco five will arise,”
chipped in the Elder with fiery hair. He wore a white tunic with three thick, red stripes that stretched diagonally from his right shoulder to his waist. “And these five came from the bird itself, or so the Guardians indicated. Do we not believe them?”

The Elder in the green blouse nodded. “We do, Tayoka. The signals I received from the Guardians were unmistakable.”

Nageau faced her, warmth radiating from his pleasant demeanor as he looked at his mate. “Tikina, could you please continue with the next line of the prophecy.”