Seers of Verde: The Legend Fulfilled: Book One (22 page)

21

The Nuvens were not prepared for the throngs of people who welcomed and cheered them in Verde City. News of the agreement, signed by the Verdan Assembly and High Council of Seers, officially welcoming and recognizing the Nuvans as the “lost ones” spread throughout the city faster than salacious gossip during a religious service.

At Osmar Nezdan's suggestion, the Assembly announced that the children of what the Verdans called “the lost ones” would be honored with a parade through Verde City. Osmar thought such a public event would satisfy many Verdans' curiosity about the Nuvens.

Thousands of people would be able to catch a glimpse of the visitors, then would be content to go about their daily lives, allowing Raaf Vonn and the others to explore the Verde Valley in relative peace.

A large open-air carriage, drawn by six giant white horses, carried the Nuvens through Verde City. The streets were full of curious Verdans, sometimes six people deep as the driver carefully maneuvered through the crowd. Young children sat on their fathers' shoulders and older youngsters pushed their way to the front of the line and stared wide-eyed as the Nuvens passed by.

Every Verdan had grown up hearing stories of the lost ones who had sacrificed themselves to the Tanlians when the first colonists landed. Now the descendants of these heroes had miraculously traversed what everyone had believed to be the impassible
mountain
.

The legend was true. The prophecy was fulfilled. The Nuvens were proof of it. However, the children of the lost ones were feeling anything but heroic during this surreal journey through the strange and wondrous city. The mass of people as far as they could see made the Nuvens nervous and anxious.

Raaf and the others had grown up in relative isolation. Over the generations, their ancestors learned to avoid large groups to avoid making easy targets for the Tanlians, who could attack at any time. The young Nuvens tried to put up a brave front by forcing themselves to smile and wave.

Sensing the visitors did not understand the Verdans' reaction to them, Osmar and his cousin, Rajeev, rode in the carriage to reassure their new friends.

Even poor Darya, usually unflappable and impervious to what went on around her, was terrified by the noise and crowds. She slunk down in the carriage with her hands over her eyes and huddled next to Raaf.

The city was a startling sight. The Nuvens had never seen so many buildings clustered together. Their native shelters were rough affairs, log huts built to blend in among groves of trees and carefully placed well away from other homes. Many Nuvens still lived in the ancestral caves.

“If we are attacked now, there would be nothing we could do to prevent it or defend ourselves,” a worried Ganick Nels said, when he caught Raaf's attention.

Noticing the Nuvens' growing agitation, Rajeev tapped Osmar on the shoulder. His cousin, however, was oblivious to the visitors' discomfort. Osmar was relishing his moment of glory. “Cousin, we need to get them out of here now!” Rajeev yelled over the shouts of the crowd.

Osmar gave him a puzzled look, then laughed. “Don’t worry so much, cousin. We have waited two hundred years to see the lost ones return to us. We owe a duty to our fellow Verdans.”

Rajeev shook his head and looked over his shoulder. Even the affable Juban had stopped waving and was glowering with impatience. Knowing he had to act quickly, the professor leaned over and landed a sharp elbow into Osmar's ribs, making him double over in pain.

“I meant it when I told you we need to get them out of here now!” Rajeev shouted. “Look at them!”

Osmar grimaced, but finally glanced at the Nuvens. He did not need a truth-sayer to tell him the visitors' mood. Leaning over to the driver, Osmar told him to make haste from the street and return to the inn where they were staying. A rider seated next to the driver raised a bugle and blew loudly to alert passers-by to get out of the way of the fast-moving carriage.

“We leave now,” Rajeev told a relieved Raaf. Knowing they were escaping the masses of admirers, the Nuvens now smiled and waved.

¶ ¶ ¶

The next morning at first meal, Osmar cheerily informed the Nuvens of the agenda he had arranged for them for the next few days: tours of schools, talks with craftsmen and tradesmen, and numerous banquets with countless Verdan dignitaries, all of whom were posturing to meet them.

Ganick Nels frowned as he listened to the plans. It had been more than a lunar cycle since the Nuvens had arrived in the Verde Valley, and he had spent most of the time inside small cabins hiding from Tarylan troopers or now surrounded by people in this bustling, strange city.

He watched impatiently as his fellow Nuvens shook their heads and graciously accepted the itineraries. “Enough. I have had enough of this,” Ganick growled as he stood with arms crossed tightly across his chest. “I have not hunted for weeks. I do not care to see more of their buildings. I want to see the valley.”

Raaf started to admonish him, but stopped after seeing the intensity in his circle brother's eyes. He had seen that look many times and knew Ganick could not be persuaded to change his mind.

“Very well, Ganick, but you will need to travel with someone who will see to it you don't get lost,” Raaf said. “I am not going to spend needless time searching for you.”

Ganick started to protest, but was interrupted by Rajeev. “Now, now, I may have a solution,” the professor said in his improving Nuven. He disappeared out the door, but returned quickly with two men by his side.

“These brave Verdans have volunteered to accompany Ganick,” Rajeev said with a smile as he presented Hubart Avery and Onji Haiko. The two former Tarylan guardsmen, along with most of the others who had resigned with Onji, had volunteered to be a security detail for the Nuvens.

After hearing of Ganick's request, Hubart and Onji jumped at the chance to hunt with the Nuven, who had since become their friend.

“We will look after this poor, lost Nuven,” Hubart smirked in broken Nuven. He and Onji stood side by side, grinning wickedly.

Ganick laughed. “We will soon see if these city dwellers can keep up with a hunter.”

¶ ¶ ¶

The three men hunched over the campfire, snacking on the hare and pheasant that were roasting on the nearby spit. In between mouthfuls, Onji sighed as he rubbed his sore feet. Hubart looked at his friend and nodded in sympathy. He lay stretched out and massaged his sore calf muscles.

Ganick grinned, but said nothing as he munched on the bird’s roasted breast. He had demonstrated his archery skill by bagging both with arrows. Seeing the Nuven's amusement, Hubart faked a growl and flung a bone at Ganick, who easily caught it with one hand as he continued his meal.

“Well, Nuven, it looks like you were correct,” Hubart said. “It's only been two days, and we can barely keep up with you. Poor Onji has blisters on both feet, and I fear I've pulled something in my leg.”

The two Verdans and Nuven had learned enough of each other’s dialect that they could understand each other fairly well.

Ganick finished gnawing on the breastbone and tossed it at Hubart, who had to dodge to avoid being struck on the head. “Ah, I know you two are fierce warriors, but I fear you would not be able to keep up with some of the old women in my village,” the Nuven said with a smirk.

Onji snorted and glared at Ganick. “Did he just call us old women?”

Hubart shook his head. “Easy, old friend. I think he said old women in his village can move faster than the two of us. It would be difficult to disagree with him.”

Ganick shrugged. “Do not feel badly. I understand why Verdans have no need to hunt except for your amusement. You have herds of tame grazers to harvest whenever you need food. Nuvens have to hunt for all our meat and search for fruits and edible plants. Even younglings of six harvests are required to help gather food.”

The two Verdans listened with respect and continued their meal. During their short time with Ganick, they had learned much about the hardscrabble life the Nuvens had had to endure. Hubart and Onji were impressed the Nuvens had survived, much less thrived in such difficult circumstances.

Neither man voiced an opinion, but the same thought had occurred to both — would the Verdans have fared as well as the Nuvens under similar circumstances? Even though he had joked with his friends about keeping up with him, Ganick understood the two Verdans needed a rest from the pace they had been keeping.

“Before we made camp for the night, I spotted more terrain I wish to explore tomorrow,” the Nuven said. “Perhaps you both would enjoy resting and letting your wounds heal. I would be back before nightfall.”

Hubart started to protest, but winced in pain when he moved his leg. Onji grunted and continued rubbing his aching feet.

“As former Taryln troopers, we should be insulted we cannot accompany you,” Hubart sighed. “However, reality has taught us a difficult lesson. Enjoy your journey.”

Onji scowled. “Be sure you return at nightfall, Nuven, or we will be forced to search for you.”

Ganick grinned. “Yes, it would be embarrassing for you both to return home and have to admit you've misplaced one of the children of the lost ones.” The two Verdans glared at the Nuven momentarily, then all three men erupted in laughter.

¶ ¶ ¶

Ganick was on his way when first light barely could be seen through the dense tree cover. It felt exhilarating to be on his own. Even though he enjoyed Hubart's and Onji's company, it had been too long since he had enjoyed such joyous solitude.

The Nuven skillfully scrambled over boulders and nimbly jumped over crevasses, much like the mountain goats in his native valley. After about two hours of hard climbing, he perched on the top of an unusually large boulder to refresh himself with a quick sip of water from his canteen.

Ganick closed his eyes, enjoying being bathed in the warm sun. As he started to move from this serene spot, something snorted nearby. The Nuven saw a huge, antlered buck eyeing him from not more than thirty meters away.

The male deer stood on three legs. One of his front legs was raised, partially curled under his body. It was preparing to strike a rock as a warning to other nearby deer.

Ganick wished he could snatch an arrow from his quiver and string it, but he knew the buck would escape before he could raise his bow for a shot. Taking a deep breath, he knew killing such a magnificent beast would be a needless act. Even if he did score a fatal shot, the animal most likely would bolt away from fright and pain.

It would prove to be a difficult task to follow the blood trail and find the carcass. Besides, Ganick had no easy way to carry the meat and he wasn’t near a village where the venison could be put to good use.

Calming himself, the Nuven rose from his sitting position. As expected, the buck struck the rock with its raised hoof and bolted a short way off. From experience, Ganick knew the deer would stop and look to see if it was pursued. He quickly leaped to another boulder and sprawled on top of it, lying perfectly still.

The Nuven could see the buck standing between two trees a short distance away. It stared where Ganick had been sitting and then slowly searched the area. After several minutes, the deer walked a few paces, stopped and looked back, then continued this pattern up the mountain.

Ganick only moved when the animal had disappeared from sight. Crouching low, he scurried from boulder to boulder, stopping often to scan the area for the buck. Even though he was barely twenty harvests old, the Nuven was a veteran hunter. He circled around where he had last seen the buck and crept up another large rock.

Ganick broke into a satisfied smile at the sight below him. The buck and four does were peacefully grazing in a small ravine. The vigilant male would stop after every mouthful of forage and check for danger.

The Nuven admired the animals for a while, then realized he needed to move to stretch his aching muscles. Ganick sprang to his feet. As expected, the deer leaped away after seeing the motion from above. Instead of hurrying out of the ravine to safety, the does and buck jumped between two giant boulders and disappeared.

Ganick stared after them, wondering why they chose that route. He scurried over to where he had last seen the deer and saw a large fissure about three meters off the ground. Even the Nuven had to work to scale the incline. Once he had pulled himself up, Ganick found the crack opened up large enough to allow him to walk through it.

A quick glance at the ground told him this was a well-traveled route. Deer feces were everywhere. Some were fresh and others were decaying with age.

Ganick walked through the fissure for a minute or two when he stepped out into the other side and gasped at the view that greeted him. Stretched out before the Nuven was a beautiful little canyon.

Standing at the entrance of the fissure, he estimated the gorge was barely two kilometers wide, but it stretched out beyond his sight. Ganick could see the mountain looming on the other side, but it was a respectable distance away.

The ground on this side was only a short hop down from the fissure. Amazed at his discovery, Ganick explored the canyon. Trees lined a stream than ran the length of the ravine. The remainder of the area was covered by lush grass and wildflowers.

The Nuven smiled as he surveyed the area. After a quick search, he spotted a giant oak in the middle of the canyon. The huge branches made it an easy climb. At almost forty meters high, he stood in the crotch of two limbs and surveyed the area. The canyon was similar to the hundreds of small ravines found in the Nuven Valley.

After climbing down, Ganick moved with a determined purpose. Reaching into a pouch at his side, he pulled out two small bags filled with seeds his father had insisted on giving him before he departed on this adventure.

Kneeling, the Nuven stabbed the ground with one of his knives. The soil that stuck to the blade was black and moist, a good sign.

Ganick spent the remainder of the day stabbing the ground intermittently and sprinkling several seeds from both pouches near each other. He planted the seeds up and down the stream, as well as in choice areas throughout the canyon.