Aegis Rising (11 page)

That quieted Ashack. The black-haired man looked at the fire again and shook his head slowly. “I agree. There is too much here to be purely coincidental. But as I said earlier, it seems all too easy.”

“Maybe so,” Saiyu said. “Perhaps the miracle of the prophecy lies in its elegant simplicity.”

Ashack nodded slightly. “But there is much more to the prophecy, and we all know how the other verses foreshadow future events. I just hope that deciphering those verses will be as effortless as this was.”

“I hope so too, Ashack.” Nageau stroked his chin, eyes half-closed. “The prophecy . . . It does paint a disconcerting picture of the future.”

“My thoughts are with the five,” Tikina said quietly, looking at her mate. “Will they—if indeed they are the ones—be able to stand together and carry the weight that we will place on their shoulders?”

Nageau wore an unsettled look. His mind travelled back to a time over three decades ago when he had been called upon to make one of the most difficult decisions as an Elder. Before he could walk further down that painful road, he was brought back to the present when Tikina rested a cool hand on his arm. He looked up at her, slightly startled, then quickly cleared his throat and responded. “Events are unfolding out in the world that will require their combined force,” he said. “We are called upon to train and prepare them, and when they are ready, assign them their crystals.”

“But they are so young,” Saiyu murmured, her motherly instincts surfacing. “It seems unfair to expect so much out of them at such a tender age.”

“If they are the ones, though, then destiny will guide them.” Nageau attempted to assure the women, though Tikina couldn’t help but notice a perturbed look in his eyes. “Moreover,” he added quietly, “they will not be alone out there.”

Everyone nodded, knowing full well what he meant.

The youth hiding behind the tree eased his eyes open. He had learned enough for now. He rose to his feet and sprinted through the trees like a spirit, away from the Elders’ assembly
neyra
. He weaved his way until he spotted one of the three bridges that connected the north and south sides of the village, which were separated by the gentle flowing waters of Esroh Lègna.

He broke from the darkness of the trees and, ignoring the bridge, leapt thirty feet over the water to the other side in one smooth motion to throw off anyone who might possibly be following him. He landed softly, following through with a roll, then rose to his feet. He threw a glance over his shoulder at the river, immensely satisfied with his nimbleness and the fact that no one was tailing him. Slowing to a walk, he strode next to the river, following it downstream to the second bridge and crossing back to the south side of the village where his cohorts were waiting for him.

Along the winding path surrounded by trees, four buildings rose into sight; a massive teal-colored glass structure with timber frames, flanked on the right by a combined stable and barn. Next to it was a nondescript but hardy-looking wooden construction used for storage, and beside it was a uniquely-designed tool and workshop enclosure that exuded a certain charm. Together, these buildings made up the resource hub of the village.

Rounding the immense glass building, the youth walked through the doors of the stable. Inside was a group of villagers about his age, chatting and caring for the horses inside the structure.

One of the youths, sporting a brown mohawk, saw the lone one entering and nudged the others. They all looked up. The one with the mohawk grinned cockily. “How was your little sleuthing expedition, Hutar?”

Hutar leaned against a stall. The horse inside, a young, frisky stallion with a shiny black coat poked his head out curiously and Hutar fed it some hay. The horse’s velvety lips tickled the palm of his hand. The girl inside who was grooming the horse paused and stepped out of the stall. A couple of other girls stepped out as well from where they were taking care of horses in other stalls. The boys—heavily outnumbering the girls—were sitting on bales of hay or standing around.

Hutar said nothing for a time, content to interact with the horse. His sharp, calculating blue eyes contrasted with his well-tanned skin. His black hair was shortly cropped at the sides and fuller on top.

“Well?” repeated the youth with the mohawk. “What happened?

Hutar snorted. Jabbing a finger at the mohawk, he said, “You are an impatient one, Relsuc.” He paused for a few moments, then continued. “From what I have learned, the Elders have concluded the first verse of the prophecy, ‘
Shades of Earth, Sky, River, Mist and Fire
’, corresponds with our unwanted guests’ eyes.”

Relsuc frowned. “You mean to say the shades mentioned in the prophecy refer to the shades of eyes? We always figured they were related to the crystals.”

Shrugging, Hutar said, “Who knows what they really refer to.”

“And the shades match
exactly
with five outsiders’ eyes?” Relsuc asked incredulously. “That is unbelievable.”

“Believable or not, that is what the Elders accept as true.”

One of the boys milling around spoke up. “But we cannot forget that the Elders had met with the outsiders this morning. Do you think they would make a petty blunder on such a significant matter?”

“Who knows?” Hutar gave the boy a look that told him to shut up.

One of the girls wiped her brow and prodded, “Did they mention anything else?”

“Not that I caught. They will discuss more tomorrow, I assume.” Hutar turned around and stroked the horse that he’d given the hay to. The young animal eyed him with a glint of mischief in its eyes and then grabbed Hutar’s arm in its mouth. Hutar grunted in surprise.

Freeing himself, he turned to the others and said, “We must assume the Elders are in agreement on the idea of teaching those outsiders our ways and entrusting them with the crystals. It is not right; I myself have gone through the prophecy, and not anywhere did it mention that the ones to fulfill it will be from the outside world.”

“Now wait a minute,” protested an attractive, auburn-haired native. She placed one hand on her hip and held up two fingers. “Two things: One, while you do have a point, nowhere in the prophecy does it say people from this tribe would fulfill the prophecy, either. Two, we cannot assume that all the Elders are on board, because Ashack is naught but a grump and tends to be a skeptic. And remember, that was only the first verse. There is more.”

“Matikè does have a point, Hutar,” Relsuc said. “Until you get sufficient information and further decisions from the Elders, you cannot risk doing anything. And by you, I mean our whole group. Just like you, we are opposed to the idea of the outsiders being the fulfillment to our people’s prophecy, but we need to tread cautiously here. You know we trust you as our leader, but we cannot afford to jump to conclusions. Also, I cannot begin to imagine the consequences that would arise from our defiance of the Elders if this comes out.”

“No one will find out,” Hutar said icily. “But I know, I just know, that somehow, these five are going to be trained by the Elders.”

Relsuc shrugged apologetically. “Normally I would agree, considering how many times you have been correct when you make such suppositions, but at the moment, I am going to have to stop and wait and watch for a little while.”

The group agreed quietly. Hutar, resenting it when the crowd went against him, kept a cool face. “Fine. We will each do our part to find out what we can before making a move. Meanwhile,” he said with a cold glint in his eyes, “I suggest a few of us get friendly with the five. It would be better for those of us who are omnilingual to put that ability to good use.”

“That leaves me out,” Relsuc said thankfully. “But you, my friend, are fully capable. So is Aesròn.” Aesròn, Relsuc’s cousin with an aquiline nose and very light green eyes, grinned. Then his grin vanished as he said, “There is one little problem, though. How do we get close to them? I am sure they are under some kind of order preventing them from mingling with us.”

A girl near one of the stalls leaned over the trough she was using to bathe a foal and yelled, “That is probably right! Huyani and Akol are seeing to that, are they not?”

Relsuc nodded. “I have spied on them shepherding the outsiders.”

Hutar put a hand on one of Aesròn’s wide shoulders and said with a flash of a malevolent grin, “Talking to Huyani would be no problem. There are ways to accomplish this.”

“Do not underestimate her, though,” one of the boys said, too quietly for anyone to pay attention to him.

“Her brother is rigid when it comes to following orders given by the Elders,” Matikè countered. She had gone back inside the stall and was using a pick to clean the young horse’s hooves.

“Not a problem. Between us, there has been talk going around that Akol is taking an interest in you.”

The fair-skinned girl fumbled with the pick and blushed. “It is but a rumor. And besides, how would I be of help? I only speak in our native tongue.”

“I did not say you would have to speak with the outsiders,” Hutar replied smoothly.

Matikè finished picking the horse’s hooves and stepped out of the stall again. “Listen, Hutar. As much as I am not pleased with these five in our valley, I refuse to manipulate Akol.” Hutar was losing patience. “Now
you
listen. When we first overheard the Elders talking after the Guardians brought those five, there was an explosion of speculation. We decided then to pick sides. You stayed with us while your sibling ran away, afraid of what would happen if the Elders caught us. I repeat; you
stayed
. Now you must commit.”

Matikè’s eyes shot daggers at the group’s tall leader. “Alright, fine, I will do it,” she snapped. “But I will not be happy about it.”

“No one said you had to be,” Relsuc grinned.

Aesròn turned to Hutar. “Perhaps we should leave before sundown so we can join them for their evening meal.”

“Good idea.” Hutar smiled. “Matikè, you will be joining us.”

Matikè swore vehemently under her breath and turned her back to the pair as she continued to care for the horse.

Back in their
neyra
after the Elders’ meeting, Nageau sat at a table, gazing out the window silently. He hadn’t spoken a word since he and Tikina entered the shelter, but his mate knew what was upsetting him. Holding up a mug, she brought a hot drink to Nageau and rested it on the table. He looked up, slightly surprised, then gave her a small smile in thanks. As he took a sip, Tikina sat down across from him. “Nageau,” she said gently.

He glanced at her, then back out the window and sighed. “I am sorry, love. I should not bring such a discouraging atmosphere into a house of peace.”

She took one of his hands and inspected his fingers quietly for a minute before murmuring, “Things of the past must remain in the past, Nageau.”

He put the mug down and leaned back. His mouth moved as if he was trying to find the right words to speak, but no sound came out. Pulling his hand back from Tikina’s soft ones, he buried his face in his palms. “I know it has been over twenty-five years, but it still weighs me down,” he finally managed. “And now, with the arrival of the five, I cannot help but wonder if I did the right thing back then. What if there had been a better alternative? What if—”

“You did the right thing,” she told him firmly. “We do not know for certain that the decision you made at the time has anything to do with the storm that is brewing in the world outside. In all my years that I have known you, beloved, you have never wavered even a hair’s breadth from what is best for our people. You did the right thing.”

He gazed at her and in his usually spirited eyes she could see him struggling to believe her. She looked down at the table for a moment, then reached for his hand again. He let her take it and tightly held her hand even as she did his. Not another word was shared as they sat together, staring out the window, taking in the strength of each other’s company.

12

T
he five were lazing around outside the boys’
neyra
. They’d enjoyed a good lunch brought to them earlier by Akol and Huyani. Now, sitting out in the early-evening sun and feeling the cool breeze on their skin, the friends mulled over their situation.

Yawning, Mariah dropped her head to Tegan’s shoulder and closed her eyes briefly. Kody’s voice forced her eyes open again. “I don’t know about you guys,” he said, “but I personally am not eager to spend a few more days here. Sure, the food’s good and Akol and Huyani are real nice, but I want out. I need to find my dad and find my way back to civilization.” Jag muttered his agreement, and Tegan just remained quiet.

Mariah and Aari glanced at each other, shifting uncomfortably. “Guys, look,” Mariah said. “We’re somewhere in northern Canada, in a forest, with the nearest possible town a long way from here. I’m talking maybe dozens or even hundreds of miles. I think we’re better off staying put for now. Then those Elders can answer
our
questions, too. If we leave before they talk with us again, we could miss out on something really important. For all we know, once they speak with us, they could show us the way out or something. There might even be people out there looking for us.”

Jag’s head jerked up. “Right. The search and rescue teams should definitely be out looking for us.”

Tegan shrugged. “They might have already done that.”

“We’ve been here for at least a week now,” Aari said. “Why haven’t they found us yet?”

“It depends on how far from the crash site we are right now,” Jag answered. “I don’t know for sure how long we rode on those bears, but like Mariah said, we could be miles and miles from the crash site.”

“Yeah, but they’ve got helicopters and other aircraft. Surely they can spot a village from the sky.”

“But remember, the village is supposedly well-hidden. Isn’t that what the valley’s name means? Dema-Ki, the ‘Hidden Valley’? Akol mentioned it.”

Tegan pondered for a little while. “How long do these teams look for people before they call off a search?”

Jag snorted in response. “I don’t know. Shouldn’t you? Your dad’s a cop, after all.”