Aegis Rising (40 page)

It was a flawless afternoon as father and son climbed into their boat. Elder Tayoka had been wandering around the area and came to greet them. “Good afternoon, Daltair,” he smiled, looking down at them.

Hutar’s father smiled up as he passed an oar to his son. “Good afternoon, Elder Tayoka.”

“This is not a river for fishing, so I suppose you are taking Hutar to the pond?”

“Yes. My young one here has been asking for this for a long time.”

“Hm. The last time I checked, this youngling here does not turn twelve for another year,” Tayoka commented with a wink. Hutar looked worriedly at his father, thinking he might call off the trip, but then realized that the Elder was simply jesting when he saw the men smile.

“He is quite capable, Elder Tayoka,” Hutar’s father said. “I have watched him and I think he is ready for this challenge.”

“Very well, then. Have fun. But be careful, my friends. Do not forget the two arms of the river. Always stay to the right when you reach the fork, because the right side is the
right
side.”

“Thank you. We will.”

As Hutar and his father paddled away from shore, they took in the beautiful shades of green from shrubs of junipers that wound along the riverbanks. Beyond them, the mighty pine trees and the occasional spruce filled their view.

Paddling downstream on the sapphire-blue water, Hutar asked, “This river is not
that
unsafe, is it, Father?”

“It can be to those who have never navigated it before.” He smiled at Hutar. “But I have, so there is no need to worry.”

Hutar grinned and helped his father row. Having paddled for a quarter of an hour, they noticed a gentle increase in the current. Hutar turned around and asked, “It feels as if we are moving faster now,” he said, excited.

His father chuckled. “Yes, we are. It will keep getting faster until we reach the fork.”

They paddled on and soon noticed white crests on the water up ahead. His father pointed at the crests. “See that? That is where the river begins to fork. We will soon see a bank in the middle of the river, and that is when we begin to paddle toward the slower waters on the right.”

“Where does the left arm of the river go?”

“It turns into a magnificent waterfall. You will be hearing its rumble shortly.”

After a few strokes of his paddle, a faint sound reached Hutar’s ears and he pulled his paddle out of the water and listened. He turned around to look at his father again, blue eyes bright. “I hear it! I hear it!”

His father laughed and shouted over the water, “Start paddling on the left side!”

They entered the rapids just a few moments later and felt the ride getting rougher. They rode over the churning waters now and were paddling to switch directions. About two hundred yards ahead of them, they could see the fork in the river. The boat was gaining speed. Hutar looked around anxiously. From behind he heard his father calling over the sound of the rushing water. “Everything is fine, Hutar! This is how the river is. Just keep paddling.”

Hutar obeyed, trusting his father. Things seemed alright until the canoe picked up more speed and the ride became palpably uncomfortable. He yelled back at his father, “Why is it getting rougher? Why are we not moving toward the other bank?”

“Keep paddling, Hutar! The current is stronger than I thought!” There was terseness in his words.

The two paddled frantically, and even as the nose of the canoe started to point toward where they wanted to go, the boat itself was being forced down the rapids toward the waterfall. The current was directing their course over the water and they had no control over it. All the furious paddling wasn’t deflecting the canoe from the more treacherous arm of the river. The roar of the waterfall was now much louder.

Hutar could see that they had overshot the right arm of the river and were being dragged headlong toward the waterfall. The boat began bouncing violently over the frothing rapids. The boy was overcome by panic and began yelling back to his father for help. He saw for the first time an expression of sheer terror on his father’s face.

“Hold on tight, Hutar,” he called in a shaky voice just before the boat hit a submerged rock, tipping the canoe. In an instant, the rushing water filled the canoe and capsized it, throwing both its occupants into the raging river.

They were helpless as the current swept them along. Hutar’s head momentarily went under the water but his father grabbed him and pulled him back up with all his might. He looked around, searching for something they could grab onto as the swift current carried them but found nothing.

They were less than fifty yards from the brink of the waterfall. Hutar, now in his father’s arms, scanned around over the turbulent water. As he was about to scream for help, he saw a figure at the edge of the water. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It was Tayoka.

His father must have seen him too, because with uncommon strength, he lifted his son and hurled him as far as he could toward Tayoka, shouting, “Save him!”

Hutar landed with a splash about fifteen feet from his father, gaining a precious few seconds from the edge of the waterfall. As he raised his head, disorientated, he saw the shape of a man sprinting weightlessly over the water at an astounding speed. When the shape was close to Hutar, it landed in the water and grabbed him around his waist, then swam with incredible power back toward the shore.

In a moment of clarity, Hutar realized that he had just been saved by Tayoka. But his thoughts were not for himself. He looked past the Elder and saw his father being dragged toward the brink of the waterfall and started to scream at the Elder to save him. But before the words left him, he saw his father, arm raised, mouth open in a wordless call to the heavens, plummeting over the edge.

“Father!” Hutar screamed. “
Father!
” He struggled against Tayoka as the Elder brought the wailing boy onto dry land. Tayoka reached out and hugged the child to console him but Hutar squirmed out of his grasp and fell backward, tears running down his face.

“You could have saved him!” he yelled, trying to wipe his eyes dry with the back of his hand. “You could have saved him!”

Tayoka stood there, speechless, with deep sorrow in his eyes. Hutar pushed himself to his feet and stumbled into the trees, shivering and crying. He couldn’t believe it. His father was gone, with his final moments forever etched into the boy’s mind.

He slumped down against a tree and wrapped his arms around himself, rocking back and forth and sobbing as tears streamed from his eyes.

The Elder had followed him and knelt down beside the boy, drawing him into his arms once more to comfort him. Hutar shut his eyes and thoughts began to flood in between his sobs. What was going to happen to him? Who was going to look after him? Who would care for him and guide him like his father did?

His uncle would eventually fill his father’s shoes. His mother’s brother would take him under his protective wing and continue to raise Hutar to the best of his abilities. Hutar came to love his uncle as much as he loved his father, and had begun to repair the rip in his heart as time progressed. Aydar became his minder and his tower of strength, and Hutar had believed that life had given him another guardian.

Hutar let out a short gasp as he tore himself away from his memory and found himself still crouched and staring at his reflection in the village’s river. Sadness and resentment threatened to knock him off balance as thoughts of his father and uncle spun like a whirlwind in his mind.

His legs gave way. He dropped to the ground and slowly crossed his limbs. Leaning forward with his arms resting on his knees, Hutar hung his head. He was truly on his own now. No parents. No uncle.

No family.

A lone tear slid down his cheek.

46

T
he gates of the training grounds opened inward and the five walked out with Akol. When they learned that the search party had returned with only half of the four-man group, Huyani had quickly rushed out to tend to Rikèq and Breyas. Without her around, the friends’ training had been a bit more strenuous than usual and they were glad for a break.

The Elders followed the five out, closing the gates behind them, and the group made their way past the temple and down the hill. As they reached the bottom of the slope, they saw a figure running out of the convalescence shelter toward them.

“It’s Huyani,” Kody said. “What’s her hurry?”

As Huyani got closer she tried to slow down but couldn’t and bumped into Akol, who helped stop her momentum. She was out of breath but there was excitement in her eyes. “Father is awake!”

Akol let out an elated yell and hugged her. She hugged him back and then saw the Elders over his shoulder. They looked hopeful. “Father has regained consciousness,” she repeated.

“What is his condition?” Nageau asked.

Akol let go of her so she could face the Elders properly. “He is able to talk and he insists that he must speak with you as soon as possible.”

Nageau looked at the Elders and they nodded at him. He turned to the five and said, “We will not meet back here to continue your training once you have had your break. I am uncertain how long this will take, therefore you will have the rest of the day off.”

The five maintained their poker faces as they dipped their heads at the Elders. “Your drinks are all prepared in my
neyra
,” Huyani told them as she and Akol started toward the convalescence shelter with the Elders.

The friends strode toward the bridge to cross to the other side of the valley. When they were sure they were out of earshot, they turned to each other and high-fived. “A break!” Kody exclaimed. “We can lounge around all day now.”

They passed a few villagers who smiled warmly at them, and the five smiled back. “These folks are so friendly,” Mariah remarked.

A group of boys around six years old jumped up and down and waved at the friends from where they were wrestling under a tree. Tegan waved back.

The five stepped onto the bridge and saw three youths stepping on from the other end. They smiled and tried to pass them but the youths blocked their path. “Good afternoon, my friends,” one of them said, leaning on one of the bridge’s railings.

Jag recognized the speaker. “Hey, Hutar, right?”

“Yes. And if you remember, this is Aesròn and Matikè.”

“I remember you guys now,” Aari said, grinning. “Man, we haven’t seen any of you in a while.”

Hutar chuckled. “I know, and it is a shame.” He and Aesròn smiled beguilingly, their eyes briefly meeting Tegan’s and Mariah’s before looking away. The girls glanced at each other and did their best not to blush.

“Some of the youths are having a gathering tonight after dinner,” Hutar told the group. “We would love for you to join us.”

“Really?” Jag asked, surprised.

“Of course. You live here now, which makes you family. And families do things together, do they not?”

Kody watched Hutar as he listened. A twinge of unease rang inside him, but the youth was all smiles and cordial so he reasoned that it was his hyper-sensory training that was causing his anxiety.

“You guys want to go?” Jag asked his friends.

“Sure,” Tegan said. “But shouldn’t we let Huyani or Akol know?”

“Hold on, my gem,” Aesròn said, putting an arm around her. “If you want to come, it would be best if you did not tell either of them.”

Did he call me his gem? Who calls people their gem?
Tegan glanced up to see him smiling charmingly again, then glanced away and asked, “Why should we not tell?”

“We know your . . . keepers . . . have their doubts about us.” Aesròn raised an eyebrow. “Is that not correct?”

Tegan looked back at him. “Yeah. Are they right, though?”

Aesròn laughed. “I suppose that is a matter of opinion. Akol and Huyani are a little less, shall we say . . . flexible than most youths here. We do not know what their reasoning for telling you that we are not a good group is, but I can assure you we have never done anything that caused anyone grief. We just enjoy having fun.”

Jag saw the eager but cautious looks his friends wore, then asked Hutar, “Could we think about it?”

“Definitely. If you would like to join us, just come by after your dinner. We will be at the old community center. It is a large building at the farthest side of the valley. It stands alone, so you will know which one it is when you see it.”

The youths stepped aside and allowed the five to pass. As the friends walked toward Huyani’s
neyra
, they heard the youths behind them speaking quietly and the roar of laughter that followed after.

*  *  *

The Elders were gathered in the convalescence shelter around Rikèq’s bed. Akol and Huyani sat on either side of their father, each holding one of his hands. He smiled up at his son and daughter. The blood had been wiped off when he and Breyas had been found by the search team but the bruises remained, though with the herbs that had been applied, these would heal quickly. He had a fractured bone in his right arm and his upper legs had contusions to the muscles; those would take a little longer to mend.

“How are you feeling, Rikèq?” Tikina asked as she sat at the foot of his bed.

“In pain,” he answered truthfully. “But as long as I know I am alive, I will gratefully take that discomfort and live with it.”

“Hopefully you will not have to live with that pain for too long,” said Saiyu.

“Was there something you wanted to share with the Elders, Father?” Huyani asked softly.

“Yes.” Rikèq attempted to sit up but Akol and Huyani did not allow him to.

“Do not strain yourself,” Akol told him, gently resting his father’s head back onto the pillow.

“My children, the worriers.” Rikèq smiled at his offspring. He shifted in his bed to a comfortable position before turning to the Elders to recount what had transpired. The Elders waited patiently as the rescued man took his time to recall the experience.

As Rikèq neared the end of his account, Huyani glanced out the window and saw the sun beginning to drop behind the mountains. She waited until there was a short lull in her father’s narrative, then excused herself, explaining that she needed to start preparing the evening meal for the five. She kissed her father on the cheek before saying goodbye and exiting the building.