AKLESH (Under Strange Skies) (36 page)

Down the long stairways they went as the fires around shot sparks into the starry night. The drums were beating out their primal rhythms that were carrying away the Aklesh during their yearly night of celebration. The two young men couldn’t hear it.

If anything, the sounds only fed into the beating rhythms that they felt inside themselves.

Kai lead them down a path, past the gardens and bathing area and south. The last time he had gone this way, things had turned out badly for him. The off-worlders had captured and tortured him.

Fortunately, Gar had come to his rescue and Kai was now determined to take this place back as one of good memories.

They walked for almost a mile, but Gar didn’t care. They could have walked around the planet and he would have been content if he could be with Kai.

The prince had more lovers than he could count, but he hadn’t cared for any of them…not really. For once it was different. Now he thought he understood what he was feeling, although he could barely bring himself to think of the word that would sum it all up.

They went along in silence, no longer needing words. Now Gar was getting unedited access to Kai, who no longer hid anything. His friend seemed utterly content and full of emotion, eager but calm. They were both bubbling with mutual passion.

Yet something was strange. Gar stopped them.

“Are you keeping anything from me?” he asked.

No. Not now. Not anymore
, replied Kai.
Why?

Well, if you’re no longer shielding me, why can’t
I hear your mother?

Kai’s face became greatly puzzled. It was the first time he’d noticed it.

“She seemed to have stopped crying,” he said simply. He laughed, having not even noticed. Gar chuckled, too, and soon they were both laughing though they hardly knew why. Gar pulled Kai into a kiss that he was happy to return, but before they got too carried away, Kai pushed them farther.

They never let go of each other’s hands.

Eventually they arrived at Kai’s destination.

It was a moderately sized creek that flowed peacefully through the woods. There was a large rock next to it where the flimsy path they had been following ended.

The rock stood about six feet at its tallest point and had a gentle slope that was easy to climb. The stars emblazed the darkness and the two of them were encased in the soft light from a half moon as they came through the branches of the trees. There was no one there but nature and themselves.

What is this place?
Gar sent, admiring its natural beauty.

For the first time that night, they let go of each other’s hands aa Kai climbed up onto the rock. Gar was content to watch him from below, openly enjoying how Kai’s muscles worked as he moved.

Once at the top, Kai looked around.

This is where my father would take me
when I was little. He taught me fishing here, and
swimming. It’s where I feel closest to him.

Do you miss him?
Gar asked.

All the time
, said Kai.
He always accepted me for
who I was, no matter what. He didn’t care that I
was small or weak…

You’re not small or weak,
Gar interrupted.
On
Orestus you’d be at least average, if not tall.

Possibly…but not here. I know he got a lot of
criticism about me, but he never showed it. He
just loved me.

That must be nice
, replied Gar.
Being so
close to him.

Isn’t every boy close to his father?
Kai asked naively.

Gar forced a smile but didn’t say anything. Kai understood.
You’re not close to you father?

Gar could feel how strange such a concept was to Kai.

“It’s complicated,” he replied. “And we don’t need to talk about it. Let’s just say, where I come from, people sometimes have children because it is expected and not necessarily because they want them.”

But, have you felt love?
Kai asked, now concerned for Gar. He wanted nothing more than to protect him and keep him safe for the rest of his days. The Aklesh climbed down from the rock and took his friend’s hand.

Yes, I have
, sent Gar.
I feel it now.

You do?
Kai smiled.
I do, too.

They both laughed, again at nothing, and Kai pulled him in for a playful kiss. They just couldn’t get enough of each other and the torture of it was exquisite.

Kai let go of his hand and walked to the water.

Once there he slowly peeled of his leggings and loincloth. He then turned and faced Gar, naked and vulnerable.

Gar remembered the first time he’d seen Kai without his clothes, but this time Kai was not making any effort to hide his body, and Gar was drinking in every inch of him -- from his broad shoulders, to the slim line of his waist then down to the rich swell of his thighs and down his powerful legs. He took in how the blue patterning played on the grayish skin and how his whole body looked cool and inviting in the moonlight.

The summer season was beginning to wane, but it was still warm enough for a midnight swim.

Gar pulled off his shirt, discarding it on the ground. He unbuttoned and pulled down his pants but stopped when he realized he had to get his boots off as well. These he removed less gracefully than Kai had undressed himself, but soon enough he was as bare as the native who stood in front of him, strong and magnificent.

He then grew self-conscious. Gar was fit but he did not compare in anyway to the well proportioned Kai.

The young Aklesh sensed this feeling.

In two strides he was in front of him. They were barely a breath apart and the hairs on the back of Gar’s neck were standing on end. His whole body was alive with tingles. If his heart could have burst out of his chest, it would have.

You are the most beautiful being I have ever
seen. I want nothing more than you.

Kai gently kissed him and took his hand, leading him into the water.

It had been a very eventful festival that year, so much more so than in past years.

This was what Zaela was thinking as she made her way down the stairs to the teaching hut, chuckling a little to herself.

It was still very early morning but the old woman had made it a lifelong habit to greet the sunrise. The children would not be down that day and the rest of the tribe would be resting after the feast of the night before. This allowed her to have a little private time, and there were other things she wished to attend to. The majority of her medicinal supplies were located in the school hut and, just as the tribe was making ready for the coming Wetfall and Coldrest, with food storage and repairs, she had to prepare for the colder seasons as well.

The Healer used this time to reflect. So much had happened during the Dryrise of this year. Many changes had come upon the tribe. As she reviewed them she came to the conclusion that these changes would good in the long run. Too many of her peers were dubious of things they did not understand or of events that pushed them into an uncomfortable place. It was her opinion that the time had come for something, or someone, to shake their sense of security a little.

So, as the healer came around the large root that guarded the teaching hut, she was in no way surprised to see just that specific someone leaning against the door waiting for her.

“You lied to me, Zaela,” he said, but his manner was not of one who seemed offended. He was simply stating a fact.

She did not respond but continued past Gar into the hut, offering him a bright smile. The old woman would only speak when a full accusation had been laid at her feet. Till then she kept her mouth shut and began her work. The healer began pulling clay jars off shelves and checking their contents.

Gar followed her inside. “You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?”

At that point she was having a problem reaching one of the higher jars, which was just out of reach. Gar sighed and reached up for her, grabbing it and placing the container in her hands.

She patted his arm in thanks like very old people tend to do when young people assist them, and began to rummage through the dried herbs to see how much she was going to have to harvest and cure that day.

“Are you listening to me?” he asked.

“You haven’t really said much, young prince,” she replied, beginning to sort pots from each other and organizing a workspace on the floor. “Now are you just going to stand there or are you going to help me? This needs to be crushed and placed in here.” She handed him a pile of dried leaves and a small red pot.

Gar took them, all the while marveling at the old lady’s audacity. He sat down and started to do the work the healer had set before him. She began to peel a strange root with a bone knife.

“Zaela, I said you lied to me,” Gar told her flatly.

“Did I? Well, that is something I try not make a habit of, so you’ll have to be more specific.”

Gar knew she was toying with him.

“You said you could separate Kai and me.”

“Ahhh,” she said, squeezing the juice of the root into a bowl. “I never said I could separate you.”

“You implied it.”

“Did I?” she asked innocently.

Gar was fine playing her game; it wasn’t like he had anywhere to be. Although, there were some places he’d like to go back to, namely the hut and the warm body waiting there for him.

“You said it would take time. Have you even been trying to find a way to separate us?” he asked.

She stopped what she was doing and put the root down.

“No,” she said gently. “I have not.”

“Then you lied to me,” said Gar. He wasn’t mad or even surprised, but he wanted some answers.

“No, I did not,” she replied, her tone unchanging.

The woman was infuriating. He couldn’t figure out why she was talking in circles or denying that she had not been honest. She was verbally elusive, purposely avoiding something, and it was driving him a little mad.

“You said…”

“I am aware of exactly what I said,” she told Gar gently, once again continuing her work on the salve. “I told you the situation was not without hope and that to work through it would take time.”

“Exactly!” Gar exclaimed triumphantly, feeling he’d gained some ground with her.

“But,” she continued, “I never said that I would be the one to do this work.”

He was confused for a moment, pondering her meaning. The old lady perplexed him. Most of the time half of what she said meant something else. Then her meaning began to make sense and the truth of his situation landed hard.

He raised an eyebrow at her.

“You could never separate us, could you?” The question was more rhetorical since he already knew the answer, but he wanted to put it out there.

Her response surprised him.

“Do you want to be separated from him?” There was a beat of silence between then.

She looked him squarely in the eyes, her expression a challenging curiosity in regard to his feelings. Gar could sense his heart beat a little faster as he considered this prospect, but then it began to ache a little as well.

“No,” he replied.

“I see,” she said. “Well, that
is
interesting.”

“You guessed,” said Gar. “That was a very big risk you took and it could have easily backfired.”

“I had faith in both you and Kai,” she replied. “I can see now it was well placed.” Gar could note the smile creeping over the sides of her wrinkled mouth. She enjoyed being right. They continued their work in silence for a while as Gar pondered his new found understanding. The leaves she had given him had been long since been crushed and put away. She gave him other little projects as they sat there. It was some time before he voiced his next question.

“What would have happened if Kai and I had not found a way to ‘work through it’?”

“I don’t know,” she said honestly.

“You don’t?” Gar repeated, surprised.

She chuckled a bit as she continued working.

“It often comes as a surprise to the younger generations when they discover that those before them don’t have all the answers. Most of the time we are as lost as everyone else. If you’re lucky, you gain some insight or wisdom. I may have, but that does not mean I can see the future any more clearly than you. I have no idea what would’ve happened if you both could not find some common ground. But, thankfully, we won’t need to.” Gar marveled at the shriveled woman in front of him.

She was crazy.

She was brilliant.

***

After the great feast and a day of rest, things in the tribe began to change in the face of the oncoming shift of the season. The week or so that followed, Gar noted these as a silent observer. He never commented on them, but took them in as witness.

The first thing he became aware of was the new respect given to Tyro and his family. Once the team leader of a group that was politely considered misfits, now his authority was principal among all the great warriors of the Aklesh. The added responsibility suited Tyro, an already impressive figure. But now he walked taller and held his head higher. He was a fit commander who took the role with gravity and humility. He was young, but he showed great promise. A prince himself, Gar knew the signs of a good leader when he saw one. He was certain Tyro’s time in his new position would be long and good.