Epic of Aravinda 1: The Truth Beyond the Sky (13 page)

Before Zahn could say anything else, Asha put her hands over her ears and screamed as she ran back.

“Vakra-gaaag!” she yelled. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Zahn said. “Are you okay?”

A drop of blood dripped down from her nose.

“I felt like my ears were bleeding. It was the loudest sound I’ve ever heard! You
must
have heard that. My ears are ringing!”

Zahn reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief he’d found in his room earlier.

“Here. You can wipe your nose with this,” he said.

“Thanks.”

“Fascinating,” Oonak said. “It must be a sonic disruptor designed to keep intruders away from the spires.”

“But how can she hear it, and we didn’t?” Zahn said.

“There are various ways. In this case I would hypothesize that canceling frequencies were used. Two ultrahigh frequencies create a difference pattern. Unless you’re in the resonance zone, you won’t hear anything. It’s quite elegant, actually.”

“Elegant to you, maybe!” Asha said. “Tell that to my ringing ears, and my nose.”

“Zahn told you that it was not a good idea. We are on another world now, Asha. We must exercise caution and not jump into situations hastily.”

“Thanks,
Dad
,” Asha said sarcastically and walked away, still holding her nose with the handkerchief.

“Where are you going?” Zahn said.

“Back. I’d like to be alone. It’s getting late anyway, and who knows what kinds of creatures come out at night around here.”

Oonak looked at the sun, now low along the horizon.

“The days are shorter here. Soon, Aarava’s star will descend below the horizon,” he said. “Asha is right, we would be wise to head back. We do not yet know enough about this world to safely explore it at night.”

Zahn looked up at the octahedron floating just a meter or so above the spires. He breathed slowly. He could still feel the low, deep sound in his chest.

When they returned to the rocky outcrop, the sun was just setting behind the jungle canopy, and Zahn could already tell that the tide had risen. The first stars were already starting to appear, and Zahn called out to Asha to come back and stargaze with them. But she was already far ahead and didn’t hear him.

“Do you think she’s going to be okay? I’m starting to wonder if this place is more of a prison than a paradise,” Zahn said.

“The truth is that it is neither, Zahn. Merely a quarantine, the necessity of which I hope we will soon discover. I wouldn’t worry about Asha. The effects are most likely temporary. I will scan her ears tomorrow if she desires. But for now, I think an uninterrupted sleep cycle is the best medicine for her.”

“Especially after what she’s been through.”

Magenta and orange hues were still spread across the sky, but a dusting of stars now began to bleed through the hues. Zahn tried to find a constellation that seemed familiar, although he knew logically that this was impossible.

“Do you recognize any?” Zahn said.

Oonak scanned the sky for a few moments.

“Well, I am not from this part of the galaxy, but there is one star that I recognize from our approach. There.” Oonak pointed toward a bright star just above the violet horizon.

“Yeah, that’s the brightest star out right now, I think.”

“That is Akasha-Dipa, a guide star. After we came through the last gate, it was one of the stars that Navika used to confirm our position.”

“No wonder it’s a guide star. Must be one of the brightest stars in the sky here.” Zahn turned to Oonak. “Does it have a great story behind it? I’m sure a star like that was involved in a galactic battle or a monumental discovery or something, right?”

“According to Navika’s records, that star has no planets at all, so that is unlikely. I learned about it from Navika’s star maps when we entered this system. Even I cannot memorize all of the stars in the galaxy. After all, there are over 900 billion of them, but I suppose Akasha-Dipa could have been part of a legend. For all we know, it had many planets long ago.”

Zahn and Oonak gazed in silence as stars slowly filled the sky.

“Oonak, have you ever lost someone? Someone close to you?”

Oonak was silent for a long time.

“Yes, long ago.”

“What did you do about it? After my mom disappeared, the islands didn’t even feel like home anymore. But sometimes I wonder how it might have been if I were stronger. Your people seem a lot more advanced than mine, so that’s why I’m curious.”

“Loss is never easy, Zahn, especially if it is someone you love deeply. Sometimes, you cannot help but watch the entire world around you become unrecognizable, no matter how strong you think you are. What is important is that you face it honestly.”

“How?”

“Take it slowly. Remember that all you see is temporary and clinging to the past only brings suffering. You must continue to renew your mind and expose yourself to new experiences.” Oonak turned and gazed deeply into Zahn’s eyes. “Someday, when we shed our physical selves, we will see the Universe for what it truly is.”

Oonak paused and looked out toward the sky once more.

“This was told to me many years ago… under a similar sky.”

Zahn smiled. “Thanks, Oon.”

In stark contrast to the warmth of the day, a cool breeze kicked up, and Zahn realized that he’d left his jacket inside.

“Let’s head inside,” Oonak said. “It is nearly nightfall, and you look tired.”

Upon hearing that, Zahn had a strange feeling of déjà vu, but he brushed it aside. Oonak was right. He was exhausted. He’d felt as though he hadn’t slept in two days, and he wondered if it might actually be true.

When he got back to his room, he collapsed onto the round bed and pulled some blankets over himself. In just a few seconds, he entered an exceedingly deep sleep where time ceased to have any meaning.

CHAPTER
20

CAUGHT IN THE TRAP

Once again, Zahn opened his real eyes.

At first, he felt completely disoriented. He was lying on his back, half-covered by a thin blanket. The softness of the bed felt strange to him. Shouldn’t he be waking up in a hammock?

As he studied the white tiles on the ceiling, it all came rushing back to him: the invisible starship on the beach, the gate on the South Pole, the ambush, the outpost, the view of Aarava from orbit, the largest flowers he had ever seen, and all of the remarkable people he had met along the way. Even though he knew he had experienced all of it, some small part of him still wondered if it had all really happened.

Gradually, he sat up. The sun was already high in the sky, filling the room with warm light. Out the window, he could see the waves crashing on jagged rocks below, kicking up ocean spray at unpredictable intervals.

As was his habit, he tried to remember what he had just been dreaming about, and the vision of his mother and the small lens flashed into his mind.

He recalled when she’d first given it to him many years ago. They had been talking about what it means to see.

“To truly see,”
she had said.
“You must open your heart and listen to it. Truly seeing goes beyond the light we can see with our eyes. I know this because some beings who are not even capable of sight as we know it can see more clearly than we can.”

He remembered how she had knelt down, placed the small lens into his hand, and cupped it closed.

“Keep this,”
she had said,
“and whenever you hold it. Remember what it means to see.”

He cherished that memory. Had that been what the dream was about? He tried to remember more, but the memory sank deep into his unconscious mind like a shard of glass falling into a dark pit, forever lost.

When he got up, his eyes widened as he noticed that his Avani clothes had been washed, folded, and placed on a shelf beside his bed. Beside them was a small wooden flute and some pebbles, and he walked over and picked up the flute. Three holes were carved into the top, and after a few tries he managed to play a little tune, though it sounded rather flat.

His stomach growled at him.

Still wearing his Aaravan robe, he left the room and walked back into the meeting room across the hall. To his surprise, no one was there, but someone had made food. An empty bowl had been left out, presumably for him, so Zahn dished himself some of the light-brown spongey food that had been left over. He had no idea what it was, but it reminded him a bit of the traditional Ashraya breakfast, which was hydrated Kaala grain topped with ground up blue cane for sweetening.

Yet this strange breakfast tasted nothing like what he was expecting. Instead of being sweet, it tasted vaguely like it had been harvested from the sea.

But where was everyone?

He thought that perhaps Oonak or Asha would check in on him, but he hadn’t seen or heard any sign of them at all since he’d awoke. So once he finished eating, he headed back down the long hall to the exit. The door at the end pulled back swiftly, and Zahn noticed that the air outside had a chill in it that hadn’t been there the day before. As he followed the path that led down to the beach, the sound of two familiar voices grew until he could clearly discern that they were Asha and Oonak. They sounded like they were arguing, so he stopped just before they could see him and listened.

“…cannot move the ship unless it is a life or death circumstance. We were specifically instructed to land at those coordinates. To take off without notifying the Aaravans would be an overt sign of distrust which I cannot permit.”

“Oonak,” Asha said. “I need to get back on the ship!”

“I fail to see how these circumstances justify the potential disruption of friendly relations with this world.”

“Friendly relations? We’re in a quarantine! Just call Navika over here. I’ll grab my boots, and then he can go back to the landing pad, which, I’d like to point out, was suspiciously loud when we landed on it yesterday.”

“I cannot permit Navika to do this. It is unwise at this time.”

Zahn walked up to them.

“What’s wrong, guys?”

What Zahn saw instantly answered his question. Just beyond where Asha was standing, the remainder of the path downward was completely flooded. The path down to the beach was now blocked by the tide, and most of the beach they had crossed the day before had now been swallowed up by the sea.

“Good afternoon, Zahn.” Oonak nodded. He was now dressed in a maroon Aaravan robe, which complemented his light brown skin. And for the first time, Zahn noticed Oonak’s black hair had a hint of indigo buried deep within the blackness.

“Hi, Zahn.” Asha smiled. “You okay? You sure slept a while.”

“How long did I sleep?”

“Roughly half of one Avani day,” Oonak answered.

“Oh, guess I was tired.”

“How was hibernation?” Asha smirked at him.

Zahn looked down and noticed Asha’s bare feet.

“So what’s wrong? As I was walking up I heard something about shoes.”

“Oonak won’t call Navika over here so I can get my boots. I’m starting to think he’s afraid of the Aaravans.”

Zahn looked down at the small brown shoes that were now set upside down so they would dry faster.

“There is a difference,” Oonak said, “between being afraid of something and believing that a course of action is unwise. As I’ve already stated, we were instructed to land at those specific coordinates. To take off without notifying the Aaravans would be an overt sign of distrust, something we cannot afford given this unique situation.”

“What unique situation?” Zahn said.

“Zahn, have you so quickly forgotten? We are only staying here for as long as it takes to learn what we can about the gate network. This Vayuna individual, whoever she may be, seems to be highly revered for her intelligence in this society, and I do not want to damage our relationship with Vivienne as long as she is willing to take us to Vayuna.”

“Right. After all, without the gates where would we be?”

“Wearing dry shoes, I bet,” Asha said.

“Well, why don’t we just leave the quarantined area and find Vayuna ourselves?” Zahn said.

“Spacefarer Code requires me to obey the laws of any planets I come into contact with unless they violate our free will. Even if we set out to find Vayuna ourselves, it is unlikely that we will find her before she returns. Cooperating with the Aaravans is the most intelligent choice, at least for the time being.”

“True. I just thought the question was worth asking. Anyway, there might be another way down. Let’s head back up and see if we can find another way,” Zahn said.

They walked back up the path, but once they reached the top, none of them could find another way down. The rocky outcrop was completely surrounded by water on all sides now. Feeling defeated, Zahn sat down on a stone bench in the shade beside the guest house. Above him, he could hear a wind chime that was attached to the overhanging roof.

“Oonak, how do you know Vayuna is highly revered here?” Zahn said.

“Actually, it was rather strange.” Oonak sat down beside him. “When I awoke this morning, I found a flute, some pebbles, and a thin book on the shelf near my bed.”

Asha walked over.

“Did they wash your clothes, too? That was a welcome surprise,” she said.

“They did. My uniform was neatly folded beside the book.”

“So what did the book say?” Zahn said.

“Did it say why we’re in this quarantined area?” Asha added.

“Or perhaps some of the history of this planet?”

“Any of those pieces of information would have been helpful, but the book was rather thin. When I opened it up, I noticed it was, oddly enough, addressed to me. Indeed, it seems to have been intended only for me, and I was quite surprised when I saw who it was from.”

“Who?”

“Was it from Vivienne? There’s something unnatural about her if you ask me,” Asha said.

“No, it said it was from Vayuna.”

For a moment, all Zahn could hear was the wind chime and the sound of waves crashing below.

“Really,” Zahn said.

“Indeed. It appeared to be a kind of introduction. It explained a bit about how the flute worked and some of Vayuna’s history. I only know it was directly from Vayuna because the first page stated that it was written by Vayuna, Mind of the Visionaries.”

“Mind of the Visionaries? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Alas, I’m not entirely sure. However, I did learn that Vayuna is not native to this planet. The book said that she ‘came from the sky’ some time ago, though it was not specific as to exactly how long ago that occurred. Perhaps not surprisingly, many Aaravans worship Vayuna as a kind of deity.”

“She does seem to have a certain level of fear surrounding her. Do you think she knows anything about the gates?”

“Unknown, but if anyone on this world does, it’s her.”

“What about the flute? Were you able to levitate the pebbles?” Asha said.

“Yes, the book explained a bit about that, as well. Quite a marvelous instrument, actually. Were you able to levitate anything? I’m not sure if I would have been able to do it if I hadn’t read the book.”

“At first, I didn’t even know, but when the pebbles started vibrating, I knew the flute was special. After about an hour I finally got some of them to levitate, but I was having so much fun that the time flew by. What about you, Zahn?”

“Wait a minute.” A shock was dawning on Zahn. “These flutes levitate objects? How is that possible? Sounds like magic.”

“Magic?” Oonak said, tilting his head.

Zahn struggled to think of a good legend to exemplify what he meant, but he realized that neither of them would know any Avani legends.

“You know, legendary stuff,” Zahn said. “Astonishing powers that people in stories have that we can’t explain.”

“Ah,” Oonak said. “I apologize. Sometimes the wrist translators are not perfect. I believe I understand now. No, this is certainly not magic. Technically, it is a kind of resonant frequency technology. The cloaking cells on Navika employ a similar resonant principle, though through different means.”

“So do you think I could learn how to levitate objects with the flute they gave me? Do you think I could read the book?” Zahn said.

“Unfortunately, the book disintegrated in my hands after I reached the last page. I cannot fathom why, but I would not worry about that. With practice, I have no doubt that you can learn to use the Aaravan flute, Zahn.”

“Well since we’re stuck here, why not practice together until the tide goes down?” Zahn said. “Then when the path clears, we can start exploring this area again.”

“Indeed, it would seem that the Aaravans placed the flutes in our rooms for a reason, and although we cannot be sure exactly what that reason is, I see minimal danger in seeing what we can learn from them.”

Proficiency at the flute did not come easily to Zahn. As each of them took turns trying to levitate ever larger pebbles back in the meeting room, Zahn grew frustrated. No matter what he did, he could only make a pebble move slightly. Asha and Oonak did their best to help him, but he just couldn’t reach the right notes.

Oonak explained to him that the notes that he could hear were not the same sounds that were levitating the rocks. They were merely reference notes for unheard higher frequencies that the flute played simultaneously. These higher notes were what actually levitated the stones, and Oonak told Zahn that with practice, it would be second nature to him someday.

Today was not that day. After practicing for a few hours, Zahn excused himself. When he told Oonak that he was going to go take some pictures outside, Oonak reminded him about what had happened to Asha and warned him not to leave the beach area around the guest house.

With this in mind, Zahn headed back down the path to see if the tide had gone down at all. It had, and he took that opportunity to walk the beach for a while.

He had been meaning to take some good photos of this new world, and he started with the beach and the guest house. Aarava really was a lovely place, and he wished that they hadn’t been restricted to a quarantined area. He wondered what an Aaravan city might look like, if they even had cities here.

Releasing these thoughts, Zahn headed up the beach in the opposite direction of the spires they had discovered the day before, but then he stopped himself. He remembered how Oonak had told him not to leave the beach area around the house.

But as long as I can see the house, I’m sure it’s okay. I’ll be careful.

After walking around the rocky outcrop, he followed the beach for a while, always checking to make sure he could see the guest house perched atop the outcrop, far behind him.

Ahead, he saw another collection of spires. In all aspects they were identical to the ones they had discovered the day before. But there was one important difference: near them was a path leading directly into the jungle.

The beginning of the path seemed far enough away from the spires that Zahn was pretty sure he wouldn’t get sonically blasted. He knew the implicit danger, but he allowed his curiosity to get the better of him and walked up to the entrance of the path.

When he finally set foot onto the path unscathed, a great feeling of relief swept over him.

Zahn looked up and noticed that these trees were even more massive than the ones back at the landing site. He guessed that a few might be over one hundred meters tall, and he wished he had a way to measure them accurately.

As he admired the bizarre emerald trees and the thick vines hanging down from them, their cooing noise mixed with occasional bird calls in a way that was otherworldly yet somehow completely natural.

Ahead, the path curved to the right, and farther up he noticed that some trees had fallen beside the path. Out of the rotten trunks grew large white mushrooms, and he wondered if they might be edible.

After walking for some time, Zahn saw a shape fly past him out of the corner of his eye. Then another appeared, flew past his face, and disappeared again. Farther ahead, he noticed a few round, furry shapes that he hadn’t seen before.