Aegis Rising (34 page)

Tegan flicked her fingers on his head. “No, dork. We still get dinner. You keep forgetting that every day.”

“Oh. Two times a day, then.”

Huyani pulled up a stool and sat beside the five with a smile. “I never got a chance to ask you how you felt at the village gathering last evening.”

Mariah tapped her knuckles on the side of her mug. “Awkward. For me, anyway.”

“It wouldn’t have been too bad if it were people we knew, but we were in front of hundreds of people whom we’ve never met before,” Tegan said as she took a sip from her drink. “Not only that, but we were being held in such high regard for something we’re not entirely sure of.”

Huyani looked down at the table for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought. “I can only try to imagine being in your shoes,” she said slowly. “I cannot, however, pretend to fathom the importance of the role that destiny has chosen for you. The fulfillment of our prophecy is a tremendously significant event in the history of our people.” Noticing the unsettled looks the five wore, she continued. “While most residents of Dema-Ki will give you their complete acceptance, there will be a few who will need time to come around to this big decision. Regardless of that, I want to assure you that you will not be alone on this journey.”

The friends sat quietly for a while, reflecting on what they’d just heard. Huyani gave them a moment and then broke the silence by broaching a lighter subject. “So how does it feel to not be a village secret anymore?”

“It feels a lot freer, that’s for sure,” Jag answered, thankful to be on another topic. “At least now we don’t have to move around in the shadows, and we’re more aware of what’s going on in the village.”

Huyani nodded and let the five take a few more sips of their drinks before saying, “Another villager has passed away today from the illness.”

The five looked up, dismayed. “That’s so awful . . . I’m so sorry,” Tegan said. “You still haven’t found a cure?”

“No, but our village scientist is working hard to find one.”

“Have your dad and the other men who were sent out come back yet?”

“Not yet. The courier falcon has not returned either, and my grandfather is somewhat concerned.” Huyani sighed and lowered her gaze to stare at her fingers resting on the tabletop. “I hope he is alright.”

Mariah, beside her, gently squeezed the other girl’s arm and the group stayed silent for a few more moments as they continued to drink. Aari set his mug down. “Tell us a little about this Ayen’et mountain that people are speaking about. I sense a little bit of nervousness when I hear people make mention of that name.”

“It is folklore normally used to keep children in line,” Huyani answered. “It is especially effective for encouraging them to not stay up past their bedtime.”

“I’ll say,” a new voice agreed.

The group turned around in their chairs and saw Akol walking through the door. “I remember when my father told me that story when I was younger and refused to get to bed.” A bug was circling around his head and he swatted it away. “I just came to tell you that the Elders will be expecting you at the gates soon.”

The five downed the rest of their drinks before getting up and following Akol to the door to get their shoes on. “Thanks for lunch,” Aari called as the group stepped out of the shelter.

Huyani was gathering their mugs and looked up to wave. “Good luck with your training, all of you!”

*  *  *

It was late in the evening as Nageau walked up to the temple to meditate before heading to his
neyra
to have dinner with his mate. He slowly strode through the temple, admiring as he always did the elegance and magnificence of it. He made his way to the far end of the temple and sat on one of the mats placed on the floor. He slowly closed his eyes, breathing deeply, and was soon oblivious to the material world.

He did not know how long he had been away when he was jolted back by a high-pitched shriek. His eyes flew open and he saw the courier falcon swooping around inside the temple before it came to rest on a pedestal near a wall. Nageau rose to his feet, relieved that the falcon had returned. He smiled as he approached the bird. “You are late,” he said amiably. The falcon made a clicking sound with its beak and looked around, inspecting its surroundings. Nageau’s eyes moved down to the bird’s legs expectantly. His face fell. The message beads were not attached to its talons as they should have been each time the falcon returned to the Elders.

Nageau instantly knew there was something wrong. He quickly walked out of the temple and rushed to the Elders’ living cluster. He knocked on each of their doors and called them outside. Once they were all gathered, he told them what he’d just found. “We must get a search party organized and get them to leave right now,” he said, pacing.

Saiyu glanced up at the sky. “It will be too dark by the time they are ready to leave, Nageau. We shall organize this now, but let them leave at first light.”

Nageau reluctantly agreed. Turning to his mate, he said, “Tikina, we will need your eyes on this trip. Can you establish a mind-link with Akira?” When Tikina said she would, Nageau sighed. “I suppose all that is left to do now is pray that our four men are safe.”

38

T
ikina stood with the Elders at the temple with eight villagers who made up the search party. Nageau was having a quiet chat with the group, assessing their preparedness and silently checking to see if they all had their crystals. As Tikina watched, she was reminded of when the four men they had sent out days ago—one of them being her daughter’s mate—stood at the temple and were being readied by the Elders the morning they left, a morning much like this one with gray clouds at first light.

She listened as Nageau briefed the six men and two women on their task. Once he had finished his part, Tikina stepped forward and looked at a young woman with natural platinum blonde hair held back by a red bandana. “I will be guiding this expedition as much as I can through Akira,” she told the woman, raising a finger in the direction of the eagle that circled high above their heads.

The woman dipped her head. “That will be a great comfort, Elder Tikina. Thank you.”

“Everything is set,” Tikina heard Nageau murmur, almost to himself, and saw him look up at the sky. Raising his voice, he turned to the search party and said, “Dawn is upon us and it appears that the clouds are lifting. There is nothing else left to say except to bid you all an incident-free journey and a safe return with our four men.”

* * *

Six logs, stripped of bark from years of use, had been placed lengthwise in a row about ten paces from each other. The first log was flat on the ground. Each of the rest was four feet higher than the one before, the highest one being twenty feet above the ground. These were the logs that many of the villagers used when training themselves in the basics of balance, though few ventured past the fourth log at twelve feet in height. For the past two days, Jag had been training on the second one, which rested on two crossbars four feet off the ground. It was the log that seemed to want to pick a fight with Jag since he’d gotten on it.

He had been doing acrobatic moves that required strength, focus, and agility since his training began. Over the past two days he’d been trying to complete a front aerial somersault on the log but hadn’t been successful. Although, unlike the day before when he half wished the log would fall on him and put him out of his misery, he was determined not to lose his focus today. He was taking to heart the advice and instructions that Tayoka had been giving him throughout his training. Listening to his mentor was beginning to prove valuable as Jag felt that his focus was keener and his balance was nearing perfection. The beaming face of Tayoka and the proud smile Huyani wore testified to his improvements.

Nearing the end of his training for the day, Jag proceeded to carry out two continuous front aerials on the log, twisting around as he landed, and completed the sequence with a backflip to dismount. Tayoka and Huyani clapped, looking thrilled as they walked up to him. Tayoka patted his apprentice on the back and through Huyani, said, “I have never seen anyone learn this quickly. I am amazed.”

Jag couldn’t have looked more pleased by the compliment and thanked the Elder.

“That was a good session today,” Huyani said, looking approvingly at Jag.

“Thanks. I guess I just wasn’t really feeling it yesterday.”

“To be fair, you had Elder Tayoka working to distract you.”

“Sure, but I understand why he was doing it.”

Tayoka tapped the pair’s heads from behind and spoke. Jag looked at Huyani for a translation. “He is saying that it is time to head to the temple. Elder Nageau would like to speak with all of you about the intermediate stage of your training before you are dismissed for your midday meal.”

Jag nodded. He wiped the sweat off his face with the sleeve of his t-shirt and followed his mentor and Huyani out of the training grounds to the temple. There he met his friends, who had arrived just before him. As they greeted each other, all the Elders except Nageau left. The five followed Nageau up the steps that led to the foyer of the temple, passing by the marble cauldron from which plumes of bright-colored flames streamed. The five were dazzled by the flames, just as they had been when they first saw the hypnotic glow the night they escaped from the valley.

At one corner of the grand hall were three curved benches forming a semi-circle. Behind the benches were large rocks and ornamental plants placed around two small fountains gurgling with cool, flowing water, giving the area a serene and tranquil feel. As the five sat down on the benches, Tegan observed, “This place is peaceful and calming. It’s so Zen-like.”

“That is an interesting expression. That would be from an ancient eastern culture, yes?” Nageau winked slyly. The five were surprised by his familiarity of the outside world. The more the five learned of the Elders’ knowledge, the more astonished they were.

Standing in front of the five, Nageau continued. “First, let me begin by saying that I am pleased by what I hear from your mentors about your progress. The speed at which you are learning and beginning to display your skills astounds me. In all my years of training others, I have never witnessed anything like this. I realize that I have said this before, but you each have incredible potential. I have no doubt that the hand of fate has brought you here.”

Jag listened, but his thoughts wandered off a little.
Fate? Not so sure I believe that . . .

It took him a few moments to register that Nageau was peering at him intently, and then the Elder turned back to face the others. Almost as if he had read Jag’s thoughts, he said, “And here is the funny thing about fate: I know that when some of you hear that word, it appears to mean that choice has been taken away from you, as if whatever you are or will be doing is predetermined. The truth is, there is no real conflict between fate and choice; they work hand-in-hand.”

Jag’s brows knitted. “How?”

“I will give you an example. Imagine a sailing boat out in the ocean with its sails unfurled, and you are guiding this craft. What do you have a choice over as far as the boat is concerned?”

The five had their answers. “The sails and the rudder.”

“Good. Now, what is it that you do not have a choice over?”

“The current,” Kody supplied.

“And the wind and its direction,” added Tegan.

“Ah-ha: So here, the wind is like fate—it is what life throws at you, and you have no control over it. It will blow in whichever direction it wants to, but you have the
choice
to make what you can out of it by setting the sail in the direction you want your boat to take you.
That
is your destiny.”

Jag sat quietly, assessing what he’d just heard. Throughout the years as he grew, he had established that there was no such thing as fate. At first he thought that Nageau was hinting his belief to be incorrect, but after some pondering, he realized that his belief wasn’t incorrect, it was simply incomplete.
The wind will blow whichever direction it wants to, but I have a choice over the control of the sail. I
make
my destiny.

Tegan’s voice reached his ears. “Earth to Jag?”

He snapped back and realized that his friends were looking at him. “Oh, hi.” He grinned. “Just thinking.”

Nageau waved it off with a slight smile. “I am glad we had a chat about that, because it helps to set the stage for what I would like to speak with you about next.

“You are each gifted with certain talents and are here for a reason. In the coming days and weeks, your powers will strengthen and you will find yourself growing along with it. I am sure you are curious as to how your individual abilities work.” The five nodded.

“The secret of the power comes from understanding that the human mind is a bridge between the physical world and the world of pure energy. The human mind is capable of channeling tremendous power from that plane to this, the physical world.” He paused to let the five to digest this. “Allow me to explain this in another way. You are all familiar with the magnifying lens, yes? And I am sure at some point you must have experimented with using such a lens to focus the sun’s rays onto an object. Now, imagine that the lens represents the human mind and the rays of the sun represent the world of energy, and an object upon which the rays are cast—say, a leaf—signifies the physical world. In like manner, your mind works as a lens that channels the power from the world of pure energy to this world. But it is important to remember this: For the lens to be effective, it needs to be clear of dust and impurities. Likewise, for you to reach the apex of your abilities, your mind needs to be spotless as well.” Nageau saw comprehension dawning in the five’s eyes.

“I think I’m beginning to see the light now—no pun intended, of course.” Kody eyed Jag and Aari defensively as the two shot him unamused looks.

Tegan, her chin resting in her hand, nodded slowly. “That’s starting to make sense to me, too. I’ve been struggling to find out how and why I’m capable of what I am doing.”