Aegis Rising (41 page)

Rikèq watched her leave, then continued to speak until he was sure he had told the Elders everything they would need to know. Tikina took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “Thank you,” she said, looking into his eyes with gratitude. “I can tell it was hard for you to recount all that you remember in the state you are in, but whatever you have shared is valuable. It could very well have an impact on our survival.”

Nageau stepped forward. “Now all there is for you to focus on is healing.” He rubbed his forehead. “We have our work cut out for us. I think we should call Magèo to the assembly
neyra
and discuss a plan. Akol, could you find him and bring him to us, please?”

Akol nodded and gingerly hugged his father, then left the center.

“Wait,” Rikèq said suddenly. “Where is Breyas?”

“He is here,” Saiyu answered.

“He is alive, is he not?”

“Yes, although he remains unconscious.”

Rikèq sighed with relief, but the corners of his mouth curved down. “I still cannot believe Keno and Aydar are gone,” he said quietly.

Tikina stroked his hair gently. “Do not occupy your mind with those thoughts. What you must do now is rest and recuperate.” She carefully pulled the blanket further up his chest. “Try to get some sleep, Rikèq.”

The Elders silently headed out of the building and walked up to their assembly
neyra
. They entered and left the door open so Magèo could walk in, then gathered around a wooden table. Ashack had brought out one of their many maps and spread it on the tabletop. They were discussing what they’d learned from Rikèq when Magèo entered and said gruffly, “I believe I was called upon for something?”

The Elders turned and smiled at the old man, who was wearing his bland tunic with his long beard hanging over his stomach. “Welcome, old friend,” Nageau greeted, moving over so Magèo could jam in beside him and Tayoka.

Magèo peered at the map, his different-colored eyes squinting. “So. What is going on?”

Tayoka gave him a brief rundown of Rikèq’s account. Magèo rubbed his beard, listening carefully. “Did Rikèq say at all what those people in the mountain are doing?”

“He mentioned that Aydar heard the people were mining for a certain ore, a rare ore. Aydar also told him that the man who is leading these miners is using a certain compound to get to the ore quicker. We are not sure if this compound is the source of the illness.”

Magèo looked from Elder to Elder, slowly rubbing his fingers over the palm of his other hand. “I see . . . Do we have a map of the water tables and water sources for the area?”

Ashack reached out to grab another map and unrolled the parchment. The Elders straightened the map as Magèo ran his finger over it, following streams and rivers as he mumbled to himself. He then moved around the table to stand on the opposite side of the map and again traced a different branch of water sources. He tilted his head to his shoulder, squinting. “Hmm.” He pulled out a crumpled parchment from a pocket in his tunic and compared what was written on it with the map. “Mmhm.”

The Elders glanced at one another. Accustomed to his oddities, they let his brilliant mind sort out the connections. They didn’t have to wait long. Magèo walked back to his original spot after quickly studying the water table at the bottom corner of the map. He looked up at the Elders and pronounced, “The mining activity atop the Ayen’et
is
the source of the poisoning of our waters!”

The Elders nodded. They had suspected so, but the old man helped to confirm their notion. “Can you say this with absolute certainty, though?” Ashack asked.

Slighted by the question, Magèo feigned a scowl. “I have made all the necessary comparisons,” he rumbled, holding the crumpled notes over his head. “The elevated level of the water table inside the Ayen’et mountain is very unique. This aquifer is connected to the two major river systems in the region. All those who have been affected by this illness have been exposed to the water at one of the branches of this twin system. The compound that is being used has seeped into the underground water. It must be a poison that has reacted with the local minerals to form something even more dangerous. We need to put an immediate stop to the activities on that mountain. We do not have any other option.”

47

C
louds partially shrouded the sky and drifted past the moon, hiding it from sight and plunging the valley into near darkness. The quiet gurgling of the river through the village provided a steady background din to make up for the absence of people, who had all retired for the night.

The medium-sized rectangular building on the eastern end of the valley had no windows as far as the five could tell. The logs used to build it appeared thoroughly seasoned, indicating that this was one of the older structures in the valley. With no signs of life, they couldn’t tell whether it was the right building or not.

They headed for the door and Jag threw a questioning look at his friends. The others shrugged. Heaving a sigh, he reached up to knock, but before his knuckles could land on the wood, the heavy door swung open. Aesròn’s unique green eyes and grinning face appeared and he ushered them in. The five, caught off guard, stumbled in as Aesròn closed the door behind them. “Welcome,” he beamed.

The five looked around. Though it was older, the building was rather spacious and cozy. Overhead, large exposed log beams held up the roof. To the right of the entrance was a bar-like structure with a hot-stone grill behind it and a beverage rack against the wall. On the grill, slices of seasoned meat sizzled and an enticing aroma filled the air. In front of the five were six circular wooden tables with five chairs each. A couple of youths were sitting and watching three others playing musical instruments at the far left corner of the hall. A large, colorful rug was spread by the musicians’ feet. The interior was brightly lit with a variety of oil lamps, some hanging from the overhead beams, others attached to the walls.

The two native girls in the building were wearing similar garb to that of the six boys: moose-hide shirt and pants with moccasin boots. Music filled the air and there was laughter all around. It seemed to be more like a party than a gathering.

At the opposite end of the room, two six foot tall torches stood on either side of a large wood-framed glass door. As the moon reappeared, the five could see a deck overlooking a steep drop that led to the plains beyond the valley. The friends were amazed.

Hutar came up beside Aesròn and greeted them. “You decided to come! Fantastic.” He took Mariah’s arm and Aesròn took Tegan’s. The girls looked at each other with eyebrows raised but decided to go along. The two youths led the five to seats at the bar. Matikè was behind the counter and she smiled at the newcomers.

“What’s the occasion here?” Jag asked, looking around again.

“We usually have this get-together once in a while,” Aesròn answered. “It is just a gathering of friends.”

“Seems like an interesting party.”

Hutar and Aesròn glanced at each other with knavish grins and didn’t reply to Jag’s words. Hutar reached over and patted the younger teenager on the back. “How is your training going?” he asked instead.

The five took turns describing where they were in their training and how they felt about it. Aesròn nodded. “It is good to hear that you are progressing well.” He leaned over the counter and received two drinks from Matikè. He took one for himself and passed the other to Hutar.

“Would you five like one of these beverages?” Hutar asked.

“What is it?” Tegan asked.

“Elýrnì. They are fermented drinks with a taste that dances delightfully on your tongue,” he answered with a mischievous smile.

“Oh. No thanks.”

The others declined as well. Hutar and Aesròn shrugged and consumed their drinks enthusiastically, then slammed their emptied mugs down on the counter at the same time with a laugh. Hutar turned to Matikè and spoke to her in their native tongue. She nodded.

“I told her to prepare some non-fermented drinks for you,” Hutar explained to the five. “They should be ready in a moment.”

“So this is the community hall?” Mariah asked.

“Well, it used to be. A new, bigger building was built closer to the temple, so everyone drifted toward that one. No one really bothers with this one anymore, so this is a den for the youths.”

They continued with their casual chitchat until Hutar looked toward the three musicians. He stood and gestured for the five to follow him. The friends, along with Aesròn and Hutar, walked past the tables to get an up front view of the musicians.

One of the youths was playing an instrument that oddly resembled a mandolin, and another was keeping time on a hand drum. Beside them, a girl who was probably a year older than the five with her chestnut hair in a single braid, played a wind instrument like a set of Pan pipes. The music they made was cheery and upbeat, and the five felt energized listening to it. Soon toes were tapping and hands were clapping with the beat, and there were smiles and cheers across the room.

Hutar heard Matikè call from the bar. He nodded and turned to the friends. “Your drinks are ready and waiting,” he smiled.

Kody was the first to take off. It didn’t matter to him whether it was food or a beverage that was being served, because both were delicious when the villagers made it. He thanked Matikè as he took his drink, though he wasn’t sure if she understood him. He faced the room and leaned back against the counter as his friends joined him and waited for Matikè to hand them their drinks. He gazed around and casually rotated his wrist, swirling the light-colored drink. He realized that the crowd had quieted down a little. He saw Hutar and Aesròn standing together and chatting, but as he narrowed his eyes slightly he saw that they were watching the five out of the corners of their eyes. There was an almost wicked, anticipative gleam in their stares as they saw Kody bringing his drink up to his mouth. Kody frowned slightly but thought,
Maybe they just want to see what we think of their drinks. It’s probably delicious.

As his mug passed under his nose, something made him stop with his drink halfway to his lips. He paused, trying to be absolutely certain, then put his mug down and turned just in time to see the others receiving their drinks and bringing them up for a swig.

“Stop!” he shouted. “Don’t drink it!”

The entire hall stopped what they were doing; he didn’t realize how loud he’d been. Aari looked at him. “What? Why?”

“Something’s wrong with the drink.”

“What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t smell right.” Kody pushed his own mug away.

Jag took a whiff from his cup. “I don’t smell anything.”

“Trust me, there’s something wrong with it.” Kody looked up as Hutar walked over.

“There is nothing wrong with the drinks, my friends,” he said reassuringly.

“Yeah, I don’t smell anything either.” Tegan looked over at Kody. “What did you smell?”

“I picked up the scent of the poison that’s contaminating the water,” he answered.

“Hah!” Hutar smiled, although now Kody could see clearly that his smile was devoid of any humor. “Why would the poison be in your drink? And besides, we have heard that the contaminant is odorless.”

“Nageau took me to Magèo’s a few days ago as part of my training so I could take a whiff of the contaminated water. We wanted to see if I could scent it. I thought I did, but I wasn’t sure. Until now.” He glanced at his friends. “You guys have to trust me. That drink isn’t safe.”

Hutar’s smile slowly fell and his eyes narrowed to slits. He motioned at Aesròn, who made his way over to the front door and bolted it shut. The other youths, including the musicians who had put down their instruments, made a loose ring around the five and Hutar. A chill filled the air. The five instinctively clustered together, forming a defensive circle. Kody was vaguely reminded that this was exactly how they had stood when facing the rabid wolves a few weeks ago.

Jag’s mouth pulled into a flat line. “This isn’t a party, is it?”

Hutar smirked. “You could say that it is a celebration for what is to happen.”

Jag’s stomach did backflips. “What do you mean?”

“You were supposed to take the drinks without a problem.”

“So it really is poisoned?”

Hutar shrugged. “It does not matter now, because none of you will drink it. So we will have to deal with you ourselves.”

As he spoke, the ring of youths stepped closer. Jag shepherded his friends to the door but were pushed back by two of the youths. Jag glared at them and tried to get past their blockade but was shoved away once more. He slowly walked back toward the youths, fists clenched until the veins in his arms stood out. “We’re not looking for a fight,” he said, his voice low.

One of the youths sneered. “What a shame.” Before Jag could blink, the youth landed a hard cross-punch to his stomach. Gasping in pain, Jag doubled over, his insides churning. Kody rushed in to help but another youth thrust him away.

Jag felt the temper that he usually tried so hard to keep in check rise. “Punk,” he spat. He lunged forward and tackled the youth, throwing several solid punches. Another youth came up behind Jag, his hunting knife drawn. He was about to plunge the blade into Jag’s back when Tegan leapt forward and jammed her shoulder into the youth’s upper body, throwing him off balance. As the other youths tried to move in to help, Mariah and Aari met each other’s gazes. Mariah motioned with her eyes in the direction of the glass door that led to the deck. The two backed away slowly, then turned and made a break for the door.

Aesròn watched them from where he stood on the bar counter overlooking the scene. He crouched like a panther and made a fifteen-foot leap to one of the large tables across the room. From there, he launched himself against the wall to his left, momentarily clinging like a spider, and then bounded in front of the glass door in time to intercept Aari and Mariah. He gave them a menacing smile that chilled the two to their bones. “Going somewhere?”

At the other end of the building, it took three youths to pull the anger-ridden Jag away from their friend. They shoved him to the ground and one of the natives hooked his arm around Jag’s neck, cutting off his breath. The youth who Jag had been punching sat up, wiping blood from his bottom lip and nose, then spat at Jag. Kody tried to jump in again to help but the girl who had been playing the wind instrument held him back with strength unexpected from someone her size.