Annihilation Prequel - Psychic Beginnings (2 page)

T
he van came to a stop after a thirty minute ride and Cynthia and the young man were taken out of the van and walked into a building. She could hear a large door being closed behind her and then she heard, “Bring them forward and remove the blindfolds.”

She opened her eyes and found herself in a huge room surrounded by warriors sitting on the floor in rows on all sides. Behind the warriors were women and children that were also sitting on the floor. They were all silent and the silence of the room was deafening. She looked at the man sitting on a large bamboo chair in the center of the room and saw the three warriors that had attacked her sitting to the left of the chair, staring at her and the young man. The entire room looked like it had been constructed out of bamboo. Even the floor was made of the same material and there were large posts scattered around supporting the ceiling. The large room had an open and airy feel to it.

She had noticed that as soon as the blindfolds were removed, the young man kneeled on his right knee and lowered his head. She thought a moment and she did the same. The Man sitting in the chair sat there and stared at the two kneeling before him and said nothing. The silence seemed to go on forever and Cynthia almost asked what was going on, but decided to follow the lead of the young man and remained silent.

The man on the chair was Asian but the warriors surrounding them were of many races; Black, White, Hispanic, and Asian and they were equally mixed in the rows of warriors. They all had their long hair tied back and wore the same olive green camo pants and shirt. She noticed they also wore combat boots and most had a short sword on their belts. She thought it odd that no one seemed to be carrying a firearm.

They continued to kneel and she noticed that the young man next to her was breathing normally with his eyes closed as if nothing was out of the normal. She continued to wait and closed her eyes and listened to him breathe. It relaxed her and she felt her heart slow and her own breathing slowed down. She lost track of time and was startled when she heard, “I understand that you attacked two of my warriors.”

The young man never looked up but replied, “If the great Wang-dao warriors say I attacked them then they must be right because a Wang-dao warrior would never tell anything that was not true.”

Cynthia noticed out of the corner of her eye that the two warriors that had actually attacked the young man started to squirm.

“I also understand that you interfered in Clan affairs.”

“If I am accused of this by the Warriors of the Wang-dao, then it must be true great Kahn.”

Again there was silence. Cynthia expected them to be killed. He had not offered any defense and had agreed to the accusations.

“Why did you do this?”

“I attempted to ask for protection for myself and my chosen as a loyal servant of the Wang-dao from three of the great warriors of the Wang-dao.”

“Show me how you asked.”

The young man kept his head lowered and extended his left hand forward palm up and said, “I am a loyal servant of the Wang-dao and I humbly ask protection for myself and my chosen as loyal servants are entitled.”

The Kahn looked at the three sitting next to him, “Is that what happened?”

Tao was struggling on how to answer. If he lied, there were the two with him that had also witnessed what happened. He began to suspect that he had somehow made a mistake. Before he could answer, Ju said, “Yes, great Kahn.”

The Kahn stared at the three for a moment then turned back to the kneeling man. “What happened next?”

The one attacking my chosen ordered the other two to teach me a lesson on interfering in Clan business.”

“And?”

“Great Kahn, I would never strike a warrior of the Clan but I had to try and protect my chosen. I defended myself and then asked the great warrior attacking my chosen that if he would not hear my plea, to allow me to bring it before you great Kahn.”

“How were you able to defeat two of my warriors?”

“I believe I caught them by surprise. I’m sure they are much stronger than I, Great Kahn.”

“After you requested to bring your plea to me, what happened?”

“The great warrior told me he was going to kill me and my chosen; I told him that if he would not listen to my plea or allow me to come to you, Great Kahn, then I challenged him to Gen-Cho to resolve our issue.”

The Kahn looked sharply at the three warriors and said, “Is this true? Did he challenge you with Gen-Cho?”

Tao looked at the young man and replied, “He did.”

The Kahn had already heard the details but had not been told of the challenge. What was going to be an easily dismissed action now became something much more dangerous. This young man did not know what he had done by invoking the Gen-Cho. Then he heard Tao say, “He’s lying anyway. She is not his chosen. We chased her boyfriend away when we found them.”

The Kahn now knew that someone was going to die tonight. He turned to the kneeling girl and asked, “Is this not the one you have chosen?”

Cynthia was almost too scared to talk. She knew that she didn’t know this man and if she said she was not in a relationship with him, then they would probably die tonight. She almost said that he was her boyfriend and then she remembered what he had said in the van. She took a deep breath, “No, Great Kahn. I have been in a relationship with another until this night. I do not know him.”

“Why until this night?”

“I’ve seen his true heart and it is cowardly.”

The Kahn turned to the young man and said, “Why did you use a falsehood to interfere in our affairs?”

“There is no falsehood, Great Kahn. I am not her chosen; however, she is my chosen. Nowhere in the laws of Wang-dao does it say that one’s chosen must have also chosen him.”

The Kahn thought for a moment and then turned to the Talman and asked, “What does the book of Wang-dao say about this?”

The Talman looked at the young man and wondered how he could possibly know what he just said. “The book of Wang-dao says that a loyal servant is due protection for himself, his family and his chosen. It says nothing about whether or not the chosen has selected the chooser.” He looked over at the three warriors and continued, “It further says that you will know loyal servants by the approved process of approaching the Wang-dao. They will kneel on their right knee, bow their head, and extend their left arm forward, palm up before speaking. Anyone that follows this form will be identified as one that has studied our laws and are worthy of our protection.”

The Kahn looked at the Talman and said, “The exact words are “his chosen.”“

“Yes, Great Kahn.”

Tao was now worried. He had been taught the book when he was a young boy, but he never really applied or for that matter remembered the teachings. He now knew that he had made a mistake which would embarrass him in front of the gathered Clan. It would reveal that he did not know the laws of the Clan. Why oh why did the Talman have to show up when he did. He had intentions of becoming Kahn but this kind of embarrassment would prevent his election. How could one ignorant of the Clan’s laws be Kahn? He looked at the one that had caused his problem and decided that he was going to pay for this.

The Kahn turned back to the young man, “It appears you have studied our laws. What proof do we have of her being your chosen and why does she not know it? You know that Clan Law says that you may only have one chosen and is a lifetime decision. There can be no other. I am inclined to agree with Tao that she is not your real chosen. You interfered to save her and, though that is admirable, it’s not justified. Just when did you make her your chosen? Making it just before the attack does not mean we will accept it. Someone’s chosen is a decision that is made with much thought and deliberation.”

Cynthia was not sure what to think. She did not know what the term “Chosen” meant. If what she was hearing was accurate, this young man was saying that he had chosen her to be his life-long companion. She didn’t even know his name. She was also inclined to believe that it was a decision made to protect her and that meant they were going to lose this hearing. What she heard next stunned her.

“Great Kahn, I made her my chosen nine years ago.”

The silence of the room was broken by the intake of breath by the gathered people who now felt like the young man had told a lie in their sacred assembly hall. They knew he would have to die for that.

“You expect me to believe that you made her your chosen that long ago?”

The young man raised his head and looked at Cynthia and she could see he had the most startling green eyes. “We were in the third grade and even though we were not in the same class, she caught my attention the moment I saw her. She was as beautiful then as she is now. She was smart and had a smile that would light up a room. One day after school, I saw three girls bullying one of the special girls that attended our school. Sara Bittaker was her name. Cynthia went up and pushed one of the bullies down and threatened the other two. The bullies said they would make her the most unpopular girl in school for her actions, but Cynthia said if popularity was based on being cruel she wanted no part of it. I decided that day that it would be her and no one else.”

Cynthia was amazed. She remembered that day. She did not remember seeing him but it happened exactly as he described it. The Kahn looking at the two of them could see that what he had described had happened by observing Cynthia’s responses. “You still haven’t explained why she doesn’t know of your choice?”

The young man looked away from Cynthia and lowered his head again, “Great Kahn, look at her. She’s beautiful, she has a wealthy family, she’s one of the smartest students, and I could go on and on. I have no family. I’m not good looking. I am just not worthy of her yet, Great Kahn. I intended to work and someday be worthy enough to tell her.”

“What if during that time she chose another?”

“Then I would remain alone. It is her or no one, Great Kahn.”

The Kahn looked at the two of them and said, “Now she knows. What do you plan to do now?” Cynthia was staring at the young man and the Kahn could tell she was troubled. Then the Kahn had a thought, “Why were you there when this attack happened? Do you follow her everywhere she goes every day?”

The young man looked up at the Great Kahn and said, “I saw this day coming the day I chose her. I knew that today was the day she would be attacked and I knew I had to be there to protect her.”

Silence dominated. Cynthia didn’t know what to think. “Are you telling me that you can see the future?”

“Only rarely, Great Kahn. Some people are born with different talents and yes, one of mine gives me visions of what is going to happen. I did not want to discuss this but it is a sin to tell anything but the truth in this gathering.”

The silence was broken by Tao standing and saying, “Then you probably saw your death today. I invoke the Gen-Cho now.”

The Kahn looked at Tao, “The only reason he issued the Gen-Cho was because of your error of refusing to hear his appeal. There would be no Gen-Cho but for your ignorance of our laws.”

“Great Kahn, you will not goad me into challenging you instead of him. He issued the challenge and I am going to demand that he answer it.”

“Tao, don’t follow one mistake by another. This young man was simply trying to protect the one he loves. He had no choice. He is no match for our warriors and especially not you.”

“Then he should have stayed out of our affairs. The challenge stands.”

The Kahn turned to the Talman, “Can he be forced to fight due to an error made by one of our own?”

The Talman looked at Tao and shook his head, “The only relief from the Gen-Cho is the challenged party releasing the challenger. It takes precedence over all other laws. That’s why it is so seldom invoked. The right thing in keeping with the spirit of our laws is for Tao to release him from the challenge he was forced to make.”

They both turned to Tao and saw him actually smiling. “There won’t be any issues when I finish with him. If he’s gone then there is nothing to right.”

Tao looked around the room and saw that the assembled Clan had hard looks. He didn’t care. His chance to be Kahn was effectively killed anyway. This one was going to pay.

Cynthia looked at the young man and asked, “What is Gen-Cho?”

“It’s a ceremonial fight to settle disputes. It is a fight to the death.”

Cynthia just had too much thrown at her too fast and she collapsed to the floor.

T
he young man reached over and grabbed her before her head hit the bamboo floor. Two older women standing behind the Kahn’s chair rushed forward and took her from the young man. Cynthia opened her eyes after a few moments and got her bearings. She saw the two women holding her head up and a child arrived with a cold towel to put on her forehead. “I’m ok, I’m ok. Just let me sit up.” The two women sat her up and helped her to her feet.

The Kahn looked at Tao, “You shame us today with your total disregard of our law. You caused this to happen and I do believe him now about her being his chosen. I ask you as your Clan Leader to release him from this challenge.”

Tao quit smiling and sneered, “He is not released and I will make him pay for intruding into my business.”

Cynthia looked at the tall powerful warrior and asked, “If I agreed to submit to you would you release him?”

Tao smiled a wicked smile and replied, “Absolutely not.”

The young man looked at Tao, bowed and said to the Kahn, “Great Kahn, will you consider granting me one request before I face this great warrior?”

The Kahn looked at the young man and said, “There is no escape from the Gen-Cho.”

“I’m not asking to escape. My concern and fear is only for my chosen. The reason Tao rejected my chosen’s offer is because he knows that if he kills me in the Gen-Cho, then she is no longer the chosen of a loyal servant and he can go and take her whenever he chooses.”

The entire room looked at Tao and saw him grin. “I guess that shows me you’re not dumb. Know as you die that she will suffer for your actions.”