Laura Jo Phillips (46 page)

Chapter
45

Slater sat outside of his small cave, warming himself on the narrow ledge in the weak sunlight.  He wondered how much longer he was going to have to stay out here on his own, waiting for Magoa to show up.  He had spent a lot of his time during the past week wishing that he was back in his stone hut, getting the low quality meat delivered to him each day.  He hadn’t really enjoyed either the hut or the nearly rancid meat when he had them, but they were both much better than living in a cold cave and hunting on his own. 

He had used his sugea to travel to a distant area of the planet to hunt, and that had been fun.  He hadn’t realized how big Onddo really was, or how much game there was on other parts of it.  The problem was bringing enough meat back to the cave to last him a few days before he had to go out for more.  He had spent far too many years living on crowded ships and spaceports where getting food was almost too easy.  He longed for that again.

Slater stretched and rose to his feet.  He didn’t really feel much like moving, but he was growing hungry, and he had only enough meat on hand for one good meal.  After he ate that, he would need to use the energy he got from it to transform into the sugea in order to hunt for more meat.  It was a cycle he was bored with, but he had to eat.

He turned to go back into the cave and paused when he heard a strange noise.  It was vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.  He turned back and looked around, pleased that he had chosen a high cave with a good vantage point for his den.  Actually, the sugea had chosen it, but as he was the sugea, he saw no reason not to take credit for it.

He stood still for long moments, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, but hearing the strange sound grow ever closer.  He frowned, struggling so hard to place the sound that he didn’t even notice the gigantic red beast when it first appeared over the ridge on the opposite side of the valley from where he stood.  When he did notice it, for long moments all he could do was gape at it. 

A sugea.  A huge, red sugea.  And it was flying directly toward him.  The flapping of its leathery wings was causing the familiar sound.

Slater froze with indecision.  Should he transform into his sugea?  Or would that make the red one angry?  This red sugea was far larger than his own green sugea was.  Not to mention the fact that he was not, in truth a sugea.  He just transformed into one to make others think he was a sugea.  He had a feeling that was something a real sugea would not be pleased to learn. 

On the other hand, if he stood there on the ledge and that sugea attacked him, he would die.  If he was in his sugea form, at least he had a chance.  If nothing else, he could fly away. 

By the time all of these thoughts went through Slater’s head, the sugea was almost upon him.  He turned to go into his cave, having decided to run, and then shift, when the sugea landed on the ledge, transforming smoothly into Magoa.

Slater froze again, this time in shock.  Magoa was a sugea?  Or was Magoa an adinare? 

“Hello, Slater my boy,” Magoa said genially, clapping Slater on the shoulder heartily.  “Surprised you, didn’t I?” 

Slater could only nod slowly.  Magoa laughed, a deep barking sound that nearly made Slater flinch it was so unexpected.

“I have lots to tell you boy, and not a lot of time to do it in, so listen close,” Magoa said. 

Slater nodded again, feeling as though he should speak, but quite unable to form words at the moment.

“I don’t have time to mince words with you, so I will tell you straight out.  Yes, I am a sugea and son, so are you.”

Slater gaped.  He simply could not help himself.  He started to shake his head, then remembered that he was supposed to be pretending to everyone that he was a sugea, so denying it would be foolish. 

Magoa chuckled.  “I know, you think you are an adinare, am I right?”

Slater didn’t know what to say.  Yes or no, either way led him into trouble.  So he just remained still.  That seemed to be fine with Magoa as he continued on as though Slater had answered.

“Well, you are not a shifter that can turn into a sugea, Slater.  Nope, not at all.  It’s the other way round.  You are a sugea with the power to shift.  And that is a very excellent and rare gift indeed.”

Slater started to preen, thought better of it, and remained motionless. 

“Now, I know you don’t know much about this, but where one sugea has some power, two sugea together have a hundred times that power.  I’ve been trying to get a sugea offspring for years, and you are the only one that’s come along.  But you needed some growing up, and I needed someone to go out and bring the future back to Onddo.  Now that’s done, we got to figure out how to get rid of the damn Xanti, and then we can get on with the real planning.  You following me?” 

Slater started to nod, then started to shake his head, then remained still. 

“Well, that’s fine, that’s fine, you will.  Right now, you just need to know that your task while you are out here is to practice the things I’m going to teach you,” Magoa said.  “That’s important Slater.  It won’t be easy, but you will work at it, won’t you?” 

Slater nodded, relieved to be able to actually give an answer he was certain of. 

“Good boy,” Magoa said.  “We got us some business to tend to with the Ugaztun, which I hear now call themselves Jasani.”

Slater nodded again. 

“All right then.  Now we’ll get on with the lessons.  You need to learn how to use your magic Slater.  You do what I tell you, it will grow and get stronger.  You hear me?”

Slater nodded emphatically.  Oh yes, he heard that all right. 

“Come on over here then, and we’ll get started,” Magoa said selecting a spot on the ledge next to the one Slater usually used. 

Slater moved to his spot on the ledge, wondering if this was a dream as he settled himself comfortably.  As Magoa began to talk, Slater listened, paying very close attention.  In the back of his mind though, he knew, glory was coming.  Just as he had always believed.  He’d doubted there for awhile.  But now, now it was back.  And bigger than ever.

Chapter
46

Three days later Summer stood before a large round dais in the center of an arena crowded with Jasani.  Maxim, Loni and Ran stood close beside her, their presence alone helping to calm her nerves.  She looked up, straight across the dais from her, and saw Saige waiting calmly with the Lobos, and the sight relaxed her a little.  She had spoken with Saige earlier, just enough to learn that both she and Lariah had received the same message, and that neither of them understood it any better than she did.

A commotion from the other side of the dais drew her attention, and she watched as Princess Lariah and the Dracons took their places.  Summer had not yet met the Princess, but she looked friendly enough, and Saige was obviously friends with her.  She felt an odd kinship with the petite woman who’s eyes met her own across the dais, which she accepted without question.  It was same feeling she had whenever she was with Saige.

As she gazed at Lariah, it occurred to her that none of them knew exactly what it was they were supposed to do next.  They had gathered the clans and they had agreed to meet by the dais, but beyond that they had not planned.

Even as she wondered what to do next, the answer came to her.  She patted Maxim on the hand then turned and stepped up onto the dais, unsurprised to see both Saige and Lariah do the same.  The crowd around them fell silent but none of them noticed.  They were too intent upon each other as they walked slowly toward the center of the dais.  As they came together they each raised their arms, clasping hands to make a circle.  The moment they were linked one to the other, a rush of power flowed through them, and they threw back their heads and stared up into the sky as a bright column of sparkling light rose from ground in the center of their circle into the heavens.

The gathered clans watched in silence as the faces of nine women slowly formed in the air above the three Arimas on the dais. 

Behold, Clans of the Jasani, the Lehen Triad of Jasan is formed
,” Summer, Lariah and Saige intoned, though it sounded as though many female voices spoke along with them.  “
Through them, we, the Nine First Arimas of the Nine Clans of Ugaztun, shall speak to the people.  A truth that should not have been forgotten, was forgotten.  Before the future can be formed, this lost truth of the past must now be remembered.”

“Hear us now, Clan Dracon, Clan Lobo, Clan Katre, Clan Bearen,
” Lariah said, her voice high and clear.

“
Hear us now, Clan Gryphon, Clan Falcoran, Clan Vulpiran,
” said Saige.

“
Hear us now
,” Summer said in turn, “
as we are not bound by the Covenant of Silence that should never have been made.”

“So shall we speak of the Lost Clans,”
all three women spoke together,
“of the Owlfen, and the Tigrenca.”

A sudden stillness came over the crowd at the last words, and the very air seemed to hold its breath.

Lost Clans? Garen wondered in shock.  His eyes went to the eldest of them there, Eldar Hamat Katre, who met his gaze with a stunned expression of his own.  No then, none knew of this.  How was this possible? he wondered.

Then, once more, all of the women spoke together. 

“Once, long and long and long ago, the Clans were Nine as they were meant to be.  But they were not brothers, the Clans, one to another as they are now. 

In that time, the Clans fought among themselves, squabbling over land and air and sea as young races often do. 

In that time, females had the Right of Choice and fought as they wished, or not, as they wished. 

In that time, Enclave was a gathering of females, led by the First Nine Arimas, in part for those women whose time it was to consider the finding of their Rami.  All but a few of the women of all the Clans attended. 

“The Owlfen and the Tigrenca were at war, each with the other.  The heat of their battle ran through the Enclave.  In the depths of their blood rages, they noticed not where they were, nor what they did. 

“By day’s end, all of the Nine were dead, as were all but a few of the other females.  Such was the blood rage of the men of the other Clans that the Owlfen and the Tigrenca were both annihilated in retribution. 

“Only when the last of the two Clans was destroyed, did the blood rages cool and the males understand what they had done.  The Clans were now seven, out of communion with the world and nature.  The power of the Clans was broken.  There were few women left, and the people were lost. 

“In despair, the male-sets of the remaining Clans gathered together in the first male Enclave.  They worked together in peace to find a way to save the race of the Ugaztun.

“So it was decided that the women would not go to war, nor would they be taught the ways of war, that the men would guard and protect them. 

“So it was decided that the Clans would not war, but become brothers in all things and never again raise hand or claw or fang or talon one to the other. 

“So it was decided that the Shame of Ugaztun would remain in the past, and not be spoken of again under the Covenant of Silence. 

“And so it came to be, and the Clans kept their covenant and warred no more.  In time, the Shame of Ugaztun was forgotten, as were the Lost Clans, as though they had never been.

“Then came the time of the Narrasti.  The women were sheltered, coddled, hidden away.  The Seven First Arimas tried to come together, to raise the strength they knew should be their own, to warn the Clans of the future which lay ahead on the chosen path.  But they did not know they were supposed to be Nine.  They did not know the past.  Thus they could not raise that which they needed, and it came to pass as they had feared, and all of the women of Ugaztun were lost. 

So ends Ugaztun. 

So begins Jasan. 

Time is not measured by the cup; it is a river that is endlessly renewed.  So the remnants of the women of Ugaztun did as they could to keep the blood of the Clans alive among the people of the world they found.  Now is the time for those women, the descendents of the remains of the women of Ugaztun, to fulfill their destinies. 

So comes the chance to renew the Lost Clans.  If the Clans are not restored to number nine as they are meant, so shall the people be lost, forevermore.

“By the energy and the power of the Heart, Soul and Mind are the Jasani now truly joined with the Earth, Air, Fire and Water of this new world.  If the Clans heed not the Triad, if they do not abide by their words and warnings, the Clans of Jasan will no more be.  If the Clans honor the wisdom of the Triad, there is hope. 

So speak the Nine. 

So is our task done.