Shieldwolf Dawning (3 page)

"I made something that might cheer you up a little," he said.

Samarra looked up with a small smile of anticipation. "What is it?"

"Wait right there." Jonas ducked into the pantry and emerged with a chocolate chip cookie in his hand. "I know cookies are your favourite." His expression was warm and happy.

"Thank you." Samarra gave him the biggest hug she could muster. Jonas hugged her back and shuffled off to serve her lunch. He always knew exactly what to do to make her feel better. Samarra ate quickly. When she was done, she waved goodbye to Jonas and did her best to keep out of Mrs. Sairfang's way on her way back up to the attic.

Samarra started with wiping down the storage shelves from one end to the other, whistling a jaunty tune as she dusted and polished the dark wood to a gleam. By mid afternoon, she was exhausted. She sat down on the cold floor and leaned back against the shelf a little too forcefully and knocked something to the ground. She scrambled around to see what had fallen but saw nothing.

Determined to find out what had made the noise, she lay on her stomach and crawled as far as she could into the narrow space under the shelf. It was then that Samarra noticed a glimmer in the darkness. Reaching into the dusty corner, she pulled out a small green machine from its hiding spot. The machine fit neatly in the palm of her hand and had accumulated what looked like years of dust and cobwebs. She wiped down the emerald screen to reveal a border engraved with symbols. A few of the symbols, such as the compass and the world, were familiar, while others were not recognizable in the least.

"I wonder what this does…" Samarra shook the device and gasped when the machine turned on with a soft
blip
. She tapped the symbols that appeared on screen without thinking about what she was doing or what to expect. A message flashed on and off:
Homing signal activated
. As quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared. Seconds later a holographic image of an old woman sprang to life, taking Samarra by surprise.

"My name is Merganser Ravenhair," the woman announced in a no-nonsense tone. She seemed to be sitting at a wooden desk. Her long salt-and-pepper hair hung loosely at her sides. Her right eye was piercing blue, while the other was glassy white. "It is a joyous occasion to make contact with you after these long years, Samarra Dawning."

Samarra was lost for words. The woman seemed to be waiting for a response. "How...how do you know my name?" was all Samarra could manage.

"By your distinguishing features."

Samarra touched her dreadlocks. "My hair?"

"No, your fingerprints. I was transferred a scan of your biometrics the instant you activated the homing signal."

"Homing signal? I didn't activate a homing signal!" Samarra tried not to panic. "Who are you?" she asked suspiciously.

The woman held her head up high and said with pride: "I am a Shieldwolf Elder. I have spent years searching the known multiverse for you and your brother."

Samarra jumped up and locked the door. She didn't want Mrs. Sairfang walking in on her. "This is a joke, right?"

Merganser shook her head. "Negative. Now that I have located you, it is my intention to return you to the Shieldwolves."

"What?" Samarra couldn't believe what she was hearing. The image seemed to stare straight right through her. Samarra shifted uncomfortably. "Who are the Shieldwolves?"

"The Shieldwolves are an order of shamans who maintain equilibrium on Kairuhan."

"Kairuhan?"

Merganser cleared her throat. "Please lock the green tablet onto local co-ordinates."

"No way." Samarra paced the room frantically. "Besides, I can't. I don't know how."

"You have no choice in the matter."

"I do have a choice," Samarra insisted. "I can turn off this machine and you'll never be able to find me."

Merganser's expression was unreadable. "The green tablet you have in your hand is networked to mine. I now know your approximate whereabouts. You are in the northern hemisphere of Gaia-1. I may not have your exact location yet, but it would take me no time at all to access the necessary information."

"Hang on. You're making a big mistake. This is Gaia, not Gaia-1."

"They are one and the same. The gaians on Kairuhan have settled on numerous planets across the multiverse. Gaia-1 was the first colony to be established."

"You mean there are gaians like me on other planets?"

Merganser nodded. "I traveled to Gaia-1 many times over the years to search for you and your brother, but I could not locate you. The Sairfangs must have sensed my presence and done everything in their power to keep themselves hidden from me. It is unfortunate for them that you stumbled across the green tablet. They should have been more careful with hiding their past."

"You know the Sairfangs?" Samarra asked in disbelief.

"Yes. They were once Shieldwolves."

Everything seemed too confusing all of a sudden. Samarra had no idea what to do or say, which didn't happen often.

"Do not make my task any more challenging than it already is, Samarra Dawning," Merganser said. "Please lock the green tablet onto local co-ordinates."

Samarra scrambled around for answers. "Wait! Is this all because I turned on the machine? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that. I won't tell anyone I found it. I'll even put it back. I promise."

Merganser seemed unmoved. "It is my duty to return you and your brother to your home."

"Our home?" Samarra stumbled over her words. "But this is our home."

"Samarra Dawning: History," Merganser read out. "Your parents left you and your brother as babies in the Flametree Forests of Kairuhan. The Shieldwolves found you and entrusted you to the Sairfangs, but they smuggled you both from here without a trace. Your guardians are rogues with a price on their heads."

"So they lied to us about our parents dying in an accident here? Are my mother and father still alive?" Samarra was hopeful all of a sudden.

Merganser shook her head. "Your mother and father have passed on. They were of the Kairu and Kairuhan is your home. Tradition holds that it is time for you and your brother to enlist. You will be safe with the Shieldwolves."

"Enlist?" Samarra's voice wavered and her thoughts grew even more muddled. She tried to turn off the machine, but nothing she did worked. Samarra watched the image of the woman in fear and hoped with everything she had that it wasn't too late to stop whatever was happening. "What have I done?" Her lips formed the words yet she did not speak them. She scanned the room to make sure Cassian wasn't hiding in a dark corner about to jump out with a loud, "Surprise!" It would be just like him, but he was nowhere around.

"It is my duty to return you both to Kairuhan. Please lock the tablet onto local co-ordinates." This time Merganser's tone was more aggressive. Her eyes were compelling.

Samarra wasn't sure how she felt about anything she had just learned. Yet she found herself following directions like a puppet on a string. With Merganser's help, she easily puzzled out the main symbols one by one. The book, for example, opened up an information database; the quill allowed her to record entries just like a diary; and the compass gave her access to a holographic map. There was much more to the green tablet, but playing with the machine would have to wait until later.

On Merganser's orders, Samarra inputted a sequence of words and numbers into the green tablet, wondering the entire time what she was getting herself into. After a while, her doubts faded into the background and something deep inside her grew excited about the adventure rounding the corner. Joining the Shieldwolves couldn't be any worse than her life on Gaia, could it?

Samarra spent the next hour asking Merganser a battery of questions: "What does Kairuhan look like?" "What do the Shieldwolves do?" "Where will we live?" and many other questions that added more bounce to her step with every answer. The most exciting part was that the Shieldwolves could do magic, something Samarra had only ever read about in stories of myth and legend. She couldn't wait to tell Cassian her news. This might all unfold to be exactly what they needed.

"I will come to Gaia-1 to collect you when the Sairfangs are away," Merganser said. "After their prolonged absence from Kairuhan, they would have lost most, if not all, ability for ancient magics. However, they have made significant changes to the soft technology they stole from us and weaponized it for their personal use." Her weathered face crinkled up and left a trace of disgust in the crook of her mouth. "Your rescue will be carried out in stealth. There is no need for all weapons blazing. You will have your fill of that nonsense soon enough."

An alarm sounded off in Samarra's head. She wanted to ask Merganser to explain what she meant by that, but she was interrupted by the familiar sound of an all-terrain aircraft landing on the runway outside.

"They're back." Samarra rushed around in a panic to put away her cleaning tools. "I have to go. Mr. Sairfang will get angry if he finds me using this thing. I'll contact you when I can, okay?"

"I await your communication eagerly." Merganser bowed slightly and the image disappeared.

Samarra tucked the tablet into her back pocket and raced to her room. Apart from her comfortable bed, a chest of drawers, and a thick rug lining the floor, her bedroom was sparse. She pulled up her sheets, put her hand between the mattress and the foundation, and reached into a hole she had cut under the mattress.

"Perfect." Samarra stuffed the machine into her secret hiding place. "They'll never find you in here."

***

The next morning came quicker than Samarra expected. She had not been allowed to see Cassian on his return the day before, as he had apparently gone straight to his room to rest. So she had to play an even longer waiting game. Her first task for the day was to clean the glassware. She padded down to the dining room as quietly as she could, hoping to stay out of Mrs. Sairfang's line of vision while she waited for Cassian to wake up. Samarra took dozens of glasses from the antique cabinet and laid them out on the table with care. She was so absorbed in her chores that she barely heard the steady
clip clop clip clop
of pointy heels on marble. Samarra froze when she saw Mrs. Sairfang in the doorway. The whiff of the woman's perfume was nauseating.

"There you are!" The smile on Mrs. Sairfang's face turned into a frown and she stared down her long nose at Samarra's grey hoodie and jeans. "I want you to go back upstairs and change into clothes that make you look like a girl."

"Yes, Mrs. Sairfang." Samarra moved to leave the room, but Mrs. Sairfang blocked her way and placed a firm hand on her arm. Samarra cringed at the touch.

"Cassian is not feeling well. He has had a reaction to the tests."

"Will he be okay?" Samarra tried to pull away, but Mrs. Sairfang tightened her hold.

"I'm not sure."

Samarra was positive she saw a tear fall down the woman's cheek. Mrs. Sairfang turned her head before Samarra could get a closer look.

"I have to see him." Samarra tore herself away and bounded up the stairs two at a time. She burst into her brother's room and closed the distance between them in a heartbeat. "Oh Cass, look at you."

He smiled weakly.

"What can I do to help?"

"Nothing," he replied. "The tests take a lot of something out of me. But don't worry; the older I get, the more I can handle. This time around won't last for too long."

"Listen to you." She spoke through clenched teeth. "I can't stand to see you like this. I won't let them do this to you anymore."

"Don't worry too much. I'll be okay. I just need to sleep it off."

"I can't help but worry about you. You're my baby brother." Samarra leaned closer and smiled conspiratorially. "I know something that will make you feel better… I hope. Can you keep a secret?"

"You know I can."

Samarra proceeded to tell him about Merganser Ravenhair, the Shieldwolves, and the offer of escape.

"Run away? To a different planet?" Cassian managed to look shocked even in his current state.

"To Kairuhan." Samarra wrung her hands in nervous anticipation of his response. "I think we should join the Shieldwolves."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea." He licked his cracked lips and reached for the glass of water on his nightstand. "We don't know anything about the place, and how are we supposed to get there?"

"Magic." Samarra supported his head while he drank. When he was done, she settled down next to him with her back against the ornate headboard.

"Magic?" he asked in disbelief.

Samarra shrugged. "Merganser didn't go into any details."

"I don't know if I should believe you." His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Are you playing one of your tricks on me?"

"I'm not. Merganser is for real. I would never be able to think up something like this."

"True." He appeared to be taking her seriously.

"What if I said that this is a chance of a lifetime?" Samarra held his hand and tried not to think about how frail he looked. "Gaia is dying. Even I know that, and I've never been outside the property, not like you. You've seen more than I have, and I know you feel the same way I do about what's in store for us. The world is falling apart and I'm scared of being stuck in the middle of it all."

Cassian sneezed into the air.

Samarra rubbed the wet off her hoodie. "Can you at least cover your mouth when you sneeze?"