The Book of Ominiue: Starborn (53 page)

He glanced away from it; afraid that it was alive and mocking him. He took a step towards the silent city but something black flashed before him, causing him to suddenly step backwards. He raised his gun but there before him was the black fox of his dreams. He stared upon at it, stricken with his mouth opened. It looked keenly upon him with its dark eyes that were the same as his. For the first time in that place a feeling of reassurance flooded over him. He lowered his gun and fell to his knees. He felt something warm fill his eyes. The fox tilted its head; its mouth broke into a grin. He saw flashes of the city in his mind with the thoughts of warning against them. The fox then bounded off in the opposite direction. Bewildered Shayne dragged himself up and followed; stumbling as his fatigue grew and his legs felt like rubber underneath him.

As soon as he had turned his back upon the city the fog returned and wrapped around them again, but where the fox went it would curl away; the mist backing up as if it was afraid of the creature’s touch. Shayne made his way after it; she never turned her head to see if he was still following. She knew where he was at all times and Shayne seemed to also see with her eyes, it was as if they were one being and everything they did as one. Fatigue and tiredness robbed him of his ability to recall and remember. He had no idea of how far they had travelled and the only thing that kept him from falling was the will of the animal. As they continued on the fog grew much weaker, with each step the mist gave way to the soft and gentle green of the forest. His vision blurred with weariness but still he continued on. He heard the birds began to sing again with the natural wind blowing in the trees and the carved warning stones started to rise out of the earth once more, warning any traveller of the nightmare beyond. The feeling of warmth returned to his bones. Still he followed the fox, its sleek black figure passing through the undergrowth, never once leaving his sight even for a moment.

He finally broke the trees and came into a grassy plain. He collapsed to the ground in exhaustion and relief. He could not recall passing over the Athúal River, but he was too tired to care. He looked back at the fox, which he knew was behind him, sitting within the forest borders. It looked at him and Shayne looked at her. They both could see from each other’s eyes and it seemed strange to him. His vision struggled to focus as he longed to pat the creature. Its head tilted but its grin now faded, it was sad and he knew why, the fox then returned to the forest, glancing back at him one last time before bounding out of sight.

A shadow of a person passed over him. Shayne turned his head to see a man looming over him: blocking out the sun. A large bird glided over them. Shayne shaded his eyes as he weakly pulled himself to his feet. Malakite stood over the Starborn, staring down at him, he then raised a long arm, but he did not reach for him instead he stretched his fingers out. Shayne felt a cold shiver run down his back as sound and light faded, and all warmth left him. His legs trembled and collapsed from underneath him, he watched the fading silhouette of the man before blacking out.

Chapter
14

Freedom

“
There is no dark side
in the
moon
,
really
.
As a
matter of fact,
it’s all dark
”

                                                                                         – Pink Floyd

Shayne felt the heaviness leave him. He had awoken in the darkness after a dreamless sleep, though he kept his eyes closed. It reminded him of the very first time he had woken upon the
Oxford
. Gradually the darkness gave way as he realised it was daylight. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that he lay in a large, warm bed. Kíe’arathorne was seated by his side, distracted by some old paper in his hand. Shayne stirred which brought him out from his reading.

‘Afra’hama!’ he gently smiled with relief flowing over his face.

‘I found my Maltat,’ Shayne managed to say, his voice cracked and he breathed heavily.

Kíe’arathorne’s face dropped partially, but he kept a warm smile, ‘You have?’

‘She’s in the forest. She guided me out.’

The lionman continued to smile but looked slightly strained, ‘Is that right? What is she?’

‘A fox,’ Shayne made himself more comfortable. ‘A black fox, the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.’ The journeyman’s face fell as the Earthman yielded to sleep again. He rose from his seat and a dark skinned Isradian who was the city’s elder came into the room.

‘What did he say?’ she asked.

‘He still hallucinates,’ the journeyman’s eyes sadly watched his sleeping form.

‘It does not surprise me. If madness does not take him, which would be a great miracle, he will still be scarred.’

‘The person he called for, I think it was an animal. I think it was his Maltat.’

‘Maltat?’ the lady said sceptical and looked around the room. ‘Why is it not here?’

‘He said it remained in Endaran.’

‘No Orian can be separated from his Maltat when they first merge.’

‘It is the Da’rukí,’ the lady looked up at the lionman with a fierce and almost frightened look. ‘But I would keep that just between you and me.’

‘The Da’rukí? How is that possible?’

‘He is the Afra’hama, anything is possible.’

‘Did he mention the others?’

‘No, not while awake,’ Kíe’arathorne’s green eyes faded as he thought about Lieutenant Rae. The elder saw the sorrow upon the scholars face so she left him there with his friend.

The next day Shayne woke with a deep and ferocious hunger. Their hosts came and gave him all the best food they had to offer. The natives all bowed deeply to him, one addressed him a Thall’magor. Kíe’arathorne joined him with his meal. They both ate from plates placed on the bed. The young lionman did not show his usual enthusiasm with the wide range of food before him.

‘I have not told your people that you are here yet,’ the journeyman said as he bit into a native fruit from Nakáda. ‘I’ve tried to keep your presence a secret, but word has spread and I fear it’s only a matter of time before the Star Ta’Orians know.’

‘Why?’ Shayne asked. Not grasping the lionman’s intentions, the usual sharpness of his mind still weak.

‘You walked into that forest with nine others, you came out alone. I’ve learnt enough of your people to know that will end badly — for you.’

‘I’ll give them my report,’ Shayne replied, but a sinking feeling came to him.

‘And tell them what? That you were attacked by the Magor-Nebuhara?’ Kíe’arathrone put the seed of the fruit down on a plate. He looked seriously up at Shayne. ‘What happened?’

‘I don’t know,’ he stammered as his mind went over the dreadful memory.

‘You must know?’ the lionman said.

‘It didn’t make any sense. They are gone. They’re all gone and it, it is just, I can’t explain. She held my hand,’ he lifted his hand to the lionman. ‘She never let go but she was gone. Nothing made sense.’ He looked like he would cry for the first time as he thought about Rae. She trusted him; desperate for him to save her, and she disappeared, just like the others.

‘Not everything does Afra’hama.’

‘There was something there.’

‘What?’

‘I just don’t know. It wasn’t actually there, but you felt that it was, and that it was watching you. It was pitiless and without mercy. It hounded us; it was in the wind and in the fog. Every time we tried to go on it would come after us again and again. And it took them.’

‘But the fox saved you?’

‘Azeil,’ Shayne smiled as he said her name. Kíe’arathorne’s face grew in wonder.

‘She said that was her name?’

‘I just knew it,’ Shayne looked at the journeyman, ‘as if that was always her name. It means something I know.’

‘It’s a language older than Kadalian,’ Kíe’arathorne crossed his arms, ‘mostly forgotten, except for a small lexicon still known by those who study the linguistics of the archive. It is said to be the true language of the Dragons.’

‘You know its meaning?’

‘Yes, it is amongst the few words known.’

‘What is her name?’

‘Fate,’ the journeyman said.

‘Fate, is that coincidence?’ he asked himself.

‘I don’t doubt that,’ Kíe’arathorne replied. ‘We have a legend; it is much greater here in the west than in the east. History is pitted with the appearance of the black fox called Da’rukí, and its constant companion.’

‘Which is?’

‘Death.’

‘But she’s not bad,’ Shayne replied.

‘Maybe not, but if her home is in the forest then one must wonder why. I would not go telling people that you have meet the Da’rukí, for they would shun you, as they are expected to shun all who meet with her. They say she talks to weary travellers. She tricks them and they disappear never to be seen again and those who do escape never live for long.’

‘But she is my Maltat,’ Shayne replied. ‘I know it.’

‘Perhaps she is,’ Kíe’arathrone gave a weak smile. ‘But perhaps she is not.’

‘She saved my life.’

‘Her story is full of strangeness. It has
never
benefitted those who have crossed her path. Only time can tell if she’s what you say she is, but I insist that you refrain from talking about her.’ They continued to sit in silence.

‘I met an old man there as well,’ Shayne replied after a while, wanting to break Kíe’arathorne’s words. ‘Between the wind and the fog, at first I thought it was an Aniskin.’

‘They would not travel to the mist,’ Kíe’arathrone’s tone was blunt.

‘I believe it was Lethagon,’ Shayne indicated the first DragonLord. This broke Kíe’arthrone’s depressed stare. He looked upon the human, his eyes focusing on his face.

‘Impossible!’

‘He held the white eyes of the DragonLord. I saw it, Javier saw it too before he —’ Shayne drifted at the memory of the man. He found him an excellent soldier and so did many others. His thoughts returned to the others, to the star ranked officers.

‘Eyes of white do not necessarily mean a companion of Ominiue,’ Kíe was greatly troubled by Shayne’s words. He looked up and saw that Shayne struggled with the memories of the trauma. ‘We can’t stay here. We have to go as soon you’re able.’

‘Where?’ Shayne asked unsure of anything.

‘To be honest, I’m unsure. We need a place where we will be safe from your people, somewhere to take refuge. I think Kérith-
Árim
is the best place. The UeVarda will protect
you, but it’s getting there undetected that’s the hard part. Might pay to lay low somewhere quiet first. I was thinking of the desert people down south.’

‘They
will
find me eventually,’ he said as he opened his
wristcom
. It was fried and destroyed. That filled him with relief; it meant that they could not track him. He looked over at the lionman and saw that he still had his
wristcom
on. Kíe’arathorne too looked upon it, understanding what Shayne was thinking.

‘I’ll give it to a local. That way it’ll give us some time.’ Unlike Shayne’s computer Kíe’arathorne’s was not locked shut. It could be removed whenever he pleased.

‘When should we leave?’ Shayne inquired as the lionman plotted.

‘As soon as possible, we can pass through Nakáda. We can’t stay there but the eastern lionmen would never give us away.’

‘And the Isradians?’

‘We shall tell them that we are returning to home. That would throw our position. From there it would be anyone’s guess to our likely destination.’ Kíe’arathorne helped Shayne to stand. He felt a little weak but otherwise healthy. They made their way out of the healer’s house.

The city was made from mud-brick and a little wood imported from other places. The sun beat down upon their faces from the Isradian desert. Natives who passed them by called out his name along with the other word, Thall’magor.

‘What are they doing?’ Shayne half leaned on the journeyman for support.

‘You have fulfilled a prophecy,’ Kíe’arathorne told him as Shayne glanced around at the quiet worshippers. ‘They call you the tamer, the master, the one who came.’

‘But I tamed nothing, nothing has happened,’ Shayne countered. ‘Nothing has changed.’

‘Not yet.’ The journeyman smiled. They made their way around the grand house of the town’s leader, revealing more of the desert city and rocky mountains out in the distance.

‘You once said Isradian cities were all underground,’ Shayne recalled.

‘This is a trade city near the border of Nakáda. Most Isradian cities are secret. They may let a few outsiders know where they are, but very few.’

‘Wouldn’t asylum be better in one of these places then?’

‘I’ve thought about it and though they’d let you in without hesitation they wouldn’t let me. And your word won’t be enough to change that. You can stay here if you desire, but it won’t be with me.’ Shayne did not have to reply, he would not abandon the lionman after this; they will head for the Eldarhine Desert in the south.

After spending an hour with the city elder they were granted two horses from the state of Isradia, Shayne stripped himself of his battle armour, he kept his top, boots and pants, but wrapped himself in a desert cloak, helping him to blend in. With gratefulness to their host they departed the city with packs full of supplies.

It was early morning on the second day of travel when they crossed the border into Nakáda. They often passed traders, but they were few compared to the roads of Kérith-
Árim
and they often had long periods where they saw no one at all. They rode the horses as hard as they dared, and walked them when they were too tired. They would stop briefly to allow the horses a longer break and a good drink at inns and rests camps but they always continued on. They followed the main highway but skirted the villages when they came upon them. The plan was to travel along the road as if they were returning to the east, but once they reached the Na’Aman pass which lead into Bohaníde, they would continue on and into the Eldarhine Desert.

They were walking their worn out horses when the sight of a small military hoverplane passed overhead, ‘Keep walking,’ Kíe’arathrone replied. ‘Do not stop.’

‘It would appear more natural to them if we looked up,’ Shayne pointed out. He looked at this uniform; he took his cloak off earlier and wound it over his head where it hung from his back; revealing his chest and legs to the world. By the time the aircraft passed it was too late to put it back on. His shirt was still very Earth-like and would stand out. Just as the lionman slowed down to look more natural the craft banked and came around; circling them in a large arc before it landed. The horses reared and Shayne’s broke loose; fleeing towards the trees that backed onto the mountain range. Kíe’arathrone managed to hold onto his, but it bucked and reared in fright. The air vice-marshal jumped from the vehicle with four other soldiers; two of which were suited up in the exo-battle gear.

‘Starborn Colonial Forrester!’ the man yelled as they made their way across to them. ‘Word has been sent that you’ve been found alive.’

Shayne calmly looked at himself, ‘It would appear so.’

‘Why didn’t you just wait for us to get you? You weren’t deserting were you?’ he grinned coolly.

‘I’ve been sick in bed. The moment I awoke we decided instead of sending messages for you to retrieve us we would come ourselves. It would’ve been just as quick.’

‘Doesn’t the lionman have a
wristcom
?’

‘It was stolen,’ Kíe’arathorne tried his best to look ashamed. The air-vice-marshal looked doubtfully upon them.