The New World (The Last Delar) (21 page)

The wind continues to blows against Taeau's face.  "This beast has tormented us from the shadows for too long cousin.  I remember that night you came to me in the plains, and how this evil chased you from my side.  I felt its cold, lifeless touch, and I too cried out in fear.  DO YOU HEAR ME, BEAST?! I no longer fear the darkness, and it is time we are rid of you."

Taeau's necklace rises from his chest and comes alive with light, illuminating the jungle.  The beast roars at the sight of the light and runs back into the darkness.  Taeau pursues the beast, screaming curses and threats as he runs.  After racing through the jungle he again comes face to face with the white eyes.  The wickedness of this tormented dream is pinned against a rocky wall.  Taeau looks up at the rock that rises above the jungle.  He has seen this rising rock before, but cannot remember where.  A ray of moonlight pierces the canopy, illuminating his hunting spear that materializes stuck in the soft jungle floor.  He takes the spear from the ground and crouches in a battle stance, pointing the spear at the darkness.  "Tonight, beast, I shall slay you.  Never return to haunt my cousin in this world or in the world beyond, or I swear that my wrath shall find you again."

Taeau yells the Enopay battle cry and charges towards the beast, lunging the spear into its dark belly.  The spear pierces the darkness, and ignites in flames. Taeau opens his hands and his spear falls to ground in a sprinkle of ash.  Wind starts to swirl, then a light from above starts to burn Taeau's eyes.  He raises his arm to shield his face and hears a deafening screeching from above.  The noise is so powerful that it brings him to his knees.  He reaches for his back and cries out feeling a knife carving into his flesh. The pain intensifies and Taeau clenches his fists and screams out louder.

Taeau opens his eyes and he feels warm dew on his face.  He blinks and looks up to see trees swaying above him.  He feels tired and out of breath. He lies on his back with his arms and legs stretched out.  Most of his clothes have been torn from his body, and his chest is wet.  He sits up and looks at his body.  Markings that resemble feathers have been carved on his arms, chest, and back. The carvings have been filled with paint coloring his skin. They throb, pulsing with pain. He hears blood dripping from his back onto the wet floor of the jungle.  He looks around and does not know where he is.  He stands, limping from the pain of the body carvings he has suffered.  There is an outline drawn in the dead leaves and plants on the jungle floor.  Where his arms should be, there are wings with scattered golden feathers.  His nose stings with the smells of smoke and he turns to see a pile of smoldering objects.

"No!"

He runs to the burning pile to see what is left of his weapons and clothes.  His spear has been broken, the blade made from chiseled rock, shattered, and Leotie’s lock of hair is smoking in the pile.

"Who did this? Show yourself!" Taeau yells into the jungle.

A rustling at his side brings Taeau to a crouch, and Tib walks out from the cover of the jungle.

"Did you do this, you spiteful runt? Did you destroy my things? Why? Answer me!" Tib looks up at Taeau and shakes his head in defiance.  "No, it was not you." Tib nods his head.  "Then who was it? Do you know who did this?" Tib points to the sky, turns, and walks back into the jungle.

"Where are you going? Answer me," Taeau demands, following the small Wicker through the bush and into a clearing.  "Tib, how do you know of this place? Have I been here before?"

Taeau recalls last night's dream and the chasing of the beast.  He remembers the dream he had the night he left the Msa-Oda, and how he chased his "cousin" into a dense forest.  He brushes a large plant away from his face and sees the rock wall that climbs toward the sun and disappears into a thick, low cloud.  Taeau stands in silence as he stares up at the cliff.

"Am I awake, Tib? Is this all real, or am I still back by the fire, sleeping?" Tib walks up to Taeau and kicks him in his shin.  "Ouch," Taeau yelps, and Tib points up toward the top of the precipice.  Tib hugs Taeau's leg, and Taeau kneels down. "Forgive my words, friend, for I did not mean them.  You have always been good to me, and I thank you."

Tib's markings go dark and he shakes his head at Taeau.  Taeau pets Tib and walks to the rock.  Taeau gently grazes the cliff with his hand, feeling the moisture on the jagged stone.  He finds his footing and reaches upwards, grasping a nook in the rising cliff. Taeau’s mind is clear and his body fit and he swiftly climbs the side of the granite.  Taeau feels the heat of the sun behind him, drying the stone and sucking moisture from the jungle below.  Thermals of water vapor rise from the jungle, fueling a cloud that hides the summit above him.  The rock cuts into his hands and feet, but the pain only drives him forward.  Wind whistles across the wall, and he stops to listen.  He looks off into the horizon and watches the rising sun.  It is as if he can sense the world and all its creatures, a world that embraces him as a son, pushing him further on his quest.

Taeau reaches the cloud that hugs the rock and disappears inside it.  No longer able to see the jungle, a chill races up Taeau’s spine.  The change in temperature cramps his muscles and slows his climb. Taeau looks out into the cloud and sees his mother.  She is healthy -- a vision of beauty and love.  Taeau smiles and a tear builds inside his eye.  Then his father walks behind her, holding her hand.  He is thin, starved, and weak.  In his eyes there is only sorrow and anger.  The ghostly figure reaches toward Taeau as a whip cracks against his father's back, bringing him to his knees.  Taeau looses his grip and slides down the mountainside.  He stops himself and peers back into the cloud.  The visions have vanished, and Taeau breaths deeply, disturbed by the vision.

He looks up and squints at a light beyond the cloud, and he draws upon all his strength to reach it.  His hand is the first to feel the warmth of the sun again.  He leaves the cloud, and he can see the precipice of the formation he has climbed.  The sun warms him, his heart pounds as he approaches the top.  His bloody fingers grip the mountain, and he pulls himself up over the edge.  He climbs over the ledge and lies with his face touching the flat sun-baked rock.

He touches his face to the jungle mountain.  "Thank you for allowing me to climb your side, great and ancient stone.  You are now my brother, bonded to me by blood." He gets to his feet and looks back toward the sun.  It is bright, but Taeau stands proud and looks into the celestial fire with his arms raised. "My name is Taeau, Great Father.  I am the child of Meno farmers; the nephew of the great Salali Black Claw; the student of Alo, Shaman of the Enopay, and I have walked in the footsteps of the great Mia-Koda." He closes his eyes and continues his speech, "You have watched me all my life, looked down upon me without judgment.  Now I have climbed this rock and stand before you without shame.  Show me your wisdom and grant me my vision!"

An ear bleeding screech shakes Taeau on the summit of the rock. When the screeching stops, the ground rumbles.  Taeau slowly turns to face his vision.  His eyes dilate, and droplets of sweat drip into his open mouth. He stares at magnificent creatures lining the top of the formation.  They are beasts with feathers of the deepest brown and red that Taeau has ever seen.  Twice the size of the largest Enopay or Meno warrior, the bird-like creatures stand upright, wrapping their immense wings around their bodies and exposing only their heads and feet.  The creatures' feet are like those of a desert raven, with massive black talons, and their long hands have slender fingers and curling claws.  The creatures' heads are covered with a mane of vibrant feathers that shimmer with color as they move.  All but one of the creatures is perched at the edge of the circling rock.  Standing taller and grander than the rest Taeau believes this creature must be their leader.  The beast's short curved beak stays shut, but Taeau hears a stern voice within his mind.

"Do you know what I am, child of the Delar?" Taeau has never seen such a creature, nor could he ever imagine one like it existed.

"I am a Wa-Hone and we are the masters of this land.  We have waited for your arrival for generations." The Wa-Hone slowly circles Taeau.  "All of your life you have run from your past, consumed with guilt and confusion.  You have always wondered who you are, and have known you never truly belonged.  One cannot achieve his vision if he does not know who he is.  You are the last of a great race of man.  The blood of the Delar runs through your veins."

"How do you know this?" asks Taeau

"You wear the necklace of the Delar around your neck." Taeau takes his necklace in his hand.  The Wa-Hone walks up to him and gazes down at the necklace.

"Now that you know who your ancestors were, are you ready for your vision?"

Taeau shakes his head in response to the question.  The Wa-Hone's wing glides over Taeau's arm, and a bracelet grips his wrist.  It is made from animal skins with a blue stone surrounded by ornate Wa-Hone wings. The wings are carved from precious metals he has never seen before. The weight of the bracelet pulls him to the ground.  Taeau tries to move his arm, but he cannot.  Then, the stone on the bracelet begins to shimmer.  Bright blue flames shoot out and climb up his arm. The flames engulf him as he lies on the ground screaming in pain.  Moving in and out of consciousness, Taeau struggles to survive, hearing only the sound of the raging flames.  Ahead of him he sees a figure slowly form through the flames.  Taeau looks at the phantom and cries out.  "Black Claw . . . help me . . . uncle.  The pain is too great.  I cannot bear it," Taeau yells as he squirms from the burning.

Black Claw appears at Taeau's side.  The vision of his dead uncle places his claws on Taeau's shoulders, which start to cool, as the flames avoid Black Claw's hand.

"Fight back, child.  There is strength in you yet, strength greater than you know.  Feel no pity for my son or me.  We are at peace now and are proud of you.  You must release yourself from the bonds of guilt and forgive yourself, for we do.  There is much you must do, nephew.  The survival of our families depends on you, NOW RISE."

Taeau looks down at the bracelet and fights the flames.  He closes his eyes and embraces the pain, letting the flames seep into his tattoos.  He gets up from his knees and raises his wrist.  The flames die, and he begins to hear voices all around him.  He stands tall and lifts his arms into the air.  He opens his eyes and sees the Wa-Hone pointing to the edge of the cliff, where a golden vision of a Wa-Hone stands proud and stares out toward the sun.  He walks toward the light.  He pauses and reaches out his arm toward the creature made of light. He knows what he must do, and he takes a step forward, letting the light of the Wa-Hone surround him.  Taeau feels the energy of the Wa-Hone inside him and he looks out over the ridge of the rock.  Taeau raises his arms, and the creature's wings follow his movements.  Taeau grabs the edge of the cliff and opens his mouth, releasing the power inside him, and exhales a deafening screech out over the jungle.  He calls to the Wa-Hone, and it is answered.  Taeau hears the calls of others echoing in the wind.  His necklace and bracelet shine as the golden vision explodes, fading into the air.  Taeau closes his mouth and stumbles back in exhaustion.  He hears the flapping of wings and the sound of claws scraping against rock.  Taeau stands still, rubbing his eyes as his sight returns. The Wa-Hone stare at Taeau silently and with resolute approval.

"You have called upon us in our own tongue, son of the Delar, and we have answered.  You have proven your strength and courage to us.  I have as reward a great gift for you.  I know the true Delar name given to you by your birth mother.  Would you like to hear it?" Taeau says nothing.

"Akelou is the name that your mother gave you." But the voice that Taeau hears is not that of a Wa-Hone but a voice he has not heard in many seasons.  Out from behind the Wa-Hone walks Mia-Koda with Tib following close by.

"Mia-Koda!" Taeau yells and he runs to her embrace.

"I said to you before I left, 'not again will I see you until you are a man.' I have kept my word and am very proud of you." Taeau looks down and sees Tib hugging his leg.

"How did you know my real name?"

"Awa the Brown looked deep into your mind and heard your mother's voice speak your name.  Now give me your wrist and let me see the bracelet of your ancestors."

Taeau shows Mia-Koda his new treasure, and she sees that the blue stone has changed to gold.

"Great leader of the Wa-Hone, we leave you now, but soon we will be together again." The Wa-Hone bows to Mia-Koda and raises his great wings, taking flight.  The other Wa-Hone do the same, leaving the young man and his mentor standing alone together on the rock.

Taeau picks up a feather left by Awa the Brown.  His face tightens and he begins to understand what just took place.  "They were not my birth parents? Meadow is not my true mother? . . . Dirty Hands not my father? What does this mean, Mia-Koda? Who are my parents?"

"Nothing has changed, Taeau.  The love and bond you share with your foster parents is no less strong.  Meadow and Dirty Hands are still your parents, and as for your birth parents, all I know is that they are dead and your mother was the last true blood of the Delar.  Now the Enopay are waiting at the Msa-Oda for their newest member.  But before we go, which name shall you now be called? The one given to you at birth, or the one given by your father the day you came into his family?"

"'Akelou' is my rightful name.  'Taeau,' I will leave behind with my youth on this rock."

"So be it, Akelou.  Let us go home, many are waiting for you."

Mia-Koda reaches into her robes and takes out the Moura Stone.  She grabs dirt from a pouch and sprinkles it over the stone.  She softly speaks to the relic, dropping the stone from her hand and starts to swing it.  A thin line of light pierces the air.  The light begins to collapse inward until a doorway is created.  The circle of light flashes, and a valley can be seen within the door.  Akelou walks through the doorway and smells the cool dusty air.  He arrives back one year to the night from when he left.  He looks up at the torch lit city and feels welcome.