Aegis Rising (9 page)

“They looked at each other in confusion,” Huyani giggled. “It means nothing to them. They have no idea where this place is.”

“Of course they would not know. As far as we are concerned, the outside world is not aware of us. I am pleased you did not give too much away.”

“We told them that you would like to meet them soon.”

Tikina smiled widely. “Could you perhaps arrange a time tomorrow where we may meet them?”

“I am sure I can.”

“Very good. Is that all that happened?”

Huyani twirled a lock of her straight hair with her index finger. “There is one other thing. They seem to be getting impatient. They want to know when they will be able to leave.”

Tikina sighed quietly. “It is only to be expected, I am afraid. As I have said before, I believe that these five are special.”

“You think they are the ones?”

“I cannot say for sure, but I must admit that their arrival here is very intriguing.”

A moment of silence followed, broken by a guttural cough from Fiotez. Huyani glanced at him and noticed he was still asleep. “Grandmother . . .”

“Yes?”

“Do you know anything about Kody’s father?”

“Father?”

“Yes. He kept asking about his father, and when we told him we did not know what happened to him, he became forlorn. We tried to soothe him and take his mind off the uncertainty, and now it nags me. Did the Guardians indicate anything about his father?”

“Alas, they signaled absolutely nothing about this. If the boy’s father had been with them and something ill-fated happened, we would have known about it from the Guardians.” Tikina was quiet for a while, then added, “I will see what I can do to find out more about this.”

Huyani nodded. After some time, Tikina bade her granddaughter good night and was about to exit when she turned around with a mischievous smile. “The two girls . . . one has gray eyes and the other has brown, am I correct?”

Startled, Huyani looked up at her. “How did you know?” She saw the playful look on Tikina’s face and groaned, “Oh—the eyes of Tyse.”

Tikina simply chuckled and left Fiotez’s
neyra
, leaving Huyani in wonder.

10

“O
ne word I have is
bizarre
,” Kody muttered. He tapped a small bruise on his lower arm. “I mean, go figure this: Our plane crashed from a freak storm; we were picked up by giant
bears
and brought to this place in the middle of nowhere; we’re healed by two people who say they learn languages quickly thanks to some skill they have, and there are others like them in this village. And now their . . .
Elders 
. . . want to meet us? To top it all off, we don’t know—
I
don’t know—where my dad is, or how he is.” His voice rose a notch in a combination of frustration and hopelessness.

It was late in the night, and the five were in the girls’ shelter discussing the baffling events that had occurred.

Jag patted his friend’s back, trying to console him. “Look, we were found—it only makes sense that your old man was found as well, right?”

“Then where is he?”

Jag had nothing to say to that, and they stared into space gloomily for a while until a voice from outside their
neyra
startled them. “Tegan? Mariah?”

Tegan called back, “Come on in Akol, we’re all here.”

Akol stepped in, grinning. “The boys were not in their shelter when we went looking for them, so we knew they either had to be wandering around again or were in here.”

“We?”

“Yes, Huyani came with me.” Akol stepped aside, allowing Huyani to enter.

Tegan and Mariah burst into coos when they spotted Tibut peeking at them from the safety of Huyani’s arms. They rose to their feet. “Who’s the little fella?” Mariah looked into the toddler’s big brown eyes.

“This is our little brother Tibut,” Huyani responded, affectionately kissing the child’s head. “Would you like to hold him?”

“Are you sure he’ll be okay with that?”

“Certainly.”

Mariah raised the baby into her arms and tapped his nose playfully. Tibut squealed happily and burrowed further into her arms. The girls started cooing again. Even Jag, Aari, and Kody felt their lips pulling back into grins.

Tegan and Mariah took turns cuddling Tibut, who blissfully shared their warmth, while Huyani and Akol described the Elders’ request. The five were unsure.

“You mean they want to meet us right now?” Kody asked.

“No, not now; in the morning,” answered Huyani. “Besides, it is only proper for the hosts to meet with their guests, correct?”

Jag rubbed the back of his neck. “I suppose so. It’s just . . . it’s a little unnerving, you know?”

“There is nothing to worry about, my friend,” Akol replied understandingly. “The Elders are wonderful people. They will be pleased to meet you all.”

The seven of them chatted for a little while more before Huyani and Akol left, carrying Tibut. The five bade each other good night and the boys headed back toward their
neyra
. They were all wondering what the meeting with the Elders would bring even as they laid themselves down to sleep, yawning.

*  *  *

The next morning, a luscious breakfast was served inside Huyani’s
neyra
. The siblings and the friends sat down, conversing noisily and making each other laugh with silly jokes, Kody naturally being the one with the best tales.

The five were just finishing off their meal when they were met by a voice outside calling out in Akol and Huyani’s native tongue. The siblings chorused in like manner. The door to Huyani’s
neyra
opened inward, letting in a blast of sunlight. A tall figure clad in a black-and-silver cloak stepped in, silhouetted against the glare with four other forms falling in gracefully behind him. The smell of pine needles and mountain air tickled the five’s noses, and Tegan let out a quiet sneeze as they stared at the newcomers in awe. There was something regal about them. The fine facial features and the kindly demeanor radiated congeniality, while their intelligent eyes and stately posture commanded attention and respect.

One of the adults, a green-eyed woman with dark, wavy hair and light brown skin, turned to meet their gaze and flashed a disarming smile. In a melodiously accented voice, she murmured, “Do not fear, young ones.” The friends were captivated by her bearing. There was a magnetic yet powerful air about the woman that both astounded and drew them in.

Akol and Huyani stepped in between their guests and the newcomers. “Jag, Aari, Kody, Mariah, and Tegan,” Akol said in a respectful tone, “these are the Tribe’s Elders: Tikina, Nageau, Saiyu, Ashack, and Tayoka.” In his own language, he introduced the friends to the five Elders.

Nageau took a step forward and gazed steadily into Jag’s eyes. The lanky teenager was unsure what to do, so he dipped his head as gracefully as he could and mumbled, “Nice to meet you, sir.”

His friends bit their lips in order to not smile at his self-consciousness. Nageau, on the other hand, lit up. He held Jag’s shoulders and roared with laughter. “No need for that, Jag,” he said. He spoke in English although, like Tikina, his voice had an accent to it. He looked at Jag and nodded approvingly, as if assessing the teenager’s build, then turned to look at the others. “Would it be a fair assumption to say that you are all around fifteen or sixteen years in age?”

The five looked a little surprised. “Yes, sir,” Jag affirmed.

Huyani giggled, and the friends gave her a questioning look. “You need not call the Elders
sir
or
madam
,” she told them. “You may address them simply as Elder.”

Elder Saiyu spoke aloud next. The friends had no idea what she was saying as she only spoke in her native tongue. Tikina stepped in, explaining that out of the Elders, only she herself and Nageau had the special gift of omnilinguism. She translated what Saiyu had said: “I am delighted that you have all survived your terrible accident. I trust Akol and Huyani have been treating you well?”

“Where to even begin?” Tegan said, a wondering smile widening her lips. “They’ve helped us so much. They healed us, they fed us, they gave us warm clothing to wear, they explained a bit about the village to us. We couldn’t have asked for better people to take care of us.”

“We are delighted to hear those kind words.” Tikina looked over at Tegan. The expression on the Elder’s face was eerily familiar and it had an almost feline quality to it.

Where have I seen that look before?
Tegan wondered.

“Would you be more comfortable sitting?” offered Huyani politely, and when everyone nodded, led them into the living quarters of her
neyra
. The twelve of them, including Huyani and Akol, crammed into the smaller division. Once they’d settled in, Nageau asked the five, “How long have all of you known each other?”

Jag’s eyes narrowed and he responded with a question instead. “We’d really like to know where we are and when we can go back home.”

The Elders glanced at each other, not quite knowing what to say. Tayoka finally broke the odd silence by speaking in his language while pointing at the five, then turning to Ashack and adding something with a snort of mirth. The villagers all laughed as Huyani and Akol explained to the five. “Elder Tayoka says that we have never ever had visitors, and now that we have five . . . all they want to do is get away from here!”

Nageau, chuckling, added, “And he blames Ashack’s stern looks for scaring you away.” Noting the tentative expressions on the five’s faces, he continued. “Worry not, though. Tayoka is always searching for someone to poke fun at.”

Jag raised an eyebrow. “Reminds me of someone else I know.” He, Aari, Tegan, and Mariah cast meaningful looks at Kody.

“I don’t know what they’re talking about,” he protested to the others, prompting another round of laughter. This time, the teenagers joined in.

With the atmosphere now more relaxed, Nageau leaned back in his place and looked at the five. “We do not intend to let your questions go unanswered, but we will enlighten you in due course. There is a saying amongst our people: ‘Only the patient bear catches the leaping salmon.’ But even then, he has to be at the right place and at the right time.” Nageau smiled. Catching his drift, the five nodded. “So, how long have you known each other?”

Jag drummed his fingers on his lap and said, “To put it plainly, forever would be the answer.”

“That is a while.”

“It is. We’ve actually known each other since we were really young.”

“Where you come from, do you all spend much time with each other?”

Aari nodded. “Absolutely. We hang out together whenever we can.”

Tikina smiled, then turned to Kody. “Huyani has told me that you are a food enthusiast. Do—”

The friends burst into peals of laughter until they were gasping for air. Tegan exclaimed, “Enthusiast? You’re being way too kind.”

Kody gave her a look and Aari had to hold him back from lunging at her as she laughed gaily.

Mariah jumped in. “Well, what Huyani told you is right. He loves to eat. Back in the town where we come from, just about everyone is aware of his passion for food. The real question is, where does he hide all those calories? I mean, get a load of this.” She lifted one of Kody’s arms. “Look at that. They’re like chicken wings.” Kody snatched his arm back, mumbling something unintelligible.

Tikina laughed, her eyes sparkling. Nageau translated for the other Elders, who broke into guffaws. Tikina collected herself after a few moments. “Now, let Kody speak for himself on this one,” she said. “So Kody, what are your other interests?”

Darting a glance at his friends, relieved that he finally had a say, he replied, “I’m into sports, like ice hockey—”

“What is that?” Akol asked inquisitively.

Kody proceeded to describe the sport enthusiastically. A bemused Akol nodded and commented, “It sounds like a fast-paced game. Do many people participate in this sport?”

Kody grinned. “You betcha. It’s popular where I come from. And you’re right—it’s one of the fastest team sports in the world.”

“What more do you enjoy?” Akol asked.

After a moment’s thought, he said brightly, “I love planes—I grew up around them.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. My dad’s a pilot at the Air Force base near our home.”

His friends smiled knowingly. Tegan turned to the Elders. “Kody’s one of those simple guys. It doesn’t take much to keep him happy. Food, water, and watching planes take off and land will do him just fine.”

Tikina looked thoughtful as she pulled up the sleeves of her green blouse. “That is very interesting.”

Nageau looked at Mariah and Jag, quickly going back to their earlier topic. “And what about you? What do you like?”

Jag chuckled quietly. “I love parkour. The guys do, too, and Tegan’s just now beginning to get into it.” Turning to Mariah, he grinned and said, “Her? Not so much.”

“I find it amazing to watch,” Mariah explained, “but it’s not really my thing.”

“What is parkour?” Nageau asked the five curiously.

“It’s a physical discipline,” Jag answered. “It’s a sport that requires you to overcome obstacles by running and climbing to quickly get from one point to another.”

“Ah! Yes, we are familiar with this. You will be pleased to know that the youths of this village tend to do this routinely. However, we have not given it a name. Now,” Nageau said, “surely there is more in your scope of interest. Do tell.”

Jag poked himself subconsciously on the cheek. “It’s . . . I’m not very—”

“He’s a really good football player,” Tegan supplied. “He plays for our school team. Go on, Jag. Tell them.”

“Yeah, I love playing the game. It requires speed and agility, and as grueling as the training is, I like it. A lot of people find that kind of odd.”

“Mmph. You know what
I
find odd?” Kody asked. “The fact that you’re obsessed with being faster than you already are.”

“Why would you want more speed?” Nageau asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s about being sharp, being on the edge and pushing yourself as far as you can go,” Jag answered. “Beating your own record. Other than that, though, my interests really aren’t so different from my friends.”