BEYOND THE PALE: ( The Outlander ) (16 page)

“They may do so another
time because we know that in truth, they do care and desire this knowledge.
They may force you to show them.”

“They will never force
me Isuzu, but if they tried I would lead them somewhere else; to the Caves of
Mastway, or anywhere else they might perish, but never to our home. I swear
this to you Isuzu, and to you Uncle. You must trust me. I will stay there some
time longer, but I will return safe.”

Geren replied and spoke
on behalf of Isuzu, “We have already given you our counsel. You cannot change
our minds on this matter, but perhaps you change our heart. We accept that you
have made your own decision and we will honour it, although I fear that your
brother may not.”

River didn’t feel
vindicated and he felt that this was an acceptable outcome. “I will speak
privately with Isa but first I want to introduce you to my guest and friend
Nathan Carlson.”

Nathan was just as
surprised as River was to see six horses tethered outside the entrance of a
large cave which was more like a cavern. Hassun still walked beside him in
silence; and he wondered whether he was walking into a trap and whether there
were five other men waiting to tackle him. Then he saw a young woman who was standing
at the entrance with Isa. Hassun explained to Nathan who she was and pronounced
the name ‘Ishtur’ to make sure that he got it correct. She was pretty but
diminutive which was strange because her brothers were both quite tall. Nathan
definitely found her the more attractive sibling with her beautiful long and
straight hair. Ishtur’s greeting was very amicable and warm, but she asked that
they stay with her until the elders had finished talking with River.

 It wasn’t long before
Nathan saw these Elders as River was already walking them over to him to
introduce them. He noticed River introduce the Elder called Isuzu before he
introduced his Uncle. Nathan wondered whether this was an indication of rank.

“Welcome Nathan
Carlson, I hope you do not mind that we set up camp here, as this cave is
better suited for the horses and has a unique character of its own.” -Nathan
looked around taking in the camp site they had set up. He could see that the
cave went very deep into the hill and had a wide entrance that illuminated it
quite well. He wondered whether they had chosen a different venue through fear
of a set up and being ambushed by Rangers. Isuzu continued, “Our people, the
Ute lived in this settlement and venerated this ridge and this area which we
called the Valley of the Miracle. Especially the rock which I am told you run
and jump across. Not only is it the largest, but it is adorned with an ancient
stone carving of a Griffin and the Basilisk on the highest part of its crest.”

Nathan looked at him
quizzically, “The Griffin and the Basilisk, do you mean the ‘Kissing Camels’?”

“Funny that you should
name it so; do you see any camels living in these lands? Once more your people
demonstrate their non reality and separation from the land.”

“No, but nor have I
heard of any Griffins in these parts. Anyway they are a natural formation which
happens to look like two kissing camels. I have been up there and pivoted off
them in jumps.”

“Next time you jump on
them, perhaps you might take a moment to study them. You will not see chisel
marks but there is evidence which shows them to be carved in the rock. Many
centuries of wind and rain has weathered them and disguised their real forms.
If you look deeper, you will see a Griffin and a Basilisk take shape. Two
mythical beasts locked in an eternal struggle. Only there, they are shown at
truce, evenly balanced because in truth they represent a dichotomy of reality.
Two sides of the same truth which appear good or evil based on the subjective
viewer's perception.”

Nathan glanced back at
the ridge in the distance to examine the rock formation they were talking
about, but disappointingly it was too far away and at the wrong angle for him
to re-evaluate. ‘Another time’ he thought and he turned back to warmly take
both Isuzu’s and Geren’s outstretched hands.

Next River formally
introduced him to his older sister Ishtur, but then apologised that he needed
to go and talk privately with his brother. Nathan watched the two brothers walk
over beyond the horses and disappear behind the detritus. Ishtur acted the
total hostess. Nathan found her engaging after the lack of any conversation
from Hassun. He also had a strong feeling that the two Elders wanted to talk
with him and probably try to ascertain any confidential information. Ishtur led
him to the comfortable arrangement of seating which had been set up around the
camp fire. She didn’t sit with him, but went instead to the second smaller fire
where she was preparing some baked root vegetables, stew and a roast. It smelt
really enticing to Nathan who was feeling for lunch; it had been many hours
since breakfast.

River and Isa seldom
argued with each other, but when they did, it made for an uncomfortable
situation. Isa was not at all happy with River’s revelation that he was going
back to the metropolis. He felt that he had been double crossed, and that his
time and efforts had been wasted. River on the other hand was getting fed up
with everybody else assuming the need to direct his own actions, and he was
looking quite stressed.

Isa expressed his
concerns, “I knew that day, that I had made a mistake when I left you with this
man. He has a hold on you. You are seeing his world through his eyes. Your
place is back home.”

“It is not as you see
it, there are reasons for me to stay, and I must stay for a while,” explained
River without offering a real explanation.

“What reasons?”

“They are my reasons.”

“Then I will come to
the Blue Horse City with you.”

“You cannot. They will
not allow it. It doesn’t work like that.”

“I am not asking you,”
asserted Isa.

Ishtur had waited for
her two brothers to rejoin them before she announced that lunch was ready.
Everybody was quick to help themselves to a bowl of stew, and another bowl of
roast vegetables and some roast rabbit. Nobody took more than they needed.
Eating lunch communally together seemed to help clear the air which had been
polluted by the air of tension and unresolved argument brought in by the two
brothers. It also helped when Ishtur went to sit down with her own lunch in
between her brothers. She gave each one a small hug and a kiss, and the rest of
the company could palpably feel the lowering of tension in the air. 

After lunch the
unresolved argument was put on ice for the duration and the spirit of
camaraderie took over. River wanted to make the most of this opportunity to
catch up with news and stories from home. He had missed everyone, but he now
had much to impart to them about his experiences in the citadel. Hassun, Isa
and Ishtur listened with enthusiastic interest.  Nathan at the other side of
the fire held court with both Isuzu and Geren all engaged in a debate about the
nature of freedom and technology. The only crossover between the two groups
came when Hassun offered a smoking pipe to Nathan to sample and pass along. Nathan
declined with repugnance, “No thank you Hassun, I really don’t care for smoking
at all. Those are toxins you are taking into your body.” Hassun passed the pipe
on to his father instead.  Nathan though, not wanting to offend his hosts, asked
Geren, “I would gladly take a cup of that honey tea you are drinking.

Geren warned Nathan, “This
is honey and mushroom tea. It may be too strong and not to your liking.”

“I have drunk it
before, River made it for me,” Nathan was recalling the honey tea that River
made for him previously in the cave.

Geren had already gone
over to pour a fresh brew into a cup which he offered to Nathan, along with a
further question about what they had been discussing, “In much of what you
discuss, there is a strong emphasis placed on the need for control. Your
Rangers have abducted or killed many natives from other communities in the name
of control. So why do they see us as out of control?”

“I guess it is because
of Agenda 21 and the Treaty of Georgia which set the blueprint for a
reorganisation of civilisation. It was universally ratified, and following that
they introduced the enforced management of natural environmental resources. We
had to restrict human contact with the environment to allow it time to recoup
and restore its balance. Most importantly the treaty placed strict population
quotas within designated cities.”

“We know of this total
limit of half a billion people in the world. We agree that it is a sensible
number to share the Earth’s resources,” said Isuzu.

“Well that number is
enforced by limiting the population to under two million for the two hundred and
fifty metropolises in the world. Those who live outside of them threaten to
breach the population cap.”

“So why don’t you allow
independent communities such as ours to make up a percentage ratio of the
world’s population,” Geren earnestly enquired.

“That won’t happen
because you are seen to be outside of the reins of control. You do not license
or control your births and so are in danger of breeding uncontrollably. You use
environmental resources at will, and you spurn the technological advances which
we see as the saviour of humanity. Some of your harsher critics within the
Councils of Elect who govern the metropolis do not see you in a good light. To
be honest and frank with you on this subject, some of them refer to you as
vermin. Obviously this is not my understanding.”

Isuzu replied to this “We
respect your candour and your honesty Major. I do wonder though if you yourself
could come to appreciate that we who live natural born do probably manage our
own populations and resources in a more balanced way than those in the
Metropolises. There are many among us that see you city dwellers as out of
control automatons who have corrupt values and emotions. We feel that you
corrupt and dilute the potency of the upcoming changes, and that you are devoid
of the necessary spirituality to transfigure into the upcoming spiritual realm.”

“More superstition I
think, this time dressed up as some kind of shamanistic understanding. Believe
me; I have already received the whole package from River. I am sorry but I just
don’t buy this animistic nonsense,” Nathan paused to make sure that he wasn’t
offending his audience. “The reality of this symbiotic relationship between you
and nature is that you live in a harsh unforgiving environment that controls
your population by starvation and by supplying unknown trials and tribulations.
City Dwellers live in an easy world where all is managed and predetermined. We
supplant nature with technology. We integrate technology and genetic
alterations to work with the human body and enhance the human experience. We
have improved intellect, mental abilities, access to information and physical
abilities through bionic implants and other enhancements. We believe that we
are approaching the crest of civilization, and that we are at the transhumanist
dawn of computer sentience, which we intend to harness and integrate into the
human condition. We have been in the process of overcoming and solving the
problems that afflict humanity since the advent of quantum computing. To me
your spirituality is just another religion, and I see religions as superstition,”
Nathan felt a sense of completion. He had been trying to express this point of
view for the last couple of days but this time he felt that he had made some
succinct points.

Geren and Isuzu looked
like they were studying his words with deep reflection. Nathan expected a long
speech about chakras or some such in reply, but Geren’s reply was short and
succinct. “Your words are very candid and very interesting to us,” -Again he was
speaking on behalf of Isuzu- “We too, believe that we are at dawn of a new age.
In this new age the spiritual will supersede the physical. This world is
animistic and the spirit of the creator is all encompassing,” Geren tended to
make much shorter statements than Isuzu. Nathan wondered whether Isuzu might
now speak to conclude the point but instead he seemed content with Geren’s
summing up. However Isuzu did offer more honey and mushroom tea which Nathan
gratefully accepted.

Nathan felt good. In
fact he felt better than he had felt in years. He had enjoyed the food and was
now enjoying the company. Although he didn’t agree with most of their beliefs,
he definitely did feel a certain kinship or shared appreciation of nature and
the environment. This is why he loved natural free-running as opposed to the
more popular urban equivalent. As there debate seemed to have concluded, He
excused himself from present company and went for a walk alone outside of the
entrance to the cavern. What he encountered first was a blinding sun even
though it lay considerably lower in the sky. His eyes adjusted and he began to
notice certain details for the first time. He was amazed at the sheer beauty
and complexity of everything around him. The texture of rocks and the
surrounding foliage looked both beautiful and fascinating. The horse whinnied
and caught his attention, and he mesmerised by the beauty and strength of these
animals to which he felt an attachment. However most interesting to him was the
all pervading pattern that he could see seemingly embossed on everything. The
pattern was particularly clear on the soil, and he stooped down to examine it
closer. However the closer he got to it, the complexity of the pattern
exponentially doubled until it seemed to become something quite independent yet
seemingly running through the core of everything. Nathan realised that he was
experiencing some kind of distorted perception and reasoning, but he didn’t
mind; he felt quite comfortable and almost on the verge of understanding
something which for the moment eluded him. He was aware of presence of River,
at first standing beside him, and then squatting down beside him. River had put
his arm around his shoulder in a warm comforting gesture and asked him how he
was feeling. Nathan replied that he felt fine, but River now asked him what he
wanted to do next.