Aegis Rising (13 page)

The little boy nodded earnestly and padded off into a different quarter of the
neyra
. Tayoka walked out of the shelter, his companions following him closely after waving goodbye to Mitska and her son.

“Tayoka?” Saiyu asked worriedly as she caught up to him. “Is something the matter?”

Tayoka was rubbing his face. He paused for a moment and with a pained look in his eyes, said hoarsely, “The water. It is the source of the illness.”

The Elders looked at each other. “The water?”

“Yes. When Fiotez became ill, it was after he drank the water from a stream. His friends did not drink the water, thus staying healthy. The boy’s grandfather drank water from the lake, but the boy himself did not. And who winds up becoming sick?”

The Elders stared at Tayoka for some time, letting the words sink in. “The water is unsafe to drink?” Saiyu shuddered. “For ages our people have lived off the water from the rivers and lakes around our valley, and we have never had any problems. What has changed? What is causing this?”

They gazed at each other, thoughts swirling in their minds.
If
the water was unfit to drink . . . where did it leave the people of Dema-Ki?

Nageau broke the quiet. “Right now, this is only an assumption, albeit it has a strong foothold in the wall of reason. Still, we cannot announce it to our people just yet—”

“Why not?” Tayoka interjected. “They have a right to know. It concerns them greatly.”

“You are right, they do. But we have the responsibility to be certain.”

“How?”

“We need to test the water immediately, starting with Esroh Lègna.”

14

M
ariah woke with a start and found herself outside the boys’
neyra
. She lifted her head up and looked at her friends groggily. Jag was leaning against the outside of the shelter, fast asleep. Tegan’s head rested on his shoulder and she too, was in slumber. Kody, who had dozed off next to Jag, had slumped down, giving the appearance of the famous hunchback of Notre Dame. Mariah cocked her head and giggled at the comical sight. Aari was at their feet, lying on his side on the cool grass and snoring softly.

She looked up at the sky as she stretched and was more than surprised to see the sun already slipping behind the mountains of the valley. Deciding that it was time for the group to get up, she tousled Tegan’s hair with one hand and Jag’s with the other. As the two started out of their nap, she went over to Kody on her hands and knees and tickled him until he woke up laughing hysterically. The laughter roused Aari, who, when he saw the sight, had to grin.

When the laughter died, Aari took a good look around. “We fell asleep!” he exclaimed.

Jag yawned. “It’s not like we have anything better to do, anyway.”

“I’m feeling a little ripe,” Kody said. “And my head itches a tad. I need a shower, pronto.”

“While we’re on the subject, have you noticed that they have hot water piped to the shelters?” Aari, being the ever observant one, asked. “Like in Huyani’s place. How do they do that? And the stove fire in Huyani’s kitchen—it lights right up when she strikes a flint. How’s that possible out here in the middle of nowhere?”

His friends were not entirely surprised by his astute observations. They simply hadn’t paid attention to it, although it did intrigue them a little.

They were so deeply engaged in their chatter that they did not notice Akol sneaking up on them. Without so much as a warning, he pounced and grabbed Mariah by the shoulders from behind, hollering, “
Mariah!
”

Mariah shrieked and jumped to her feet. She whirled around and saw Akol grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Why you . . . !” With what was left of her dignity, she swatted him on the head and he accepted his punishment.

Rubbing his crown and still grinning, Akol bowed to her. “My sincere apologies, Mariah. I could not resist the temptation.”

“Yeah, right.” Mariah had to purse her lips in order to not burst out in amusement and threw her arms up. “Guys are the same everywhere.”

Jag gave Akol a thumbs-up. “Kudos, bro. Way to keep that girl on her toes.”

Mariah gave him a look. “Do you want to get hit on the head as well, Jag?”

“Uh, no. Sorry. I’ll shut up.”

“Please and thank you.”

Akol smiled at the friends. “Huyani and I have a few interesting table games that we can play before the evening meal.”

“Table games? Like board games or something?” Tegan asked with a tilt of her head.

“Something like that. My sister and I sense you are feeling a little bored, so we thought perhaps you would enjoy some entertainment.”

“Could you dance like a monkey and tell some really funny jokes?”

Akol stared at Tegan, chagrined. “I cannot promise you the jokes, but the monkey thing, I can try.”

The five laughed as they stood and followed Akol to Huyani’s
neyra
.

*  *  *

Aari watched his four friends sit on either side of a wooden board. To him, it resembled a chess game except it was twice the size. The square quadrants were over a beautiful painting that showed an aerial view of a forest. There were game pieces representing wild animals and the elements, all artistically carved and vividly colored.

Akol was guiding Jag, Kody, Tegan, and Mariah as they played the game. Aari quietly stood up and walked over to stand beside Huyani, who was preparing their meal. He passed by a shelf that held a few rolled up parchments. Jag had spotted them earlier and asked what they were. Akol explained them to be maps that outlined the valley and the surrounding areas, and that Huyani used them to mark spots where she could gather certain herbs. Aari vaguely remembered the glint in Jag’s eyes as he listened intently to Akol’s words.

Huyani glanced at Aari and gave him one of her charming smiles. “Are you here to help me cook?” she teased.

“Sorry, that would be Kody’s department. I’m a lousy cook.” Aari leaned against one of the two counters. “Actually, I’m curious about something.”

“Oh? And what might that be?”

“How do you get hot water running in here?” he asked.

Huyani’s smile widened. “I did not think anyone would be interested. The answer is simple: We have pipes leading from our hot springs to almost every building in this valley.”

“Hot springs?”

“Yes. Perhaps we will show you where they are located sometime.”

“That would be great. But out here in the middle of nowhere, where do you get your pipes from?”

“Well, we make them.”

“Make them—here?”

Huyani chuckled. “We may be isolated . . .” She paused, trying to think of the right words. “. . . but what you call utilities are not lost on us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mm, nothing,” she backpedaled.

“I hate being kept in the dark.”

“I apologize, I do not mean to. If it helps to allay your curiosity, the pipes are made of clay that is glazed.”

“Glazed clay! Hey, that would be like the terra-cotta pipes people in ancient times used.”

“Yes. My ancestors used clay to make pipes as well as other things. A lot of the workings that you see in Dema-Ki exist thanks to their insights and the handing over of that knowledge from one generation to another.”

“That explains the hot water, but I’ve got other questions too.” Aari pointed at the stove. “How do you start the fire up so easily like that? It seems to work like the gas stove I’ve got back home. And I’ve noticed glass being used in windows. Also, that humongous building across the river appears to be made entirely out of glass. How’s that possible? How do you get glass here? Don’t you need some kind of a machine to make it?”

Huyani smiled again. “My, you are a curious one, are you not?”

Impervious to the comment, Aari raised an eyebrow and prompted, “Well?”

Huyani put down her spatula and turned to him with a gentle look. “When the time is right, I am sure you will be shown how things work around here.”

Aari rolled his eyes. “Here’s that expression again: ‘When the time is right.’”

She didn’t respond to Aari’s remark. Instead, she gave his arm a comforting rub and turned back to her cooking. “Please call the others. Let them know that the evening meal will be served shortly.”

*  *  *

They were enjoying their meal when there was a knock outside Huyani’s
neyra
. Huyani, curious, left her meal and opened the door. The handsome faces of her fellow villagers Hutar and Aesròn grinned at her. Her eyebrows rose in astonishment and she smiled sweetly at them. In her native tongue, she said, “Ah, what a surprise. What are you both doing here?”

“Actually, Matikè is here with us as well.” The boys stepped apart, revealing the slender girl behind them. Matikè cracked a smile. “Hello, Huyani.” The two girls hugged each other. As they let go, Hutar and Aesròn stepped between them, hiding Matikè from Huyani’s view once again.

Huyani clasped her hands in front of her. “What are you doing here?” she repeated.

Hutar said smoothly, “The whole valley knows of our visitors. We thought it might be nice of us to acquaint ourselves with them.”

Akol suddenly appeared beside his sister and leaned against the doorframe. “Hutar, Aesròn,” he greeted. “What brings you here? Should you not be having your evening meal?”

“We were wondering if we could join you here and associate with the five guests,” Hutar replied.

Akol raised his chin a little higher. “Why the sudden interest?” he asked, trying to keep suspicion out of his voice. He’d never really liked Hutar. There was something about the eighteen-year-old youth that just didn’t click.

“It is not sudden, Akol. We have all been wondering. You know as well as we do that we have never had visitors in our quiet little valley. We would like to get acquainted with them. You could say we are intrigued.”

Akol shook his head. “That is very considerate of you both, but the Elders have told us that the visitors are not to be exposed to the people just yet.”

“Oh, it is not just the two of us, Akol,” Aesròn said as he and Hutar stepped aside, revealing Matikè.

The girl offered Akol a faint smile. “Hello, Akol. How are you?”

Akol’s eyes widened a little and he fumbled with his words. “Uh, just fine, thank you. I did not realize you were here with these two.”

Matikè nodded. “We would like to get to know the visitors. Do you mind if we join you for the evening meal? It smells like you have prepared something scrumptious.”

Akol looked to Huyani for an answer just as his sister caught a quick exchange of glances between Hutar and Matikè. Matikè bowed her head slightly and stared up at Akol with saddened eyes. “Well, alright then. I suppose we shall take your silence as a refusal.”

Just as she turned to leave with Hutar and Aesròn, Akol blurted, “No! It is quite alright. You may join us, but please do not disquiet our guests. They are still recovering from their ordeal.”

As the three youths took off their shoes before entering, Huyani pulled Akol aside. “What is the matter with you?” she hissed. “The Elders will not be pleased if they learn we allowed our people to make contact with these five.”

Akol shrugged defensively. “I am sorry—I did not know how to turn them away.”

“It was more like you did not know how to turn Matikè away. Listen to me, brother. You cannot, absolutely
cannot
allow her to curry favors with you like she did just now. I feel she was using your emotions for her to get inside with the other two.”

Akol huffed. “Impossible. No one knows my feelings for her except you, and I know you would not tell a soul unless I agreed.”

“No, I would not. But I have heard talk going around. This is not good, Akol.”

“I promise it will not happen again.” Akol led the way into the dining quarter of Huyani’s
neyra
.

The friends looked up from their meal in surprise at the newcomers. Mariah and Tegan gave each other glances when they spotted the two male youths.
Dang
, Mariah thought.
What’s this? The Village of the Gorgeous Genes?

One of the newcomers, a youth with close-cropped black hair and dark blue eyes set above high cheekbones, took stock of the five even as they studied him. He looked to be around the same age as Akol and was built much like him, with well-toned arms and a tall, athletic body. He wore a brown hide jacket with white seams and his skin was tanned like Akol’s, though Mariah sensed the three arrivals were not relatives of the siblings.

She turned her gaze to a second boy who had uniquely light-colored eyes and dark brown hair. He had fair skin and an aquiline nose. A predator’s large incisor was strung around his neck. There were faded brown stains on the fang that she guessed were blood. Like the other two boys in the
neyra
, he was lean, broad-shouldered, and exuded a calm bearing.

Lastly, Mariah took stock of the girl following the two boys. In a sense, she was similar to Huyani with her slim, attractive figure and fluid motions, but the likeness ended there. Matikè’s eyes were more rounded and were light green with what appeared to be gold flecks in them. She wore her brown hair in a long ponytail, and her skin was the shade of mocha. While she appeared delicate and was slightly shorter than Jag, something about the way she moved made Mariah believe she could give the sixteen-year-old a run for his money in parkour.

Akol introduced the newcomers to the five. “My friends, I would like you to meet a few of our fellow Dema-Ki youths: Hutar, Aesròn, and Matikè.”

The two boys and Matikè smiled at the five.

“Aesròn and I can understand your language and speak interactively with you, but dear Matikè does not have our ability,” Hutar said to the five. Then he extended a hand. “It is a pleasure to finally meet our very first visitors.”

The friends each shook his hand as Huyani served the three, and Akol brought out more seats. Hutar took a spot beside Mariah and Aesròn sat beside Hutar. Matikè joined Huyani across from Aesròn. Akol sat back down beside Jag.

Hutar, taking the first bite from his meal, complimented Huyani on her cooking and she smiled at him gratefully. He then looked at the five and studied them in quiet for a while. Having chewed on a spoonful of wild rice, he finally asked, “How are you all feeling? Surely the way you have been injured is not to be taken lightly.”