Aegis Rising (15 page)

“Huh, we did.” Tegan looked at Jag and Kody, amused.

“And like I said then,” Aari continued, “there are all sorts of dangers out there, and as far as I know, we don’t have enough experience to go wandering around and hope that good fortune will smile down at us and bring us to safety.”

Kody sighed. “I don’t want a recap of the conversation earlier, so I’m gonna lay out the two choices; either stay put, or leave. Take your side.”

“I just did, dimwit.”

Kody’s face twisted into a grimace. “Okay, whatever. This is what I really mean: Jag and I are going to leave this place. I think Tegan’s coming too?” He looked at her and continued when she nodded. “So are you two just going to stay put here or leave with us?”

Aari let out a laugh, though it sounded more harsh than humored. “Are you serious, Kode-man? Listen to yourself. You three wouldn’t leave Mariah and me here alone and wander off.”

Mariah agreed. “He’s got that one right. We’ve been through too much over the years for you to actually leave a part of the group behind.”

“That plays two ways,” Jag said finally. “If Teegs, Kody and I left, you guys would hate being all by yourself, stuck here.”

They stared at each other, confused, hesitant, and helpless. Tegan groaned. “Come on, guys. We need to decide this now, so think about it. What do we gain from remaining here?”

“Oh, gee, I don’t know,” Aari replied sarcastically. “Maybe staying alive?”

“Okay, that’s debatable,” Tegan admitted. “But . . . you two, come on. What could we accomplish by avoiding making a decision? I don’t want to waste any more time here. I want to go back to Great Falls and be with my family.”

Aari said nothing but gave his friend an understanding smile. The
neyra
was silent and for a while, the only sound to be heard was of the rain falling outside. At last Aari said quietly, “Okay, what plans have you guys made?”

Mariah, beside him, groaned and gave a solid punch to his shoulder. “You’re a loser, you know that? I was
counting on you
to hold your ground against this madness.”

Aari seemed regretful but also determined. “I know, Mariah, I know,” he answered softly. “But if you think about it, what
are
our options, really?”

“What about these people? They’ve been sheltering us, caring for us, feeding us . . . For crying out loud Aari, if it weren’t for them, we’d be dead.”

“I’m not suggesting they’re bad people,” protested Aari. “I like them. We all do. We can’t continue to live here is all I’m saying.”

“And I don’t know about you guys,” Kody added, “but even though I’ve kind of grown fond of them, I feel imprisoned. Surely you would have noticed by now how they’ve curbed our movements. And they don’t want anyone else to meet us. Kind of disturbing, if you ask me.”

“But they
are
nice people,” Tegan supplied quickly.

Jag shook his head. “Nice, yes. But there’s secrecy about them that I don’t get, and it’s making me feel uncomfortable. Kody made a really good point. The restrictions they’ve put on us makes me feel like I’m a captive or something.” He glanced at Mariah. “You can’t tell me you haven’t felt that.”

Mariah sighed. “I never said that. Look, the main thing I’m concerned about is our safety. That’s all.”

“Believe me,” Jag said, staring at his hands, “we’re all a bit worried about that.”

Tegan looked up at him. “Looks like we’re all on the same page now. Well, more or less.” She cast a nonchalant glance at Aari and Mariah. “I think it’s about time you laid out your plan, Jag.”

Jag looked at Kody and nodded once in confirmation. Kody reached under his sleeping bag and pulled out a rolled-up parchment. Tegan sat straight and peered at it inquisitively. “What’s that?”

“A map from Huyani’s
neyra
,” Kody said slyly. “One of the dozen or so she’s got.”

Aari and Mariah leaned closer. “You stole it?” Aari asked incredulously.

“Hey, talk to the man who told me to swipe it,” he shot back, jerking his thumb at Jag. Tegan, Aari, and Mariah looked at Jag, who shrugged and said, “I’d like to think of it as borrowing.”

Mariah crossed her arms. “Without the intention of returning it.”

Jag cleared his throat. “Not true. I do intend to . . . somehow. Plus, we need something to rely on when we’re out there.”

They watched as Kody picked gingerly at a knotted string holding the parchment in its tube form. The fiber fell away, and slowly the map unfolded by itself. The five crowded around it, hungry eyes picking up every detail. It was definitely an old map but whatever ink the maker had used to sketch it was still very much visible. Rubbing their fingers over the material, they realized the map was fabricated from animal hide and was cool to the touch.

As the rest watched, Jag and Kody carefully outlined the plot for the group, working out some details and taking in suggestions. The main idea was to leave Dema-Ki from its western end and enter an adjacent valley marked with a pinecone on the map. They were to keep heading in the direction of the route the bears may have taken when they brought the teenagers to the village.

Jag was hoping that by following that course through the ‘pinecone’ valley, it would somehow lead them to the crash site. He traced a fine line on the map through the adjacent valley that may have been an actual path. To his recollection, the mountain range with its valleys had been to the east prior to the crash; to him, it seemed logical to trek westward. Once at the crash site, they would search for the plane’s radio and call for help. If the radio was broken, they would have no choice but to head to the closest town. As they recalled from the map they’d studied before the trip, it would be either Ross River or Mayo. Or so they hoped. Even then, as Aari pointed out, it would take a good number of days before they reached either place.

As the thrill grew between the friends, more time was spent discussing the escape. The night wore on with the rain pouring steadily outside. The five decided to break away only after they poked their heads outside when the rain ceased, surprised to be greeted by the first light of dawn.

Although sleep was the furthest thing from their minds, they knew they would require all the rest they could get. Besides, there was a fair amount of preparation to be done. They bid each other a wry good night as the girls headed back to their neyra.

They didn’t notice a figure crouched high on a branch of a tree in the shadows, not far from the boys’ shelter. The figure watched silently as the girls trudged toward their
neyra
. He waited patiently as they disappeared from sight, then leapt off the branch and half-swooped toward the ground, landing quietly on his feet. He looked around cautiously, then slunk through the trees, head down. A hint of a sinister smile grew on his lips as he weaved his way toward his shelter, and his fierce blue eyes glinted with malice.

16

T
he soft yet steady footsteps alerted the squirrel that a visitor was nearby. Squeaking, it dropped its nut and scrambled up a tree with its bushy tail waving.

Pulled away from his foreboding thoughts, Tayoka glanced up at the creature that was chattering irately at him and smiled. He paused at the foot of the tree, bent down to retrieve the nut, and looked up at the squirrel. “Sorry, old friend. I did not mean to scare you out of your business. I believe this is yours.” He held open his palm with the nut resting atop. The animal gazed at it for a few moments then clambered down onto Tayoka’s hand. Grabbing the nut, the squirrel whizzed right back up the tree and hid itself in the safety of the leaves.

Refreshing,
mused the Elder as he continued walking.
The little things in life that can make a man’s day so much brighter.
He hefted the glass jar in his hand and pursed his lips. He was heading to a lake to gather a sample of the water to see if it was contaminated. He and six other men were venturing outside of Dema-Ki. After a quick briefing earlier in the morning instructing the men not to drink from the waters they were testing, Tayoka had sent his brethren off in different directions to collect the water samples from varying sources.

The lake the Elder was heading to was the same one where Mitska’s mate had camped with their grandson before falling ill.
What in the world would have seeped through these waters?
Tayoka wondered.
They’ve been safe for generations.

He grabbed a water pelt from his daypack and took a quick drink, then glanced up at the sky through the trees and wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. It was midday, which meant he’d been walking for a few hours already. He figured that at this pace, he would reach the lake shortly.

The forest had the fresh yet damp scent after a good rainfall that Tayoka very much enjoyed. He spotted several birds pecking at the ground, attempting to capture a delectable meal in their beaks. Not wanting to bother them, he walked around the creatures and continued on for the next half hour in silence.

Maneuvering around a large boulder, he halted in surprise, for not ten feet in front of him was a dead mountain lion.
Goodness, what happened to the poor fellow?
The Elder put his jar and pack on the ground beside the boulder and carefully made his way over to the animal’s carcass. He grabbed a broken branch and prodded the body. As he flipped its head over, he snarled and leapt back. The stench emanating from the creature’s open jaws was beyond repulsive. Yellow foam encrusted its mouth and dried blood soaked the animal’s fur. Upon closer observation, the Elder found that the source of the blood was the creature’s maw. It had bled internally. Disturbed, he walked in circles around the mountain lion. It could have been rabies that the animal had contracted, but there was a tugging in his gut that told him it was something far more serious that stole the life of this once-magnificent creature.

Retrieving his belongings, he gave the carcass a wide berth as he strode past. The image of the dead animal still bothered him as he reached the lake. Walking down the pebble beach, he rubbed his head and squinted against the sun, spotting an unusually large poplar tree with massive overhanging branches. He walked toward it and placed his hand on its bark. Then, in a catlike manner, he leapt onto one of the branches and found a comfortable spot to sit on. He shrugged off his daypack and fished through it, bringing out a caribou jerky. He took a big bite from it and smiled. Leave it to Saiyu and Tikina to pack him off with something he loved most. He made a mental note to thank them both once he returned.

Scanning the lake from his vantage point, he munched down the last of his jerky and grabbed another quick gulp of water from his water pelt. He placed the pack on his back and leapt fifteen feet down from the branch, landing in a fluid motion with his knees flexed.

He padded down to the shore, then uncapped his jar and filled it with lake water, making sure his fingers did not come in contact with the water. Deciding to walk further down the shore, he reached the midpoint of the beach. Here he removed another jar from his daypack to collect a fresh sample from this location.

As he bent over to fill the jar, the wind picked up and with it he became aware of an awful smell. It was the stench of something rotting. Scrunching his nose, he recapped the jar and walked until he came upon a sight of dead fish scattered at the edge of the water. He crouched by the fish, forehead creased with worry. He thought their bodies were still preserved until he peered at one and found it partially eaten.
Oh, no
. Tayoka looked away from the fish toward the shore and pinched his bottom lip. Confirming his fears, a raven lay dead on the ground about thirty paces from the waterline, its blood-encrusted beak open and its feathers dry and brittle.
The animals that eat the contaminated creatures are also dying.

Tayoka’s apprehension heightened. Making a quick decision, he took out the wrapper in which the caribou jerky had been packed in, flipped it over and wrapped one of the fish in it and carefully placed it in his now-empty pack.

The Elder stood up and stared across the beautiful blue-gray water with ominous thoughts swirling in his mind. As he watched, he noticed dark storm clouds forming over the far side of the lake. He figured it would be best to start trekking to the village in haste. As he turned and began walking back, still thinking about the dead animals, he wondered:
If the contaminant in the water is so lethal, how long do the infected ones in the village have before they succumb to it as well?

17

“I
f we get caught, I am ditching you guys. I’ll tell them I was trying to stop you,” Aari hissed as he glanced back and realized that they had covered a fair bit of ground since leaving their shelters. It was the dead of the night and the valley was eerily silent, as if all the inhabitants were quietly watching the friends leave the valley.

Jag chuckled. “I’d like to see you try that, especially with Tegan here.”

Aari glanced at Tegan, who was smirking at him, and rolled his eyes. The gray-eyed girl did not take kindly to those who turned their backs on a team.

Jag looked at Aari with a puzzled grin. “It’s odd, though. I thought you agreed on us leaving this place a couple nights ago. You even suggested some ideas while we planned this escape.”

“Yeah, but . . . I’m still wary about the whole thing. It’s my nature to be skeptical.”

“I thought it was in your nature to advance, what with your partial German heritage.”

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

Jag’s only response was another grin as he walked past Aari and weaved in between Tegan and Mariah. Putting an arm around each and drawing them closer, he murmured quietly, “Huyani’s shelter is coming right up. Since you are both more nimble and . . . eh, lighter on your feet, it’s probably a good idea if one of you went ahead to scout it out, just to be safe.”

Tegan nodded, slid the pack she was carrying off her shoulders, and quietly padded ahead. Jag, Mariah, Kody, and Aari silently watched after her. Kody muttered, “Someone should’ve told her to watch out for that wolf—what’s his name?”