Aegis Rising (44 page)

Once at the foot of the mountain, the cat flopped down by a tree, panting, energy spent. Using the lynx, Tikina looked up at the peak in the fading light. She could hear the faint but irritated howls of the beasts she had left behind.

This will not be as easy as I had hoped.
Taking a final look at the mountain, Tikina released the link with Tyse. She withdrew back into her own mind and looked down at the parchment sitting before her on the table. The map of the mining site seemed accurate enough. Lifting the paper in one hand, she stood and walked toward the other Elders. They looked up at her, curious.

“There is much preparation to be done,” she told them, showing the map.

Nageau took the parchment from her and examined it. He nodded slowly. “Then let us get started.”

Tikina grabbed his arm before he could turn away, fear evident in her delicate features. “Wait.” She took in a small breath. “There is something else I must tell you . . .”

49

I
t was midmorning and the villagers had quickly settled into the village square. They wondered what more news was to be brought to them by the Elders, who had called for this gathering in haste. The Elders watched them. Calm as they seemed, there was urgency in the air around them and their kin could feel it. The five were sitting at the very front with Akol, who would quietly translate the Elders’ words for the five as they were spoken.

“My friends,” Nageau said. “There are a couple of matters that we must speak off. Firstly, I presume some of you may have heard about an incident that occurred two nights ago, and some of you may have even seen the burnt-down hall at the edge of the village. I do not wish to dwell on those details right now, but yes, these were acts committed by some of our youths. It is despicable and shameful. We shall be dealing with them soon enough.” He glanced down at the five, noting the bruises some of them wore. “There is something I would also like to add. That same night the building burned down, the Elders’ water supply was found to have been poisoned with the contaminant which has made many of our people fall devastatingly ill.”

A gasp rose from the crowd. “Was it the same hoodlums that burned the building who did this?” one man called out, outraged.

The Elders had agreed beforehand that they would not be pointing fingers at Hutar and his comrades just yet, not with bigger issues at hand. “It does not matter,” Nageau answered. “The act was done. But the important thing is, none of the Elders consumed the poison—because our guests here warned us in time, thus saving our lives.” He motioned to the five with a sweep of his hand.

The crowd peered over each other’s heads to look at the five sitting at the front. Their faces expressed their gratitude with awed looks and smiles. The friends would have rather ducked out of view, but they sat tall and dipped their heads at the Elders. Murmurs of praise flowed through the crowd and Akol smiled as he told the friends what the community was saying about them.

“The next matter that we must speak to you about is one of utmost importance, so please listen carefully . . .”

The five sat in silence with the rest of the crowd, gleaning what the Elders were speaking about through Akol. They learned about the mining operation that sat atop the Ayen’et mountain, and discovered that the Elders had done a good deal of exploration. They had even worked on a plan throughout the night to end their quandary. Small wonder they seemed tired.

“We are not a warlike people, but our hand has been forced,” Nageau said, scanning the expression of the villagers. “Now we need to stand up if we are to protect our community and our loved ones.”

“We will need twenty volunteers with the right skills. We have planned for a mission that requires more stealth and less force,” Tayoka told the crowd. “If you are skilled in this area, you are welcome to join us.”

Far more than twenty villagers put up their hands, resolve and fierceness painted on their faces. This was
their
home;
their
people who were dying from the terminal illness spread by the miners. They would not stand for it. This trouble that was causing them to lose their kin—their family—needed to be halted and the villagers were determined to stop it any way they possibly could.

The large show of hands warmed the Elders’ hearts; however, they had deemed that only twenty would join them in their plan. They handpicked the twenty villagers from those who were eager to volunteer. When they had counted the exact number needed, Ashack said, “To those who have been chosen: Meet with us at the temple once you have had your midday meals. There we will discuss the plan in further detail and get you prepared for what is to come.”

*  *  *

Ajajdif sat with his mining engineer in his office. It was lunch time, but the chief of Quest Mining would not eat until he knew how the operation was coming along. Since speaking with the boss, he had been driving his crew harder than usual. “Progress report,” he demanded brusquely, tossing and catching a stress ball that was painted blue and green, like the Earth.

LeChamps checked his tablet. “We will be back on schedule in the next two or three days if everything keeps running as smoothly as it is now. I think that we’ll have the required amount needed by the end of four weeks.”

“Lovely.” Ajajdif squeezed the small foam orb. “Can I suppose that we’ll be out of here in the next month?”

“Possibly,” LeChamps smiled. “Progress has been great as of late.”

“Good.”

“We’re going to need those leaching chemicals soon, though. We’re running out of them pretty quickly.”

“I spoke with HQ a couple days ago, and they said they’d send a bird in with the chemicals.”

“A couple days ago? Shouldn’t they have already been here, then?”

Ajajdif stood and went to pick up an eight-inch crystal sculpture of the Russian priest Rasputin from a shelf. He held it in his palm, looking at it with a pang of nostalgia. “I got an email from Adrian yesterday,” he said, responding to LeChamps. “He said there was some kind of mix-up with the pilot’s schedule, but the cargo should arrive sometime tomorrow morning. I want you to tell your foreman to have a crew ready when the plane comes so that they can unload the drums and other supplies.”

“I’ll tell him that.”

Ajajdif stood up and grabbed his coat. “Have you had lunch yet?”

LeChamps shook his head. “Nope. I was planning to after this.”

“Well, I’m heading to the mess hall, so let’s go.” Ajajdif waited for the mining engineer to step out of his office before closing the door and locking it.

*  *  *

Aari, Jag, Mariah, Tegan, and Kody were sitting side by side facing the river, on the opposite bank from where the gathering square was. The villagers had dispersed soon after the meeting had ended, though some lingered to talk with the Elders or express their thanks to the five for saving the Elders from the poisoned water. Some of the youths tried to worm out of them what had happened in the old community hall but Akol, who was translating, ushered them away good-naturedly.

Aari leaned back on his elbows and stared into the distance. In a faraway voice he asked, “What did you guys think of today’s gathering?”

“Too many big things are happening at once,” Tegan answered. “Hutar’s attack, the illness, the recent loss of villagers, our training, and now this plan of the Elders to infiltrate and shut down the mining site. It’s a lot to take in.”

“I’d like to be part of the plan the Elders laid out, actually,” Kody said from where he was lying on his back beside Tegan. His friends looked to him to continue his thought. “I mean, in a way, they’re kind of like our people now. And we’ve been training with our powers. Maybe we could lend a hand.”

“We haven’t even been training for a month, Kody,” Mariah said. “Even though the Elders have said that we’ve been progressing well, what can we do? We’re just a bunch of kids.”

“Just a bunch of kids with
powers
,” Kody cackled.

“They’re not exactly powers, remember? More like innate skills.”

“It doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, we have it. And I’d really like to put them to the test.”

“I don’t think we’ll be allowed to go,” Aari said. “Besides, the Elders have picked their twenty volunteers already.”

“Thanks, killjoy,” Kody grumbled.

“Am I really a killjoy for stating a fact, or are you just a sourpuss?”

“The second one.” Mariah laughed. “I’m still kind of in shock that not everyone in this valley is as nice as we thought.”

“There are always a few rotten apples in the basket,” Tegan sighed. “Rotten apples that look so good on the outside.”

Aari snorted. “You’re such a girl.” That earned him a smack on the head. “Oy!”

Jag flopped back and stared up at the cloudy sky. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m itching to train again. This is the third day we haven’t been able to because the Elders are so busy.”

“Let’s spar,” Tegan said suddenly.

“What?”

“Sure we can’t really progress with training our powers, but we can practice the defense techniques they’ve shown us.”

Jag bolted up to his feet, his face beaming. “Alright. Let’s go, you and me.”

Tegan hooted in delight and the two moved off and began sparring. Mariah, now left between Aari and Kody, asked, “You guys up for a match?”

“Sure.” Aari got up, then looked at Kody. “You coming?

“Just call me when she beats you to the ground,” Kody answered, and closed his eyes for a short snooze.

*  *  *

Farther up the valley, the Elders took a seat on some divans in the temple as they waited for their twenty volunteers to arrive. Tayoka was absently using his foot to rock the top of a box full of gadgets that Magèo had brought to them for the mission. Without realizing it, he tipped the box too far and some of the devices toppled out. The other Elders looked over and Tayoka shot them a sheepish grin as he hastily picked up the gadgets and put them back in the box. Among the things he gathered were several fibrous coils that the people referred to as active vines. They were capable of binding an adversary’s hands or legs much like a handcuff, except the coils would self-activate upon contact.

Once Tayoka had put the items back in the box, he turned back to the others. They had already decided that each Elder would lead a group of four to execute the plan up on the mountain. Nageau and his team would coordinate the attack from a vantage point up on the mountaintop. Ashack and his group would enter through the abandoned tunnel, while Saiyu and her team would approach from the east near the beasts’ building. Tayoka would lead his team from the north and take position at the edge of the mountain behind what Tikina had described as the building where food was served to the miners. Finally, Tikina herself would be stationed behind the largest building—the workers’ barracks—at the western edge of the site, with her group.

As they were discussing this, a thought that had been on Tikina’s mind since the night before surfaced. She mulled over it for a while before stating, “I think the five should come with us.”

The men turned to look at her, surprised. “Really?” Tayoka asked. “You truly wish to take them on
this
mission?”

“Yes. I have been thinking about this since we began planning the mission yesterday.” She lightly scratched her cheek. “At first, I thought it was reckless, but a feeling has been nagging me. Something inside me is telling me that they must come. Everything that is happening is happening for a reason. The younglings are not here by accident. Destiny’s role for them is unfolding, even as we speak.”

“I agree.”

The men whipped their heads around to look at Saiyu, all of them wide-eyed at the two words she’d spoken.

“The Elders who were most concerned for the five would like to speed up their endangerment?” Nageau asked, bewildered.

“That is certainly not our intent, but I sincerely believe that they have a role to play in this,” Tikina said firmly.

“I do not know.” Ashack met the eyes of the women. “Their training is not yet complete. What if they cannot handle what happens at the mountain?”

“Tsk, such pessimism.” Tikina smiled, trying not to show that she, too, was anxious.

“We must have confidence in them,” said Saiyu softly. “If they can handle this with their training still in progress, imagine what they can accomplish once they
have
finished.”

The Elders looked at each other, then at Nageau. He raised his eyes and met their gazes. “Perhaps they are right,” he said, beginning to nod slowly. “Perhaps this is what we should do. If this is what the silent voice inside us prompts, then it shall be so.”

50

N
ageau lay prone at the edge of a clearing at the top of the Ayen’et mountain. From that vantage point, he had a bird’s eye view of the mining site four hundred feet below. The muffled sound of the machines at work in the tunnel directly below him was barely audible. It was still dark but Nageau knew the sun would rise soon.

The lack of light made it hard to see the site. Nageau pressed his forefingers against his temples and paused, waiting until his low-light vision kicked in. When he scanned the site, he was now able to see the buildings and the miners shuffling about as their shifts changed.

Focusing once more, he activated his detail vision, bringing distant objects into sharp relief. He was mildly surprised by how accurate Tikina’s sketch of the site had been. He could see the big vehicle shed located at the center of the level area. To his left, along the western flank, was a large building that Tikina had identified as the miners’ barracks.

Looking to his right he saw two small buildings erected away from the others. Even after a few reconnaissance missions with Akira, Tikina said that hardly anyone was seen walking in and out of those structures, save for a man with auburn-colored hair.

Nageau felt a tug on his arm and looked back. Kody was sitting cross-legged on the ground beside him. Behind them were four villagers who were also seated in readiness. Kody took a quick look down the mountain and saw the four-hundred foot drop. “Daunting,” he muttered. “How much longer do we have to wait?”