Against the Empire: The Dominion and Michian (16 page)

“There is a great threat to the Dominion that you know nothing about,” John Mark said. “An invasion is beginning, in a remote corner of the land. The invaders are traveling in a fashion you will recognize when you see it. I am going to send you to that far-off land so that you can learn about this threat and determine how to address it. And when you come back from that journey, you will be sent on two other journeys to begin to take the steps to prepare the Dominion to defend itself.

“Take this,” John Mark held out a small sealed jar. “This will be your means of return from Michian.”

Alec reached out to take the jar, and he rolled the name of the land around in his mind as he accepted it. “How will this bring me back?”

“It is a jar of dust from this very cave,” John Mark motioned. “Open the jar, pour out the sand in a circle around you, and call out my name. You will return here.”

“When will I go and when should I come back?” Alec asked.

“You’ll go in just a few seconds, when I send you,” the prophet replied gently, and you’ll come back when you think you’ve learned enough and are ready to return.” He tossed Alec his back pack. “And one last thing. Because your speech is so different, your accent would give you away if you were to speak in Michian, so you will go there, and exist there, as a mute, without a tongue, unable to speak.”

Alec looked up from the jar in startlement and began to protest.

“I will see you soon, Alec. Go with God’s blessings, and remember that you can always do more or be better,” John Mark blessed him with hands raised. “But know that he loves you now and always as a very special son,” and the dim light in the cave faded to black.

Section 2

Michian

Chapter 18 – Arrival in the Empire

Alec blinked rapidly as the utter blackness of the cave was replaced instantly by bright sunlight, and he found himself standing in the front row of a huge crowd, lining a street as a great pageant proceeded past. The sun was blindingly bright overhead, and the air felt intensely hot. Alec’s eyes were still squinted closed, but he was aware of many bright colors around him. The buildings on the far side of the street were painted in extravagant hues, and the people around him mostly wore robes and billowing clothes that were bright shades of green and yellow and blue and violet, while the band of musicians who were passing by were dressed in white and blue striped outfits that looked like pajamas to him.

But what struck Alec immediately was the drama taking place on the finely ground stone surface of the road he was facing. A member of the band was sprawled unconscious, surrounded by a few of his band mates, while the rest of the group attempted to play on as if their performance was undiminished by the circumstances.

Alec grabbed the bag of medical supplies John Mark had apparently sent with him, feeling its weight slung over his shoulder, The soft dark leather bag was bulging with materials, and Alec stepped forward to look at the condition of the laid out player, who had a large wooden instrument lying next to him.

The surrounding band mates were not offering any assistance to their companion as they stood over him, and Alec peremptorily spread his arms and pressed them back to give the man room. Alec allowed his health vision to carefully examine the man, looking for possible injuries and illnesses. Beyond the evident dehydration, there was nothing else troubling the man, a stout man perhaps a decade older than Alec. Reaching into his bag of materials, Alec pulled out a small bundle of leafy twigs. He pulled one of the twigs loose from the bundle, and broke it in three places, then stuck the fragments into the nostrils of his patient.

The man inhaled the pungent aroma of the fetid egg fern and coughed, then opened his eyes, looking wildly about him.

“You need water and rest,” Alec tried to say, but only inarticulate noises emerged from his tongueless mouth. The realization of his state distracted Alec immensely, but the cheers of the surrounding band players pulled his attention back to the matter at hand.

Alec looked around. Hanging from a hook on a lamp post nearby was a bucket. Alec grabbed the shoulder of a musician and pointed at the bucket, making imploring sounds.

“Do you want something?” the man asked in a slow languid accent.

Alec placed an arm under his patient and attempted to raise him. He was joined by a perceptive band member, so that they raised the ill man to his unsteady feet. Alec pointed in the direction of the bucket again, and together the two of them dragged the patient over to the post, where Alec sat him back down on the ground, leaning against the post. Another band member had carried the musical instrument over next to him, and then the four players abandoned their companion to rejoin the rest of the band that had moved on down the parade route.

Pulling the bucket down, Alec saw that it fortunately was half full of water. He unbuttoned the man’s robe to open the front, then cupped his hands and dowsed the man’s head with water to try to cool him. He cupped his hands a second time and brought them to the man’s mouth. Alec grunted encouragement to the man to drink. The overheated player rolled his eyes to look up at Alec as he placed his lips in the water, and greedily sucked down the little Alec offered.

Alec decided to speed the man’s recovery along, and placed his hand on his shoulder, allowing a trickle of healing power to filter into his chest, and pulling his body temperature down. He used his right hand, his left still darkly splotched and feeling slightly painful after the encounter in the cave.

“I’m much better, thank you,” his patient said, speaking for the first time. Alec removed his hand, and sat down on the dusty curb beside the man, as a regiment of soldiers trooped by in rigid formation. “I wasn’t feeling well, and then all the sudden I felt my knees buckle, and that’s the last I knew until we were sitting here.”

Alec reached over and brushed away the remnants of the fern from the man’s upper lip.

“We owe you a great deal. That was a terrible embarrassment to our clan. Thank you for correcting the situation so quickly,” a voice said over his shoulder.

Alec looked up at a gentleman wearing a set of robes that had a blue and white stripe pattern similar to the band player’s. “By the time they reach the emperor’s review stand, no one will know anything was amiss.” The man knelt down next to the musician. “You nearly cost us a great deal of honor, you know,” he said without malice to the patient. “This boy saved your bacon. Do you feel well enough to go home and rest?”

“I’m fine now,” the man on the ground said, rising. “He took good care of me. I apologize to you and everyone. I’m just not used to this heat. Will we be able to ride the restorer back to the villa soon?”

“You know the restorer is going to be busy for at least a week, or longer if we lend it to the army much more,” the man in robes said. “Let’s go to the reverence stand, then back home,” he motioned to a person Alec hadn’t noticed in the background, a girl his own age wearing a headpiece, short skirt and sleeveless tunic, all also striped in blue and white. “Rief,” he said, and she stepped out from the crowd, picked up the instrument, then the three of them started to push back through the crowd, disappearing quickly from view.

Alec stood in his spot, trying to make sense of all that he had just heard.

“Down in front,” someone called, and he was jostled by spectators wanting to watch the flow of events in the parade, as a dozen jugglers were now exchanging large metal plates from one to the other.

“Come on,” a voice said urgently, and there was a strong tug at his sleeve. Turning, Alec saw the girl servant who had just left with the large musical instrument. “We can’t wait forever just for you to watch the jugglers.” She adjusted her hand to grab his elbow and pull him forcefully towards her. “I’m not going to get in trouble for being slow because you’re dallying,” she said with exasperation.

Alec let himself be led away from the street, jostling people aside through a dozen or more layers of spectators until he was in an open space behind the crowd, where the four connected wooden tubes of the cast-aside musical instrument lay. The girl released him, picked up the instrument, then looked down the street. “They’re just in sight. Let’s go,” she said, breaking into a trot to catch up with her masters. Alec hesitated a moment, then began to follow her.

They traveled in a beeline until they were just two steps behind the girl’s leader, then slowed their pace to maintain their position. Still dazed by the holy experience in the cave, and then the abrupt transference to this strange society, Alec tried to make sense of what was happening, but had no more than begun to reflect on the situation than the thick crowds on his left abruptly ended as a series of tented pavilions took their place along the parade route.
He said “Rief,”
Alec thought. Was that a command to do something, or the girl’s name?

Alec guessed which tent they might be headed to as soon as he saw a large blue and white striped structure along the ornate row, where every tent seemed to have a different combination of colors, shapes and symbols. A servant pulled a flap open and the small group walked in without fuss. Inside, a small row of tiers allowed the occupants to sit sedately near an opening and watch the parade go by, while a buffet on the side was copiously supplied with food and drink.

“Come have something cool, Cander,” the older of Alec’s companions said to his musician. “Then go sit and rest. The Emperor will be ready for bowing before dinner, so we have a little while to wait.”

The two men prepared plates of food and mugs, then went to sit and watch the parade. Alec turned to look at the girl to see what to do. She felt his eyes on her, and looked directly back.

“What? What do you want?” she said as she finished storing the musical instrument in a trunk beneath the stands. “Speak up. I’m not going to try to guess what you need; has the cat got your tongue?” she asked as she came to stand directly in front of him.

Alec opened his mouth wide and mutely pointed at the empty cavity, which still feel so strange and awkward without its missing tongue.

“Oh. Oh, I am so sorry. That was dreadful,” she whispered as she took a step back. She closed her eyes for a long moment, and a trace of revulsion and perhaps pity crossed her face.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

Alec nodded his head. He was hungry, but hadn’t realized it until she asked.

She took his hand and led him through a partition to another portion of the tent, apparently the storage section. She had grabbed his left hand, and within moments he jerked it away. She looked at him in surprise, with a look of rejection momentarily crossing her face, then looked at the hand and saw the scars on it. “Oh my goodness, you’ve had some problems, haven’t you? Are you alright?” she asked.

Alec nodded. He hadn’t been hurt when she grabbed his hand, he had been shocked. A sense of her character came flooding into him. It was an enhanced version of his Spiritual ingenaire powers, except that it only occurred during the moment of physical contact with the hand. He had felt the immaturity and impatience of the girl, but also the underlying kindness and decency that defined her.

“
You’re sure you’re okay?” she double-checked. He nodded. “Then we’ll get you that bite of food.” She opened a crate and lifted out a loaf of bread.

“Here. Would you like something to drink with it?”

Alec nodded again, and she moved to another crate, from which she pulled out a ceramic mug that she handed to Alec.

“Rief, what are you doing in here?” their leader from the street asked, peeking in through the tent opening.