WOLF DAWN: Science Fiction Thriller/ Romance (Forsaken Worlds) (29 page)

Jarith smiled down at his son. “I tell you this story as it was told to me, son. Yes, there were hardships, but there was also much joy. For a time, Ashton, the little family was happy. They could be themselves in each other’s presence.”

Ash’s heart filled with joy as he looked at his father. “They were like we are. Like you, me and mother.”

Jarith’s swallowed and cleared his throat. “You’re right, son. They were close, like our family. When Brent was fifteen, his mother died unexpectedly. He and his father went through a dark time. They had to leave the reservation and the family home, as neither were Sioux. They were not even allowed to attend the funeral.”

“That’s terrible! Why not?” Ash asked.

“His mother was a Sioux princess. The burial ceremony was a secret Sioux Indian tradition; outsiders were not allowed. So in one moment Brent and his father lost everything: mother, wife and home. They were not even allowed to say goodbye. This incident colored Brent’s life in many ways; he hated such irrational injustice, having spent so much time suffering it himself. This is why he was drawn to Delian, to a world where there was freedom from such ignorance.”

“Poor Brent … and his poor father.”

“Yes, life can be cruel. Yet Brent was bright and he was driven to learn. They say a true genius is born maybe once or twice a century and Brent was that genius. From childhood he spent almost all his time studying everything he could about space travel and history. They had no Icom then.”

“No Icom? How did he learn?”

“Through books.”

“Ohhh,” Ash said, remembering. He had been told about books and libraries. “That would have been so hard, to learn without Icom.”

Jarith smiled. “We are lucky to live in these times. By the time he was sixteen, Brent had many offers and accepted a scholarship to University. This meant that he didn’t have to pay for schooling. There he studied quantum physics and mathematics. It was there he met Janice, who as everyone knows became the first and foremost Seer. They fell in love and married. Brent discovered Omni-space and a way to access Omni via the corridors. The richest man on Earth, Brent Jenkins bought himself a Kingship and a planet he named Delian, changed his surname from Jenkins to Chayton, altered his physical features and ‘disappeared.’”

“Who did he take to Delian with him? Did the King …” Ash looked for the word. “Did he choose?

“Jenkins took many of his closest friends and advisors, all willing to conceal the secret of his identity. Are you asking who else came to Delian with him?”

“Yes. Were they all friends of his?”

“Oh, no, son. Millions of people left Earth and came here. Delian was one of the first Freeworld colonized. Other than that, the ship’s departure was publicly announced: anyone was welcome to come. Jenkins had a policy of inclusion, son. He practiced what he preached.”

Ash nodded and quoted from the parables: “Many are called, all are chosen, for the seeds of greatness live in each and every one of us.” A satisfied smile touched his lips. He snuggled down into his large king-sized bed with a sigh. “A happy ending, then. They deserved it.”

“Yes, son. But there is more to the story. It is easy to become confused by cause and effect. Sometimes effect can be the true cause. Things are not always what they seem. You see, while it appears that Brent discovered Omni, came to Delian and found the Talisman, the truth was the opposite:
it was the Talisman, years before its discovery, that drew Brent to Delian.
Both Brent and Janice had a lifetime of vivid dreams and visions. That was how they found each other and that was what they had in common. Janice knew they had to go to Delian to find the Mirror.”

Ash’s languid sleepiness disappeared. Astonished, he sat up in bed. “The first King of Delian said that the King’s Mirror was communicating with him? That it was the Talisman that brought him here?”

“Yes.” Jarith nodded. “I have worn the Talisman for years. I have never had a vision from it, and yet I have seen it react to truth: it glows. But Ashton, I am going to tell you the biggest secret of all, the one that no one knows except your mother and me, and now you. It was the first King’s belief that the Damithst crystal called to him. It was the stone that helped him discover Omni, drawing Brent and Janice Jenkins to Delian. The King’s Mirror wanted them here.”

His father gave him a direct gaze, and his dark eyes glittered with somber intensity. “You see, son,” he said, “the King’s Mirror has a
purpose
and a
plan.”

The Contagion Theory was formulated by Gustave Le Bon. Shielded by anonymity, large numbers of people abandon personal responsibility and surrender to the contagious hypnotic emotions of the crowd. A crowd assumes a life of its own, driving people toward irrational, violent action. The Delian view is that there is such a thing as a group mind. This mind, like any other, is capable of being influenced by common denominators of each individual mind through the Dark Sankomin.

— Prince Paul McAnulteigh,
The Interpretations

“E
h Sinto.”

Ash woke, confused and disoriented. His dream was difficult to banish, the memory of it lingered like the scent of a woman’s perfume. Ash could still hear his father’s soft, cultured voice saying to him,
“The King’s Mirror has a purpose and a plan.”

“Sinto!”

“I’m awake,” Ash said.

Del unlocked the gate, and then Ash’s chain, while Ein covered him with his rifle. “Well, get up and get started. Once you get your first load out I’ll bring you some food.”

“Yes, all right,” Ash said.

Del stomped off and Ash picked up his light. His tools were in the wheelbarrow. He attached the light to the wheelbarrow, then picked up the wheelbarrow and moved down toward the new vein he had been working on. Tadium was invisible, contained in quartz-like rock. Ash’s job was to get the rock out of the mine, where it could be processed through a machine that would crush it and extract the valuable metal. It took him about an hour to fill his barrow and bring it to the front of the cave, where he was given mashed Opan potato porridge for breakfast.

“I could use a clean rag and some extra water, Del,” Ash told him.

“Huh,” came Del’s noncommittal reply.

Ash hid his smile. At one time, if Ash wanted something, Del demanded Ash beg on his knees like a slave. Ash had refused this behavior so far. The arguments over this matter had escalated, growing to alarming proportions. Ash had gotten a number of beatings, but had remained steadfast. They needed a slave to work the mine, and he would do that. But he wouldn’t beg. He had to draw a line somewhere to keep his self respect.

“You’ll get it.” Del eventually replied.

Ash smiled. Del had probably been remembering the same head butting confrontations that Ash had recalled. Del had accused him of being “stubborn as a pink-tusked boar.”

An echo of his dream returned and Ash wondered about the King’s Mirror. Damithst was a crystal found only on Delian, a stone that was formed through a rigidly structured, three-dimensional matrix of atoms. How could an inanimate object have a
purpose
and a
plan? Did that mean it was sentient? Could it communicate to him? It was such a mystery. He had never been told the rest of the verbal histories. They might have explained the King’s Mirror to him, but now he would never know.

Life in the mine carried on and time passed.

Ash had tried various ploys to escape, but all that had gotten him were more beatings. He now had numerous fine healing scars along his back and buttocks. Ash continued his studies as much as possible, but set himself on anything that interested him in any small way. Whenever he felt like giving up he would remember his parents. It helped.

The two brothers seemed to have no idea that Ash was starving despite his continuous protests for more food.

As time passed, Ash found that he was unable to mind-touch the brothers, he had lost his power to contact people. Then one day, a yellow long-tailed rat came into the mine. Thrilled for the company, Ash had tried to contact it, but failed. In despair Ash realized that he had lost his power to touch both people and animals. He was truly alone. He recalled the Testimonials:
“Evil thought and deed shall burn and fester. These poisoned arrows, uncleansed by healing mind-touch, shall cause thy certain grave. Poor wretch. The Dark Sankomin will block thy mind and burden thy soul. Through guilt and self-destruction, one has the power not.”

He preferred rage to this soul-destroying despair. He could no longer think clearly. Why was he here? Did he deserve this fate? Memories tormented him. Guilt from every offense he ever committed overwhelmed him. The Dark Sankomin pressed against him, a heavy mass clouding his mind. He had lost his powers. Without healing mind-touch, he would never get them back. But he was the last Delian; there was no one to help. He thought he would prefer physical pain. It was bad enough to lose his freedom, but to lose his power …

The days became weeks, weeks became months, and still he worked the mine. He never gave up on the thought of escape, but the combination of hunger and physical suffering was telling. His sleep was restless; he was tormented by terrible dreams that he could never remember. Dark thoughts plagued him. He felt that this time he really was going mad. Was he destined to finish up here, dying a pointless death in a hole in the ground, resting on a foreign world?

The sky was red outside as winter came. Time passed and Opan skies became green once more as spring arrived. Over three months had passed since Ash had been brought to the mine.

One day, Ein came in to rouse him for the day’s work. “C’mon, lazy. Get up.”

But Ash remained unconscious.

Ein began to kick him: “Up! Up! Up!” Every word was punctuated with a blow.

Del was standing nearby as usual, with a weapon. “What is it?” He looked down at Ash. “Taro’s balls. You killed him, you fool.”

“Didn’t,” Ein protested.

Del bent over and listened to his heart. “Well, he’s alive, anyway.” He picked up Ash’s legs and began to drag him out of the mine. “Probably just needs some fresh air. When did you last feed him?”

“I don’t know.” Ein struggled to remember. “Yesterday?”

“You idiot, do I have to do everything myself?” He fastened Ash, still unconscious, to a nearby blue-ringed paperbark tree, and went to fetch him some stew and a drink.

“Hey, that’s my breakfast.”

“Too bad. You don’t want to go back to the mine, do you?”

Ein was silent.

“Right. Then we fix the slave. We can get years more work out of him.”

It was still early morning. Ein poured cold water over Ash’s head and he regained consciousness. He blinked and blinked and his eyes watered in the brilliance of the morning sun. The sky was emerald green with a few white clouds moving slowly across it. The breeze came from the west and Ash’s eyes were drawn that direction. There was moisture in the air, perhaps it would rain, or was he near water? Icom obligingly flicked on. Yes. Deep river flowed into Lake Manitoba not far from where he was. Tombay was the nearest city, perhaps a six hour walk away. When he escaped he would go there.

Ash took a deep breath. He was outside, but he had lost consciousness. He could have died! That was it, then. Unless he could escape today he planned to notify the authorities via Icom and take his chances on an Indentureship.

Following his brother’s decree, Ein gave Ash water and a bowl of what tasted like twill stew. His stomach rumbled, but he took his time, slowly savoring every bite. The two brothers were nearby; Ein sat on a rusty old speeder, Del standing by similarly cluttered refuse. Assuming a disinterested air, Ash watched and listened intently to every word.

Ein said, “We going to the animal fights tonight?”

“Sure. Never miss ‘em, do we?” Del said, squatting down and rolling a cigarette.

“Why don’t we take the slave?”

“What for?”

“Maybe all he needs is a bit of a change. You know, we’ve got a lot of work out of ‘im — and we never did get him a woman.” The men gave a knowing look at each other. Ash had been with them for more than three months and during that time they had both been through quite a few women, as well as indulging in many other vices.

“You’re serious,” Del’s eyebrows drew down in surprise. “I ain’t gonna spend the credit and he don’t look like he could use a woman anyway. What if someone reports us having an off-world slave? Did you think of that?”

“No one will report us,” Ein argued. “There’ll be friends and kin there tonight — no one with Icom. We’ll keep the chain on so’s he don’t get away. The change’ll do him good.”

Del looked at Ein with suspicion. Ash found he had an urgent and irrational impulse to laugh out loud. He stiffled it. That comment from Ein about how, “The change will do him good.” Ha. Ein didn’t care in the slightest about Ash’s wellbeing.

Del’s pale blue eyes narrowed. “Why d’you want to bring the slave to the fights for, Ein?”

Unexpectedly, Ein flushed.

“Let’s hear it.”

Ein had a sheepish expression. “You know I been courting Jeanie, or at least I been trying to.” He looked away. “She jus’ don’t notice me. I thought if I showed her how I have a slave she’d, you know, she’d look at me. Think I was special.”

Del gave a low chuckle, and shook his head. “I doubt you have a chance with that girl, but it’s a good idea, brother. We’ll take the slave out and impress our kinfolks tonight — in particular, Miss Jeanie.” So it was decided. Ash was going out that evening.

Night came swiftly and by then Ash had recovered much of his strength. Though still weak, a day of rest, food and sunshine had restored him. He had managed to convince his captors to provide more water and let him back in the cave for a soapless wash and change of clothes. While there he had slipped the King’s Mirror on under his long-sleeved leather tunic. The possibilities of the night gave him newfound strength, as well as anticipation. It was an opportunity. Somehow he would escape. There was no way he was going back into that mine.

The brothers came to get him. They had been drinking from an extremely potent local brew called “Opan Lightning” or “Bathtub Gin.” It was a form of illegal alcohol, made from Opan potato, a sour, starchy yellow tuber. Ash could smell the alcohol from meters away — it was probably 190 proof. Better and better, Ash decided happily.

Del fastened the chain onto his own arm, leaving the ring in place around Ash’s neck.

“You won’t need that,” Ash said.

“Oh, yes, we will. I don’t trust you.”

“But …” Ash thought quickly. “What about when I am with the woman? You promised me a woman.”

Both brothers laughed. “You need to pull out more ore before we spend credit on you. Being an off-worlder, no whore in her right mind will have you. It’ll cost twice as much.”

To Ash’s further dismay, he was handcuffed wrist to wrist as well, arms behind his back. He had been fed and he felt well enough, but he was still unable to mind-touch. He searched for that familiar warmth inside and found only a grim and empty void. His power was gone.

They boarded the speeder and flew off to the fights.

After looking forward to getting away from his prison, Ash changed his mind once he was at the festivities. His night of adventure was turning out to include a number of extra crosses to endure. After years of living peacefully with the wolves and spending three months of silence in his prison cave, the loud raucous noises of the fringe dwellers carousing were more than his sensitive ears could take.

Ash had started the evening looking into the faces of the people he passed, hoping to see some sign of sympathy or a desire to help or free him, but there was only mild curiosity, amusement or indifference. It was humiliating to be paraded about in chains as if he were a common criminal or livestock on display.

“So, Del, you old bull, you got you a slave,” one man commented, cheerfully thumping Ash on the back.

“He does the work, but what else is he good at? Ha ha!”

Despite everything he had been through, Ash blushed at the constant physical pawing and interest he attracted. He hated being the center of attention and always had. It was worse than when he had been heir apparent on Delian; everyone had wanted to stare at him there, too, but at least they were never allowed to touch. Del and Ein were happy to have Ash on show and they didn’t care who poked and prodded him; nor did they mind that he was the butt of countless jokes. Feral humor. He was part of the entertainment, it seemed.

“He looks plenty useful to me,” said another.

“An off-worlder, you say? Where did you get him? Mars? Ha ha ha!”

“Is it true what they say about off-worlders? He looks human enough, but what’s he like without his clothes on?”

“How much for him, honey?” one hard-faced woman asked, thoughtfully stroking his shoulders with sensual interest. She thrust her hand down inside his trousers and grabbed. “Oh yeah. Plenty enough there to make a girl happy.”

The comments went on all night. The hill people joked and examined him, making him open his mouth and show his teeth, asking him silly questions and then whooping with laughter at his accent. All the while they continued to ply his owners with drink, the only thing Ash was pleased about. If his captors were drunk then he could try for freedom. Until then Ash was a sensation, something he would prefer not to be. And throughout it all he was frightened, worried that the King’s Mirror would be discovered. He didn’t want to lose his father’s talisman.

If only he could escape these chains.