by T J Marquis
So Bahabe was right. Time was the enemy tonight.
Let’s go, he thought and accelerated toward the mountain. It felt like gunning the throttle on a motorcycle. His stomach lurched into his bowels and the wind whipped at his face. Bahabe had abandoned any consideration of secrecy and hollered his name from the jungle.
Soon he passed out of earshot. In a few short minutes, he was out over the waters of the Crystal Sea, surf pounding below in waves of black and white on the shore. Swiftly he left the island behind and came close enough to the mountain to hear it, wind whistling chaotically above the ocean’s white noise.
This gave Jon a much better idea of how fast Mt. Iskeh was actually moving, and for the first time, he wondered what kept it from colliding with highlands or mountain ranges as it ran its circuit across the planet. Clearly if there had ever been any collisions, this mountain had proved sturdier than any obstacles.
Glancing back northeastward, Jon realized he must have traveled several miles. He briefly worried about making it back, but Bahabe had cautioned him to get near the light as quickly as possible, and he trusted her intuition. Indeed, the closer he got, the less drained his muscles felt. He came within a few hundred feet of the mountain’s lower tip and circled around to its southern side, staying in motion to keep pace. He flew in the shadow of the mountain’s long, inverted slope, but could clearly see the ancient, weathered surface of brown stone, crawling with vines and moss that had miraculously gained purchase in thousands of cracks and crevices.
From here he could see that the colored tendrils of light twisting up to caress the mountain mostly originated under the water, but it was too dark down there to see the crystal formations Bahabe had described to him. A little further south he thought he saw where one peeked out of the water, emitting a deep green stream of light. He moved to inspect it, and as he came near the tendril seemed to be attracted to him, flicking itself lazily in his direction at random intervals, but not making contact.
The crystal formation itself was a rough approximation of a pyramid, its base hidden somewhere beneath the waves. Jon flew near enough to see jagged protrusions on its weathered zenith, every edge as sharp as razors. He was tempted to set foot on it and try to look under the water, but looking back he saw that the mountain was quickly getting away. He shot off northwest and began the long climb to Iskeh’s wide upper reaches. White light and moonlight gleamed and refracted through the small crystal mountains and boulders that ringed the black desert, and now Jon could see those onyx dunes like warped shadows through the jumbles of glassy structures.
As he climbed ever upward he began to feel a twinge of conscience. Visiting the Light uninvited wasn’t right. The dome had seemed a holy place. He’d been up there once, had been allowed to confirm it this night, and he had the gift he needed to move forward. What more did he want? He hovered about halfway up the mountain’s height and pondered this sensation. It was enough, wasn’t it?
He turned back toward the barely visible blob of Sem-bado, a faint glow of bonfire still burning amidst the jungle. He dashed back toward it through the air.
Bahabe’s face was a mixture of expectation and worry as he gently lowered himself back into the clearing. She sighed in relief as his boots touched the ground. Though his legs in particular did feel a little rubbery, the flight, on the whole, had been more invigorating than exhausting.
“So?” Bahabe said.
Jon was trying to catch his breath from the awe. “It was beautiful, Bahabe.” She smiled. “Getting close, you can hear it flying by, and kind of feel the power of the lights all around. I saw one of the crystals close up.”
“Did you go up top?”
Jon shook his head no. “It just... didn’t feel right,” he said. “Like I had my turn, and to ask for more would be… impolite I guess? Disrespectful.”
Bahabe’s looked disappointed, but she nodded in understanding.
“But it was still amazing. I’d never have imagined anything like it. I wonder if we’ll ever know what it means.” He huffed out a breath and eased himself to the ground. “Gotta sit.” He smiled wanly. “I’d try to take you out, but this time I’m actually feeling a little groggy.”
“It’s ok,” she said. “But you do still owe me.” She seemed to fish up a thought. “Jon, this is it I think.”
“This is what?”
“You don’t have to wait for someone to give you a boat ride! Nak-sak’s got maps that go all the way to the mainland. We can steal them,”
“Copy them,” Jon corrected, and she rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, and you can fly a little ways each day and have a really big meal and nap to recuperate! Your quest can go on.” She seemed genuinely excited at the prospect. “And I’m coming with you.” She said it as if no argument could be brooked.
“Bahabe, I…” Jon started, and she scowled at him freely. He chuckled.
“Don’t laugh,” she scolded, “I’ve got a pull that way too. I was gonna sneak onto an Anekan ship, but what if I get caught? Who knows if I’ll ever have another way to follow it. Jon, please,” she begged.
He sighed and looked into her dark eyes. “Bahabe, of course I wouldn’t say no, not after you took me in, and all this time we’ve spent learning together. But what about Marnha? Your people?”
“I’ll take care of Daddy. As for the rest, they’ve never needed me. I love them for what they are - my village - but I’ll never be able to shake this feeling that there’s something else out there for me. Do you think I spend all my time just spying on the Elder with my magic? I’ve been looking for the source of the call that I feel, looking desperately.”
Jon nearly gasped in hope, “Did you find it?” But Bahabe shook her head.
“Not yet, I’m not good enough yet. But I will be. And until then, I need your help.”
“And you’ll handle your dad?”
She chuckled, “Easy.”
Jon looked down, lidded his eyes, and accepted the inevitable responsibility. “That’s it then.” He looked up at her, “When do you want to go?”
“Tomorrow?” she said with a grin.
Jon was about to bring up the pros and cons when he noticed a tiny figure of shadow bouncing across the floor of clearing. “Hey, it’s that little bird,” he pointed. Bahabe looked to see that it was true.
It should not be nocturnal, and something about its motion was off. It hobbled up to Jon and he stooped to pick it up.
“It’s damp, sticky,” he noticed. The miserable little thing seemed to try and gnaw at the skin of Jon’s hand. “Weird.”
“It smells,” Bahabe said.
“Like rot, you’re right,” Jon agreed. He petted it gently, stroking its feathers, and felt the stitches around its tiny skull. He showed Bahabe.
“Even weirder,” she said. “Can you heal it?”
Jon figured it was worth a try. Something in the bird’s demeanor broke his heart. He reached into its body with his feelings, thinking back to the tree whose bark he’d burnt and then restored. This was different, more intense. With Jon’s contact and intention arose an empathy he’d never felt for anything before. He gained an insight into what the bird needed.
“It’s odd,” he told Bahabe, “but I think it wants to die.”
She furrowed her brow.
“But,” he tried to probe deeper, “I don’t sense life in it, only its dim consciousness. Man this is creepy.” Jon braced himself to try and heal the creature. He had no idea if it would work but gently focused soft light into the little bird’s body. He sensed a faint kind of resistance that soon broke like wet paper. The bird convulsed once, fell still, and seemed to grow heavier.
“It’s gone,” Jon said. “I can’t explain it, but I think it was already dead.”
“Necromancy,” Bahabe breathed. “That means it’s been watching us all along. And there could only be one person behind it.”
“Well for all I know it could be anyone,” said Jon, “But the only person we know for sure is
untrustworthy is the Elder.” Jon remembered Eleana’s proposition, considered her closeness to the Elder, and had to wonder if there was a connection. He told Bahabe about her sister’s advances, and the girl looked disgusted, but not surprised.
“I guess I should have warned you,” she said apologetically. “She’s been with just about everyone who’ll have her, and Nak-sak just keeps her around like some kind of trophy.”
“Or asset…” Jon wondered. He shuddered to imagine what the mysterious pair could have wanted out of his union with Eleana.
“Well either way,” Bahabe began as she took the little bird from Jon’s hands, “we’ll be gone soon.” Jon followed her as she searched out some soft soil under a tree and began to scoop out a shallow grave.
“Can we really leave your dad and everyone with this kind of thing going on?” Jon asked. “Who knows what they’re up to.”
Bahabe paused her digging to consider it. “You’re right,” she admitted. “I’m just so fixated on getting out of here.” She placed the dead chic bul in its grave and gently scooped the soil back over it. They were both silent a moment. Even though it had actually been undead and a spy, it was hard not to still see the bird as a reminder of their adventures over the last few weeks. It had greeted them every day and been nothing but a pleasant encounter on their treks to the cove. Certainly it wasn’t the bird’s fault someone had used it as an unnatural pawn.
Bahabe brushed off her hands and shared a long look with Jon. “We’ll have to tell everyone about this,” she said, standing. “Maybe someone else will have evidence against the Elder, if this came from him.”
“I hope so,” said Jon.
Their sleep was uneasy, but it did come. Oddly, Jon did not suffer his dream of Cal’s death that night. He thought later that perhaps it was because the sleep had been so shallow. His waking was early and rude.
“Marnha!” a man’s voice hollered. “We’re coming in!”
The door to the hut banged open and two burly men entered, tense but respectful. Marnha was already gone, but the men spotted Jon immediately and fixed on him. Jon knew them. Their names were Joah and Kion. They’d been on logging detail with him a number of times and he’d shared short conversations with them every now and then.
“Jon, we’re sorry, but the Elder wants us to restrain you,” Joah said. He sounded apologetic.
Jon sat up in his small bed and rubbed his eyes groggily. “What’s going on?”
“He says you…” he looked almost embarrassed to say it. “He says you, uh, violated Eleana and she’s just told him about it.”
Jon’s heart sunk. He’d expected something sinister to come to light, but not this. “Alright,” he said calmly, moving slowly. He swung his legs off the bed and pulled on his boots. Bahabe looked on in shock. Jon was surprised she hadn’t burst out in protest already. Surely she knew the truth - he thought she trusted him that much. He gave her a casual glance and saw it in her eyes - she knew this was wrong, she just didn’t know what to do about it.
He didn’t know himself. One of his blades of light would be a formidable weapon, but these guys had done nothing wrong and he wouldn’t want to hurt them. He wasn’t much of a fighter anymore. Once they got outside, he could probably fly off and escape, but would he have time to grab Bahabe? He couldn’t leave her behind, and anyway fleeing would be like an admission of guilt, and the villagers of Sem-bado deserved the truth.
He couldn’t see an easy way out of this.
Then he heard the still small voice, Submit. He hadn’t heard it since before leaving Earth.
“Alright guys,” he said. “I don’t understand what’s going on, but I’m coming. I won’t give you any trouble.” He stood and the two big men clamped his biceps in a vice grip. He could tell they were being considerate, but firm. They couldn’t know the full truth.
Jon was led outside into a day already in full swing. He and Bahabe must have overslept. She followed the men out of the hut, but Joah warded her off with one hand and she kept her distance. Jon’s heart sunk further when he saw that most of the villagers were already assembled in the square, and Nak-sakharesh had set up a ramshackle hangman’s noose and platform. His mind raced. Why would the Elder want him dead? Presumably, Nak-sakharesh knew about Jon’s powers and felt envy if nothing else. Was he just trying to get rid of Jon? What had the Eleana thing been about?
Jon gasped as he stumbled on the more likely truth, remembering the undead chic bul. If the Elder possessed some dark magic that could reanimate Jon’s body with his powers retained… Well even if the plan failed, the possible benefits would be worth the risk. Maybe Eleana had just been a distraction to create this opportunity. Not knowing all that was possible in this world was maddening.
They took Jon up to the hastily constructed platform and his guards paraded him sheepishly in front of the crowd. He saw every expression imaginable in the gallery of faces below him - disgust, outrage, fear, shock, eagerness, and not a few who looked pained to see him up there as a captive. He’d not gotten to know everyone here nearly as well as Bahabe, but he had worked alongside most of them at one point or another in the weeks prior. Off toward the mess area stood the Elder’s four business contacts, dressed finely in what must have been Anekan fashion. They whispered to each other as if discussing a show. Was this barbaric to them? Or a novelty? He wished he could just tell everyone the truth, and have them believe it.
As the Elder sauntered toward him with a barely concealed expression of satisfaction on his face, Jon searched out Marnha, who leaned in the entrance to the healer’s hut. Jon shook his head gently, catching the man’s eye, and after a moment of studying him, Marnha nodded back. Jon breathed a sigh of relief - at least Marnha knew the truth.
The Elder’s inevitable speech was forthcoming.
“We took him in,” Nak-sakharesh began, and paused to let his words ring out. “We fed him, worked with him, blessed him with our company. And yet this - man,” he said it with a dusting of disgust, “has committed a most grievous crime.”
“Sick!” came a cry from somewhere in the press of bodies.
“Yes,” the Elder raised his eyebrows as if pleased with someone’s insight. He adopted a mask of solemnity. “If we here had a princess, it would be our lovely Eleana. For what hasn’t she done to nurture the health of our humble island? Yet this man,” he twisted the word again, “has violated such a precious treasure.” He wrinkled his face up as if in pain.
People were shaking their heads, either in disgust or disbelief.
“She’s no angel…” Jon overheard a mutter. The crowd was beginning to stir.
“When did this happen?” came Marnha’s voice.
“Only two nights hence, in her father’s own home!” claimed the Elder, and it was a half-truth he should not have uttered.
“That’s garbage!” Joah exclaimed, turning toward Nak-sakharesh. The Elder’s eyes widened in fear as he saw Joah relinquish his grip on Jon. “I saw her go into that hut, and come back out not five minutes later in a huff. We were still drinking by the fire, right boys?” He addressed several of the other men in a clump below the platform, and a few of them were brave enough to agree.
The Elder gave Joah a nasty looked and snarled, “Your word is nothing. You have no authority.” The big man took a step toward the Elder, who flinched and gave way.
“Yet you’ll use my strength to restrain this man? If that’s the girl’s story, then he’s innocent I tell you!”
This really got a rise out of the crowd.
“Yeah I saw him go flying up to the mountain last night, like an angel!” someone said. Jon’s eyes widened, he hadn’t meant for anyone to notice. Not that he’d been discreet, now that he thought of it.
A younger man and his girl stood arm in arm toward the back of the crowd, and the man spoke up. “Yeah we were out… sleeping… on the western shore and saw him fly around the mountain! The lights were touching him. You’re just jealous!” His partner pinched him to shush.
Nak-sakharesh could not contain his ire. His face reddened with fury. Clearly his people had never questioned him before.
“He’s a wizard!” someone exclaimed.
Other fanciful claims arose - mage, sorcerer, god - and it became clear that the Elder had completely lost control of his people. Joah’s pebble had started an avalanche. Still, Jon didn’t know what would happen next.
“Silence!” The Elder roared. “If you don’t…” Marnha cut him off with a bellow, standing tall in the entrance to his office.
“Enough!” All eyes turned toward the father of the alleged victim. He sighed and softened his voice. “Eleana has been pregnant for nearly two months. He’s just trying to cover it up.” The Elder looked incredulous but had turned white.
Suddenly it all made sense. Jon had been thinking above the level the Elder was actually at. He was petty, greedy, clearly even murderous, but he couldn’t see past the horizon, and he didn’t even know it.
Jon had gathered that the people here were fairly liberal in terms of sexuality, but he had also noticed that none of the parents on the island were unmarried. A peculiar, but reasonable twist in their take on monogamy.
It was as if Marnha had just reminded the villagers that the sky was blue. No one questioned him in the slightest, and the relief of the crowd was palpable. Even those few who had seemed excited at the prospect of a hanging made no protest or counter-argument. If anyone would know such a thing about Eleana, it was the medicine man, her father.
Now Kion released Jon as well, with a look of apology. Jon shrugged.
For once, the Elder was at a loss for words. He had no defense prepared for this.
Joah put a hand on the smaller man’s shoulder and said, “We’ve all needed this for a long time,” and clocked the Elder in the face with a devastating right hook, spinning him clean around to collapse on the platform.
“As ‘minister of security’,” he began, and everyone laughed - the Elder had allowed only himself a title. “I depose our leader and say we name Marnha the new Elder!”
A cheer went up, and though Marnha didn’t look like this was something he wanted, he did not protest the moment. Eleana burst out of Nak-sakharesh’s opulent hut in tears and rushed to his side, offering no defense of herself or the older man. She went about trying to coax him back into consciousness.
