"You know nothing of what I went through!" she shouts. "What it was like living on the streets in that cursed city. Even when I came to the Enopay, it was not much better. Things happen to young girls when they are alone, things that change them, so don't tell me you understand." Leotie stands up and walks away, holding herself tightly and shivering in the murky swamp.
Akelou comes to her again and puts his hand on her shoulder. "I wish I could see the moon. It always makes me feel better. It is the one thing that never left me. Even when I could not see it, I knew it was there," says Akelou. Leotie turns and dives into Akelou's arms, "I never want to have this talk again," Leotie says.
Akelou wakes in the morning to cool dew covering his face. He sits up and looks next to him, seeing Leotie's empty bed.
"I let you sleep. Everyone is getting ready. You'd better get dressed quickly if you want to eat before we move out," Leotie says as she smiles at Akelou.
Akelou feels the eyes of the others as he joins them by the fire. He drinks hot Pokwa tea, and it brings warmth to his blood. They break down the camp and start the journey north. The farther they travel, more and more Pokwa continue to jump into and out of the trees of the swamp. The Pokwa seem to be more on edge the further north they go. Soon the soggy swamp floor gives way to cool dirt. Akelou can tell that the farther they travel from the lush swamps, the more the skin of the Pokwa looks dry and irritated.
"This is where we leave you, be careful, for you will travel through dangerous and wild land. Farewell, and may good fortune return with you," Oboe says to Akelou and his companions. Before he disappears into the swamps, he grabs Akelou by his arm.
"I promised my son, Toe, that I would give this to you." Oboe hands Akelou a long, tightly wrapped swamp pad. Akelou opens the wrapped leaf and picks out an arrow tip.
"The tip was made by my wife, and it is covered with the wetness of my son's back. Although the potency of his poison is not what it used to be, it can still be fatal if an arrow strikes true. May it be of some use to you on your quest. Good luck, my friend."
Oboe smacks Akelou on the back and leaps into the darkness of the swamp. Mia-Koda walks up to Akelou, leading Broomay behind her and hands him a map and a pouch from her belt.
"Follow this map to reach the tower. Keep a sharp eye open for creatures and enemies in the forest. You must be alert and ready for anything. "Once you get to the tower, you must climb down to a hidden tunnel. There you will enter the tower from below and find your way up into the dungeons. Waste no time. Find the princess and use the Moura stone to leave. This pouch has mud from the outskirts of the Pokwa city. You must cover the stone with the mud, then speak the incantation of Moura: "e-maou-r-iam." I will be waiting for you."
"Why are you not coming with us?" Leotie asks.
"I have much to do and many others to take counsel with."
She takes out another pouch and sprinkles dirt over the stone. She whispers the incantation, spinning the stone in the air. Once the door is created, she pushes Broomay through.
"Take the end, Akelou. Once I am through the door, yank on the stone." She turns and walks though the door, handing Akelou the stone.
They wave goodbye and Akelou pulls on the stone and closes the door. Leotie and Akelou look at each other and then down at Tib. They turn towards the forest and begin their journey. Leotie takes the lead, and as she does, Akelou sees the lock of hair he gave her tied into a braid in her hair.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
For nine days Akelou and his companions have been traveling west. After a successful hunt earlier in the day, they have made camp and sleep with their bellies full. Akelou wakes and walks to the edge of camp to relieve himself. Standing by a tree, he hears a rustling in the forest. Akima starts to kick his legs and whinnies at the darkness. Akelou rubs his tired eyes and looks behind his horse where he sees two moon-shaped orbs staring at Akima.
"The horses!" Akelou yells.
Akelou grabs his axe from Akima's saddle and faces down the intruder.
"Feather Runners!" Akelou yells, and he swings his axe at the beast. The Runner flashes its talons and crouches preparing to lunge at Akima's throat. The Runner jumps, claws and mouth open for the kill, but Akelou throws his axe, striking the Runner in the abdomen. The Runner falls to its side kicking its legs and screeching in pain. Akima pounces on the beast and finishes it off beneath his powerful hooves. Akelou pets his neck, calming the animal and moving him away from the slain Runner.
"It's alright, boy. You are safe now."
"Akelou!" Leotie yells.
Akelou looks back at two Feather Runners circling Leotie and Tib. Leotie has no weapons, and Tib is screaming at the Runners, trying to ward them off. Akelou takes a step toward them, but before he can help his friends, a Runner slashes Leotie across her back. She falls to the ground, unconscious in a pool of blood.
"Nooo!" Akelou yells and he throws his axe at the Runner closest to him. The weapon flashes in the dark, striking the beast's neck and nearly severing its head, before returning to Akelou's hand. The remaining Runner roars at Akelou and flashes its razor sharp teeth as it puts its foot on Leotie. It lowers its head, digging its talons into her flesh. Akelou raises his axe, but then hesitates, startled by something moving in the darkness. Akelou can see a shadow soaring down from the trees: a Salali lands on the Runner's back, driving its claws into the beast's eyes. The Salali grips the Feather Runner and bites its neck. The beast bucks wildly trying to throw the glider from its back. The glider lifts the Runner's head, exposing his neck and upper body. Akelou raises his axe and launches it in the direction of the Runner. Akelou catches a glimpse of the Runner and sees a large scar across its one eye before his axe strikes the beast. The sight of the scarred Runner brings back memories. He can still feel how it felt to strike the Runner with the broken blade he wielded as a youngling. Images of Stripes and his gang fade in and out of his thoughts. How at that time he lived with such innocence, believing a city bully was the evilest thing he knew. After all this time, that one single, intense moment connected him with this beast and now he has finished what he started. Leotie’s moans bring Akelou back to his senses and he runs to Leotie's side to make sure she is still alive.
"Thank you for helping us. I am in your debt," Akelou says to the stranger. The Salali walks over to Akelou and looks down at Leotie, "She is badly injured. We must get to safety before other beasts smell the blood. My family's hut is close and in the safety of the trees. We must move quickly."
Akelou looks at the Salali's two black thumb claws dripping with blood. He reminds Akelou of Black Claw. His fur is light for a Salali and hints of brown and orange are scattered in his fur. He is not a common glider but there is something familiar about him. "What is your name, friend?"
"My name is Argle. We must not linger. Follow me."
Akelou picks up Leotie and puts her on her horse. Her breathing is growing softer, her face paler and her eyes dark. Akelou grabs the reins of both Akima's and Leotie's horses and follows Argle. Tib rides with Leotie, patting her hair and rubbing her back. Argle leads them to a clearing filled with tree stumps that surround a tree with thick outreaching branches and a dense canopy. Inside the canopy Akelou can see a crudely constructed hut.
"I will take her inside, but you must leave your horses below," says Argle.
Akelou hands Leotie to Argle, who climbs up the tree with her on his back and tosses down a rope ladder for Akelou to climb.
"Tib, stay here with the horse and call out if there is any danger." Tib nods his head in agreement.
As Akelou climbs the ladder, he hears arguing coming from inside the hut. He hears Salali speech and a female voice.
"Argle, you bring strangers into our home...your father will be furious-"
"He is not my father, and these strangers are in need of our help. They were ambushed by a pack of Runners that I was tracking." Argle's ears perk up hearing Akelou climb into the room. "My mother will help mend her wounds." Akelou goes to Leotie
and takes off her blood-stained clothes.
"She is burning up. Do you have any tree wasp honey?" Akelou asks feeling Leotie's forehead.
"We do, I will bring it and some rags to help with the bleeding," says the female Salali.
Still looking down at Leotie, Akelou speaks to Argle, "I should be able to help her, but I need to know if we are welcome here?"
"There will be no trouble for you here."
The crashing and breaking of a bowl grabs Akelou's and Argle's attention. They look up to see the female Salali staring at Akelou. At the sight of the Salali's face Akelou's breath goes cold.
"Taeau, is it really you?" the Salali asks in an unsteady voice.
Akelou stands up nervously, "Yes, Mrs. Claw." Akelou can barely get the words out of his mouth before she jumps toward him, crushing him under a hug.
"I have wondered what happened to you, child. You have grown well, Taeau, tall and strong. . . I only wish Ven. . . " She stops speaking and starts to sob.
"Mom, there is a women dying on our floor, " says Argle with a look of total confusion.
"Oh, yes, well, first let us see to these wounds."
The three of them kneel by Leotie's side. "Do you know any medicine, Akelou? Can you help her?" says Argle.
"I can close these wounds well enough, but the fever is what we must fear." Akelou signals for the others to move back. He takes out his necklace, gripping it in one hand and laying the other on Leotie's back. He closes his eyes and starts to sway back and forth, mouthing a chant Alo taught him. His necklace shines so brightly Argle and his mother turn their heads. The blood pouring from Leotie's wounds stops and begins to dry. Akelou opens his eyes, and his necklace goes dull. "Mrs. Claw, we need to rub the honey over these wounds it will help keep them clean." They rub the honey over Leotie's back and cover her tightly with blankets.
"If she makes it through the night, she should survive. She will have to fight the fever alone, there is nothing more I can do," says Akelou.
Mrs. Claw's and Argle's ears twitch, and they look at each other. The horses below begin to stir. "That is Broken Wrist coming back from looking for you, Argle. He will be angry. Taeau-"
"My name is Akelou now, Mrs. Claw."
"Good, then you can call me Half Moon. Calling me Mrs. Claw will not help with Broken Wrist's mood. Now stand back and let me deal with him." Argle steps back toward Akelou as a lean, mean-looking older man comes up the ladder with a spear in his hand.
"Half Moon, what is going on?" he yells. Half Moon goes to Broken Wrist trying to calm him down. "Whose horses are those, and why is there blood covering the ladder? He looks around the room and sees Akelou and Leotie. He points his spear at Akelou. "Who are you, what is your business in my home?"
"Your home!" Argle interrupts, pointing at Broken Wrist.
Broken Wrist's face grows red. "You move over there by that wall," he says to Akelou.
Akelou does as he says. Broken Wrist walks to Leotie and looks at her wounds. "These are wounds made by a Runner's claw. Was it you who killed the three Feather Runners to the east?"
"Yes. We were ambushed, and in the attack she was wounded by a Runner's talons. She would not have survived if not for Argle's help."
"You went after the Runner pack again, after I warned you not to. You directly disobeyed me. I do not care that you are not my son. You will mind me in my home."
"That's right, yell at me after I saved their lives."
"I am glad you were able to help, but I will not be disrespected by you again. Do you hear me, Argle? You have not yet come of age."
"Broken Wrist, that is enough. This is my nephew, Akelou, Argle's half cousin. He is the son of Dirty Hands, the Meno farmer who was Black Claw's brother." Both Argle and Broken Wrist stare at Akelou. Then Broken Wrist lowers his spear, "Is that true, son?"
"Yes, my name is Akelou, and my companions and I left the Noshota swamps nine days ago for the Whispering Canyons."
"What purpose do you have there?"
"The Pokwa princess was kidnapped by Ush-Ka and his men. The Pokwa king entrusted us to rescue his daughter." Half Moon gasps, stumbling back at the mention of Ush-Ka's name.
"Ush-Ka, the dog that murdered my father and brother!" Argle yells.
"Enough of this. . . Argle, see to finding Akelou a bed. We will finish this in the morning," Broken Wrist says as he helps Half Moon up from the floor.
Akelou looks at Argle, "I can sleep here next to Leotie. I will gather my things from the horses below."
"I will help you," says Argle.
Broken Wrist and Half Moon climb through an opening that leads into another level of the hut. Argle and Akelou climb down to the horses. Argle jumps and glides to a nearby tree, disappearing into the darkness.
"You alright, Tib?" Tib shakes his head and points up to Leotie. "I do not know, but she is strong and a survivor. I am going to sleep beside her. Can you camp down here and watch over the horses?" Tib pets Leotie's horse and nods his head. Akelou grabs his furs from Akima's saddle and picks up some grain for his horse. "Keep a watchful eye tonight, friend, for there are many beasts roaming these woods." He pets his horse and climbs back into the hut.
As Akelou climbs up the ladder, Argle floats in from the darkness, grabbing the tree. "So are you really my cousin?"
"Yes, Black Claw your father, was my father's adopted brother."
"Did you know my father and brother well?" Akelou stops climbing and looks at Argle, "Yes I knew them both well. . . Ven, your brother, was my best friend."
"I do not remember much about them. I was only a Pemi when they were killed. Mother says I have my father's claws."
"She is right. Your father was a great Salali. He would be proud of what you did for us tonight." Argle smiles before they climb up into the hut.
"I sleep in the hammock over there," Argle says, pointing to his bed. You can take my sister's hammock if you like. She left us last spring for the city to find a mate."
"The city still exists?"
"Yes, but Broken Wrist says it is controlled by barbarians. Mother says the city is not safe for me because I am Black Claw's son. My father killed many Nossa in the massacre at the city. The Nossa would capture and send me to the mines. Broken Wrist says that there are few males left in the city, that most have been made slaves and taken away. Well, good night, I will see you in the morning" Argle says as he climbs into his hammock. Akelou lies down next to Leotie and thinks of his foster parents and whether they are still alive. He falls asleep to the image of his father and of the last night he spent with his mother, asleep in her lap.
---
The next day, Leotie's shivers, Argle and Broken Wrist argue, and Half Moon and Akelou talk about their lives since they fled the city. Akelou tells her about his adventures, and she tells him how she worries about her children. Half Moon is not the Salali Akelou remembered. She used to be confident and sure of herself. Black Claw himself feared her stare and took counsel with her. Now she speaks only of uncertainty and worry.
"Broken Wrist lost his mate in the siege. They never had any children. He was Black Claw's most trusted friend. I do not know how we would have survived without him. The two of them will soon kill each other if Argle stays any longer. He needs to find his own place in this world. The time has come for me to say goodbye." She puts her hand on Akelou's, "I must ask you a favor, Akelou. Take Argle with you on your journey."
Akelou does not know what to say. "Our road is dangerous. One of my companions may die on your floor. I cannot promise he will be safe."
"It was not by chance that my son came to your aid. His destiny and yours are one and the same. I see that now, and I have to trust that everything has happened for a reason."
"I can't believe you are asking me this. I watched Ven and Black Claw die. I can't be responsible for the life of another of your family."
"There is nothing we can do about that now," she says coldly. "Life is hard and death is unfair. I did not want to lose my oldest son,
but I did. And I do not want to say goodbye to my youngest son, but I must. Argle's best chance to come of age is away from here, and you are my last hope. Please, Akelou, think about it."
Half Moon leaves Akelou alone with Leotie, and he wipes some sweat from her forehead. Frustrated, he climbs down the rope ladder. Tib has made a small camp and is cooking a forest rat he trapped.
"How was your night, Tib?" Tib just shrugs his shoulders. "How about you, boy? How are you?" he asks Akima. "I need to clear my thoughts. I will be back by dark. We leave tomorrow, with or without Leotie." Tib stares up at Akelou with a look in his eye. "Do not look at me with such judgment. The Pokwa are depending on us. I will open a door back to the Msa-Oda and leave her in their care if she is not well enough to continue."
He walks into the forest and wanders, lost in thought. The daylight soon loses its eternal battle with the night when Akelou suddenly realizes where he is. He clears some bushes and stands in their camp from the night before. He looks at the cold coals of the fire and sees tracks left by the scavenging creatures that have taken the bodies of the Runners off into the bush. Akelou walks to the spot where Leotie was injured and sees the bloodstains on the dirt. Guilt weighs heavy on his shoulders, and he thinks of the consequences if she were to die. Akelou begins to understand that he needs more help. With Leotie hurt or unable to continue, his group will suffer and his quest might be doomed.
He sits down in front of what is left of the fire. Akelou rubs his necklace as he thinks about Half Moon's request. A breeze starts to blow, picking up some forest dirt. Akelou stares at the swirling dirt, and it begins to take shape. Two eyes stare at him, then a body forms.
"Black Claw?" he whispers.
The apparition smiles before it is whisked away. Akelou hears the trees rustle, then Argle lands where the vision of his dead father revealed itself.
"What are you doing here? Why have you left the hut? Leotie is asking for you. Her fever has broken. We should return and get you ready to return to your quest."
Akelou looks at Argle and takes a deep breath, knowing now what he must do. "Leotie will not be able to track, hunt, and help us on our quest until she has healed. Our quest is at the verge of failure, and we need help. I need you, Argle. The Pokwa need you. Will you help us?"
The New World (The Last Delar) Page 19
