Alex looked at him with concerning eyes. “Return home swiftly and carefully, I wish you good fortune.” Then he stepped out of the room.
The moment they were alone Alesti began to speak.
“Please forgive me.”
“For what?” Alex replied as he kept walking.
“For leaving you without your permission.”
“I never said you couldn’t, and furthermore you don’t need my forgiveness as I am not your master, or ruler or any kind of tyrant who believes they have any ownership over another individual.” Alex thought for a moment about how frustrated this ridiculous dynamic was making him feel. He stepped in the hallway and turned towards her.
“This vow thing needs to stop or cease to exist, it’s unnatural.” Then continued walking.
“Alex, you are not from our world, here it is completely natural. This is natural. It is our way, our custom, you cannot arrive here and tell us our way is wrong or unnatural. You saved my life and I vowed to serve yours for the rest of mine, that will never change. I see now that you are no god, or any other deity. You’re just a being like me. I ask you that you do not burden me with your opinion over our customs.”
Alex stopped and turned towards her once again. Deciding between berating her over her sharp criticism or defending himself.
“Calm yourself, you’re about to let your emotions drive the conversation.” Symboli said then continued. “Reply to her this way. You’re right, I’ll work on it.”
His mind already calculated that Symboli’s approach was best yet his mind took a few more moments to reconcile himself over that fact. With a deep breathe he centered himself and dropped the issue.
“I’ll work on it.” Alex turned away and continued walking.
“I think it takes quite a strong man to admit his mistakes like you do.” Alesti said as she trailed behind him.
Alex grit his teeth.
“Do you like my sister? I noticed your eye linger for her.” Alesti asked bluntly.
Alex was glad Alesit could not see his face as his shock would have displayed an answer far better than his silence, just not very accurately.
“You need not worry. They never officially married, Heboot and Unbiter I mean.”
Alex began to feel uncomfortable. Truth of it was that he was beginning to enjoy Alesti’s companionship. It was just the problem getting over the whole servant for life bit. Not completely sure he would ever find an intellectual balance there. An idea popped up as he climbed over a bit of debris in one of the hallways.
“What do you want, Alesti?” Alex asked with genuine curiosity.
“I want to serve you the best I possibly can.”
“What if the best way for you to serve me would be to make me money as a girl to be used every night to the highest bidder, that would make you happy?”
Her silence told him more about her then an answer might have. He reasoned she would not enjoy that by any means, however she would not refuse him either if that’s what he really wanted. The concept was really hard for Alex to swallow, he came from a planet which valued individual rights and liberty was not only abundant, but was nearly forced upon everyone. Only limited pockets of society refused to be free, especially after the fall of the governments.
“What if the best way for you to serve me would be to be my wife, what then?”
“Then I would be the best wife I could be.” She said without hesitation.
The fact she replied now and not before also said something else about her. The marriage concept was not something she would find repugnant. In fact, she might even like it.
“Is it possible for you to speak freely around me without consideration or thought into what you think I want to hear?”
“Why would I do that? My life is in service to you.”
“Because it is something I want.” Alex said getting frustrated once again.
“You want…. I don’t understand am I not being a good servant?”
At least I’m not the only one struggling, Alex thought to himself.
“Please don’t pretend like you don’t know what I am talking about and it wouldn’t be the first time you took matters into your own hands. Look at how you went for your sister.” Alex pointed out.
“Please forgive me, it will not happen again. There’s no need for reprisals.” Alesti fell to her knees and waited there as she had seen vow givers before her do once when she was just a child.
Alex stopped and turned back. “You have a lot to learn about me if you think you have anything to ask forgiveness for. If you want to serve me, fine. Find a way to do it that makes me believe that you’re doing it as a free person and not as a slave.”
“But I am not free and to pretend that I am belittles my station, for my responsibility is great.”
This could never work, Alex thought as he turned and continued through the tunnels back towards the surface.
“Something for you to consider.” Symboli said.
“What?” Alex responded out loud his frustration still evident.
“Serving you would make her genuinely happy and why shouldn’t it. You have saved her life and her sisters life and the lives of her people. I suspect it would be genuine happiness to please you.”
“I wish she never made that stupid vow.” Alex said forgetting that Alesti was right behind him. He turned to look at her, her face was looking down and hidden from view.
“You probably just gave her the impression that her service does not please you. Your problem is not with her or her vow, it’s yourself. Once you come to grips with that you will find the answers you seek.”
“This way is faster.” Alesti said pointing to a tunnel opening to her left.
Alex changed direction and headed down the unfamiliar tunnel.
“Thank You.” Alex said to Alesti. But Symboli responded, “You’re welcome.”
* * *
Once outside Alex found a juntard. Deetur and his men to arrived shortly after he did. Alesti brought Symboli over to Alex and refastened the tank to the juntard via the attached harness. They rode as a group to the entrance of the city, Alex and Alesti didn’t take long to say their goodbyes and split off from the group near the front gate. They followed the unmistakable tracks of the machine towards the distant ridgeline. The others rode towards Forex many had to share juntards. It was late and darkness was falling upon them.
They made camp far from the base of the ridge. Neither Alesti or Alex wanted to be the first one to speak so they ate and then slept in silence.
When Alex woke he found himself waking to a small pile of fruit at his feet. Alesti was busy eating a star-shaped yellow one. She looked at him but said nothing.
Alex was never much of a breakfast person but his dreams were dark and he wanted to exchange his thoughts quickly. Taking a bite into the star fruit it tasted much like a banana with the consistency of an apple, which put a big smile on his face.
Noticing his joy Alesti smiled as well and they ate in silence.
Once finished it was light out and they rode their juntards hard in an attempt to make up some lost ground. It was not even midday when they crested the first ridge and took sight of the valley before them.
“Have you ever been on the other side of that ridge?” Alex asked, pointing to the far ridge on the other side of the valley.
“No.”
Alex had no reason to doubt the claim but something inside him found it hard to believe. If that were true, she had lived her whole life in a small area on one-quarter side of this huge mountain. “Can we cross this valley or should we hug the ridgeline to the other side?” He glanced at his wrecked ship, resting at the far end of the valley, nearly a blur on the horizon. Thoughts of the ming resurfaced and caused him to shudder.
“The further we are from the mountain, the riskier it will be.”
“Well let’s go across, but we will cut closer to the mountain that way.” Alex pointed across the valley that would hug the mountain.
Alesti led her juntard down the ridge while Alex watched for another few moments.
“Statistically, the odds of you getting off this planet are dropping and will continue to do so until you eliminate the bot.” Symboli said.
Alex rolled his eyes. “What do you think we are out here doing?” he whispered.
CHAPTER 13
CITY OF DEATH
IT WAS THE next day before they managed to cross the valley and descend on the other side of the ridge into Valem territory. They could see several plumes of smoke drift into the air in many directions far and wide. It looked eerily familiar to the days immediately after the Zorn invaded earth. At least on this side the terrain showed more green. It didn’t take long to see why. At least half of the day the land was in shadow from the mountain. Protecting the landscape from the unforgiving rays of the local star.
Several times they had to pick a different path to descend the ridge as people were fleeing the area. Eventually, Alesti took a dirty hood they found on the ground caked in dirt and placed it over Alex’s head. They decided it was preferable to attracting unwanted attention.
“You know this thing smells awful.” Alex would repeatedly say.
He kept imagining someone had wiped a juntards rear end with it.
There was a young woman supporting a very old woman that got a bit too close to Alesti for her to ignore them.
“What happened here?” Alesti asked.
The old woman was mumbling something but the younger one eyed Alesti with a critical eye.
“You’re from Jebney aren’t you.” The younger one asked, her accent was deep and her words were almost to different to make out.
“Yes, we are hunting a beast that attacked our villages.” Alesti said.
“With what? You carry no weapons.”
Alesti didn’t respond but continued to look at the pair.
“Where was it last seen?” Alesti asked more sternly.
“North towards New Merth.” The young woman responded and then continued to assist the old woman up the increasing slope of the ridge.
Alesti tossed the woman one of her two water containers. By the sound Alex reasoned it was the fuller one of her two.
The old woman spit on the ground and the young woman took the container.
Before they could say anything Alesti continued onward with Alex behind lazily covering his face with the hood that was nearly too small to succeed.
It wasn’t long before they picked up the trail again of the bot. A small group of soldiers and horses lay in a bloody mixture of dirt and thinly spaced grass. Alex watched Alesti eye a few of the soldiers weapons. There were no death singers, and the swords were a bright silver color. The soldiers wounds were wildly horrific. The ground was heavily marked by the A.I. bot.
Alesti looked at Alex with determination. “You are the only one that can stop this.” Then she turned and rode hard and fast north, following the marks in the ground. Alex was close behind her. They passed the occasional lone father, mother or solider wandering. Upon sight they would hear pleas for help or assistance. It took everything for Alex to just ignore what he was seeing. At one point he was sure he saw a child in the distance wandering alone.
“You could help them one at a time and while you did, your enemy would be killing hundreds of other innocents. The best thing you can do is follow Alesti’s lead and destroy our enemy.” Symboli said with steady confidence.
Alex kept diligent watch on the tracks until they crossed a large stream. The juntards stopped on their own accord and drank heavily. Alex and Alesti refilled their three water containers and Alesti checked to make sure she still had her death signer. Alex tried to tell her multiple times that her arrows would be harmless to the bot but his heart stopped him every time, he figured she knew already.
They kept riding into the night until they made camp for a short rest. They cleared the ground of debris and started a fire.
“Is there anything you need?” Alesti would ask at the end of every night.
“No, thank you.” Was the response Alex became accustomed to. Despite the fact that even now he could use a drink and some more food, he never voiced his true desires as he didn’t want to burden Alesti more than she already was. Tonight however, Alex made the mistake of going to retrieve some water for himself less than a minute after telling Alesti he didn’t need or want anything.
After he collected his water he turned to see her standing in front of him her emotions were showing in the not so dark night the nebula seemed brighter than usual.
“Forgive me, Alex, perhaps there is a reason but it escapes me. We have been together for many days now. Over this time I have reconciled myself to the knowledge that I am a vowed servant for life. At every opportunity you deny me the right to serve you which is of course your right. But when you speak to me you speak as though we are equals or even bonded. I have difficulty understanding my place, If you would be so kind as to tell me exactly what you want from me I would appreciate it.”
“This is the time you drop all your pretenses, don’t compare other relationships on Earth and just be honest.” Symboli said quickly.
Alex took the headset off and set it beside himself then he looked up at Alesti. She stood tall next to the small fire while he sat on a small log that felt odd to the touch. But then everything seemed a little off from his expectations, this planet seemed familiar yet still so alien.
“My people have freedom and independence. We find slavery abhorrent.”
“I am not a slave.” Alesti shot back.
“I didn’t say you were, however, for someone to sacrifice their life in service of another with no way or possibility of escape is too close to slavery for it to be not considered as such.”
Alesti walked the short distance and sat down next to Alex, close as they not had done for several nights now.
“It was my choice to ask my god for a favor. Whether you believe it or not, my god delivered you and saved me, in compensation and at the agreed upon price, I now care for the one who saved me.”
Alex had heard this many times before. He understood fully the concept and felt the conversation was simply going in circles. For a moment he looked at her while she was looking directly into him and it was appealing. In the silence he almost forgot about the dire circumstances he was in.
“I don’t know how to treat you.” Alex said softly.
“That should not be a concern of yours. All you should think about is what do you want. It’s my position to find a way to satisfy those desires as an eternal thank you for my life. Because without you I would be decaying in the mud right now, a snack for the ming. Anything you want me to do would be preferable to that.” She placed her hand on his shoulder. “What is it you desire of me?”
Alex closed his eyes and thought of Amanda. “I want a partner that will support me in everything. Someone who will keep my secrets. Strengthen my weaknesses, straighten me when I fall off the path without judgment. They will laugh with me and mourn with me with unwavering loyalty.”
“Many of the things you seek I fulfill by virtue of my vow and the rest will be done as you desire.” She looked into the fire and then seemed mesmerized by the flame.
Now more then ever he wanted to be inside her head. He closed his eyes and used his mind. He quickly found Alesti’s mind in the dark, surrounded by a cloud, much like everyone was on this planet seemed to have. His mind smoothly moved to the edges of the cloud looking for entrance, after a few moments it seemed futile. Then he picked what he thought was the exact center of the cloud and dove into it. It resisted him but he kept at it.
Like jumping into a cold fast river, he was immersed with an emotional state. He immediately recognized it was not his own, it felt overly anxious and tumultuous. Hopping between longing and fear. He tried to orient his mind to something perhaps if he kept searching he could find specific details.
Within moments things came into focus. He felt a deep appreciation or perhaps it was…
A terrible scream in the distance broke the tentative silence. Followed by another. Alex came back to himself, it took a moment to regain his balance as he stood up. He felt like he just got off a fast merry go round. Alesti rushed to the juntards and Alex soon joined her. They rode fast towards the screaming and didn’t have to go far before the sounds of trees being crushed and odd mechanical noises could be heard.
It would have been very late in the evening and yet the light was still sufficient to make out that their adversary was standing before them as they rushed into the area. Its metal casing was covered in dried blood and dirt dulling the reflections of the starry sky. Before Alex could react he heard the sound of music in the air as the death singer played its note. It was too dark to see what happened with the arrow. However, the bot reacted harshly as it quickly approached the juntard even as it attempted to flee. Alex raised his weapon and fired several times forgetting it was on its lowest setting. Switching weapons, he fired again this time knowing it was on the medium setting. Frustrated with himself that he did not have the foresight to charge it with the heaviest setting he did so now and knew it would be some time before it would be ready to fire.
When Alex fired on the lowest setting the bot didn’t react. However, when he fired on the medium setting it stopped chasing Alesti and the juntard and focused its attention on Alex. He took off at a reckless pace as he tried to outrun the bot, squeezing the lobe of the juntard as hard as he could. If not for the vegetation repeatedly getting in the bots way Alex would have been caught and killed seconds after he fled. However, he managed to keep a small gap between him and the bot. The juntard hugged every tree and large bush in its path, this helped to slow down the bot even further. When Alex saw a clearing ahead he cursed his bad luck and tried to go around knowing the bot would close the distance and kill him with one strike.
Suddenly the bot stopped and began running the other direction. A note of music wafted in the air, several times in fact. It took a moment but Alex finally managed to get his juntard to turn around. Soon the bot was no longer heard, and he couldn’t see it. But, his weapon indicated it was ready for firing. He tried to aim his weapon in the darkness but it was no use, the bot was gone. Alesti approached with a nocked arrow.
Terrineia Page 20
