A Girl From Nowhere

by James Maxwell

  “What is it you think about?” Taimin asked.

  “I like to think about water,” Syrus said seriously.

  Taimin frowned, puzzled.

  “Once there was water in the wasteland, out in the open,” Syrus continued. “Rivers of it, and lakes, and even oceans.”

  Taimin wondered how old Syrus was. “You’ve seen it?”

  Syrus laughed, a hearty sound given his ancient voice. “No, of course not. I only know because of the evidence of my eyes. Look.” He pointed. “Do you see, in the distance? That snaking line is a dried riverbed.” He glanced at Taimin. “I’ve been to places where what was once ocean left smooth ripples in the land and the salt still shining white.”

  “Where did the water go?”

  “I don’t know. This is a burning land. We have two suns and unbearable heat surrounds us. We call the boundary the firewall, but there is no wall, just a region beyond it where nothing can live. Perhaps once our world was a more hospitable place than it is now. Perhaps once there was no firewall at all.”

  Taimin felt hemmed in, surrounded by death on all sides. Syrus’s talk of a small area enclosed by fire made him wonder if the wall could close in.

  “Will the wasteland shrink? What if it gets worse?”

  “We all die someday. But to reassure you, it seems clear to me that the time when water flowed is many, many years ago, beyond several lifetimes. There is just as great a chance that one day the rains might return.”

  As he gazed out from the summit, Taimin tried to imagine the rust-colored wasteland moistened by rivers but couldn’t. It sounded like a pleasant dream.

  “If these ideas confuse you,” Syrus said, “then think on this. How do you know what a lake is? Or an ocean, for that matter? Neither you nor I have seen one.”

  “Stories of Earth, of course.”

  Syrus nodded. “A place with no firewall and a single, yellow sun. A land filled with green forests, rivers, and oceans. A world where white clouds drift through the sky.”

  “It’s where we go when we die,” Taimin said. “My father believed in it . . . I think. I’m not sure if my mother did.”

  “Let me tell you something,” Syrus said. “Some mantoreans and skalen I’ve spoken to say they have their own Earth. But the mantoreans’ paradise is dry, like the land we’re seeing now, with vegetation that floats on the sea. My fellow skalen have a blue sun in theirs. Why such strong differences? I can only think of one answer. Perhaps rather than places we go to when we die, these might be the worlds where we were born. Perhaps rather than dreaming, we are remembering.”

  Taimin’s brow furrowed. “But if we once lived somewhere else, how are we here?”

  “I don’t know.” Syrus smiled. “We may never know.”

  Taimin thought for a moment. “You said the water dried up,” he said. “Maybe Earth was here. If there was no firewall, the world would be a much bigger place.”

  “Ah.” Syrus’s strange eyes gleamed. “So, you are a thinker. There are too few of us, Taimin. The wasteland is a harsh place to spend much time on intelligent thought. It is a struggle, but do not stop.”

  Taimin had a question he had been burning to ask. “You know about the white city. Is it everything it’s supposed to be?”

  Syrus considered for a moment. “That depends on what you think it is. For you, a human, it may be.”

  Taimin thought about all the dreams he had shared with Selena and Lars on their journey. “It’s supposed to be a haven. The Protector rules wisely and looks after his people. Fields of crops grow enough food for all. There’s plenty of water. It’s somewhere everyone is safe—”

  “Everyone human,” Syrus interjected.

  Taimin paused and then frowned. If bax or skalen were threatening Zorn, of course the Protector would defend his city. “It’s true, then?” he asked. “It’s real?”

  “Of course Zorn is real. I have never been there, but I would assume the Protector is certainly intelligent, to have remained in his position for many years. Yes, there are fields. And any large population requires a source of water to survive.” Syrus’s ancient voice became grim. “Remember, however, that the threat from the Rift Valley is a real one.”

  Taimin thought immediately about Selena and felt a chill. Vail and her group of skalen had been heading to the Rift Valley. Selena was a valuable mystic, but soon she would be put into a position where she would be forced to aid Zorn’s enemies. If she helped, people would die. If she refused, either the skalen or bax would kill her.

  He knew it was time to go.

  16

  After the dozen bax joined the hundred skalen, everything was different. The skalen drew themselves up and became sterner, more aggressive, as if mindful about the way they portrayed themselves to their soon-to-be allies. In turn, the bax made a point of traveling at the head of the column; it was their territory the skalen were entering. The two groups might be united in purpose, but even Selena could see that members of both races found it strange to be working together. The tension between them wasn’t simply going to disappear.

  The white city had a name: Zorn. Selena had overheard it on the journey, but now the place that her captors planned to conquer came up more often. Mugrak, the senior bax envoy—a stocky, wart-covered creature with ropy arms and a voice like gravel—spoke about the Protector with obvious hatred.

  Meanwhile, as the large group left the mountains behind and entered the Rift Valley, Vail kept both Selena and Rei-kika close. Vail was pleased when Selena was able to accurately farcast without the ability being drawn from her like water squeezed from a stone. But Mugrak was often nearby when Selena made her reports, and she felt his deep-set eyes on her.

  Selena and Rei-kika spent time together every night. The mantorean’s instruction gave Selena a level of control she had never had before. Her headaches stopped altogether. Rei-kika kept telling her to slow down but she wanted to learn as much as she could. When she was casting, she was free.

  Group Leader Vail called a halt.

  The immense canyon had sucked the column into its depths. Caves, chimneys, and broad splits in the rock faces created openings that beckoned on both sides. Walls of imposing cliff rose to a towering height, blotting out the suns. For a long time they had been traveling in shade as they followed the canyon’s floor, much to the relief of the darkness-loving skalen. Even in daylight, a multitude could hide in the Rift Valley.

  Selena took the opportunity to sip from her water flask as she stood with Rei-kika near the front of the group. Her gaze roved. She was always alert for an opportunity to get away, but so far Vail was keeping her under close guard. Taimin and Lars would be out there, somewhere, but Selena knew she would be difficult to find.

  She watched as Group Leader Vail testily discussed their route with Mugrak. The bax envoy was taller than Vail and the grooves above his eyes gave him a menacing scowl. Selena wasn’t close enough to hear Mugrak’s words, but his guttural voice didn’t sound pleased.

  “Why are they joining forces?” Selena asked as Vail lifted her finger and prodded it into Mugrak’s chest. She had tried to get Vail talking, without success. Rei-kika, however, sometimes spent time with Vail’s son Rees.

  Rei-kika spoke softly as she replied. “The Protector’s soldiers have been fighting the bax for years, but it is only recently that they began to raid the mines where skalen live.”

  Selena’s brow furrowed. “If the Protector is under attack, he’s going to fight back.”

  “Be that as it may, these skalen are not from this area. Vail’s clan leader, Rathis, was captured by the humans while he was visiting another clan. Vail received news not long ago: Rathis is still alive. Vail has brought her warriors to the Rift Valley in order to see him freed.”

  The situation was more complicated than Selena had realized. “Can Zorn survive?”

  “Have you seen it up close?” Rei-kika asked.

  Selena shook her head.

  “Zorn has a tall wall,” Rei-kika
said. “Who can say? With an alliance, the Rift Valley may finally have the power to conquer the city. Rees says that the Warden of the Rift Valley, a bax named Blixen, is a strong and capable leader.”

  Selena’s worry grew when she remembered the bax they kept encountering, all traveling in the same direction. “I suppose it depends on the numbers Blixen can summon.”

  Rei-kika nodded. “One thing that is clear is that the bax traveling here are those most willing to risk their lives for plunder and status.”

  “Why are the skalen so afraid of the bax?” Selena asked as she watched Vail argue with Mugrak; the bax’s ugly, knobbed head bobbed up and down while he spoke. She frowned. It looked like they were discussing more than just their route.

  “Look at the difference in their size,” Rei-kika said. “The bax are stronger and more numerous than the skalen. The skalen have superior weaponry, but a bax is an intimidating creature.”

  Vail and Mugrak stopped talking, and the old skalen gave a resigned nod. Selena was relieved to see that their argument appeared to have been settled, but then she felt a chill when Mugrak’s dark gaze focused on her. Vail left Mugrak’s side to walk toward Selena and Rei-kika. As the group leader approached, Selena was surprised to see that her tilted eyes looked troubled.

  Vail came to a halt. She stood directly in front of Selena and waited a moment before speaking. Selena felt her heart rate increase. Her intuition told her something bad was about to happen.

  “Mugrak and his followers are going to take you to cast for them, Selena,” Vail said without preamble. “Rei-kika, you will stay with me.”

  Selena drew in a sharp breath. She glanced at Mugrak, who was watching the exchange with a satisfied look on his wart-covered face. Vail had been less than kind to her, but Selena feared the bax more. She remembered standing on the hill with Lars, certain she was about to die. Her thoughts turned to the idea of running, but she was surrounded by skalen and in Mugrak’s home territory.

  “Why?” she asked Vail. She shook her head. “No. I won’t go.”

  “I am not giving you a choice,” Vail hissed. “We have struck a bargain. When the fighting starts, Mugrak will help ensure our clan leader, Rathis, makes it out alive. In return, Mugrak plans to offer you as a gift to Blixen, Warden of the Rift Valley. We have Rei-kika to cast for us. You are the price he demanded.”

  “Group Leader, don’t do this,” Selena said.

  Rei-kika made a clicking sound of concern.

  “Listen to me,” Vail said firmly. “Mugrak wishes to travel ahead, but our forces are to merge with the main host when we arrive. I will still be near, young mystic. Remember, you are valuable. No harm will come to you.”

  Mugrak and another bax came over. Selena’s nostrils flared when she saw that Mugrak’s companion held a length of leather cord in his hands.

  “We will take the payment now, Group Leader,” Mugrak grunted. “Borg, bind the girl.”

  The bax called Borg grabbed Selena and turned her roughly. She threw her body forward to pull free, but with a growl Borg grabbed her again, this time twisting her wrists behind her back. She struggled, but the stocky bax wrapped the cord around her wrists, tying them hard. When it was done, she stood with her heart pounding.

  “Her talent is wild,” Vail said to Mugrak. “I have learned to get the most out of her, but without your own mystics you may have difficulty.”

  “That is no concern of yours,” Mugrak said. “We have ways to make her do our bidding.”

  Mugrak gathered the rest of his dozen warriors, and without a word of farewell he ordered the march to begin. In moments Selena had left the skalen behind, with Mugrak setting a far brisker pace to head deeper into the immense canyon. The maze of side passages was confusing but he obviously knew where they were going.

  Selena fought to control her apprehension. She had never been this close to a bax before, and now she was alone with a dozen of them. She smelled their musty odor as Borg herded her along, and when she stumbled or made an involuntary sound of pain, a sharp jab silenced her. There was more variety in their appearance than there was with skalen. Mugrak’s face was wart-covered and mottled with a fungus-like pigmentation, while Borg had the thickest neck she had ever seen. As she glanced at the other marching warriors she sensed there was no gentleness in their nature. Some had colorful blotches on their faces and necks, and they wore armor rather than clothing. Their weapons had all seen heavy use. Mugrak’s harsh grunts kept them in line.

  The forced march continued for hours. Selena wondered about her fate. She had to find a way to get free. Only then could she warn the Protector of Zorn about the growing threat on his doorstep.

  But as the light began to fade and fatigue dragged at her limbs, her thoughts turned to a more immediate fear. She knew that if she didn’t get a chance to rest, she wouldn’t be able to think, let alone cast. Her dread grew every time one of the bax looked her way.

  The ravine narrowed, and they followed a chasm with steep walls of rock on both sides. Mugrak evidently knew where he was going and turned when the path forked. Selena glanced up. The sky overhead was shifting in hue from blue to dark purple. The first stars appeared, one by one.

  At last Mugrak called a halt. They had come to a place where the walls closed in to encircle a wide area of red dirt. Mugrak set Selena down and gave her some water from a leather bladder, along with a few strips of dried meat. Meanwhile the rest of the contingent erected tents made of animal skins stretched over frames of thin sticks.

  Slumped with exhaustion, Selena sat on the dirt and ate to keep up her strength. Around her bax started fires and set off to forage and hunt. As soon as she finished eating, her eyelids dragged, but then snapped open when she had a sudden thought. She anxiously counted the tents. There were seven of them, so the bax must sleep two to a tent. She could only hope that the last might be set aside for her alone.

  “Get up,” Borg said. He reached down and hauled her to her feet. As soon as she was up, he then forced her over to one of the tents. “Get in.” He gave her a push and she stumbled as she entered. Falling onto her hands and knees, she glared back at him. “Stay where you are until Mugrak returns. He has a task to complete but will be back soon.”

  Borg disappeared, but everywhere Selena heard the grunts of the bax around her, mingling with the crackle of campfires. Despite her exhaustion, sleep was a long time coming.

  17

  “Mystic.” A voice like sandpaper jolted Selena awake.

  Bright daylight shone through the tent’s opening. Mugrak loomed over her, but the tent was tall and he was only hunching because of the natural stoop of his back. He stared down at her with his menacing, deep-set eyes.

  “You humans can certainly sleep. It is late in the day. Stir yourself.”

  The cobwebs lifted from Selena’s mind. Sitting up, she warily looked at Mugrak as she wondered what was coming.

  “I traded for you and now I own you, until I gift you to mighty Blixen,” Mugrak said. “Unlike humans, we honor our trades. It will not be easy to find this Rathis when we conquer Zorn, but find him I will. Do you understand? I will get my value.” With his last words spittle flecked from Mugrak’s mouth. “Wait here,” he grunted.

  The powerfully built bax backed away and left the tent. As soon as he vanished from view, Selena saw his companion, Borg, watching her silently. Her pulse began to quicken.

  Mugrak’s thick body appeared at the tent’s opening, and then something hit her, thrown with force. Selena barely caught the tangle of limbs and blonde hair. She managed to take one arm, then another, until she found herself holding a small, human girl. The girl was terrified, staring at Selena with wide eyes. Tear-marks streaked the grime on her cheeks and her nose ran while she trembled.

  “Disgusting things,” Mugrak grunted, wiping his hands on his leather trousers. “There is simply no good place to hold them.”

  “The hair,” said Borg.

  Mugrak came over to Selena and took the girl’s
hair in a gnarled fist. He lifted her high, holding her easily, the strands of hair as taught as a bowstring. The girl emitted a long, piercing scream.

  “Stop!” Selena cried.

  She lunged forward but Mugrak was bigger and stronger, and kicked her back. As the girl’s shriek continued, Selena wanted more than anything to stop what was happening and take the child far, far away. For the first time she thought of using her ability to harm another. Was there something wrong in that? She decided there wasn’t.

  But even as she pictured the moon it vanished from her mind’s eye. Her thoughts were in turmoil; she had no idea what to do. Rei-kika had never shown her anything about using her power as a weapon. The symbol in her mind faded before it was formed.

  She tried again to throw herself at Mugrak, but he only lifted the girl higher. The girl’s scream went on and on.

  “How do I make her stop?” Mugrak asked Borg. “This noise jars my nerves.”

  “Stop hurting her!” Selena clenched her fists. “She’s in pain!”

  “From what?” Mugrak frowned.

  “Her hair! Put her down!”

  Mugrak set the girl down and she instantly folded into a heap. He turned to Borg. “Less mess on my hands, yes, but far too much noise,” he said. “Take her away.”

  Borg grabbed the girl, lifting her up in his arms and throwing her over his shoulder. He left the tent, and Selena found herself alone with Mugrak.

  “Why is she here?” Selena’s eyes narrowed. Righteous anger coursed through her veins.

  “You humans are sentimental creatures. I traded for her. She was being kept as a pet, but her owners were tired of her. She did not cost me much.”

  “Don’t hurt her.” Selena’s fists were still clenched as she glared at him.

  “Her fate is in your hands. You must do my bidding and, most of all,” his expression darkened, “do not embarrass me when I present you to the warden.”

  Selena was so filled with rage that her jaw felt tight and sore. The child might still be with her family if it weren’t for these creatures, who wanted Selena to spy for them, to guide them through dangers and search the city for weaknesses, so they could kill and capture more children, and end the lives of more humans. “Where are her parents?” she asked in a low voice.