Jaded Dusk

by Scott Wale

  Fenrit focused on a battle happening right before his eyes. Xyids, which were bioluminescent bugs, were waging clan wars on each other. Fenrit had fond memories of Xyids from smashing them against the grass and smearing their bioluminescent chemicals into colorful patterns. Xyids were bioluminescent during all of the stages of their life cycle and a treasure to a young Loupiq or Chafel was finding a large grub that was about to enter an adult stage. A grub could paint the longest stretches of grass blades in blue, green, purple or yellow. Artists separated themselves from the rest of the group by collecting all four colors and completing renderings of things one could find on the Jade Plains. The trick was to think and create quickly as the bioluminescent chemicals didn’t last long once they left the Xyid’s body.

  The battle between Xyids was a rare event that Fenrit had never witnessed before. The bugs had caught his attention before the battle began and Fenrit made note of where the two clan’s mounds were as the soldiers filed out of their fortress. The tactics of the battle were impressive given the simple nature of a bug. Both clans had a shield of Xyids covering the half of the mound’s perimeter that faced the battlefield. The remainder of the Xyid soldiers had formed into a phalanx that held its position outside of their own mound. A larger bug that was a drone came out of the mound after the shield and phalanx had been formed. Fenrit knew enough about Xyids to be able to identify a drone and also knew that the queen rarely left the mound. He speculated that the battle would end when one of the queens was brought to their death. He knew once the soldiers breeched the mound of the opposing side that the workers within the mound would offer little to no defense before the soldiers were able to reach the queen. The phalanx and drone were the mound’s only means of defense and the battle would be decided under the stars out on the Jade Plains.

  The phalanxes marched at each other with no indication there would be any sort of flanking maneuver. They clashed in between the mounds forming a blur of color from living and dead Xyids alike. The drone to Fenrit’s left was lit up in green while the drone to Fenrit’s right was blue. The soldiers were an assortment of all the possible colors making it difficult for Fenrit to tell who was winning at any given point. Fenrit watched the shields on both sides figuring that would be the best indication for who would potentially win this battle. The soldiers under the command of the blue drone hit the shield first, but the Xyid shield under the command of the green drone was persistent to hold the line. When the shield began to deteriorate the green drone came down from its post and joined the battle. The green drone valiantly pushed back the offensive and when it looked bleak the remaining soldiers that had formed the shield came to the drone’s aid concentrating the remains of the army right outside the mound’s entrance. The phalanx under the command of the green drone had nearly been eliminated and now the battlefield was flooded with soldiers under the blue drone’s command that flowed towards the opposing mound. The blue drone’s soldiers quickly disposed of most of the remainder of the green drone’s soldiers that had made up the shield and then set their target on the green done. The green drone was hopelessly vanquished by the overwhelming number of blue drone soldiers that had been part of the original phalanx. The blue drone shield hadn’t even been touched.

  The defeat of the green drone led to a curious observation. A few Xyids began to show odd behavior and either began moving in circles, ran around in erratic patterns or simply curled up beneath the protection of their wings that served as a shell. Fenrit pondered these actions for a while before correlating them to the death of the green drone. The Xyids appeared to lack a function now that they no longer had a leader. Fenrit had no guess as to the cause of the behavior; however, he had an impulse to test his theory. Fenrit stood up, walked over to the blue drone’s mound and slammed his hand down on top of the blue drone just as he had done as a child. Not wishing to waste the opportunity, he smeared the blue bioluminescent chemicals down the side of the mound. Fenrit turned his attention to the battlefield and just as he had theorized, the soldiers under the command of the blue drone were now acting just as erratic as those of the green drone had done at the death of their commander. Fenrit had essentially ended the battle in a draw.

  Fenrit returned to his log and sat back down. He began to wonder what advantage the Xyids would have in placing all the soldiers under the well-being of a single drone. Maybe it was coordination that he was unable to observe from his position or possibly the drone had just as much importance to the mound as the queen and the loss of a drone could be just as devastating. Whatever the advantage was, it was also the least ideal of weaknesses. Consolidating all the power into a single point would always lead to disaster.

  Fenrit returned his full attention to his watch duties. He gave special consideration to the chirping of nearby insects that he assessed were at normal levels. He then turned his attention to the sleeping members of his party. Talsend, Cerevus and Lachtyn were all sleeping soundly as most premaliers would even after such a tragic event. Alejade was stirring as Fenrit suspected she would. He was surprised that his sister was even able to fall asleep.

  Fenrit rolled up his sleeve and stared at his bicep. He had undergone the same tradition as a majority of premaliers that had branded themselves with the premalier’s emblem. The emblem was two crescents that faced each other back to back with the tangent of their curvatures nearly touching. It represented the crescent shape of the two moons of Faunar, Llume and Mani, in an odd pattern of a waxing and waning crescent stages. No Chafel or Loupiq had ever witnessed this lunar arrangement, but the individuals who had studied historical texts had explained this was the arrangement when the Maker had undertaken its epic battle with evil. Fenrit often gazed at his branding that began with a reminder of what his primary duty was and then trailed into thoughts that connected his primary duty to that which currently troubled him.

  Alejade abruptly sat up having been pulled from her sleep. She awoke knowing that she was removed from a dream, but the instant her eyes opened the memory of the dream had vanished. She struggled trying to recover the memory, but eventually succumbed to the thought that it’d only be recovered if trigged by something from the real world. She felt well rested despite the fact it was a short slumber. After shaking off the initial period of an awakened daze she realized that Fenrit was observing her. Her upward jolt out of sleep must have caught his attention. The others still remained asleep which meant this was Alejade’s chance to pick her brother’s mind and possibly soothe away any anxiety that she had detected earlier in the evening.

  “I imagine Cerevus was happy to get some rest before we start our trek in the morning”, Alejade started.

  “He fell asleep the minute he hit the ground”, Fenrit replied. “I won’t lie, I’m jealous that he’s able to do that.”

  “And how did you sleep?” Alejade asked.

  “Not well at all”, Fenrit answered. “You know me, when there’s something on my mind; it’s difficult to fall asleep. If I do manage to fall asleep, then appeal to the Maker that it’s not interrupted, even briefly, or chances are I won’t fall back asleep.”

  “Are you nervous about our journey in the morning?” Alejade asked knowing full well that wasn’t the issue.

  “I suppose that’s a small part of it”, Fenrit said hinting at a bigger problem that Alejade knew was there.

  Fenrit was beginning to retreat to his reticent ways. Alejade was one of the few he was extremely open with; however, if she didn’t pull a conversation from him then he would ultimately shut down. She needed to be slightly more aggressive with her line of questioning to prevent him from holding it all inside.

  “What’s the large part?” Alejade asked bluntly.

  “I’m not going to pretend like Dimday is having no effect on me, but for now I’m coping with the fact that it’s part of the past that I can’t change”, Fenrit said. “Now I’m concerned about the group of elders and what direction they will have our people take.”

  “They’ve been appointed
to the position for a reason, Fenrit”, Alejade said. “They’re wise leaders, who together have the experience to best lead our people. When we tell them what has happened at Dimday they will have a solution. Maybe not immediately, but sometimes the best solutions require time for thought.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of”, Fenrit confided in his sister. “They preach patience and many times pacifism and I don’t believe this is the time for that. We need swift actions if our people are going to be saved.”

  “The elders have a difficult role”, Alejade said in the absent party’s defense. “They need to consider not only the needs of our people, but that we are also complying with the Maker’s expectations. Have we truly exhausted all methods in an effort to stop the fighting with Grimtav?”

  “Grimtav is a sociopath and cannot be reasoned with”, Fenrit snapped. “His desires spawn from greed and are purely material.”

  “That may be true, but he is an Ipta which is one of the Maker’s creations”, Alejade pointed out.

  “I’m not so sure he holds the same ideals as the other Ipta”, Fenrit argued. “The Ipta have spent their entire existence swinging from trees in the Echo Woods. Grimtav has brought his chaos all throughout Faunar.”

  Alejade noticed that Fenrit was only getting more frustrated. Sometimes letting her brother vent was the best course, but in this case it was time to reel him back to reality.

  “The elders will know what fate is best for Grimtav”, Alejade concluded. “All we can do for now is relay the events of Dimday to help the elders make their decision.”

  “You’re right and we have a good hike ahead of us in the morning”, Fenrit replied bringing the conversation to its inevitable end. “You better get all the rest you can, because even when we reach the safety camp the journey is far from over.”

  “Are you going to remain at watch until morning?” Alejade asked with concern.

  “Yes”, Fenrit replied. “There is no sense in posting anyone else when I will just lie awake on the ground.”

  “Even when your mind is clouded you can still be logical”, Alejade said with a smile.

  Fenrit returned the smile. His sister had once again brought him relief, however temporary.

  III.

  The group wasted no time to assemble and get moving at dawn. Fenrit was surprisingly full of energy and kept the group moving at a good pace. Part of a premalier’s scouting ability was to not only keep moving, but to do so hastily. Fenrit restrained himself a bit in consideration of Alejade. He knew the others would keep up, but there was no need to physically exhaust his sister.

  Daylight on the Jade Plains brought distant views of rolling, grassy hills. The hills themselves provided enough contour to the land that the sunlight hit the grass emphasizing the jade color that gave the plains its eponymous name. Few creatures roamed the plains during the day as there was little cover aside from the occasional grove of trees or a rocky outcropping. Predators lacked the surprise of an ambush while prey had nowhere to take refuge making for a daytime truce on both sides. The lack of landmarks could also make navigation difficult for the unexperienced. Premaliers had learned to read the different groves of trees as a pathway between points. Chances were that each grove also contained remnants of a campfire where a scout had spent the night between their distant travels.

  Leading the group to the safety camp was a simple task for Fenrit. He was especially knowledgeable about the western Jade Plains. He had traveled along the Trados River in the southwest quadrant many times. The river flowed out of the Split Range, which served as the southwest border for the Jade Plains. The Loupiq and Chafel rarely traveled into the mountains except for the occasional visit to the abandoned temple at Sieral. Sieral was just beyond the foothills of the mountains which left little reason to traverse the range and few did. To the north of the Trados River was the city of Shadowport. Here is where civilized life existed and Fenrit like most others had only ever viewed it from a distance. A pathway extended out of Shadowport and could be followed into the northeast quadrant of the Jade Plains and into Faunar’s capital city VaSaige. Fenrit had spent little time in the eastern Jade Plains and he had never laid sight on VaSaige. He had heard rumors of its magnificence, but talk about the civilized life was often done in whispers. Dimday had been located in the northwest quadrant of the Jade plains quite a distance north of Shadowport. The Echo woods created the northwest boundary of the Jade Plains and the predetermined safety camp laid at the edge of the Echo Woods.

  Jandra nosedived towards Alejade and threw out her wings at the last moment braking before landing upon Alejade’s arm. She screeched her message while the rest of the group eagerly awaited Alejade’s translation.

  “We’re about halfway there”, Alejade translated to the rest of the group. “Jandra has delivered our written message, so they should be expecting our arrival.”

  “Did they send any message back?” Talsend asked.

  Alejade opened the small carrying device attached to Jandra’s leg and removed a message. The device was too small to carry a message of considerable length, but it worked well to communicate brief, important messages. Unfortunately, no other creature empaths could communicate with birds otherwise Jandra could have simply relayed messages back and forth with her own memory.

  “We are saddened to hear of Dimday, but eagerly await your return to our people”, Alejade read from the note inside.

  “Thank you, Jandra”, Alejade acknowledged. “You may as well stay with the group for the rest of our travel.”

  Jandra screeched in affirmation. She launched off Alejade’s arm and took her rightful place back up in the sky. Remaining perched did not feel natural or comfortable to the raptor, let alone being perched on another living being’s body. She only did this with Alejade which spoke volumes of the bond that had formed between the two.

  “Shall we continue?” Fenrit asked still positioned at the head of the group.

  “Is there a better place to take a break just ahead?” Alejade asked. “If not, I could use some rest.”

  “The prospects of foraging are the same here as any other waypoint we’ll hit the rest of the way”, Fenrit responded pointing to the nearby grove.

  Alejade sat down in the grass making her decision known. Talsend and Lachtyn followed suit.

  “Let’s go see what we can dig up, Fenrit”, Cerevus exclaimed.

  The two Loupiq headed in the direction of the nearby grove leaving the rest of the group to catch their breath.

  “The endurance you premaliers have is impressive”, Alejade pointed out.

  “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tired”, Lachtyn admitted. “Your brother can really move and the journey seems to be energizing him. It wouldn’t surprise me if we complete the second half of our travel at greater haste than the first.”

  “If they successfully find something worth eating, it wouldn’t surprise me either”, Talsend added.

  “What are we going to do when we reach the camp?” Lachtyn wondered out loud.

  “Rebuild a village”, Talsend suggested.

  “That close to the Echo Woods?” Lachtyn asked in astonishment. “I don’t think the Ipta would appreciate our people living nearby.”

  “Might not be such a bad idea to have the extra protection nearby”, Talsend defended his thought. “The Ipta may not be completely comfortable with our people, but there’s no reason to believe they’d turn on us.”

  “That’s an interesting idea, Talsend”, Alejade said. “We’ve never had poor relations with the Ipta and maybe this is an opportunity to better understand each other.”

  “I don’t trust them, but I suppose that is a decision for the elders to make”, Lachtyn replied.

  “What makes you leery of them?” Alejade asked.

  “Their society produces results like Grimtav”, Lachtyn answered candidly.

  “Grimtav may be an Ipta, but he is also an individual”, Alejade pointed out. “It would seem he has broken ties with the soc
iety that exists in the Echo Woods. We can’t judge the people based on the actions of one.”

  “How do we know there was just one bad egg?” Lachtyn challenged. “Maybe there are flaws in their society that allow people like Grimtav to go on unchecked.”

  “Perhaps that is true”, Alejade contended. “The fact is that we don’t know the complete story and we don’t have a full understanding on what, if any, relationship still exists between the two.”

  “Maybe it’s a good idea to keep a safe distance until we know more”, Talsend said attempting to keep a neutral position.

  “Agreed”, said Alejade and Lachtyn simultaneously.

  Fenrit and Cerevus returned from the grove carrying a soiled object that Alejade was unable to identify.

  “I hope an edible root sounds delicious”, Cerevus exclaimed.

  ***

  Lachtyn’s prediction had been accurate. Fenrit pushed the group at a hurried pace. Alejade struggled to keep up, but never managed to fall far enough behind that the group had to stop and wait for her to catch up. Cerevus, Lachtyn and Talsend had been annoyed with Fenrit’s brisk clip, but they were relieved to finally make it to the safety camp. The repetitive routes had made traveling the Jade Plains tiresome for the premaliers. The same waypoint provided the same scenery time and time again which lead to an inside joke among the premaliers that they could walk the routes with their eyes closed.

  The safety camp had been sited just outside the fringe of the Echo Woods. A scattering of trees made up the fringe providing a short transition before the dense population of trees that made up the rest of the woods. The fringe served as a nice barrier between those that still called the Jade Plains home and those that had taken up residence in the woods. Beasts and sentient beings alike showed a preference for one of the two ecosystems.