The Night Land, a Story Retold

by James Stoddard

  We left the trees and entered that barren, rocky region where the hopping bird-monsters dwelled, and it was not long before we spied one of them. Naani and I hid at once between two boulders and kept still until the creature bounded by, half-flying, half-leaping, too heavy to ever take to the air. This was the first time I had glimpsed one up close, and I shivered as it passed, for it had no feathers and seemed more bat than bird.

  "I've seen pictures of these in books," Naani whispered. "They once nested around our redoubt, before the final night fell. We thought them extinct."

  "They must have migrated here for the warmth."

  "Do you think your people could ever do that, Andros? Could they someday start a new life here?"

  "I suppose, though I don't know how they could ever make it through the Night Land."

  "Are the monsters so terrible?"

  "Yes, and much more numerous than in your country. But the Forces of Evil are worse."

  Naani's face became pensive. "It seems a shame to waste all this light."

  When the bird-beast had passed, we set out, but an hour later saw a score of the creatures bounding in flocks among the boulders. These were followed by several single birds, and we were often forced to hide.

  Despite my vigilance, while traveling what I thought a deserted way, I heard a noise behind me and turned to discover one of the monsters bounding over the rocks, its mouth open, its forked tongue darting in and out. No doubt it had been hidden or resting among the stones as we passed. It hissed and poked its head forward, so that it resembled a lizard as much as a bird.

  I looked around, but we stood in a clearing, too far away to seek the protection of any boulders. Naani leapt to my side, her knife drawn, while I steadied my grasp on my diskos. Though I admired her courage, I could never fight my best if I thought her in danger.

  I caught her quickly by the waist, and pulled her down to the ground between my feet.

  "Andros, no!"

  I grasped her shoulder more fiercely than I intended. It must have bruised her, for she gave a cry of pain. "Stay down!" I ordered. "Let me do what I was trained for. Lie flat, face down!"

  I must have looked ferocious, for she obeyed instantly, and I threw my cloak over her, hoping to hide her from the bird by confusing its sight. There was only enough time to raise my diskos before the creature was upon me.

  One instant it was a hundred paces off, the next, with two lumbering, monstrous bounds, it attacked, using a bill long as my arm. The flashing roar of my diskos, which caused the beast to pause, kept me from being killed; otherwise it would have taken me with its first stroke. Instead, it missed my head by inches and struck a blow to my left side. If not for my armor, it would have gone through my body instead of making my breastplate ring. It struck again, staggering me. But as it drew its head back for a third jab, I hit it at the point where one of its leathery wings joined its shoulder.

  It squawked, hissed, and fluttered backward, its wings beating along the ground, its bill striking at its injured joint. Fearing its cries might bring others, I rushed in to finish it off.

  It jabbed at me, but I withdrew, avoiding the blow, then dashed back in and split its skull. It twitched only a moment, as the last impulses of its nerves faded, then lay spread across the stones. With its body extended, it looked as large as a colt, its bill glistening like the blade of a scythe.

  I rushed back to Naani, who was already rising to her feet. Without speaking a word, we hurried across the clearing and hid among the boulders for a good half hour before going on.

  We saw only two more of the creatures, and those from a distance, before we reached the shallow river I had crossed during my first trek. I carried Naani over, sounding my way with the handle of the diskos as I went, an easy crossing until I stepped into a hole and slid up to my neck in the water, soaking us both. I clambered out unharmed but embarrassed, and Naani giggled like a girl and teased me for an hour after.

  Beyond the river, the fields of boulders met the edge of another forest. We looked for a fire-hole where we could dry off, and soon found a volcanic hill no higher than a man's head, with warm rocks all around. Naani helped me out of my upper armor, and we sat together on the stones while wisps of steam rose off our clothing.

  We talked about all the things we would eat when we got home, but soon gave it up, since it only made us hungry. Besides, despite our yearning for solid food, I believed the tablets kept our bodies and spirits in a condition that prevented the Forces of Evil from exerting an excessive influence over us. Whether this was my own idea or a rigorous teaching of the Great Pyramid, I cannot recall; it may well have been a peculiar belief of that age or a scientific certainty based on some fact I no longer remember.

  I dressed as soon as my armor was dry. Naani helped me back into my breastplate, and with it on, I felt much more secure. We then searched for a ledge or cave where we could sleep. Finding nothing, we settled into the branches of a tall tree set somewhat away from its fellows. I chose it because it did not have as many lower branches and could be easily defended. I had to boost Naani up, supporting her feet in my palms, for the first boughs grew nearly twice her height. For some reason, the ascent bothered her more this time, but she soon found a perch. I took the strap off my pouch to use as a rope, which I threw to her. She tied it around a branch, and I pulled myself up.

  We climbed a little higher into the thickest branches, where she made us a bed by laying the cloak across several intersecting boughs. She remained a little dizzy until we were both lying down together, each with one of our wrists strapped to the tree to keep from falling.

  Having journeyed nearly twenty-two hours that day, we soon fell asleep, but it was not a restful slumber. Four times I woke to find Naani whimpering in her sleep: calling out to her father, crying out names I could not recognize, or writhing to escape some phantom monster. Each time I gently shook her until she woke, though she went immediately back to sleep.

  I woke eight hours later with the distinct impression someone had been kissing me in my sleep. Naani was already up, looking mischievous, and once again I vowed to wake next time and catch her at it.

  "Good morning," I said. "How are you?"

  "Since I didn't break my neck, I would say good. I kept imagining I was about to fall. I could have sworn the trees were swaying."

  "Trees have that effect, I suppose, though there hasn’t been any wind here for centuries. Next time we will sleep on the ground so you don't have nightmares."

  "I didn't have any nightmares."

  "Yes, you did. I had to wake you four times. Don't you remember?"

  She looked puzzled. "Really? I don't recall. Probably dreams of falling. I'm sorry I disturbed you."

  I decided not to say anything about her calling to her dead family. "It was nothing. I went right back to sleep. After breakfast, I think I will climb a little higher and take a look around."

  I did so, but though I scaled as far as I could safely go, I spied no sign of anything living either near or far.

  ***

  We climbed down the tree and continued on our way. Naani, seemingly lost in thought, drifted a few steps from me and soon began softly singing, swinging her hips slightly to the tune. I could not help but watch her, for she seemed to have forgotten anyone was about, as if I had caught her unawares. I noticed everything: the way she placed her feet, the poise of her form and the tilt of her head, the look in her eyes, the red-gold of her hair, the way she idly brushed a curl from her brow.

  Abruptly, she sang another song, an ancient air I had not heard for thousands of years. I could not quite place it, but it shook me to my soul, as if all the silence of the ancient moonlit world stole about me.

  Naani faltered a little as she sang, trying to recall the words through the veils of memory. My blood heaved in my veins; a tightness rose in my throat, the beginning of a sob, the ghost of forgotten tears. Yet the sorrow, falling so swiftly upon me, was also steeped in golden mists and the glamour of love, and I re
membered many things I had not recalled before.

  I looked at Naani through eyes misty with tears, and saw that she, too, wept as she walked, not so much with pain, but with the tenderness, sorrow, and love of all that was and would never be, of words spoken and unspoken, of years lost and found, of forgotten glory and dreadful partings. I saw in her eyes the treasures forever hidden in the darkness and heard the distant music of neglected songs—all this, built of years and remembrances, descending over shadowed mountains into the valley of the spirit, seen through the light of memories shrouded by hushed shadows.

  As Naani went, tears in her eyes, still singing, she did not hold her head downcast, but up, as if she walked in glory. Her concentration was so deep, I do not think she even knew she sang. The tune came sometimes broken, her voice quivering, and other times as clear as if the eternity since she had last heard it was but a moment past.

  Listening to her, watching her face, both pure and triumphant, troubled and overjoyed, I imagined I heard faint echoes surrounding us, the voices of my long-dead loved ones. My breath came sharp against my chest; tears rolled down my face, and though I knew I walked beside Naani in that boulder-strewn forest, it seemed I also stood beneath the light of ancient sunsets, in other forests, with Mirdath by my side.

  I do not know if I truly experienced a vision or not; it certainly seemed real, but it passed in an instant, leaving me watching Naani. She halted suddenly and turned to me, holding out her arms, her eyes pale blue, her face transfigured with love.

  We stumbled into each others' embrace, clinging as tightly as my armor allowed. Tears streamed down both our cheeks, but we held each other in silence, unable to express what lay in our hearts.

  Presently, we moved apart, each filled with the ecstasy of knowing that our beloved, once lost, was now found.

  ***

  An hour passed, and in that time Naani fell into an uncharacteristic brooding. She grew pensive, and more than once a look of anguish passed over her features. When I asked what troubled her, she only said she was thinking of the past. Since she appeared to be dealing with personal matters, I said no more, and we spent the next two hours in silence.

  I, too, had a change of mood, perhaps brought on by Naani's introspection. My joy left me, and I began thinking that we should escape this country as quickly as possible, for the longer we stayed the more chance of our encountering the Humped Men. It seemed to me that since entering the Country of the Seas, I had acted like someone under an enchantment. Despite the region's beauty, my battle with the bird-beast clearly demonstrated the dangers surrounding us. Feeling both foolish and guilty about our leisurely pace, I vowed to act more prudently from that time on.

  We came to a rock basin hidden among the trees with a warm spring bubbling into it.

  "This would be a lovely place to wash," she said. "Would you mind?"

  Despite my need for haste, I wanted to humor her, especially since she seemed so melancholy. "Go ahead, I'll keep watch. But be quick. We need to hurry."

  I think my tone stung her, though I was aggravated at myself, not her.

  "Keep your back turned," she ordered.

  I soon heard her washing in the pool, though she did not sing as she had done previously. Gradually the noises subsided to an occasional splash.

  "What are you thinking?" I finally asked. More than anything else, I wanted to hear her voice to be sure she was safe.

  She replied in a mischievous tone, "I was thinking what a lovely country this is. And I was wondering if we should stay here."

  "Do you really mean that?"

  "Certainly. Where else is there so much light and warmth?"

  "We would starve when the tablets ran out."

  "There were once other ways to survive. We could remember them."

  I nearly turned around to face her, for I thought I detected Mirdath's old, familiar way of teasing me to the point of anger.

  "It's too dangerous. I told you about the Humped Men."

  "We could find someplace far from them. They would learn to respect your weapon."

  "My people are waiting for us. I want to show you the Great Pyramid and introduce you to the Master Monstruwacan. Besides, we couldn't remain here forever, just the two of us. Don't you miss having the millions around you, the cities and the people?"

  "My people are dead. Sooner or later, the Earth Current will fail in your redoubt, and your folk will be forced to come here anyway, tomorrow or a hundred thousand tomorrows from now."

  The mocking despair in her voice pierced me to the heart; it was so unlike her, and yet reminiscent of Mirdath's stubbornness. I turned around without thinking.

  Naani sat fully dressed upon a rock, splashing the pool with her toes to make me think she still bathed. She looked at me and laughed, but with a trace of anger.

  "You little fraud," I said, trying not to sound annoyed. It was only a prank, and my irritation seemed unwarranted. "Hurry up and let's be on our way."

  In answer she stuck her tongue out at me. "I'm staying here. This is where we are going to live." With that she put her fingers in her ears and began to sing.

  I laughed, though it made me more angry than I wanted to admit. Going to her, I kissed her on the mouth, and removed her fingers and gently kissed her ears.

  "We better go, Naani. There might be danger."

  "I am, as I said, staying on this rock."

  At this I became truly annoyed. While waiting for her to bathe, I had grown increasingly concerned for our safety. I glanced around anxiously, to insure that nothing approached.

  "Very well," I scooped her up and began making my way through the forest.

  "Andros, put me down! You are a cave man."

  I was still young and had my pride, so I only laughed, determined to show her who was in charge. I felt quite manly carting my woman away, her beautiful hair flowing across my armor. She eventually quit protesting, and I stumbled along the forest's edge for at least a mile before Naani sedately raised her lips to mine. I kissed her, feeling I had won the day.

  "Dear," she said, "if I could make a suggestion, you might want to go back for my shoes."

  I halted and looked down at her bare feet.

  On reflection, it seems unreasonable for this to have made me so furious, but she gave me such a triumphant look that if I had not loved her I would have dropped her on her head.

  I did not reply, and if Naani saw the rage in my eyes she pretended not to notice. I carried her back to her shoes, sat her down, and began putting them on her as if she were a child.

  "Why, Andros, are you angry?"

  "You don't care about our safety. You think this is a game, but it isn't."

  "I think nothing of the sort."

  "Yes, you do." I finished binding her shoes. "Will you walk, or should I carry you?"

  She leapt up and set off through the woods, walking a little apart from me. As she went, she tied her hair into a tight ball around her head, knowing I liked it when she wore it down.

  We spent a quiet morning walking together, and at the sixth hour I announced a rest. We ate in silence. By this time I began to feel remorse. Naani, like Mirdath, was, after all, mischievous by nature. She meant nothing by it. And it broke my heart for us to quarrel after everything we had been through.

  "Naani," I began, "I didn't mean—"

  "It doesn't matter," she replied, her face pensive. "There are more important things in the world."

  "What do you mean?"

  She only shook her head and stared at the forest.

  "What's the matter? Is something else wrong? Back at the pool you mentioned your family. Did—"

  Again she cut me off. "No, it isn't that. It isn't anything. I just like to tease."

  That was all I got from her. I tried to take her in my arms, but she drew away, so I knew this was more than a lover's spat. At last, I left her to her brooding. She did put her hair back down, which I took as a good sign.

  She walked somewhat before me and to the side,
saying nothing, but keeping a good pace. I tried to cheer her by pointing out curiosities that I had noticed on my first journey. She listened intently and nodded to show she heard, but her expression remained morose.

  At the fourteenth hour, we came to the rock of the ancient flying ship. Naani seemed to wake from her moodiness when I told her about fighting the two Humped Men on the peak. The battle roused her sympathy, and she wanted to know all the details, especially whether I had been injured. For a few minutes her sweet spirit returned, and we held one another at the base of the peak.

  "Naani," I finally said, "what troubles you?"

  "All the ages. All those who lived and died and have gone before. Yet I remain."

  "Through a miracle. A miracle you should accept."

  "A strange gift," she said. At once, she fell back into her melancholy.

  I grew dejected, for it seemed that after traveling so far to find the twin of my soul, she did not love me, after all. Even though I did not really believe this, the thought made me withdraw, and we spoke little for several hours.

  Toward the end of the day, I tried to lift her into my arms, to carry her a time as was our custom. At first, she resisted with an expression of irritation, but then allowed me to pick her up.

  We saw nothing to fear during that time, and heard little except the occasional muttering of the scattered volcanic cones. The thick, warm air, coupled with Naani's mysterious silence, left me listless.

  We descended from the high hills where the ancient ship stood, into an area where the trees grew right up to the seashore, forcing us to pass among them. The smaller cones were more active in that region, and the whole country seemed alive with the sounds of tiny, bubbling eruptions and the noise of boiling springs. We passed in and out of the woods, keeping along the shore line.

  At the eighteenth hour the roar of the volcanoes grew more terrible, and the earth began to tremble.

  "What is it?" Naani asked.

  Glancing around, I pointed to two large cones overtopping the trees. Though we had seen these for many hours, we had scarcely noticed, for despite their size they were but two in a country filled with volcanoes. "The same thing happened when I passed through here the first time," I said. "The underground forces cause tremors."