The Purple River

by Shane Cogan

  C H A P T E R 50

  Mud Cats

  It was licking the prince’s open wound again. ‘It will heal in no time, and you are strong and healthy,’ Kassobra said a short distance from the animal. Samarth waved the Sasa away. ‘Thank you my friend. It operates like the Atis sun clock, did you know that Kassobra?’ he asked, while smiling. ‘I had heard some of the creatures here…,’ she paused and closed her eyes, catching the sun’s rays through the trees, ‘had certain powers, and I can see that was not a myth,’ she added. She turned away from Samarth and walked towards an open area in the habitat. I slept deeply last night. Yet my dreams were vivid and stranger again. Who is this presence in my mind and what is he?

  ‘The large water between us and them will throw off our scent,’ Samarth shouted out to Kassobra. He pulled himself up and waved the Sasa away. ‘Enough. You are too loyal,’ he whispered and patted the creature on the head. ‘I trust you. But they might be calling to other cats on this side to attack. I heard their calls last night,’ she said looking back. ‘I didn’t hear the call’, he said. ‘You don’t have the ears of a Shaman father,, she replied and smiled. She looked around at the worn-down old settlement. Huge rocks had been placed on each other and smoothed out and almost fitted exactly together. She scraped one of the large carved out rocks. Removing some of its vegetation, it revealed its colour beneath. ‘A reddish composition,’ she whispered. She removed the rest of it that had covered the entire structure. She looked up at the height of the structure again. Impossible to climb up, yet an animal with an intent or special climbing power could easily climb over it. ‘They cannot come over it or get in here. Impossible,’ Samarth said softly, as he touched her on the shoulder. ‘You have been reading my mind again. Stop. Turn the telepathy cell off. I am not hiding anything from you, ok?’ she said swinging around to meet him.

  Turning around to meet his words, she caught his gaze. And I caught that look too. He averted his eyes as she looked upon him again and turned away. ‘Look,’ she said pointing at her frame, ‘my attire had not changed since the previous days. Except for some rips and holes in my limited clothing from the chasing pack and the tumble in the river,’ she said. ‘Come here, Kassobra and let me introduce you properly to our guides,’ he said. ‘Changing the subject, but it’s fine,’ she said. Kassobra walked over to where he was sitting beside the Sasa. The reptile creature slid its tongue out and in and jumped on the spot. ‘This fine creature you already know likes you, as not everyone gets a morning dance like that,’ said Samarth. ‘And this is the Sloua. Our amazing cat guide,’ he said as it blinked at her. ‘This is the Eappi and Nasp,’ he said as they both came closer. The Nasp twitched its nose towards her. ‘And finally, the one and only Edaark. And don’t be alarmed by his great height. He is a gentle creature. Look,’ said Samarth as the creature licked the prince on his face.

  ‘And what is your connection to these five…’ she hesitated, still standing and added, ‘interesting creatures of the forest?’ ‘Oh, you already know the answer to that, otherwise you would not have followed me here or joined our mission,’ he answered. ‘From a journey to a mission. This is a new focus,’ she said. Samarth got up. He glanced down at his leg, but managed to drag it along with the rest of his body. ‘You will not be chasing mud cats or anything else for a while,’ she said. ‘There is no need. In here, nothing can penetrate us, or come in. Look at this metal rod…,’ he said as he pointed at the object in the centre of the settlement. He was rubbing the rough vegetation off its top. Its surface sparkled as the sun hit its uncovered centre. ‘Its face is like a clock, with dials and pointed hands but one key difference, it’s made of nixel’, our very rare metal, he said smiling on the last word. Kassobra moved closer and curled her fingers around the angles that they came from. ‘Eight. Four by four. This is the Daara people’s spirit dialler. Here, like all of the settlement, it protects us from the dark and evil spirits of the underworld.

  ‘This was their kingdom. Here in this forest. In the mid-west of the country; their domain. Until we…,’ he lowered his head and pulled at his face with his hand. ‘These creatures refused to leave when the Daara were forced to leave, like most groups after the last great war. Banished, battered, broken and their way of life all but gone. They had to start a new life with barely a few of their kind left and told to go over there to the east,’ he said pointing. He exhaled a long sigh. The Eappi let off a low grunt. The Nasp let off an air noise through its snout. She nodded at all the creatures. ‘I understand. I had heard of these people in my shamanic teachings. But to banish them, when they were the guardians of the singing forest and here with all its healing and magic. It makes no sense,’ she said moving closer to Samarth. He could slowly sit on the ledge of the spirit dialler. He placed one foot on the steps and leant his back against the rock. ‘My father and the Tarracullans had no choice. All magic. Good and bad had to be banished, if we were to create a new Atis out of the violent chaos,’ he said and looked at the creatures who were looking at him, some making soft noises and tapping their feet, or flapping their wings. The Edaark held its hands over its face and made a soft moaning sound.

  ‘Look. These are the few good protectors left in this giant forest. The Darra are now over there on Glow Mountain. They found and…,’ he paused and shuffled his body and pulled at some more vegetation, ‘the secret passage’, he said pointing at the ground. Kassobra looked at his hand and then back at his face. ‘I mean, after they were surrounded and told to leave here. That was 300 years ago. And they have not been back since,’ he said. ‘But why are we here now.’ ‘What secret passage? And what am I doing here?’ shouted Kassobra, as she brushed off some more dirt and thought back to her father and her first trek into the forest. It’s been such a long time since I was here and seeing such magical creatures. Samarth pushed himself up and moved closer to Kassobra. He jabbed his small finger into her chest. She stood still. ‘You are in denial. You have seen it. Them. Those or whatever evil creatures they are. I have seen them too,’ he said, his tone rising, his breath hitting her on the nose. I smell his fear. His anxiety. ‘We are not equipped to deal with these things. This evil. Look at us. It’s pathetic,’ he said and sat down again, holding his hands over this face. The animals moved backwards as his words grew louder. He placed his hands on his knees and steadied his legs. The Sloua moved forward and its head found its way into Samarth’s hands. He patted the creature, his body flowing to a still and his voice slowing. ‘My brother, the fool has placed all his faith in that damn Vanguard. And placed security with words over personnel, whom have certain old ways of dealing with things. Look at us. These animals’ ears and eyes are our own source of security. I apologise to you and all Atisians. We have no guards. We do not even have anything to fight them off. Weapons. Nothing. Look. We only have them now. And you,’ he pointed to the creatures and then back at at Kassobra.

  ‘This is our army now - these creatures and our minds. You have the power to fight this evil. And I,’ he said and sunk his head lower into this hands. Kassobra moved closer and the Sloua backed away with a low soft grunt. It softly caught Kassobra with its tail on the way backwards. She smiled at the creature. Kassobra moved her hands over the prince and soothed his head. He looked up at her. ‘We have powerful minds. This is no weapon against the bullets, like the one that they found at the lake. This is our war. Of minds and with this,’ she said, softly tapping him on the head with her finger. ‘So you do understand?’ he asked. ‘Oh yes. I do. My father had warned me of this day when we walked and ran through this forest when I was young. All his words, wisdom and teachings came back to me again over the past few days. He had prepared me for this day. I guess I have been in denial. Yet, I admit they were not needed until this day,’ she said softly in his ear. She pulled her arms around him. The Sloua hissed at her feet, curling into a ball, blinking one eye open and closed. Samarth rocked in her arm. She whispered some more words. She looked around at the creatures. All retreated, except for the
Eappi. Royal loyalty. Its eyes focused on Kassobra, who returned its gaze. She held her eyes closed and counted. Opening them again, she heard its wings flap and caught sight of the creature leaving the settlement. It has understood my message. Looking back at the prince, his eyes closed, breathing slow and deep.

  C H A P T E R 51

  The Sloua

  Tiuus held his head and counted his steps. Stopping, he counted again. Looking around, he stopped and counted again. He watched as the steam hit the tree. My head hurts. Too much of that berry wine. ‘I tried to sing one of my native songs, but the tribe were hostile. Why? They just laughed,’ he mumbled at the tree. He smiled and his mind wandered as he bent down to grab his boots. He pulled at one length and overlapped the other. ‘Too hard,’ he stuttered out. He bent over some more, his head closing in on his feet. He saw the boots and the impending mud, catching a glimpse of a shadow on impact.

  ‘You!’ he shouted. He stuttered out some more words, but she could not understand them. ‘Look at what you have done,’ but his words were still stuttered and slower. ‘Well, how else was I meant to get your attention, big Manith? You just left our party without saying goodbye. That is highly insulting for our tribe,’ Hydra said. He moved closer, but slow. Each boot and footprint jagged and his body staggering. ‘Just a shame, you have drunk too much, otherwise I could have shown you around more,’ she said as she smiled and left to leave it behind. But Hydra turned her head slightly, as he tried to put one foot forward again towards her. ‘For a small woman, you are strong to hold such a big fool like me,’ he said but the words came out all jumbled. ‘I understand. Come let us get you to bed, before you fall into some larger hole and get eaten by the jumbo bats or tree dwellers. This way,’ Hydra said.

  There were whispers and some mutterings from the crowd. The elder of the Daara people was standing. ‘He is gone. We can talk now. Hydra will keep him busy. Hush,’ he said as the crowd muttered some more. His side stick held him up, but his feet remained stuck to the ground. He pulled on the small long grey hair that was running from his chin and he pulled on the coiled buttons at the end. He traced his finger around the middle one, as he thought on his words. He raised his stick. ‘Silence. We knew that this day would come. It was written by our forefathers. Listen…,’ but he was interrupted by a woman, whose belly was struggling under the weight of a small child. She let the child crawl away and stood up. The tip of her nose wobbled as her lips touched it, and then she spoke. ‘I do not trust him. I fear he knew we were here,’ she said. Another woman with a straight nose and brown stained teeth said: ‘I agree. He might be a Manith, but he has the look of a Tarracullan. He is a spy,’ she said. ‘Silence,’ said the elder. But more shouts of disapproval rang out against the Manith. ‘Silence,’ but the crowd chatter grew louder. They were shouting at each other.

  He grabbed his stick and slammed onto the drum. Everyone covered their ears. He continued to beat the drum until the last of the men covered their ears. He kept banging as he counted the crowd. He stopped his banging. Rubbing their ears, the words grew to whispers. ‘Silence!’ he shouted again and hit the drum again. But the man beside him grabbed the stick and respectfully pulled it back towards the elder. ‘Yes. Good. Now we need to decide if he can stay and we help him, as he pointed his stick towards the sky. ‘Up there is evil. A dark force that we have not seen on Atis for three generations. Up there on that mountain top, where no man, woman or animal can get to is that dark force…and,’ but he was interrupted by a small girl who shouted out ‘here I bring the truth,’ she said. Her small stature was struggling under its weight. The small girl’s green eyes grew larger as she walked into the middle of the gathering, the fire flame reflecting on her face, as her scar became more visible. Her right arm was struggling under its weigh. She stopped close to the fire.

  All eyes were on her and the animal that she was carrying on her arm. She removed the cover from the bird and it yelped. The crowd gasped as one. ‘This is the Sloua, our old ancestral symbol. Our people’s protector. And he has come from the singing forest with a message,’ she said softly. She stuttered the word Sloua at first, but on a second attempt the crowd understood and stood up. The elder approached the girl and looked at the creature. ‘I thought that they had all been killed, as he touched the creature on the head, rubbing his eyes and moisture away. The elder’s skin shone a brighter silver as he touched the bird some more. The creature softly pecked him on the hand. ‘Listen,’ the girl said. ‘The Sloua does not lie and he does not trick nor look for pity. He is a bird of great strength, which sees what no other creature can. And he has travelled to the top of the mountain. He saw the evil there,’ she said. The elder tried to lift the creature from the small girl’s arm, but the Sloua let off a sharp whistle and shook its head. The small girl smiled and her skin changed colour. ‘But the bird said he has help and they need ours. And that the spirit dial is still intact,’ she said and saw that the crowd were moving closer as she uttered the word’s spirit dial. ‘But what has this to do with this Manith man, little girl?’ a woman shouted out at the back of the crowd.

  ‘Tiuus, the Manith man is the help. He has been sent to stop the evil at the top of the mountain,’ the girl said pointing upwards. As she said the final words, the Sloua turned to her and gave her a small peck on the cheek and took off, letting off a series of low pitch noises as it swopped over the crowd and circled the camp. Then it took off. The crowd waved and shouted to the bird. It was gone. ‘Then that is settled. He needs our help. Our eyes in the spirit world have spoken,’ the elder said. There were a few murmurings but then its tone was soft. ‘Best you tell him now,’ the small girl said as she pointed to Tiuus and Hydra as they were standing behind the crowd.

  ******

  The night crawlers are active and restless. They swopped down to where she had positioned herself. Zirva opened her mind and arms and inhaled deeply. She looked to where she had lit the light. Summon him. It smoked. She tried again to light the special oil and coils. It sparked, but smoke appeared. ‘There is no reason for him to come,’ she whispered as one of the night crawlers landed at her feet. She gazed at the sky. ‘The stars have been kind tonight. Atis is part of these clusters, new stars and old ones, but we are alone in this galaxy,’ she whispered, arching her heard towards the sky. Focus on the shape of stars that brings you the most joy and energy. Its shape the same as what you wear. She pulled at it under her robe and carefully ran her thumb around its shape. She started at the top, with its vertical line and next to the right angle and then horizontal. She reached the eighth and final side and touched the four dots in the middle and their equal spaces. She gazed back at the shape in the sky and smiled. A night crawler was jabbing its beak into her ankle. Zirva turned around and bent over to see its shape in the darkness. The stars and half-moon light flashed its yellow beak as it pecked at her foot. She got up and followed the creature, walking slowly. It landed on a table and pecked at its centre, its tip no longer yellow. Its feathers now flapping, it was joined by the rest of the night crawlers on the small rock table. Zirva touched each of the dots on her chain and each bird responded.

  She closed her eyes. I seek entry to the night crawlers’ communications. Images flowed in her head. Encircling them above in the sky, she saw its presence. I felt it earlier inside, before summoning the night crawlers. That was no ordinary bird of prey. No other such creatures can live or fly at such a height. She snapped her fingers and had the view of the main night crawler. They flew around the intruder and saw its larger physique. She saw it changing its eye formation, its low hissing noise, which was now more than a whistle. It denotes some other form of communication. Zirva flew closer with the bird’s aid to seek its eyes closer. They were blocked. She flew in again and around the larger creature. It had slowed its wing span and floated to gazing back at the lead night crawler. It darted right away from her and speeded up. Zirva watched it as it headed towards the next peak, catching the next air level pocket. Zirva opened her eyes
and snapped her fingers. I know what that creature is and what to do. She clapped her hands and they sprinkled from her hands. The night crawlers pecked wildly at the fallen grains. She left them flapping and screeching over the remaining grains. ‘They have enacted the old way sooner than I had expected,’ she said slowly. She moved quickly and pulled the oil and black coils into the house and shut the windows and doors. She lit a light switch and it sparked on. This time the light is visible and strong.

  C H A P T E R 52

  Glassnake River

  ‘Which war were you talking about in your sleep last night, dear?’ she asked. Wormblack spat his soup out. It landed on his white shirt. Splatters of soup also landed on the table and a few managed to form a layer on the top of his water jug. ‘War,’ he finally managed to blurt out. ‘You must have heard me say Tar or Man,’ he said and slowly moved his head back to position himself for the soup to land in his mouth. He swallowed its contents with his tongue moving wildly in the process as his wife said: ‘No. It was war and the long great Mercury Wars. In fact, it was not once in the middle of the night. But the whole night you rambled about the last great war and the new wars and…,’ she said but he stopped her as he laid the spoon down fast, making it spin, creating a small vibration off the table. ‘Not possible,’ he said with his voice now higher. ‘I would not speak or repeat what you heard to anyone. It was just a dream,’ he said. ‘A dream. This is Atis. We harvest dreams. We are the dreams. I might not have the same level of intellect as you, but I know what war is in a reality and in a dream,’ she said as she moved away from the table and huffed a sound as she headed for the kitchen. ‘You’re paranoid,’ she said, her words faint as she walked further from him.