Journey to the Grassland and Sea

by Robert Matsunaga

  “Like this land, we have many ruins. That’s what brought us here—to satisfy our curiosity. This,” he gestured to the little girl, “is Naydiacar of Athiawaei, and the handsome young man is Siytai.” He pointed up at the woman, who waved. “That is Marhidium Kethorma. Later I may introduce you to the other crew members.”

  Tenashar responded with introductions. “These are my friends A-amar and Una-sei, who are my protectors, and my name is Tenashar.”

  Knode seemed impressed. It was as if he were sizing up a specimen to take back.

  “Knode, the islands you speak of, are they across the seas? Is there a way to get to them without flying?” asked Tenashar.

  “Flight is the best way to come and go to the islands. The seas and rocks around the shores are treacherous, which keeps our island home secure from outsiders and leaves only calm seas on our beaches. Quiet waves bless our shores.” Knode spoke with enthusiasm and pride.

  Knode extended his hand, and Tenashar took it, though the gesture felt odd to him. Siytai appeared disgusted, but Naydiacar and Marhidium clapped their hands.

  “When we first met you, you used strange words like Aura-Laei-i and Sileizan. What are these things? I want to learn—an exchange of your ways and mine,” said Knode.

  Tenashar replied with equal enthusiasm. “An Aura-Laei-i is a person who possesses great powers of wisdom and knowledge. Some create all kinds of interesting machines, which is why I thought you may be one.” He paused for a moment. “And the Sileizan were people, long ago, who had the power to make rocks and trees speak just like people. I believe that these people may have been an entire race of Aura-Laei-i. I personally know one of them.”

  “I see that you have some knowledge beyond my own people’s knowledge,” said Knode. “I, too, am a seeker of knowledge, and I want to learn more.”

  “The knowledge of the Aura-Laei-i is only for a select few at this time,” Tenashar replied with authority and a slight bit of regret.

  Knode waved this away. “Tenashar, when I read your feelings, I knew that such learning could not be given to me. I have no desire to ask for anything. I just wanted to know about the Aura-Laei-i. In Sahaynaivium, there are ancient stories told to children of people who traveled from the stars to settle our planet. Our astronomers believe that people live on other worlds just like our own.” Knode looked intently at Tenashar with a smile.

  Excited, Tenashar asked Knode if he knew anything about the Orbs, and if so, did the people of his island home have a solution to the problem.

  “We have traveled over certain parts of this continent and saw people fleeing lands that were starting to turn gray, ashen, and burned. This excited my curiosity and concern. Our island home is far out to sea, which is why these Orbs may not have touched us yet. I was wondering why the continental lands looked so strange. Thank you for telling me why the land is dying,” said Knode.

  He spoke about the ruins in his island home that were quite similar to those Tenashar had described. That was the reason why the island people were exploring the many lands.

  Knode was also fascinated by A-amar and Una-sei. Tenashar explained that they were created by the Aura-Laei-i. He also brought out the Rock and the Mushroom to show Knode. To Knode, they were simple things from nature, at least until they lit up in many colors and spoke. Tenashar even let Knode see the glass figure that resembled a tall human, which was a gift from Cadica.

  Knode was impressed. “My own people wouldn’t believe that the old legends could be true.”

  Siytai called out to Knode, “Let’s depart. There’s nothing interesting here. We should search someplace else for ruins!”

  Knode turned toward Siytai and said, “I am engaged in a conversation, which is important and interesting. I need to ask more questions. Do not interrupt.”

  Siytai looked at Knode in disgust. Tenashar could see Marhidium and Naydiacar’s apparent interest as they listened to stories about the Senetha and Aura-Laei-i.

  Tenashar asked, “How many nations of people are living on this continent?” He wanted to know if Knode could tell him how far he had to travel before reaching his destination, but in truth, he didn’t know where he was going. He was lost.

  Knode said, “We haven’t fully explored this continent, but we have seen many peoples from the air, though we communicated with almost none of them. Some of them threatened us from the ground, so we dared not land. Being in the air makes everything easy to observe. It is also a safe way of exploring the land.”

  Marhidium asked Knode, “Can we take Tenashar and his friends with us into the ship and show him what the land looks like from the air?”

  Tenashar, in turn, was curious to know about the inner workings of the flying ship and wished to visit the islands Knode came from. Perhaps there he could find what he was looking for. However, the more Tenashar thought about finding the answer on one of the islands, the less the idea seemed the correct one. In his mind, there was the never-ending concern of getting rid of the Orbs. But he felt the answers lay within, not on some island out in the ocean.

  “It seems the most important thing is that I’m curious about this flying ship and its inner workings. Knode, this ship is interesting; it’s a marvelous thing. I would be proud of such a ship and what propels it through the air,” said Tenashar.

  “Why didn’t you ask me about the ship? I would have given you all the answers,” replied Knode.

  Tenashar explained, “It’s the custom of the Senetha not to reveal the secrets of machines to outsiders. The development of machinery was considered a family secret.”

  Knode told Tenashar that, among his people, the development of machinery wasn’t kept secret. Any type of machine was considered the property of all the island people.

  “This ship is not a secret. Someday most tribes, if they have the desire to fly, will discover its workings.” Knode’s face lightened with a smile.

  “Knode, should you be explaining the workings of this ship to outsiders? You should be cautious,” said Siytai with concern.

  “Siytai, I believe that Tenashar is capable of understanding the workings of this flying ship,” replied Knode with conviction.

  “The flying ships once contained tanks filled with gases that were lighter than air, some of which were quite flammable. Thus, we devised other gases that are both light and nonflammable. Yet this ship doesn’t entirely rely on gas for most of its power to stay in the air. It has engines that control a magnetic force, which in turn creates a repelling action that keeps it off the ground, as well as pushing it forward. This force can be either negative or positive as Jets of water stream through the ship’s engines to create enough force to shoot out a steam of water out of the thrust nozzles. The sails are just for slow travel.”

  Tenaha didn’t fully understand Node’s explanation, so Kneed drew diagrams on the dirt to illustrate what was going on in the ship’s engines. The drawing of the ship showed negatively charged thrusts coming from the engines. Then Knode drew the symbol for negative. Knode explained that the ship could stay up in the air when the engine and the ground had the same negative or positive charge.

  Tenashar finally began to see what he was describing. He was grateful for what Ilaythesia had taught him about nature, as this had prepared him to understand the workings of the flying ship.

  Knode was impressed with Tenashar’s comprehension, so he further explained the concept of gravity. Words continued to flow from Knode like a waterfall about the inner mechanisms of the ship.

  Sometimes Naydiacar would put in her own knowledge about the ship.

  Marhidium and Knode showed Tenashar how the sails operated. The colors of the sails were a designation for controlling the ship in flight.

  The ship was larger than Tenashar had first thought. Once on the ship, Tenashar could see that the main cabin was so large it could easily accommodate a hundred crewmembers. But it was practically empty of people, and Knode said that only a few people were needed to control the systems of the flying
ship.

  Navigation devices were strewn all over the tables—mostly things Tenashar didn’t recognize or understand the use of.

  There was one device that Tenashar took great interest in. It was a pen-like device with a beam of light emanating from the end. When it was put on a map, the beam traveled in the direction the navigator wanted to go to and measured distances on the map. With its help, a navigator could find the best place to land and the most convenient route to take by air.

  Some of the maps were made of thin tablets similar to ones used by Cadica and the Senetha scholars. All a navigator had to do was call up in his mind the place he wanted to go, and it would appear on the screen. There were also floating spheres that could create a three-dimensional layout of the land, which delighted Tenashar. The control panels flashed many colors of light as the crew busied themselves.

  Marhidium told Tenashar that the ship could go anywhere. “Look here, Tenashar.” She called him closer. “This device says where we are and when and where we want to go. It’s very simple. And this compass tells you about the seasons, including details concerning the days, nights, time, and temperature. Does this impress you?”

  Tenashar replied in the affirmative. “My people have nothing to tell us where we are going, except the stars and experience. We have a type of compass, but it is only used by the wise men for certain things. Most of my people rely on things in the environment to guide us. The signs of nature and its spirit are always within us. You see, if we are traveling, and the water becomes scarce and the trees start to thin, we can surmise a desert is about to be encountered. Water tells us where we are going; however, it’s mainly a trick of the mind. The water doesn’t actually do anything. We prepare our minds and look into the water. Although it sounds simple, it takes training to look into the water and know where you are going. People that have trained minds and experience with the land can create their own maps. It’s just reading what the gods have put before us and nothing more.”

  “I wish to learn what you know, Tenashar. Please teach me. It would be an asset to the skills I have.” She looked intently at Tenashar and smiled.

  “It’s so simple. Just stay in a place long enough to study the land, and you’ll be able to form a map in your mind. You probably already made one without knowing it when you were up in the air and looked at the land beneath,” Tenashar explained.

  “It would be different if I were on the land and not seeing everything from high up,” replied Marhidium.

  “I have nothing more to tell you. Just practice. Put yourself down upon the land, let go of your mind, and then navigate.” Tenashar smiled at Marhidium.

  Marhidium shook her head a bit, hanging it low. She knew he was right, but there was much she still did not understand.

  Marhidium said, “The land is what it is. Through marks and colors that I see down below when flying, I know where this flying ship is going. The contrasts and textures of the land tell us where we are going. Once we understand the land—through the plant life, people, and weather—there is no need for maps. Sometimes even the smell of the air may tell us where we are. Then, through accumulated experience, we can go where we want to without referring to a map as a crutch.”

  “That is how it’s done,” Tenashar said. “You already have intimacy with the lands that you visit. Just trust in your inner feelings.”

  “What is going on here, Marhidium? Are you learning something from our new friend? I think his people are masters of the land.” Knode looked at Marhidium with a grin. “Come, let us go and see the pilot section.” Knode escorted Tenashar to the front section of the flying ship.

  Like any craft, the ship had seats for a navigator, captain, copilot, and others. All the seats, including the control systems, seemed to have been built in as part of the ship, and Tenashar assumed it was so they would not move if the ship rolled and tossed. It looked to Tenashar as if the controls and seats had grown out of the walls and floors like trees.

  Siytai was sitting in the captain’s seat. He didn’t turn his head to welcome Tenashar or even acknowledge Knode and Marhidium. But the other crewmembers already seated there smiled in salutation to the newcomer.

  Tenashar began to wonder if there was something about Siytai he couldn’t understand. This behavior wasn’t because of indifference—indifferent seemed natural for Siytai. Tenashar read this in his eyes. It may have been his impatience to continue on the journey and get back to his island home.

  Tenashar had never experienced such unexplained hostility from a stranger.

  As Tenashar looked around the flying ship, his attention caught something familiar. On a control panel, there were spheres with glowing liquid and a smaller sphere inside of it. It reminded him of what he had seen before. He pointed to them and asked what they were.

  One of the crewmembers replied that they were to keep the flying ship balanced when landing. If the small sphere remained stationary in the center, then balance was achieved. Ilaythesia had shown him similar things that were used to check if something like a table was level. Tenashar began to believe that there was a connection between the desert and island peoples, which just made him more curious about Knode’s homeland.

  Knode and Marhidium escorted Tenashar away from the pilot section to show him other parts of the flying ship. The plump woman whispered to Tenashar that Siytai was always impatient and didn’t like to stay in one place, but most of the crewmembers, including Marhidium, considered him a good pilot.

  Knode suddenly asked Tenashar about something he’d mentioned. “What is a Sharzeen? And what is its function? You said that it is composed of glass and shows changing views of the universe. How is it that your people have such skills? Please explain, for this is not possible by the laws of science—at least the science that we know.”

  Tenashar expounded, “I don’t understand much about Sharzeens. I was given instructions on how to make them and was told that someday I would make one of them, though I don’t know what this meant. There’s much that I still have to learn about them. But I can tell you that very few of my people have knowledge of them.”

  Knode was perplexed. He scratched his head and looked lost. “If your people didn’t teach you this, how did you come by the knowledge?”

  “I once visited a world of deserts, which lies in the distant future. The people there have the skill to make Sharzeen, but I can’t really say more,” replied Tenashar.

  Knode appeared to ponder his words, and then Naydiacar tugged at his legs, and Knode looked down at her as if he hadn’t seen her before.

  Marhidium whispered to Tenashar, “Knode does this. We call this style of meditation empty-headedness, but really his thoughts are too deep. If we don’t bring him back, nothing would get done. Once lost in thought, fingers on his chin, he can scowl at nothing for hours.”

  Tenashar wasn’t sure if he should laugh. He was relieved by their sense of humor.

  As twilight was beginning to show, they stepped outside to get some fresh air. The atmosphere in the flying ship was stuffy.

  A-amar and Una-sei were waiting on the ground.

  When Tenashar saw Knode’s apparent fear of A-amar and Una-sei, he explained that though they were related to the Sharzeen, they were real, but he need not fear them. The Sharzeen were the figurines or monoliths that were dormant. Then, when called to life, they fulfilled their function as guardians.

  Knode looked back and forth at Tenashar, A-amar, and Una-sei. He shook his head and looked up into the sky with a broad smile. “So these are the Sharzeen you were talking about, but in living form. Only a man of great learning and skill could have created such as these. This world is full of things beyond imagination. I would just say that I am a child who is still learning.”

  This time it was Tenashar’s turn to laugh. “You see, Knode, at first I didn’t know that A-amar and Una-sei were Sharzeens, I just assumed that they were some kind of strange animal spirits that resembled a wolf and buffalo. Then I stumbled into the desert world
and learned there that Cadica, an Aura-Laei-i in training, made many Sharzeens, including these friends of mine.”

  Knode smiled. “The sky is turning dark, and that’s our cue to take to the air for protection. If you desire, you can stay with us, though your companions might start a panic among our crew. It’s your decision. The land below would be in twilight. It’s beautiful, and it’s an opportunity to fly. You haven’t been up in the sky. Just stay with us. You’ll learn something, and that will be important. I know you’ll stay.”

  Tenashar wanted to go up in the sky and see what the world below looked like at night. Flying had been a dream of his since he was a little child, and here was an opportunity to fulfill it. He looked back at A-amar and Una-sei, considering.

  Knode said the ship couldn’t wait. Departure time was important.

  Tenashar went to A-amar and asked what he thought of all this.

  After slight hesitation, the wolf creature replied, “They look like good people, but my feelings are not of trust for them. Maybe they want to take you to their islands and keep you forever. The man seems only interested in you for study, not friendship. You are a stranger to them, yet they are embracing you as a friend. I think this is strange. But you have to decide what you want. Your fate is in your hands, not mine.”

  “Please hurry up, Tenashar. We need to leave soon.” Knode was already closing the door to the ship.

  “Unless my companions are allowed to come, I must stay here with them. Tonight I shall sleep on the ground,” Tenashar replied firmly. “Perhaps another time.”

  “It’s a great opportunity to see the land from the sky. It is a great wonder. Hurry up and get into the ship.” Knode beckoned to Tenashar to come on board. Naydiacar called that they needed to depart, and even harsher words could be heard from Siytai.

  Knode said, “I’ll be closing the hatch. This is the last time. Please come reconsider.”