by Reece Dinn
Moments later the other Ankarocal came up behind him, prodded him in the back. This Ankarocal had a long face with deep set eyes and a prominent jaw line. His skin was a lighter red than most people's, but his hair was just as black. He was a short, stocky man with thick arms and legs. The furs he wore were brown and torn in places, hanging raggedly over his frame.
'Will start a fire in moment. It'll warm you. Gillenaz gone fetching wood,' he said, motioning to the cave mouth behind him. 'I Rudenoz. Who you?'
'Melo...naz.'
'Melonaz? Know a Melonaz when I a boy. Good name. Name important.'
Melonaz grunted. His chest was so painful it felt like his next breath would be his last. He'd no idea how bad his wounds were, but he knew he was lucky to be alive. The ankaroc's claws had penetrated deep.
'This lookout,' said Rudenoz, drawing him back to the world. 'From here we watch over all area. View is good. Look.'
Melonaz craned his neck but could barely see over the ledge's edge.
Gillenaz emerged from the cave carrying a bundle of firewood. He set it down near them, then held his hands over it. Moments later a plume of fire dropped from his hand and ignited the wood, the flames illuminating the Ankarocal's soft, cheerful features. He glanced up at Melonaz and smiled, a dimple appearing in each cheek. It eased Melonaz's heart, as if that one smile was going to take care of everything.
'Not have skill to heal wound,' he said. 'Make splint for arm. Fill hole in chest with leaf to seal it. All I can do. Have shumdniz though, will help you sleep. Want?' said Gillenaz.
Melonaz nodded.
'He says name is Melonaz,' said Rudenoz.
'Like from village?' asked Gillenaz.
'Yes. Good name, I think.'
'Agreed.' Gillenaz crouched down beside Melonaz. 'Have mirac meat if want. Fat, juicy. Want some?'
Melonaz mouth watered at the thought of it. As he was about to say yes but his mind darkened and he passed out.
Time became a blur to Melonaz. He'd awake for short intervals. Sometimes it'd be night, others day. He'd no idea how long he'd lain in his bundle of furs on the Ankarocal's lookout. His two rescuers had moved him inside the cave at some point. Always there was a fire burning beside him. A couple of times he'd tried to move to see what was inside the cave, but he'd been unable to, his stiff, painful body unwilling to do as he commanded.
One time he awoke to find his arm in a splint. Gillenaz was hunched over him, filling the many holes in Melonaz's chest with thick gola leaves. The sight of his shredded chest had made him faint again.
He awoke to find Rudenoz pouring a warm liquid down his throat. He gagged then coughed, the liquid dribbling down the side of his face.
'Need eat,' said Rudenoz. 'Not heal if not strong.'
Melonaz coughed in response, then fainted.
The next time he woke he found himself outside on the long, main ledge again, looking directly at the two ankaroc asleep on the other side of the lookout. The air filled his lungs easier now as he breathed, though it was still a pained struggle. His head swam as he tried to move so he stopped himself, not wanting to faint yet again. Closing his eyes he searched for his Raiz. Nothing.
'Look who's up,' said Gillenaz.
Melonaz opened his eyes. Gillenaz emerged from the cave, wood and meat bundled in his arms. Melonaz tried to say something, but couldn't get any words out.
'Don't talk,' said Gillenaz. 'Save energy.'
Melonaz closed his eyes and tried to focus on his Raiz again, desperate to use Brubah. His head swam, too tired to focus, but he kept trying. He felt himself begin to doze, his head drooping.
There. He felt its warm tingle and focused it, the feel of it rousing him. He breathed a sigh of relief, then, after a few moments more of trying, used Brubah. To his great satisfaction the pains of his body eased a little, his Brubah weak.
'Use Raiz?' said Gillenaz. 'Know you Sehnal. Rudenoz wrong.' He chuckled to himself, then pulled on his Sehnal braid. 'Where's your braid?'
'Not Sehnal,' Melonaz replied, pleased to find that he could talk again, thanks to Brubah. 'Lial cut off braid when he exile me.' Talking drained his strength however.
'Rudenoz out on hunt,' said Gillenaz. 'Back soon. You need to eat.'
Melonaz nodded, his mind drifting to the image of a large spit covered in cooking meat. He licked his lips. He'd no idea when he'd last eaten. 'How long I sleep for?'
'Near two moons. Wake little. Enough to feed you stew. Not remember?'
He shook his head, then prodded the wounds on his chest, hissing as pain awoke wherever he touched.
'Chest bad,' said Gillenaz. 'Long time before it heals. Even if you use Brubah. Not know how you live. Have strong will, maybe.'
Melonaz's eyes watered at the memory of the wild ankaroc's claws in him. He glanced to the two sleeping ankaroc, shuddering at the thought of one of them rising and attacking him.
'How old are you, Melonaz?' asked Gillenaz.
'Eleven.'
'Lial teach Brubah to you?'
Melonaz shook his head. 'Learn on own.'
Gillenaz's eyes widened. 'On own?'
'See Lial do it. Learn how do after seeing him.'
Gillenaz stared at him open mouthed, disbelieving.
Melonaz smiled, enjoying the disbelief. Pain in his chest though quickly humbled him again. Ankaroc no trouble for them. I weak. He sank back down into the bundle of furs, allowing Brubah's healing energy to wash over him. It wasn't long before he'd drifted off back to sleep.
Melonaz awoke again when Rudenoz returned, a large lilnac draped over his shoulders. He skinned and butchered it with impressive efficiency. It wasn't long before the whole carcass had been stripped of everything of value, what remained of it lay strewn across the ledge. Rudenoz pierced several cuts of meat with sticks, then held them all over the fire, holding two in each hand.
While they waited for their meal to cook they implored Melonaz to explain how he came to be exiled. Reluctantly Melonaz spoke about the mysterious power that'd overwhelmed him, and how it'd resulted in the deaths of the three boys and two girls in the forest. Both men stared at him in disbelief as he told his tale, sitting in silence until he'd finished his story. It all felt like a lifetime ago already to him, though his emotions were still raw. He found himself forcing back the tears as he described coming to to find them all burning in the forest, and knowing that he'd been responsible.
'Not sound real,' said Rudenoz. 'You can't do what say do.' He shook his head. The meat was spitting fat now. He turned them all over to finish off the undersides of the meat.
'Not think real too,' said Melonaz. 'Feel like I imagine it, some times. Agree with you, if not see with own eyes. Not feel Raiz grow inside me.'
Gillenaz examined him closely, eyes narrowed. After a moment he said. 'Not matter how do it. It accident. You fight, bad things happen. Sounds like three boys deserve to die.'
Deserve? 'Not want kill.'
'Not say do. Not mean don't deserve it. They lobkak. Don't worry over their deaths. Lial do what has to do. Think he agrees they deserve it. He can't say though.'
He nearly kill me. Very angry. I put him in a bad position. He say don't fight old Sehnal. I not listen. He hadn't considered before that Nekolz and the other two had been in the wrong, he'd only focused on what he'd done. Kill two girls though. That very bad. No matter what anyone says.
Melonaz then told them of the horde his Dal had warned them of. The two Ankarocal listened quietly, wearing grave expressions as they did, but made no comment. Melonaz then asked about their lives as Ankarocal while they ate, eager to change the subject before he lost his appetite. He put his cut of meat on the ground for a moment to allow it cool.
'Learning to fly on ankaroc is hard,' said Gillenaz, gesturing to his sleeping mount. 'Lobkak wild, angry. Try to kill you all time, until they learn respect. Like when you seduce a woman. Less dangerous though. Need to sleep with one eye open with a woman.'
Rudenoz laughed hard at the jok
e.
'Learning to fly a good feeling though,' continued Gillenaz. 'First time flying is like nothing else. Flying over the mountains. Moving faster than before. Seeing all the land below you. Never gets old.'
'Like being in a danaz all the time,' Rudenoz interjected as he bit into his meal, blood running down his chin, 'Hunting ludenez, Enemy all day. Trying not die. Training with your partner. Fighting many times. Both learn how the other fights though. One man wins all the time. That'd be me.' He smirked at his partner, who rolled his eyes in response.
'Will remember that next time I beat you bloody,' said Gillenaz with a wry smile.
'Hate ankaroc,' said Melonaz, glancing over at the sleeping creatures.
'Not the life for you then.' said Rudenoz.
The men gave Melonaz the last cut of meat, but he couldn't finish it. Despite the difficulty of eating with one hand Melonaz had devoured what he'd been given, the juicy flesh tasted amazing, better than anything he could remember eating. His strength was slowly returning as the meat filled his stomach.
'How get strong again when lose Raiz?' he asked.
Rudenoz wiped some blood from his chin. 'Train hard. Body grow again. Learns to cope with smaller Raiz. You learn how to use it better. Stamina returns, in time.'
'Raiz skills harder to do?'
'Yes. Raiz not grow back.'
Stamina return if train hard. Good to know. His body could learn to cope with the loss, but his mind would always struggle with it. It was something at least. All Sehnal learn cope. Grow stronger in the end. Will I be stronger if I don't make weapon? He wondered how much weaker he would be now if he'd forged his own weapon. It was worrying to think that he might have been left in a similar state to his Dal; weak, slow, and withered.
After they'd finished Melonaz instantly felt tired and curled up in his furs. Moments later he was asleep.
He awoke to grunting and the sound of flesh slapping flesh. It sounded like it was coming from within the cave. That them? They fucking? The slapping and grunting became louder and more frantic. Melonaz covered his ears with his good hand and tried to go back to sleep again. It was a while before he did.
Several times during the night he came to in a panic, thinking the ankaroc were attacking him. Each time he looked over to them at least one was looking back, those white eyes chilling him to the bone.
One time he awoke to find the two Ankarocal sat around the fire, drinking from a skin of nibec. They sat close together, arms around each other. Gillenaz kissed Rudenoz on the cheek one time, confirming to Melonaz that he hadn't imagined hearing what he'd heard. It was a surprise to him that the two Ankarocal were lovers, but it was hardly unheard of. Apochal spent so much time alone together out in the wilds, it was only natural that some men would couple.
Finally he did drift into a deep slumber. His dreams were filled with horrifying airborne ludenez attacking him, dragging him down a mountainside, and ripping his body apart.
Melonaz woke late in the morning tired and groggy. The pains in his arm and chest awoke soon after he did. With his good hand he reached inside his furs to feel the holes in his chest. Each one stung badly. His chest was still tight, breathing still a difficulty. He focused his Raiz and began Brubah, moaning in relief as it soothed his wounds.
He sat up, his head pounding from the movement, and leaned back against the cold rock behind him. The sun was warm and gentle. He closed his eyes and relaxed, allowing its heat to soothe his body. He remained like this for a while, dozing, enjoying the silence of the morning. When he did finally open his eyes again he was immediately taken aback by the view from the lookout, seeing it for the first time.
The mountains stretched into the distance for as far as the eye could see, each mountain tall and imposing, most of them, including the Ankarocal lookout, rose above the clouds. Clouds blanketed the snow covered ground below. Melonaz sat in awe looking out at the landscape, his pain forgotten.
'Takes your breath away, yes?' said Gillenaz, emerging from the cave.
'Uh huh.'
'How do you feel?'
'Bad.'
'Use more Brubah, wounds heal, with time. Have good scars. Mark of warrior.' He flicked his braid over his shoulder and stretched.
Melonaz rubbed his forehead. 'Not sleep good. Feel weak still.'
Gillenaz frowned. 'We wake you?'
'No. Don't worry. Hear you though. Ankaroc wake me. They watch me all night.'
Gillenaz laughed. 'Ankaroc not watch you. It's in your head.'
'See them watch me when I wake up. White eyes on me.'
The Ankarocal dismissed him with a wave of the hand. 'They won't hurt you. Worry about wild ankaroc. We train these ones well.'
Melonaz glanced over at the two creatures. They lay curled up, still asleep. Don't trust them.
Rudenoz emerged from the cave carrying a bowl filled with small pieces of raw meat. He wandered over to the resting ankaroc. The viscous creatures roused at his approach, raising their heads, eyeing the bowl in his hand. He fed the meat to them, the ankaroc growling softly as they gently took the meat from his hands.
'See. No threat,' said Gillenaz.
Melonaz grunted, resting his head against the rock again. Wait. When you don't feed them they'll turn. Attack you while you sleep. Watch.
They did appear tame. The image of the wild ankaroc plunging its claws into him didn't match up with the image before him. He looked back at the spectacular view of the mountains.
'Think know where your camp is?' asked Gillenaz. 'Recognise any mountains?'
'Hmm.' He scanned the landscape, examining each mountain to see if he recognised any of their shapes. The mountains would look different from up here than they had from below, and he'd be used to seeing them from different angles.
'No,' he said. He kept on looking. For some reason his eyes kept returning to a mountain top to his left. Its peak had two smaller ones either side of it, and had a large hole through the middle of it, like it'd been dug out by something. He was certain he'd seen it before, on one of the trails that he'd followed from his camp, but he couldn't be certain.
'That one,' he said, pointing, 'Think I recognise it.'
Gillenaz looked to where he was pointing. 'Will go look. See if I can find your camp. Rudenoz stay with you. Rest, Melonaz.'
Melonaz groaned, not from pain but the thought of just lying there, under the gaze of the ankaroc. He was nauseous, weak, and hungry, yet had no desire to eat. He wondered if the meat he'd eaten last night had been properly cooked.
'Need eat. Broth at least. Help regain your strength,' said Gillenaz.
Reluctantly, he nodded. Gillenaz disappeared into the cave then returned moments later with a steaming bowl of broth. Melonaz accepted it gratefully. It smelt good, much better than his Mal's ever had. He placed the bowl in his lap, thoughts drifting to her.
Rudenoz returned from the ankaroc with an empty bowl. The two creatures were sat up, heads cocked and alert. Look hungry still. Look like want to attack. Melonaz braced himself.
Gillenaz and Rudenoz spoke quietly with one another for a moment, then Gillenaz mounted an ankaroc and took to the sky, flying off towards the mountain with the hole in its middle.
He was gone for most of the day. Melonaz lay dozing on his furs while Rudenoz sat beside him meditating, or carving a man out of a log. Melonaz watched him carefully carve the features of a face into the wood. He told Rudenoz of his own carvings, how he'd carved a bupbup for Aeolnaz, and models of swords he wanted to make one day. Rudenoz brought out many of his own carvings for Melonaz to look at. There were models of an assortment of different creatures, from lilnac and sehseh, to ankaroc, and even many different Apochal, or Lial. Each carving looked very different, he could even make out the differences in their faces. They were intricately detailed. Melonaz wished he was as skilled at carving.
'Gillenaz mock me,' said Rudenoz. 'Think I waste my time.'
'Not waste. They good. You have skill. Wish I carve like you do,' said
Melonaz.
Gillenaz returned in the evening. There'd been no sign of Melonaz's camp.
'Look all day. Not see,' he said.
Melonaz sighed.
For the next few days the Ankarocal took it in turns to search for the camp while Melonaz rested. They found nothing. Melonaz began to worry that ludenez had destroyed it.
Melonaz's strength had almost returned. Days of frequent Brubah use had revitalised him, healing his wounds. He'd surprised the Ankarocal by just how fast he'd managed to recover. His chest was still tight, but the wounds had sealed and the pain had eased, even when he wasn't using Brubah. His arm still hurt, but he could move it again at least. Rudenoz had advised to keep it in the splint until it didn't hurt any more.
'Think ready to go,' he told Gillenaz one morning, as he was about to leave to search again.
Gillenaz looked to Rudenoz and his companion nodded.
'We go then,' he said.
Rudenoz mounted his ankaroc while Gillenaz guided Melonaz over to his mount. Melonaz approached the ankaroc nervously, expecting one of them to attack, but the two Ankarocal assured him that he was safe. Melonaz's nervousness eased once he was on the ankaroc's back, but he kept his good hand on Dajimoz's hilt just in case.
Gillenaz sat behind him, telling him to sit tight, he'd make sure that he didn't fall. The Ankarocal grabbed the reins, and with a quick snap on them, his mount reared up, spread its wings and swiftly took to the sky. Rudenoz followed behind.
They rose high, almost as high as the tallest peaks, and flew off in the direction of the mountain with the hole in it, Melonaz sure that he recognised it, despite Gillenaz not finding anything in its direction. Melonaz quickly forgot his fears as he gazed at the sweeping landscape below. He could see all the way to the horizon in the places where no mountains blocked the view. Everything seemed so small from up high. He could block out a whole mountain with his hand.
They drew near to the mountain with the hole swiftly enough. Melonaz surveyed the landscape for other recognisable landmarks, but his attention was suddenly drawn away as a large spot of Raiz heat flared in his mind. It was distant, but distinct and huge.
