Rin gave a lightning assessment of his physique. Just like her, he’d sustained injuries through the battle with Kaluwa, but neither of them was human. The wounds would heal. “You’re in good condition. I think you’ll be able to make it.”
“Sensei, I don’t know if I can. People have to train for these kinds of things for months, perhaps years even. How can I—”
“Do you trust me?” Rin asked, cutting through the fear to the crux of the problem.
He gazed at her, his eyes fixed on her intently. What thoughts surged through that brain of his? What was he thinking?
Finally, his lips twisted upwards in a mockery of a laugh. The Descendant’s eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
How could she leave like that? Tease him with a memory so vivid, so intoxicating, and then betray his trust? Walking beside Uchida—sensei as they went in search of provisions to take along, he seethed. Hadn’t he lied for her in order to gain another taste of that existence?
“What I do not understand is why did Callen come back? He had succeeded in leaving us, so why return to us?” She let out a harsh sigh.
They walked into the massive chamber where the juusha’s stores were kept. The ceiling reached above them, with dangerous looking stalagmites protruding from it. Wooden shelves that lined the walls to the left contained all kinds of spices in jars and dried herbs. Toward the back where the ceiling lowered, another small opening led to a chamber with its own water source and it remained cool enough for meats to be stored.
“It’s hard to imagine Callen being in allegiance to Ludovicus. There wasn’t any sign of that his entire time among us.” Uchida—sensei reached for a box and brought out ropes of jerky meat.
Ken wondered if he should tell her about the proposition Kaluwa had made. There wasn’t a reason to keep it secret, especially since he knew that she had partnered with Callen. But he remained reluctant to do so, even though he didn’t know why.
“There is one thing clear: Callen and Kaluwa have Rhychard’s blood gem,” he said as he stuffed the bag he found with fruit.
Uchida—sensei blew out a breath. “I’d forgotten that in all the confusion. Of course, the blood gem isn’t destroyed. He must have taken it with him.”
“They had to be looking for something then,” Ken murmured. “Else, why return?”
In the silence that followed, Ken knew his sensei’s thoughts were far from what they doing. He sympathized with her. Finding out her father was still alive had the same impact on her as his own discoveries of his true nature had. It was a hard pill to swallow. Yet, the woman would not allow her personal feelings to stop her from doing what was right.
“Why is it imperative for us to go visit…your father? How can he help Alderic? Wouldn’t it be better for him to go into the city and seek medical attention there?”
She shook her head. “Our people survive because very few people know our existence. Going into the city is out of the question.”
The finality in her voice ended that topic. They continued in silence as they filled their pack with that what was needed for a three day journey up the mountain. He realized the quietness was more so for her than for him. A lot had happened in the past few moments that must have rocked her world.
Finding out she was like him explained a lot about her. The aloofness in her relationship with the men, the affinity she shared with Tambo, and the skill she wielded in battle. Everything clicked into the place with the concise connectedness of an intricate puzzle.
Once they’d gathered the provisions, they went and met at the others who had volunteered to come with them. Not surprising was the presence of Luke, Odin, and Donvar, as well as a couple of others. They’d assembled together and packed their packs as a group. Following instructions and mimicking the actions of others, Ken wondered if thousands of hours of video game play climbing rough terrain would count toward his experience for this venture.
But he would go with them. Ken thought back on his life before all this had happened. That wasn’t living. He merely existed in a realm of humanity where he did not belong. He choked back a sudden sob as the deaths of his mother and brother filtered into his mind. Except for them. They made his life worth living.
Visions of the memories Kaluwa gave him drifted in his mind. Now, he had something worth pursuing. So he had to go meet this Druman, the father of Uchida—sensei. Perhaps learn more about himself and find out the secret to killing Ludovicus.
Two hours later they were prepared to go. Alderic had been patched up as best as possible by the healers, but he was still unconscious. Uchida—sensei had called Tambo forward as the juusha gathered to wish them on their way and safe journey. The Elder rarely went outside the confines of their community, but for his son, he would go with them.
“Tambo will protect you in our absence,” Uchida—sensei called out to those gathered around. “Do not be afraid. We will return.”
“Please hurry back,” one of the older women said. “We don’t like to be alone for too long.”
“Of course not.” The Elder responded this time. “Be safe.”
They headed outside the cave, carrying Alderic on the stretcher. Ken brought up the rear when a strange sound gave him pause. He cocked his ear, listening. It was reminiscent of the pitter patter of tiny feet, but not quite. Turning around, he beheld the oddest thing he’d seen to date. A scurry of movement along the walls forced his eyes upward. A dark mass moved along the ceiling. Cave spiders. Hundreds of grayish black arachnids were heading in their direction. The people screamed and moved back. Only Uchida—sensei stayed calm as she dropped her gear and headed toward the back of the cave, away from the firelight. The spiders moved en masse toward her.
His skin crawled as they dropped down on top of her, once at a time. “They’ve come to say goodbye, the darlings.” She laughed in a girlish way, standing still with arms and feet apart as the spiders swarmed all over her. It was similar to the last time he’d seen them, but more macabre than before.
Druman or not, the sight made him sick.
Soon, the mass of spiders left to the collective relief of the people. Brushing off the hairs from the ‘darlings’’ visit, Uchida made her way to the group outside, a smile on her. They walked out of sight. Ken followed, bringing up the rear. He wondered what this journey would bring for them all.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Half an hour into the climb, Ken longed to pull out the tongue of the idiot who made up the song, “Climb Every Mountain.” He could barely climb this one.
Uchida—sensei’s faith he would be able to cope because he wasn’t human seemed far-fetched. Each step was labor intensive and filled with a constant concern about his surroundings. The ground grew more treacherous the higher they went. The others of the group seemed to handle the trek well. It was especially embarrassing that the men carrying Alderic’s body weren’t as winded as he. To be fair, the way wasn’t a vertical ascent as much as a steady horizontal trail leading upward.
It was almost too much to handle. As he paused to take yet another break, he wondered if he should just give up. They hadn’t gone too far from the cave and if he was careful, he could return without further incident.
Keep moving.
His mother’s voice came out of nowhere. It was so crisp and clear she could have been standing next to him.
If he stopped, he’d never know about his grandfather. He’d never get a chance to destroy Ludovicus for what he did to John. He had to keep moving, just like his mother always said.
Straightening his shoulders, Ken took another step forward.
Over the next few hours, no one spoke as the darkness surrounded them. The wind eerily wailed them along, its song reminiscent of a banshee. The line formed in the front, with Odin first, the Elder and Uchida—sensei came next, two more men that carried Alderic, and then Donvar, Luke, and he brought up the rear.
Their progress was slowed, hindered by the changing condition of the mountainside. It seeme
d that the mountain worked against them, as the air grew colder. This wasn’t unexpected, but what made the journey tedious from the get go was the way the wind seemed to do everything in its power to stop them. It tore at their clothing, sending icy fingers down their necks and onto their heads. In several instances, the protective covering for Alderic nearly came off to expose the man to the harsh conditions. Eventually, even their outer garments started to become useless, and the air chilled even more.
The group decided to rest when the first light of the dawn made itself visible in the sky. Gratefully, Ken collapsed to the ground when they came to a clearing wide enough for their entire party to rest. The Elder and one of the guards kept watch over Alderic, while Uchida and Odin worked on getting the food together for their group.
“I think every muscle inside my body is screaming,” Ken moaned to Donvar as the food was given out.
Donvar laughed, a giant sound for such a small man. “I take it you’ve never taken the mountains to anywhere, have you?”
Ken wheezed. “The closest I’ve come to mountain climbing has been a VR game I played several years ago.” He winced as a sharp pain struck his thigh muscles. “I must say, it’s nothing on the real thing.”
Donvar grinned. “I will never understand the modern man’s addiction to simulated experiences. Why would anyone want to pretend to climb a mountain instead of doing it? What joy can there be in make-believe?”
“It’s just the way things are.” Ken closed his eyes. “Because the real thing hurts!” He moaned as another pain shot through him “You may come from the city, but there’s nothing about the city that attracts me.” The short man pulled open his bag, taking out a hunk of dried meat.
“Have you ever been there?”
Donvar nodded and took a bite of his meal. “Of course. All of us at one time have visited the city, some more than others, like Uchida-san. But it holds no appeal for us.”
“Have you ever used technology?”
“Is it really that important to know? We have all we need where we are now. There are others who live in the city that gives us a glimpse of these things.” He gestured idly. “We do have some forms of modernity in the caves at different chambers. But for the most part, we survive on our own.”
Ken thought about it. After the first two weeks or so without modernity, he did find himself not needing it. His life before seemed like a place on another world. There were times when he wished for a chance to play one more video game with John. It had been their favorite pastime. Before all this had happened, he used technology with the same adroitness as anyone of the modern world did, accustomed to the convenience of it being handy at a moment’s notice.
“Well, if we were in the city, perhaps there would be doctors that could cure Alderic and make him better.”
The small man gave him a sideways glance. “Perhaps. Perhaps not. What about your mother? Was she not in the cradle of modernity and no one could help her?”
Ken nodded, understanding Donvar’s question. The modern world, for all its marvels, had not been able to save her.
“I see.”
“Do you miss that world of yours?”
Ken shrugged. “Everyone misses home. But I’ve gained a lot since I’ve come here that I may never have if I’d stayed.”
After they finished their meal, Ken asked, “Have you ever seen Uchida—sensei’s father?”
Frowning, Donvar didn’t say anything for a moment and made himself busy with packing up his things. “No. The only Drumans I’ve ever seen have been Kaluwa-no kimi and Ludovicus.”
From the uncomfortable look on the man’s face, Ken decided against asking him any more questions about Uchida—sensei. Finding out she was a Druman had obviously taken a toll on their relationship. Remembering her words earlier, he knew she mourned the loss of those connections. Taking another look at Donvar, he wondered if the loss wasn’t felt on both sides.
Rin fought back the black wave of depression that threatened to send her over the side of the mountain.
Eating her preferred meal of dried fruit and nuts on a small clay plate, she mourned for what she’d lost. Her friends she’d grown up with now became distant strangers. They looked at her and then averted their eyes, as if being seen by her was now a sacred thing. Odin spoke to her, but the camaraderie they once shared was gone. She sighed. This was the way it would be from now on.
She’d known of her Druman ancestry since she was a child, and by the Elder’s command, she never mentioned it. The juusha would not be able to handle such a fact, he had told her, and it appeared he was right.
The fact Senpai kept the status of her father’s existence from her stung. There was so much she wanted to know and longed to understand. What was her father’s name? What of her mother? Did her father fall into Rhychard—sama’s camp, or would he consider Ludovicus as his king?
Rin rose and wiped the light dusting of snow off her. The sun’s light grew bright, turning from the pink softness to the vibrant yellow glare. Her Druman make-up made it easy to withstand the brightness.
“Uchida—sama, do you—?”
She turned to see one of the guards standing a few feet from her, head bowed in subjection. Rin groaned. “Don’t call me that. I am still the same person, Balder.”
The man spoke few words. “No, you are not. Shall I alert the others to continue on?”
Rin gasped at the resolve in the man’s voice. “But Balder, I—“
“Leave it be, Uchida—sensei.”
She whirled around to see Ken making his way toward her. His gaze touched her with intense scrutiny. She didn’t want this…subservience. These men were her friends.
Not anymore, a cruel voice whispered inside her head.
Rin sighed.
“Hai Balder. Domo.”
The man bowed before walking away. The act sent another wave of depression over her, and she sat down once more.
Ken came and sat beside her. “It must be hard to be royalty when you’ve been a peasant for so long.”
“Hai,” Rin stated without demurring. “These are my people, my friends who I grew up with. We’ve run and hidden in the caves since our adolescence. We’ve sang and danced and listened to the story of the Creator and the Children of the Sun. We trained to fight Ludovicus and we’ve longed for the ideals of Rhychard—sama to come to fruition. But we were all human then. Now I am more and they are less.”
The Descendant’s lips twisted. “Does it really have to be that way for them?”
Rin dug her gloved fingers into the wet ground, watching snow melt. “Hai, it has to be. Drumans are more than humans. You saw that yourself when we fought Kaluwa. We are second generation Drumans, but dragon blood still flows through our veins. We are less than dragon but more than human. To my friends, I am their superior.”
“But what do you think about that?”
The wind threw her hair around her face and she pulled it back. “What do you mean?”
“Are you their superior?”
Maybe she was. Maybe she just had to accept that she was more than they were. They could not manipulate the blood gem. They did not have the reflexes she did. Their ancestors had killed her ancestors because they craved the powers of the gems and nearly drove all dragon kind into extinction. The flow of blood and history rushed through her veins made her part of two worlds. The Elder had known this would happen, and it had.
“I don’t know what to think,” she said.
They were silent for a while, watching the earth awaken under the Sun. “My brother was a big believer in God and what he called the fabric of life. He said once we’re all different color threads being sewn together. Some stronger than others, some weaker, but we’re still part of the fabric being stitched. Maybe we’re not superior, sensei. Just different.”
Rin mulled over his words. “So superiority is only a state of mind, you think?”
Ken shrugged. “I don’t know. These people have called me Kenzo-sama since I came here.
But I still see myself as Ken. I’m a Druman, but I still see myself as a man.” He turned to face her. “Although when Kaluwa-no kimi gave me a hint of what it’s like to be a dragon, my human flesh became something to abhor.”
“Was it really that impactful?”
“Let’s just say I was more than disappointed she left before she could give me more.”
They stared out over the horizon as the sun rose higher. Rin touched the side of her face where the bandage was. Without second-guessing it, she reach up and pulled it away.
Grabbing her hair away from that side her face, she turned toward Ken. “Tell me. Am I still scarred?”
“Iie.”
She let her hair fall. “If we were human, we wouldn’t have healed so quickly. This is more than a state of mind, Ken. It’s a fact. We are superior.”
Saying the words made her feel dirty.
“Perhaps. It all depends on what you want to think of it. You can choose to make things different or not.”
Rin stared at her pupil, wondering at his words. Maybe he was right. It would take some time to get to her Druman father to see what he could for Alderic. She could demand her friends to be same as they’d always been. Druman or not.
“Uchida-san, come quick. Something’s wrong with Alderic!”
Rin scrambled up, running over to where the Elder’s son lay, shuddering violently. Ken was beside her. As the group all turned to her for the answers, she knew then things could not be the same. She was Druman and they were human.
It was as simple and cruel as that.
Rin dropped to her knees “What has happened?” The cold snow seeped into the material of her pants, but she ignored it.
“He started to convulse, Uchida-chan,” the Elder stated. Rin glanced up into his eyes and saw what she’d never seen before in her life. The eyes were moist with unshed tears and his lips trembled ever so slightly. She swallowed the lump in her throat and turned her attention back to Alderic.
In all her life, she’d never seen the Elder afraid.
“There’s nothing you can do, is there, Uchida-san?” Odin, ever helpful, asked from behind.
The Druid's Spear (Ascent of the Gem Bearers Book 1) Page 18
