Chapter XI: Day to Night
“Yo, dog-face!” Djidou’s voice broke the crisp night air as a canine shape ambled purposefully into the light of his campfire. “You’re alive!”
“Yes, in a sense,” Rhaka replied, barely noticing the name Ifaut had often called him. He looked around despite his fading eyesight being further hampered by the darkness and sniffed the air. “Where is Stefi? And the white Furosan?”
“You just missed them,” Djidou said. “They headed off that way, to follow the river.” He pointed then threw another pine log onto the fire. The sap within hissed and bubbled out like molten glue.
“What did they hope to find?”
He shrugged. “If they knew, they said nothing. Our compasses have been going crazy ever since we landed here. My guess, they went to find whatever’s doing it.”
“Then I ought follow.” The Otsukuné turned to leave and was interrupted by a piercing cry. He, Djidou, and Adnamis turned just in time to see a large bird perch upon what little remained of the airship’s railing and begin to preen its feathers.
“Blue ribbons,” Adnamis said, looking at its legs. “That’s strange.” And tied on by one such ribbon was what appeared to be a rolled up piece of paper.
Rhaka uttered a throaty laugh. “A familiar sight,” he said, “and far from home like us. Sentinel.”
“You know him?” Adnamis asked. She stood up and, adjusting her cracked glasses for a better look, approached the bird.
“Yes. He belongs to friends of Stefi. Though how he came to be here…”
As Adnamis approached, the bird raised its right leg, the one with the paper attached. Cautiously, and wary of its sharp beak and talons, she removed it and tied the ribbon back on.
“A note?” Djidou asked as she returned to the firelight.
She nodded and unrolled it to reveal hastily scrawled and barely legible handwriting, as if whoever had written it had done so both in a hurry and with little skill.
“Dear Stefi and friends,” she read. “I hope this letter finds you well. Actually, I just hope this letter finds you. Sentinel’s pretty good at finding his way to people. Leuma says it’s something to do with his kind being able to track people’s life force or something. But I’m worried all the same. I wish I were writing with good news. I’m not. Things aren’t shaping up too well back home. Cédes’s little stunt at Valraines and then whatever the firik it was you guys did in Sol-Acrima pissed the humans off. Granted, that makes us happy, but what comes next does not. Mafouras just received a resonator message from Acharn that tells Karick IV was recently there. Something about testing new flying ships on an already weakened people.”
“Bastard,” Djidou interrupted, punching the ground.
Adnamis continued: “Apparently, all went well. For the humans, anyway. And now, from what we’ve been able to gather, next stop Alzandia, where you lot were last seen headed. Sure, the fog and Guratzu’s power might slow them down, but think of it as training for Mafouras. If they can take what’s left of Alzandia with flying ships, what chance does the big prize in the forest have?
If you really are that far away, I send a request from Phastus: Go to Alzandia’s main palace, help them any way you can. If anyone can, it’s you and Cédes. The Arigans recently remade contact. They only just recovered their resonator from the humans, and apparently their new king Richo’s on his way too with some of his forces, but who knows how long that could take.
I don’t have a map, but follow Sentinel. He’s an old carrier. He knows the way.
Love, Reilos, Leuma, Sohei.
P.S. Say hi to Sansonis and Ifaut for me.
P.P.S. I hope you’re able to show me some Furosa tricks next time we meet.”
Adnamis re-read the letter again, silently, then handed it to Djidou. He did the same. “Resonator?” she asked.
Djidou laughed and folded the letter. “Didn’t know that lot still had them,” he said. “They’re devices with special matched Furosan crystals that you can use to tap out messages. Tap one, the other stones ring out no matter the distance. I know the church has captured two, but that’s meant to be one hell of a secret. Trouble is, you use one, they all pick up your message. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the first time the Furosans have used them in years.”
He got up and stretched his legs. “Anyway, looks like we’re going after Stefi,” he said, an excited grin on his face. “You in, dog-face?”
“I think that is obvious. I have no other plans for now,” Rhaka said. They couldn’t tell if he was serious or joking.
Djidou clambered through a hole smashed in the airship’s side and emerged a few minutes later clutching an armful of weapons and a rather heavy looking pack. “Guns,” he said. “If they want to bring a fight all the way out here, then let’s give them one.”
“Yes,” Rhaka growled. “Though I do not like it, I fear we have no choice. Still, why do you wish to help Furosans?” he asked suspiciously. “You are humans.”
Adnamis laughed bitterly as she shouldered the pack and Djidou, having tied a dozen rifles into a heavy bundle and rolled them in a blanket, slung them across his back. “That may be, old fella, but I think we threw our lot in with the other races the moment we gave Stefi a hand. And now, doesn’t it matter who is right, not who is human?”
With a squawk Sentinel heaved himself into the air upon weary wings, and the others ran after him into the night.
Gemmie awoke to find night had descended upon Farān, covering her old home in blackness. Feeble moonlight managed to alight upon the shards of broken window, setting them dancing with twinkling light like the stars in the sky.
Maya? she called into the empty darkness. No response, or any other noises at all. Shivering and puffing her fur against the night, she unfurled her slinky body and wandered outside, all the while sniffing for any sign of Maya.
In a moment, and following her instinct more than her eyes near-useless against the night, she came across a familiar grave marker. There, curled at the base, was Maya.
Are you asleep? she asked.
Inky black eyes glistening with moonlight answered that he wasn’t.
You know, sitting here and moping won’t help us much. She wandered over and curled up beside him, not quite touching. She’s gone. We’re not. Well, we were, but we got a second chance. Let’s use it.
Without moving, Maya answered. But she didn’t get one. Why not? Why do we get to go on while she has to stay dead and cold?
Only her body is dead, Gemmie said, trying with difficulty to make herself comfortable on the dry, brittle grass. Her soul waits at the Bridge. Yifunis said so. You’ll see her again, so you better be happy.
Until then? Maya asked.
We gotta find Stefi! What else? She cast her mind back across the years, back to a time when Farān still lived and breathed. ‘To ensure the safety of the Fieretsi. That is your highest purpose.’
Kilara had spoken those words only to be echoed by Maya in Sol-Acrima. She and Maya had done just that, she thought, Awakening so Stefi could survive. Now what? Purpose complete, did that mean they were free to choose their destiny in a new life? Yifunis hadn’t actually said anything about them having to find Stefi…
Maya appeared to be thinking the same thing, for he continued, We need a new purpose. We finished our first one by saving Stefi, didn’t we?
Yes.
Or did we? He stood up and focused on Kilara’s grave marker. She’s still alive, so maybe our highest purpose still applies.
With a laugh Gemmie found herself by Maya’s side. To choose anew, or continue with our old one. You do realize that the answer’s the same either way?
Protect the Fieretsi. No, protect Stefi!
Exactly! She nuzzled his ear. The larger ferret dooked in excitement.
I bet that’s what Kilara would have said. That’s why I love you, Gem-girl. He raised his head to the stars, bared his teeth, puffed his tail. You hear that, stars? You hear that, Keet? Our highest purpose is to
protect the Fieretsi. And that’s exactly what we’ll do. We saw Farān and our own lives slip through twilight into night. Now I, Maya of Farān, shall bring a new dawn.
With a little help from Gem-girl, Gemmie added.
Of course.
The next moment a soft light began to poke through the dark fabric of night, seeping from the ground beside Maya like a spring. In seconds another appeared beside it, sending slender rays of light stabbing into the night.
What is it? Maya scratched the dirt beside his lost mate’s grave, and very soon his paws revealed a rounded, flawless stone. A second quick dig revealed another just like it.
Keys… Gemmie said in awe. Like Cédes’s.
She pried one from the earth’s grasp, while Maya did the same. The stones, now in the open, glowed like two small stars fallen to earth.
Yes, keys, Maya said. Utnali and Uespera. In an instant he felt his blood turn as cold as Sumaranan ice-water, finally freezing into crystals of truth. Acharn, he had recently learnt, was attacked for its stone of wind. The human Djidou had shown interest in Cédes’s stone of fire from Mafouras. Both, elementals of Feregana.
Kilara… that’s why they attacked home. They came for these stones. Our stones.
Correct, Maya of Farān.
There, standing before him, was Utnali.
Looks like you made it, Maya said, his fur puffed suspiciously.
I can marvel at the same thing, my friend, Utnali replied with a twinkle of starlight in his eye. They came to your home, lusting after the power of the stones, the power of myself and Uespera. The power, Maya of Farān, of Dawn and Twilight.
Maya’s tail relaxed and he bounded up to the shimmering apparition that had once been his Crepusculan counterpart. Dawn and Twilight? he asked. Compared to something like fire they hardly seem powerful.
Utnali laughed. They are powerful to the humans’ eyes. Humans may be violent, but they understand the true nature of Uespera and myself. Dawn, darkness giving way to light. Twilight, light giving way to darkness. Two dualities, light and dark, in polarity but not opposition, dependent upon the other. Throw them off balance, the other ceases to exist, and you find yet another. Utter Chaos.
Do you mean… Karick sought them not to use them… but to destroy one?
Bingo.
And thanks to you and your friends, a new voice said, he failed.
Uespera, Gemmie said. Nice to see you.
Thank you, the ferret of twilight said. We overheard you two talking about protecting Stefi, and we see your hearts are set on this. But you cannot do it alone. You are much too far away.
Maya sighed impatiently. Obviously.
Patience, Maya. We may take you to her, if you so wish.
Maya leapt forward in excitement, passing right through her shimmering outline.
That tickled, Uespera giggled. As you know, the other elementals were each given to the races of Furosans. We, the last two, fall to the ferrets. We fall under your command. Protect us, guide us, let not Kilara’s sacrifice be in vain.
Kilara? Maya echoed. What does she have to do with this? He glanced at the ground, imagining the ferret in eternal sleep beneath it.
She was the last war-ferret, the last guardian of Farān. Her purpose was to protect the stones and Farān until we could enter the Dream, even if the price was her own life. She succeeded. As did you.
She never told us that, he murmured. She said she was just a lost, wandering war-ferret. I believed her. I loved her. Why didn’t she tell me everything?
Some things, Utnali said, we must keep to ourselves, lest we hurt the ones we love.
Without any of the four noticing, the dawn began to peep over the horizon, pink and rosy and driving away the night.
I understand now, Maya thought to himself. This world, it’s an endless game of turning light to dark, and dark to light, life and death, dream and awakening. And the darkness of despair giving way to the light of hope.