Chapter Four
‘Tradition’
Walking through the Forest of Lincoll alone wasn’t recommended. There were safer routes to reach Danton, but the forest was far more direct.
Tall trees stretched up high above, with branches shooting off the main body spouting leaves that created dense shrubbery above. The light struggled to pierce the thick foliage, making the woodland feel dark and the undergrowth damp. If you moved quickly enough, you could be in an out of the forest in less than fifteen minutes, but moving too quickly would be reckless and draw attention.
I thought I was walking at a steady pace, being careful where I stepped so as not to cause too much noise. I was wrong.
I spotted the creature.
It’d been a while since I’d seen a Lag, and I’d forgotten their size. It was covered head to toe in a thick, almost impenetrable black fur. Two stumpy horns protruded from its flat forehead, and each of its feet consisted of three razor sharp claws. Its deep blue eyes didn’t flicker or divert. Saliva dripped from a mouth that was crammed with flesh tearing teeth. It looked as repulsive as I remembered, and even from a distance, I could smell its lingering stench.
If there was one, there were likely to be more. They moved in packs, searching for their next meal, and this one clearly had its taste buds set on me.
I should have known better than to enter the forest alone.
Lags are the primary food supply for the village, and it was customary for the males to hunt and capture these creatures. Groups of us would partake in weekly pursuits in order to replenish the food supply. They have an interesting defensive mechanism when cornered. They release a vile smelling, toxic gas that could bring down the largest of hunters. I attend several of the expeditions, but usually found a quiet corner to hide and wait. I would re-join the group when the hunt was over, and then return with them to the village where our success would be cheered.
Lags are certainly dangerous and powerful, but with bulky bodies and short legs, they’re slow moving creatures. My only chance at this point was to run.
I could just make out the edge of the forest. The Lag wouldn’t venture beyond the confines of its home as it hadn’t adjusted to the light, and the brightness would practically blind the creature.
I ran. So did the Lag.
I pushed my legs for more speed as the creature pounded towards me. I risked a quick glance over my shoulder to see the Lag dropping behind when a second Lag erupted from a bush to my right and rushed in my direction. I swerved to the left spotting a third creature joining the chase. I changed direction again, leaping over branches and fallen logs. I was moving quickly using my fright to drive my body forward, praying I wouldn’t trip and fall.
I heard the Lag’s howl as I burst out of the shrubbery and into the bright light of the field. My lungs ached with my heavy breathing.
The three creatures stood on the edge on the woodland, their bodies rising and falling with each exasperated breath, before turning and ambling back into the foliage. I decided next time I would take the long route.
I looked over the field at Danton. It held a lot of memories for me. I was born and raised in the quaint village for nearly two cycles.
It lay three 3 miles outside the city limits of Trans Central. The village was a small community comprising of twenty-seven family units set in the magnificent surroundings of Lincoll, unquestionably one of the most stunning areas in Valiros. It was a picturesque combination of trees, rolling hills and fertile farmland. Lincoll was a beautiful place to raise a family, work, retire, and eventually pass away. I couldn’t wait to leave.
My father, Lowen Parthy, had been Mayor of Danton for two cycles. Sadly, he passed away six days before his fourth birth celebration. I was half a cycle old at the time and missed him desperately. The village secured its place in the history books by boasting the oldest living Valiron, who’d reached the grand old age of nine cycles; this became a talking point amongst neighbouring villages, and something of a tourist attraction for visiting dignitaries from the city.
My mother, Tabar Parthy, mysteriously disappeared nearly half a cycle earlier when visiting my grandfather in Trans Central. An investigation turned up no clues to her whereabouts, so it was added to the ever-growing list of Valiros mysteries.
Although I no longer had family living in Danton, I continued to visit my old stomping grounds. This wasn’t due to some sense of nostalgia; it was partly due to my friend Benton, but mainly due to a young, irritating girl named Zeal Lotzer.
One of the most important of all our customs is the tradition of ‘bonding’. The average Valirons life span is seven cycles; this rather limited existence gives very little time for finding, courting and ultimately bonding with a life partner. To ensure the couple has the best chance of a long and prosperous life together, all Valirons are coupled at birth. A prearranged partnership designed to ensure longevity. As with most traditions, this process is a complex matter. Firstly, all couples must be born within the same forty-eight hour time period, and come from the same or any neighbouring village within two miles. To guarantee a healthy gene pool, all families must relocate to an assigned village at least once every three cycles. The relocation orders are sent directly from The High Darlon Council. The village elders set the bonding date, and there is little room for negotiation.
This system is far from perfect, and there are children who are born outside the window of opportunity. These products of circumstance are not forgotten of course. True they will never be allowed to take a life partner, but they will still contribute to society. Once they’re one and a half cycles old, they’re drafted into the military. There is no war in Valiros, so their main purpose is to keep the peace, and prevent disruption by rogue groups, such as the Veils. I’d luckily avoided this fate; my friend Benton wasn’t so fortunate.
I was partnered with a girl named Zeal Lotzer. As a child, I disliked her; as an adult, I detested her. Zeal was not my idea of the perfect life partner, but she did save me from a life of servitude under a military regime. I’m gentle, avoid confrontation, and, although frowned upon, indulge my vivid imagination. Zeal was beautiful but head strong. She was argumentative, rude, and like most Valirons, had no desire to explore the more creative side of her psyche. Over the cycles, I’d felt myself growing distant from Zeal; a small detail she appeared to be blissfully unaware of.
We were scheduled to be bonded in a ceremony that, by tradition, is always performed by the mother of the male. Now, since my mother had vanished off the face of the sphere, the bonding ceremony was postponed; much to my delight. The village elders held an emergency gathering to discuss the best course of action. It was decided that the duty of bonding the “loving” couple would fall to the eldest female in the village, the oldest person in our history. The joyous event was set to take place in one phase, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. It was tradition, and who was I to break with tradition? Just as with Minister Drake, I was backed into a corner unable to escape.
Following my perplexing encounter with the Public Representative, I decided to pay a visit to my future life partner and explain the situation. In truth, I was hoping this enforced career change would work to my advantage, forcing the ceremony to be postponed again.
I’d carefully planned it all out, and rehearsed it in my head. The conversation was going to go something like this…
“Zeal, I have a new job with the High Darlon Council as an aid to Minister Drake. I’ll be spending a great deal of time in the city. This job came completely out of the blue, but I couldn’t turn it down.”
“Oh Creyson Parthy” she would say, “that’s wonderful news. I’m so happy for you.”
“But this means I’m not going to have the luxury of flitting back and forth from Trans Central to Danton. I’m worried that our time together would be so limited; it wouldn’t be fair on you or me.”
“And I love spending time with you.”
“I know, and I wouldn’t be ab
le to give you the attention you deserve. I’m sure you’ll agree this is not the time to embark on a lifelong relationship.”
“I completely agree.”
“I know you want to be involved in every aspect of my life, but that simply wouldn’t be practical. I’m not saying we won’t be bonded, that’s what I want most in the world, but it may be best if we hold off for a while.”
“I think that’s a very wise and thought out decision.”
In my head this all sounded perfectly reasonable; in reality Zeal would not react in the understanding way I hoped. She would see it for exactly what it was, a string of pitiable excuses.
What she would most likely say is, “Creyson Parthy, Don’t be so stupid. It is perfectly plausible for you to bond with me while still embarking on your new occupation.” This of course was true.
I was terrified of being forced into the military, I was terrified of the Trojan Devices, and from time to time, I was terrified of what the future had in store; but all these fears paled in comparison when I considered telling Zeal Lotzer the ceremony was off. I knew my future life partner was not going to respond well.
“Creyson Parthy!” The shrill voice tore through the air as I entered the boundaries of the village.
All my friends and colleagues called me Crey, Zeal insisted on using my full name whenever she addressed me; yet another irritation that grated against my very being.
She was standing thirty paces away, gripping a lethal dagger that she waved in the air like a hunter welcoming her prey. Zeal loved to hunt. She insisted on obtaining her own provisions. I once suggested she join the Lag hunting party in my place, her response was; “I don’t need an oversized male slowing me down.”
As I looked on at my future partner, I couldn’t deny her beauty. Her shoulder length jet-black hair, piercing green eyes, button nose and shapely figure were certainly a pleasure to behold. It was curious that so much beauty could be tainted by the annoying girl inside.
Zeal ran across the field, a smile beaming on her face. She appeared genuinely pleased to see me. I was struck by a wave of guilt. Perhaps she wasn’t so dreadful after all. That sentimentality didn’t last long.
“Creyson Parthy, I didn’t think you were ever coming back.” Zeal always spoke slightly louder than necessary.
“Hello Zeal.”
“You haven’t been to Danton in days.”
“I’ve been... busy.” It was a pathetic defence, but she didn’t seem to notice.
“I hope you haven’t forgotten about our bonding ceremony,” teased Zeal, poking me with the handle of the dagger.
“How could I forget?”
“One phase left to go. Isn’t it exciting? Tell me you’re excited. Go on, tell me.”
“I’m excited,” I said in an unexcitable tone.
“Me too. My mother has bought me the most beautiful dress. I don’t like dresses very much, but it’s still beautiful. Can you imagine me in a dress Creyson Parthy? Well can you?”
“No, I can’t.”
“Neither can I, but it is the most beautiful dress, and it is the most important day in our lives. I have to look my best. Do you have an outfit?”
“Not yet.”
“Well you better hurry up. Only one phase to go.”
This playful banter was followed by a raucous laugh. She had the unfortunate habit of snorting when she became excited. I would have been embarrassed by this reflex action; Zeal of course, was not.
“Actually” I mumbled, “that’s what I came to speak to you about.”
“You’d rather wear the dress?”
“No. It’s about the bonding ceremony.”
“What about it?”
This was it, no going back. I knew what I wanted to say, I’d practised it in my head.
“Maybe we should sit down.”
“Standing is fine. Get on with it.”
I opened my mouth and said, “I’m afraid something’s come up and I don’t think it’s going to be possible to...”
But before I had a chance to finish, Zeal’s face changed. The smile was quickly replaced with a deep-set frown, and the hunter succeeded the beautiful girl, who had been so full of life. Suddenly I was frightfully aware of the dagger that was no longer being used as a method of joviality, and had instead become the lethal weapon it was always intended to be.
“Don’t you dare Creyson Parthy,” she spat viciously. “Something’s come up? Sounds like the start of an excuse to me. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you didn’t want to bond with me.”
I don’t! I screamed in my head, but I dared not say it aloud. If I refused to bond with Zeal, I’d be disgraced, banished from the village and forced to join the military. I needed to think quickly.
“Of course I want to bond with you,” I lied for the second time that day, “but I have a new job that...”
“Job? What job? I haven’t heard about any job.” Zeal also had the annoying tendency of interrupting people mid-sentence.
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. Minister Drake came to see me today and…”
“The Public Representative?”
“That’s right. He came to see me and he’s offered me a job as…”
“Why would he offer you a job? What as?”
“He’s offered me a job as an aid to the High Darlon Council, and...”
“An aid? Why would he offer you a job as an aid?”
“I’m not totally clear on that. I know it was my grandfather’s position. I start tomorrow. I have no idea what the job entails or how long it’s going to take.”
She stared at me suspiciously, no doubt attempting to ascertain if I was indeed telling the truth.
“Okay, let’s say I believe you, I still don’t see what it has to do with our bonding ceremony.”
This was not going to plan.
“It’s going to be unlikely I’ll be able to visit Danton for quite some time. You’re probably not going to see much of me.”
The frown faded, and the smile returned.
“Oh, I see where this is going.”
“You do?”
“Of course. I understand completely.”
“Ah Zeal, I’m so glad. You have no idea how worried I was to tell you.”
“Don’t be silly Creyson Parthy. You don’t have to worry about not seeing me. I’ll come with you,” said Zeal, happily. This was not what I wanted to hear. Think fast, I told myself.
“But... erm... my unit is so small, it wouldn’t be practical.” I’d lost any conviction in my voice, and this time Zeal knew I was making excuses. She sensed weakness and was ready to pounce like a hunter taking down a Lag.
“Now you listen to me Creyson Parthy,” she said in a low, menacing tone. “You’re going to be my life partner whether you like it or not. Now either you let me come with you, or I’ll walk back into Danton and tell everybody you’ve broken with tradition and called off the bonding ceremony.” She stepped closer so we were practically nose-to-nose. “And we both know what that means.”
I was starting to wish I could release a toxic gas just like the Lags.
Thinking frantically for a way to resolve the situation, the overhead lights went out, plunging Danton, and the entire province of Lincoll, into sudden darkness.