At first, Rou'u seems to be a word in Tswaa'ii synonymous with the concept of a Soul. But the way the Kyusoakin use the word denotes a separate meaning. One's Rou'u is the sum of their actions, the expression, the display of who one really is.
Even humans are considered to have a Rou'u, according to Kyusoakin culture.
The air had warmth, even before sunrise. Ashenzsi lay on the balcony, staring into the horizon. He ran his fingers along the collar around his neck, pondering what it meant to an Uunan, a human.
Why did they feel the need to control him? Did it make them feel more secure, knowing that he had this cursed contraption around his neck?
He knew all he had to do was ask, and Rollond would release him from it. Because he wasn't like other Uunani: his security didn't stem from control. But he left it alone. For now, it was best to keep it on.
The door hissed as it slid open. He caught the sound and peered through the balcony doors at the main entrance.
Ielase slipped in. She moved in such an amusing way. He thought she was pretending to sneak, how she held her shoulders high and carefully placed one foot ahead of the other.
What a silly girl.
He sauntered in, silent as a still wind, caught up to her and tapped her leg.
"Oh!" She nearly jumped out of her clothes. "You," she gasped, clutching the center of her chest.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"You don't happen to know if…" She gestured at Rollond's closed door.
"He's not awake."
"Well that's too bad. He'll be getting up now." She started for his room, but Ashenzsi grabbed her wrist and tugged her back.
"That's not a good idea."
"I don't care if it's a bad idea. I need him to be awake. It's important we get to the enclave before Pah knows about you two." She jerked her wrist out of his grasp.
He sat on his hinds and watched her slip into Rollond's room.
It was a roomy arrangement, the room that he occupied. There was a full bath and a walk-in closet next to one another, and the epic bay windows made it feel more spacious. Ielase hovered over one side of the bed. It was big enough for two people but Rollond sprawled in the middle. She watched him turn over and snuggle the body-length pillow that nestled his head. She giggled. He seemed so content; as vulnerable as a toddler wrapped in a favorite blanket.
Snickering, she went to the window and threw the curtains open. The early light of dawn flooded the room.
He awoke and stared at her, severely unamused.
"Get up Mr. Wrong-guy. I've got something to show you."
He sat up. "Get out."
She shook her head. "I'm not leaving until you —"
"Get. Out." He hurled one of the pillows at her.
She yelped, and skipped out of his room. "Fine, fine! Eesh!" The door shut behind her. "What a grump," she muttered.
"I told you, 'a bad idea.'" Ashenzsi said with a chuckle. "He is not inclined towards Uunanifha."
She looked at him funny. "Uunanifha?"
"What you are…" he made gestures towards her, uncertain because he didn't know the word.
"Woman," she said. "You mean he's not inclined towards women?"
"Tsche." He nodded.
"Then what is he 'inclined' to?"
"Tyiha. The whole reason he received his Price was because he wanted our-kind of female."
Price? Did he mean the markings on Rollond's chest and stomach? She pushed the thought aside, as the door opened and Rollond emerged, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. She glanced him over several times.
"What is it you wanted to show me?"
"I want you to meet Allondt." She motioned for them to come.
The warps were sensitive to thought. When the three got on the receptor they dematerialized. But because Ielase knew where she was going, they reappeared at the receptor of the 28th south central enclave, otherwise known as RSCE-28, one of many enclaves within the boundary of the Ankuseth's territory. It was the southern-most one with only thirty feet separating it from the rest of the world.
Each enclave had a Spire, a great tower at the center of the territory. Towards the top was the Overseer's quarters, overlooking the entire enclave. Just below that was the reception chamber, with an equally as impressive view.
When they materialized within the Spire's reception, the morning sun had just started over the southern horizon. Waves of nausea overtook Rollond. A long time had passed since he had last used warps. He wasn't the only one ill from it. He glanced at his brother, who dragged his palms, face near the floor, ready to spew.
'You Uunani and your… things,' Ashenzsi gagged.
He straightened and patted his brother's back. 'You'll get used to it.' He took hold of his brother's collar and led him along by hand until he regained the strength to saunter on his own.
They entered a lift and went down several floors to the base of the tower. There, Allondt awaited them.
"Ielase!" The first thing he did was embrace his sister, elated to see her. "I thought you had gotten lost, or worse," he said, stepping back from her.
"Nah." She grinned.
"And who are these with you?"
There was something about Allondt that clicked with Rollond right away. Perhaps it was the way he held himself, standing tall, shoulders squared. Or maybe it was his sandy blond hair and keen silvery eyes. Regardless, he exuded an air that meant business, and Rollond respected that.
"Rollond Alekzandyr," he said. He stepped up to Allondt and offered his arm.
Allondt looked at him oddly. "I've heard that name before in my history courses. Either you're a fraud, or someone saved your skin."
"I'd prefer fraud. But little missy here comes waltzing up to me like 'You're the One!' So I figure I better be the real thing."
"Mh," Allondt agreed.
They gripped arms.
"And this is my brother, Ashenzsi."
"Your brother is a Kyusoa?"
"Ma'aukja," Ashenzsi said. "It is the brother by Oath."
"Mh, mh, I see. Excellent. I'm going to show you the conditions that we're dealing with. I want you to understand, this is happening all through Papa's property." He tucked a tablet under his arm and motioned for Rollond to come, but stopped when Ashenzsi started to go with them. "You may want to stay here with Ielase."
Rollond and Ashenzsi exchanged glances. 'You'll be alright?'
'I can take care of myself.' Ashenzsi shrugged.
'Alright then.' Rollond left with Allondt.
Normally at the hours of early dawn the kyusoakin were released from their cages in the Holding Pits. This particular morning Allondt had postponed their release.
The Holding Pits were like prisons. They consisted of an underground labyrinth of narrow, dark passageways and a system of cages that were arrayed in long blocks, side-by-side, back-to-back, stacked one on top of the other. The kyusoakin kept within barely had enough room to turn around, and the palms of their hands and feet were bruised from the wire floors.
It made Rollond's stomach churn. What deplorable conditions, with the sheer amount of filth. The complex stank worse than a sewer stuffed full of excrement and rotted corpses on a hot summer's day.
The Kyusoas themselves were a motley of grime and patches of raw skin; dirty, matted manes; and discolored body parts.
Rollond spat. "Why haven't you done anything about this?"
"You have to understand, I want to — we want to," Allondt said. "But neither of us can get through to Papa about the evil he's doing to these beings. It's even worse than this."
"I know, there's a temple to Mokallai here. I take it you, too, don't like that."
"… How do you know that?"
"Dyiij told me."
"Then you must stay," Allondt said as they continued down the tight hall, his tone dead-serious.
"Look man, my hearts go out to you, truly. But I don't want any part of this."
"As you say." Allondt flipped out his tablet and tapped through the su
rface apps to one that regulated the release of the kyusoa from their cells. He let them go one cell block at a time, and they filed out of their holdings in layers: top first, then middle, then bottom.
They went in droves, apathy marking their features; tails tucked, bodies low to the ground, fearful of the morning light.
Rollond clenched his fists. He didn't want to see anymore. He left Allondt. The only thoughts that crossed his mind were his plans to tell Ielease that he was leaving this morning, and there was nothing she could do to stop him.
Until a shrill cry, something like a circular saw cutting through a sheet of metal, stole his attention.
The morning had only begun, and as the kyusoakin were coming out, Rylieq, Ridd's oldest son, was mounted atop the sleek chassis of a land katt: the silent, electromagnetic trike with a caterpillar track in the rear, and two multifaceted reflective balls in the front instead of wheels.
A gang of men was with him, and he merely watched as one of his men took a thick, long rod in his grasp and clasped the hook-and-latch end around the loop of a particular Kyusoa's collar. The man sped around in circles, dragging this kyusoa, Rah'ii, across the hardened, cracked dirt.
A heated gush of anger slashed across Rollond's stomach. He balled one fist, curled the fingers of his other hand, and started for the circle Rylieq's man drove in.
"Hey, dude," Rollond called. He waited for the man to come around, hopped on the back of the katt, snatched the rod and snapped it in two. He threw both ends down to the ground, just as the man looked back to see what was on his katt.
"What do you think you're —"
Rollond didn't let him finish. He hooked an arm around the man's neck and yanked him back.
In reaction, the man clutched the brakes, and the katt flipped tail-end overhead.
Both of them flew off the katt and thudded hard on the ground. The man flailed his arms, trying to beat Rollond back. Rollond's strength was too much for him as, like a python crushing its prey, he tightened his arm around the man's neck. Until finally, the man went still.
"That's enough of that," Rylieq said. He dismounted the katt and came forward from the group. "Just what do you think you're doing?"
"I'd ask you the same thing if it wasn't so obvious. You delight in the mistreatment of others?"
"You make it sound like you believe these beasts are equals to the rest of us."
"They're not beasts."
"Sure they're not. They're just humans with bestial legs, pointed ears and tails." Rylieq chuckled. "Regardless you're interfering with temple business. Move."
An expression of absolute repulsion marked Rollond's face. He knelt beside Rah'ii. "No."
"I said —"
"You listen to me," he hissed, "the next time I catch you pulling some punk-freig stunt like this, I'm going to break your arms in six places. If you, or anyone else comes back after I've broken your arms, I'll break your legs in twenty-four spots. You understand me?"
He watched Rylieq lift his chin in disgust. "Very well." He motioned to his men. Two of his fellows helped the unconscious one onto the back of a katt. Then they started for the Estate.
Only after they were out of Rollond's sight did he stop to assess Rah'ii.
Bright red splotches marked Rah'ii's shoulders and stomach. The skin was scraped thin, and when Rollond pressed his first and middle fingers to one of the reddened patches, crimson beads of blood surfaced.
Rollond knew Allondt watched him. He knew from the moment he started for Rylieq's henchman that he roused the blond's interest. But now he didn't care. He picked up Rah'ii's front and slid the kyusoa across his shoulders until about mid-way. He expected Rah'ii to put up a struggle, but the creature expressed a mixture of curiosity and understanding. As though he wanted to see what Rollond planned to do with him.
Rah'ii looped his tail around Rollond's waist. With that the white-haired man hefted him up and took him into the tower.
With a single sweep of his arm, Rollond cleared off a long table and lay Rah'ii on it. He snapped his fingers at Ielase. "I need salt, cold water, a rag and some bandages — whatever you've got handy," he barked.
He saw her duck into the stairwell out the corner of his eye while carefully peeling the Kyusoa's ragged skin back. The air stung, he could tell by the way Rah'ii tensed. He didn't stop folding the skin back, exposing the gel-like margins of the wounds.
Then Ielase returned with the things he asked for: a bowl of water with ice, a lump of salt, a clean washcloth, two fat rolls of thick gauze and some tape.
He dropped the salt in the water and swished it around until it dissolved, for the most part. Then he soaked the cloth, wrung most of the saline out, and pressed it to the burns.
The Kyusoa arched his back, clenched his teeth and hissed.
Rollond dressed the one wound and moved on to the other.
"You really have a thing for them, don't you?" Ielase said.
"It's called Rou'u." He glanced sideways at her and caught the curiosity in her face. He took a deep breath, and in Tswaa'ii, he said: 'What we cannot see, that is what we witness; what we perceive with our eyes, this we disregard. Because the trustworthy things are deep, far within the body; the Rou'u.'
He noted that Rah'ii perked his ears, while Ielase's bewilderment only deepened.
"They watch for the very nature of your heart. And yes, I do have a 'thing' for them." He moved to Rah'ii's lower back and tail-base.
When he finished, he wrapped Rah'ii's tail and took a seat beside the table. He sighed and slouched, holding the crown of his head between his thumb and first finger. He stared, unfocused, into the space between him and Rah'ii, imagining the heated waves of anger that'd slash through him if Ashenzsi were ever abused like this.
He couldn't stand the thought of it. Disgust welled in his stomach, and his guts gurgled and churned. He clenched the arm of the chair.
"So," Allondt said, his voice breaking Rollond away from his thoughts.
Rollond grimaced. "I'll do it, but only on my terms. I need the freedom to operate without someone standing over me, or asking questions."
"A prince has to do his thing, does he?"
He gave Allondt a keen-eyed, hard-faced, serious glance. "He does."
He despised the thought of authority, but knowing how these creatures were kept made him ill. Frankly Rollond wasn't sure which he hated more: seeing kyusoakin in sordid conditions, or barking out orders and taking on responsibility.
He sighed, and took stride to the right and a short ways behind Allondt. "I have to ask, what is your duty here?"
"Inspections, mostly," Allondt said. "I make sure all the overseers are overseeing, you know, that things run smoothly. To that end I also manage unassigned enclaves like this one as needed."
"And your rank?"
"It goes like this, Papa is the Big Man. Beneath him is his eldest son, Rylieq, then me. After me comes the overseers of each Enclave. Then there's the ones that work under the direction of the overseer. There is also the Oracle — though I don't see the point of him."
"And one more thing." He stopped instead of joining Allondt in the lift. "What about my brother?"
The blond held the doors open. "I'll see to it he remains in your care. Come now, please. I want to catch Papa before he heads off to the 'temple'."
Rollond glanced at Ashenzsi. The smile on his brother's face was genuine and confident, warm, excited, even though he saw Rah'ii's condition when Rollond carted him in.
'I will take care of myself,' Ashenzsi said. 'Trust me, will you?'
'I just don't want to see you dirty and beaten down.'
'You worry too much.' Ashenzsi brushed past Rollond and sauntered into the lift.
"Alright, alright." Rollond rubbed his temples and stepped in. The doors shut and the lift started upwards without a sound, leaving Rah'ii and Ielase behind.
There was privacy within the spire. Rah'ii knew from the moment Ielase settled her hands on the unpatched skin at the height of his
shoulders, she wanted his company.
He stood and stretched, a monolithic creature compared to the small woman who looked at him with awe. He shook the dust out of his mane, and got back down on his hands where the sight of him was more manageable.
Humans didn't comprehend the true dimensions of a Kyusoa all that well, and he didn't want to overwhelm her. She wrapped her arms around him, and he returned the gesture. The two embraced, and for a moment, he felt she was close to his heart.
"I like this new man," he said, "he's reckless."
"I know." She gently brushed her fingers along his collar. "Hopefully soon this'll come off. Then you'll be free."
"Tsche," he said with a solemn nod. "Free to what?" He watched her expression gravitate to something like distress. How her brows became weighty and wrinkled, and her lips pursed, only to meld into a dainty frown.
Freedom meant so many things. None of those meanings, perhaps, was the one they both wished for.
"Freedom to leave," she let go and turned her back to him.
So that was what occupied her mind. She didn't want him to go. She wanted better things for him than to be confined to the conditions here.
He imagined the flutter of her hearts, the excited twinge, the twang of a pain that wasn't physical, but just as real. He sensed it in the way she tensed when he reached out for her wrist. It was also in the race of her pulse.
"Deschki a'elle," he said: 'Free to love.' The salted scent of human tears tickled his nostrils.
She sniffed, took a deep breath and stopped her urge to cry, smiling at him with wet eyes. "My father will never accept you."
"He doesn't have to. Come with me; there is a whole world out there."
"And what? Prance around naked under the stars?"
He pursed his lips, biting back snide remarks. What was with humans and their dependency on their things? How easy life could be without warp-grids and Crawlers, fancy clothing and statuses. "I wish you wouldn't mock me. We preserve alive because of our way," he said.
"We owe our existence to ours. You think I don't recognize that? We're two separate sorts. There is very little common ground between us. There's nothing wrong with recognizing what we are."
"My body my be shackled and chained, but my heart does not live in a cage." His tone cut through her, and he knew it. When will she recognize the real difference between them?
Freedom to a Kyusoa meant more than roaming the wilds of Dyjian. It also meant having the right to the feelings of one's heart. Release was one sort of gain, yes, but a meaningless victory if for all eternity he had to remain sealed in an abysmal, unfeeling darkness.
Perhaps now wasn't the time.
He lay on his belly, and flattened his ears. "Su'u batzuh, I shouldn't speak like that."
"You know you're safe with me. I can handle it. Right now I just don't want to see you tied to the sacrificial altar. Let's hope Rollond gets the job."
"Tsche," he agreed.
Elsewhere, a long ways from RSCE-28, one of the estate's receptors glowed like hot coals. A split second later, in less than the blink of an eye, three figures formed. This time, it didn't bother Rollond and Ashenzsi as badly as before.
"Your father must be an antique man," Rollond said, coming into stride beside Allondt. The estate had a strikingly familiar feel for him. It was because of the towering, gilded statues that stood poised and regal at the mouth of high-arching halls; one statue per main hall.
The statues were purposed like road signs. Each wing of the estate belonged to someone, and all one had to do was follow the statues to arrive at the destined wing.
"He has a thing for old Alekzandrya. I'll admit, I don't quite get it. Why hold on to a culture belonging to a place that doesn't exist anymore?"
"Some people value heritage." Rollond shrugged.
"Then he'll adore having you," Allondt said, as they finally stepped into the north wing that belonged to his father, Ridd.
It seemed far too much for one man: his personal quarters consisted of three whole stories from the sixth floor up, and even a skyway that went into a spacious, man-made grotto dug out of a mesa.
The whole estate had to work around a cluster of mesas, some areas bored in while most of it snaked around. The Tenchmok, that is the temple, crested the peak of the highest mesa to the northeast.
From the great windows of the foyer, the Tenchmok was an awe-inspiring onion dome: iridescent and smooth, demanding and terrible.
"Father?" Allondt called, as he entered Ridd's communal chambers.
A meeting was being held for the Overseers of the enclaves and their assistants. Some 58 different souls were gathered together, not including Ridd himself who was at the far end of the room. There were two representatives for each enclave, save for the 28th, as the section designated for the overlord and assistant was vacant.
"Yes, yes, come in," Ridd said.
There was a time when a certain filial warmth tumbled within Allondt when he came into the presence of his father. The aged, dark-chocolate man, Ridd, didn't appear a day over his prime. Yet he was over 3000 years old.
These days, though, after building the Tenchmok, a peculiar, lukewarm apathy sapped him of his once loving sentiments. Still, Allondt did well to maintain an air of respect as he approached his father. He settled on a kneeler across the room from his father, and bowed.
"Where were you?"
"My apologies, but I was conducting business this morning. I wish you to know this man." He straightened and gestured towards Rollond. "He is —"
"Rollond Alekzandyr, heir to the old Kingdom. How could I ever forget?" Ridd said.
There were whispers among the 58 attendees. An old sensation that Rollond despised slithered across his stomach, cold and disgusting. He knelt and bowed, because everyone looked at him oddly, expecting him to behave in some strange way since he was announced as heir. "Your flattery is too much."
"So what brings you here?"
"A desire to serve. Allondt has divulged to me the details of an open position, and I wish to offer my expertise. I am very well versed in the culture and colloquialisms of the Kyusoa."
"I already have a man skilled at handling these beasts."
"But they don't function well. My lord, I can increase your productivity three hundred percent. All I ask is that I be allowed to do what I need to without hindrance."
"An enticing proposal." Ridd laced his fingers and sat back. "I will admit, the animals kept at my twenty-eighth enclave are particularly useless. Since you seem so confident in your capabilities, I'll station you there for a short time. But if at the end of the month of Sorric three fold productivity is not met, you leave empty-handed."
"Empty-handed?"
Ridd snapped his fingers and pointed at Ashenzsi. Several men got up and seized him by the collar. But the Kyusoa was resolute, and didn't react to the hands of many persons around his neck.
Ashenzsi knew better than to speak openly in the presence of humans he didn't know. Most of them detested the idea that kyusoas thought in words and concepts much like they did. But as he looked skeptically at Ridd, he couldn't help it. "Is this necessary?"
The men tightened their grip on his collar. Yet the others, even Ridd, were taken aback by the fact that not only could he speak, he spoke their language. It was appalling that a beast could speak like a man.
That much showed on Ridd's face. "Send it to the Oracle, have Fylus put it in the queue."
"Wait, what queue? What's going on here?" Rollond asked.
"That thing is an abomination," Ridd said. "No animal speaks like men do. It must be purged from this world like the filth that it is."
"Purged — Shenzsi!" Rollond got to his feet just as the men turned Ashenzsi around and escorted him out of the communal room.
"You're more than welcome to leave now, if that suits you. But know that you're not getting that thing back."
Rollond clenched his fist. He faced Ridd and sat back down. Intense silence dominated the cham
ber. His anger burned, and it manifested in the thick, dark veins that defined the surface of his arm while he tightened his fist. It kept his face calm, made him sit still, or else he'd have put his fist through someone's skull. He wanted to take on the whole estate, but punching wasn't the way to do it.
Alas, Ridd's voice broke the silence: "Still interested in the position?"
"Yes." He did well not to growl.
Oracle.
Schiivas, the 31st day in the month of Bylgas;
What happened regarding Ashenzsi;
Spring of the 691st year into the Second Epoch of Dyjian.