Cheilin Saga ~ 03

 Cheilin Saga ~ 03 Sabretooth Mountains

By Len Morgan

Five days on, Aldor dismounted and handed over the reins of his mount to the quiet horse trader, with whom he had forged a firm friendship, in spite of their rocky beginnings.  

"May chance never be a factor," said Wedex as they parted.   He watched as his young friend started the ascent, waving a final time just before Aldor vanished from sight.   He would be heading for a mountain village known as Sudoren where he had been advised the Inn-keep would be expecting him.   From there, things would progress; others would collect and escort him to an unknown destination, home to the secret sect known as the Tylywoch.

   For three more days, Aldor traveled slowly but steadily upward wending his way along on narrow paths that would have proved exhausting to any normal man.

 

.-...-.

 

"Ho friend, where are you bound?"   The strange echoing voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere.

"Who asks," he replied, throwing his mind-scan wide so as not to miss anything.

"You travel my road, and I asked first, it would be polite of you to answer my question,” the voice replied. 

Aldor stood in the centre of a narrow path less than an arm-span wide. To his left a precipice and loose scree a hundred feet below.   On his right was a sheer cliff face, its base obscured by scrub and stunted trees narrowing the track even more.

"If you want my life history you might at least show yourself and look me in the eyes to see if I lie.   I would not expect less," he said casting his mind-net wide once more for any signs of human presence.   Almost immediately, he was viewing himself from a clump of bushes ten yards behind him.   He stopped and sat on his haunches.   One by one, other minds appeared from nowhere.   There were four of them; he proceeded to isolate one mind for investigation.   Its owner displayed a high degree of tight control, hard and unyielding.   The person was knowledgeable in combat techniques tactics and weapons.   The mind was young strangely feral yet focused as if life and death issues were constant bedfellows. 

 

 He skipped quickly from one mind to another, looking for one slightly less reserved, he drew on those scant gleanings…  

"Tiger quad," Aldor said aloud, "you have been sent to test me, but I am also testing you.   I make your numbers, four very young warriors, that is what you are.   I respect your temperament, restraint, and control."   He sought for them again but suddenly all signs of their presence had vanished.   They were not hidden, or masked by distance, neither were they shielding, they were gone.   He investigated their hiding place, beyond the bushes; he discovered a narrow fissure leading to a cavern inside the mountain.   He was unable to follow; he was much too large to slip through the gap.

 

He stopped to eat, and quench his thirst, seemingly to take his ease.   All the while, as he continued up the narrow path, his mind was focussed to the front and rear, seeking any signs of life.   He became aware of birds and other small creatures as ‘Beastmaster’ he could use them to his advantage, as advance sight of what lay ahead.   He proceeded quicker now, and with more confidence.   From a kestrel's eye view he fancied he saw movement on the path half a mile ahead, this happened several times but he never actually caught sight of anything.   He continued his journey for most of the day, ever upwards, finding it easier to flit from the mind of one small creature to another, yet, even that proved surprisingly tiring.   Eventually, he learned to restrict his forays to the occasional quick peek.

   As the sun edged towards the horizon he laid the dried twigs and sticks he'd gathered, in passing, and struck a spark to set them a'flame.   He prepared to spend another night beside the cliff path, his constant companion.  The air became colder and the fire gave of scant warmth.  He drew on his mind to radiate heat to his outer clothing set his internal sentinel to watch, and relaxed.

 

   He awoke with a start, no moon in the sky, he cast around sensing a young mind devoid of emotion but, unlike a wild animal, it was disciplined.   Suddenly he was seeing through other eyes, viewing himself from his right.

 

   Meillo of Bear Quad raised a missile and threw it in his direction.   He rolled rapidly towards her, opening his eyes as the missile flew harmlessly beyond his moving form, landing lightly where he had been lying an instant earlier.   He made a grab for her but, even as his hands closed on her leg; she twisted and evaded his clutches with ease.   The maneuver was accomplished at incredible speed.   He was completely surprised, he'd never seen another human move so fast, he looked for her but, she was already gone.   However, at the moment he made contact he received a burst of information.   So, immediately he cast around for the other three.   They were six or seven years old, trained as warriors from their first steps.   They were testing him, he returned to see the missile Meillo had thrown at him.   It was a small green crab apple.   He had no time to dwell on the matter; further similar objects were already in flight towards him.   Dropping to his knees, he noted their trajectories and cast his mind out in four directions, and he had them.   "Meillo, Tavis, Kellor, and Fugel, you can stop this now and show yourselves.   The test is over, and you have passed with distinction," said Aldor.

He waited expectantly, but there was no answer.   Several minutes passed, and he started to feel apprehensive.   Somebody was consciously using his senses against him, in a very cool and calculating manner.   Gradually he became aware of an adult standing at the edge of the trees.   At first, he simply watched from afar, then as he slowly sauntered towards Aldor who turned slowly, to face him.

He began to speak. "We walk a narrow line between life and death.   Had any of my students responded, in any way, to your words they would now be dead," he said in a matter of fact tone of voice as he continued to close the distance between them.   "Had your death been ordered, the deed would already have been done; you would have heard and seen nothing.   "My name is Lomax, I am thirteenth warrior and Kebu master of the Carnivores.   Your first meeting was with the Tigers.   Tonight you met with the Bears.   The third quad you have yet to meet."   He gestured to Aldor's right, where four young child warriors stood within touching distance; he had not been aware of their approach.   "These four are Wolf quad,” he said.   He nodded an acknowledgment to each then his gaze returned to Lomax, who now stood directly before him offering his hand.

 Aldor smiled and they shook formally.   As if this were a signal, eight more young warriors materialized behind and beside him.

"Brother Wedex is a good judge," said Lomax.

"Are you here to escort me to Sudoren?" Aldor asked.

"We will not be going to Sud at this time," Lomax replied.   "You will instead be traveling home with us,” it was not a request, and compliance was not optional.   "Meillo, your Bears will assume responsibility for educating Aldor and teach him the ways of the Tylywoch."   It was the first confirmation of their identity.   "Aldor, please learn well, because they will be held responsible for your actions."

The four acknowledged him; "You will become our fifth" Meillo smiled.   Please do obey our instructions; until you are told otherwise, your life and ours may depend on it.   This boy is Kellor, this is Fugel, and this girl is Tavis."

"Welcome little cub," they chanted ritually as one,

"May chance never be a factor," he said to their, well hidden, surprise.

"I will try to prove worthy of your acceptance," he said.

"You will do better than try," said Lomax, "I note you use the word acceptance rather than trust.   The former is given, the latter must be earned."  

His education began immediately.  

"We do not camp in open spaces such as this," said Meillo, "It is easy to attack and hard to defend.   We light fires only when we want to be found.   We carry our own travel rations and water and wear our capes at all times in exposed areas.   It protects us from the elements and from watchful eyes.   We take to the high ground close in on sunset, then move, after the light has faded, to a previously selected spot.   Unless we are in a hurry we stop, for eight hours, each takes a turn to stand vigil for two hours.   We always move on before Sun-up."

"Here are your cape and rations for the journey," said Kellor.   "Your pack will be left here and retrieved later so if you need anything from it you should get them now."   He retrieved the letter of introduction.  Kellor then instructed him on the proper uses for the cape, as a groundsheet, tent, a means of camouflage, and a water collector.   He then pointed out preferred places to site it when they stopped.   The ration was pressed fruit and honey cake, a hard block of cheese, a bag of dried fruit, nuts & seeds, and a long strip of hard dried meat.   "You cut off a one inch cube with your knife and chew it on the journey; we never stop to eat.   These are three to five day rations" said Fugel "we supplement them with wild foods foraged from the land, as we travel."

"We will start to show you how and where to find them tomorrow," said Tavis.

"This will be your first night with us.   You are both a probationer and Gaijin, so will not be required to stand vigil."

“I would prefer to do my share of the work," Aldor began.

"And, so you shall,” Meillo replied,   “When you have proved your worth and earned our trust."

 

"He did not sleep immediately despite the heavy pace that had been set; there were no concessions made, on his behalf.   They journeyed overland, never touching a beaten track, taking great pains not to leave a single blade of grass out of place as they passed.   He was always in the middle of the quad, never allowed to make tracks or to hide evidence of their passage; though he was repeatedly given the theory for both.

"Repetition is a good teacher," Meillo explained, ‘over and over…’

So, instead of sleeping, he lay awake reliving the journey step by step.   He then tried to scan the minds of his companions to augment his learning.   But, even at rest, their minds were rigidly disciplined displaying their iron will.   He learned little and was unable to penetrate beneath their superficial surface thoughts, which as always were centered on survival.   He did however discover that they held him in low esteem.   They were the top quad, which was why they had been given him as a project but, they were all aware that he was the Bears handicap, to even things up for the Tigers and Wolves.   He resolved to keep his head low and learn quickly in order to minimize the adverse effect he was having on them.   Lomax was twice their age, and nearer to Aldor’s age.   He was a natural leader;   Knowledgeable and totally aware of everything that went on within the Kebu.   It almost seemed as though Lomax possessed a special sense, like that of a beast-master. 

 

(To be Continued)

Copyright Len Morgan