Martyr (The Martyr Trilogy) (4 page)

The
rider walked right up to me, and I could see now that he was not as large or
imposing as he had appeared on his mount.  Unsure of the proper protocol, I
extended a hand in a gesture of intended goodwill.  The rider did not take my
hand, but stood staring at me through mirrored glass for several seconds.  Then
he raised both hands to his head and slowly removed his helmet.  Her helmet. 
It was Mana.

5

It
was definitely Mana…those almond eyes were unmistakable.  But something was
different.  Aside from the fact that she was filthy, her dark hair matted from
her riding helmet, dried mud caked on her clothing.  Aside from her well-tanned
skin.  She was older somehow, early-30’s maybe.  And perhaps it was my
imagination, but she seemed…healthier, I guess.  Stronger, more solid, and more
filled-out.  The Mana I knew was a wispier thing.  This world suited her.   I
suppose I had known that Mana was of mixed ethnicity, but I was now a little
ashamed to realize that I had no idea where her family was from.  This Mana was
truly exotic, her skin a palette of rich earth tones. 

She
stared at me for a long moment, as if searching for something.  I thought I
detected a hint of pain in her eyes before she blinked several times and turned
away abruptly.  At last she spoke, and as she started to stroll away, it was
clear that I was meant to follow her. 

“The
clothes fit you well.”

“Yes,
thank you.  And is it you I have to thank for the rescue as well?”

“No
thanks are necessary.  We could not have left you there.  You cannot understand
how important you are to the resistance.”  She stopped suddenly, turned to face
me.  This time her hand was extended.  “I’m sorry.  You just look so much like
him.  I’m Reya.”

I
took her hand.  “I’m Justin.  Unless there is another name I should answer to…”

“I
have mixed feelings about that.  I know the people want you to be Tal.  But I
think it best to be completely honest with them.  With myself.  You are not
Tal-Makai.”

I
wanted to ask so many questions, and here at last was someone who might be able
to tell me everything I needed to know.  But this was clearly a touchy
subject.  I decided to steer toward somewhat safer waters.  “Do you know why I
am here?”

“Why? 
No.  But I know there is a reason.  In the morning, I will take you to a place
that may hold some answers.  I know it must be difficult, but I would ask you
to keep your questions until then.  There is much we do not know, either.  Walk
with me, please.”

I
followed her to where her mount remained standing.  It lowered its head as Reya
approached, massive yet somehow incredibly graceful, its many-pointed rack
easily spanning 12 feet from side to side.  It blinked its pupilless liquid
gold eyes twice.  Reya scratched under its white goatee and it emitted a soft
humming sound.  She then released latches on its saddle and bridle and let them
fall to the ground.  A young boy and girl scurried up and collected the items. 
“Thank you Bole, Breya.”  The children giggled and hurried off with the items. 
The humming continued, and after a moment I realized that Reya was matching the
sound.  Her voice trailed off, and the creature slowly raised its head again
toward the treetops, appeared to steal one last glance at her, then turned and
wandered off into the trees in a different direction from which it had come. 
The others followed suit as they were similarly relieved of their gear.

“They
are not stabled?”

“There
is no need.  They will return when they are needed.”

“But
how?”

 “Long
ago, men like us came across animals that were sickly, or injured, and would
have died without help.  The men nursed and raised them, but did not keep
them.  The deer are very social creatures, and don’t forget kindness.  They
don’t forget wrongs, either.  They know the difference between our troops and
the enemy’s.  They are fierce and loyal allies.” 

I
nodded.  “I had a dream of one of these before I came to this world.  They are
unlike any animal where I come from.”

“Truer
than you know.  They are no dumb beasts, but have other…gifts.  Even we don’t
understand them fully, but are glad to consider them friends.”

Another
mystery.  But not the one that concerned me most at the moment.  I needed to
understand what had happened, why I now found myself in this strange place. 
The key to that seemed to be the person, the legendary figure, known as
Tal-Makai.  And I had already been warned that that particular topic was not on
the table just yet.

Reya
now motioned for me to follow her, back toward the center of the camp.  I fell
in step beside her.  Was Mana that tall?  I found myself checking to see if she
wore heels, but she did not, just flat canvas shoes cleft between the toes.  I
was reminded of the footwear I had seen ninja wear in old samurai films.  No,
her height seemed to be more a function of her stately posture and carriage.  I
could see in her every movement how these people could see her as a leader.  My
instinct told me to walk a step behind her, but I held my place at her side.

“I
trust you made the acquaintance of your rescuers.”

“Yes,
I owe them a great debt.”

“There
is no man or woman here who would not gladly have taken their places.  Here is
another I would like you to meet.”

An
oddly-shaped woman approached us, round of body, thin of limbs.  She wore a
brown coverall, and her short, grey-brown hair was tucked under a dusty
baseball cap.  Her skin was red and weathered, a mask of creases stretched over
her round face.  Between those creases her eyes were warm and kind.  “Good to see
you up and about, sir.  How’s the head?  Understand you took quite a blow to
the coconut.”

“Much
better, thank you.  I’m Justin.”

This
caused a row of new creases to form between the existing ones above her eyes,
and a glance to be cast at Reya, who quickly filled the awkward pause, “Justin,
this is Greda, one of my most trusted advisors.”

Greda
clasped my hand in her remarkably firm grip and smiled, which caused her face
to be completely consumed in a sea of creases.  Somehow, it was an endearing effect. 
Then, turning to Reya, she said, “Sir, there’s something I think you should
see.”

“Show
me.”  We followed Greda back into camp.  Jager, Kaire, and Denkel were standing
with a tall, gaunt man who leaned on a long rifle.  They appeared to be
standing over something, regarding it.  A number of other people were milling
about, trying to see what was the object of interest.  I recognized Jeyt toward
the back of the crowd and threw him a nod, which he returned.  The circle
parted as Reya drew near, and I followed her through the gap.  There I beheld a
beast, its side streaked with blood from a nasty-looking gash, apparently
knife-inflicted.  It was dead.  Reya stood looking at it for a moment, then
turned to me.  “Have you seen a creature like this before?”

“Yes,
in the place where I was held.”

“It’s
not a natural thing.  This can only have come from Magus.”

Jager
spoke up.  “Then they know of this camp already.  We have to move!”

“No,”
said the rifleman.  “I was hunting some distance to the north and east when it
found me.  I was taking aim at some fowl and it rushed me from the right.”  He
turned, indicating three neat scratches on his right cheek, too close to his
eye.  “They are searching, and they are getting closer by the day. We will have
to move, but we have some time.”

“Good. 
I’m taking Justin to the hollow in the morning.  I’m anxious to learn what he
will hear.”  There was a general buzz just then as all around people broke off
into whispered conversation.  I was pretty sure I heard the name, “Martyr” a
couple more times.  “In the meantime, we are alive another day.  Eat well, make
the acquaintance of our guest, show him how we celebrate.  But keep your
weapons and equipment at the ready, just in case.”

They
didn’t need another cue.  In moments, fires were struck, meat was roasting, and
ale was being spilt freely.  I met most everybody, eventually; the camp only
consisted of about forty people, including children.  I didn’t remember many
names, as most of them were unfamiliar spellings.  By the end of the night, I
had forgotten my own as well.  There was music, from stringed and winded
instruments, and dancing of a most vigorous variety.  Jeyt pulled off some
moves that would have impressed in any club back home, leaping and spinning
around the high-licking fires.  My head heavy, but no longer paining, I finally
excused myself and retreated to my tent.  I slept, and I dreamed.

In
visions of the night, I found myself suspended.  Not in the air, but in fluid. 
The womb.  Warmth and comfort surrounded me.  I didn’t breathe; I didn’t need
to.  I had no desire but to remain as I was, forever.  Time passed, but I was
unaware of its passage, or of its length.  I could have been there mere
seconds, or an age.  Then a voice…

“Be
born.”

It
came as a soft rumbling.  It was not unkind, but I resisted.  “I’m not ready.”

The
voice smiled.  I don’t know how I perceived this, as I saw nothing.  It wasn’t
that I saw blackness, it was that sight was not part of the reality I now
enjoyed. 

“You
will be.”

Then
I felt a breath.  I suppose it was a stirring of the fluid that embraced me,
but I knew it as a breath.  I felt myself rising, and the fluid became thinner,
cooler.  After an indeterminate amount of time, my head broke the surface of
the fluid and I continued to rise.  The air was cool, but pleasantly so.  It
occurred to me to open my eyes.  It was too bright at first, but gradually my
eyes adapted.  I was standing on the surface of the fluid for the briefest of
moments, then I began to slowly sink into it.  It reached to my waist, my
chest, and then to my neck.  At this point normal buoyancy took over, and I was
floating in a crystal stream.  I began to tread water.  Looking around, I saw
that I was closer to one shore.  I made my way toward it.  Upon reaching it, I
pulled myself out onto the grassy bank.  I was not tired.  I stood.

The
stream flowed in a more or less straight course for as far as I could see in
either direction.  The landscape was perfectly flat, all similarly covered in
downy green grass.  Green.  Yes.  The grasses of this world had not been
green.  I looked upstream (the water was flowing almost imperceptibly in one
direction).  As I looked, I saw a light under the water, a few dozen feet
ahead.  It grew in brightness, and the water there began to ripple.  Then
suddenly, like a soundless explosion, a geyser of water and light erupted
vertically from the surface.  It formed a pillar, then it divided.  It
branched, then branched again, and again, an infinite number of times.  A tree
of light took shape before my eyes.  Like no natural tree, flawless in symmetry,
the divisions continued, then began to slow.  Already it was broader and taller
than even the ancient redwoods back home.  As the growth ceased, the branches
revealed their final form: a perfect sphere.  The entire tree glowed with an
ethereal light, like a moon. 

“Become.”

I
woke with that word still rumbling in my head.  It had been more vivid, more
real, than even the deer dream.  And yet, unlike the other dream, I had known I
was dreaming.  I also knew it had meaning, but I didn’t know what it meant.  I
was suddenly aware that it was still dark.  And then I felt a breath in my
hair.  I tipped my still-groggy head back slowly, and saw a round, white face,
and two dark eyes.  As my own eyes focused in the dim light, it dawned on me
that it was not a face at all, but the snout of one of those great deer.  I
gasped and instinctively sat up, unwittingly pressing my face for the briefest
moment against that cool, wet nose.  The beast snorted and exhaled again,
feathering my hair for me as it removed its head from my tent.  I heard a
snicker, and crawled to the flap to peer out.  Reya sat atop the mount, clearly
pleased with herself. 

“Climb
up.  We’ve a bit of a ride and not much time.”

I
withdrew into my tent and determined that I had slept in my clothes, shoes and
all.  I emerged and stood, looking up at Reya on her mount.  I could see her
clearly in what I now realized was bright moonlight.  The creature kneeled.  Reya
extended a hand to me and to my surprise hoisted me in one smooth motion onto
the back of the beast, behind her.  “You’ll want to hold on.”  I reached behind
me with both hands and grabbed handfuls of the beast’s soft hair.  Without
waiting the animal righted itself, and I saw my legs fly up over my head as I
was tossed backward.  Then as quickly as I was thrown, I felt myself being
righted.  Reya’s strong hand had seized my thigh and steadied me.  “You’ll want
to hold on…to me.”  I felt myself flush, but she was only advising me of
necessary riding protocol.  I heard Reya hum.  I wrapped my arms firmly around
her waist just as the beast broke into a slow trot.