A CRY BREAKS THROUGH THE SILENCE, A SHARP INTERRUPTION, LIFE ANNOUNCING ITS PRESENCE TO THE COLD WILDERNESS.
Tomas again became entranced in his memories as he ate, remembering their youth together with their parents. Life had been a long journey since then, and not always kind to him, but he knew deep down that he did not deserve any kindness.
He glanced up an Ki’nam, and it seemed his brother was also deep inside his thoughts. Tomas spooned the last few mouthfuls of broth into his mouth, enjoying the warm earth flavours and set the bowl down.
“So, the ta’xaral, a rare sight in these parts. Where did you catch it?” he probed.
Now it was Ki’nam’s turn to be snapped back to reality. “Huh?”
“The ta’xaral. You did catch it yourself right?”
“Her. Not it, her. And it was she who caught me.” Ki’nam spoke with derision in his voice, and Tomas could tell that he had inadvertently stumbled into something his brother cared deeply about. So there is still some of that caring young boy I used to know, hidden under that gruff exterior. A lot more than is left in me.
Tomas probed more, “Sorry, her. Where did she catch you?”
“It was about 6 cycles past, in the western foothills of the mountain range bordering the Xa'baron and Dine' territory. I was looking for pulux, on the orders of the Katalqaja. The pulux stores we had collected from the Katal firemount were dwindling. Coupled with the Band quickly growing, the excursions into Xa'baron territories increasing, and the Katal Tzij’s growing hunger for more lands, the priest-shamans knew we would be in great need of more totems in the cycles to come.”
Ki’nam finished his broth with a large gulp directly from the bowl and placed it to his side, clasping his hands in his lap. “I had made my way across the Xa'baron plains to reach the range and as I approached the foothills I was spotted by a band of outriders. I pushed my kej to a gallop, ran her until she was frothing at the mouth, and still they did not let up. They chased me for a few hours before they wheeled away and broke off the pursuit as Ahua's light began to grow dim.
“A short while later, as I crested a foothill and watched the outriders ride away, I slowed the kej to a walk and it collapsed under me. Its middle left leg was broken, its bulbous black eyes bloodshot white, froth pouring down jaw and neck both, as good as dead. With a quick sear, I lanced its brain, butchered what meat I could carry and set off towards the peaks to complete my mission, or die trying.”
Tomas shuffled into a more comfortable sitting position as Ki’nam continued.
“It was midcycle at the time, so the snow had receded into the highest reaches of the peaks, and I knew what I was looking for. There were rumours of an ancient firemount hidden among the range, surrounded by an immeasurable amount of pulux. The Katalqaja told me all I had to do was find a broken peak among it’s snow capped neighbours, should be easy right?” He gave a sardonic glance to Tomas before continuing. “I was wandering those wilds for nearly a quarter cycle before I spotted the first pulux deposit, the kej meat long gone. I had been hunting game and foraging for my dinners for weeks. I guess I was lucky our father always favoured me on his trips here, otherwise I probably would have starved.” Ki’nam gave a half hearted laugh, which brought a slight smile to the corner of Tomas’ mouth which he quickly forced down.
“I climbed further and deeper into the range, and the deposits grew more frequent and plentiful, I knew I was getting closer. But as I got closer to the peaks, things began to happen. The weather grew still and cold, I came across floating shards of wood, dirt and stone. It was as if they were pollen, weightless, carried on the air itself. At first it was pebbles and twigs but as I climbed higher and higher, the chunks of floating debris began getting larger and larger, and I began to feel my body becoming lighter and lighter.
“Then as I clambered over a rise and found myself atop a ridgeline, I saw the firemount, its cracked and shattered top nestled among a group of other taller peaks on the distant side of a mountain valley. My mission was complete. The rumours were true, but there was something amiss about this place. The lightness of my body, the earth and wood floating through the air. It stank of Dine’ sorcery, but they had never shown any interest in pulux or any firemounts in the past.
“It intrigued me, so I decided to see if I could find the source of the phenomenon. That was my first mistake. I continued along the ridgeline, the larger and increasingly frequent floating debris and increasing weightlessness a confirmation I was heading in the right direction. Soon the debris was so dense it began to obscure my vision and the slowly swirling detritus became disorientating. Determined not to stumble off the side of the ridge and tumble to my death down the cliffs below, I channelled a gentle plume of K’aakh around me to clear the area. That was my second mistake.”
Ki’nam paused to pull a waterskin from his satchel, resting beside him on the dirt and took a gulp before holding it towards Tomas, offering. With a wave of his hand Tomas declined. Ki’nam shrugged, replaced the cap and continued, “As soon as the debris cleared I knew I was in trouble. A slow, deep rumble began to loosen the rocks around my feet. I thought it was just an earthquake, but it was something much worse.
“That is when I made my third mistake, not turning heel and fleeing immediately. The rumbling grew to a thunderous roar, the ground shaking and splitting. I clasped my hands over my ears in pain, and I could see off in the distance a line of crags began to shift and rise from the ridge in succession, dislodged boulders and scree tumbling over the cliffs and down into the valley below.
“I was frozen by fear, locked in place by what I was seeing. Slowly it emerged, stone rising from stone, a great beast, its back crested with great spines of rock, its body made of the earth itself. I had awakened something great--and terrible. It craned it’s great neck up and slowly creaked it’s stone eyelids open, glowing blue eyes, steaming with power, seeking what had disturbed it’s slumber--”
“A Paq’Inik?! Ahua’s grace! You expect me to believe you encountered a Paq’Inik?” Tomas spluttered.
Ki’nam laughed, shrugged and said, “The Katalqaja had similar reactions. I tell you the truth, choose not to believe it if you will, but listen well for there are lessons to be learned from all tales, even those that are lies.”
“A Paq’Inik has not been sighted since the Age of Ti’kon. Ahua slew the last of them in retribution for their betrayal. I have heard the sermons. They are no more!”
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
“I guess Ahua missed one.” Ki’nam softly chuckled, seemingly unperturbed by what he was saying. Blasphemy. Spitting on the teachings of the Katalqaja. “Are you going to let me finish my tale?” Ki'nam asked.
He truly believes what he is saying, he’s not lying. This is all true, or he’s lost his mind. Tomas swallowed, motioning for Ki’nam to continue.
“Its eyes found me. Cold, inhuman, the glare alone sent a shiver down my spine. I was frozen in place. Then in an instant, a flash of sudden movement so distinctly different from it’s slow emergence that I could not react at all, it jerked it’s head skyward, opened it’s great mouth and let loose a bestial, primal roar more savage than the earthquake it had caused moments earlier. In an instant the floating detritus crashed to the ground and I felt myself grow heavier. My hands, still cupped on my ears, had done nothing, and I could feel the warm blood trickling into them, my hearing deafened.
“As it lowered its great neck, I stretched out my hands, and grasping my totem I answered its great roar in kind, channelling my K’aakh with a ferocity I had not known I possessed and have not known since. I felt the power course through and out of me as a great blast of flames engulfed my whole body, obliterating my clothes and satchel, exploding outwards with such force that for a moment, before the smoke cleared, I truly believed I had slain it, that nothing could possibly survive such pure destruction. As the smoke and dust slowly cleared I could see I had annihilated the surrounding area, flattened the ridgeline I was standing upon. Standing opposite me, unphased, as if it had been no more than a gust of wind was the Paq’Inik. With a great grinding noise it shook its body, dislodging more boulders, and lifted its legs clear of its burrow.
“I began to back away, shuffling quicker and quicker as it began to bear down on me, but soon I could go no further, my foot slipping as it edged over the cliffside, pebbles tumbling down into the valley below. I glanced up quickly, hoping that I had Ahua's grace with me, and then stared down at the goliath before me, readying a spark. That was when I first heard her speak to me. At first I thought it was Ahua, answering my silent prayer, but it was her. She had seen, heard and felt my roar, and she said, ‘Dive.’
“It was not a spoken word, but a feeling, echoing through my mind. I was still frozen, standing on the precipice of death and certain death, the Paq’Inik rumbling forward, picking up speed as its stone-lined legs heaved with increasing speed. ‘Dive!’ Again, stronger this time. The Paq’Inik was now less than a hundred footspans away, its eyes steaming blue fury, legs a churning mess of crumbling and reforming rock and earth. Still frozen. She called to me again, and I felt her intent deeply, down to my very soul, a plea, full of every ounce of her desperation, her desire, no, her need to save me. ‘Dive!’ she screamed. And I did.
“Arms outstretched I let myself fall, backwards, over the precipice. As I fell away I felt myself grow heavier and fall faster momentarily, as the Paq’Inik came sliding to the cliff edge, using its power to ground itself and gain purchase, stopping before it too tumbled off into the air. Falling from that height was a strange sensation, as I felt at peace. I wasn’t scared of my impending death on the valley floor below. Maybe it was because I couldn’t see the ground coming ever closer as I plummeted towards it, maybe it was her calming me in some way. I’m not sure.
“It felt like I fell for an eternity in moments, time stretching out to give me a few more seconds of life. The cliffside grew distant and I closed my eyes, ready for oblivion, but it never came. It was then that I thudded into her. Flying upside down, she caught me, grasped in her claws, careful not to slice my naked body, before gently careening right side up and gliding down along the valley. Maintained with a few flaps of her great wings, and rising currents of warmer air she carried me out of the range back down into the foothills.
“Exhausted, I curled up under her wing and slept. As I slept I dreamt, and as I dreamed I found myself standing in a great river valley, in a world like I had never seen before. Ahua was nowhere to be found, and the edges of the earth did not curve up and around like our own, as the land was flat and the world simply vanished in the distance. Above me was a sky glittering with a hundred thousand shining lights, each glittering against a vast darkness. I would have been terrified, but I turned and found her standing before me. She spoke to me again without sound but with feeling, she gave me her name, and I gave her mine. We felt each other’s minds, spirits and souls. We melded.”
“You melded?” Tomas softly asked, mouth agape.
“Yes, we did. I’m not so sure why you are so surprised, given both you and I have an aptitude for the meld.”
Tomas was still comprehending all of what he had just heard. Not only do you have a trained ta’xaral, but you have melded with it as well? And here I sit, a murderer, a thief, a coward.
“Well, yes, I suppose, but a ta’xaral? No one melds with a ta’xaral, it’s, it’s unheard of!”
“I thought so too, but I have found ancient scrolls in the Great Library of Katal that tell of a few instances of melding, with ta’xaral. Rare, but not unheard of. Either way, it is not something I share lightly, few others know of our bond. I certainly did not tell the Katalqaja when I flew back to Yukaan. When I gave them my report I was not entirely truthful, yet still they granted me an excursion. I led a team back to the firemount and although there were signs of my blast, there was no sign of the Paq’Inik. No footprints, no great crater, no debris. Perhaps if someone was looking closely, they would have found signs that the great stone behemoth had arisen, but no one was. The men that the Katalqaja sent on the excursion were happy enough with the pulux deposits and the discovery of the firemount. Why waste their time searching for a being that has not been seen in thousands of years? They did not believe me, and perhaps neither do you. Nevertheless, I am trusting you with this knowledge, Tomas, know that I do not tell you this lightly.”
Tomas nodded gently. Do I notice some hesitant regret that you have told this to a man you have not seen since he was a bright eyed youth? Do you know me brother? Do I know you?
Ki’nam sniffed, pulling a pipe from his pocket and stuffing it with herbs. He sparked an ember on his fingertip and inhaled. As he breathed in and the familiar scent of iya wafted over to him Tomas noticed that Ki’nam was not holding his totem.
Have you truly ascended so far as to have mastered contactless channelling brother? I truly have underestimated you, time and time again.
Ki’nam held out the pipe towards Tomas.
“I can’t,” Tomas coughed, “I, uh, I just can’t.”
Ki’nam raised an eyebrow as he brought the pipe back up to his mouth to inhale again. He lowered his eyebrow as he held the breath, coughing slightly as he exhaled, turning the pipe upside down and tapping it with his hand to clear the bowl.
“You used to love a little puff of iya, and now you’ve gone sour on it? It seems like there’s a story there, I’d like to know, if you’d care to share. A tale for a tale, as it were.” He grinned. Ugh, that smile was disarming.
“Fine. I suppose I owe you one,” Tomas sighed.