Chapter 19
I woke up, as usual, to the sound of the Nebril River rushing along next to us, sliding by the rocks in gurgling waves. We had been travelling for five days now, following the path that ran next to the river. This path would apparently take us to Lock Up and the bridge, where we could finally cross this mighty body of water. While the rapids had slowed from the violent rushing that we had seen at Sandoff's Village, the current was still strong and there was no way for us to get to the other side. While I certainly wasn't thrilled about passing by Lock Up, I also felt a vague sense of curiosity about the place. If the elders had been considering sending me there, how many other innocent, misunderstood people did it hold behind its walls? How many bei clu?
The last few days had been fairly uneventful, for which I was quite thankful, as Jalya and I really needed a chance to rest. We spent our time in the wagon getting to know Wagna, as well as trying to sort out the mystery and adventure that lay before us. We rode through the daylight hours passing tree after tree and bush after bush that looked exactly the same, over the same bumpy path, next to the omnipresent river. Not that I was bored or anything, but I was just wondering when anything about the landscape would change.
As the sun started to set, Wagna would look for an appropriate place to camp for the night. This usually ended up being right along the river bank, where we could build a fire without risking igniting the dense trees. When we got past the worst of the rapids, Wagna taught us to fish. Occasionally we were successful and cooked a grand feast over the fire. When we weren't, we dug into Wagna's stash of dried meats.
Jalya and I slept in the back of Wagna's wagon under the covered canopy, while Wagna bedded down on the seats at the front or sometimes on the rocky shore. So, when I woke up on the morning of the sixth day and straggled out into the grey dawn, I didn't think it unusual that Wagna was curled up in blankets on the rocks next to the wagon. He slept on his side and I knew he was clutching his sword in his hand. "No one gets past Wagna," he had said to us. I smiled at our protector as I stepped over his body on my way down to the river to fill my canister with water.
It was a beautiful morning. The previous day had been dark and gloomy, with a thick covering of grey clouds pressing down from overhead, threatening rain. Wagna had spent the day making jokes about how cramped it would be in the back of the wagon if he had to sleep between me and Jalya in order to stay dry. We were happy to see the cloud cover pass in the early evening and the night bright with stars.
Now the stars had been reduced to the faintest of glimmers, encompassed once more by the brightness of the sun. Patches of purple sky fluttered between the tree branches, and I noticed that most of the leaves had to fallen to the ground. Winter would be coming early, and the morning air was cold enough to see my breath. I pulled my shawl tight around me to ward off the chill.
I stood at the shore and watched the water lap up against the toes of my boots. I raised my head to look across the swirling waves and over to the other side. As usual there was nothing there but dense trees, standing motionless in defense of the land, hiding anything else that might be there.
I sat on a flat rock, watching to see if I could spot any changes in the landscape, a small sign that there was anything over there except trees. Was he standing amongst them somewhere, looking back across for me? My lack of headache told me that we were most likely getting further apart now, a situation that could not be remedied until we got to Lock Up and the bridge.
I sighed in frustration and bent down to fill the canister, but, before I could touch it to the water, I was startled by a loud snapping noise to my right. I swirled around, expecting, hoping, to see Wagna or Jalya thinking that they were funny for sneaking up on me. However, I wasn't prepared for what I did see standing there.
Something, an animal or monster, I wasn't sure because I had never seen anything like it, emerged from the trees next to the shoreline. It was sort of mottled brown in color, with some lighter patches coming through, or maybe it was just really dirty, I couldn't tell. It had rags hanging from its body that looked like they may have been clothes at one time, but now they were just mud smeared strands of fabric that blended into the brown smudges of its body. Its face was contorted into uneven features that spun around the front of its head randomly, culminating into a long snout. It hobbled forward into the emerging sunlight on four stunted legs, each step garnering a muffled grunt from its fleshy lips.
I couldn't move for a moment and just stared as it closed in on the water. It bent down its head in agonizing slowness, straining against bones that seemed to not work properly, until finally its neck popped with a crack that sent chills down my spine. The creature yelped in pain and stopped and panted for a second before snaking out its tongue to lap up the water. It grunted with discomfort and strained to swallow.
Suddenly it dawned on me that I was probably in danger. Though I hadn't seen one before, I was pretty sure this was an Orlog. I forced my feet back, one step at a time and slowly moved away from the creature and toward the cover of trees that lay behind me. I knew I would have no problem getting away from it, judging by the way it moved. There was no way that it could catch me, but, if what the Lumeai said was true, it wouldn't have to.
Could it paralyze me by looking at me, or would it even have to look? What if it already knew I was there and could stop me in my tracks without even having to turn its head in my direction? I gritted my teeth as I inched my way backwards, feeling for the safety of the trees, wondering which step would be my last.
I managed to get under the canopy of leaves just as the creature raised its head from the water, and, with the disgusting scraping of bone against bone, it slowly turned to face me. In a panic, I backed up a little more to ensure that I was within the darkness of the trees, and tripped over something on the ground behind me. But, at the last second, before I could hit the ground, something, or rather someone, caught me. I almost let out an involuntary scream, but was stopped by a hand clamping tightly over my mouth.
"Shhh," said the voice behind me. It was definitely a man. His arms twisted around me, holding me close to his chest. I could feel his breath on my ear as he pulled me down into the underbrush. "Don't move; don't make any noise; it will hear you," he said. He had a very thick accent, even more so than the people of Sandoff's Village.
"Listen to me carefully," he said in a barely audible whisper. "You must close your eyes and clear your mind....make it blank; think of nothing. If it senses your thoughts, it will get inside your head. You mustn't let it. Keep your eyes closed; it can see what you see."
I was terrified and unsure if I should trust this stranger, yet I could see no other course of action, so I did as I was told. I closed my eyes and leaned back against him, willing all thoughts from my head. I concentrated on my heartbeat, one thump at a time. It wasn't hard to concentrate on; it was beating so loudly and wildly. I could feel the blood pumping, swishing through my ears with each beat. I saw only the greyness of the back of my eyelids and forced my attention into that, melting all other images out of my mind.
And that's when I felt it....a feeling unlike anything that I'd ever experienced before. Something was inside of my head, poking around on the outside of the greyness with which I'd filled it. I struggled to remain calm, to keep the thoughts out, to let only the nothingness remain. I felt the man stiffen behind me and tried not to think about how it might be affecting him. I could not afford to let any thoughts loose now, I did not want to draw that thing anywhere near me. I would not even look up to see where it was from between the leaves. I didn't want to take the chance that if I opened my eyes, it would see what I was seeing and know where I was.....twenty feet away and looking right at it.
Nausea welled up inside of me as it continued to push into my mind, probing around the corners of the void that I had created. I could hear soft growls coming from the creature as it labored with each breath. It sounded like it was right by my ear, though I didn't think that it had
actually gotten any closer. Against my will, my body started to shake. I didn't know how much longer I could endure this. It seemed like it would be so much easier just to give up and let it in, let it do to me whatever it wanted. I felt cold, icy all over, and my body quaked uncontrollably against the stranger.
And then the unbearableness began to pass. The foul intrusion pulled back, away from the grey of my mind, and the queasiness gradually lessened. Still I kept my focus on my heartbeat, even when I felt the tension pass from the man's body, and even when I heard the creature's bones grind as it turned and shuffled away. Click, grind, drag...click, grind, drag...how many steps until it would be gone?
A long moment passed during which I was too afraid to think, too afraid to open my eyes. The sounds of the creature got fainter and fainter. The man relaxed his grip on me and leaned to the side, poking his face from amongst the leafy plants in which we hid.
"It's good now," he said. "You can relax. It’s too far away from us now to be any threat." He released me from his grip and gently sat me forward.
I peeked from between the leaves. I could faintly see the creepy thing limping away through the trees on the other side of the rocks. I still couldn't stop shaking. I wrapped my arms around my knees and rocked back and forth in a vain effort to calm myself.
"Are you all right?" asked the stranger.
"I think....I think that I'm fine now," I said, even though I wasn't quite sure of it. I turned to look at him, curious to see what kind of a man would be lurking in the forest in the middle of nowhere. He was bare chested despite the cold, with a deep brown beard and hair that was tied back in a long braid. His skin was tanned with markings etched on him on various locations of his body. He wore trousers made of what looked like animal skins and held a bow and a quiver full of arrows clenched tightly to his side. He looked to be a little older than me....nineteen, maybe twenty.
I swallowed hard and tried my best to get the shaking under control. "What was that thing?" I asked.
"That thing is an Orlog," the man said, running his fingers through his beard. "Never seen one out this far before...very strange indeed."
I looked around nervously, expecting another one to jump out at me at any moment. I wondered if we were safe to go. I was getting scared thinking about Wagna and Jalya back at the wagon.
"Why didn't you shoot it with one of those?" I asked and pointed to indicate the arrows at his side.
"Well, you can't kill them, at least not with arrows....or knives....or swords....even giant clubs swung at its skull. Believe me, we've tried all manner of weapons. As frail and brittle as those things seem, they're bloody indestructible!"
He stood slowly and peered around cautiously, careful not to make too much noise with his motions. I got to my feet as well and strained to see past the rocks to the wagon where my sleeping friends lay. I could only make out the covered top.
"Yeah, looks like he's gone. Best be careful though; he won't be moving outta the area very quickly, as you could see." He turned to face me. "You sure you're okay? The mind bend can be a little disturbing....especially if it’s your first time."
"I'm okay," I said. My shaking had pretty much subsided. "What do you mean the mind bend?"
"It's when those freakish things get inside your head....well, that's what we've been calling it anyway. The Beyjerones say that they bend your thoughts around theirs, so that when they twist them together, well, it’s like they become one with you....well, mentally anyway. They can feel where you are, and it gives them the ability to paralyze you as well."
"So they can take your energy."
"Ah yes....so you do know a little about them. Most people don't yet, at least not those from the villages that are this far out."
"What makes you think I'm from the villages?"
The man chuckled. "Oh, just a feeling," he said. "Come on, I think we're safe to go now." He began to move slowly toward the rocky clearing. "My name's Oches, from the Harachu clan."
"I'm Emerin," I said, but barely got out the words before I heard footsteps, and heavy breathing, and, I thought, even sobbing. Before I could process what might have happened, Jalya's head peeked up over the rocks.
"Emerin?" she called softly. She peeked into the bushes, undoubtedly seeing us, but not quite sure if it was me. "Emerin!" she said, her voice a little louder and tinged with panic.
"Shhh, Jalya, it's okay. I'm here. I'm okay," I said as quietly as I could while still being sure that she could hear me. "Come down off the rocks, down to the trees."
She looked around nervously and climbed to the edge of the rock and slid over the other side, babbling hysterically. "Oh, Emerin, something's wrong with Wagna...he won't wake up....his eyes are open, but he's just staring straight ahead. I thought he was dead, but he's still breathing....you can't possibly breathe when you're dead, can you?" She clambered down the side of the rock face and got to the edge of the trees, just as Oches and I emerged from them.
"Who is he?" she squeaked. She stopped dead in her tracks and backed up against the rocks, staring at Oches.
"I'm Oches, from the....," he began, but Jalya let him go no further.
"You stay away from us," she snarled, her eyes wide. "Emerin, come here; get away from him!"
"Jalya you don't understand...."
"I understand now, I do." She pulled her knife out from underneath her shawl, brandishing it with an awkwardness that almost made me laugh. "He did this," she said, pointing the knife at Oches. "What did you do to him, eh? Get away from her now!" Her voice was becoming increasingly loud, and it was making me nervous.
"Jalya, he didn't do anything to Wagna. Please put the knife down and be quiet. There was an Orlog here before. Oches saved my life."
Oches just smiled at Jalya. "Don't you worry, ma'am. I don't want to hurt you. But I think we should go see about your friend. Maybe I can help him."
Jalya moved over to my side and grabbed my hand, but didn't put away the knife. "Okay," she said. "He's next to the wagon. But I'm warning you, you touch either one of us, and I'm cutting you open."
Oches just shrugged at her, and turned and climbed over the rocks that separated us from the wagon. I felt more comfortable sticking close to him, so I pulled Jalya up the craggy steps as quickly as she would allow. She clutched her knife so tightly that her knuckles were white. By the time we came around the other side of the wagon, I could hear the horses whinnying their disapproval from where they were tied at the edge of the forest. Vella danced anxiously and Shilly glared at Oches as he knelt next to Wagna.
My stomach dropped when I saw him. He lay completely still, his skin a pasty grey-white. His eyes were wide open, as wide as they could be, and his mouth gaped, the whole expression conveying a look of surprise or terror....or both. I gripped Jalya's hand tightly as we watched Oches examine him. He pulled back the blanket to reveal, as I'd expected, Wagna clutching his sword. But when he tried to remove it from his grasp, he found that he couldn't. His fingers were fused to the weapon, like it was an extension of his body. Oches pried his fingers back one by one, so he could finally release it. He lifted Wagna's arm to find it as stiff as his fingers, staying wherever he moved it. He bent down over his face and reached out his fingers, touching his skin around the hairline. I leaned forward to see better and noticed several small red welts around the perimeter of Wagna's face. He hadn't looked like this when I had left the wagon earlier. What had happened here while I was at the river?
Oches sighed and turned toward us. "Looks like the Orlog got him," he said. "He'll most likely be fine, eventually. If he's strong enough, he'll bounce back in time. An old fella like this though, it'll take him awhile to recuperate."
"Did it..." Jalya paused for a moment and shuddered. ".....drain him?"
"Looks that way."
Jalya looked horrified. "How could I have possibly slept through that?"
"Well they can be pretty quiet if they try....where were you, inside the wagon?"
"Yes, i
n the back."
Oches stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Yep, it most likely knew that you were there. It would have sensed your thoughts, or dreams rather. Kind of hard to keep your mind clear when you're sleeping." He nodded at me and smiled, then turned back to face Jalya. "It knew that you were in there, but it couldn't climb in and get at you. They aren't exactly known for their agility."
Jalya turned to look at me. "Did you see it?"
"Yeah, it was pretty hideous....but what I don't understand is, why did the horses not make a fuss before this? I mean they had to have seen the thing near Wagna, right?"
"It's been my experience that they can paralyze animals too. They've done it to our horses more than once. They don't seem to drain them through, only humans, for reasons that likely only they know..."
Oches stopped abruptly and looked off into the trees across from us. My eyes followed where he was staring and I gripped Jalya's hand tightly, fearing that the Orlog was back. I looked to the wagon which was only about six feet from where I stood. We could probably make it there before it had a chance to get into our heads.
I was just about to turn and drag Jalya toward the wagon, when I noticed what Oches was staring at. It wasn't an Orlog at all. The leaves shifted and three bearded, bare chested men pushed themselves out into the clearing. They were dressed similarly to Oches, holding the same sort of weapons and with the same long braids down their backs. Two of them had brown hair and looked maybe a little older than Oches, and one was much older, closer in age to Wagna.
"Boban!" The tension drained from Oches' face and his features lit up. He said something to the oldest man in a language that we didn't understand. The old man responded, then walked over with a big smile and embraced him roughly. Oches turned to look at us and he and the old man seemed to discuss us at length. I heard our names mentioned several times. I scowled and kept a tight hold on Jalya's hand in case we had to run for it. I didn't know where we would go, however, since no place in these woods seemed any safer than here.
After a long moment, Oches finally turned and addressed us. "Emerin, Jalya, this is my father, Isrelda. And these are my brothers, Reyla and Kahj." The three men nodded at us and I stammered out a quiet "hello" as I tried to determine what my next move should be. The old man must have seen the fear on our faces, because he smiled and walked toward us, arms outstretched.
"Don't worry," he said and grasped our clutching hands. "No one here will hurt you." I strained to make out his words through his thick accent. It didn't seem as though he spoke our language very often. I stared at the markings on his arms, drawings really, of symbols and faces and animals. I wondered why he had put them there and what they all meant.
"We need help," Jalya blurted out. I looked at her horrified. What made her think that we could trust these men? "Our driver was hurt by an Orlog and we have to get to Warshar's Village. My uncle lives there...he's expecting us." She let go of my hand and reached and grasped the bag from under her shawl. "We have coins of amure, see. Enough to pay you all well, if you help us get there."
One of the men stepped forward, eyeing the coins in Jalya's trembling hand. "Put the amure away," he snorted. "We have no use for it. We will help you, but it's not the Nebril coin that we're after."
"So what are you after?" Jalya's eyes narrowed as she closed her fist tightly around our prized possession.
He opened his mouth to answer, but was abruptly interrupted by the loud voice of the old man.
"In the name of the Great Bei.........is that Wagna Freeds?" he shouted. He had made his way over to the side of the wagon and stared down at Wagna's stiff body. He looked back at us in horror. "He dead?"
"No," I said. "You know Wagna?"
"Everybody know Wagna!" he chortled. "He been everywhere that old man; you remember, Oches..."
Oches barely had a chance to shake his head, before the air was shattered by a mournful howling. The hair stood up on my neck and my arms and this time it wasn't due to the cold. I looked at my companions and saw that everyone now stood motionless, listening for the next thing that would break the silence. Then it came again, carried on the cool breeze...howling, followed by some pitiful yelping.
"We need to go...now," Oches said. "Reyla, help me put him in the wagon."
The man who had spoken to us before stepped forward and the two of them hoisted Wagna up into the wagon. I looked around nervously, afraid of what might appear from any direction. Jalya picked up my hand again and curled her fingers firmly around mine. Time seemed to stand still as they maneuvered Wagna's body into the covered back.
"Come along ladies, let's go, let's go." Isrelda motioned us toward the wagon and offered his hand to help us up. Then he and Kahj went to get the horses. I had never been so glad to be under those raggedly sewn covers. I sat next to Wagna and stared at his panic stricken face. When I was a child and made a funny face, my mother would tease me and say that my face would freeze like that. Wagna's rigid expression turned that silly childhood joke into a horror that I wasn't sure I could endure. Nor could I endure thinking of my mother. My heart ached.
As if sensing my sorrow, Jalya put her arm around my shoulders. I leaned my head against her and tried to hold in the tears as I listened to the horses being hitched to the wagon. As we turned and rolled back out toward the path, I listened to Shilly and Vella clomp noisily over the expanse of rock. And very dimly, between each strike of their hooves, I became aware of another nauseating sound in the background...click, grind, drag....click, grind, drag...