***
Javin and Sauros' Bho stood looking over the edge of a deep, lush canyon. The lighted mist overhead made the air seem crisp, yet warm. The canyon was so deep and wide they could barely make out the bottom for the low lying mists, and the other side was hazy with the thick air. All they could tell was that the cliffs would be a hard climb. In between, across the canyon floor, the jungle would be thick and the trees tall and close together.
There was one spot, deep in the center of the canyon they thought they could make out a small bare spot, though they couldn't be sure, as it was broken about with sharp rocks that must be massive in size.
"Across there?" Javin pointed.
"I'm afraid so," Sauros answered.
Javin took a deep breath. "Okay. You first?"
"Thanks." Sauros's reply was anything but enthusiastic. "It's the only way. I wish there were a faster path, but if there is I don't know of it."
"I know, I know," Javin said. "I want to get back to help the Princess too."
Sauros didn't answer. Instead he stepped to the ledge then turned to use his hands in helping descend the cliff face. "Be careful, the rock is damp. Moss will have grown and made it slick."
Javin and Sauros scaled down the cliff, moving as fast as they dared. It took a surprisingly little time to get past the worst of the cliffs, then they could move faster down the steep slope. The face was lined with lush growth, but not high, nor thick, as the slope must be continually shifting with the moist erosion. It was, however, steep, and they had to watch carefully to keep from tripping which would take them almost to the bottom without stopping.
That might not be so bad, Javin thought as his leg muscles began to ache with the strain of moving so rapidly down the slope. Looking at the sharp spines on some of the bushes made him change his mind. He wouldn't make it to the bottom without severe injury. There were also just enough rocks that had broken off the cliff face to make any fall very serious indeed.
After a time they reached the rolling level at the bottom of the canyon. Javin could tell the width was an illusion. It was a lot wider than it looked from the top of the canyon. Still they should be able to cross it, if they hurried, in a day -- maybe a day and a half. It was hard to tell, now that they were starting to move among the tall trees that filled the bottom. It was so thick they couldn't see for more than twenty paces ahead.
"It's a good thing you have a good sense direction," Javin said. "It'd be awful easy to get lost down here."
"Hsshhh! Someone’s here."
Javin froze and noticed Sauros had done the same. How had he known? Javin couldn't see anyone. He tried a different tact. Javin stilled him mind, sending it out, probing, like he'd instinctively done earlier before the Princess's party had been attacked. Careless! I've let myself grow careless. He'd let the lush beauty of the surroundings lull him.
There is was! Javin could sense it easily. They were surrounded, though he still couldn't see a thing. He moved closer to Sauros, and they stood back to back.
"What do you think?" Javin said. "Keep moving?"
"I think we'll know soon enough," Sauros answered. And Javin sensed it too. Movement from all sides, closing in on them.
Javin could feel Sauros tense.
"Wait. Let's see what happens first."
Sauros relaxed only slightly.
Movement came from all around. It was just a bit blurry at first then it cleared into the clean-limbed forms of many Pontu' Gi, the Protectors, each holding a sharp tipped spear directed at them. They were naked save for a green and brown splotched loin cloth and a leather thong holding a long blade and a shorter dagger on either hip, along with the couched spears they were holding. They must have held their weapons behind their bodies until they were right on top of them.
"They blend in just like a chameleon," Javin mumbled to himself. He remembered the first time he encountered one of this race. Though that one had saved him, he hadn't had such good luck since.
"Look, we don't mean any harm. We're just passing through,” Javin spoke out, raising his hands.
Sauros tensed again, but made no movement. There was no answer from any of the beings surrounding them.
"I know you can understand what I'm saying," Javin pressed. "We just want to pass through. We don't want any trouble."
"But trouble is what you found." One of the beings stood forward slightly. Javin had a hard time picking him out at first.
"We haven't done anything wrong. We mean no harm."
The being moved a bit closer. He appeared a bit older. Now that he could see the men easier, he could tell they all appeared older. There was something about their scaly skin that had a duller sheen, a slightly faded appearance, and it wasn't as smooth as the warriors he'd fought earlier.
"We will not allow any harm to come to us. You have no choice in the matter," the being answered. He appeared to Javin to be studying him closely, like he was trying to decide something.
"I must look pretty strange to you people, but let me tell you, I'm . . . my friend and I, we're okay, really. In fact, we know some of your people. One of them saved me in fact. You wouldn't want to go and undue what he did, do you?"
The beings didn't relax at all. Instead they edged closer, their spear points rising. Javin could tell Sauros was beginning to tense even more, preparing to fight. He reached a hand back and touched his arm.
"Wait. We need to survive this, remember. We have to help the Princess, and we can't if we're full of spear pricks."
Then to the older man, who appeared to be taking the position as their leader. "What do you want with us?"
"We will see. You will come with us while we decide."
"Look, if we come peacefully, will you give us a chance to talk? To give you our assurances we mean you no harm. We'll even let your whole group here escort us out of your country if you want. We just need to get through to the other side, okay?"
"We make no bargains with such as you. We have been warned others may come. We know what must be done."
The leader made a quick gesture, and the group sprang forward, but they weren't impaled on the spears. Instead they were grasped and straps of thick vines bound their wrists. Listening to Javin's earlier plea, Sauros didn't fight, but his guttural growls told Javin he wasn't happy about it. Javin wasn't happy about it either, but it was better than being spit on the spot. There had to be something they could do to convince these people they meant them no harm. After all, one of them had shown some good sense and rescued him before.
They were marched through the jungle at a swift pace veering only slightly left from the direction they had been headed. The Punta’ Gi seemed to have the same ability, if not better than Sauros, to pick out a path through the jungle that Javin couldn’t see. It let them through the thick foliage without too much problem. Their swift movement didn’t allow for Javin to make many observations other than the brush swishing past his face, or the trees rising high above. The thickness of the jungle was even more than he’d observed from the rim of the canyon.
Javin tried to pay close attention to the old warriors surrounding him as they moved. They seemed a dignified people, as did the younger warriors he’d already met. He couldn’t help but think that these people weren’t vicious at all, just somehow, misguided. Sauros had told him that the legends said these people were supposed to be Protectors of some sort, but their actions, so far, had been absolutely opposite of what he, and surely others, had supposed.
Then Javin remembered his feeling in the throne room. Someone else was here on the planet; someone, like him who didn’t belong. The feeling persisted again, reinforced by the warming of the crystal in his breast. Nemesis! How he knew that name and could even put a face to it was amazing. Probably just part of those blocked memories, Javin thought. The strange part was what Javin remembered about the man’s face. It looked too much like me . . . only with a beard.
Javin ran a hand over the stubble growing longer on his face. He was growing a beard of his own. Though my hair isn’t as dark. And I don’t like beards.
He had no doubt, now, that Nemesis, if that’s what his name was, was probably behind this. But how? Then the thought came . . . He’s the reason I’m here.
Javin knew that with certainty the moment the thought entered his mind. The crystal’s burning had nothing to do with it. Along with that, Javin also knew that to get answers, he somehow needed to find and confront this Nemesis. And these people might be the key! He’s surely affected them in some way, maybe even visited them.
That’s it! That must be why that man looked at me funny. These others around me are being quite careful too. Javin noted the almost reverent way they treated him, as if they were worried he would get upset. They still needed to control him, to have him move to wherever it was they were taking them.
Though they still showed respect, they treated Sauros differently. I wouldn’t do anything but respect a man that huge and powerful looking either, but there was something different in their attitude towards him. Sauros must have noted it too. Every once in a while he would look back at Javin, a question in his eyes.
Javin nodded back, saying silently, Lets keep moving, see what happens. He hoped Sauros could tell by the look on his face what he meant.
After a few hours of travel, they arrived at what Javin recognized was the area of the giant rock structures they’d seen from above. Only at this level he could see the rocks were even more massive than he imagined. And there was a small clearing. It was clearly maintained because there was no difference from the level of the surrounding jungle. Only this area had bare ground, or just a felt covering of jungle grass. Javin and Sauros were taken to the center of the clearing and their guards moved back a couple of paces, their spears once again raised to at guard.
Their leader came and stood in front.
“You have trespassed into our land. We have been commanded by our Chaurvitoos, our Sovereign One, that all who come are to be put to death!”
A loud hoot echoed from all the throats of the old warriors around them.
“You have been brought to the sacred ground where the Chaurvitoos first came to us, to show him our obedience.”
Javin noticed the old man was watching him most carefully as he spoke, even as an answering hoot echoed around them again.
“Your Chaurvitoos looked like me didn’t he!”
Sauros turned a glare at Javin. He ignored it. He was trying to save their lives.
“His name is Nemesis, also. Did he tell you this?”
Silence greeted him, but he could see a hint confusion in the old leader's eyes. This isn’t going so well, Javin thought.
“Did he also tell you he was one of the Mulda’ fi, a Promised One, and that he was here to set the Punta’ Gi, you, the Protectors on your path to destiny?”
There was a definite reaction from the older one this time, and others surrounding them began looking at each other, soft hoots going back and forth. Javin knew he’d barely hit it right. It was a long shot, but it was all he had.
“Look at me!” he snapped, giving his voice all the air of command he could muster. “I look like him! I am also a Chaurvitoos!”
The reaction grew, the hoots louder.
“My name is Javin, this other one here,” he nodded to Sauros, “is also a Mulda’ fi! If you kill us, you will be destroying part of your own destiny!”
“YahWinn? YahWinn?” Murmers came from all around them. The leader was clearly confused.
“The one who came to us, our Chaurvitoos also called himself YahWinn. Do not desecrate that sacred name!”
Javin was stunned. It was too close to be coincidence. Had their legends also included him coming to them? They must. His name was too close for it to be anything else. But Nemesis had perverted even that, getting here before he could.
If I find out who put me here, I swear I’ll kill them. The least they could have done is put me here with some notion of what I’m supposed to do and get me here on time!
“Even demons can speak truth to deceive. You will die!”
The leader made a sweeping gesture and the warriors turned and sprinted to the edges of the clearing. Javin and Sauros were still surrounded, cutting off any avenue of escape should they try to break and run.
“We should have fought when we had the chance,” Sauros said.
“I think you’re right. Sorry.” It sounded lame to Javin, but it’s all he could say as they watched two warriors at the edge of the clearing, about twenty paces in front of them raise their spears at the command of the old warrior. I hope whoever put me here is getting a kick out of all this, Javin thought.
Anger started to kindle up into a bright flame in his breast.
The two warriors hefted each spear, looking closely at them, as if gauging the distance.
The anger continued to build in Javin till it was a roaring flame, searing his soul. The crystal in his breast mirrored and amplified the burning.
The warriors took a couple of running steps toward them and flung their spears. As each point bore down, it was like watching in slow motion. The spears flew toward them centered directly over their hearts.
Javin’s anger erupted with molten force inside. NOOOOO!