Riders of Tethra

Riders of Tethra Chapter 1

Chapter One

Hunter lay awake in the darkness of the dawning morning.  The rain had passed the day before and now he could hear the wind blowing outside his room, gusting across the desert that stretched behind the house.  His stomach lurched as the memory of the night before surged back into his mind.  How many times had he heard it?  How many times had he tried to accomplish her wishes and failed at least failed in her judgment?

  "You are a total disappointment, Hunter!" his mother had screamed the night before, slapping him across his face.  He wouldn't allow himself to cry in front of her but he would cry later, in his bed, in the dark.

"You put no effort in at school," she continued.  "C's, that's all you ever get and you are perfectly capable of getting A's!" She lifted her hand again but this time the thirteen-year-old deflected the blow with his arm.  "Get out of my sight and go finish your homework, you worthless shit!"  She took another drink of her vodka and stormed out of the room.

Hunter left the main house and went to his room, which had been converted from the garage.  At least he had that much privacy but she would come in at all hours of the night if she felt like it to scream at him some more.  She was disappointed in him for the obvious stuff she didn't like.  The boy wondered what would happen if she knew his deepest secret. 

So he found himself shivering in the winter darkness, thinking about David, who didn't know he existed, seeing the boy's face and body and desperately wanting to hold him.  The pain of his mother's words mixed with the hated admission to himself that he was gay brought the recurring thoughts of ending it all.  He would never have David or any other boy and he would never be good enough to please his mother, regardless of his grades or successes. Sleep was a welcome escape.

Dawn came soon enough. He got up and headed for the bathroom.  That first piss was always accompanied by the morning woodie making relieving himself more difficult.  Glancing in the mirror as his boyhood deflated, he was pleased, almost surprised by the changes that had been taking place over the past eight months. His attractive face complimented his tight adolescent body. The girls at school had obviously noticed which he totally ignored.

Hunter lay back down on the bed, allowing his mind to wander.  What would it be like to be normal, to have a loving, accepting mother, to have another boy take an interest in him?  Why couldn't he find a place where he could be happy, have adventures without consequences?  He imagined all sorts of worlds, filled with boys, play, love, and even caring adults.  He sighed and got up a second time, pulling on his jeans, a t-shirt, and a heavy jacket.  It would be cold outside.  He knew his mother would be sleeping off her drunkenness from the night before and she would stop him from going if he didn't leave now, even though it was a weekend, his chores and homework complete. 

Hunter gazed from the edge of the yard across to the low foothills.  All the other kids in the neighborhood would stay inside on a day like today.  The wind and the hills called only to him.  There was nothing but a quarter of a mile of desert separating him from those hills.  There were quiet paths, rocky outcroppings and secret places up there.  He knew them all.  He watched the pink, sunrise clouds drift overhead and somehow they created a mystery above his hills.  But something was different today, darker shadows, and he almost heard voices in the wind.  Something was calling him, more than it ever had before.  He had to go.

On the side of the cliff was a scrub creosote.  It always looked as if it would die from its weak purchase on the soil.  Hunter climbed that way using the bush to pull himself up and over the edge.  Its roots were strong.  From there the trail led hidden around the hills ending up at his secret place.  There was an overhang of rock.  When he stood under it, he could be protected from the elements and from the sight of others.  There were two protected spaces separated by a rock arch.  On the other side of arch was a small circular wall of stones he had built more than three years ago.  That was his place to watch the world that hated him and also gave him peace.

Hunter reached the larger of the two areas and started through the arch.  Today in the swirling gusts of cold wind and overcast skies, it seemed to shimmer.  As he passed through, he felt a tingling but everything was the same in his circular area except for the boy who was already there.

"Hello Hunter," the boy said softly.

Hunter stared wide-eyed at the intruder.  All thoughts of David disappeared as he studied this vision of beauty, blond, blue eyes, perfect body and a sparkling smile.

The boy almost grinned as Hunter asked, "Do I know you?" He felt strange, like he was the intruder instead of the boy he was questioning.

"No, but I know you," the mystery kid said.

"How?"

"Sit down with me for a while," he suggested motioning to a place next to him in the small stone enclosure.

Hunter did as he was told, his knee touching the new boy's as he tried to face him in the small space.  It made him shiver.  "Who are you?"

"My name is Sayer. I'm thirteen, like you," he said tossing his soft blond hair from his eyes.

"Do you live around here? New here?" Hunter asked staring into his eyes.

"No and sort of," Sayer smiled. "But I came here for you."

"I don't understand," Hunter said confused.

"Well sometimes there's a call, more of a sensing," the mystery boy replied. "You have been calling for a while now."

"I'm lost," Hunter shook his head.

"Pretty close," Sayer agreed.  "You are very close to being lost.  Abusive mother, average performance at school, no special friends."

"Shit, how do you know all this stuff?" Hunter said startled.

"You were lying in bed this morning thinking about escaping, imagining other places where you might be happy, like you have many times before.  Your thoughts are strong and they reach beyond the confines of your life.  They radiate and communicate when they are that strong." 

"What are you talking about?" Hunter asked totally confused.

Sayer stood up and held out his hand to Hunter. "Come with me for a little while."

"To where?" Hunter asked.

Sayer focused his hypnotic blue eyes on his target and put out his hand. "Does it matter? Or do you just want to go back home now?" 

Hunter was sort of frightened by this odd, beautiful boy but right now the last thing he wanted to do was go home. This was probably a dream anyway. 

Hunter took the strange boy's hand and felt sparkles go through his body.  Sayer pulled him through the arch back to the larger side of the outcropping except once they were through, they were standing in a huge grassy field that slopped down to a large lake. A gentle breeze wafted lazily, wonderfully warm compared to a moment ago.

"What the shit?" Hunter exclaimed. "Where are we?"

"Right now, we are on Tethra in the Holding Maginar," Sayer said matter-of-factly. 

"Huh?"

"Hunter, your world isn't all there is.  There are many of them, some wonderful and simple, some horrible and cruel, some real, some manufactured. But they are parallel to your world, like lines of existence side by side but never touching.  But there are passages if you know how to create them and where they are.  When you were thinking this morning, I knew it was time for me to come and get you."

"Come and get me for what?" Hunter exclaimed.

"Well for many things; actually, it seems you need me and I need you.  Come on down to the lake for awhile, Hunter."

"I need you? I don't even know you!" Hunter stammered. "How the hell can I need you or you need me?"

"I'll try to explain it and why we need each other but for now just kinda go with it, okay?"

"But I can't stay here," Hunter stammered. "If I don't get home, I'll get the shit beat out of me. She doesn't need much of an excuse." 

"You can stay here for as long as you like.  When we go back through the gate, you will be back at the same moment you left if you want.  It's a time warp as well.  That means you can be here as long as you want and not be missed." 

Hunter shook his hair back from his eyes not believing what was happening.  Perhaps it was a dream but right now it was a good dream so he followed the beautiful boy to the lake's edge.  Sayer took off his shoes and motioned for Hunter to do the same.  They let the small ripples of water bathe their toes.  The water was cool and inviting.  Sayer grinned at his new charge then removed his shirt and his pants, leaving him in only his underwear, strangely made and hugging his loins tightly.  Hunter stared at his perfectly formed torso, defined chest, solid stomach, long, muscular legs and beautifully tanned.

"Come on Hunter, time to relax for awhile."  Sayer splashed into the water.  Slowly, Hunter made up his mind this was all a dream anyway and he may as well enjoy it until he woke up.  He threw off his jacket and removed his own shirt and pants, joining Sayer in the cool water.

"I don't know what's happening here," Hunter said with a smile. "I think it's a dream but it seems to be a good one so far.  It seems nice here." 

"I picked you," Sayer said.  "I have been riding your thoughts for about six months now.  Hopefully I'll be able to teach you to do it too.  Until you learn the skills, you must try to do what I tell you." 

"You picked me? Riding my thoughts?" Hunter asked almost to himself wondering where this dream would take him and still devouring Sayer's body with his eyes.

"When someone is broadcasting really strong, some riders can feel it. They can focus in and see what's happening -- although usually only in their own parallel. For some reason, your thoughts penetrated through to Tethra and oddly only to me."

"You mean you can read my mind?" Hunter asked.

"Well yeah, pretty much, if I want to," Sayer grinned. "Sometimes, a rider is required to get involved and other times he is allowed to. In your case, when you were thinking of killing yourself, you were almost screaming across the parallels. And I was the only one who could hear you. Thirteens generally can't ride but I have been secretly doing it for a couple of years. I had to convince people that I was actually hearing you and not dreaming and then I had to persuade them to let me try to reach you."

"Talk about being lost," Hunter said. "I really don't have any idea what you just said but ... wait ... have you been reading my mind like now?" Hunter asked.

"Well, actually yeah," Sayer grinned. "I sort of needed to know if you were going to bolt for home or see where this takes you."

"Oh shit!" Hunter exclaimed and blushed bright red realizing that Sayer must have known he was looking at his body. 

The strange boy smiled knowingly then gave Hunter a gentle, teasing shove. "I told you, for whatever reason, you made the connection with me. I know things about you others know in your parallel and I know things you keep secret. I'm okay with all of it Hunter." 

Hunter didn't know what to say but he was not going to run. Besides, it was just a dream with a dream place and a dream boy. Standing waist deep in the cool water, Hunter tried to relax. If Sayer did know his deepest secret and his attraction to him and it was okay, then this dream could be a really beautiful one. "I guess I understand you can read my mind but what does riding mean?"

"Now you're beginning to relax," Sayer said. "You believe I know stuff about you, lots of stuff and now you want to know about me. That's good."

"I noticed I could ride at ten or started to anyway," he continued. "Almost all boys in Maginar have the gene for riding. Like anything else, some don't learn to do it, some aren't good at it and abandon it as too much work, some don't want to learn it because of the danger, some few become good at it like me and then there are legends who've gone beyond riding. Riding just means you can go into someone else's mind and know what they are thinking, what they are about, how they see things. That's what I did with you. I have been checking in, riding with you for the last six months. It took me months of convincing the powers that you actually existed and getting permission to allow my mind to cross over to yours. They thought it was dangerous and that I might become lost in your world. But the legends were not to be ignored."

"Let me get this straight," Hunter responded. "I have been going through shit for the past year, you hopped into my head because I was sending out signals and you decided we need each other?"

"Basically yeah, I mean it just wasn't me deciding." Sayer said seriously.

"Ok, I'll play along with this dream a while longer then. Why in hell would a kid like you need me? I'm about as fucked up as you get."

"Actually Hunter, you are not as fucked up as you think you are. You are unique. Why do you suppose those hills called to you, the wind spoke too, you knew secret trails and had your special place to retreat?"

"I don't know," Hunter answered. "It was always better for me up there."

"Did you feel lonely, abandoned or punished there?"

"Never," Hunter mused. "I guess I felt more alive there -- where I could sort through my thoughts."

"Well that is part of what makes you unique. You listened to the messages of your world rather than to those of people in it. And whether you believe it or not, this is not a dream. And Tethra is not a totally safe place, especially Maginar. Master riders try to protect us but they can't ride everyone and our enemies know that. And none of them is a channeler." 

"A channeler?" Hunter asked, still not believing any of this is real. 

"It's not a dream Hunter. Come with me for a minute. Please!" Sayer was almost begging.

Hunter followed the physically perfect and almost naked boy up the hill toward where they had been. If Sayer was reading his thoughts Hunter would be embarrassed once again as he was looking at a solid, extremely attractive portion of the boy's body hidden under wet tightly fitting underwear. Sayer did not seem to react. When they reached the top of the hill, Sayer took Hunter's hand. Once again Hunter felt the sparkle, the electricity flowing from the boy's touch. Then, in a flash, they were back in his rocky place of solitude, looking down at the desert town that Hunter had to call home. He could see his house and almost hear his mother screaming his name abusively, realizing his absence. Then the cold hit them, wind chill on wet underwear clad teens.

"It's not a dream. I am not a dream. I am real, you are real and we do need each other," Sayer shivering and wrapping his arms around his torso.

"So I can just walk out of here and back home then?" It occurred to Hunter that perhaps snuggling together might help, his mind filling with the image.

"Yes, if that is really what you want," Sayer nodded. "If you don't freeze to death on the way or get picked up for not wearing clothes!"

"Do you know what I am thinking right now?"

This time Sayer blushed. "Yes, and I almost wish you knew what I am thinking." 

Hunter sighed and smiled weakly, betrayed by his thoughts. "What are you thinking?" 

"I'm thinking more deeply than you are. It's really not fair, I have been riding with you for months. You have been with me less than an hour and yet your thoughts are growing toward mine. Can I tell you what I'm thinking after you decide?"

"Decide what?"

"Decide not to stand here much longer! Decide that you'll believe this isn't a dream. Decide to take the chance, take my hand and walk back through the gate. I will tell you now that if you do, you will be in danger and I will be with you. And depending how our journey on Tethra goes, you will be able to decide to return here, to right now, when you want to."

Hunter was still confused, his mind whirling almost on overload. But the overpowering factors were his attraction to Sayer, and his desire to escape from this particular now into a different now in a different place, and to find out why such a beautiful boy in a strange world would need him, pretty much in that order. This time, Hunter grasped Sayer's hand, the alien boy smiled, squeezing his hand in a way that said much more than `hang on,' and they passed back to the grassy slope overlooking the lake.

"I guess you decided," Sayer grinned still shivering from the minute or less they had been on the other side of the gate.

"I guess I did," Hunter grinned back. "Okay what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that while we are close to the gate, I need to tell you what you are getting into or may be not getting into. Let's sit in the shade when we warm up and I'll try to explain all this to you."

The boys retrieved their clothes but did not put them on. They were still in wet underwear, which needed not only to dry but to warm up a little.

Hunter settled more or less facing his beautiful new companion. Not worrying about mind-reading, he thought to himself that this was perhaps the first real friend he had ever had -- a friendship less than an hour old and yet one that felt it had lasted eons. One that he hoped would last eons more.

"This is not that different from your world. Not everything is wonderful, happy or safe," Sayer began. "Riders only come from Holding Maginar and they are always males. As I said, almost all boys born in Maginar have the riding gene."

"What's a holding?" Hunter asked.

"Well I guess it's sort of like a big county or maybe a state where you come from based on size. More like a separate country politically. There are twenty-one holdings on Tethra and four alliances, Lokinar, Tolinar, Ildinar and Peronar -- north to south. Maginar is the only holding that is totally independent and not aligned with any others and it's in the middle."

"Ok, I think I sort of understand," Hunter said.

"I doubt you do but let me keep going. There is only so much I know and I have not been allowed to have a master yet. I'm told I will have one soon which is rare at my age. Guess I am sort of a prodigy. They seem to think I might become a master."

"Master?" Hunter questioned.

"Somewhere between fourteen and seventeen, boys who display the desire and ability to ride beyond just the average sort of thing are asked if they would like to be trained. If they say they yes and are selected, they will get a master. Like an expert teacher who trains them to be better at it, stronger, I guess. There hasn't been a thirteen trained in ages."

"Cool," Hunter smiled.

"Maybe," Sayer replied looking as though he might have doubts. "Anyway, the alliances don't like each other and there was constant warring between them until one of them captured a rider. That was a couple of decades or more ago and the rider was a less than talented boy named Korlin who traded his secret talent for what he could gain by joining with the force that kidnapped him. He was weak, his riding was pretty superficial, limited to finding out what enemies were planning but he was noticed by those enemies as being the boy always with the Doge of Torinar. Rumors spread throughout the other three alliances about a Maginar boy who was a soothsayer, prophet or mind-reader. It made not only him a target but the boys of Maginar as well. Korlin was eventually captured during a skirmish with Lokinar and in order to survive he provided service for the Doge of Lokinar. Soon all the feuding armies began raids to capture boys but they didn't know about riding and that natural ability and training were part of it. That made them raid Maginar thinking all boys were the same."

"Wow," Hunter said, seeing the conflict in his head.

"That's about right," Sayer nodded indirectly reminding Hunter that his mind could still be read. "Except it wasn't a matter of just kidnapping boys, those troops killed or captured many women and children in their attacks to get the boys. They didn't know that boys under ten had not sufficiently developed any ability to ride but they did realize that threatening to harm a boy's family would allow them some control. Korlin is probably the strongest alien rider now but the other holdings all have at least a few Maginar captive boys, trying to do what they can to increase their strength. They still don't know that a rider's strength is developed through the training and teaching of a master. Since they don't know who the masters are and since Korlin was a boy about fifteen when he was captured, they believe that a rider must be young when taken. The masters have sworn to take their own life rather than be captured. They say we need a channeler."

"What's a channeler?" Hunter questioned, his mind reeling with images and attempting to comprehend a strange new vocabulary.

"It's a rider who has evolved beyond just riding. Legend has it there have only been two. A Channeler can not only ride but can influence or totally control the person he is riding. If Maginar were to find and train a Channeler, each of the leaders of the conflicting forces could be turned, declaring peace and returning captives back to their homes, including those from Maginar."

Hunter was overwhelmed by all of this. Here he was, or he guessed he was, feeling the gentle breeze massaging his body, causing the trees to whisper and small ripples to form on the lake. He was here with a dream-boy, in a dream-world that seemed so peaceful and yet hearing about special abilities, legend and conflict. He allowed the silence and the whole environment to envelop him, wallowing in feeling good, detached from the life on the other side of the gate. At last, he brought his senses back to Sayer.

"Do you think you might be a channeler?" Hunter asked.

"I don't know. A rider's formal training usually starts at fourteen although it's not unusual for boys younger to have brief riding experiences. I certainly did but mine weren't brief. I started at ten and it drove my mom crazy. I'm glad she couldn't read my thoughts over the last four years." Sayer gave a knowing wink at Hunter.

Hunter sort of laughed, doing a little mind reading of his own, knowing what his own thoughts had been in the last year.

Now Sayer laughed. "Yeah, you have been one horny dude!"

"What!!!!!??" Hunter exclaimed.

"I've been riding you for six months, Hunter. It stands to reason I would be riding when you were preoccupied with, uh, well relieving tension. Oh, and David isn't completely straight if you decide to go back and see what he's about."

"You fuckin' been watching me jack?" Hunter exclaimed standing up.

"Well yeah," Sayer said also standing up. "I like it when you admire yourself in the mirror. Until now it was the only way I could see you, through your own eyes."

Hunter blushed and Sayer just grinned.

"Asshole," Hunter quipped taking a mock swing at Sayer and realizing he liked his new friend knowing what was going on in his head - at least for the moment.

Sayer ducked away then tackled Hunter, wrestling him to the ground. The tingling sensation was forceful. They both laughed and rolled around in the grass, each boy feeling the joy of being young and sensuous. Finally, they both got up, grinning and breathing quickly and looking into each other's eyes seriously.

"I don't need to read your mind on that one," Sayer said.

"I don't need to read yours either!" Hunter responded.

Then there was the awkward silence where neither boy knew what to do next.

"We need to get moving and maybe it's better we don't wrestle like that again for awhile," Sayer said.

"Why," Hunter asked feeling the joy of the last few minutes sink.

"I don't know yet. I fought to be your rider when you were calling. Some of the olders have heard your thoughts faintly but it seemed that I was the only one that got almost all of them. They thought maybe it was a sign."

"What sign? What does this have to do with me?"

"I don't know. If you were willing to stay, I was told to try to explain things as I understood them and then bring you to Lorenwood. It's a small secret village across the lake, deep in the forest on the side of Helmshill. When we get there, we will both see what happens I guess. Are you willing?"

Hunter looked strangely at Sayer, realizing there was more than physical attraction here and more than just the two of them to be concerned about apparently.

"You said I could go back anytime," he said.

"Yes, that's what I am told. But I wonder how that can be if we get too far away from the gate up there," Sayer noted.

"Oh fuck it!" Hunter said. "I hated it back there anyway. Let's see what happens. How do we get across the lake?"

"They are sending a boat now."

"How did they know I would go?" Hunter asked.

"I just told them," Sayer grinned.

Underwear now dry, both boys donned their clothes and watched as a small boat propelled by some invisible force glided toward them and beached itself on the sandy shore.

"Cool," Hunter said as he and his companion clamored into it and felt it lurch back in the direction from which it had come.