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The Rogue Archon: Chapter 3
After a short deliberation, Ryn decided it would be best to leave the shuttle where it was for now. There was no need to further disturb the Taigari by flying a sleek metal spacecraft right over their camp. It was arranged that Calae would pilot the ship closer to the camp later that evening, when they were able to assure the natives that they meant no harm.
Jace still wasn't totally convinced that he and Ryn were safe with these people. Dallo's story had been moving, but Jace was instinctively overprotective of Ryn, and did not trust easily. As Torun helped Ryn up onto the back of his mount, Jace insisted on riding with someone close by.
To his chagrin, Jace had some trouble mounting the strange long-legged beast without help, and he could tell that the Taigari riders were amused by this. They graciously made no comment on his struggles, and after an embarrassing amount of time, Jace finally settled in behind his host rider.
Although Torun was one of the younger members of the squad of riders, he seemed to have some authority. At a word from him, the beasts bounded off across the dunes. `Bounded' being the accurate word as the creatures did not trot or canter like a horse, but traveled in a series of long, low hops. The first of these caught Jace off guard and very nearly unseated him. Even Ryn seemed a bit shaken by the sudden and unexpected movement.
As the wind whipped around him and the sand seemed to cut at his face, Jace reached out to Ryn's mind with a question, wondering if it would be appropriate to engage their face masks to avoid the stinging sand. Ryn's thoughts suggested he did not believe that to be a good idea. Jace could see that Ryn was similarly affected by the flying sand however and was doing his best to hide behind Torun. Fortunately for Ryn, he was small enough for the action to be somewhat effective. Jace on the other hand, had about two inches of height on the Taigari that he rode with, making it all but impossible to find any shelter. The best he could do was lean his face downward and cover his eyes with the hand that wasn't holding on for dear life.
There was no way for Jace to get a sense of his surroundings. Not that he expected to see much besides sand and maybe occasional cacti. For the life of him, he couldn't understand what Ryn found so fascinating about the desert. In his admittedly limited experience, there was nothing particularly impressive about the miles of sand and scorching heat. The suit he wore did a good job of regulating his body temperature, but even so, sweat formed on his unprotected brow and rolled down into his eyes, blinding him even further.
After what felt like an eternity, the perpetual torrent of biting sand stopped as the group of riders came to a halt. Jace blinked watery eyes several times and tried to get his bearings. They had reached the top of a large hill that looked down into a sequestered little valley. Nestled here was a surprising amount of greenery. Desert trees and shrubs decorated the valley floor, and in amongst them were dozens of primitive tents.
A cheer went up from down in the valley as the riders crested the hill. The denizens of these tents, the remaining Taigari, had all gathered at the edge of their oasis, hoping against hope that their warriors would return. Jace imagined that they must have thought Radiance was another detachment of these `Red Demons' come to stamp them out for good. The warriors they rode with had been, in their minds, riding to their almost certain death.
The cheering continued as the group of riders descended the hill at a much slower pace. Open weeping could be heard from the gathered crowd as well, as wives saw their husbands returning whom they feared they would never see again.
The Taigari massed around the warriors, making it impossible for them to progress any further. The majority of them were dressed simply, with loose-fitting clothes that were suitable for living in the shade of the oasis. Actually, Jace realized, their garments were quite similar to the casual outfits that Ryn was partial to, when he was not wearing his ornate high-collared or hooded dress-robes. Part of living in such a climate, he thought.
Questions assailed them from all sides. People asked if they had slain the Demons. People asked if any of them had been hurt. It was only very gradually that the locals began to notice the two oddly-dressed strangers that rode with their returning heroes.
"Stand aside!" A deep and resonant voice cut through the throng. "Let our warriors through!" Slowly the crowd began to calm. The shouted questions faded away to curious whispers as the Taigari realized that the riders had not returned alone. The people parted, and an old man with a white beard, carrying a staff came forward.
"Torun, my son." Despite his advanced age, the man's voice was powerful. "My heart soars to see you return. But tell us, who are these strangers you have brought among us to our most secret of hiding places?"
"Father." Torun bowed his head before repeating the now familiar Taigari gesture. "I have the greatest of news." The young man stood in his saddle and raised his voice so that the crowd could hear. "The gods finally have heeded our prayers! They have sent to us their answer to the Red Demons! We have seen their miracles with our own eyes!"
The whispering grew more intense as people looked curiously up at Ryn and Jace. While this was going on, Jace was frantically trying to remove an agonizing grain of sand from the corner of his eye. He imagined he looked less than imposing.
"My son." The old man's tone was scolding. "These two are but men like us. This one is only a child. Why do you say such things to give your people false hope?"
Ryn took the initiative and swung down from the saddle. The Taigari closest to Torun's steed gasped and flinched back in surprise.
"Greetings." Ryn's voice was projected for all to hear but he spoke directly to the old man. "You are the Elder here? The leader?" Ryn took several steps forward as he spoke.
The man did not seem at all intimidated by Ryn's abnormally carrying voice. He leaned in and squinted, the first sign of his age that he had shown. "I am." He stated flatly. "You wear the face of a child and yet... you have the eyes of an ancient. Tell me truly. Are you sent by the gods?"
Ryn met the man's penetrating gaze as an equal. "I am Ryn Reynia Embara; Archon and servant of the Harmonious Light. If a higher power has sent us to you, it is by will of the Light."
The old chieftain squinted his eyes further before suddenly breaking out in a cackling laugh. "You play games with words, boy. And your language is old. Older even than I. You have my curiosity, if nothing else. Come to my tents." Without another word, the man turned, and the crowd parted for him. Jace felt distinctly that the man was giving an order, not making a suggestion.
As Jace dropped down from his mount, he gave Torun a warry look. The young man returned what Jace hoped was meant to be a reassuring expression and dismounted as well. Torun and several other warriors escorted Jace and Ryn after the old man. The crowd melted away before them as the Taigari clearly preferred to eyeball the strangers from a safe distance while passing gossip amongst themselves in low whispers.
There were more Taigari than Jace had originally expected. Just scanning the crowd, he estimated there were at least several hundred people gathered. Ryn did his best to smile warmly at anyone who made eye contact, but most shrank back as they passed.
Torun led them through the camp to a small rise where a large three-part tent sat. Jace had lost sight of the old man, but this looked as good a place as any for a leader to reside. They were brought inside, and it took Jace's eyes a moment to adjust to the change in light. The thick hides that composed the tent gave it a dusky appearance inside.
"Please. Sit." The old man motioned to several cushions strewn about the floor in the main room of the tent. "Torun, you and your men may go."
"But, father..." Torun protested, but was silenced by a chopping motion from the elderly man. Torun bowed his head and backed out of the tent with his men following.
Ryn alighted agilely on one of the small seats, while Jace had to maneuver himself more carefully into position, not being quite as flexible as Ryn, or even it appeared, as the old man, who sat himself across from them quite gracefully, laying his staff across his lap.
"I do not believe that your or gods, or angels, or even demons for that matter." The old man stated simply.
Ryn let out a breath of what sounded like relief and opened his mouth to speak, but the man held up a hand to indicated that he had not finished.
"I might believe, if it were only you." He said to Ryn. "But your friend..." He pointed a bony finger at Jace and emitted his raspy laugh. "He gives you away."
This, Jace found to be mildly insulting. Sure, Ryn had a certain regal bearing to him, but that didn't mean that he, Jace, wasn't cut out to be just as imposing. He must have scowled because the old man's weathered face cracked a grin and he continued to laugh.
"We make no claim to be any sort of deities." Ryn told him. "I am a servant of the Light. That is the only higher power that I know."
"The light, you say?" The old man mused. "But light is only the contrast to darkness. Two faces on one card."
"You misunderstand." Ryn urged. "The Light is what created all life. It is the force that provides for us all."
An amused grin tugged at the corner of the man's mouth again. "What created life also created death in equal part, did it not? What separates light from the dark but the passage of time. Perhaps what you serve is not the light, but time."
"That's not..." Ryn struggled to find words. Jace felt bad for him. He himself wasn't sure if the old man had truly stumped Ryn's theology, or if Ryn was simply struggling to voice his beliefs in a coherent manner in a language he was not native to.
The man laughed. "Enough. You are not here to waste time playing at philosophy with an old fool. My son believes you mean no harm to the Taigari and I am inclined to trust his judgement. I am Olban, chief of the Taigari, and now I suppose, all free peoples of Terana. You are welcome here. For now."
Ryn bowed from his cross-legged position, further demonstrating his flexibility. "Thank you, Elder. We would like to do our best to help your people, if possible."
Jace raised an eyebrow. This had not been discussed, and he remained unconvinced that they should involve themselves in such a massive affair so easily. He silently fed this chain of thought to Ryn, who responded with calm reassurance.
"So, were you indeed sent to drive out these so-called `demons'?" Olban responded curiously.
Ryn shook his head. "We were not sent here. It is only by accident or the will of the Light that we have arrived here, but while we are guests here it is only right that we do what we can for your people."
Something the old man had said stuck with Jace. "So, you don't believe that we're gods or angels or whatever, and you don't believe that the invaders are demons. What do you think they are, then?" He asked, drawing Olban's attention for the first time.
Shaking his bearded head, Olban replied quietly. "It is not for me to know what they are, or where they come from. Demons however, do not mine the earth for its riches, nor do they take slaves. It is possible these creatures are a judgement from the gods, but they are not of their realm. They seek mortal riches, and so I judge them to be mortals, even though they appear to be powerful sorcerers."
Jace was impressed. For a people as comparably primitive as the Taigari, Olban was surprisingly well-grounded. He did not jump to conclusions, and seemed to think through problems with remarkable clarity, even when he did not fully understand them
"I only ask one thing of you." Olban continued. "If you do indeed plan to help rid us of these invaders..." His tone dropped even further. "Allow the Taigari their belief. Their hope."
It took Jace a moment to realize what Olban was implying. "You want us to pretend to be gods or angels."
Olban sighed and nodded. "I do not ask you to lie to the people. I ask only that you allow them to dream. The Taigari are strong, but even we are nearing a breaking point. They need this to be a sign that the gods have not abandoned them. That their faith has not been in vain. And you may yet be. Time will tell."
Ryn looked more than a little uncomfortable with this idea, and Jace could feel the indecision radiating off of him. It was a long moment of silence before Ryn eventually spoke up. "Perhaps `agents of the Light' would be a suitable distinction. In your tongue it carries the weight that you want, and in mine I do not blaspheme myself by claiming a title I have not earned."
Olban laughed and shook his head. "Again, you play with words, little one. You are clever beyond your years. Very well, this is acceptable."
"Great." Jace commented. Personally, he felt that a lie by omission was the same thing as a lie, but he also didn't have the kind of qualms about lying that Ryn did. "So now what?"
"Now," Olban replied. "We will prepare a feast to welcome new friends of the Taigari." Ryn was about to object, but Olban continued before he could speak. "The feast is for you in name only. It is, in reality, for the people. There has been so little cause for celebration of late."
Ryn closed his mouth and nodded his understanding. "I am hopeful that we will be able to persuade these invaders to relinquish Terana very soon."
Olban arched a silver eyebrow and scoffed. "That is youthful optimism indeed. What makes you think you can force these brutes to quit their claim so easily? You are either foolish, or far more powerful than you appear."
"The later." Jace put in before Ryn could say anything. Ryn shot him an annoyed glance with just a hint of amusement.
"We believe that our... resources are more advanced than theirs." Ryn tried to put it in terms that Olban would understand. "We have equipment and abilities that they do not know of."
Olban digested this statement for a moment and Jace could almost see the old wheels turning in his head, trying to imagine concepts foreign to him. "So as one of my people might say, your magic is stronger than theirs?"
Ryn smiled and nodded. "Something like that, yes."
A sly grin crept over the old man's face. "That is something I would like to see."
"Well you might get a chance soon." Jace remarked.
Ryn agreed and explained in as comprehensible a way as possible their plan to move Radiance closer to the camp once the Taigari were more comfortable with them.
"Interesting." Olban mused. "The tribes of Terana have long had a legend of a great ocean creature that swims through the air, clad in sparkling armor. We call it Cetalia."
Jace chuckled as he thought about Radiance's sleek design and glimmering hull. "Well, I guess it could look a bit like a giant sky-fish if you think about it."
Ryn rolled his eyes. "We will wait until the evening so as not to frighten the people too much."
Olban nodded. "Do so during the feast. That way, it will be a sign of hope rather than fear."
When they had agreed on this, Olban stood from the cushion seat. Ryn did the same and Jace followed with somewhat less refinement.
"We will begin preparations at once." Olban smiled at them as he led them from the tent.
Torun and several of his companions stood nearby. Close, but not close enough that they could be accused of eavesdropping. A large portion of the Taigari had gathered not far away as well, curious about what their chief thought of the newcomers. When he saw Olban's face creased with a stoic smile, Torun's shoulders slumped in relief.
"A feast tonight!" Olban raised his voice so that the crowd could hear him. "In honor of the most esteemed visitors that the Taigari have ever hosted. And in honor of the hope they bring to us in our time of need."
The Taigari cheered. Jace felt the sudden weight of responsibility bear down on him as he looked around. The idea of chasing off some would-be invaders had been something of a vague notion to him until that point. Now, seeing the light of hope shining in the faces of young and old alike, it felt like an obligation to uphold.
Ryn on the other hand, seemed to take it in stride. He held his head high and offered warm smiles to any that would meet his gaze, although none of them would for long. Ryn's eyes had that effect on people. They were beautiful, but almost inhumanly reflective. From a distance, one could almost believe they were made of glass or gemstones until seeing up close the vibrant emotions they expressed. These days, Jace loved getting lost in the oceans of radiant blue on Ryn's young face, but he could understand why others could be unnerved.
As Olban led them through the crowd, many a Taigari reached out to them. Many of them offered prayers or exultations. This was when Ryn began to be uncomfortable. Jace could tell that he did not like deceiving people, even if he hadn't done so in words. Ryn would smile politely, or clasp a hand gently, but Jace could feel the uncertainty inside him. He pushed his own assurances towards Ryn's mind and Ryn graciously accepted them.
Olban had pointed out that Ryn certainly seemed more like the embodiment of an angel than did Jace, and the Taigari people apparently agreed. They eagerly did their best to earn a touch from Ryn or even an acknowledging nod, but when Jace passed, they tended to pull away, with only the bravest of souls seeking his attention.
Jace did not mind this. In fact, it gave him a feeling of power. If he and Ryn were to be gods to these people, then let them be a duality. Ryn would, and seemingly already did, eagerly take on role of the benevolent and beautiful protector, whereas Jace, tall and strong with his weapon at his side, was the vengeful bringing of war.
This thought suited him, and on an impulse, Jace pressed the button on his wrist to activate his helmet, which flipped up and shrouded his face in mystery. The Taigari flinched back in surprise and several even cried out in shock. Ryn gave him a vexed look as he caught the trail of thought that Jace had been following, but quickly he turned reassuring looks and touches to those nearest to him. Soon the startling display was all but forgotten, however the people gave Jace a wide berth, and were careful to treat Ryn with the utmost respect when they felt that the ominous slit in Jace's visor was on them.
One thing physically about the Taigari that Jace found interesting was the fact that they frequently had a rare combination of sun-tanned skin, but fair hair. This peculiarity made them, to Jace's eye, a striking population.
The sound of drums began from somewhere, accompanied by a strange droning flute. It created a lively melody and the excitement of the people grew. Olban brought them to the center of the camp where a large covering was stretched between several of the tropical trees, shading a wide area underneath. At the far side of the shade was a small platform only about a foot off the ground, presumably for addressing crowds. Two cushions were brought out to be placed on the platform and Olban took Jace and Ryn right to them before turning to the throng that was following them.
"If you wish to address our visitors," He called loudly. "do so with order and respect so they do not tire of us. Remember that the eyes of the gods are always watching." With that, he looked back to Jace and Ryn. "I will arrange for a tent to be set for you near the pools. It is a fitting place for one of your station."
"I would like that. Thank you." Ryn replied gratefully, confusing Jace. He had assumed that he and Ryn would simply sleep in the comparative luxury of the shuttle Radiance.
"Now I must go and make preparations for the feast. Unfortunately, you are unlikely to find any respite from the people for some time. However, it will be good for them to become familiar."
Ryn thanked Olban again as the old man departed. Torun and one of his companions took up positions on either side of the platform as Jace and Ryn took seats on the cushions. Ryn again gracefully folded his legs underneath him, while Jace sat on the edge of the platform with his feet on the ground.
The people around them surged with excitement as the sounds of energetic music continued. Many begged Ryn for a blessing or for some miracle or other. Torun and the other warrior had to hold back some of the crowd to keep the order.
"A few at a time!" Torun shouted as people tried to push past him to get to Ryn and Jace. "It is as our chief says, conduct yourselves honorably." After some confusion and shoving, the crowd began to settle. Several would approach and offer a prayer or ask for a touch on the hand or the head. Some even left small offerings of flowers, polished carved stones, and other knickknacks.
Although obviously uncomfortable, Ryn's welcoming smile never wavered. When people asked him for a blessing he would give them his hand and say a brief prayer to the Light, always being sure to redirect the adoration he was given. Although Jace was not particularly a believer, he always admired Ryn's devotion.
The people approached Jace far less often. Usually the men would come forward and lay a weapon of some kind at his feet; a bow, a sword, a dagger. It took some help from Ryn for Jace to figure out that these men wanted him to bless their weapons to make them stronger.
When this happened, Jace would pick up the weapon and run a hand along its edge before wishing the man a good hunt. One time, as he was giving his `blessing' he switched back to his own language and began chanting the words to a popular catchy song back on Varros. The Taigari were very impressed by this and the man whose sword he had been holding bowed deeply and reverently as he received the weapon back. Ryn however made it clear he did not approve, so Jace did not repeat the stunt.
As the day wore on, the flow of Taigari seemed to be endless. Jace was sure he saw some of the same people come through multiple times, but Ryn made no comment on it. He greeted each individual warmly and openly. The relatively few children of the tribe seemed to instantly take a liking to Ryn. One young boy was even bold enough to come straight up to Ryn to compare their hair color side-by-side. Ryn's platinum blonde was only a few shades lighter than this boy's and Ryn laughed easily as the boy's mother pulled him away, streaming with apologies.
Ryn's easy-going reaction to the boy's familiarity seemed to have an effect on the Taigari. They became slowly more comfortable with meeting his eyes, and they began to return his smiles instead of remaining with reverently bowed heads. As the sun slowly started to set, the people began to share more of their lives with Ryn as they came forward. They would tell stories of their joys and hardships and would ask about loved ones that had passed on.
Seeing Ryn so eager to help these people eased Jace's doubts somewhat. Ryn was happy here, and Jace would fight the whole force of these Red Demons by himself to keep that smile on Ryn's face.