Could I hear the steps of the storm, the rumbling of the horn, all in the walk of the desert heat, tearing at my ears and my eyes, my skin fraying by the noise? The buzz shaving my mind, the arrows piercing through my skull, out into a river that kept on moving. A flood, growing and growing, the arrows swirling into a point. Who is he pointing at? Who is he?
“Akli…Akli,” Dushyanta took hold of Akli’s shoulders. “You good?”
“Huh?” Akli opened his eyes to a dim hostel. “What’s wrong…has something happened?”
“No…nothing. You were just mumbling…loudly. Man did you wet yourself?” Dushyanta asked, feeling the dampness of Akli’s mattress.
“Sweat…perhaps I had a bad dream?”
“A nightmare…?”
“Perhaps. Let me go. I'll rinse off and change,” Akli slid off the top bunk, landing cleanly onto his feet as he walked to the shallow bath to the side of the bed frame. Pulling the shutter door, Akli began to undress as he scooped a bucket full of night cold water from the large interior dug—the burrow no more than two and a half persons deep.
Rolling to his side, Horo asked: “Is he alright?”
“I don’t know…”
Ben chewed up a bit of jerky that he hid beneath his pillow. “He’s been like that for the last three days. Serves the jerk, this must be his fate as you guys put it.”
“Ben, how many times have I told ya not to eat in bed,” Horo said, as he leaned over, reaching down to where Ben lay. “Give me that! Seriously, we barely got enough for all of us…”
“Goodness, I hope the girls are having an easier time,” Dushyanta muttered.
Horo finished talking to a local. The dusty town cascading with not much in sight. When all was said and done, Horo and Dushyanta went off to restock from a local market in the opposite direction to where Haza and the rest would need to be headed. Stuck with two more days to spare, Akli and the rest tried to keep out of the burning sun and settle around the local rundown bars and offices.
“How long will they be gone?” Ben asked.
“Two days at the most. Depends on if they take any stops. Can’t imagine there is all too much to stop for out there though,” Akli replied.
“Tch…so why were we stuck with you and not Dushyanta?”
“Dushyanta has the money, and Graham is our strongest fighter. In case anything goes south,” Valory reassured Ben with a head pat.
“Quit it, I ain’t no kid!”
“If you ain’t, then how about you guard the princess while me and Val check out a few places?”
“Huh? No way.”
“Hey Val, it should be fine, no? We’ll leave them the radio in case anything bad happens. This place is small enough that if they scream we could hear them.”
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“It’s irresponsible…” Valory replied.
Akli whispered: “Come on, this princess has probably never hung with someone their own age. She only ever comes to me or you, hell she practically hates Horo and Dushyanta if you think about it. Let’s give ‘em a little freedom to be wild. I know Benny over there is more than excited to spread his wings.”
“Mm, fine…Haza, will that be alright?” Valory asked.
“I don’t see too much of a problem…however, Akli and you should be careful. I have been feeling like someone has been watching you two specifically, since morning,” Haza whispered back.
“…”
“We’ll be fine, I’m more worried about you two,” Haza added.
“Understood, we’ll be careful.” Someone is targeting me and Graham. They seem to recognize us as the most dangerous. If Haza is viewed as high profile as she should be, then whoever it is, is a professional that doesn’t want even the slightest chance of failure to occur.
Standing off to himself, Akli was swiftly taken up by the arm. Valory quickened her pace to where the two could talk alone. Akli asked: “What’s going on? You’ve never been this eager before.”
“No time for jokes, someone is targeting us. Can you see anything?”
“Nothing I haven’t before, same as ever. Did the princess see something?”
“Just a feeling, she said.”
“Then they are just scouting us out. Keep your guard low and relax, right now your suspicion is making our situation more dangerous,” Akli said as his face darkened, his pupils elevating into half moons. Loosening the bun of his hair allowed the flow of straight black to relieve his scalp. “It was tight, but man this heat really doesn’t help. Could go for some melon-chu right now.”
“…”
Glancing over to the two distancing figures left Ben with a sour taste in his mouth. “What does she see in him anyway?” He asked himself before turning to the wide eyed girl. “What are you looking at?!”
Haza closed her eyes in solemn disclosure. “Sorry…I just saw a sad reality for you.”
“Huh? You know I don’t believe in any of this future seeing nonsense?”
“I’m aware, but then let me ask you this. Why do you have such tattoos on your hands?” Ben Krow’s hands were scattered with ink inscriptions beneath his thin skin. Born to a royal line of ash monks, Ben was given the choice of shaman, or outcast. Outcasts are inscribed with the teaching of flame somewhere on their body through an ink made from the bone ashes of their fallen members. Unable to manipulate ash like the rest, he was cast down to the World with bindings on his flesh.
“They are honorable markings of my tribe. Although I don’t align with them anymore, it is part of my culture that I must carry on.”
“Is this culture of yours why you hide that golden blade of yours as well, or is it something fun you just like to swing around?” Haza asked.
“How did…?”
“Believe me now?”
“Hah…that’s crazy…I don’t, not at all.”
“Yet you believe in the art of manipulating ash. You don’t even know where you came from, other than the fact that you came from somewhere. Can you proudly declare those markings to the world when you don’t even know where they came from?!” Haza wept as her stomach curled inward.
What the…what the…what is going on? Ben Krow remarked inside his head, not noticing the tall figure walking beside him. The town was always quiet, surreal quiet, in a manner that seemed too unreal, for even the wind made no noise. A pompous golden fro that was neither too long, nor too short, but rather just right, as he intended. A perky nose that showed neither elegance nor misdemeanor. An upturned clenched jaw that accentuated his muscular neck and self assurance.
“Hello sorry boy, I’m here to steal yo girl!” Ba said as his hands groped the ground, morphing the earth below into spikes bursting forth, that tore apart Ben’s sleeves.
Damn…what the hell is going on today?! Ben thought as he took Haza into his arms. Tumbling towards the crescent of the town’s center, the rolling tumble weeds created a decent guise for the two to escape.
“Impressive boy! Very impressive! But, can you handle this?” Ba dug his hands deeper, pulling the street up as if it were an overcooked noodle. Surfing the wave, Ben Krow came flying, his knee digging into the bridge of Ba Barri’s nose. Blood spurted up the boy’s crotch as he entered the fall with a tuck and roll. Hands heating up, Ben was feeling himself. “Ohhh! Yeah, boy you sure are good, very impressive for a Worldborn.” Ba twisted and pulled his nose back into place, resetting his eyes from the glaze. “Eliminate all obstacles, that is the Barri way after all.”
