They arrived at the village of Vin’s
people in less time than was originally estimated.
Chris turned to glance at his co-pilot
and saw how anxious and jumpy he had become as they got closer to their
destination. He tried to understand what
the brown-haired man was feeling and in some way he did.
Coming home was a big deal. But it was
that of seeing family and old friends that was bothering Vin. Chris knew it was the unknown of what time
had changed. It was the same way Chris
felt when he came home to Helion Prime.
When Chris turned back to look forward
again, Vin was now facing him. He could
believe that Larabee had made the decision to give him time to see his
family. Either the man was soft or he
did not have much faith in the outcome of their survival.
No matter. Vin was not afraid of dying.
He was only afraid of dying alone and now it did not look like that was
going to happen. Not with Chris at his
side.
The skimmer moved closer to the group
of tents that were built on the desert floor.
The Ravakar were nomads, seekers of truth and light. They had no love for outsiders or those who
did not understand their ways and very little tolerance for those not of their
blood.
As the skimmer parked on the edge of
the area where the tents were situated the eyes of the curious and suspicious
scrutinized the vehicle. It was not often that a skimmer from the big city of
New Mecca would be seen in Ravak.
The door to the skimmer opened and
Chris and Vin walked out, with the others close behind.
“Stay close to me. No one goes on their own,” instructed Vin.
Chris nodded as well as did the
others. They understood how volatile
their situation was. One wrong word or
action could bring the whole tribe down upon them.
Most of the men, unlike Chris and Buck,
were nervous about where they were.
Most of them had never been in a Ravakar village before. But Chris and Buck had. It was how Chris acquired the supply of
Dragon’s Blood. He and Buck when they
served in the military years ago, they were once stationed as a patrol of the
deep desert. There they met a young
woman who was being attacked by Sandmen.
Ultimately, they had rescued the woman
and found out that her people were of the Ravakar. The tribe had shown their appreciation by declaring that they
were of the Dragon’s Blood, warriors born and would ever be welcomed in their
village.
But this was not the same village or
the same people.
Vin looked around. Much had changed since he last saw his
people a year ago. Everything had grown
and there were faces that he did not know among the people.
“Vin?” came a soft call from behind
him. He turned and found himself
watching as a young woman came bounding through the throng of people. She was
dressed in the simple dress of a Ravakar woman and her long black flowing hair
was tied behind her back. She had brown
eyes that seemed to show softness, at least to Vin.
“Sharana!” exclaimed Vin, running to
the woman and taking her up into his arms.
He then kissed her long and hard on the lips as the others watched in
interest.
After a moment, they pulled apart and
Vin put her down and led her over to the others.
“Guys, this is Sharana. Sharana, this is Chris, Buck, Josiah,
Nathan, Ezra and JD.”
Sharana looked askance at the armed men
behind them and said, “And them?”
“Their our bodyguards,” piped up Buck
quickly.
Sharana eyed them cautiously. “They
look like Sodikar,” she said to Vin with contempt in her voice.
“They are, my dear, from Necropolis,”
replied Ezra.
“Hmpf!” said Sharana. She then turned to Vin and smiled, her mood
changing like the flow of water. “It is
good to see you again, my man.”
Vin smiled at her gently, ignoring the
looks from the others.
“Her man,” said Buck softly teasingly.
Vin turned a deep shade of red that
Chris could not believe the young bounty hunter could turn.
“Yes,” interrupted Sharana putting her
hands around Vin’s neck. “He is mine
and I am his as it was in the beginnin’.”
She then said to Vin, “Ya have not been here in a while, my man. Was huntin’ good?”
“Huntin’ has been very good,
Sharana. Is your pa around?”
“Oh, he’s around, ya can be sure.
Come,” she answered laughingly, pulling Vin by the hand towards the inner
sanctum of the village.
Vin eyed Chris and motioned that they
should follow her. Buck ordered the Sodikar guards to stay with the ship. He did not miss the woman’s attitude when it
came to the guardsmen.
The six men followed Vin and the young
woman as they walked towards a large tent in the middle of the area. They had noticed that it was one of the
largest in the village. Chris knew it
signified the importance of the man who owned it.
When they finally reached the tent,
they found several Ravakar men sitting on the ground in front of it. They were
dressed in leather-green jerkins and pants, much like Vin’s tan ones. The soft leather boots, much like Vin’s were
green as the rest of them. The only
differences beside color was unlike Vin, they wore bows and arrows slung on
their backs and long broadswords on their belts. They also were sheik-like headgear unlike Vin’s hooded cloak.
Vin explained softly to the others that
this was Jhadia, Holy Warriors of Ravakar. After his pronouncement he could see
that it was lost on most of them. He
knew that Chris and Josiah understood what it meant and how significant it was
that these men were here in front of this particular tent.
Chris sidled up to Vin and whispered,
“Who is her father?”
Vin glanced at Chris, wanting to
reply. But he did not get the chance.
At that moment an elderly man, dressed
in the garbs of a Ravakar warrior except his headdress was more elaborate than
the others, stepped out of the tent.
Sharana ran to him and hugged him hard.
She then spoke something to him in the language of the Ravakar and
disappeared into the folds of the tent.
“Acceptus, Vincenzo” said the elderly
man walking slowly towards Vin.
“That’s very memor, Aldar. May the
light shine.”
The elderly man looked at the others,
eyeing them up and down. “I see ya have
brought, friends.”
“Yes, Aldar,” replied Vin. He then
introduced the other six men to Aldar.
“I am Aldar. I am chieftain of this tribe.
Ya are welcome into my home,” said Aldar as he bowed respectfully to
them.
“Thank you, Aldar. We’ve been on the
rode for a long time and it would be welcomed to rest in your home,” said
Chris.
Aldar nodded, but his eyes never left
Chris’ person. Aldar knew this man was different from any other outsider or
Ravakar for that fact, in more ways than one.
Aldar led him into his tent, which was
his home.
When they were all inside, they were
led to silken cushions upon the floor of the tent. The cushions were positioned around a great fire into a
circle. Aldar motioned for each of them
to take a seat, Chris to one side of him and Vin to another. Sharana came out
ladled with fruits and wine and served her father and men efficiently.
Once she was done, she then took her
plate and her seat besides Vin, smiling at him. Her eyes never left his face.
She had not seen her love for over an annus. She had heard of his journeys through other traveling Ravakar,
but she never thought she would see him again.
She was happy that she was wrong.
“Please, eat,” said Aldar to them,
holding his hands out towards the food.
Chris and the others were hungry. They had been eating rations for the past
days and right now Chris’ stomach was desiring something different for a
change. He knew the others were probably feeling the same way.
As Vin dug into the food without
ceremony, the others followed. Chris
reached up to his face and removed his glasses from his eyes and glanced around
the circle.
Aldar and Sharana gasped once they saw
Chris’ eyes.
“What manner of man are you?” asked
Aldar with trepidation.
“I am only a man, nothing more,”
replied Chris trying to ignore Aldar’s and Sharana’s stares.
“No,” said Aldar, shaking his
emphatically. “You are more than that.”
Chris winced in at the statement. It was enough he had the Elementals telling
him their insight with their seer ways, now a Ravakar chieftain was telling him
things he did not want to hear or believe.
“Listen, uh, I ain’t that hungry,” said
Chris annoyed pushing his plate of food away. “I’m kinda tired.” He started to stand up when Aldar pulled him
back down.
“No, warrior. Sit. Eat,” demanded
Aldar.
Chris glared at him, but sat down
anyway.
“Does he always do that when he does
not get his way?” Aldar asked of Vin.
“So far from what I’ve seen,” answered
Vin softly.
“Shut up, Tanner!” snipped Chris.
“He’s right, Chris. Ya need to eat. Ya ain’t had anythin’ since about two days ago.”
“What?” came Nathan’s shocked response.
“Shit, Tanner! Can’t ya keep ya mouth shut,” growled Chris,
avoiding Nathan’s angry eyes.
“Ya ain’t foolin’ anyone, Cowboy,”
drawled the bounty hunter. “’Specially me.”
Chris did not utter a word he just kept
glaring at the younger brown-haired man.
“Please,” Aldar interrupted, begging
the man not to leave.
Chris begrudgingly settled down, but
Vin could see he was still not happy about it.
“Here.
Try this,” said Aldar handing a piece of fruit that looked purple with
black spots to him.
Chris took the fruit, nodding his
thanks and bit into it and chewed slowly.
He felt his stomach protest at the intrusion as the fruit came to settle
inside him.
“It’s good,” was all Chris replied.
Vin eyed him concerned, knowing that
since the man had not really eaten in the past couple of days. If he kept it up, he would be in no shape if
and when they found the Vicar. He also
knew there was something else going on with him, but he did not know how to get
it out of the man, at least not yet.
Buck also eyed Chris in concern. He, on the other hand, knew what was
troubling his old friend. It was obvious considering they were returning to the
one place where Chris almost died. And
then with Crematoria and all that happened there, he did not think the man was
well enough in mind and soul to handle what they were about to do.
“Vincenzo has been missed by his people
for a long time. It is good to have him
back and with ones whom he calls friends.”
“It’s good to be back, Aldar.”
“But it seems ya did not acquire what
ya seeked.”
“They kinda alluded me, but not for
long,” answered Vin calmly.
Aldar nodded. He knew the young Ravakar would find his prey, as he always had.
“My daughter has missed ya a lot also,”
said Aldar winking at him.
Vin smiled and turned to face
Sharana. She was so quiet that most of
the men there had forgotten she was.
“Yeah, I could see that,” said Vin
teasingly to her. Sharana smiled and
kissed him gently upon the lips, savoring each minute of it.
“My Vin, my man is good at his
job. But he needs to be a good lover
too,” said Sharana boldly.
Buck snorted so hard, that his drink
ended up coming through his nostrils. JD stared in shock his mouth hung open at
such a bold statement. Nathan blushed
and averted his eyes and Josiah took notice of the ceiling above. Ezra eyes glinted in delight at the
uncomfortable predicament of the others and of the discussion of Vin’s prowess
with the woman. Chris was the only who seemed not be phased in any way. He stood stoically still to the point that
the others thought something was wrong.
“Chris?” called Buck softly towards his
friend.
At first Chris did not answer, his
slivery green eyes seemed to be staring off somewhere away from them.
“Hey, Chris?” Buck called again, a
little louder.
Chris suddenly shivered and his eyes
came to bear on Buck and his look of worry.
“Yeah?”
“You okay. Ya seemed to blink out there for a minute.”
“I’m…fine, Buck. Just thinkin’ is all.”
“Thinkin’ about what?” asked Ezra who
had heard the quiet conversation.
“Nothin’ of importance, Ez,” replied
Chris quickly and then he was silent.
Vin also had not missed the way Chris’
had looked. He knew there was something
bothering the Necro heir. He would have
to talk to him later and find out once they were alone.
Aldar broke the silence by exclaiming,
“Sharana! Ya embarrassin’ our Vincenzo here.”
“It’s alright, Aldar. I missed ya too, Sharana,” stepped in Vin
and he leaned over to kiss her gently back on the lips. He would have to make it up to her later and
he swore he would before they left to confront the Vicar.
His friends made faces and laughed
softly behind hidden faces.
The rest of the night, the meal was
taken in silence eating and soft talking.
Vin got caught up on all the latest
news and information of his people while Buck and JD discussed whether or not
the women of the village were lovelier than the women they had seen in
Necropolis.
Nathan and Josiah were in a deep
conversation about the religious beliefs of the Ravakar and whether the Ravakar
way was right the way to live.
And through it all, Ezra sat quietly
scrutinizing Chris with every look.
Ezra thought back to the first day he had ever heard of Christopher
Connell Larabee.
*****************************************************************************************************
It was a day like any other day and Ezra
was busily trying to build his new establishment in the god-forsaken town of
Kovar. He had come to Kovar because of
news that he heard about a new type of ore found in the foothills near the
town. He thought that maybe once the
Company got involved that the town would be booming.
It was at that time, that he decided he
needed a regulator, someone who could take care of the riffraff and handle the
bad element.
When he had met Chris, he was talking
to the healer of the some town about some medicinal herbs for his hangover when
Chris entered on to the scene, bleeding from about a hundred places with eyes
like green diamonds.
They man had burst into the healer’s
home, waving a triple caliber laser in their faces, requesting that the healer
patch him up.
Nathan was shocked at seeing the
condition the man was in. As far as he
was concerned, the man should have been dead.
Nathan asked him who he was, but of course all the man would say was
that he was a wanted man and did not wish anyone to know he was there.
What he did not know was that Ezra knew
exactly who he was and why he was wanted. Anyone who’s ever had an association
with the upper echelon of society knew whom Christopher Connell Larabee was and
that he was the most wanted man in universe. And knowing this, Ezra decided
that there was a proposition in this knowledge that would not only benefit
Chris Larabee, but himself also.
After the good healer had repaired the
man’s body somewhat, Ezra gave the man his proposal. At first, the blonde looked to do Ezra irreparable harm. But after a few days of persistent
persuasion, the man seemed more amiable to it and that was the day that the
partnership of Standish and Larabee commenced.
During that time, Chris would keep the
bad guys at bay, while Ezra continued to clean up on the locals waiting for his
fortune to be made from the Company’s discovery.
Unfortunately one day while Ezra was
waiting for his fortune to be made his contact within the Company came with
some devastating news. The new type of
ore was just regular ore, which was practically worthless and of course, so was
Ezra’s dream.
So after, Ezra decided to turn his new
emporium into an inn and tavern until something else came along. During that time he got to know Chris very
well. Well, sort of. He knew who he was
and that he was once a residence of Crematoria, but that was about all. He found Chris not to be a very talkative
person. He usually “yeahs” and “nos”
were the best he could get from him on a good day.
Once and only once did Ezra get some
insight into the blonde regulator who called himself a Larabee. It was when he had got so drunk that he
started talking to himself. It was late
and most of the patrons had either gone to bed in the inn or retired to their own
home.
Ezra and Kitra were the only occupants,
besides Chris at the time.
Chris was busily at a booth in the
back, drinking one glass after another of Soebian brandy. Kitra had told Ezra he was on his third
bottle and she determined that he would out like a light in another half hour,
if he did not die from alcohol poisoning first.
It was during this time that he noticed
Chris speaking loudly as if someone was talking to him. He voice would moderate from up to down as
if the invisible person was answering his questions and he answering its.
“No!” Erza heard Chris yell. “No, more pain! Please! No!”
He then watched as Chris threw the glass in his hand against the far
side of the wall of the inn.
Ezra at this time, looked to Kitra who
was now staring hard at the drunken man.
She then turned a glance to Ezra as to say that maybe he should do
something about this, but Ezra was disinclined to do so.
That was when he heard it. The man started growling deep in his throat
and the next thing Ezra knew the man was on the floor, writhing in pain.
Ezra and Kitra both had seen
enough. They both ran towards the man
on the floor, leaving their positions behind the bar.
Ezra grabbed Chris by the arms, trying
to find out what was wrong with the man, while Kitra tried to help.
“Chris? Chris, can you hear me?” asked Ezra trying to still the man on
the floor.
“No!
Don’t! I don’t know! Do you understand? I don’t know!”
“Chris. It’s me Ezra.”
“They’re…killing them,” rasped
Chris. His breathing was becoming
faster and more erratic. “All because…of me.”
“Chris?” called Ezra worried, trying to
bring the man back to reality.
“He’s either delirious or
hallucinating,” said Kitra softly.
Ezra knew she was right, but was unsure
of how to help him.
“Kitra, go get Nathan,” ordered Ezra.
Kitra nodded and immediately ran for
the door to Nathan’s home.
“Come on, Chris,” said Ezra gently
lifting the man from the floor and wrapping his arms around him.
“S…s…so cold. C-c-can’t get w-w-warm,” said Chris shivering.
“Chris, listen to me, where do you
think are you?”
Chris did not answer at first. His teeth were chattering and his body was
shaky violently. Ezra noticed that as
he touched the man’s forehead, it was hot.
“Chris, you are safe,” said Ezra trying
to calm the man. He was unsure of what
to do, of how he could help the man. He and the man were partners, but not that
long. He was at a crossroads. He did not know if he should be getting this
involved with the hired help, but there was something about this man that
invoked loyalty from people. Something
that was just uncanny.
“No.
Have to get off this planet! They’re dead! Oh…my God…not my eyes! Please!” screamed Chris, struggling in
Ezra’s arms.
“Chris!” shouted Ezra. “Chris, it’s
over with. You’re safe now.”
Suddenly, the blond on the floor in his
arms started to settle and then completely still.
Ezra watched in deep consternation when
suddenly slivery green eyes came to bear on him.
“Ez?” said Chris finally, his eyes
seeming to focus again and staring at the green eye red caped man.
“Yes, Mr. Larabee. It seems you’ve had a lot to drink,” said
Ezra calmly.
“Ez, what am I doin’ on the floor?”
asked Chris confused as trying to raised himself up off the floor.
Ezra placed both his hands on the man’s
shoulders, gently pushing him back down to the floor.
“Ah, it…it seems that you’ve had an
accident…and fell,” lied Ezra.
Chris eyed him suspiciously, but since
he could not remember, he knew he had to take Ezra’s statement at face value.
“Well, can ya help me up?” asked Chris
annoyed.
Ezra rolled his eyes in exasperation
towards the ceiling, but complied with the man’s request and offered his hand
to pull the man up.
Chris took Ezra’s offered hand of help
and he pulled himself up off the floor, staggering slightly as he got his legs
back under control.
Just then Nathan and Kitra came rushing
into the inn, Nathan with his medicine bag under his arm and breathing hard.
“What happened?” gasped Nathan, looking
at the two men standing, one swaying somewhat.
“Ah, Mr. Larabee took a fall, Mr.
Jackson,” said Ezra hurriedly trying to keep the healer from divulging the real
reason he was called.
Nathan caught on quickly and nodded
silently. “So…is he alright?”
Ezra turned to appraise Chris and found
the man was still trying to navigate on his legs. “Somewhat,” answered Ezra.
“Well, why don’t I just take a look and
see what damage there might be,” said Nathan walking over to them.
Chris put his hand in the air, halting
the man from coming any closer, while he tried to get control of his legs. “Don’t need any help and I don’t need ya
witch doctor remedies,” said Chris disagreeably.
“But, Mr. Larabee…” started Ezra.
“Listen, Ez. Thanks for ya concern, but I’m fine. I…don’t…don’t need no…” And
before Chris could finish his statement, his eyes rolled up into the back of
his head and his knees gave way.
Luckily, Ezra was on ready and quickly
caught the man into his arms before he could hit the floor. He then laid Chris gently back down onto the
floor and motioned Nathan to come over.
It was a while later when Nathan had
finished examination and determined that the man’s blood was way too much
saturated with alcohol.
Ezra had already came to that same
conclusion but wanted to know what to do.
Ezra and Kitra watched as Nathan pulled
out a liquid from his bag and filled it with a hyposyringe. He then interjected it directly into Chris
arm and said, “He’ll be out at least a day.
Just let him sleep it off. I
just gave him somethin’ that’ll clear up the alcohol in his system, but he
going to have shit of a hangover.”
Ezra nodded in thought and thanked the
healer. He then turned to Kitra and
said, “Tell the boys that we will need assistance in getting Mr. Larabee to his
room.”
Kitra nodded and then offered to walk
out with Nathan. She and Nathan then
disappeared.
While Ezra was waiting for his hired
men to come, he looked down and stared at the slumbering face of the man he had
recently employed.
“Mr. Larabee, it seems that you have
had a very disconcerting life. I am
starting to re-think our partnership as it seems,” he said quietly to himself.
Chris did not hear the man in his
restless slumber. Ezra did not know how
close he was to the truth.
**********************************************************
Ezra was broken from his reverie at the
loud laughter of Sodikar Captain Buck Wilmington. It seems he found something amusing and Ezra had lost out on what
it was.
Nathan turned to see the face of
confusion on Ezra’s face and asked, “Ezra, is there something wrong?”
“No, no. Not at all, Mr. Jackson.
Just thinking,” replied Ezra.
“Well, don’t think too hard, Ez,” came
the soft voice of Chris Larabee. “Ya
might hurt yourself.”
Ezra looked up and found himself
staring into laughing eyes of a man he thought did not know how to. “Very well, Mr. Larabee…ah, Chris. I will endeavor to keep from straining my
thought processes, just for you,” answered Ezra smiling.
Chris sent him a smirk back at the man
that was his partner in business. “Hrmph!”
thought Chris to himself. “More like
partner in crime.” But he had to admit,
Ezra had shown himself to be a much-needed friend for the first two years of
his return back to Helion Prime and he could not ask for a better companion
during that time, although he did not think he had reciprocated the same to
Ezra. Just like Buck had when he lived
in Necropolis, Ezra had become his only support, although there were times when
he wondered whether there was some alternate purpose to his friendliness.
Just then Aldar stood up and Chris
looked at the man nodded to Sharana.
Sharana then stood up and said, “Now
that dinner is complete, my father has entertainment for ya.” She called out a word and men and women
dancers and musicians filled the tent.
They started dancing in the huge area
in front of them and Buck whooped aloud at the beautiful women that moved
around them.
“Now, Chris, this is what I call
entertainment!” yelled Buck over the loud music.
“Just keep thinkin’ below ya belt,
Buck. It’s what ya good for,” said
Chris teasingly.
Buck laughed heartily and Chris had to
smile seeing that his old friend was back from the old days.
Aldar bent down besides Vin and Chris
and said, “I would like ya both to come with me. I have somethin’ of importance to impart on ya.”
Chris eyed the man wonderingly, but Vin
stood up and motioned Chris to follow his lead. Chris nodded and stood up.
He trusted Vin emphatically. If
the bounty hunter wanted to hurt him, he could have done several times by now.
The others saw them rising and starting
to walk away.
“Hey, Chris, where ya goin’?” asked JD.
“We’ll be right back, Kid,” replied Vin
and JD saw the look on Vin’s face that said questions were over with.
JD fell silent, not wanting to make the
bounty hunter angry. But JD did not
know that there was not much that could.
“We’ll be right here,” called Buck as
they walked out of the tent. Vin and
Chris heard Buck say to JD, “Hey, Kid, ever been with a woman?”
“It ain’t none of ya business!”
responded JD annoyed.
“Just funnin’ with ya, Kid.”
“I ain’t no Kid either!”
Vin and Chris both smiled as they
walked out. They both knew that Buck and JD were becoming close friends and
they could see how Buck hovered over the young man. They would need that when they met the Vicar. Someone would have to watch over JD and they
both figured Buck was the right person to do so.
Translations:
Acceptus-Welcome
Memor – Thoughtful
Annus – Year
*****************************************************************************
Chapter 14
Vin and Chris were led to another part
of the tent, which was divided by cloth to section it off.
“This is my council area. We can talk here freely without worry of
prying eyes,” said Aldar ominously.
Vin and Chris glanced at each other and
then back at Aldar. They both had a
feeling that whatever Aldar was about to discuss with them was important.
He motioned them to seat themselves on
the cushions that were placed in a circle.
He then sat down and placed his hands on both of knees, scrutinizing
Chris specifically.
He then said, “Your doubt will not
serve you here, Larabee,” said Aldar.
Chris turned a glaring eye towards the
elderly man, but it did not seem to faze the man in the least. Vin held up his hand at Chris and said,
“He’s not judgin’ ya, Chris. He only is
pointin’ out that ya need to be more open to listen to what he has to say.”
Chris then turned his glare on Vin too,
but it soon softened. Vin had proven to
be a friend and he could at least listen to what the old man had to say.
“Very well, old man. Say ya peace,” snorted Chris.
“I know that it is hard to accept,
Larabee. But it is the same for
Vin. He did not want to accept who he
is and neither do ya. For young men, so
full of pride and strength, it is hard to accept what would weakened them.”
“Are ya trying to tell me I’m weak?”
asked Chris miffed at the man’s statement.
“No, Larabee. Ya are not weak. But ya
are not indestructible either and ya need to be if ya are to go up against the
Vicar.”
At Aldar’s words, Chris sprang to his
feet, now completely on guard. How
could this man know their mission? To
Chris, it could only mean one thing.
They had a spy in their ranks.
Vin stood up also, mirroring Chris’
action, but his was for a different reason.
He knew that it was not impossible for Aldar to know these things. It was not the thought of betrayal or
treachery that made him stand, rather it was caution on what Chris would do
next.
“Chris, listen…”
“Listen to what?” exclaimed Chris. “Listen to how this man could know about
what we were planning to do? The only
thing I’ll listen to right now is if he tells me the name of the traitor and
now!”
“Traitor?” asked Aldar confused. “Ya that I had come by this information
through a traitor?” Aldar chuckled
lightly. “No, my friend. That is not so.”
“If that ain’t so, then how did ya know
what where we going?”
“I don’t know where ya are going. All I know is who ya are going after.”
“And how is that? I never told ya why we were here.”
“Ah, but ya did,” replied Aldar simply.
Chris eyed him in confusion, he was
baffled by what Aldar statement could mean, but Vin was not, he only nodded in
comprehension.
“I don’t get it,” said Chris shaking
his head.
“Ya are an open book right now,
Larabee. I can read what is in your
mind without any trouble. This must
change if ya are to go against the Vicar.”
“You can read my mind?” asked Chris
looking at him incredulously. “How?”
“Please, sit back down and I will
explain,” said Aldar motioning for the blond to take his previous seat.
Chris took his seat, looking to Vin for
confirmation that he was going to do the same.
As soon as Chris sat down, Vin did the same and looked at Aldar to
continue.
“I know of the Riddick and I know of
the Larabee that is his descendant.
There are not too many people of the Ravakar who do not know. I also
know that although ya doubt it, it is your destiny to destroy the Vicar.”
“You still have said how you know?”
said Chris eyeing the man warily.
“I am what is known by your people as a
seer.”
“A seer?” said Chris disgusted and
rolled his eyes upward in exasperation.
“I shoulda known.”
“It is not what you think. I am a different kind of seer. I don’t see
the future or make predictions. I can
only see what is in front of me. I can see what makes a man who he is and what
he will become. Larabee, I see many
things in ya, but I cannot see what ya will become. It is hidden from me.”
Chris silvery eyes glittered at the
man. He did not know what this man was
talking about and it was annoying him greatly.
“Vin, what the hell is he talkin’
about?”
“Chris, he’s a great Profeta.”
“Prophet? I thought he was a chieftain?”
“Our prophets are usually chieftains of
our tribes. He’s a prophet of mankind.
Ravakars have no need of prophetizin’ ‘bout religion or faith. We know that our religion comes in how we
treat the land and living things.
That’s where our faith exists.
That we can live with what God has given us side by side and not destroy
it.”
“Unlike the Necro,” interrupted
Aldar.
“I am Necro,” said Chris proudly.
“I know. But ya are also Furian and Elemental.”
Chris looked at the man surprised.
“Yes, Larabee. I know what ya are. It is what ya may become that has me
worried.”
“Worried? Me?”
“Yes. Ya are an enigma, Larabee. Ya have the potential to save the universe,
but ya also have the potential to destroy it.”
“I’ve been told this by our own seers.”
“And it has been calculated by the
Elementals,” added Aldar. He saw the
shock on Chris’ face. “But even
Elementals cannot calculate all the odds. Numbers mean much to them, but
sometimes they forget there is more than numbers that determine the future.”
“And you see more?”
“Not more, just differently. I have asked ya here because I wanted to
warn ya.”
“Ya wanted to warn me? Why?”
“First of all ya Vin’s friend and that
weighs much with me. Vin is a very
special man. I believe one day he will
be chieftain among all the Ravakar tribes.”
“I thought ya had to be a Profeta to be
chieftain.”
“Vin is Profeta. He just does not know yet how to use his
ability. But he will learn, it is his
destiny to fulfill.”
“Ya keep sayin’ that, Aldar and I don’t
think ya got ya head screwed on right on that one,” piped in Vin looking
annoyed at the old man.
“He keeps doubtin’ me. I would think after all this long time he
would learn that I am never wrong,” said Aldar smiling at the unruly
brown-haired man.
Chris could see that although they had
their disagreements, Vin and Aldar were really close. There was no mistaken the gleam in Vin’s eye as he argued with
the man and the look of comradeship in Aldar’s as he smiled at the young man.
“Well, I can see that might be true for
Vin, but I can tell ya it’s not true for me,” said Chris. He had no reason to believe that he was
special in anyway. If he was so special,
why did everything he touched, everything he ever loved, died in by his hands,
no, it was not so and he knew it in his heart.
Aldar could see the look of anguish on
the blond warrior’s face. He knew the
man carried the guilt of many deaths, most not any fault of his own or by his
own hands. But it did not stop the man
from placing the burden of it firmly on his shoulders. Aldar knew if he were to
survive the Vicar, he would need to change this.
“I know life has been hard on ya,
Larabee. I have seen what plagues ya
and it can be overcome. It has to be if ya are to defeat the Vicar.”
Chris scoffed at him. “It is strength in numbers that will defeat
the Vicar,” said Chris confidently. “With men like Vin and the others, they
will be defeated.”
“Confidence is a young man’s weakness,”
was all that Aldar replied.
Vin was watching the two as they went
through their verbal combat. He knew
Aldar would win, sooner or later, but he still held hope that it would be Chris
that would win this match. It was
nothing against Aldar; he just thought Chris deserved to win at least one
battle considering the upcoming one with the Vicar was not going to be easy.
“Give me ya hands,” said Aldar to
Chris.
Chris eyed Aldar cautiously, but he did
as the man requested anyway.
“Close ya eyes,” instructed Aldar.
Chris watched as Aldar’s eyes closed
first and he closed one silvery green eye.
“Both of them,” said Aldar from
underneath closed lids.
Damn!
The man was incredible. Chris
could not comprehend how he knew that he had not closed his eyes fully and he
figured he probably never would. He
finally complied with the man’s request and closed both of his eyes.
“Relax. Do not think. Only
breathe and let it happen,” he heard Aldar’s voice say.
Chris at first was hesitant about do
so. There was never a time since his imprisonment on Crematoria that he had
relaxed. He knew if he let his guard
down for only a little bit, it would be his death.
Vin looked at Chris, watching as the
man fought with his apprehensions and finally went into a relaxed state of
consciousness. He could see as his new
friend started to breathe evenly and slowly in and out, his hands now easily
held Aldar’s without the tension that was once there. He wondered what was going on inside Chris’ mind right at that
moment.
Chris was at first reluctant to do as Aldar
asked. He had too many concerns and too
many things that needed to be done to relax.
But slowly and surely he did and he felt his mind let go of all this
turbulent thoughts and doubts and anger.
He was floating freely within his mind.
A silence he had heard only once long ago while he was in the arms of
his long dead wife was again there.
He let the stillness and the emptiness
of his mind take him away. It started
gradually with the images coming unbidden into his mind. He saw them flashing
in his mind, ones that he saw only in dreams and when awaking could not recall
them in detail.
As they spun faster and faster, his
mind worked hard to keep up with them as they bombarded him with
information. He gasped as they finally
stopped and opened his eyes, but what he saw was not what he expected.
Vin kept silent watch over the two men
for sometime now and although it seemed liked it was hours, it was actually
only a few minutes.
Suddenly, Chris eyes popped open wide
and he seemed to be staring straight ahead. “Chris?” he called tentatively, but
received no response from the blond.
Aldar, feeling the atmosphere
surrounding their meditation change, opened his eyes and looked at Chris.
Vin inched closer to his friend,
wondering what was going on. Chris
seemed to be in some sort of trance and turned to lock eyes with Aldar, hoping
he could clarify what was going on.
“What’s goin’ on, Aldar?” asked Vin
worried.
“He is travelin’.”
“Travelin’?”
“Yes.
He is moving backwards and forwards through time in his mind. It is part of the power that resides within
him.”
“Do ya know what he’s seein’?” said Vin
peering at Chris’ glazed crystal green eyes as they looked at nothing in
particular.
“Probably what he wishes he did not
see.”
One moment they were watching as the
Necro heir sat in a trance and the next minute his mouth opened to emit a
scream like no other.
Vin and Aldar moved quickly to grasp
the blond by the arms. Chris struggled
with them, trying to fight them off.
“What’s happenin’?” exclaimed Vin now
frightened for his friend.
“I do not know. I can only see what he is, not what he is
seein’,” explained Aldar hurriedly as he helped his young friend hold on to the
fighting man.
Suddenly the curtain partition was
pushed aside the others ran into the room.
“What the hell is goin’ on?” yelled
Buck seeing his friend being constrained by Vin and Aldar. He ran over and knelt down besides
them. “Vin?”
“I don’t know, Buck. He and Aldar were tryin’ to find somethin’
out and I guess somethin’ went wrong,” explained Vin frantically keeping a hold
of Chris’ quaking body.
Aldar took Chris by his head and placed
both of his hands on each side of them.
Chris tried to turn his head away from the touch he felt thinly through
the nightmare that he was seeing. He
did not see or feel the words or touches of his friends. He saw Sandmen, clawing at him, biting him,
and tearing his skin from his bones. He
knew it would be for long before they suck his soul dry, but not before they
made him too weak to fight back.
The others looked on in shock and
fear. They did not know what was going
on with their leader and they were helpless to know what to do.
Nathan walked quickly to kneel besides,
Vin, Buck and Aldar and looked at the man twisting in their grips. He examined
him thoroughly. As far as he could see
the man was having some sort of fit.
He turned to Vin and said, “What
happened?”
“Don’t rightly know. He and Aldar were just sittin’ there holdin’
hands and then a few minutes later, Chris just started screamin’ and tryin’ to
fight us off.”
“He is in too deep. I did not think this would happen. I saw nothin’ to have seen this. I could not see what was underneath. He is strong is hidin’ his true soul.”
The others looked at Aldar as if he had
lost his mind, all of them, except for Josiah that is. Josiah knew what Aldar spoke of and it
bothered him that he knew there was nothing anyone could do about it. Even Chris was helpless to stop what was
currently happening.
Suddenly, Chris’ body stilled and went
limp in Vin’s arms.
Vin turned to Nathan imploring him to
do something, but Nathan did not know what he could do.
Aldar motioned for Vin to lie Chris’
head down upon the pillow. Vin did so,
hesitantly placing the man as Aldar instructed him to do.
“Aldar?” came Vin’s unvoiced question.
“I don’t rightly know, Vincenzo,” he
said placing his hand on to Chris’ chest lightly. “He is asleep now. Let
‘im do so. I think we will find out no
more today.”
“Someone needs to tell me just what the
hell is going on here,” came Buck’s demand.
“We were seekin’ his strength, but we
only found his weakness,” said Aldar sadly.
“Vincenzo, he will be alright.
He just needs to rest and then ya can be on ya way.”
“But Aldar, what happened? I thought this was gon’na help ‘im?”
“In a way it has, son. He just does not know it yet. Give ‘im some time. It’s about all ya can do,” he replied. He
then turned to look at the others and said, “All anyone can do right now.”
Ezra, Josiah, JD and Nathan only nodded
that they had to agree with him. But
Buck would not let it go.
“Ya did this!” he spat at Aldar.
Aldar looked at him with solemn
eyes. “I did not do this to ‘im. Fate and destiny has done this and only they
can change it.”
Buck wanted to argue the point, but the
others would not let him.
“Maybe he’s right, Buck,” piped up
JD. “He don’t seem to be hurtin’ none
right now. He seems to be sleepin’.”
“JD, you don’t know what you’re talking
about,” responded Buck.
“I think he does, Mr. Wilmington,”
supported Ezra. “Mr. Larabee seems to
be sleeping and I think the best course of action is to as you say, let
sleeping dogs lie.”
“He ain’t no dog, Ezra!” exclaimed Nathan.
“Just an expression,” said Ezra smiling
slyly.
“Yeah, well, you ever heard dead men
tell no tales?” answered Buck grinning wickedly.
Ezra took a small step back away from
the tall man. He was not afraid, just
being cautious.
“Listen, arguing will get us nowhere,”
interrupted Josiah.
“Mine your own damn business, priest!”
yelled Buck.
At that moment, yelling and arguing
between Nathan, JD, Buck and Josiah ensued into a maelstrom.
Vin and Aldar watched with eyes of
worry and anger. The two of them knew
that it was a useless waste of energy.
“Stop!” yelled Aldar, raising his
hands.
As he did, Vin bent over to cover the
still sleeping Chris Larabee, as a fierce wind blew much like the force of a
hurricane within the large tent. It
knocked Buck and Ezra on to their backs, pushed Nathan and JD against one of
the tent walls and made Josiah stumble back looking for some support so that he
did not fall on to the floor like the others.
In the same way it came, it died and
Vin raised his head to see the others recovering from their positions to move
back towards Aldar who now stood with his hands lowered, glaring angrily at the
five men.
“Ya are very foolish,” admonished
Aldar. “Ya friend lies here needin’ ya
help and ya argue amongst yourselves.
What kind of friends are ya?”
The others all bowed their heads
ashamed and surprised.
“How did ya do that?” asked JD curious.
“It is a simple thing, but in order to
learn it, ya have to believe,” said Aldar smiling at the young man. Aldar knew this man, although ignored by
most of the others, would also play a big part in what was to come for the
future of the planet.
“But how?” asked JD again.
“In time, son, in time,” said Aldar
looking knowingly at him.
JD eyed the man with suspicion and
doubt. As far as he was concerned, this
man was a strange one. He could see why
Aldar and Vin got along so well. They
were two men cut from the same cloth, mysterious and secretive they were.
“Ah, okay,” answered JD politely.
“I’ll tell ya what. It’s gon’na be a while before he wakes
up. Why don’t come back to the other
room, enjoy the rest of ya meal and entertainment and then ya can bed
down. I have some private areas set up
for ya. Larabee can stay here for the
night and Vin, I expect ya have ya own accommodations already planned out,”
said Aldar almost winking at Vin.
Vin blue eyes stared into dark browns
with annoyance, but softened at the man.
Aldar was trying to deter his troubled thoughts away from Chris. He knew Aldar wanted him to trust him in
this concern and Vin would.
“Yeah,” he said looking over towards
where Sharana stood watching. “I guess
I kinda do.” Sharana smiled gently at
his words and winked at him.
“Well, then,” continued Aldar. “Let’s adjourn into the other area and let
this man rest.” Aldar gazed down at
Chris’ sleeping form. He knew that
whatever the blond warrior had seen, it would be held closely to his heart and
he knew of only one other person who would be able to get to it. Aldar eyes fell upon Vin, but Vin did not
know what he was thinking.
Aldar then stood up from his kneeling
position besides the man at rest and walked towards the exit back into the
other area. As they all followed, they
glanced back at Chris one more time before leaving the room.
Vin grabbed Sharana by the waist and
then planted a kiss upon her lips.
Sharana laughed as they stroll out into the other area.
After they had left, no one saw the
glow that came from Chris’ half-closed eyes.
His usually glittering eyes glowed with energy as he slept.
TBC.
Fury's
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