WOLF DAWN: Science Fiction Thriller/ Romance (Forsaken Worlds) Page 28

  Ash had buried the King’s Mirror at the first opportunity and so far its hiding place was secure. Sometimes, late at night, when Del and Ein were asleep, Ash would dig it up and hold it. It gave him comfort, reminding him of his childhood home. He was drawn to the Talisman as if it was a living thing. Not only that, it seemed to Ash as if the Mirror didn’t like to be alone either.

  Ash listened to the silence of the night. The brothers were asleep. He crawled to his hiding place, lifted the rock he had placed as a marker, and dug down. Yes. The King’s Mirror was aglow. He had been accustomed to almost total darkness, so the blue radiance was intense. If he hadn’t been held captive he would never have noticed that glow.

  Ash looked at it for some time until something tight inside him loosened. He gazed fondly at the largest stone. That oval Damithst was as big as an eye. Technically, it was this large stone that was the talisman. The other stones had been added later, and as time went on the guard was referred to as “King’s Mirror” or “Chayton’s Right Arm.” The account of Jenkins and the Talisman was a closely held secret. It was a verbal history, passed from father to son. As a direct descendant of Jenkins, Ash knew a little of the Legend. If his father was alive, and he was still on Delian he would have been told the entire historical account once he became Trueborn.

  Ash caught his breath in sudden realization. Now he would never know.

  He was the last of his race, the only one in the entire universe who knew the history of the King’s Mirror. Ash swallowed, feeling the loss of his heritage anew.

  He recalled his father telling him that the first King of Delian had abandoned his birth name and identity, and had chosen the surname of Chayton. The name meant falcon in the Sioux Indian tongue. The first King of Delian had been half Sioux. The Sioux were a warrior nation of spiritual people. Brent Chayton had chosen this name because the falcon was swift, beautiful and regal. It was also aggressive, which marked the falcon as a leader.

  His father also told Ash what his own name meant: Ashton came from old English, meaning pleasant and blessed, while Rynan was a Gallic derivative of King. Ash smiled. Ashton Rynan Chayton. He remembered being quite satisfied with the significance of his given names at the time.

  The first King had named Delian after the Delian League, founded in 477 BC on Earth. An enthusiastic student of history, he had admired the concept. When Athens began as a Greek city state it was surrounded by undesirable land, which could barely support a few olive trees. It was off the main trading areas; it had no port and its army was weak. Despite all these flaws it became the most prominent of the Greek city states. It was the first democracy of a substantial size and, in many ways, became one of the few true democracies Earth had ever seen. It became a center of thinking and literature, producing philosophers like Socrates and Plato; art and architecture flourished to an unparalleled degree. The King of Delian wanted his new world to follow in its namesake’s footsteps.

  But this was all background. The real story was about the first King of Delian, Ash’s great, great, great grandfather; how he had founded Delian; and how his wife, a famous seer, had discovered the King’s Mirror. Ash thought back, recalling his father telling him the tale at his bedside as a child. Ash closed his eyes, holding the Talisman close, and curled up to remember his home, his childhood, and his mother and father. Without a ripple, he slept, dropping into the pool of his past.

  King Jarith’s straight, coal-black hair was tucked behind his ears. He was speaking softly to the eight year old. This was because this story was a secret, and like all secrets it needed to be shared in whispers. “Listen, my son, and I will tell you a tale that my father told me, and his father told him, and his father’s father before him. Once upon a time there was a young warrior who was born and lived on a Sioux Indian reservation on Earth. His name was Brent Jenkins. Brent’s mother was a Sioux Princess, but Brent’s father was not an Indian.”

  “Life was hard for Brent. This was because he was what is known as a ‘breed.’ This meant that when Brent was with white children, they didn’t want to play with him because he was “red.” When he was with Sioux children, they didn’t want to play with him because he was a “breed.”

  “But why?” Ash asked. “Why wouldn’t they play with him?”

  “People are often afraid of anyone or anything that is different. It is called prejudice, Ashton, and it is something ignorant people do when they don’t know better.”

  Ash frowned as his innocent mind processed the concept. It was a foreign idea, not easy for a child to understand. Ash had never observed or been victimized by such narrow-minded behavior. After a while, Ash said, “It’s stupid.”

  Jarith’s laugh was low and soft. “Yes, son, it is stupid. I am afraid that humans individually, and as a whole, are capable of great stupidity.” He took Ash’s hand. “The police, the authorities for the Reservation, were bullies, too, and from a young age, because he was a breed, Brent learned how to fight and look after himself.”

  “He was a good fighter?”

  “Oh, yes; with hands, knees, elbows and feet. He learned to be merciless when he fought, although I never heard that he killed anyone. He had inherited the warrior side of himself from his mother. Brent avoided fighting when he could, but if he had to fight he was ruthless. It was a hard world he grew up in.”

  Ash nodded.

  “Brent’s mother, although full Sioux, was outcast to some degree as well. This was because she had married a white man rather than a full Sioux brave. His father was white, living with her on an Indian reservation. So this family of outcasts had each other and, in truth, with the love they had the intolerance they suffered didn’t matter. Brent rarely went to school. He spent much of his time in the woods or at home, learning on his own. Brent’s father was a hobby astronomer, and gave him an abiding interest in the stars.”

  Jarith smiled down at his son. “I tell you this story as it was told to me, son. Yes, there were hardships, but there was also much joy. For a time, Ashton, the little family was happy. They could be themselves in each other’s presence.”

  Ash’s heart filled with joy as he looked at his father. “They were like we are. Like you, me and mother.”

  Jarith’s swallowed and cleared his throat. “You’re right, son. They were close, like our family. When Brent was fifteen, his mother died unexpectedly. He and his father went through a dark time. They had to leave the reservation and the family home, as neither were Sioux. They were not even allowed to attend the funeral.”

  “That’s terrible! Why not?” Ash asked.

  “His mother was a Sioux princess. The burial ceremony was a secret Sioux Indian tradition; outsiders were not allowed. So in one moment Brent and his father lost everything: mother, wife and home. They were not even allowed to say goodbye. This incident colored Brent’s life in many ways; he hated such irrational injustice, having spent so much time suffering it himself. This is why he was drawn to Delian, to a world where there was freedom from such ignorance.”

  “Poor Brent … and his poor father.”

  “Yes, life can be cruel. Yet Brent was bright and he was driven to learn. They say a true genius is born maybe once or twice a century and Brent was that genius. From childhood he spent almost all his time studying everything he could about space travel and history. They had no Icom then.”

  “No Icom? How did he learn?”

  “Through books.”

  “Ohhh,” Ash said, remembering. He had been told about books and libraries. “That would have been so hard, to learn without Icom.”

  Jarith smiled. “We are lucky to live in these times. By the time he was sixteen, Brent had many offers and accepted a scholarship to University. This meant that he didn’t have to pay for schooling. There he studied quantum physics and mathematics. It was there he met Janice, who as everyone knows became the first and foremost Seer. They fell in love and married. Brent discovered Omni-space and a way to access Omni via the corridors. The richest man on Earth, Brent
Jenkins bought himself a Kingship and a planet he named Delian, changed his surname from Jenkins to Chayton, altered his physical features and ‘disappeared.’”

  “Who did he take to Delian with him? Did the King …” Ash looked for the word. “Did he choose?

  “Jenkins took many of his closest friends and advisors, all willing to conceal the secret of his identity. Are you asking who else came to Delian with him?”

  “Yes. Were they all friends of his?”

  “Oh, no, son. Millions of people left Earth and came here. Delian was one of the first Freeworld colonized. Other than that, the ship’s departure was publicly announced: anyone was welcome to come. Jenkins had a policy of inclusion, son. He practiced what he preached.”

  Ash nodded and quoted from the parables: “Many are called, all are chosen, for the seeds of greatness live in each and every one of us.” A satisfied smile touched his lips. He snuggled down into his large king-sized bed with a sigh. “A happy ending, then. They deserved it.”

  “Yes, son. But there is more to the story. It is easy to become confused by cause and effect. Sometimes effect can be the true cause. Things are not always what they seem. You see, while it appears that Brent discovered Omni, came to Delian and found the Talisman, the truth was the opposite: it was the Talisman, years before its discovery, that drew Brent to Delian. Both Brent and Janice had a lifetime of vivid dreams and visions. That was how they found each other and that was what they had in common. Janice knew they had to go to Delian to find the Mirror.”

  Ash’s languid sleepiness disappeared. Astonished, he sat up in bed. “The first King of Delian said that the King’s Mirror was communicating with him? That it was the Talisman that brought him here?”

  “Yes.” Jarith nodded. “I have worn the Talisman for years. I have never had a vision from it, and yet I have seen it react to truth: it glows. But Ashton, I am going to tell you the biggest secret of all, the one that no one knows except your mother and me, and now you. It was the first King’s belief that the Damithst crystal called to him. It was the stone that helped him discover Omni, drawing Brent and Janice Jenkins to Delian. The King’s Mirror wanted them here.”

  His father gave him a direct gaze, and his dark eyes glittered with somber intensity. “You see, son,” he said, “the King’s Mirror has a purpose and a plan.”

  20. Feral Entertainment

  The Contagion Theory was formulated by Gustave Le Bon. Shielded by anonymity, large numbers of people abandon personal responsibility and surrender to the contagious hypnotic emotions of the crowd. A crowd assumes a life of its own, driving people toward irrational, violent action. The Delian view is that there is such a thing as a group mind. This mind, like any other, is capable of being influenced by common denominators of each individual mind through the Dark Sankomin.

  — Prince Paul McAnulteigh, The Interpretations

  “Eh Sinto.”

  Ash woke, confused and disoriented. His dream was difficult to banish, the memory of it lingered like the scent of a woman’s perfume. Ash could still hear his father’s soft, cultured voice saying to him, “The King’s Mirror has a purpose and a plan.”

  “Sinto!”

  “I’m awake,” Ash said.

  Del unlocked the gate, and then Ash’s chain, while Ein covered him with his rifle. “Well, get up and get started. Once you get your first load out I’ll bring you some food.”

  “Yes, all right,” Ash said.

  Del stomped off and Ash picked up his light. His tools were in the wheelbarrow. He attached the light to the wheelbarrow, then picked up the wheelbarrow and moved down toward the new vein he had been working on. Tadium was invisible, contained in quartz-like rock. Ash’s job was to get the rock out of the mine, where it could be processed through a machine that would crush it and extract the valuable metal. It took him about an hour to fill his barrow and bring it to the front of the cave, where he was given mashed Opan potato porridge for breakfast.

  “I could use a clean rag and some extra water, Del,” Ash told him.

  “Huh,” came Del’s noncommittal reply.

  Ash hid his smile. At one time, if Ash wanted something, Del demanded Ash beg on his knees like a slave. Ash had refused this behavior so far. The arguments over this matter had escalated, growing to alarming proportions. Ash had gotten a number of beatings, but had remained steadfast. They needed a slave to work the mine, and he would do that. But he wouldn’t beg. He had to draw a line somewhere to keep his self respect.

  “You’ll get it.” Del eventually replied.

  Ash smiled. Del had probably been remembering the same head butting confrontations that Ash had recalled. Del had accused him of being “stubborn as a pink-tusked boar.”

  An echo of his dream returned and Ash wondered about the King’s Mirror. Damithst was a crystal found only on Delian, a stone that was formed through a rigidly structured, three-dimensional matrix of atoms. How could an inanimate object have a purpose and a plan? Did that mean it was sentient? Could it communicate to him? It was such a mystery. He had never been told the rest of the verbal histories. They might have explained the King’s Mirror to him, but now he would never know.

  Life in the mine carried on and time passed.

  Ash had tried various ploys to escape, but all that had gotten him were more beatings. He now had numerous fine healing scars along his back and buttocks. Ash continued his studies as much as possible, but set himself on anything that interested him in any small way. Whenever he felt like giving up he would remember his parents. It helped.

  The two brothers seemed to have no idea that Ash was starving despite his continuous protests for more food.

  As time passed, Ash found that he was unable to mind-touch the brothers, he had lost his power to contact people. Then one day, a yellow long-tailed rat came into the mine. Thrilled for the company, Ash had tried to contact it, but failed. In despair Ash realized that he had lost his power to touch both people and animals. He was truly alone. He recalled the Testimonials: “Evil thought and deed shall burn and fester. These poisoned arrows, uncleansed by healing mind-touch, shall cause thy certain grave. Poor wretch. The Dark Sankomin will block thy mind and burden thy soul. Through guilt and self-destruction, one has the power not.”

  He preferred rage to this soul-destroying despair. He could no longer think clearly. Why was he here? Did he deserve this fate? Memories tormented him. Guilt from every offense he ever committed overwhelmed him. The Dark Sankomin pressed against him, a heavy mass clouding his mind. He had lost his powers. Without healing mind-touch, he would never get them back. But he was the last Delian; there was no one to help. He thought he would prefer physical pain. It was bad enough to lose his freedom, but to lose his power …

  The days became weeks, weeks became months, and still he worked the mine. He never gave up on the thought of escape, but the combination of hunger and physical suffering was telling. His sleep was restless; he was tormented by terrible dreams that he could never remember. Dark thoughts plagued him. He felt that this time he really was going mad. Was he destined to finish up here, dying a pointless death in a hole in the ground, resting on a foreign world?

  The sky was red outside as winter came. Time passed and Opan skies became green once more as spring arrived. Over three months had passed since Ash had been brought to the mine.

  One day, Ein came in to rouse him for the day’s work. “C’mon, lazy. Get up.”

  But Ash remained unconscious.

  Ein began to kick him: “Up! Up! Up!” Every word was punctuated with a blow.

  Del was standing nearby as usual, with a weapon. “What is it?” He looked down at Ash. “Taro’s balls. You killed him, you fool.”

  “Didn’t,” Ein protested.

  Del bent over and listened to his heart. “Well, he’s alive, anyway.” He picked up Ash’s legs and began to drag him out of the mine. “Probably just needs some fresh air. When did you last feed him?”

  “I don’t know.” Ein strug
gled to remember. “Yesterday?”

  “You idiot, do I have to do everything myself?” He fastened Ash, still unconscious, to a nearby blue-ringed paperbark tree, and went to fetch him some stew and a drink.

  “Hey, that’s my breakfast.”

  “Too bad. You don’t want to go back to the mine, do you?”

  Ein was silent.

  “Right. Then we fix the slave. We can get years more work out of him.”

  It was still early morning. Ein poured cold water over Ash’s head and he regained consciousness. He blinked and blinked and his eyes watered in the brilliance of the morning sun. The sky was emerald green with a few white clouds moving slowly across it. The breeze came from the west and Ash’s eyes were drawn that direction. There was moisture in the air, perhaps it would rain, or was he near water? Icom obligingly flicked on. Yes. Deep river flowed into Lake Manitoba not far from where he was. Tombay was the nearest city, perhaps a six hour walk away. When he escaped he would go there.

  Ash took a deep breath. He was outside, but he had lost consciousness. He could have died! That was it, then. Unless he could escape today he planned to notify the authorities via Icom and take his chances on an Indentureship.

  Following his brother’s decree, Ein gave Ash water and a bowl of what tasted like twill stew. His stomach rumbled, but he took his time, slowly savoring every bite. The two brothers were nearby; Ein sat on a rusty old speeder, Del standing by similarly cluttered refuse. Assuming a disinterested air, Ash watched and listened intently to every word.

  Ein said, “We going to the animal fights tonight?”

  “Sure. Never miss ‘em, do we?” Del said, squatting down and rolling a cigarette.

  “Why don’t we take the slave?”

  “What for?”