Chapter Seven: The Key
Temasu ducked as another bolt seared a tree near him. Explosions behind him were deafening as he ran from the landing at Hosmara. Behind him there was utter devastation now. Most of his group was dead, Sougra and Saru alike. Vaguely he wondered how many others made it out.
He had only been in preparation for the hunt about two moon cycles, readying for their trip out-system to the proving grounds. They were due to leave this very day and he, like all the other Saru in his group, was excited about the trip. Even the warnings from their instructors did not dim their enthusiasm to prove themselves against the dreaded Yhi. They had been spinning tales about their up and coming greatness in the hunt, laughing and jostling and wrestling to spend some of their energy. Their group was especially well balanced and while a pecking order had been established even among the Saru everyone got along in a fairly equitable manner.
They had heard rumors of attacks on the cities surrounding Hosmara, of the devastation that had followed each, but they had discounted it…that would never happen here. It was the folly of youth to believe that they were invincible. They were ill prepared when "never" happened so suddenly.
The attack had come without warning, from out of the forest and the sheer numbers of the attackers immediately overwhelmed the light guard that had been placed around the landing. Temasu had fought as well as he knew how with his own rudimentary skills. He had found quickly that it was nothing but inadequate. He remembered vividly the searing pain across his back from the blade of the enemy. It was a grazing blow, not nearly enough to kill him, but it was enough to send him into darkness for a time. That same pain woke him later when most of the damage had already been done. Slowly he opened his eyes, seeing around him the utter devastation that had been accomplished by the enemy. The Taya ship, his pack ship was engulfed in flames and he saw many bodies dancing, silhouetted by the flames, in triumph. Several other of the ships at the landing were reduced to masses of twisted metal. All around him were bodies, many Soua that he had been selected to train with lay staring in death all around his prone form. Amidst them were the occasional Yimhi body slaughtered as they had tried to escape. Then he saw the enemy and he watched with a sickening feeling in his gut as the attackers gathered up their own dead, weapons and any other evidence that they had been there. Rage welled up in him at the sheer mindlessness of the attack, at the loss of his hunting partners, and of his own loss of time on the pack ship. An honor that he had earned in his own mind. Temasu's eyes narrowed as he beat down that senseless rage, it would do little good for him to rush into attacking these creatures when they outnumbered him so badly.
He continued to watch them work confused by their actions, and for long moments he was still, afraid to move as they continued to clear out their brother attackers. He saw clearly the invaders, each dressed like Sougra ready for the hunt, masks glittering in the light with reflected heat. Their hair swayed as they moved and worked. As he did he noticed the disparities in their actions, in fact the more he watched them the more he decided that they were not Soua at all, but something else entirely.
Glancing to his left over the body littered ground his eyes locked on evidence to support his observations. As unobtrusively as he could he dragged himself toward it covering it with his own body as the creatures sifted through the dead and dying to claim their own. He did not stop to analyze it as he would have liked, that only risked discovery. Deep down he knew it was of importance and the others must know what they were up against, even if he himself did not quite understand it. He had to get away!
He lay still long moments using only his eyes to see how close any of the enemy was to him. There was none that he could see and he attempted to rise, only to freeze when he heard that clicking sound coming from behind him. He slumped heavily down again, relaxing every muscle as he held his breath and hoped the searcher would just pass him up. He wasn't to be so lucky.
Rough hands grabbed him about the shoulder and waist rolling him onto his back. Temasu reacted immediately, rolling onto his shoulders and kicking out hard with both clawed feet. The creature was caught off guard, expecting only dead and dying bodies to sift through. It landed heavily on its back, crying out in its own odd tongue in surprise and alarm. Temasu was on his feet and running the next instant, hearing the ever increasing noise in the background as the word was passed of his own attempt to escape.
Temasu risked a glance back checking to see how many were following. He was surprised to find himself alone. He slowed to a stop, just for a moment turning to find the conflagration bright even through the boles of the thick trees about him. He decided not to linger, surely there would be trackers to follow him. That thought spurned him into a ground-eating jog tucking his precious evidence under his left arm.
Temasu wandered aimlessly at first pushing through the sparse undergrowth thinking about where to take his information and his evidence. Hosmara was close but he was trepidatious about going there, he knew no one. His story would be discounted as a fantasy from the imagination of a Saru. Some might be sent to investigate, but that would be the extent of it. He needed to talk to someone whom he knew and who knew him.
He refocused his gaze, looking sharply about him for bearings. He began to realize this was a familiar track of forest. Many landmarks were those that he remembered from the previous year, when he and some of the other Saru had come here to practice their skills on the local animals. He looked forward again, his mandibles clicking loudly. Without a thought, his feet had brought him on the path toward his home.
His head snapped back toward the trail that he had come down, as faint clicking reached his sensitive ears. His pursuit had finally found his trail, or had discovered what he now possessed, and were now intent on keeping the secret he was about to expose. He listened a moment longer counting easily the five different voices that were coordinating to find him. He had to call that incessant clicking language, another thing that set them apart from Soua. He was more convinced than ever that they were not rogue Soua as some of the instructors had suggested.
They were closing quickly on his position and he was spurned into a sprint finding the well-worn path that would take him quickest to the protection of Taysa.
The sentry stood alertly at the rail facing a point in the forest where the suns would come up. Since the devastating attack on Taysa, all the survivors were convinced that a second attack was imminent. Their already vigilant practices were now tripwire tight. He scanned the patches between the trees wondering when the Eesan would be returning. They had been gone nearly a moon cycle now in pursuit of the Rogues. He felt his mandibles twitch, uncertainty filled him at the thought of dealing with that group. Highly unpredictable were the rogues, and almost assuredly they were responsible for the multiple attacks on the surrounding towns and cities. The Soua only saw trouble from dealing with that group.
He shook out those thoughts, the Eesan were cunning, and they would not allow themselves to get into a situation such as that. He focused again on the surrounding forest, looking for anything untoward approaching out of the thick trees. He stiffened as movement caught his eye, a single body running through the forest directly toward his position. It was a Soua sprinting at full speed, it was tall but still slim with youth. Under one arm he held something tightly raising an alarm within the sentry. What was it? It looked cold in his vision, a device, but exactly what he could not determine, the angle at which it was held hid that detail from him. His mind automatically went for the worst possible scenario. Grimly he brought his weapon up targeting the moving body, sure that it was an advance scout from the attackers come to finish what had already been started. He raised his Yoysa aiming at the quickly sprinting figure moving across the forest floor. One shot and the threat would be gone, he would not stand to lose any more of his brethren to such a threat.
"Tuamo sayma!" Came a high thin voice from the forest floor, a scared and desperate voice asking for admittance to the city. The voice was familiar, "Tuamo sayma!" It came again.
The sentry leaned over the rail looking more closely at the youth that was nearing now the bole of the tree. Movement behind the Saru drew the sentry's eyes away, and he noticed five bodies flitting between the trees closing the gap between their group and the Saru. It was a decoy, he thought acidly, a ploy to get the device the boy held inside the city. The guard remained silent and unmoving, unsure whether to trust his ears, watching to see what would happen if he did nothing.
"Tuamo sayma! Temasu, guano nanya grazada!" The voice said more frantic than before. The guard squinted again, taking in the boy's details. The boy who claimed to be Temasu was now looking up the bole of the tree at him, then away to the pursuit almost upon him. The guard drew in a sharp breath, it was Temasu, how did he get here? Why was he not on his way out system to attend his Raya? His eyes moved back to the five bodies following the boy. What had happened? There was a sinking feeling in his gut, and suddenly he knew what had happened, there had been an attack at Hosmara field.
The guard's weapon came up again even as he shouted orders to the sentries nearest his own post, "Drangia, cuyat sepsas!" He fired as he clipped out the last syllable catching one loping figure in his midriff to fall heavily amongst the ferns. He heard the report of several of the others firing and watched as two more fell to plasma fire. All fell silent suddenly and the guard scanned the surrounding forest for any sign of movement from the remaining attackers.
When he had assured himself that there were going to be no more action his eyes shifted down to the boy who was now backed against the tree claws out defensively in front of him ready for an attack. He straightened quickly stepping over to the makeshift lift that was nearest his own position. "Nuta graul." He cursed himself for his doubt as he stepped onto the lift and started down the long drop to the forest floor. He had almost cost Nobaya's son his life, and that would have been something that the Eesa would not forgive. He swallowed hard as he thought of having to commit Grapada for such a grave mistake.
As the lift came into the boy's view he jumped literally sideways, then settling he looked strangely at the contraption. He asked no questions however as it settled next to him, immediately stepping onto the platform, which began to rise.
"Why did you not help sooner, Mlanka?" The boy growled forgetting his place in his fear. He could still her his heart beating loudly in his own ears. His back was burning fire where he had been cut, both from the wound itself and the exertion and strain of his nonstop run through the forest.
"Watch your tongue, boy!" Mlanka snapped watching the boy cower, "You are not your father and his status does not excuse your manners!"
"Forgive me," Temasu muttered, looking away in submission.
Mlanka cuffed the boy hard across the back, watching him wince away from the blow. Only then did he realize that the boy was wounded, "We must get you to the Gather and get that wound tended," Mlanka said in a softer tone. They reached the lower level of the city and Mlanka stepped off immediately walking with quick steps toward the Gather. Temasu stepped off and stopped, his mandibles hanging open in shock at the appearance of his home. Large areas were bare on the landing, areas he remembered as being occupied with growths of every size. To his left was the place where he remembered the Crèche being. It no longer existed. There were few others about besides the sentries, where there should have been heavy traffic. Many of those he did see, all of whom he knew, were scarred in some way, as if a great battle had happened in his absence from the city.
"Mlanka, what has happened here?" He said softly in perfectly mannered speech. Mlanka turned toward him nearly halfway to the Gather and came back toward the boy. He lay a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"You did not hear of the attack?" Mlanka said incredulously, "The Sasiyi responsible started their series of attacks on this very city. Many were lost and most was destroyed."
"We heard only that several cities had been attacked, that Taysa was one such we were not told," He swallowed, "Father? Mother?"
"They are unharmed. They have business elsewhere and have yet to return," He tilted his head as he stepped into the Gather his eyes on the boy as he stepped through the door into the hall, "Now you must tell me why you are here and not in Hosmara."
Temasu's upper mandibles clicked together incessantly with his nervousness, "The landing at Hosmara was attacked as well, just several hours ago. They were great in number and highly organized, and we were only three Sougra, one Eesa, and twenty Saru. We were no match for them. Everything was destroyed.
He looked down again, "I was injured," He said as if disgraced by his situation, "When I awoke they were removing the members of their party, they were eradicating all evidence of their presence. And that is when I found…" He brought out what he had so meticulously guarded in his flight, "This."
The boy handed over what he had carried away from Hosmara. Mlanka squinted as he looked at it. It was a mask, such as any one that Sougra use on the hunt. It was quite plain, the basic metal with no real decoration of any kind save for small neat marking etched near outer corner of the left eye. Mlanka brought the helm closer to his eyes. He recognized those neat symbols of blessing of Yanah for the hunt.
Mlanka looked up at the boy, "This is Himaka's mask, he was killed in the attack on Donona's landing. You found this at Hosmara?"
The boy nodded looking as if he was going to be sick. Mlanka pulled his mandibles in close to his inner jaw in consternation blinking heavily. What would it be doing at Hosmara? He slowly flipped over the mask and dropped it at the sight that greeted his eyes. He looked back up at the Saru the horror evident on his face.
Temasu stood before the Eesan, trying vainly to stop the shaking in his slight body. He had been given the decided honor of presenting his evidence to them. It was an honor that was well above his station and he was more than a little trepidatious. He fretted that he would commit a social faux pas such as the one he had committed with Mlanka. The presence of his parents only made the matter worse. He had always been expected to excel and there was a certain part of him that felt that he had failed by surviving the attack, when he should have died defending the field.
Temasu started when the Quona addressed him, leaning forward with a penetrating gaze, "What have you found Temasu?"
Blood rushed in Temasu's ears as he slowly approached the raised platform on which the Eesan sat. He knelt before the old Soua and with downturned eyes he raised the mask above his head. He felt the weight of it lifted from his fingers and slowly backed away again. He waited silently, his eyes still down. He heard the soft whisper of the Soua locks fall from their hiding where he had tucked them inside the mask, it was followed by a collective gasp from the Eesa's as the implication became clear.
That was the secret of the mask, what was pasted to the inside of it. Never had Temasu heard of anything like it before. Whoever was responsible was masquerading as Soua, for what purpose he was yet unsure. The mask had been lined with the skin of its owner. The tentacle like hair skinned directly from the skull and cured. The eyeholes had been sewn shut and the mandibles had been left intact. It had been a horrid discovery.
"Temasu," came a voice shaking with rage. Slowly he returned his gaze to the group, seeing Raha on her feet holding the mask slightly away from her body, "Where did you say you found this?"
The Eesan looked from Raha and now back to him as he returned to his feet. He had to use all the control he knew to keep the shaking from becoming visible. He began again his tale of the attack at first with a faltering voice, but more confidently as he realized that the Eesan was taking his words with grave interest. When he finished as heavy silence fell over the room again. Temasu waited tensely silent, his eyes searching the smooth bark at his feet, for a response from them. He could not help but to steal glances at the members of the Eesan his curiosity greater than his caution in this matter.
The Eesan looked at each other grimly signaling in fluid motion to one another. He knew that they were conversing but was unable to decipher what was being said. His parents had never entrusted him with the Eesan's secret language.
After dragging minutes Quona finally spoke again, "What else can you tell us about these attackers Saru Temasu? You say that they did not act like Soua?"
Temasu looked up again into that grizzled face, "No Quona, they did not," he said strongly, "They moved and acted wrong. There seemed to be no social order in them, they fought and jostled despite some being obviously older or more experienced."
He watched as the Eesan regarded each other solemnly, "Did you get a good look at any of the attackers? "
"Outwardly they looked like Soua, dressed for the hunt," He turned his head slightly to the side as he visualized what he had seen, "Their skin was pale, muted, colder than our own," He paused again his eyes narrowing as the impressions sharpened in his mind, "They walked hunched over and leaning forward, walking on their toes almost constantly. They would occasionally settle back on their feet when they would speak to each other. Their voices…were not Soua voices. They spoke in clicks that were varying, but not as rich as our own, they were soft more felt than heard."
"What about their faces?" The Quona pressed.
Temasu's gaze moved to the grizzled face again, I saw no faces, Quona," Temasu said confidently, "I only saw many versions such as the mask you now possess."
Temasu thought he saw the old Soua shudder as that was said. Slowly Quona looked back down at the death mask in his hand. The old Soua looked back on the Saru sharply, "Your clue to this puzzle is appreciated, Saru Temasu, and your forethought in brining it to our attention reflects well on your training. You may leave."
Temasu bowed grandly signaling his respect for the group before backing out of the Eesan.
Quona looked gravely at the others of the Eesan after we left, "I think I may know from where our problems originate."