Rituals Read online

  The humming of the machine grew louder and louder, eventually stabilizing as streams of dark energy seemed to indefinitely flow upward. The three “beings” turned and left as easily as they’d come, having accomplished a mission so quietly. As the three “beings” began their descent down the temple steps, they were passed by a man in sinister robes headed inward. Neither seemed to acknowledge the other.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Colliding

  The mavericks at Pomeu hadn’t gotten much rest before they were up early to prepare for their sanctioned departure. Sahja and Fia were walking a slender pathway towards the local temple. The structure was built into a lone hill, surrounded by lush groves, and was a haven to local critters. “Iris should be here already,” Sahja remarked. “I can see why she likes to be here so early,” Fia added. “It’s so peaceful.”

  They followed the path through the groves to where the road branched into several annexes. Sure enough, a young robed girl was there. She was trimming away some decorative flowers, getting her hands wet from the dew that covered the plants. Iris stopped when she saw the two approaching and ran over to greet them.

  “Sahja! Fia!” Iris hollered with excitement. The three exchanged hugs and greetings. “What brings you here at this time?” Iris inquired with a smile. Sahja looked at Fiaria and nodded towards Iris, so Fia went on to explain what she had essentially told Sahja.

  Iris has just turned 16. She joined the clergy by choice and has proven to be a model acolyte and sage in her discipline. Her father is a retired maverick, and her mother currently runs an alchemy shop from their home.

  Iris pondered for a moment. “Maybe you mean the dark sun?” she asked. Her friends answered with blank expressions. “There is very little white left of the eye,” Iris explained; “and if examined closely, the phenomenon acts like a sun in its motions, or, maybe a squid if that makes it any clearer,” she finished with a confident smile.

  “During this, the person seems to have lost their mind, yeah?” Fia inquired. Iris nodded. “It’s called ‘madness’ in bulk when entire populations have been afflicted with it,” she explained. “It’s far more spiritual than it is physical when it comes to a response. Exorcism is the only known remedy, but it has to be done within the first hour.”

  Fiaria didn’t like what she heard, but she knew Iris was spot-on in her knowledge. “Would you come to Yuli with me?” Fia asked, with a subtle plea in her voice, “just to talk to my father and his council,” she added, now holding an expression of anticipation. Iris shrugged innocently. “I’ll have to ask my parents,” she replied.

  “The hell you two are going to Yuli!” Sahja protested. “Let her ask her parents,” Fia replied slyly. “There’s no way they’ll agree after they hear all this,” Sahja grumbled confidently. “Oh, and don’t you have an airship to catch soon?” Fiaria added with a spiteful smile. Sahja didn’t like having to leave the two but didn’t have a choice. Fia kissed him and then followed beside Iris along one of the branching paths.

  Sahja had left Fia and Iris, driving his bike to the clearing where the airship rested. The crew was there, minus Bazmari. Maymay and Sloth were loading some cargo while Barred was walking around on the wings to inspect the engines, shooing some cotton birds that had congregated overnight. Sahja, who could hear Maymay already defending herself from some comment Sloth had made, couldn’t help but laugh a little.

  Bazmari arrived within the hour, and the hunting party wasted no time in their departure. The ship slowly lifted into the air, setting off to the southwest. Sahja stood at the bay doors, letting the wind rush around him as he watched the canopies and herds of Uberro pass by.

  Maymay and Sloth were asleep not long after the airship was off the ground, while Bazmari did his pre-hunt exercises. Sahja wouldn’t let it show, but there was a small part of him that was anxious. It was terror that he could be leading friends into something for which they weren’t ready. “Just let us make it back from this one,” he uttered humbly.

  It was only two hours before they found the clearing marked in their assignment. The entire crew would be in company for this venture. Each was equipped well enough to go to war. The five mavericks traversed the waist-high grasses that met the tree line and into the forests that nearly blocked out the dawning sun.

  It was a 7-mile trek to their destination; and, apart from seeing some of the magnificent beasts of these woods, there were no hostile encounters. The critters and creatures were skittish at the sight of the heavily armed crew. Not much was said between the mavericks. There were mostly yawns for a few miles.

  When they came to the parameter of their destination, they were instantly taken aback by the sight. They stood atop an unnaturally steep drop in the terrain, staring down at a foggy mire that was dotted with questionable silhouettes. “This mire must have been too small for the cartographers to care about, or maybe it’s new,” Barred remarked, then pointing into the horizon. “The epicenter of the search area is farther west, but I think this mire is a fine place to start,” he added. The squad agreed.

  Sloth rigged up a repelling device, being the last one to descend. They quickly discovered that the fog was not fog, but rather a strange toxic gas. Each maverick put on his breathers and had some manner of eyewear. The gas was thick enough to maintain its own sort of borders--easy to distinguish and follow.

  Barred approached where the gas seemed to thicken and passed his arm through the cloud, foolishly testing if it had an adverse effect on contact. Maymay gasped and even more foolishly rushed towards a larger shadow in the distance as Sahja and Baz hurried after her. What they found was a Ser’ja mastiff, seemingly fighting off a sleep agent. In all reality, this beast wasn’t going anywhere.

  Maymay was pressed up against the majestic beast, hugging it like a child. “We have to get it out of here,” she said concernedly. The other two mavericks looked at each other, thinking that it was a possibility. “This has to be some kind of trap,” Maymay remarked. “It is,” Sloth replied, as he crawled by, examining the soft soil of the area. “It’s probably a natural live capture. A lot of this soil has been moved recently.”

  Barred approached as he wiped some goo from his gloves. “Yeah, none of this is natural,” he said. “How far do you want to take this?” he added. Sahja was a man who knew when he was in over his head. “Sample the gas and save the Ser’ja,” he suggested. Maymay rushed to Sahja and bear-hugged him tightly. “Thank you!” she exclaimed.

  Sloth gave a thumbs-up and began walking back to his gear. He grabbed a pressure-sealed vial, then returned into the gas cloud. The device locked itself tightly when it was full, and Sloth gave another thumbs-up. “Head back with your dad,” Baz suggested. “Sahj’ and I will guard our furry friend here,” he added, with a comforting smile.

  So, Maymay hurried after her father to return to the airship. Sloth had grabbed some other gadgets and was placing them in stagnant water, soil, feces, possible blood spots, and so forth. “The parameter is way too big for comfort after seeing this,” Sahja remarked. “All those dots we saw. I’d bet we’d spend months tracking all those monsters.” Bazmari nodded in agreement. “If we had a gunship overhead, maybe I’d feel more adventurous,” he said, followed by a hardy laugh. “GUYS!” Sloth yelled.

  Baz and Sahj’ ran to where the shout came from; and when they got there, the very mire was changing shape. Horned vines burst from the ground and began wrapping around themselves. The vines took the shape of wolf-like creatures. The beasts didn’t seem to have eyes, but the mavericks felt the creatures looking at them.

  The very ground began to move as more and more of the strange vines shot from the ground. The mavericks had wasted no time in their response. Sloth had shot apart several with his razor pistols, while Bazmari hurried to get a large-bore machine rifle. The powerful man was able to carry the cannon on his own, even while unloading the slugs into the shape-shifting forest.

&n
bsp; Sahja took the fight to the barbed beasts. His two swords flung the strange blood everywhere as he cut his way through the vines. The very vines began to attack the mavericks. Fangs that drooled with acid appeared within the vines themselves; they lashed and snarled about. What a scene it was!

  Maymay and Barred heard all of the commotion, even ditching their gear to hasten their run. Then Barred tripped. Maymay turned to see a living vine that was changing with every second. She froze with wide eyes. “GET TO THE DAMN SHIP,” Barred yelled, unloading his assault rifle into the screeching vine. “I’LL HEAD BACK DOWN TO MEET THEM! NOW GO, GIRL!”

  Maymay ran like she never had before, eventually making it to the airship. She rushed through its metal interior to the helm and activated everything she knew to activate. The engines hummed to life, and the propellers began to spin. She took the wheel, and the airship began its ascent. Maymay leapt up from the chair and dashed back to the cargo bed. She quickly got the rig as close to ready as it could be. She then ran back to the controls just as the ship hit an appropriate altitude.

  In the mire, the mavericks had formed a defensive parameter around the Ser’ja that was still barely conscious. A group of thornwolves charged together at Sloth. He was able to take out two, but the third sunk its teeth deep into the cog’s forearm. Sahja decapitated the beast, and luckily its jaw released. Sloth didn’t hesitate to inject himself with a serum supplied by their client. “I’m good--just another gnarly scar,” he said, grunting against the pain.

  Even with the serum, there was an agent in the bite that continued to eat away around the wound. The boy was lucky. There was enough of the right medicine to cease the spread. He would be able to keep most of his forearm in working order. Regardless, this was visibly alarming to the mavericks. “DON’T GET BIT BAZ!” Sahja yelled, reengaging the enemies. “LIKE I WAS PLANNING TO TRY IT?” Baz hollered, as if he’d been insulted.

  There didn’t seem to be an end to these monsters. If they stopped coming from one spot, they’d start breaching from another. The mavericks were relieved when the canopy parted to the wind of the airship engines, hoping that all they had to do was hold out a bit longer.

  Maymay stabilized the ship’s altitude, then hurried back to the cargo bed. She activated the lift system and set the cables for the pullies. She smacked the button to begin the device’s descent, then ran back to the front, heading to the gunner position.

  With each crack of the airship’s gun, a hole would be made in the earth that was two feet wide. The monsters would explode entirely from the gun’s shells. Sloth helped guide the device around their beast, while Sahja and Baz continued their defense. Unfortunately, new and larger beasts were emerging and taking shape now.

  A bear-like creature made of stone and jagged ores charged forth from the very hillside towards the mavericks. Bazmari exhausted the turret’s ammo, causing little harm to his aggressor; but, when the monster leapt, it was intercepted by another strange animal. This was a massive bladed cat, wearing strange armor and markings. The great cat was practically as large as this otherworldly bear and clearly stronger.

  The battle raged as the cables came down. Sloth was the first to hook up and he went with the cargo bed. Bazmari was quick to follow, hollering for his comrade to do the same. Sahja had a window, so he hooked himself up. He watched the massive cat continue to suppress the onslaught of strange creatures. Then the cat scaled the steep hillside and seemed to stop to look back at the airship.

  Once the airship was clear and away, Maymay noticed that her father was not on board. “WHERE’S MY DAD?” she yelled. The others looked around curiously. “We thought you were together,” Sahja replied. Maymay made a move for the cockpit, but Bazmari snagged her and held her tight. “I HAVE TO GO BACK DOWN! LET ME GO,” Maymay pleaded. The more she struggled, the more she realized there was nothing to be done.

  Maymay broke down and wept as the others realized that Barred—just like that--was gone. Sahja felt sick. His skin became pale. Sloth was tending to his arm as best he could, saying, “Yeah, I’ll need an actual doctor for this one.” It would be a solemn trip back as the same question of, “What now?” crossed each of their minds.

  The crew landed back at Pomeu. Maymay could barely bring herself to move. Sahja stepped out of the airship, passing Maymay, who was sitting on the step. “I don’t have anywhere to go,” Maymay sobbed. “Yeah, you do,” Sahja replied. “You can stay with me.” Maymay looked up with surprise. “We can go by and get stuff from your house if you want,” Sahja suggested, “or, you can give me a list and I’ll go by myself.”

  Maymay sniffled and tried to smile. “We can go,” she said in a broken voice. Sloth patted Sahja on the shoulder as he passed by. “Our friend is asleep, but he’ll wake up in an open field instead of a nightmare,” he remarked. Sloth hopped in a vehicle with Bazmari, and the two slowly drove down the path to take their cog to a surgeon. Sahja motioned for Maymay to follow as he got on his bike. Maymay looked back at the sleeping beast. She sat behind Sahja and put her arms around his torso before they slowly drove off.

  The two drove to Barred’s home, and Maymay unlocked the door to the dark and empty home. There were earlier pictures of their family--pictures of her mother and two older brothers. Maymay moved slowly as tears gently rolled down her face. Maymay’s room still looked like it could have been a child’s room, but part of that was just her personality.

  Maymay tied her short blonde hair back before she began gathering up some clothes and items. Sahja was gathering some things of Barred’s as well, mostly maverick related. He felt a lump form in his throat, seeing pictures of Maymay and Barred together, and truly seeing how close they were. He didn’t hear Maymay come up behind him. “I’ve got enough for now,” she said quietly.

  From there, they headed to Sahja’s home. He showed Maymay inside and let her pick what area she wanted. Maymay pondered. “Where have you and Fia NOT done your thing?” she asked. Sahja blushed and could only clear his throat as he pointed to an adjacent room. Maymay smiled. “Then I’ll take that one,” she said playfully. Sahja grinned at the fact that Maymay was still Maymay.

  While his friend got situated, Sahja took to his drink. He added kockchetnut powder to his alcohol, giving the concoction a stronger upward thrust. He pictured the wolves from the mire, trying to analyze their pattern and contemplate from where they were coming--and by extension, if there were more around Mol’do, or even Harth.

  Iris’ parents had agreed to let her accompany Fiaria. They considered it field experience. Fiaria showed her papers at the nearest breach outpost, getting the two girls an armored transport and three well-armed soldiers for their trip into Yuli. “Is it always like this?” Iris whispered. “No,” Fia uttered. “I didn’t even have to request the extra security. They must know something now as well.”

  The tree lines of Mera were eventually behind the escort, revealing the open grasslands of Yuli. Fia covered her mouth when she could see pillars of smoke in every direction of the horizon. Even the soldiers seemed surprised by the sight. “What’s happened?” Iris asked. “Civil unrest, ma’am,” the driver remarked. “Civil unrest?” Fiaria scoffed.

  Iris scooted away from the window as they drove by some bodies along the road, but she was doing well in keeping herself together. “How did it get like this so quickly?” Fia said quietly. A projectile dinged the vehicle, alerting those aboard, but was not followed by anything further.

  Fiaria held her tongue as she grew more and more distressed along the way, unsure what to expect when she made it home. It was an excruciating three hours, with little hope given by the numerous decimated settlements they’d seen. As they approached the walls of Y’baan, the soldiers began to stir in their conversation and prepare their rifles.

  The two girls looked towards the front to see clouds of dust and smoke pouring from the city streets. The driver of the vehicle sped towards the city. His two comrades b
egan firing their rifles more and more as they got closer. It was difficult to tell what was really happening on the ground, but Fia demanded to be taken to the capital estates.

  The cruiser sped through the dusty and bloody streets; but as it did, one of their riflemen was impaled by a deranged man with a rusty pole. Fia stuck her own body out to look where the soldier had been. She saw the soldier’s body ripped apart and mauled by what appeared to be people. “MA’AM!” one of the soldiers yelled. “GET THE FUCK BACK INSIDE, PLEASE!”

  Fiaria begrudgingly complied. “At least he said, please,” Iris said with a nervous grin, noticeably hiding the terror she felt. The armored vehicle crashed through markets and bashed against corners as it barreled through the embattled streets of Y’bann. The sound of the remaining soldier firing his rifle was the only thing that overpowered the various objects and projectiles that were now constantly hitting the transport.

  By the time they neared the estates, Iris was huddled up in Fia’s arms. The vehicle tore through the district and crashed through dozens of gates. I couldn’t help but applaud their protectors. They came to a skidding halt before one of the diplomatic buildings joined yet another skirmish in progress.

  The rifleman took Fia and Iris through cover and into the building, while the driver joined his comrades in the firefight outside. Fia guided the others through the building with expertise, managing to avoid the various scuffles along the way. The rifleman lived up to his position, dispatching dozens of crazed individuals in their path. Each shot ended in that pink mist.

  They made their way past the speaking halls (and the dozens of bodies therein) towards the legislative wing. The rifleman took point in the straightaway, not long before a small axe flew past the heads of the two girls and into the back of their escort.

  Iris tripped over the man’s body, losing more of her composure to the chaos. Fiaria then displayed some of what Sahja had taught her, sliding into a prone position while acquiring the soldier’s rifle at once. She put five shots into the attacker’s torso--not bad. She took Iris by the hand and then continued to run. They wouldn’t have to go as far as they thought.