Journey to the West By Bert McKenzie Copyright 2010
Chapter VII
It was still very dark when Akuta sat up on the reclining platform in his empty chamber. Just a short few days before, Alex had been sharing this room and it seemed full, almost claustrophobically so. Now the walls seemed to recede in the darkness until they were miles away. Could he but reverse the river of time's continual flow and turn the clock back a short week, Akuta knew that at this very moment his human lover would be in that strange state of mini-death that seized these aliens when the sun went down. How many nights had the fairy sat or reclined next to Alex, watching his body while he slept. Akuta closed his eyes and he could see the moonlight glistening off the thin red hair that dusted his lover's bare chest. He watched as the flat stomach rose and fell with the slow, even breathing. Even by Tuathan standards, Alex was an incredibly beautiful being. He reached out to gently caress the firm muscles of the sleeping man, and his fingers closed on empty air. Akuta opened his eyes to look at the bare expanse of the empty mattress that covered the platform. He sat in darkness, waiting for the tears to come, but this time they didn't. He no longer felt the stinging burn of grief. All that was left was a hollow emptiness. Empty like the space beside him on the reclining platform. Empty like the endless expanse of the room. Empty like the whole land now that his soul mate no longer lived here.
In that emptiness, a tiny glow caught his attention. It was the glowing warmth of purpose, of decision and action. Akuta turned to face the glow and was given a choice. He could do as his friends bid, turn his back on the warmth and prepare to live the rest of his existence in the icy fingers of solitude. Or he could reach out to the glow, begin to live his life again by taking the action toward which his inner self was prompting him. He really had no choice after all.
Akuta swung his feet to the cold stone floor and slowly rose from the platform. He hesitated for a moment, letting the chill air caress his nude body and bring a semblance of life back to it. Then he reached for the pile of clothes he had tossed on a stool in the corner, quickly slipping on warm, woolen breeches and pulling a heavy short tunic over his head. The tall fairy then slipped on his soft, winter boots and knelt before a heavy oak chest that was sitting at the foot of the reclining platform. Akuta lifted the lid and reached into the dark interior, carefully removing a silver long sword in a cloth covered metal sheath. He strapped the sword around his waist, and then removed a quiver of arrows and an unstrung bow. He sat these aside and dug deeper into the chest until he found a small, silver dagger. Akuta stood, slipped his breeches down and strapped the dagger to his bare thigh, then retied the drawstring on his pants, concealing the weapon. Next he closed the chest and reached for the bow, carefully slipping it into its carrying slot in the arrow quiver. The fairy then grabbed his heavy cape from behind the door and threw it about his shoulders. Slipping his arm through the strap on the quiver, he quickly left the room.
As quickly as possible, Akuta slipped down the stairs, across the great hall and outside into the courtyard. He spoke briefly to the door guards outside, telling them he was going to visit Dr. Gates in the halls of healing. He then quickly crossed to the old worship grounds, trying to stay in the darkest shadows so that he might be overlooked. He surveyed the area to make sure no one observed him, and then slipped through the stone archway into the sanctuary. At the far end was the altar, a stone slab table on a low dias. Directly in front of the altar was a low, wooden bier holding Alex's body, wrapped in its flashweed and looking more than anything like an Egyptian mummy.
Akuta slowly started toward the bier, then froze. At first he had not seen the watcher because of his dark, hooded cape, but as Akuta moved closer to the altar, he noticed the solitary figure. It had been the custom of the priesthood to provide watchers for the dead since the far distant past. Originally it was the watcher's duty to observe the body for any signs of returning life. This, no doubt, originated from the olden times when a person who might appear dead would be in a coma and would later revive. As the Tuathans evolved into more sensitive beings, they were able to sense the spirit and to know when it had departed the body, so the watcher was no longer needed to see if the presumed dead would come back to life, and yet the custom of watching lived on to the present now as a matter of courtesy and respect for the dead. The current watcher was one of the priesthood who half sat-half knelt on the flagstone paving several feet in front of the bier.
As quickly as possible Akuta slipped across the intervening space, sneaking up behind the unsuspecting watcher. He noiselessly removed his long sword from the scabbard that hung at his side and took careful aim with the blade. One swift stoke and the man would be decapitated. Then there would be no witnesses to his deed. But just as he was about to strike something stopped him. He realized his goal was to restore Alex, but was it fair to take another's life in the process? His mind hesitated but an instant. "Yes," came the resounding reply. Any action was worth the chance for Alex to live again. Once more he prepared to deal the fatal blow when a pang of guilt struck. This silent watcher did not need to be here. He was only kneeling in the empty sanctuary as a gesture of homage to the recently departed. Was it fair to take this innocent life whose only crime was that of paying respect at the wrong time? It rebelled against Akuta's moral fiber. But still, he had to eliminate the watcher.
He stood with blade poised, balancing precariously on his uncertainty when a slight sound reached his ears. It sounded like a gasp, or a sudden intake of breath. Akuta glanced up and froze, but the watcher had apparently heard it too. He slowly began to turn his head to look in the direction from which it came. There was no time to think, only to act. In a moment he would be discovered. Akuta turned the sword in his hands and swung it, striking the back of the hooded form's skull with the flat side of the heavy, metal blade. The watcher fell like a stone. Then the fairy turned, taking a defensive stance over the fallen body, sword in hand, and scanned the area for the author of the sound they had both heard. But no one was evident, not a sound nor a glimpse.
Akuta slowly backed up to the bier, keeping a vigilant eye on the empty sanctuary. He carefully sat his sword down next to the encased form stretched out on the low bench, then leaned down. He reached for the head and clawed at the dried wrapping, ripping and peeling it back from the face until he could again look at the object of his love. In the dim light of the stars and crescent moon Akuta could see as well as a human could in the light of day. What he saw drove a sharp spike through his heart. Alex no longer had the devastatingly handsome looks he had possessed in life. Instead, the face seemed bloated and the closed eyes appeared to be sunken into their sockets. The skin over the face was a bluish grey color with dark splotches on one cheek and the forehead. Tears again began to fill the fairy's eyes and he reached down to gently touch a thin clump of red hair that fell over the cold skin. Akuta turned his face to the stars and let out a low moan.
Slowly, the warm glow of his plan reasserted itself and Akuta bent to his task. He gently picked up the body of this lost love and draped it over his shoulder. He then reached for his sword and headed back toward the entrance of the worship grounds.
Sharon had difficulty going to sleep. She tossed and turned on the soft cushions in her room and dozed fitfully to be continually awakened by strangely haunting dreams. In her sleeping world she was being pursued by David Strahan. In real life he had been a research scientist at the same institute where she had worked. He had apparently stumbled into the fairy world by accident and then disappeared. After she had come here, Robin had sent search parties out looking for her former colleague without much success. If the man still lived, which was doubtful, he was lost somewhere in the wide expanse of this land. In her nightmare, Sharon was being chased by the former scientist. He was dressed like a rodeo cowboy in fringe and sequins and kept trying to lasso her with a rope that he spun over his head. Finally, the lariat dropped over her arms, pinning them to her sides. Dave came forward and whispered in her ear. "I want you to have my baby." She awoke with a start to find a blanket wrapped and tangled around her, pinning her arms just as in her dream.
Sharon rose and splashed cold water on her face, and then pulled on the heavy woolen breeches and a thick, long sleeved tunic. She grabbed a cloak from a peg on the wall and then stepped out of her room and into the cooler hallway. The doctor quietly wandered through the empty corridors of her Tuathan hospital. There was very little activity at this time of night. There were no patients to care for at the present time and most of the healers and apprentices were in their own chambers meditating or resting. The fairies did require rest if not sleep, and most of them chose this early morning hour to fill that need.
Not encountering anyone or anything out of the ordinary, Sharon decided to go for a walk to try to clear her head of the odd dream images. She felt a deep sense of foreboding which she couldn't seem to shake, as of some disaster looming on the horizon and just waiting to strike. She stepped out into the chill air blowing down the mountain side and drew her cloak more tightly around her. The girl wandered around the courtyard for a bit, then followed the winding street between the tall towers and other stone structures of the palace. She soon found herself standing before one of the huge, stone archways that led into the worship grounds. Sharon slowly stepped into the opening, her mind lost in thoughts about the strange religious views these people held who came here for spiritual renewal.
Sharon was about to step out into the sanctuary when she noticed a solitary figure kneeling before the altar. It was only then that she remembered that Alex's body was there, awaiting its cremation. At first she thought the hooded watcher must be Akuta, but the figure appeared slighter and smaller, even at this distance and covered by the enveloping robes. As she stood, wondering who it was by the body, a movement caught her eye. Akuta was slowly approaching the altar from behind the watcher's back. Even in the dim light of the crescent moon Sharon was sure of who he was. The tall guard's blond hair and muscular frame gave him away.
Horror gripped her heart as she stood in silent witness and watched Akuta slowly and stealthily draw his sword. The metal flashed in the reflected moonlight as the fairy took aim and prepared to strike the kneeling figure. He lined the blade up with the watcher's neck, and then drew back like a baseball player with a bat preparing for a home run. As she saw the sword flash in the dim light, the terror rose in her lungs until she wanted to scream a warning, but all she managed was a strangled gasp. The faint sound could not have carried beyond the shadowy archway she occupied, and yet Akuta froze, glancing in her direction. She flattened herself against the wall out of view of anyone in the sanctuary, and held her breath to keep from screaming. She was now certain that those incredibly sensitive elfin ears must be able to hear the loud pounding of her heart as it leaped in her chest. When no other sound reached her, she calmed herself a bit and managed to peak back out into the open worship grounds. She was just in time to see the fairy drape the corpse over his shoulder, pick up his sword and head back toward the opening through which he had entered the grounds.
Sharon waited until Akuta was gone, then raced to the altar, fearing what she would find. Lying on the stone floor next to the low, wooden bier was a cloaked figure. She hesitated but a moment, then knelt and pulled back the hood. At least the body had not been decapitated. That was a good sign. Sharon rolled the figure over. It was a young girl, apparently one of the acolytes who assisted the old father. Checking the girl, the doctor found that she was unconscious but apparently unharmed otherwise. Sharon stood and thought for a moment, wondering if she should fetch help for the unconscious girl or go after Akuta. She knew if she waited he would get away with the body, and the girl appeared to be alright, so the doctor turned and ran quietly to the archway through which the fleeing man had gone.
In the empty street just outside the worship grounds all was dark and quiet. Sharon looked around in the darkness but could see no movement, no trace of where Akuta might have gone with his burden. In her moment of indecision she had already lost him. Sharon took a deep breath and tried to collect her wits. She thought of Scott. He might know what to do. And if not, he would be able to get the king's assistance in this matter. The doctor turned down the path that led between the halls of healing and the high council chambers, directly toward the white tower. In the dark she took a wrong turn, but quickly discovered her mistake and was soon heading again in the right direction.
Sharon came to the main entrance of the white tower and was a little surprised that no one was standing guard. The main entrance was closed off by two oversized and ornately carved wooden doors. In the warmer weather these had stood open day and night, but with the first snow fall they had been closed. But open or closed, day or night, there had always been two of the palace guard standing by to admit visitors. Now the front of the building appeared naked.
Sharon tugged at the handle of one of the huge doors and found that it opened with surprising ease despite its size. She slipped into the great hall and pulled the door shut behind her. Inside the hall was quite gloomy and dark, the blackness broken only be flickering candles set in niches around the outside walls, more as a consideration to the few human inhabitants than for any other reason. The big, expansive room seemed even larger in the dark, its far walls disappearing in the distant gloom. There was no one in sight in all the emptiness. Sharon looked about, and then started for the wide staircase across the room. She hoped she could find the king's chambers in the dark. She knew it was above somewhere. If she met anyone along the way she knew she could ask directions.
The doctor had just started up the stairs when she heard the sound of a door closing. It came from somewhere nearby, but on the ground level. A figure stepped out from the shadows at the side of the staircase, heading toward the exit across the great hall. "Excuse me," Sharon called, but the figure kept moving, obviously ignoring her. She was about to return to her climb of the stairs when she thought better of it. The person below might save her quite a bit of wasted time, wandering around in the dark. She stepped down the few steps and hurried after the retreating figure. "Excuse me, my lord." The man stopped and turned toward her. She was quite close to him before she realized it was Akuta. He eyed her warily, uncertain of his next course of action.
"Akuta," Sharon said in stunned surprise. "Where are you going?" she asked as she looked at the bow and arrows slung across his shoulder.
"Hunting," came the slow reply as he saw her curiously staring at his weapons. "There may be trolls in the nearby hills."
"You're going alone at this time of night?"
"Soon it will be dawn," the guard said. "I wish for an early start."
"Can I...can I come with you?" she asked. She had to stall him, to find out what his plans were, to find out what he had done with Alex.
"It is dark and cold," he replied, obviously uncomfortable at being so delayed. "You should sleep during this time."
"I couldn't sleep. That's why I came here."
"I wish to be alone," the man said stiffly, then turned on his heel and continued on to the big doors.
Sharon knew if she hesitated, or went to find help she would lose him again, this time probably for good. The moment he stepped through the door she bolted for it at a dead run. She reached it and quietly stepped out. Looking about, she could see the tall fairy crossing the courtyard toward the stables. Sharon kept to the shadows and tried to be as quiet as humanly possible as she sprinted for the tower stable behind her quarry.
She hid beside the door and waited. In a moment Akuta came riding through on the back of a tall, dark mount. The moment he passed her, she slipped inside and ran to the stall that held the mount she usually rode when she wanted to get away for a while. The chestnut mare seemed awake and alert, as if she had been waiting for Sharon. The doctor threw the halter over her head and opened the gate to the stall, leading the horse out. The human climbed up onto the bare back of the animal and quickly urged her to trot out the open door and down the winding hill to the main gate. As Sharon reached the wider expanse of roadway she urged her mount into a slow gallop and in no time she was approaching the gateway and drawbridge.
At the gateway she was challenged by two guards who blocked her path. "Where go you, my lady, and on what business?" one man asked.
"Did Akuta just come this way?" she questioned in return.
"Yes," the other guard replied. "He is leaving to take a royal message to the eastern border guard."
"Well, he promised me I would ride with him, but I'm afraid I fell asleep so he left without me. Do you think I can catch him?"
The men grinned at each other. How like a human to sleep when it gets dark. "Make haste, my lady. He passed but a moment before. You should overtake him before he gets out of the canyon."
The men stepped back and Sharon urged her horse back into a gallop, dashing across the wooden bridge and into the dark shadows on the other side. Fortunately the animal had been on many such journeys and knew the twists and turns of the maze-like canyon well. Sharon gave her free rein rather than guide them into a wall in the darkness. In a few minutes she reached the end of the rocky corridor where the roadway met the crossroads going east and west along the foothills and south into the plains. If Sharon followed the story told by the guards she would turn east, but something in her told her Akuta was lying, something fairies just didn't do. He must be planning his insane journey to the western islands. Sharon turned her back to the first streaks of light in the predawn sky and galloped into the west.
"Here's the bowl," Jennifer said, handing Scott a Tupperware container of water. "And will this work?" She held out a small cork from a wine bottle.
"It should," her friend replied. "Both of you have your crystals?" he asked glancing at Rood and Caseldra. They nodded. Scott shoved the golden needle through the cork, and then floated it in the water. For a moment it just bobbed there, and then slowly the cork turned in the water, the sharp end of the needle swinging directly toward the tall elfin guard. "Rood," Scott said angrily.
"I have my crystal. I swear it," the man said, reaching into his shirt and pulling out a lump of what looked like rose quarts on a silver chain.
"Then move," Scott ordered. Rood stepped sideways, but the needle continued to pint in the same direction. "That must be the way. Let's go."
They opened the front door and stepped out onto the porch. With Scott carrying the bowl and watching the needle they left the yard, crossed the street and headed into the park. The little band followed their course down a hill, through the small area of trees, across a railroad track and on to the river bank. "Well, he's either dead and at the bottom of the river or he's on the other side," Scott theorized.
"Great. What do we do now?" Jennifer whined.
Scott thought a minute, and then seemed to come to a decision. "Let's go back to the house and pack a few things, then we'll take your car."
"My car?" the girl asked.
"We don't know how long it's been. He could be anywhere by now. We're not going to follow him on foot, especially across the river." They started back toward the old Victorian house.
"What are we packing for?" Jennifer asked.
"It may be a long trip," Scott said. "With time the way it is, he might be anywhere from L.A. to Washington, DC by now."
"Scott, this might take weeks. Shouldn't we go back and tell Robin if we're going to be here that long?"
"If we stay here a couple of weeks it'll probably only be a few Tuathan hours," Scott said. The four slowly filed back inside the house and began preparing for what might be a long excursion.