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STAR CHILD
RETURN TO THRAE
CHAPTER SIX
The ground whizzed past, a blur of green and blue. Asrais tried to move, tried to jump from this bizarre flying machine and boy, but his muscles were frozen and wouldn't obey his commands.
The boy that held him maneuvered the glider over and around trees as if it was a game of chicken. Ash's stomach churned and he was afraid he would throw-up from all the quick dives and swerves this crazy kid was doing, how mature would that have been?. The boy guided the glider over the edge of a canyon, if Ash could have opened his mouth, he would have screamed. The glider dove straight down, Ash through his panic, managed to see the other Fly Boys that followed. He wondered about his friends, had they survived? Were they now on their way to save him? The Fly Boys skimmed across a crystal clear lake that was surrounded by the high stone canyon walls. Ahead of them carved out the stone was an enormous head of a bird, its open beak the entrance of a cave. It would have impressed Ash, if he didn't feel like a he was heading towards his doom.
The Fly Boys soared into the giant mouth, with such ease, it was apparent to Ash they had done this hundreds of time. There was a single nude boy waiting for them as they landed. He unlike the others did not have a falcon helmet; Ash was surprised on how normal he looked, nude but normal. He wore a radiant smile that could have melted the heart of any scrooge.
"What happened? I always miss the excitement!" the boy stomped his foot.
"Shut up Wire, if you haven't noticed, we're missing three Fly Boys." The boy who held Ash said irritably.
"Sorry. who's the boy? Thorn, you haven't taken a prisoner have you? That isn't right, please don't hurt him."
"SHUT UP WIRE!" The boy called Thorn yelled jabbing his finger into the smaller boy's chest. "Who do you think you are telling me.a Falcon, what to do? You don't even have a fraternity yet."
Wire backed away frightfully, looking as if he was about to cry.
"Now take a look at my glider, it's sluggish on turns." Thorn barked. "And it better be fixed before I have to go out again."
Thorn grabbed Ash violently and headed down an unnaturally smooth passageway.
The corridor suddenly ended, opening up into a large circular cavern; there were more nude boys, separated into apparent classes, depending on the helmets they wore. Ash saw the familiar gold Falcon style, but there were also bronze owl helmets and helmets of silver resembling a dove. Then the boys without helmets, they were younger than the others were and almost seemed anxious of the older boys. It wasn't the boys that interested Ash, but the man that sat in the throne centered in the middle of the cavern. The man seemed to be listening intently to several boys telling a story. The man's attention quickly focused on Ash as Thorn dragged him forward.
"What have we here?" He said standing. He was young, barely out of his teens, if that old. Ash had never met a King before, but this man definitely looked the part. He glowed with nobility, a graceful sculptured face; with a small arched tattoo adoring his left cheek giving him an exotic appeal. With long flowing black hair and an eccentric black crown, the strange man, seemed avian in his appearance. He wore deep black armor that only covered his shoulders, arms and calves. The layered shoulder guards gave Ash the impression of wings. He did wear a chain mail loincloth, but for what reason Ash wasn't sure, it didn't conceal anything.
"I captured this intruder as he defiled our sacred lake." Thorn said proudly. "I under the laws of Aviary claim him as my property."
"That is true Thorn, you do have the right, but perhaps we should first discover who our guest is first." The man said waving his hand and Ash felt his body snapping back under his control. "Now that the spell has been removed. please young guest, what is your name?"
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Ash screamed and 'Hammer' kicked the boy called Thorn across the room. "You attack me and my friends without warning! If you had told us it was your lake, we would have left. BUT NO, you fly in and blast away!" Ash was so angry he couldn't see straight. Instantly Ash assumed the 'Sword and Shield' defense stance, he knew he couldn't defeat all the boys, but he was going to take down as many as he could. Ash was shaken out of his blind rage, by laughter. The man was doubled over and laughing, all the boys turned towards the man and started laughing with him.
"Such energy. I believe Thorn. your property has a will of its own."
"I'm not anyone's property." Ash screamed.
"No? That we will see." The man said mysteriously and walked over to the fallen Thorn. "You were in charge of this scouting party,
correct?" The man said reaching down and helping Thorn to his feet.
"I. I was. but Rave. they took out Swimmer, Titan and Pumpkin. they were dangerous. they had an autonoid with them!" Thorn said painfully as he tried to stand up straight.
"That autonoid was my friend!" Ash barked, finally relaxing his defense.
"He is mine, so says the law of the Aviary." Thorn moaned as he limped his way to the middle of the cavern.
"Ask for Rights of Self." Someone whispered in Ash's ear.
Ash turned around and saw the young boy Wire wink at him, before disappearing behind a group of Owl boys.
"I. I ask for Rights of Self." Ash said awkwardly. The room went silent, all heads turned to Ash then to Thorn and finally towards Rave.
"Very interesting." Rave said still smiling. "I would like to know the name of the person claiming Rights of Self."
"I. I. I am Prince Asrais of the House of Soldaat, First Family of Salvane." Ash said proudly, the first time he had used his full title, it strangely felt good.
"Prince Asrais, what an honor to have you in our humble home." Rave laughed, bowing comically. He stepped up to Ash and pulled him close. "I wish you the best of luck, Thorn is actually a champion combatant."
"I'm ready." Growled Thorn as he clanked his long gauntlet blades together. "Get him some Feather blades, so we can get this over with."
Another Falcon boy approached Ash carrying the long blades.
"I don't need them." Ash said as confidently as he could, the boy gasped and looked toward Rave.
"If he doesn't want them, then he shall fight without them." Rave said taking his seat on the throne. The group of boys backed away from Ash and Thorn, creating a large circle. Ash tried not to think about those long deadly metal blades, Puck had trained him well in 'Storm and Thunder'. I'm the weapon. I'm a weapon.I'm a weapon, Ash continued to tell himself. He crouched down back into his 'Sword and Shield' stance and looked deep into Thorn's eyes. Ash saw the attack coming before Thorn even moved. The Fly boy lunged forward and spun, his blade barely missing Ash's face. Ash quickly parried with a swift kick to Thorn's left leg, sending him off-balanced. As Thorn stumbled to regain steadiness, Ash hit him with a 'Double-Edged Axe' attack, with the flat of his hand, he struck Thorn on the right collarbone. Thorn screamed and fell to his knees, his right arm limp at his side. Thorn gawkily swung the blade again; Ash leapt high into the air to avoid the deadly cutting edge and landed behind Thorn. From his squatting position, Ash threw out a kick into Thorn's back. The Fly Boy flew forward and skidding across the cavern floor.
"I've seen enough!" Yelled Rave.
"B.but. Rave?" Thorn cried as he tried to sit up.
"No more Thorn, Prince Asrais has succeeded in his Rights of Self. Congratulations Prince Asrais, welcome to our flock." Rave laughed and clapped his hands, the other boys cheers loudly and swarmed Ash with welcoming hugs and handshakes. Ash couldn't help but blush from the attention, finally he was starting to feel like he belonged here on Thrae. However, he was more interested in Rave. The man knelt next to Thorn, pulled him into his arms, and rocked him as if he were a babe. It was very comforting to see how gentle Rave was to the boys. Ash wasn't able to see anymore, for he was rushed out of the main chamber into a much larger one. This cavern had several long tables and Ash was seated at the head table.
"Prince Asrais."Rave said as he entered the room, with a timid Thorn under his arm. "I hope you are hungry. We Fly Boys live hard, play hard and eat hearty." Rave laughed. Ash laughed with him, something contagious about Rave's laughter, he had never met a man who could laugh so enthusiastically. It was as if Ash had never heard true laughter before now. Rave carefully helped Thorn take a seat and then sat next to Ash.
"Bring on the food!" He said banging his fist on the table. More nude boys appeared carrying tray after tray of exotic food and drink. Whatever these 'Fly Boys' were, thought Ash; they really knew how to party. Ash didn't care what the food was, though most looked like the ordinary roast or pork or cabbage or potatoes. It all tasted fantastic and Ash made sure to taste it all. Once the meal was in progress, a boy from each table would stand and tell a story. Some were truly interesting, adventurous tales of heroes long ago, while others were nothing more than 'what I did today', it was all very entertaining. Ash relaxed back into his seat, drinking something called Ging Wine and listened, the wine, his first to taste, was soothingly good. As he sat there, thinking about Otto and Puck, he spotted the boy named Wire. It was Wire who had really saved him and Ash hadn't even thanked him. Ash was about to call out to Wire, when another boy, in a Falcon helmet tripped Wire as he stood up from his table. The boy and his friends burst into cruel laughter, calling Wire a Fratless boy. Ash didn't know what a 'Fratless boy' was, but he didn't like it.
"Wire!" Ash called out across the room. Wire managed to stand and looked around him to see if Ash was really talking to him.
"Wire, would you sit next to me, please?" Ash asked as sweetly as he could. Wire visibly blushed and almost skipped to Ash's table. Wire flopped down in the seat next to Ash, and suddenly gasped. "You. you did mean for me to sit right?"
"Of course." Ash laughed. "I want to thank you."Ash leaned closer to the boy and whispered. "I want to thank you for helping me today."
"That's all right." Wire blushed again and started rocking in his chair from embarrassment.
"Good choice." Rave said whispering in Ash's ear. "Wire is a beauty, but we've had a problem placing him in a Fraternity."
"A Fraternity?" Ash asked as he took another sip of the delicious Ging wine, not really hearing what Rave had said.
"One must be part of a family unit. Whether it be Falcon or Owl or even Dove. Your family is chosen by the skills you demonstrate. sadly Wire has been difficult to place."
"What about a new Fraternity for Wire." Ash suggested. "Make him a ." Ash turned to Wire and looked at him. "What about an Eagle or maybe a Hawk?"
"Very interesting suggestion." Rave said frowning. "But I don't believe an Eagle or Hawk fits Wire correctly."
"What about a swan?" Wire said quickly.
Rave burst into laughter and slapped Ash on the shoulder. "Your little man is wise. Yes, yes, a Swan it shall be. Wire you are the first brother of the Fraternity of the Swan!"
"Really?" Wire beamed with excitement. "I'm in a Fraternity?"
Rave stood and raised his hands to silence the room. "I announce the creation of a new Fraternity. I want everyone to congratulate Wire in his promotion into the Fraternity of the Swan."
The room exploded in applause. Rave held up his hand again. "It has been a long day. I suggest we all retire to our rooms, if it's not sleep you seek."
"then just beat your meat." The boys finished for Rave, all laughing. Ash arched an eyebrow at the comment. Laughing and watching the room thin out, Ash realized how comfortable he was, these Fly Boys and Rave were nice people; it almost pained him to like them as much as he did. Poor Otto, destroyed because of a stupid sacred lake. And poor Puck and Dango, he had to believe they survived the attack and were at this moment searching desperately for him. How could he just sit here eating and drinking, laughing and enjoying himself, when his friends could be in danger? Ash gulped down the rest of his Ging wine and poured more from the large pitcher.
"Wire please escort our new brother to his room." Rave said with his constant smile. Wire's grin disappeared instantly and a look of panic painted his face.
Rave chuckled and pointed to a passageway. "He'll be staying in the guest room Wire."
"Oh." Wire said grinning foolishly and grabbed Ash's hand. "Follow
me."
Puck and Dango ran. They ran through forest and over creek, they ran with only one purpose, to save Ash. It had been over an hour since they lost sight of the flying boys, but they couldn't give up.
"Where are we going?" Dango asked as he ducked under a low hanging branch. The trees were so thick, it was difficult to see the sky, and he wasn't even sure what direction they were going. "PUCK STOP!" Dango finally yelled. "Where are we going? We have no idea where Ash was taken, running blindly through the woods, isn't helping anyone."
"What do you want me to do. just give up? We have got to save Ash." Puck spat.
"Sweetheart. I don't want to give up; I just think we need to have a plan here." Dango said trying to look calm.
Puck clinched his teeth, he wanted to continue running, but he knew that Dango was right. Blindly chasing someone without knowing where they were was extremely stupid.
"Okay, so what do we do now?" Puck finally asked.
"Well."Dango thought for a moment. "Otto called them Fly Boys. so maybe we need to look for places flies can be found?"
"Don't be stupid." Puck growled. "Not that kind of Fly Boy, but you are sort of right. We need to look for something high in the air. like a huge tree or maybe a mountain."
"Well then we need to get out of this forest, somewhere where we can see the landscape better." Dango looked around and spotted the perfect tree. He grabbed the first branch and heaved himself up. Puck waited impatiently as Dango climbed higher. Finally, Dango could climb no higher, but at least he was above the treetops.
"What do you see?" Puck yelled up to Dango, though he could no longer see his lover through the multitudes of leaves and branches.
"To our east I can see a . um. a canyon. Looks huge!" Dango yelled down and then started scanning the rest of the horizon. "In the south. I see a mountain range."
"Anything else?" Puck yelled.
"I think I found him!" Dango started carefully climbing down the tree. "I saw smoke at the mountain. I'd bet my fortune that is where Ash was taken." Dango jumped from the tree once he was only a few feet from the ground.
"You don't have a fortune." Puck said frowning. "How far to the mountain?"
"Probably a few miles. trust me Puck, we'll find Ash."
Puck lowered his head and sniffed. He didn't want to cry, but he felt as though he had screwed everything up. From how he raised Asrais to bringing him here to Thrae, it had all been bad.
"Puck, don't do that." Dango said kneeling in front of the small Eller.
"Don't do what?"
"I know that look; you're punishing yourself for what has happened. It 's not your fault; there was nothing you could do to prevent it." Dango whispered. "Now let's go get Ash from those Fly Boys."
"What about Otto? We didn't even try to see if he had survived." Puck sniffed again.
"That bucket of bolts can take care of himself. If he did survive, he' ll be able to track us easily. Stop torturing yourself dammit!" Dango gave Puck a quick kiss. "You are the smartest, bravest person I know." Dango gave Puck a quick kiss. "When you doubt yourself like this. it. it just kills me." Dango gave Puck another kiss, this one hard and seductive.
"You are such a fool." Puck said with a smile. "I love you so much.
"How could you not love me?." Laughed Dango. "Let's go find Ash."
They headed south, ready for whatever challenges they would face.
"Damn. Damn. Damn." The Fly Boy called Pumpkin cursed, sitting on the ground and holding his swollen ankle. He wasn't sure how that stupid man had disabled his glider, but now he was stuck at the Sacred Lake without any way of getting back home. His head was bleeding and his ankle was probably broken, Pumpkin had never felt so helpless in his life. He found Swimmer a few yards away, but he hadn't survived the crash. Titan was alive, but no matter what Pumpkin did, he couldn't wake the boy, whatever that Eller did to him it looked serious.
"Stupid Thorn." Pumpkin spat. "Always so gung-ho in starting a fight. STUPID THORN!" he yelled to the sky. Suddenly his attention was drawn to the lake; something large was emerging from it. Slowly a huge naked man pulled himself out of the water.
"Holy bird poop." Pumpkin whispered, the only other man Pumpkin had ever seen was Rave; this man looked nothing like Rave.
"Where is Ash?" Otto demanded slamming his fist into the ground.
"I. I. I." Pumpkin stuttered, looking around for someway to escape this monster.
Otto rushed forward and grabbed up the boy, lifting him high in the air. "I asked a question Fly Boy, where the hell is Ash?"
"I don't know anyone named Ash? Please. Please don't kill me." Pumpkin whispered, so frightened that he couldn't barely make a sound.
"Oh damn. I'm not going to kill you." Otto sat the boy back down and took a step away from him. "What happened to the people I was with. the people you attacked." Otto looked around to detect any signs that would tell him what had occurred. There were several clues he spotted, but he wasn't going to go rushing off into the forest until he got more information from the boy. The sun was setting; he had been trapped at the bottom of the lake for hours, Otto silently cursed himself for allowing his guard down and going for a swim. When the Fly Boys had attacked him, the blast had shot him 30 meters down to the muddy lakebed. He was buried in mud up to his waist and without any leverage; it was a difficult struggle to free himself. Otto looked down at the frightened boy and sighed.
"My name is Otto, my friends and I were on a very important quest. It is very vital that I find them. can you help me?"
Pumpkin looked over at the still motionless Titan and shook his head. "Thorn took the gray headed kid, but as for the others in your party. I honestly didn't see. They were gone when I woke up."
"Where did this Thorn take my friend?" Otto knelt down and began to examine Pumpkin's ankle.
"He would have taken him home I guess." Pumpkin said through gritted teeth as Otto moved his foot.
"Your ankle is broken, if you show me the way, I can take you back to your people."
Pumpkin looked again to Titan and then Swimmer's lifeless body.
"I will show you, but you must take Titan too. and we should put Swimmer in the Sacred Lake. He didn't survive the battle."
Otto looked over at the dead boy and grimaced. "If only you had spoken to us first, there was no need for the attack. We will take care of Swimmer and your other friend."
Otto recovered his possessions, and got dressed. He picked up his axe and walked over to the unresponsive boy. Otto rolled Titan over on his back and quickly looked for injuries.
"I believe your friend has a concussion." Otto picked the boy up and placed him next to Pumpkin. "It's too dark to start out now; we will remain here until morning." Otto said looking up at the night sky. "Please tell me that Ash will be all right with your friend Thorn."
"Oh Thorn is an idiot, but he won't hurt your companion. We're not savages you know." Pumpkin said as he brushed the hair out of Titan's eyes. "Will he. will Titan live?"
Otto knelt down at Pumpkin's feet and wrapped the inflamed ankle with Ash's shirt, hoping that when he found the young prince he wouldn't mind. "Titan will be fine. keep him company while I take care of . of your deceased friend."
Pumpkin nodded and watched at the large man gently picked up Swimmer and carried him to the edge of the lake.
"Is there something I should say or do before putting him in the
lake?" Otto asked, looking back at Pumpkin. Otto didn't mention the fact that while he was stuck on the bottom of the lake, he had seen a strange structure, a building of metal and glass. Of what purpose the building held, Otto wasn't sure, but he guessed it was the reason Pumpkin continually called it the Sacred Lake. Pumpkin informed him that no special ceremony was needed, so Otto gently let the boy slip from his hands into the dark depths of the lake.
Otto returned to the boys and sat down. He and Pumpkin stared out across the lake in quiet remorse.
"You're not human are you?" Pumpkin asked cautiously daring to break the silence.
"No I am an autonoid, but don't let that scare you. I am really a nice person." Otto said with a smile.
"Yeah, I think you are. I think Rave will really like you." Pumpkin said finally smiling.
"Who is Rave?"
Pumpkin was shocked by the fact that someone didn't know who Rave was. "He's our King, our protector; Rave created the Fly Boys and gave us the laws of the Aviary."
"Sounds like a very special person." Otto said quietly. "I hope that Ash will be treated well by Rave."
"This Ash. you care for him a lot huh?" Pumpkin said and moaned as he accidentally moved his injured foot. Otto reached down and started to massage Pumpkin's calf.
"Ash is unlike anyone I have ever met before. I haven't known him very long, but somehow I feel as if we've been together forever. I'm not sure you can understand that, but that's how I feel."
Pumpkin sighed and shivered slightly from the night's cool breeze. "There's someone back at the Aviary I like, he's a Dove, but I don't care. Singer is so beautiful, sometimes I hurt all over, wanting nothing more than to be close to him."
"So you do know how I feel." Otto lifted Pumpkin and placed him in his lap. "I can regulate my temperature to keep you warm."
"Um. thanks." Pumpkin said and looked over to Titan. "What about him?"
Otto shook his head and scooted next to Titan, pulling the boy close to him.
"He will be warm now. Lean back and get some rest." Otto said softly. Pumpkin smiles and rested his head on the autonoid's chest.
"Are. are you going to sit up all night?" Pumpkin whispered. Otto nodded, remembering when Ash had asked him a similar question. He wrapped his arms around the boy and sighed. Otto started singing. The villagers sang this song to their children at night. He imagined them singing to him and a song he would one day share with Ash.
"In my arms, you do rest
With night's blanket of stars,
Beautiful dreamer in my embrace
To slumber land
Snuggled to my chest
Dream my Sweetheart with,
Castles in the sky and song
Rest in your moonlit trance,
In reverie, all night long
In my arms, nap in comfort
For here we belong
At ease, in perfect pose
My arms around you
I hold you close
A prince of nighttime
Delicate as a rose
Sleep my Sweetheart with,
Castles in the sky and song
Rest in your moonlit trance,
In reverie, all night long
In my arms, nap in comfort
For here we belong"
Otto finished his song and was pleased to see that Pumpkin had fallen asleep. It was sung for Ash; Otto looked up at the night sky and hoped his young friend was all right. He had so wanted to have Ash here with him, in his lap, sleeping to his song.
"There will be time for that." Otto told himself, forced himself to believe, he would rescue Ash, find Puck and Dango and finish this journey. Then there would be plenty of time to sing to Ash. Otto liked that thought, he would sing to Ash everyday, what a wonderful life that would be.