Chosen (17 page)
‘Yes,’ said Max, ‘I have one
very similar and we also have the one given to Daria. I believe the
woman who brought Tallon to you may have been Isis.’ Now it was
Roki’s turned to be shocked.
‘How can this be, the gods do
not come among us.’
‘Perhaps she did not want to
trust the scroll with anyone else,’ said Max.
‘Perhaps,’ said Roki, quite
willing to accept Max’s explanation.
Max stole a glance towards
Tallon, but his face had not changed, he stood as stoic as
ever.
Roki continued. ‘Fifteen years
after the woman brought Tallon to us, my wife became pregnant with
Elkeira, we could not believe it, after all that time the gods had
finally blessed us with a child of our own.’ His eyes began to
glisten with emotion. ‘My wife was overjoyed; when Elkeira was
born, she was loved like no other child has ever been loved, but my
wife never treated Tallon differently, she was the only mother he
had ever known. Sadly, she was killed in a hunting accident when
Elkeira was only three years old. But from the moment Elkeira was
born Tallon has been her constant protector. Elkeira sometimes
resents the fact that Tallon watches over her but no harm has ever
come to her because of his protection. That is why he must go with
you when you leave. He was close by when you came through the
portal, although Elkeira was not aware of this, he would not have
let you hurt her, or, might I add, her hurt you when she changed
into the cat,’ he smiled.
‘You know about that?’ said
Max.
Roki laughed. ‘Yes, I know,
Elkeira thinks it is her secret but I have known for a long time
thanks to Tallon. Let me explain more. There are many clans on my
world. Clan Predator is one of the strongest clans; there is also
Clan Prey, Clan Bird, Clan Fish and many others. -Each person born
into a particular clan can shape-shift into an animal from that
clan, it is forbidden to change clans nor pair with someone from
another clan. You already know Elkeira can change into a large cat:
Tallon can change into a bear and I am a wolf, it is the same for
other clans.’
‘I see,’ said, Max, ‘so if you
come from say, Clan Bird, you can change into different types of
birds.’
‘Yes,’ said Roki, pleased they
had understood so quickly, ‘but each person can only change into
one particular creature.’
‘But are all the animals on
your world also people, or do you have some animals that are just
animals?’ asked Haven, more intrigued than ever.
‘Some animals are just
animals,’ answered Roki, ‘but when people are in animal form it is
impossible to know which they are.’
‘Doesn’t that cause problems
when you go hunting,’ said Gilster, ‘what if you accidently kill a
person who happens to be in an animal form.’
‘It has happened,’ said Roki
sadly, ‘but it is a very rare event, most of us do not stay long in
animal form, it is too dangerous.’
‘Dangerous?’ said Max.
‘If we stay too long,
eventually we cannot change back, we become the animal so
completely we cannot remember who we were,’ said Roki. ‘In our
society it is the mother who teaches the child to control the beast
within. We do not allow children to change without their mother
being present until after their coming of age. But this posed a
dilemma in Elkeira’s case as she did not have a mother for very
long.’
‘So that’s why Elkeira didn’t
want us to say anything about her turning into a cat.’ Max
understood now.
‘Yes,’ said Roki, ‘mothers
teach the child not to be frightened of the change and to be able
to change only when they wish it, not spontaneously, which is what
happens when the children are young. As you can imagine, it is very
frightening for a child to suddenly change into an animal and not
know why, or how to change back to human form. The mother teaches
all these things. When a child reaches the age of sixteen they are
considered to be an adult and as such they can change whenever they
like, but up until that age no child is allowed to change without
their mother’s consent.
‘Interesting,’ said Gilster.
‘Can the people on this world do other things besides
shapeshifting?’
‘No, that is the only magic the
gods have seen fit to give us, other than our healers of course. I
would have been very interested to see your magic,’ said Roki, ‘it
is a shame you cannot use it here.’
‘You have magic?’ came a now
familiar deep, rumbling voice, ‘interesting.’
‘Tallon,’ said Roki, ‘I forgot
you were there, come, sit with us.’
Tallon moved to sit on the sofa
next to Max who was now dwarfed between the two large men.
Haven spoke, ‘I’m finding it
very difficult not hearing the constant hum of thoughts I’ve heard
all my life, it makes me feel very cut off, especially from Max,’
he added.
‘It must be very strange for
you,’ said Roki, ‘I do not know how I would feel if, suddenly I
could not shapeshift anymore, but I promise you it will return when
you leave.’
‘Speaking of leaving,’ said
Gilster, ‘when do you think that might be? I’m very worried about
our friend Daria.’
‘They will keep her alive until
they have all the chosen and all the scrolls,’ said Roki, ‘so you
must make sure no one else is captured. Only if all the chosen are
killed in the same world will the portal be closed for ever. If
only one chosen is killed, another can take their place and the
Anubians will have to start again; no, I believe they will try to
capture all the current chosen, kill them and end it once and for
all.’
‘That’s an interesting, if
somewhat scary piece of information,’ said Max, ‘we didn’t know
that, at least we know Daria is safe.’
‘For now,’ added Gilster.
‘You can’t keep blaming
yourself,’ said Max, ‘you almost died trying to save her.’
‘No, you most certainly cannot
blame yourself,’ said Roki. ‘When your friend Daria was proclaimed
one of the Chosen she instantly became a target. Someone on your
world must have told the Anubians what she looked like and where
she had gone for them to have found her so quickly.’
‘It must have been Elder Timus,
we know he was one of them,’ said Haven angrily.
‘When I find him, I will kill
him very slowly and very painfully,’ said Gilster coldly. Max had
never heard Gilster speak like that before and it quite frightened
her to hear the malice in his voice. No one said a word for several
seconds.
Tallon eventually broke the
silence. ‘When this is over,’ he said, his deep voice reverberating
in his chest, ‘I will help you track down and kill the traitor.’ He
looked intently at Gilster.
‘Thank you, my friend,’ said
Gilster. Tallon nodded.
Roki quickly changed the
subject.
‘Back in the beginning of time
the sacred words were written and given to us by Ragnar and Isis,
may they protect us forever,’ he added reverently. ‘The sacred
words lead the way to the portal. We were charged to keep them safe
and hidden until such time as they would be needed by the Chosen.
Our ancestors decided that the safest way would be to break up the
ancient text and give a piece to each of the clans for safe
keeping. Now the time has come to reassemble the text. We must
leave here soon to meet up with the other clans at the festival of
Ragnar and Isis. It is held once every ten years, there I will
speak to the other clan leaders and tell them the outsiders have
arrived. When the text is whole again, we will know where the
portal is and you can move on to the next world.’
Before anyone could say a word,
the door flap was thrown open and a breathless and flushed Elkeira
came rushing in. ‘Father, father, everything is ready, the feast
can begin.’
‘Thank you daughter, we will be
there shortly.’
‘Don’t be long,’ said Elkeira
rushing out again,’ it is my coming of age, remember.’
Roki turned back to his guests.
‘I have been speaking for many hours, I apologise, but I felt it
important you know these things. If you have any questions about
anything we have spoken of please do not hesitate to ask me,’ he
said, ‘now, let us go and eat and talk of happier things.’
They all stood to leave; Max
felt a little light headed and swayed slightly, only to be caught
by Haven and Tallon. Both men looked at her, concern showing on
their faces.
Max smiled and patted Haven’s
hand, ‘I’m fine,’ she said, ‘it’s just a little stuffy in here
that’s all, now let’s go and eat, I’m starving.’
‘I’m with you on that one,’
said Haven, although the concern was still evident on his
face.
Max smiled again, ‘I know how
much you’ve been waiting for this.’
‘Are you sure you’re all
right?’ he asked.
‘You worry too much, let’s go,’
said Max.
Tallon walked ahead and ducked
through the exit holding the flap open for everyone.
‘Thank you Tallon,’ smiled Max
as she exited, he looked down at her, returning her smile.
Haven didn’t feel quite so
friendly, ‘thanks,’ he said brusquely. Tallon just smiled
enigmatically.
The evening began well. The
whole camp was in attendance, all three hundred and fifty of them.
The feast was not only to welcome the outsiders, but it was also
Elkeira’s coming of age, so no one wanted to miss out on the
exciting evening.
Haven went to get some food for
himself and Max and left Max sitting on a bench next to Gilster who
was in deep conversation with a woman from the camp. When he
returned he placed a plate of food in front of Max, ‘I wasn’t sure
what you wanted so I got you a little of everything,’ he said, his
own plate groaning under the weight of food.
‘Thanks,’ said Max, ‘I’ll just
pick for now.’
‘You must eat you have to keep
your strength up.’
Max looked at Havens plate, ‘I
think you’re keeping strength up for both of us,’ she said
smiling.
There was so much food and
drink Max feared it would take them a week to consume it all, but
as the evening progressed it seemed she was wrong. Max picked a few
morsels from her plate, her stomach feeling a bit queasy, until
eventually she asked a serving woman to please take it away.
Hours later after everyone had
finished eating, the remaining food was removed and the drinking
continued. Her queasy stomach had improved greatly since she’d
eaten something. With everyone around her having such a good time
she thought she would try a drink. ‘What the heck,’ she thought,
‘you only live once.’ Grabbing a nearby cup, she downed the liquid;
it was fiery in her throat but tasty at the same time. She liked
it.
The dancing and singing
continued on into the night. At one stage Max noticed Gilster
dancing with the woman he had been talking too earlier, Max smiled,
happy he was enjoying himself. Haven sat quietly at her side,
looking very uncomfortable. ‘This reminds me of parties I went to
as a teenager,’ thought Max. Throwing caution to the wind she
jumped up and using the bench as a step climbed onto the
table.
‘What are you doing?’ hissed
Haven, sounding annoyed.
‘Enjoying myself . . . come up
and join me,’ she laughed, dancing on the table top. As she spun
around she saw Tallon watching her. On her next spin round she
looked for him again but he had disappeared.
‘Get down,’ said Haven making a
grab for her, ‘you’re making a fool of yourself.’ She tried to run
along the table-top, but he caught her and pulled her roughly from
the table.
‘You’re no fun,’ said Max,
angry at Haven for spoiling her good time.
‘Wait here for me, I’m going to
get your cloak,’ said Haven, ‘I think we should leave.’
‘I left it in Roki’s tent,’
yelled Max, as Haven stormed away.
The crowd had thinned somewhat
and the remaining revellers had started to move closer to the giant
fire in the centre of the camp as the temperature dropped. Max was
soon left by herself. She waited and waited growing angrier and
angrier.
‘Where is he,’ she snapped,
‘how hard can it be to find a cloak.’ She shivered and headed off
towards Roki’s tent.
Haven entered Roki’s tent only
to find Tallon sitting alone, quietly drinking. ‘Have you seen
Max’s cloak,’ he asked tightly, ‘we’re leaving the party.’
‘No,’ came the casual reply,
but I’m glad you are here, there is something I wish to ask
you.’
‘Ask away,’ said Haven looking
around for the cloak and wondering what Tallon could possible
want.
‘Is she your woman?’ asked
Tallon bluntly.
Taken completely by surprise
Haven could only stutter.
‘Wha......who?’
‘Maxine of course, is she your
woman? Because she may not be for long,’ he continued, ‘I think I
would like her to be my woman, you do not deserve her.’
Haven was taken aback, but he
knew he didn’t like this man nor where the conversation was
heading. ‘How dare you, you know nothing about us. If you touch her
it will be the last thing you ever do.’ He was quite surprised at
how angry he felt.
Tallon just smiled. ‘I think I
will take her from you, I am a warrior you are not, you cannot stop
me.’
Haven took a menacing step
forward, itching to put his fist in Tallon’s smiling face. ‘Take
her,’ he roared, ‘and . . .’
At that moment, Max, who had
just arrived and only heard the last thing Haven said, burst into
the tent.
‘Oh is that right,’ she
shrieked, ‘he can take me, can he? What am I, an object to be used
and passed along when you’ve finished with me.’ She was shaking
with anger. Tallon sat quietly watching the drama unfold.
Haven was devastated. ‘No,
that’s not what I meant, not what I meant at all, I was going to
say --,’
‘I don’t care what you were
going to say, just stay away from me, I’m so angry right now,’ she
yelled. She turned around and marched back out of the tent.
very similar and we also have the one given to Daria. I believe the
woman who brought Tallon to you may have been Isis.’ Now it was
Roki’s turned to be shocked.
‘How can this be, the gods do
not come among us.’
‘Perhaps she did not want to
trust the scroll with anyone else,’ said Max.
‘Perhaps,’ said Roki, quite
willing to accept Max’s explanation.
Max stole a glance towards
Tallon, but his face had not changed, he stood as stoic as
ever.
Roki continued. ‘Fifteen years
after the woman brought Tallon to us, my wife became pregnant with
Elkeira, we could not believe it, after all that time the gods had
finally blessed us with a child of our own.’ His eyes began to
glisten with emotion. ‘My wife was overjoyed; when Elkeira was
born, she was loved like no other child has ever been loved, but my
wife never treated Tallon differently, she was the only mother he
had ever known. Sadly, she was killed in a hunting accident when
Elkeira was only three years old. But from the moment Elkeira was
born Tallon has been her constant protector. Elkeira sometimes
resents the fact that Tallon watches over her but no harm has ever
come to her because of his protection. That is why he must go with
you when you leave. He was close by when you came through the
portal, although Elkeira was not aware of this, he would not have
let you hurt her, or, might I add, her hurt you when she changed
into the cat,’ he smiled.
‘You know about that?’ said
Max.
Roki laughed. ‘Yes, I know,
Elkeira thinks it is her secret but I have known for a long time
thanks to Tallon. Let me explain more. There are many clans on my
world. Clan Predator is one of the strongest clans; there is also
Clan Prey, Clan Bird, Clan Fish and many others. -Each person born
into a particular clan can shape-shift into an animal from that
clan, it is forbidden to change clans nor pair with someone from
another clan. You already know Elkeira can change into a large cat:
Tallon can change into a bear and I am a wolf, it is the same for
other clans.’
‘I see,’ said, Max, ‘so if you
come from say, Clan Bird, you can change into different types of
birds.’
‘Yes,’ said Roki, pleased they
had understood so quickly, ‘but each person can only change into
one particular creature.’
‘But are all the animals on
your world also people, or do you have some animals that are just
animals?’ asked Haven, more intrigued than ever.
‘Some animals are just
animals,’ answered Roki, ‘but when people are in animal form it is
impossible to know which they are.’
‘Doesn’t that cause problems
when you go hunting,’ said Gilster, ‘what if you accidently kill a
person who happens to be in an animal form.’
‘It has happened,’ said Roki
sadly, ‘but it is a very rare event, most of us do not stay long in
animal form, it is too dangerous.’
‘Dangerous?’ said Max.
‘If we stay too long,
eventually we cannot change back, we become the animal so
completely we cannot remember who we were,’ said Roki. ‘In our
society it is the mother who teaches the child to control the beast
within. We do not allow children to change without their mother
being present until after their coming of age. But this posed a
dilemma in Elkeira’s case as she did not have a mother for very
long.’
‘So that’s why Elkeira didn’t
want us to say anything about her turning into a cat.’ Max
understood now.
‘Yes,’ said Roki, ‘mothers
teach the child not to be frightened of the change and to be able
to change only when they wish it, not spontaneously, which is what
happens when the children are young. As you can imagine, it is very
frightening for a child to suddenly change into an animal and not
know why, or how to change back to human form. The mother teaches
all these things. When a child reaches the age of sixteen they are
considered to be an adult and as such they can change whenever they
like, but up until that age no child is allowed to change without
their mother’s consent.
‘Interesting,’ said Gilster.
‘Can the people on this world do other things besides
shapeshifting?’
‘No, that is the only magic the
gods have seen fit to give us, other than our healers of course. I
would have been very interested to see your magic,’ said Roki, ‘it
is a shame you cannot use it here.’
‘You have magic?’ came a now
familiar deep, rumbling voice, ‘interesting.’
‘Tallon,’ said Roki, ‘I forgot
you were there, come, sit with us.’
Tallon moved to sit on the sofa
next to Max who was now dwarfed between the two large men.
Haven spoke, ‘I’m finding it
very difficult not hearing the constant hum of thoughts I’ve heard
all my life, it makes me feel very cut off, especially from Max,’
he added.
‘It must be very strange for
you,’ said Roki, ‘I do not know how I would feel if, suddenly I
could not shapeshift anymore, but I promise you it will return when
you leave.’
‘Speaking of leaving,’ said
Gilster, ‘when do you think that might be? I’m very worried about
our friend Daria.’
‘They will keep her alive until
they have all the chosen and all the scrolls,’ said Roki, ‘so you
must make sure no one else is captured. Only if all the chosen are
killed in the same world will the portal be closed for ever. If
only one chosen is killed, another can take their place and the
Anubians will have to start again; no, I believe they will try to
capture all the current chosen, kill them and end it once and for
all.’
‘That’s an interesting, if
somewhat scary piece of information,’ said Max, ‘we didn’t know
that, at least we know Daria is safe.’
‘For now,’ added Gilster.
‘You can’t keep blaming
yourself,’ said Max, ‘you almost died trying to save her.’
‘No, you most certainly cannot
blame yourself,’ said Roki. ‘When your friend Daria was proclaimed
one of the Chosen she instantly became a target. Someone on your
world must have told the Anubians what she looked like and where
she had gone for them to have found her so quickly.’
‘It must have been Elder Timus,
we know he was one of them,’ said Haven angrily.
‘When I find him, I will kill
him very slowly and very painfully,’ said Gilster coldly. Max had
never heard Gilster speak like that before and it quite frightened
her to hear the malice in his voice. No one said a word for several
seconds.
Tallon eventually broke the
silence. ‘When this is over,’ he said, his deep voice reverberating
in his chest, ‘I will help you track down and kill the traitor.’ He
looked intently at Gilster.
‘Thank you, my friend,’ said
Gilster. Tallon nodded.
Roki quickly changed the
subject.
‘Back in the beginning of time
the sacred words were written and given to us by Ragnar and Isis,
may they protect us forever,’ he added reverently. ‘The sacred
words lead the way to the portal. We were charged to keep them safe
and hidden until such time as they would be needed by the Chosen.
Our ancestors decided that the safest way would be to break up the
ancient text and give a piece to each of the clans for safe
keeping. Now the time has come to reassemble the text. We must
leave here soon to meet up with the other clans at the festival of
Ragnar and Isis. It is held once every ten years, there I will
speak to the other clan leaders and tell them the outsiders have
arrived. When the text is whole again, we will know where the
portal is and you can move on to the next world.’
Before anyone could say a word,
the door flap was thrown open and a breathless and flushed Elkeira
came rushing in. ‘Father, father, everything is ready, the feast
can begin.’
‘Thank you daughter, we will be
there shortly.’
‘Don’t be long,’ said Elkeira
rushing out again,’ it is my coming of age, remember.’
Roki turned back to his guests.
‘I have been speaking for many hours, I apologise, but I felt it
important you know these things. If you have any questions about
anything we have spoken of please do not hesitate to ask me,’ he
said, ‘now, let us go and eat and talk of happier things.’
They all stood to leave; Max
felt a little light headed and swayed slightly, only to be caught
by Haven and Tallon. Both men looked at her, concern showing on
their faces.
Max smiled and patted Haven’s
hand, ‘I’m fine,’ she said, ‘it’s just a little stuffy in here
that’s all, now let’s go and eat, I’m starving.’
‘I’m with you on that one,’
said Haven, although the concern was still evident on his
face.
Max smiled again, ‘I know how
much you’ve been waiting for this.’
‘Are you sure you’re all
right?’ he asked.
‘You worry too much, let’s go,’
said Max.
Tallon walked ahead and ducked
through the exit holding the flap open for everyone.
‘Thank you Tallon,’ smiled Max
as she exited, he looked down at her, returning her smile.
Haven didn’t feel quite so
friendly, ‘thanks,’ he said brusquely. Tallon just smiled
enigmatically.
The evening began well. The
whole camp was in attendance, all three hundred and fifty of them.
The feast was not only to welcome the outsiders, but it was also
Elkeira’s coming of age, so no one wanted to miss out on the
exciting evening.
Haven went to get some food for
himself and Max and left Max sitting on a bench next to Gilster who
was in deep conversation with a woman from the camp. When he
returned he placed a plate of food in front of Max, ‘I wasn’t sure
what you wanted so I got you a little of everything,’ he said, his
own plate groaning under the weight of food.
‘Thanks,’ said Max, ‘I’ll just
pick for now.’
‘You must eat you have to keep
your strength up.’
Max looked at Havens plate, ‘I
think you’re keeping strength up for both of us,’ she said
smiling.
There was so much food and
drink Max feared it would take them a week to consume it all, but
as the evening progressed it seemed she was wrong. Max picked a few
morsels from her plate, her stomach feeling a bit queasy, until
eventually she asked a serving woman to please take it away.
Hours later after everyone had
finished eating, the remaining food was removed and the drinking
continued. Her queasy stomach had improved greatly since she’d
eaten something. With everyone around her having such a good time
she thought she would try a drink. ‘What the heck,’ she thought,
‘you only live once.’ Grabbing a nearby cup, she downed the liquid;
it was fiery in her throat but tasty at the same time. She liked
it.
The dancing and singing
continued on into the night. At one stage Max noticed Gilster
dancing with the woman he had been talking too earlier, Max smiled,
happy he was enjoying himself. Haven sat quietly at her side,
looking very uncomfortable. ‘This reminds me of parties I went to
as a teenager,’ thought Max. Throwing caution to the wind she
jumped up and using the bench as a step climbed onto the
table.
‘What are you doing?’ hissed
Haven, sounding annoyed.
‘Enjoying myself . . . come up
and join me,’ she laughed, dancing on the table top. As she spun
around she saw Tallon watching her. On her next spin round she
looked for him again but he had disappeared.
‘Get down,’ said Haven making a
grab for her, ‘you’re making a fool of yourself.’ She tried to run
along the table-top, but he caught her and pulled her roughly from
the table.
‘You’re no fun,’ said Max,
angry at Haven for spoiling her good time.
‘Wait here for me, I’m going to
get your cloak,’ said Haven, ‘I think we should leave.’
‘I left it in Roki’s tent,’
yelled Max, as Haven stormed away.
The crowd had thinned somewhat
and the remaining revellers had started to move closer to the giant
fire in the centre of the camp as the temperature dropped. Max was
soon left by herself. She waited and waited growing angrier and
angrier.
‘Where is he,’ she snapped,
‘how hard can it be to find a cloak.’ She shivered and headed off
towards Roki’s tent.
Haven entered Roki’s tent only
to find Tallon sitting alone, quietly drinking. ‘Have you seen
Max’s cloak,’ he asked tightly, ‘we’re leaving the party.’
‘No,’ came the casual reply,
but I’m glad you are here, there is something I wish to ask
you.’
‘Ask away,’ said Haven looking
around for the cloak and wondering what Tallon could possible
want.
‘Is she your woman?’ asked
Tallon bluntly.
Taken completely by surprise
Haven could only stutter.
‘Wha......who?’
‘Maxine of course, is she your
woman? Because she may not be for long,’ he continued, ‘I think I
would like her to be my woman, you do not deserve her.’
Haven was taken aback, but he
knew he didn’t like this man nor where the conversation was
heading. ‘How dare you, you know nothing about us. If you touch her
it will be the last thing you ever do.’ He was quite surprised at
how angry he felt.
Tallon just smiled. ‘I think I
will take her from you, I am a warrior you are not, you cannot stop
me.’
Haven took a menacing step
forward, itching to put his fist in Tallon’s smiling face. ‘Take
her,’ he roared, ‘and . . .’
At that moment, Max, who had
just arrived and only heard the last thing Haven said, burst into
the tent.
‘Oh is that right,’ she
shrieked, ‘he can take me, can he? What am I, an object to be used
and passed along when you’ve finished with me.’ She was shaking
with anger. Tallon sat quietly watching the drama unfold.
Haven was devastated. ‘No,
that’s not what I meant, not what I meant at all, I was going to
say --,’
‘I don’t care what you were
going to say, just stay away from me, I’m so angry right now,’ she
yelled. She turned around and marched back out of the tent.
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