Dreams and Shadows (The Aylosian Chronicles Book 1) (45 page)

Wondering whether he was supposed to copy his overseer, he sat down against the wall opposite. He expected the Nixu to say something, but it just sat there looking at him with its big red eyes for what seemed like an age. Eventually, Michael decided that it was waiting for him to initiate the conversation.

“Thank you,” he said, “for helping me.” He exaggerated looking across his body, “For patching me up.”

The red eyes continued to stare at him, and while the mouth widened again to display the black fangs, the Nixu remained silent.

After another minute’s silence Michael continued, deciding to risk his questions “Why did you do it?
 
Your kind tried to hurt me a few moons ago, so why are you helping me now? Are you allies with the Guardian?”

The creature blinked, the first time that Michael had seen it do so, but remained in silence. Finally it spoke, “You are necessary.”

Michael raised his eyebrows at the statement. He had been trying to work out why he was important… or not. But he hadn’t ever thought of himself in such utilitarian terms as to whether he was ‘necessary’ and wasn’t sure whether to be offended.

The Nixu then added, “We do not serve the Guardian.”

As they again sat in silence, and despite the Nixu’s last comforting statement, Michael began to fidget.
 
He thought that once the Nixu had started to speak he might have elaborated a little more, but instead he seemed to be happy to keep an interminable silence.

“My name is Michael,” he said when he could bear the silence no longer.

Once more he saw the creature’s mouth widen in what Michael was beginning to think was a gruesome looking smile. “No,” it said, “It is not.”

Michael was about to protest before he remembered the land’s customs: after all this time,
Old habits…
he thought to himself. “Okay. Sorry, no I am called Michael. But I guess technically my name is Ramical. But I’ve only just discovered that, so I’m used to it being Michael.”

Even as he said it he had no idea how the Nixu would have known what his name was. Perhaps it was something to do with his being
‘necessary’
, that they knew things about him. Or maybe they had mistaken him for someone else.

But still the creature’s expression remained amused. “You have much to discover,” he said.

The gaps between the conversation were still painful as Michael asked, “What should I call you? Do you have a name?”

“Do you ask of my people?” the Nixu queried, “or do you ask of… me?”

“Well, I guess I meant just you, but it would be good to know about your people too,” he replied.

After another pause, the creature responded, “It is… difficult. Words are… imprecise.” The Nixu thought for another moment. “In your words, we are the Aniq’csu. It is almost correct.”

The sounds were strange to Michael and he tried to pronounce it, causing the black being to actually laugh.

“Our name means ‘The people who live under the mountains, whose peril is with deeds.’ It is not precise, but close to the true meaning. Your attempt names us, ‘The people who live under the water, who tend Gulan.’” As his laughter eased he explained, “Your kind find our name difficult to say and call us Nixu. In our language, it is nonsense, but we prefer it to being called demons.”

The being’s humour now being displayed softened him in Michael’s eyes, and he felt a flash of guilt for having considered them demons himself, but he smiled and nodded.

“And what about you? What should I call you?”

“In your words,” he replied, “My name is nearest Ujiq’csi.”

Michael didn’t think he would have any more success pronouncing this name, and so decided to see if there was something he could more easily pronounce, “Is there something a little… easier I could use for you? I’d hate to end up calling you something that means you walk around on your head all the time, or something.”

Ujiq’csi seemed to think that was even funnier than Michael’s failed attempt at their people’s name and laughed almost uncontrollably for a minute before calming down enough to reply, “You would give my people great joy to make the attempt.”

“Evidently.”

“But that would not be… convenient if there was an urgent need to call me.” He thought for a moment before then adding, “You may call me Jixi.”

After that, Jixi suddenly rose to his feet to depart, and Michael was again worried that he would be left trapped in what was, for all practical purposes, a cell. “Wait,” he called, “I really am grateful to you for taking care of me. But I need to leave here. There are people I need to help.”

Returning his gaze, Jixi stared at him, his expression again impossible to read, “You do not yet have strength for your journey. When you are ready, I will help.”

And with that unexpected promise, Jixi turned and left.

As with his previous experience of living in underground tunnels, Michael had no idea how much time passed, but from time to time another Nixu would bring a new plate of food and drink. He was frustrated at being trapped here, but there seemed to be little he could do about it. Despite several attempts, he couldn’t pry the ever-burning torch from the wall, and several attempts at walking through the dark corridors failed: twice needing to be rescued by silent Nixu who would carefully lead him back to his stone room. Jixi appeared at apparently random intervals and they would resume their conversation, always punctuated with long periods of silence. Although he met several other Nixu, none of the others ever spoke, and so Jixi was his only source of information, although after seeing several of the creatures, he finally began to be able to discern their gender, and realised Jixi was male.

Eventually more torches were placed in intervals in the corridor outside his room, and Michael was able to explore a little. It was good to use his legs again, and he felt his strength returning. The grey muck that appeared on each plate of food he was given never lost its unpleasant taste, but he was sure that his body was healing faster than it should have done, so continued to force it down without complaining, thinking that perhaps it contained something that was aiding his speedy recovery.

It was several conversations later that Michael again enquired of Jixi regarding his first encounter with them. “Why were you trying to hurt me?” he asked.

In the silence that followed, Michael wondered what Jixi was thinking, his face still unreadable to him.
 
But eventually the Nixu replied, “We did not seek you harm.”

Although Michael had come to expect short answers, he was still disappointed when Jixi said no more, and decided to pursue the subject. “I was there, remember. One of you was walking towards me with their arm stretched out to me, like you were trying to snatch me away from my friends.”

Jixi again sat quietly, and Michael remained silent, hoping that he would eventually respond.

“I am… sorry,” he finally said, “I did not mean to give you fear.”

“It was you?” Michael asked, surprised.

“We planned to greet you in less… dangerous circumstances. But the Chet’tu was near to ending your life. Apaq’csi made the flame to destroy it, but we feared another would be near. Thus I acted sooner than I should. Much would have been avoided if I had not done so.”

Jixi’s face remained emotionless as he spoke, though Michael thought he could detect a hint of regret in the words.

“You were trying to help me?” he said more to himself than to anyone. “And one of you made that flame that killed the Chet’tu?”

The memory of the fire was still vivid. The heat had been beyond description and had charred the evil canine within seconds of erupting. He now knew that had been the creation of one of the Nixu, timed perfectly to save his life, just as he had closed his eyes ready to be devoured.

“Can I meet him?” Michael asked. “To give him my thanks for saving me?”

“Apaq’csi is no more in this world,” came the reply. “When one of us makes an action that is not… natural, recompense must be paid to provide a balance.”

In the quiet that followed, Michael tried to understand what he had just been told, realisation slowly dawning on him. “You mean he died making that fire?”

Since he had awoken from his vision, the weight of the deaths of others had hung on his soul, but they were again magnified as another was added to the list. This time it was someone he had never met who had died to save him. And rather than accept his sacrifice, he had run straight into the hands of Jashmarael’s servants. The Nixu had arrived that night to protect him, and he had spurned their help, shunning their willing gift of a life; mistaking their hands of help for evil claws.

He was about to sink again into a cycle of despairing thoughts, when Jixi spoke again, “Do not sorrow, Michael. You live in this moment, and so Apaq’csi’s act achieved its ends. If there is error that you fled, it is mine, but now I do not believe there was error.”

Surprised at the words, Michael looked at his small companion, Jixi continuing his speech, “Always you have been necessary. But only since your return from the Guardian are you… prepared. It is… right.”

Jixi always seemed to struggle with choosing the words to convey his thoughts. He had learned that the Nixu communicated telepathically, using images and patterns rather than words, and it was obvious that Jixi found human speech difficult. He often described it as ‘imprecise’. Michael thought that this was another such occasion, and didn’t enquire as to Jixi’s meaning. But the Nixu’s words had sufficiently halted his slide into despair to remember what he needed to do.

“I need to go now,” he said, an urgency suddenly filling his chest. “I need to get to the Elahish to warn them. I’m mostly healed. It can’t wait any longer.”

He hadn’t meant his words to sound so severe, but if they were harsh Jixi showed no sign of being offended. In fact, he smiled. When Michael had first seen the Nixu widen his mouth in that manner, he had found it terrifying: a creature from hell seeking to sink its bladed teeth into him. Now that he had come to know Jixi, however, he found the expression endearing. The display was intended to offer comfort rather than fear, and it was only his foolish assumptions that had made it appear otherwise.

Maintaining his smile, Jixi rose to his feet. “You are prepared,” he said. “I will show you… friend.”

At that, Michael also smiled as he stood, feeling a warmth for his charcoal-black companion. “Thank you,” he replied, “…friend.”

***

Michael considered changing out of the tunic and into his former clothes, but whatever material had been used by the Nixu was ideal in the dark tunnels, giving a tough resistance to scrapes against the jagged rock walls. But he took his old boots and his jacket, and soon they were on their way.

They moved quickly through the tunnels, although Michael was certain that Jixi could have gone much more quickly if not encumbered with a human. The Nixu needed no lights to navigate the underground areas, but they had given one to Michael, knowing that he didn’t share their night vision. Every so often, they would pause their journey, food having been prepared and left for them, and with a fresh torch also lit. Michael wondered how it had all been arranged without any notice, but his enquiries on the subject were met only with smiles.

There was always more of the grey mush waiting for him, and he made sure that whatever else he ate, he consumed the gunk. He had come to the certain conclusion that it contained properties that somehow renewed his body, so despite its foul taste, he now looked forward to it.

Five times in their journey Jixi stopped them and instructed Michael to sleep, which he dutifully did.
 
But Michael had no concept of whether that meant they had travelled for five dawns, or whether the frequency of sleep correlated to more or less time than this. Almost the entire journey was downhill, and Michael realised that they must have been high in the mountains to be travelling to lower heights for so long. And as they regularly passed other tunnels, turning occasionally, he also knew that without his guide he would never have had any hope of escaping, even with a light that burned indefinitely. The caverns were too long and complex. He had certainly lost some time while healing, but they were more than making up for it now.

His main concern was that he didn’t know how long he had been unconscious. He had asked Jixi, but the Nixu didn’t appear to have any definitions of time that matched his own. For all he knew, he had been unconscious for more than a moon, and he was already too late to help. But he couldn’t do anything about that now, and so pushed those worries aside in order to focus on maintaining his speed.

It was shortly after the fifth sleep that their descent turned into ascent, and some time after that, Michael noticed a dim light in the tunnel ahead. Soon afterwards, it was clear that the light was that of the sun, and before long they slowed their walk, exiting the caverns behind a large collection of shrubs and bushes.

Stepping out from behind their natural cover, Michael looked back at the rock face and saw that the tunnel entrance was perfectly hidden. Ahead of them were rolling hills, covered in trees and shrubs that were still showing evidence of late spring. The greens of their leaves were bright, a handful of pink and yellow blossoms still displaying their glorious colours to the insects they sought to attract.

He expected Jixi to return to the tunnels, leaving Michael alone, but he continued to lead the way, withholding any evidence of discomfort from the sun’s rays. Michael’s own eyes took the best part of two marks to properly adjust to the renewed light, having been deep underground for so long, but they were soon speeding on their way again. They took longer to stop now, though, as they needed to find their own sustenance. Consequently, they stopped at most of the healthy streams they passed. Fruit was scarce, but some of the edible berries were ripe even during this late spring season, and that kept them going.

As the sun set, Jixi kept them walking – the darkness no hindrance to him – and the moon was high in the night sky when he halted their progress for sleep in an open cave. There was no more of the grey mush, and Michael’s legs had grown tired through the long marks as a result. He slept solidly, and the sun had arisen by the time he woke the next morning. But Jixi had already gathered a morning breakfast that enabled them to set off quickly.