Raven Rise

JOURNAL #34
IBARA

Itfeels strange to write these words, but I have to because, well, they are the truth.

Mark, Courtney, I am having an amazingly great time. I guess I’m feeling kind of guilty about it, because I shouldn’t be having so much fun when you consider that the reason I’m here is because of a brutal war and the near destruction of a territory. Maybe Saint Dane is right. You’ve got to break something down before you can rebuild.

Whoa. Did I just write that? Did I actually agree with something Saint Dane said? Oh great. There’s something else to feel guilty about. But not really. This is different. Saint Dane’s plan for the destruction of Ibara was intentional. He was trying to bring it about. I’m just dealing with the end result of events that were beyond my control. I’m coming from a completely different place. I guess you could say that I’m trying to make the best of it, and it’s working out pretty well.

I suppose “fun” isn’t the best word to describe what I’m doing. I’ve actually been working really hard. Cleaning up the wreckage of Rayne was grueling. I wrote all about that before. Every last person who lives in Rayne did their part, and we were left with a clean slate. The beach was clear. We saved many of the beautiful palm trees. Tribunal Mountain was intact. What followed was the rebuilding of a village.

I won’t go into all the details of the work because it was extensive. Rayne may have been a simple fishing village built on a quiet tropical bay, but it was surprisingly sophisticated. As much as the tribunal didn’t want to repeat the mistakes of the past and become slaves to technology, some of the more rudimentary elements of civilization were used once again. Pipes were replaced to bring running water back through the village. The simple power grid needed repair so that each new hut would have light. The communication system was intact because it was powered from Tribunal Mountain. There were engineers who maintained each of those systems, and oversaw their rebuilding.

My crew worked on rebuilding the huts. For me it was the best job, because the results were tangible. After a hard day’s work we had an actual, physical structure to show for it. Simple as that. I guess it was symbolic as much as anything, but seeing these structures begin to dot the sand gave me the gratification of knowing I was working to make something real. Maybe guilt played in there a little bit as well. I was the one who brought the tak to Ibara that destroyed the village in the first place. Of course, it would have been worse if Saint Dane had his way, but still. I had a hand in leveling the place, and now I’m having a very big hand in rebuilding it. It’s an awesome feeling to do something so positive. There are no downsides here. I’m feeling great.

Another good thing is that the people of Rayne seem to like me. I’m no longer considered a mysterious outsider. I’m one of them. They trust me and follow me. I’m in charge of many workers, and they could easily blow me off, but they haven’t. I think I’m a good leader. I try to be fair and spread the workload, and I never ask somebody to do something I wouldn’t do myself. I think they respect that. It’s keeping me in great shape, too. I’m putting on some serious muscle. That’ll happen when you’re lugging around lengths of building materials all day.

Genj and the others on the tribunal are always asking my opinions on things too. Genj in particular. He’s always telling me how glad he is that I’m there and what a great job I’m doing. More than once he’s said that he doesn’t know where they would be if I hadn’t come to Ibara. I believe it was that feeling that led them to do something that took me by surprise. Even as I’m writing this, I’m having trouble believing what happened.

One evening, at the end of the workday, I was summoned from the job site to the mountain for an audience with the tribunal. That’s what the security guy called it: “an audience.” Up until that point my relationship with Genj and Moman and Drea had been pretty informal. Even though they were the big bosses, they always treated me as an equal. More or less. The fact that I was being summoned for an audience suddenly felt kind of official. Ominous even. As I walked toward that meeting, I kept racking my brain trying to figure out what I might have done wrong.

I entered the mountain and climbed the stone stairs that led to the vast cavern that was the tribunal’s meeting place. The closer I got, the more nervous I became. What had I done? What had gone wrong? I reached the floor and saw the three members of the tribunal sitting behind their desk, looking seriously formal. They wore the same simple light green clothing with long sleeves and pants that they had worn the day I first met them. That was a surprise, because for the last few months they had been dressing exactly like everyone else in Rayne. They were working hard too, and they dressed for it in work clothes. Now they were looking all sorts of official. Gulp. I walked forward, uncertain. It was like a wall had descended between us. Just that morning we were talking and kidding like friends. Now I was being called to the principal’s office. I stood in front of them without saying a word. Genj, Drea, and Moman stared back at me, expressionless. I wanted to break the tension and shout, “Guys? What the heck?” I didn’t. I’m learning to keep my mouth shut.

Finally, after enough time had gone by so that my armpits were totally soaked with nervous sweat, Genj said, “Pendragon, do you know why you’re here?”

Swell. A quiz. Did he mean did I know why I was standing in front of them feeling awkward and sweaty, or did I know why I was on Ibara? I didn’t know the answer to the first question and didn’t want to answer the second.

“No.” Can’t go wrong with that answer.

Drea continued, “We’ve been observing you closely since the day you arrived on Ibara and were attacked by the swarm of bees.”

Right. The quig-bees. I’d almost forgotten about that. Or maybe I forced it out of my head.

“As you know, we do not welcome outsiders,” Moman continued. “But you knew of our dear, lost Remudi. We originally decided to let you stay, on the chance you might help us learn what had happened to him.”

I knew exactly what had happened to him. He was the Traveler from Ibara. Saint Dane killed him during a Tato match on Quillan. As much as they wanted to know what had become of their former tribunal member, they would never learn that particular truth.

“Unfortunately,” Moman added, “we still do not know of his fate.”

I nodded sympathetically and said, “I wish I could help you.” It was the truth. I really did wish I could help. But I couldn’t. Or wouldn’t.

“At first you had us worried, Pendragon,” Genj said. “Especially when you put in with Siry and his band of Jakills.”

“If not for the Jakills,” I interrupted, “we never would have known of the dado attack. We owe them all a debt of gratitude.”

I shouldn’t have said anything. This was their show, but I couldn’t stand there and let them disrespect the Jakills. Ibara was still around because of them. I guess I hadn’t learned to keep my mouth shut after all.

“Indeed,” Drea said. “We never understood Siry and his friends. Perhaps we should have listened to them a bit more attentively. Sometimes we equate youth with ignorance. It is a failing that comes with age, and of that we are guilty.”

Oh.

“Which brings us to the point of this audience,” Genj interjected. “As much as we owe the Jakills a debt of gratitude, it is a debt we also owe you. You saved our home. You saved Veelox. We wish that Siry and your friend Alder could be here to hear this as well. Not only did you guide us in the battle, but since then you have proven to be a valuable ally in the rebuilding of Rayne. We don’t know why you have adopted Ibara, but we are certainly glad that you did.”

I had to smile. They had brought me there to thank me.

Though I wasn’t sure why they were being so formal about it. All they had to do was say “thanks” and I’d be happy.

“What are your plans?” Moman asked. “Will you be leaving us?”

Huge question. They had no idea that I had come from another territory in another time. For all they knew, I was planning on taking a boat and sailing back to wherever it was I had come from in the first place. They didn’t know I had nowhere to go and my boat was buried under a few thousand tons of rubble.

“I can’t go back home,” I told them honestly. “The reasons for that are too complicated to explain. Even if I could, I’m not so sure I’d go. Rayne is my home now. I want to do what I can to help rebuild it. But that won’t take forever. I think that once the village is rebuilt, we can look to the future and start building another fleet of pilgrim ships. Veelox is still waiting. There’s an entire world to bring back from the dead, not just a single island. I want to be around to see that.”

All three tribunal members exchanged looks, and smiles.

“That is what we hoped to hear,” Genj said. “Given how hard you’ve been working, we aren’t surprised. Still, we needed to hear it. Seeing as this is the decision you have made, we’d like to inform you of a decision we have made, along with many other village leaders.”

As if on cue, people started walking into the large chamber. They had been listening to this conversation from the tunnels surrounding the cavern. Everyone was dressed in the same formal clothing that the tribunal wore. I was suddenly feeling kind of cheesy in my sweaty work clothes. In all, there were around thirty people, many of whom I recognized as leaders of various groups within Rayne. There were engineers, musicians, doctors, architects, security people, and pretty much every leader of every important group on the island. Telleo was there too. She stepped behind her father with a broad grin. What the heck was going on?

Genj stood and looked me right in the eye.

“We have been discussing this for quite some time,” he began. “The vote was unanimous. There has been a vacant chair on the tribunal of Rayne since Remudi left. It needs to be filled. We would be honored if you took that seat. You have earned it, Pendragon. Will you help lead Rayne and Ibara into the future?”

To say I was stunned would be an understatement. These people were asking me to become one of the four leaders of the village. Of Ibara. And for all practical purposes, of Veelox.

They had brought the idea up once before, but I didn’t take it too seriously. It was right after the battle and everybody was caught up in the excitement of victory. I thought it was just one of those things that you say in the moment, but don’t really mean. And since nobody had mentioned it since, I forgot all about it. Until then. There was no mistake. They were serious. They wanted me on the tribunal.

So many thoughts flashed through my head. Could I do this? I was only a kid. Eighteen years old, I think. Who knows? I haven’t blown out a birthday candle in a bunch of years. Of course, I’d seen more things in those years than most people see in a lifetime, and that included the people who now sat on the tribunal.

I truly didn’t know how to answer. I looked at Telleo. She smiled and gave me a nod of encouragement. She wanted me to accept the offer. I think it was seeing her that made things come clear for me. It suddenly seemed as if everything that had happened could very well have been leading to this. Maybe this was my destiny as a Traveler. I had battled Saint Dane on eight different territories. Maybe the battle for Ibara was actually the final battle for Halla. Saint Dane threw everything at the small island, and lost. Now he was trapped here. It made me think that I had done the exact right thing in burying the flume. I had ended Saint Dane’s reign of terror. Now I was in a position to start picking up the pieces. Suddenly everything felt right. I was in the right place. This was the way it was meant to be.

“I would be honored,” I said, bowing my head in respect.

A cheer went up from the crowd. Everyone applauded. Telleo ran around the desk and gave me a hug. While we were hugging, I shook Genj’s hand, then Moman’s, and Drea’s. It was incredible. I was officially one of the leaders of a village. Of a territory. Its future was in my hands; I wasn’t about to fail. It was the best feeling in the world.

What made it all the better was that life didn’t change all that much once I had been elected to the tribunal. It wasn’t like I suddenly had to get all serious and attend meetings and wear stiff clothes and give speeches or anything. Just the opposite. My relationship with the tribunal was pretty loose. They’d ask my advice and I’d offer my opinions. Sometimes we’d debate over things, like whether we should build another common celebration area before tackling the next ring of homes. Or if we should push deeper into the jungle with our construction, which would allow for larger huts. It was easy. I still got to lead my group of builders and got my satisfaction from that. The only real difference was that Twig and Krayven started kidding me about being on the tribunal and being one of “them,” but it was all in fun.

No, it was more than that. In some ways this was the ultimate victory that the Jakills sought. They wanted the truth. They wanted their voices to be heard by the tribunal. Now their thoughts and concerns were very much on the tribunal’s plate, through me. I wished that Siry could know that. I wished that all the Jakills who lost their lives could know.

Many of the debates I had with the tribunal were during meals. I had lots of dinners with Genj and Telleo. We’d talk about the day’s work and the troubles and successes we were having. The conversation usually went to things like what we should do in the future. Rearming the water guns for the protection of Ibara was important. There was no telling if the Flighters would stage another attack. We talked about creating an additional security force to concentrate more on threats from off the island. It was exciting to know we were making decisions that would impact the future of an entire civilization.

There were problems, of course. It wasn’t all perfect. The work was hard and there were many injuries. Telleo assembled a medical force and supervised the doctors to care for everyone as best as they could.

Like I said, I was pretty close to Genj and Telleo. They had become my second family. But it wasn’t without a little weirdness. There were a few times when I got the feeling that Telleo wanted our relationship to be a little more than the brother-sister thing we had going on. It usually happened when we were sitting on our perch, high above the jungle. A few times she held my hand. That was okay. It was all innocent. But still, I didn’t feel comfortable holding my sister’s hand. A few times she looked up at me, right in the eyes, and I thought for sure she was going to lean in for a kiss. I usually coughed and changed the subject. I didn’t want to embarrass her or anything. I really liked Telleo. But I didn’t want things to get weird. There was too much going on to be thinking that way. You know, about having a girlfriend. Especially with a girl who was the daughter of the guy I sat on the tribunal with. There were too many things that could go sour.

Besides, I had already tried that once with Loor. I still have such strong feelings for Loor, but she made it very clear that as long as we were in the middle of this battle with Saint Dane, a serious romantic-type relationship was dumb. No, it was impossible. Of course, I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened between her and me now that the war was over. Would we ever see each other again? If we did, would we still have the same feelings? The main thing we had in common was the fight against Saint Dane. Now that that was over, would we have anything to talk about? I guess it doesn’t really matter. We won’t get the chance.

Telleo was a whole different issue. We were together. Though even with all the practical stuff aside, I just didn’t feel “that way” about her. Problem is that I think she felt “that way” about me. The best I could hope for was that it wouldn’t become too tricky. I didn’t want to have to have one of those “we’re just friends” conversations because the truth was that we were more than just friends. We were really close. But in a way different from what I think she wanted.

Another strange thing happened, and I’m not sure what it means. I was alone with Genj one night after a long day of work. I was beat. I mean, really beat. Genj was talking about the fishing fleet and how we should start moving some of the fishermen who had been building homes or dumping dado parts back onto the boats to start fishing again. He was right. It made sense. But I was too tired to care. My eyelids kept drooping. I mention that because I wasn’t thinking and said something I regret. I blame it on the fact that I was too tired to think straight. Or that I’m an idiot.

Remember I told you how I’ve been avoiding any talk about the past, only because I didn’t want to have to talk about mine? Well, Genj was talking about the fishing fleet and about how much his wife, whose name was Sharr by the way, loved a particular kind of fish that was rare because it didn’t run that often. It was the first time I had heard Genj mention his wife. I knew from the other tribunal members that she had died years before. Some sort of illness that I didn’t ask too much about. Telleo cared for her until the end. Moman told me it was Telleo’s experience with her mother that had turned her into a healer. So I knew what happened to Sharr, but I never brought her up with Genj. I figured it was a tough subject, so I didn’t go near it. Until that night. Without thinking, I asked, “How come Telleo didn’t get along with her mother?”

Genj sat up straight. I did too. Suddenly I wasn’t so sleepy anymore. What had I said? I wanted to grab the words out of the air and shove them back into my head. I didn’t say anything. I had to prepare for damage control.

“Telleo and Sharr were as close as any mother and daughter could be,” Genj said with authority. “They were more like sisters. When Sharr passed, Telleo was devastated. I didn’t think she’d come around, but she’s a strong girl. She loved her mother very much. Why would you think they didn’t get along?”

There was no way I was going to tell him that Telleo said she and her mother had problems. It was pretty obvious that there had been more going on between those two than Genj realized. Maybe they kept it from him. Whatever. It wasn’t my business, and I didn’t want to spoil his memories, even if they weren’t entirely accurate.

“I must be wrong,” I said quickly. “Telleo doesn’t like to talk about her mother, and I thought that was because they had problems. I see it’s just because she misses her.”

Genj nodded sadly. He bought my explanation. I wasn’t so sure I bought it though. I was learning more about Genj’s family than I wanted to know, and things didn’t quite add up. I decided that it was best left alone. The subject didn’t come up again.

I haven’t added to my journal in a few weeks, mostly because nothing journal-worthy was happening. Work on Rayne continued. The village was slowly taking shape. All was well. I wish I could find the right words to describe how satisfying it all was, but I think you get it. It all felt so right…

Until something very wrong happened. The irony is, it began with something wonderful. Amazing, in fact. No, impossible. I’m not completely sure what to make of it yet. It was an event that can be best described as “a miracle.” I’m serious. But along with the joy came a dark cloud. As I write this now, I still don’t know how dark it will get. But I will know, and soon.

We had been working really hard. My crew was exhausted. It was hot. Hotter than usual. It was midday and we had put the finishing touches on yet another hut. By that afternoon a family would be moving in. That was always cause for celebration. Since we had been working so hard, and there were only a few hours left in the day, I gave my guys the rest of the afternoon off. I told them to relax. Go for a swim. Take a nap. Anything. They had been doing a great job and deserved it.

There was another reason why I wanted the afternoon off. I wanted to go to the flume site. As I’ve written before, I’d been down there several times just to make sure it was definitely, positively out of reach. Each time, that was confirmed. Then days would pass and I’d begin to wonder again. On that particular afternoon the nagging little feeling started tickling my brain again. It was time to pay another visit to confirm what I already knew. What can I say? I’m obsessive. I’ll probably be checking the flume for the rest of my life.

I walked to the beach alone. The new huts hadn’t gotten close to the shore yet. It would be months before we broke ground on the outermost circle of Rayne. I had the beach to myself. I walked along the shore, feeling anxious. More so than anytime before. I looked up into the sky to see if there were any ravens circling. All I saw were puffy white clouds. I was alone. I got to the rocks that led up to the mound that covered the flume, and climbed. The last time I had done that, Saint Dane was waiting for me on top. I didn’t want a repeat performance. I climbed anxiously and popped my head up over the edge to see…

Nothing. No evil demons in sight. Big relief. I climbed up onto the flat summit and kicked around a few rocks. I didn’t know what I was looking for. A hole that might lead down to the flume? A crack that could be worked on and opened up? A staircase? An elevator? I had no idea, and ended up finding the exact same thing I’d found on every trip-nothing. The flume was sealed tight.

I turned to begin the climb back down and finally did see something that was out of the ordinary. It was floating about a hundred yards offshore. It had already made its way through the two fingers of land that nearly enclosed the Bay of Rayne, and it was headed toward the village. At first I thought it was a small boat that one of the fishermen had taken out, but it was too small for that. The shape was all wrong too. It wasn’t a boat. It took a few seconds for me to realize what I was looking at.

It was a skimmer. The same kind of skimmer that Saint Dane had brought from Cloral by the thousands to transport the dados from Rubic City to attack Rayne. I stood staring at the craft, trying to understand why it was there. It wasn’t under power, that much was clear. It was drifting in the current, moving closer to shore. I thought that it might have been one of the skimmers that we had scuttled out at sea when we dumped all the wreckage from the beach. Maybe it had somehow floated to the surface and was now a piece of loose debris that we would need to haul back out.

I was wrong. As the craft got closer, I saw that someone was on board. At least I thought it was someone. It was hard to tell. Skimmer pilots controlled the craft while standing up. Whoever was on that skimmer was definitely not standing. In fact, they looked as if they were lying out flat on the deck. Whoever or whatever it was, it wasn’t controlling the skimmer.

I quickly scrambled down the rocks. The whole way down I feared what I might find. Was it another dado that had somehow gotten lost and was only now showing up for the battle? Was it a Flighter who was making an attempt to land on Ibara? Was this something we should be afraid of, or just another piece of carnage left over from the battle? I had to force myself to stop worrying and concentrate on climbing down the steep rocks. Falling would have been dumb. And painful.

I hit the sand and ran the rest of the way to the water. The craft was about fifty yards offshore. I could now see that there was a body on board, facedown. It didn’t look like a dado. The hair was too long. Dados didn’t have long hair. Robot hair didn’t grow. I figured it must have been a Flighter. Whoever it was, the guy was in bad shape. Or dead. I was torn. Should I go out and drag the thing to shore? I didn’t want to be helping anyone who might cause trouble. But there was only one person aboard. Flighters traveled in packs, like wolves. It might not have been a Flighter, but somebody from Rayne who somehow got cast adrift. One thing was sure: If the person was alive, they needed help. I decided to risk it. I ran into the water and did the crawl out to the craft, always keeping my head above water and my eyes on the skimmer. Junior Lifeguard training never leaves you.

The closer I got, the more detail I could make out, but I still couldn’t tell if it was a guy or a girl. Whoever it was had long blond hair. Their clothes were in shreds. There was a definite Flighter vibe going on. I suddenly felt vulnerable. If this was a trick, the Flighter could easily jump up, gun the engine, and run me over. I stopped about five yards away and treaded water.

“Hello?” I called. “You okay?”

The body stirred.

“Can you talk?” I called.

The victim lifted his chin. The blond hair fell in front of his face. He twisted his head, as if trying to understand where my voice was coming from.

“Who are you?” I called.

The person on the skimmer yelled out a word that I can only describe as somewhere between a hoarse croak and a cry of agony.

“Help,” he called.

I didn’t hesitate a second more and swam for the craft. It may have been a trap, but so what? I grabbed on to the side rails and looked up at the horrible, sunburned face.

“Who are you?” I called.

The guy could barely move. He reached up a hand and pushed the blond hair away from one eye. A lifeless eye. He was blind. His face was blistered. It was a hideous sight. I had no idea who the poor guy was.

“Did I make it?” he asked hoarsely.

“I don’t know,” I said. “Where are you trying to go?”

The guy smiled. I think I had answered his question.

“Pendragon,” he gasped with obvious relief.

I froze. He had recognized my voice. He knew me.

“Where else would I want to go but home to Ibara?” he croaked.

It was when he said the word “home” that the truth hit me. It was impossible. It couldn’t be. But it was. “Loque?” I asked in dismay.

The guy nodded. I couldn’t move. Loque was dead. I saw him die in a crushing avalanche of shattered glass. Yet he was there, lying on the skimmer. Back home.

Alive.

I looked into his dead eye. He nodded. My heart hurt.

It actually hurt. There were so many emotions going on. I had to fight off both laughing and crying. He pulled himself over to the edge of the craft until his lips were right next to my ear and whispered the few words that I really didn’t want to hear.

“They’re coming.”

It took every last bit of gas in his tank to say those words. Once the message was delivered, he passed out.