The Rings of Hesaurun Read online

  Pearse listened to the howling wind outside the little shelter and the sound of the bucking tent skins. An occasional snowflake made its way into the smokey room, and he knew that time was short. The Bearnán Éile ridge and his home was a hard day’s march distant, but he couldn’t walk. I will die here unless something can be done. I must accept the woman’s help.

  Wind whistled through the tent; it shook and shuddered. Pushing aside his fear, Pearse nodded his approval. She was close now, just inches away. He saw his image reflected in her eyes, dark pools of flowing nothingness that grabbed hold and drew him in. He let go and felt her take control, and his bones suddenly warmed as blackness enveloped him. But only for a moment.

  Outside the tent the wind died suddenly and the shelter laid still. The hollow silence of the deep rushed in, washing him away in its irresistible current. Pearse felt himself sinking, his body becoming heavier, then nothing at all. For a frightening moment, all physical sensation faded away as if he no longer existed, drawn into the midst of the ebullient depths. For one frightening moment, Pearse felt as if he had been released from the bonds of existence, freed of the constraints of reality, and then—

  And then everything rushed back in on him like the crash of a broaching wave. Pearse knew he had returned when the howl of the wind resumed its loud grappling with the tent. The healer backed away, waiting silently for his reaction. Feeling returned, first to Pearse’s hands, then to the arms and finally his legs. Although left with a strong sense of déjà vu, he felt good, normal, as if nothing terrible had ever happened. Pearse was thrilled, amazed, and relieved all at the same time.

  He lay still for a moment blinking his eyes, savoring the tingling in his limbs. Feeling better now, he sat up testing his fingers and toes for sensitivity. I feel rejuvenated! He had been fearful of permanent paralysis or a long recovery, so being instantly healed came unexpectedly. In his mind, the only explanation he could relate to was magic, but it wasn’t anything malevolent, he could see that now.

  The woman wielded a magic unknown to him, but he believed she had been truthful with him. Pearse understood the woman was indeed a healer, not the Cailleach Bhéara as he had assumed earlier. Any remaining doubts about her authenticity had evaporated the moment the feelings returned to his extremities.

  Sheepishly Pearse eyed the healer, remorse stabbing at his gut for the harsh accusations hurled at one he now saw as an innocent, a healer, his savior, just as she had claimed to be. The embarrassment he felt for the terror he had shown colored his face. Pearse judged himself harshly choking back the vile flavor of cowardice, which in his world smacked of an inexcusable breach of manhood.

  Now the healer had his respect and admiration. Pearse wanted to express his gratitude for saving his life and inadvertently the lives of his loved ones. He wanted to thank her but couldn’t find the words. At that moment, he vowed never again to call the woman a witch and sing her praises to anyone who would listen.

  The old woman smiled, put her hand on his forearm, gripping it tightly, then wordlessly left the shelter and reseated herself opposite the boy. Tierney looked at her expectantly, but she remained silent. Tell me, his mind pleaded. Please tell me my father will be alright!

  “Well? Have you healed my father?” Tierney asked, his watery eyes filled with fear.

  Still, the old woman remained silent. Tierney was thrilled when, a moment later, his father appeared from the shelter. The boy jumped up and hugged him hard for a long moment as the visitor’s exchanged satisfied glances between them.

  Carefully Pearse sat beside his son and gathered his thoughts before speaking. “You are a great healer, old woman. I thank you,” he said, bowing his head, offering her honor and appreciation.

  “My name is Valerie, remember?” she said, seemingly amused by being referred to as an “old woman.”

  “Valyri,” he allowed, “our people can use a good healer such as you. Will you stay?”

  Yes, stay, Pearse thought. Even though you are an old woman with dead eyes, please stay! He and his people would have to get accustomed to such a frightening sight as this, but Pearse was sure it would be worthwhile. The benefits of having a capable healer in the clan definitely outweighed the awful sight of those dead eyes.

  “I know, Pearse,” Valerie agreed. “The ship will be leaving soon, but I will be staying here with you.” Once said, the healer turned and repeated those words to Tohm in English, who immediately recoiled.

  “What!?” Tohm exploded, jumping to his feet. “You can’t do that! This planet is hostile. You must return with us!”

  “Tohm, don’t you realize? We are home,” Valerie fired back.

  “What do you mean, home?” Tohm said, looking wounded. He had known her far too long not to recognize one of her riddles when he heard it, but this one had him both puzzled and deeply concerned.

  “Just that, Tohm. We are home—on Earth, but nearly seven thousand years in the past. I brought us here, and I will see to it that you get back home safely. But I am staying here.”

  “Seven thousand!” Tohm gasped. He grabbed his head, then dropped to the ground as if his legs had failed him, a stunned look on his face. The guards gaped at each other as if they should do something but knew better than to try to force The Ring Bearer to do anything she didn’t want to do. Their assignment was to protect her, nothing more.

  “Then why did you bring me here?” Tohm demanded.

  “You are a loyal friend, Hafien. I needed a witness. A lot of people are going to be asking questions and looking for me. I need you to tell them what happened and why.”

  “Alright, tell me. What happened and why,” snapped Tohm, the hurt in his voice evident.

  Valerie stared, then drew in a deep breath. She rose and began pacing, which helped her gather her thoughts. “Last week,” she began, “Guyidian received a message from the BRU indicating the Boecki have begun taking prisoners. They’ve never taken prisoners because they are so arrogant they never cared what other species know or don’t know. But now that has changed. In addition to taking prisoners, they are interrogating them, which changes everything. The BRU believes it is a sign they are desperate for resources.”

  “What amazes me is we’ve kept them in check for over a thousand years, but only now are they finally getting the picture they need to take us seriously if they ever want to expand the Dominion into our sector of the galaxy.”

  As if she was dream-walking, she kept pacing, submerged in her own thoughts. “This change in strategy is significant, a departure from—”

  Tohm interrupted. “So what’s that got to do with you staying here?”

  Realizing she had gone off-topic, Valerie ceased pacing, returned to Tohm’s side, sat back down, and was silent for a moment before responding.

  “The Dominion has mobilized its entire fleet. For the first time, they know who to look for and where. They are determined to hunt me down and eliminate me. We can hide, but it’s only a matter of time before they catch us.”

  Tohm stared at her, speechless. He couldn’t disagree; the implications were stunning. If the entire might of the Imperium was looking for them, they were surely doomed.

  “I’m more than 3,000 years old,” she continued. “I‘m getting close to my end, but I’m safe here in this time. I can help these people, and I can protect you and the crew at the same time. I’m staying, and that’s that,” she said firmly.

  Tohm rubbed the back of his neck as he weighed the facts. Although this news was hard to swallow, he couldn’t argue because he believed what was said. They couldn’t defend themselves against a massed force of Boecki ships. Drastic action, such as what The Ring Bearer intended to do now, was in order. Her plan was genius; it would be impossible for them to find her if she was hiding in the past—which made him wonder, what if she hid in the future?

  “I agree, hiding in the past is brilliant. But why not hide in the future?”

  “Because the Hesaurun Rings come to me from the past, not the futur
e.”

  Tohm gulped. “What?”

  “Back in the 21st century, I fought for and won the rings. If I hid in the future, I might never receive them from my ancestors. It would be a time paradox; in other words, if I kill my father before I’m born, I fail to exist, right? These people sitting here with us now are my ancestors. If I’m right—and I believe I am—I will be reborn in the twenty-first century and receive the rings once again through these people sitting right here.”

  She turned to Tohm, who was staring at her indecisively. “Don’t you see? That’s why I need to stay here. Do you understand?“

  Tohm gazed at her, wide-eyed. He felt his face grow hot. “Let me get this straight. You plan to be reborn in the twenty-first century? How are you going to pull that off—if you’re dead!” Tohm shot back.

  “I don’t have to pull anything off. This is the past, our past, remember? Nature will take its course. I will live out the rest of my life in this time-frame, and when the time comes, I will be born again. Just like I was the first time.”

  “That is a big gamble,” Tohm argued.

  “I don’t think so. I think it is a sure bet.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “It’s an absolute. I have confirmed my assumptions by calling on my past and future self. Plus, I have left enough Easter eggs along the way to avoid every significant mistake I ever made. I have all the proof I need to know that I am right. I wouldn’t try it otherwise.”

  “Do you know what’s wrong with all of this?” said Tohm. “I actually understand it,” he laughed. “I just hope you are right!” With a smirk he then added, “Guyidian is going to be furious, which makes it worth doing all by itself.”

  They laughed together, then Valerie stood, eager to get going. The old friends hugged, then she kissed his cheek.

  “I will miss you dearly, Hafian,” she said, her eyes wet now, and she meant it.

  “Me too,” he said. “Just one thing. Why are you bringing your cat?”

  Valerie turned her eyes to the animal crate, mustering a sly smile. “I’ll tell you later.”

  “I hope so,” he said thoughtfully, ending the embrace. Then Valerie instructed Tohm and the guards to stay put until they were over the crater wall.

  “We need to leave before Guyidian figures out what’s going on and comes after us,” she announced.

  Pearse and Tierney wanted to avoid offending their new friends, so they sat quietly during the debate between the healer and her companions without understanding a single word. However, the gist of the conversation was obvious— when the healer told them she would be leaving with them, the yellow man objected.

  Valerie quickly explained a simplified version of the conversation to Pearse and Tierney in their language.

  “Pearse, we’re going to go to your home now,” Valerie proclaimed.

  “But we cannot make it before dark,” he protested.

  “Yes, we can,” she assured him, then knelt and reached into one of her bags, removing three solar torches. Valerie stood holding them out for Pearse and Tierney to see.

  “These torches will light the way for us,” she declared.

  “Torches?” they exclaimed as one, their gazes darting between the healer’s dark eyes and what they were being offered. The connection between those small silver rectangles and the firebrands they were familiar with was entirely lost on them.

  “Take them—they won’t bite,” Valerie said, handing the torches out. Pearse and Tierney stared at their devices as if they might indeed bite. Tierney held his up for closer inspection, squeezing it lightly between thumb and forefinger, frowning as if it was something foul.

  “It’s alright,” she insisted. “Let me show you.”

  Valerie flipped the device over in her hand then pushed a button on its face that turned it on. The device clicked on, producing a brilliant beam bathing the entire area around the tent in a blaze of blinding white.

  Startled at first by the instant illumination, Pearse and Tierney laughed nervously, then eagerly clawed at their devices to turn them on. Once they had their solar torches lit, they laughed as the intense light beam played on the ground, in the sky, on the tent, and—much to the dismay of the men still sitting on the ground—in their eyes. Soon Pearse and Tierney were dancing about joyfully like a couple of wild aboriginal tribesmen. Valerie got into the game by showing them how to make rabbit ears and bird shadows on the side of the tent.

  “What’s going on out there?” Guyidian’s voice suddenly chirped over the guard’s communicators. “Looks like a damn light parade!”

  “They’re just having a little fun with solar torches, Commander,” the guard replied with a laugh.

  “Well, tell The Ring Bearer to knock it off and get back in here. It’s dusk, and I don’t want her out there after dark. It isn’t safe,” Guyidian barked.

  “Yes, sir!” the guard responded sheepishly.

  “Party’s over, Valerie,” Tohm hollered, calling an immediate end to the fun they were having with the lights. “Guyidian is getting impatient. If you are going to go, you best get on with it.”

  “Party pooper!” Valerie laughed, then explained to Pearse and Tierney that they needed to get packed and ready to go as quickly as possible. As they packed up, Valerie said her final goodbyes to Tohm and the guards. When Pearse and Tierney were ready to go, she grabbed her bags and Orson’s crate, and they set off for the crater’s wall.

  Alone atop the berm, Valerie turned for one last look at the gleaming ship in the distance. The days fading light played on its silvery skin. Inside the crate, Orson gave out a high-pitched wail. The bitter wind grappled with Valerie’s clothing and stung her face. Her throat tightened, and her chest swelled as she regarded The Dreamer wistfully. The vessel had been her home for so long she could barely remember when it hadn’t been. To say she was about to leave part of herself behind was an understatement.

  The ship had served its purpose well and would continue doing so long after she was gone. She found solace in knowing it would outlive her and was confident she would see it again—Although in another life, she told herself. Still, walking away from it was one of the most difficult decisions she would ever make. But wasn’t change the nature of things?

  Needing one last look, she glanced around. Tohm and the guards were still visible in the growing dusk, sitting beside Pearse’s old campsite. She admired them for that. They waited there patiently, obediently, devotedly, just as she had asked. The only thing holding them there was their fierce loyalty, which they proved by obeying her final request.

  Valerie knew it would be hard for them to let her go, especially for Tohm, who had been her constant companion for more than thirty years. But he knew a time such as this would come; they’d discussed it together on multiple occasions. Now it was his reality—and hers. Although it was a pain shared, it was one they would deal with separately now.

  Poor Hafien! she murmured to herself. She had thought seriously about asking Hafien to join her in this adventure but knew he would accept, which wouldn’t be fair to him. Hafian Tohm had his own life to live, and she couldn’t deprive him of it. She believed he knew that and hoped he wouldn’t hate her for it.

  Then she recalled the many loved ones she had left behind during her long lifetime. However, there were too many to count and far too many names and faces to remember. The hurt of their loss would linger in her heart and mind forever, their memories a burden she would endure every day of her life. Leaving good people and loved ones behind was the hard reality of outliving them. Valerie reminded herself that it was always the same; there was no choice, and this time was no different. She was getting good at it, a fact she hated to admit.

  From his crate Orson wailed sadly again. Valerie raised an arm to wave goodbye to her friends. In the distance she saw the three men rise to their feet, returning the gesture enthusiastically. Elated, she waved harder, returning their enthusiasm. Then she realized she waved goodbye, not just to Tohm and th
e guards, but also to The Dreamerand those within it. Then joy turned to tears as she turned away, stepping into the howling wind and the next chapter of her life.

  ________________________

  The hunters didn’t have long to wait before Ammon’s hunch that there would be plenty more to see turned out to be spot-on. They watched in amazement as an aperture at the side of the spacecraft slid open, revealing a brightly-lit corridor inside the vessel. Ammon clucked and nodded his head knowingly; he had been right to wait.

  Moments later, a detachment of four identically-uniformed crew members—three men and a small woman—appeared in the doorway. When the team stepped outside, the hunters noticed they immediately huddled together as if they were already cold. The hunters laughed and elbowed one another, scoffing at these people for their assumed weakness. Irritated by that, Ammon gestured angrily at them to be quiet and to stay down. Being detected by these strange people could mean trouble.

  Any fool could see why these people got cold so quickly, thought Ammon. The stranger’s clothing was thin, and skin-tight. In his experience, these uniforms broke every rule for cold-weather clothing. He couldn’t guess why anyone would dress so foolishly in cold weather. And those bright colors! Are they trying to attract bears?

  Ammon didn’t know what to make of the strange glass fish, either. He didn’t understand it, so he pushed thoughts of it aside until he had more information. Instead, he focused his attention on the people outside of it. Judging by their unusual clothing and demeanor, Ammon correctly identified these people as foreigners unfamiliar with their surroundings, which didn’t make them weak—it made them strangers.

  In his estimation, these people were soldiers; however, the woman appeared to command the men, which puzzled him. He knew why men were leaders and why other men followed them. Ammon was a leader and expected to lead, not due to privilege but because of his strength, experience, and decision-making abilities. He knew how to stay alive in the wilderness and keep others alive by sharing his knowledge and skills.