For One Nen Read online

  Atenilek believed, as everyone did, that Kent was sending him to his death.

  Tinnen, so tiny in a crowd that was so large, held his hands to his mouth and repeated his faint protest, “No, no, no…” Without anyone giving him notice, he dashed from the sparsing ground.

  Ehic was the wildest voice in this chaos of protesters. They laid hands on Ehic and tied one hand with a braided rope to the guard, Hopek. Ehic struggled until another Het guard hit him in the back of the head. His screaming stopped though his breath remained. Hopek tossed him up over his shoulder for the journey.

  The other guards grabbed Atenilek who remained motionless without a struggle. They tied a braided rope around his waist, which they connected to each hand. They tied the ends of the rope around the waist of Penelk and Keshel, the other Het guards. The guards escorted him out of the sparsing grounds in the same direction where Atenilek had taken Tinnen to save his life. It took about twenty minutes to reach that cave with the tub-like structure. The journey was slowed because of how they were all tied together.

  Soshin led the way. He was married to Atenilek's sister, Eolik. He said very little to Atenilek along the way. Soshin was determining in his mind what he would do once they were out of their underground empire. Soshin could never have imagined how long it would take to reach the surface. There were many hours to think of his decision. If he killed Atenilek, he could never return home and face Eolik. If he didn't kill Atenilek, he couldn't go home and face Emperor Kent.

  It wasn't until they stopped to rest that he came to this realization; Soshin knew nothing of the surface. He also knew nothing of praying except the rhetoric prayers he said to Kent their god. But he had always secretly wondered who was greater than Kent. So he prayed.

  “Most powerful and Holy existence, if you help me live when I reach the surface then I will let these prisoners live. But if it is as they say and the surface is uninhabitable then I will perish us all.”

  He had no idea that Kent had trailed far behind with two Het. After Kent had followed them farther than he had ever known anyone to go he instructed the guards to seal the tunnel. Kent did not want any of them to return. This is why he sent Atenilek's own brother-in-law and cousin to guard the prisoners. He wanted more of Atenilek’s family to be lost.

  On the way, Atenilek saw many writings of the Anthro from the time of Hrilla that told of them reaching the surface. These paintings and writings were like those he had seen in the room with the tub-shaped structure. He took careful note of the details of the story. After the story of Hrilla there were no other paintings. He concluded from these paintings that they surely died not long after surfacing. It confirmed the lie he’d learned as a child.

  What Ehic and Atenilek didn't know was that the emperor gave orders to kill both Atenilek and Ehic once they reached the surface. As the passageways narrowed, it also grew brighter, which brought Ehic to near hysteria. He began shouting, but his words were those of a madman.

  They finally saw it – there in front of them, the mouth of the tunnel. They didn't know until one of the guards tried to exit the tunnel, that they were entering the surface world.

  The guards cut Ehic free and left him writhing on the ground in a heap of his own craziness.

  Everyone shielded their eyes in the light of the two suns. However, after a short time, one of the suns set and the men’s eyelids could open more easily.

  There were lush green hills where houses stood. There were mountains with white tips. There was a valley, and beyond that - a great body of water. This was all new to these men; even the enormity of the water was vastly different than what they had ever known. The color, the waves, even the way it seemed to have no boundaries – as if the sky itself were holding it in place. The very sky itself was new to them. Atenilek reached his hand up to find where the ceiling of this great land could be.

  He had never actually touched the ceiling of his underground world but he could always touch the rocky wall and follow it up with his eyes and see clearly that it curved into an overhead covering.

  “Hey,” Soshin said as he motioned toward the buildings he had just spotted.

  The men were eager to explore this obviously tranquil land. They had always been taught this was a place that only fire could live. They were quickly learning first-hand that they had been taught a lie.

  297 AE

  Aboard the EGRESS

  “They were lied to,” Teltel said. He had worked himself down the row close to Deni.

  “Appears so,” Deni agreed with a sigh.

  “Just like us,” Teltel said as if he’d just realized a truth.

  Deni looked at Teltel; this boy she’d only recently come to know, and in his moment of questioning the truth, she saw his first steps into manhood.

  “Indeed,” Deni agreed as she continued to watch the giant beside her.

  “Others should know these stories,” Teltel said.

  Deni poured water over her hands and dried them on a stained rag. Turning around she leaned up against the table garden to face Teltel.

  “I agree,” she said. “I think everyone should hear the stories. But wasn’t it nice to have them to ourselves for a little while.”

  “Do you think it would be alright if I bring Benai? He’s my best friend. He likes stories. And I know he wouldn’t mind helping in the gardens.” Teltel spoke with wide eyes. “I want to tell others but we must be sure they won’t tell someone that might make us stop reading about the truth.”

  Teltel’s next morning unfolded as usual. The keepers’ class assembled and Teltel arrived just as Tanik was asking Benai, “Is Teltel not feeling well again?”

  Teltel came around the large curving pillar into the class area finishing a pastry. He stuffed it into his mouth and sat down next to Benai.

  “I’m not so sure that he’s quite himself yet. He only had three doughnuts this morning,” Benai said with a smirk.

  “That’s enough to give anyone a belly ache. I don’t know why they serve those things anyway,” Tanik snipped.

  “Guess we shouldn’t tell her that you usually eat a dozen,” Benai said with a loud laugh.

  Teltel wasn’t amused by his friend’s carefree outburst. He was dreading class and wishing he could just go hear more stories.

  However Tanik’s subject for the day grabbed Teltel’s attention.

  It was a story that Teltel had heard his whole life in song, and dance, and poetry. He had even painted a picture of the story when he was only six. But on this day it was different. On this day he felt like he was hearing it for the first time.

  Tanik gave her morning dance to gather her students. They joined in by making their smooth movements in the traditional ways the keepers before them had always done.

  As they finish the dance they bowed in Tanik’s direction, to the left, and to the right to signify giving their heart to all of their classmates.

  At the completion of this seemingly archaic performance, the students crumpled to the ground with many still whining about the heat even though the engineers had been able to restore the main power.

  When the Egress was damaged by the gamma burst, it was necessary to shut down the main power generators and switch over to the ship’s reserve power. In bringing the main power back on-line, the engineers had now restored the cooling system as well. Most of the ship’s occupants began to wear more clothes again, but some either liked wearing very little or they were quicker to acclimate to the change in temperature.

  Tanik gave no attention to the students that were whining but rather began reciting a story. The class joined in the recitation from the comfort of the cool glossy floor.

  “Atenilek was a Het strong and proud

  His tribe faithfully guarded the crowd

  He had a duty among his tribe

  Until his place he would not ascribe

  Following instead, a lowly Nen

  Who stole his arm and heart and then

  He was banished from the Empire

&nb
sp; Forever losing his might and power.”

  The open space of the room allowed for noises from the corridor and the great dining hall to clang into the room. There was never anything that was too disruptive, but then again, it was never completely silent either.

  Tanik was easily disrupted by the sounds, which made her constantly look at her lesson plans throughout the day.

  As Tanik took a moment after the recitation to refer to her notes, Teltel spoke from his lounging position in the back of the room.

  “He wasn’t just banished. He was sent to his death.”

  The middle-aged teacher spun around clumsily as if she were a gangly teenager on a growth spurt.

  “What did you say?” Tanik demanded.

  Teltel laughed casually, “He wasn’t just sent away. He was sent to his death. The underground empire believed that sending him to the surface was as good as killing him. And he wasn’t banished because he followed a Nen and rebelled against the Empire. He gave his life for Tinnen, the Nen, so his friend would not be sparsed.”

  “Sparsed? What’s that?” Benai asked.

  “Killed,” Teltel answered.

  Tanik’s beauty faded as her face hardened and her breathing became erratic.

  “Enough of this blasphemy,” she scolded. “You know no tribe ever killed except for the Hoth. This is a place for learning the truth, not a place for speculation.”

  Mathis brought his chin over his knees and hugged his legs close to him at the harsh words against his tribe.

  Teltel looked at Mathis being humiliated by their teacher and for the first time felt a spark of compassion toward his tiny classmate.

  “I’m not speculating, Tanik,” Teltel said bravely.

  “Where did you hear of such profanity?” Tanik said harshly as she continued to rage.

  The students began to change their relaxed lounging position to one of proper student posture as they had always sat before the gamma burst hit their ship and life became uncomfortably hot. They sat straight and tall, their backs like a board, their shoulders squarely facing their teacher, but their eyes darted between Tanik to Teltel.

  “It’s in old books from the library. You must’ve read it before Tanik, since it is in your library.”

  “This is a teaching I’ve never heard. I’ve only been taught the truth all of my life, just as you have. Who is leading you astray?” Tanik demanded.

  Teltel knew all eyes were on him. Being a giant had made him come to terms with people staring at him, but in that particular moment he felt condemned for his beliefs, and the stares began to hurt. He also felt embarrassed to pursue this dialogue with his life-long teacher any further. For the first time as a student, he felt his questions would not be answered truthfully by his teacher. She was no longer trustworthy.

  “Where’d you hear that stuff?” Benai asked Teltel in a whisper.

  Teltel simply looked in Benai’s direction when Tanik scolded, “And don’t be spreading your lies to anyone else. Do you hear me?”

  She stretched out her arms and took a deep cleansing breath.

  “Now join me in song about the beautiful Goweli named Hrilla who sacrificed her life when she helped to banish the infidels and save the Empire.”

  Between the quiet scuffling of students climbing to their feet and the noises swirling from the bustle of the corridor Teltel whispered to Benai, “Follow me after class.”

  Benai gave a sly smile. He was always up for an adventure.

  The rest of the class went on without incident and when Tanik dismissed them for the day Teltel raced away.

  Benai hung back a moment so as not to raise suspicion from Tanik. He even said loudly enough for Tanik to hear, “Hey Beau, I’m going to get something to eat. Wanna come? We could play Battle Con Extreme after. I have the newest version.”

  The boys walked out together without Tanik suspecting a thing.

  As the boys came to the great dining hall Benai spotted Teltel through the crowd. “You wanna find out what that was all about in class today?” Benai whispered to Beau.

  “What was that?” Beau questioned. “Tanik went sparse if you ask me.”

  “Follow me,” Benai said. “And act casual.”

  Beau followed Benai as he slung his school pack over his shoulder and smacked an elderly Het in the side of the head.

  “Watch it, boy,” the older man grumbled.

  “Oops,” Beau said quickly. “Sorry.”

  They bumped several shoulders as the boys maneuvered their way through the crowd.

  Teltel saw his friends coming his way and he turned back to the hallway. He slipped between several engineers just getting off of the elevator for their midday meal.

  He didn’t let the boys catch up to him until he was standing in front of the large shiny door of the gardens. He leaned down and pulled the handle.

  “You sure it’s okay?” Beau asked with uncertainty.

  “They said we could come after class,” said Teltel.

  Beau peeked in behind Teltel before stepping entirely into the large room filled with the rows and rows of table-gardens.

  “Hello boys,” Deni called out from down a long row.

  Beau was mesmerized by the ceiling of metal scaffolding but Benai elbowed him in the ribs; directing his attention to the beauty coming towards them.

  “What?” Beau said as he rubbed his side.

  Benai only had to give a slight nod to show Beau what had him so mesmerized.

  Deni walked their way and the boys watched the beautiful Tala follow behind her.

  As Deni drew close she noticed their eyes on Tala.

  “Don’t worry boys. She won’t bite,” Deni joked.

  She then turned enough toward Tala to where the boys couldn’t see as she mouthed the word, “Much.”

  “She’s the one I told you about,” Teltel whispered to Benai.

  Benai whispered back, “Where has she been all my life?”

  “No doubt,” Beau said.

  “Teltel, who are your friends?” Tala asked.

  Teltel looked at Tala a moment but when he spoke he addressed Deni.

  He laid his large hand on each boy as he introduced them.

  “This is my best friend, Benai.”

  Benai smiled and thanked Deni for letting them come to the gardens. He then turned to Tala. He only gave a half laugh then partially disappeared as Neph often did in times of pleasure. Then out of embarrassment he dropped his eyes to the floor.

  “And this is our friend, Beau,” Teltel said.

  “I also am Goweli,” Beau addressed Tala with a puffed out chest.

  “Really?” Tala questioned with a hint of humor.

  Beau motioned to himself and said, “Can’t you tell.”

  Teltel tapped his friend on top of the head as he said, “Behave. She’s the reader.”

  “Well boys we have a great deal of work today. I hope you don’t mind getting muddy,” Deni said.

  “What’s that?” Benai asked.

  Beau gave him a punch in the arm and said softly, “Don’t make us look like idiots?”

  “Then you tell me what ‘muddy’ is,” Benai demanded.

  Beau only shrugged.

  In the nearest table garden Deni poured water into the dirt. She then scooped a gloopy mess and slapped it into Beau’s hands.

  “Welcome to mud, boys,” Deni said.

  Tala held a book over her mouth as she laughed.

  “The automated watering system has been shut down; re-routing the system…or something like that, which means we have to water the gardens by hand today.”

  “And she’ll read?” Teltel asked Deni.

  “That’s the deal,” Deni smiled.

  “But I was thinking, since we’re each going to be in different places in the gardens maybe you could help me with something,” she instructed Teltel. “If you could bring that long board here, we could lay it across that scaffolding up there. If Tala sits there we could all hear her better as she reads.” />
  Teltel quickly did as he was told and Deni instructed the boys where they would get the water and how much to pour onto the plants.

  Deni helped Tala up the ladder to sit comfortably on the platform in the sky.

  “What is she reading about today?” Teltel asked Deni softly.

  As they stood together, looking up at the beautiful Goweli holding a brown covered book, Deni answered, “Guess we’ll soon find out.”

  “Makes me feel good with her sitting up there. Like she’s got a protective eye on us,” Teltel said, gazing upward with a satisfied smile.

  “But you’re a Het. The giants have always been the protectors,” Deni said.

  “Even a giant likes to know he can rest in another’s protection at times.”

  Benai and Beau walked up behind Teltel and Deni as they were looking up at Tala.

  “Great gods of our ancestors, she’s beautiful,” Benai said.

  “She’s with me, boys,” Deni smiled with pride. “Let’s get to it,” she directed her workers.

  Benai and Beau went to work while Teltel continued to gaze upward.

  “She’s very special, you know,” Teltel said softly.

  Deni smiled.

  “There was trouble today,” he said with his eyes still turned upward.

  Deni faced the giant.

  “A story I’ve heard all my life just didn’t make sense when I heard it today,” Teltel said. He watched the beautiful Tala as she turned pages in the book, searching for her place.

  “I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. I just thought I was offering part of the story that I had just learned. I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong.”

  “What happened?” Deni asked.

  “Tanik asked who had been leading me astray,” Teltel said.

  “What did you say?” Deni asked with concern.

  “Nothing. I would never hurt her,” he said looking up at Tala. Then turning to face Deni he added, “Or you.”