FALAHA'S JOURNEY 2: Graveyard of the Gods

Episode #19

I wandered the desert in solitude and made my way towards the mountains in the distance. The night was long, and I had enough time for a lengthy stroll.

The reason I grew up to be so short among my own kind lay in the distant relative of mine, whose name was General Telgaro, an Arrakani man descended from a Danna, and the only memory related to this short person now was the game he left behind that everyone started playing and it became increasingly popular with time — General's Game. So I had to dig a bit deeper into my soma to investigate my cursed shortness' origins. Telgaro had two women he loved. One was my other ancestor, Saga, a woman of magnificent build and height. I did not inherit her traits in the least, while my aunt and Father got the whole pack. The other woman was Baro's ancestor, and, like my grandfather, she was a Rawani with a Danna ancestry. Baro got her genes eventually, along with her height. Talking about luck. Saga became a progenitor of kennar Fargann, while that other woman, Mara, became the progenitor of kennar Kljvk. Talk about deep space encounters with a very distant relative.

And though this short gene showed up in some people from time to time now, just one single short man ruined the gene pool for me so many generations later. This was unfair.

But enough being short. I unfolded my other, Baali form and with that came rich satisfaction of being tall.

So I continued my stroll, trying to focus on the task at hand. Tabiru.

It was then that my senses caught a faint light in the distance. It flickered for a bit and then was gone.

I sniffed the air: I wasn't alone.

"Eyuran, we've got company," I called softly.

"On my way," was the reply.

Eyuran didn't make me wait. He touched down immediately after he said his last word. He didn't comment on my appearance, gotten used to my shifting habits.

"What are we dealing with?" he asked, also shifted into his combat form.

"I don't know... yet." I sensed a movement and the next moment something huge crashed into my body, sending me on a flying trajectory and throwing me to the ground, pressing into the dusty soil. It was so fast that Eyuran didn't even got a chance to retaliate, but he was already here, pulling my attacker away by the luxurious mane. If I wasn't in my Baali form, some scratches and bruises were guaranteed from this sudden assault. Now I had a moment to observe what was that hit me: it was a giant mature white Baal. He was foaming at the mouth and growling, his eyes glaring with no sense in them — only all-consuming madness, but Eyuran caught him by the neck and pulled away from me. I got up while my First spouse held his captive tightly. The next moment Baal's body softened, for a second he looked at me with clear green eyes, and then he dived. Disappeared from Eyuran's hold and reappeared not far away, squatting and observing us. Then he said with a guttural growl, "What are you? You smell like Garai's kid; like my son; like the twisted existence; and like the traitors. So, tell me, children of the stars, what are you?"

"Like your son?" I asked. "And this insanity I observed... I think I know who you are. Shendala. Yajur of the First Motherworld of the Triad, Sandar. But what brings you here?"

"So you know of me, yet I still know nothing of you, girl," the Baal retorted.

"I'm Falaha Yajur Sangu of the Red kata, related to Varga," I said. "And this is my spouse, Eyuran."

"Aah, but what of twisted existence and traitors? My nose knows. No mistake."

"Twisted existence? I assume you know of the Suarni then. They are under my protection now. I will not allow to harm them. And Shaamta with Dorgu are in my service. There is no other option for now."

"You trust easily; do not," Shendala said. "Will regret meeting them."

"And why should I trust an insane Baal?" I replied.

He grinned, showing his carnivorous teeth. "The Baal insane, yet not an enemy. You saved my son."

"Is it truth what they say about you?" I asked him.

"The Baal follows the trail of blood, the nose leads. The Baal feeds. The Baal cannot forget for it hurts. So many voices lost. Sandar devastated. My children, gone."

"I see," I made my way towards the squatting Baal.

"Falaha, careful," Eyuran said, placing his palm on my shoulder.

"It's all good, I'm not afraid," I told him, placing my hand over his and gently caressing it. I was sure he sensed my touch through his armor. "I want to look into something." Eyran nodded, letting me proceed. As I approached Shendala, I lifted my arm to touch his mane.

"The Triad has no Sangu," the Baal said. "Draagalla worried. I wander places. My days are not so bright, mostly clouded, lost in the Red. Cannot help."

I made a sign for Shendala to lower his head and took it into my palms, closing my eyes and diving into his murky mind. It was a mess, chaotic black and red swirls of madness and muted rage. Mess of emotions, mess of feelings, mess of visions, mess of desires and instincts. So I started one by one, to make them fall into the right places, like putting together pieces of a puzzle. Light became light, darkness became darkness, the heavy veil was lifted and the Red loosened its grip. The processes were restored, and the healing began. All this person needed was a Sangu to fix his broken mind. He suffered for a long time, unable to heal.

"There." I let him go. "Better?"

The Baal opened his eyes and looked at me with great surprise. "Truly, it's gone! I could not process all the feelings with all the deaths. It engulfed me. Rage choked me so I took it out on anyone I could get my claws on. Couldn't cope at once. You made it right. Still hurts, but in a sane fashion. I can process, I can accept, I can clearly reason again. I'm not lost anymore. Why? You are not our Sangu."

"It's in my nature, to make things right. Besides, I'm going to visit the Triad soon. Serious business. Since we've accidentally bumped into each other here, you are going to help me."

"You taking all the twisted existences with you?" Shendala asked, looking somewhere in the direction of my ship. I wondered how he could sense them though. Maybe it was a perk of his insanity.

I shrugged. "Let's pretend you know nothing."

"Very well, little red Yajur Sangu. I know nothing. But my friendly warning still stands. I shall keep an eye on you kids then."

I nodded, accepting his protective gesture. "Your right, Yajur."