Covenant: Exodus

Chapter 35

Rashan stood at the edge of the clearing and he could not believe his eyes. There was a man dressed in robes of red and gold standing in the midst of dozens of other men dressed in all black. The man in red held his hand in front of him, and it seemed he somehow was controlling Rashan's father, paralyzing him in place. Rashan knew of the immense power that his father could wield, and could not begin to contemplate the power that it would take to hold him motionless like this. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind at the same time. Who was this man? Where had he come from? Was he somehow an Atlan? What did he want? All of those thoughts went silent as Rashan saw two more men emerge from the jungle holding his mother between them. The man in red said something as he motioned to Rashan's mother. He watched in horror as his mother stood beside these madmen, looking scared, and could tell that his father was saying something to the man in red, although the words that his father said were lost as he unleashed a primordial scream and ran from the cover of the jungle towards the gathered men.

Jakon heard the yell and turned his head just in time to see Rashan running across the clearing, sword still in hand, making his way directly towards him. The sight of the young boy running towards him, ready to fight seemed to amuse Jakon, who simply made a small motion with his head and two men split off from the pack and went to intercept Rashan. As they approached, both men split their staffs to reveal the black, glass-like blades hidden within them. They brandished their swords menacingly as their RaSheen took up positions on their sides, crouching, ready to pounce.

Rashan was not intimidated and continued his headlong dash. As he came nearer to the men, one of the RaSheen, a smaller mountain lion, took two bounding steps and leaped at Rashan. The boy quickly dove to the ground, tucking into a roll and avoiding the attacking cat's claws by mere inches. As he rolled under the beast, he spun and lashed out with his sword, catching the RaSheen with a direct blow to the chest. He felt his blade make solid contact and pulled it free, rolling to his feet without missing a single step.

The blow to the RaSheen proved to be fatal, and the cat fell to the ground in a heap, his Mul'Ki stumbled in response to the pain he felt from his companion. As the man fell to one knee, Rashan lashed out with his sword, slicing the man across the neck. Hot red fountains of blood spurted from the man's severed neck as he continued to fall towards the ground. Using his momentum, Rashan placed one foot on the man's back and leapt forward towards the other man, who seemed to be so caught off guard by the flurry of violence unleashed by this mere child that he hadn't moved at all. As Rashan flew through the air, he spotted movement on his left and turned to see the remaining man's RaSheen springing towards him. Undeterred, Rashan swung his sword in a high arc, bringing it down on the top of the man's head. The blow was so strong that the sword buried itself into the thick bone of the man's skull, the RaSheen collapsing from the air in mid-spring as its life force was extinguished alongside its Mul'ki's.

Rashan did not stop to retrieve his sword from the man's head, in which it was stuck, choosing instead to go into another roll when he hit the ground. As he rolled, he reached his hand to his back and pulled out the small curved dagger that he kept tucked there at all times. He sprang to his feet mere inches from the man in red and placed the razor-sharp blade across the man's throat. Sweat glistened on his arms as he tensed his muscles, barely able to restrain himself from finishing the deed and spoke in a low, threatening whisper, "Let my mother go, or you will die."

Jakon's lip curled as he spoke, "I do not take orders from children," he spat as he lifted his other hand and using his Ari lifted Rashan into the air and hurled him backward. The boy hit a tree that stood at the clearing edge and crumpled to the ground. As Jakon returned his attention to Noah, he realized he had made a mistake. The boy's intention was not to actually try and harm him. Instead, it was meant only as a distraction. Jakon sensed more, then saw the dark shadow close in on him, and braced himself. The impact was much greater than he had anticipated and he was knocked to the ground, the full weight of Karok landing on his back, his massive claws digging deeply into his flesh.

Noahim and Jikar were instantly released from the magic that held them. Noah looked into Namaah's eyes and found resolve there. Namaah gave a slight nod with her head in the direction that Rashan had flown when he hit the tree. Noah knew that she was right, he would come back for her, Rashan may have sustained grave injuries that required Noahim's attention. He sprinted towards his fallen son, turning just long enough to see Jikar battling with ten of the men from Jakon's force, their RaSheen all stalking around him, trying to find a way past his blade. Jikar used a mixture of outstanding swordsmanship and his Ari' to stave off the hungry pack of cats while he advanced on the men that he once called brothers.

Noah feared for his friend's safety but knew that he must focus on Rashan, first and foremost. Jikar had learned much from Noah since the group had fled Atla, and Noahim was certain that his power matched, if not exceeded, every man on the plain, save he and Jakon. As Noah slid to a stop at the forest edge, a small sob escaped his throat, Rashan was lying at on add angle, blood pooling from a wound on his head. "Rashan, my son, please speak to me...," Noahim pleaded.

Rashan's eyelids flickered once, then again, and slowly his eyes opened to half-slits. He looked up at his father through a tangle of blood-soaked hair and a small smile crept onto his face. "I guess it worked?" he croaked in a voice that was barely more than a whisper, "I knew Karok would know what I was doing. Does that man still have my mother?"

Noahim felt the hot tears threaten to escape from the corners of his eyes, "Don't worry about that now son, your mother will be fine. Just lie still while I heal you," he said as he extended his palms towards the wound on his only son's head. Noah's hands began to glow, and he felt his power surge through him and into Rashan. The wound began to close itself, and as Noah watched, color came back to Rashan's skin and his breathing leveled out from the harsh rasping that it had been. Rashan struggled to sit up, but his father held a hand on his chest. "Wait here son, you will be fine now. I am going to go and save your mother." With that, Noah turned and left Rashan lying at the edge of the clearing and ran back into the heart of the fight.

Things had gone from bad to worse for Jikar. Noahim could see that he had a severe wound on one arm, it looked as though the cut was so deep his arm would fall off at any moment, but still, he held his own. Scattered all around Jikar's beaten and bloodied form were men and great cats lying dead. Noahim could not even count how many there were, although it looked as though only four men remained. Nuni could be seen bouncing in and out of the melee, screaming with anger and trying to blind the men by gouging their eyes or using his superior agility to trip them, making Jikar's task much easier.

Noah searched the area for Namaah but did not see her anywhere. It was just then that he realized he also did not see Jakon. He ran towards Jikar and the men left fighting, drawing his sword as he did, and leapt into the midst of them. As he landed, he swung his sword straight down, planting it into the ground. A blast of power emanated from the spot where he landed and threw all four men and their RaSheen to the ground. Noah instantly straddled one of the men and screamed at him, "Where did Jakon take my wife?!" Spit flew from his mouth as he screamed at the man, who simply smiled and brought up a small dagger from his belt. Before Noah even had time to react the man had plunged it into his own heart, his leopard RaSheen collapsing beside him.

Jikar looked at Noah, stunned, ready to ask the next man, when they heard a deafening roar from the jungle beyond the clearing. "That was Karok," Noah said to Jikar, "He must be on their trail. Go and ensure everyone else is safe, take Rashan with you, I will meet you back at the temple."

"Of course, brother," Jikar said and clapped Noah on the back, "Be careful, he is more powerful than he used to be." Noahim said nothing. He simply nodded at Jikar and ran into the depths of the jungle, determined to save Namaah...and kill Jakon.