Covenant: Exodus

Chapter 39

Rashan stood at the prow of the boat, staring into the river before them. His father had told him that they would soon be to the sea, and that is when the real journey began. In the days since they had left, Noah told Rashan about Jakon and the other Mul'Ki. About the man's insatiable appetite for power and control. Rashan could not understand what would drive a man to such great lengths, just to gain power. It was clear that Jakon already had a greater command of the gift than anyone Rashan had witnessed before, with the exception of his father, and Rashan could not say with certainty that Noah's gift was more powerful than Jakon's.

Rashan thought about his mother, about what might be happening to her now, and his stomach turned. There was no doubt in his mind that a man like Jakon would try to torture any information he could from the woman, and then kill her. He had to stop himself from thinking this way so he turned his attention to Ali'Ra. Even though the jaguar was still yet an infant, he was growing quite large, already exceeding the size of a full-grown jaguar. Rashan placed a hand on his head and scratched behind his ears, a place that Ali found quite comforting and said in a quiet voice, "You must continue to grow little one, and we must continue to forge our bond...the journey that we are on has only one result, the destruction of this man, Jakon. I know that I will need your help, just as you will need mine."

With this, Ali jumped up and placed his paws on Rashan's chest, looking him in the eye and exhaling a warm, moist breath into his face. Rashan had witnessed Karok do this same thing with his father, although it was much more difficult for his father when Karok did this because of his massive weight. Luckily, Ali was not yet full grown, or Rashan was certain he would topple over. Ali held there for a moment, staring into Rashan's eyes, and then, with his sandpaper tongue, licked Rashan across the cheek and dropped back to the deck of the ship, running off to get into mischief, Rashan assumed as he raised his arm and wiped the drool from the cat off his face, smiling as he watched him go.

"You two are developing a strong bond, that is good," Noahim said, coming up behind Rashan. The boy hadn't noticed that his father had been watching, "You will need to understand each other, to be able to work as one in battle. Ali is your greatest asset, it was often said in the old times that a Mul'Ki is only as powerful as his RaSheen, I think there is a great amount of truth in that statement."

"Then I will be the greatest Mul'Ki ever," Rashan said staring out at the water, "Other than you, of course..."

Noahim laughed and put his arm around his son's shoulder, squeezing him, "I know this has not been easy for you, it has not been easy for me either...but I want you to know that your mother is a strong woman...the strongest I have ever known. In fact, many times before you were born, I wanted to give up on our quest for a new place to call home...to abandon the task of building the machines that Ratam Ra'Ava called for, but your mother would not allow it. She has always been my rock and my strength. We will find her...we must...," Noahim gave Rashan one final squeeze and let his arm drop. He had to believe that Namaah was alive, that her strength would carry her through until they could find her. If he lost that hope, he feared that all would be lost.

"Father?" Rashan said questioningly, "What is it that we need to be prepared for?"

Noahim looked out over the water for several seconds before answering, "Rashan, before you were born...before the day that the sky fell...Atla had been at peace for many hundreds of years. In fact, when I was trained as a Mul'Ki, there was no swordsmanship training. They did not even teach us the use of the gift for combat. The Mul'Ki existed solely to help the citizens of Atla and to enhance knowledge and understanding. When I was young, there was little that I enjoyed more than reading the books written by the ancients. I found many things within those pages. Secrets to unlock even more of the Ari'Yet, ways to forge a more meaningful bond with a RaSheen, and stories of the times of great war when gifted men battled one another for power and control." Noah paused as he looked at his son and continued, "One of these stories told of the greatest warrior that ever lived, Bradok. You will indeed recognize the name of the man who wrote the law, but prior to that, Bradok was a most fearsome warrior. His might with a sword was only exceeded by his own command of the gift. There was one particular story that said that savages from a distant land had come to try and enslave Atla. These men had waited in the hills surrounding the city until they witnessed a large hunting party leave and had then headed to the city with thousands of warriors, knowing that many of the men of Atla would not be there to defend the city. As they approached the city, it was said that Bradok came out of the gates alone and met them on their way in. He asked them what their business in Atla was, to which they mocked him and told him to bring them their women for their amusement and their men and children to work their fields. The story goes that Bradok smiled at the men and told them if they chose to turn away from the city and go back to their homeland he would allow them all to live. The men scoffed and laughed, this was one man against thousands. Bradok lifted his hands and used his Ari to close the gates of the city. The men began looking between one another with rising fear. No one really knows what happened after that point, but Bradok returned to the city later that day, and when asked what happened to the men he said simply, 'They were not prepared for me.'"

Rashan looked at his father and swallowed hard before saying, "So, we need to be prepared for anything?"

Noah smiled at his son, "Indeed Rashan, we do." Noah took one last look at the river sprawling before him, and then he and his son walked away from the prow of the ship and back towards the center of the deck, where Amare was practicing his swordsmanship, and Karok and Ali were being harassed by Nuni as they tried to nap. They had come this far...they had found a new home, built the machines that would make the Gods' Noise, and begun to rebuild the order of the Mul'Ki. He had allowed himself to believe that their hardships were over, that they had finally found a home and would live out a peaceful existence, just awaiting the day when they would be called upon to activate the machines and save humanity...but he now knew the truth of it...so long as Jakon and any of his men lived, no one was safe. Noah would see to it that he brought peace back to the people of Atla...back to this world...Noahim would destroy Jakon and all that stood with him.