The Inheritance of Wrath, page 16
“So, these abilities are strictly based on genetics?”
“As far as I’ve been able to discern. The technology needed to directly observe the human gene is long lost to our world. The author of my book was mostly speculative in his writings beside. However, after listening to each of you and your visits to Empyrean, it seems evident that your ancestors play a key role in this process. The importance of genetics cannot be understated.”
“That’s incredible.” The only sounds that followed were the crackling of the fire and Professor Baker slurping his tea. It seemed fascinating to Liwanu that so much knowledge had been lost to humanity. Why was that? What had happened to allow so much knowledge to be lost to the world?
Professor Baker emptied the last of his tea into his mouth and cleared his throat. With a tip of his hat, he took his leave and entered his tent. A few minutes later, Cui took his place by the fire and looked across it at Liwanu, eyes wide.
“Is what I heard true?” he asked. “You’ve been to Empyrean two times already?”
“That’s right. Why? Is that strange?”
“Well I think so,” Cui said. His face beamed with excitement. “Just imagine. We have all of this potential. We can do so many things that others can’t. We’ll be like heroes!”
“Yeah. Something like that.”
“What were your visits like?”
“Oh, you know, your typical day in hell,” Liwanu said. Cui continued to lean forward. As annoying as he could be sometimes, his eager and earnest nature was rather endearing. Liwanu coughed into his arm. “So, I was wondering. What sort of temptation do you feel after visiting Empyrean? Professor Baker said that everyone experiences something different. I get angry. What do you get?”
“What do I get?” Cui laughed. “It’s weird, actually. Instead of being angry, I become incredibly jealous. It’s like when I heard you visited Empyrean twice already, while I’ve only been once. I can’t help but feel slightly jealous of you. Which is strange for me. I’m not that sort of person by nature. At all.”
“I don’t understand it either,” Liwanu said. “I never used to be such an angry person. Well, I mean, no more than the next guy anyway. But now it’s overwhelming. Even at the news of my father’s death, I was only sad for a few seconds before I was overcome with anger. Why is that?”
“That’s a good question,” Cui said. A few moments of silent introspection passed. He let out a large yawn and rubbed his eyes.
“Hey, I’m wide awake,” Liwanu said. “I can take the first watch if you want.”
“You mean it?” Cui asked. Liwanu nodded. “Thanks. You’re a life saver. I’ll be sure to make it up to you sometime.” As Cui left, Liwanu crafted a few arrows by the fire to replace the ones that he had spent trying to hit Hiroki.
The next day, as Liwanu continued his hike with the others, he kept a freshly crafted arrow in his right hand. Mindlessly, he would switch between twirling it and notching it to his bowstring. Every so often, he would glance behind himself, as if expecting Hiroki to be there. Instead, it was only Toba. Eventually, the burly man lit a cigarette.
“I didn’t know you smoked,” Liwanu said.
“Why do you care?”
“I don’t. I just hadn’t noticed.”
“If yer desperate, I’ll sell ye a pack. For a good price.” Liwanu shook his head.
“I’ve never smoked before. What’s it like?”
“It helps to calm the nerves. Like making love to a woman,” Toba said with a grin. With a loud guffaw, Liwanu’s ears burned and he turned away. “Of course, ye probably never done that either, eh mate?”
Before Liwanu could respond, Jaya walked up to Toba. “Your rude behavior is not becoming of the members of our group,” she said sternly.
“Whoa! take it easy! We’re just joking around here. Yer committing conversational overkill. Like scratching an itch with a razor blade. All yer doing is making a bloody mess.”
“That’s exactly the sort of diction to which I am referring. And furthermore, you shouldn’t smoke. It hurts my lungs when I walk near you.”
Toba laughed. “Well if that’s the case, ye need to exercise those lungs a bit more. Let me help ye.” Forcefully he blew a large cloud of stinging smoke into Jaya’s face. Liwanu’s former embarrassment was traded for a righteous rage. Before he could run to Jaya’s defense, however, she tripped Toba and snatched his cigarette from his mouth before he even hit the ground. Expecting Toba to jump back up and fight, Liwanu’s jaw tightened. Instead, a small chuckle could be heard from the man on the ground.
“Ye cheeky blighter,” he said as he rose to his feet. “I didn’t know you had it in ye. Good on ye. Sorry if I took it a bit far there.” He offered a sheepish shrug as he stood up.
“I forgive you,” Jaya said. With a stiff posture, she walked on ahead. Toba laughed even harder, and Liwanu forced a small chuckle. It surprised him how quickly the encounter had fizzled. It wasn’t so with him. At just slightest provocation, a fire was lit in his stomach once more. He knew it would take some time and a great deal of effort to relax.
As the sun sank on the horizon, Zakiya called for a halt. Niccolo dropped his enormous blue pack and moved to help Professor Baker off his horse. The group set up camp once more, but again Liwanu found himself too stressed to even consider rest. He breathed a heavy sigh. Tummu sat down and dug a few circles into the ground and motioned for Liwanu to join him.
“I don’t feel like playing mancala,” Liwanu said.
“Come on, bud, this is all I’ve got.”
“That’s sad.”
“You’ll be sad after I beat you. Now come on.”
“What’re ye two going on about?” Toba asked. He removed his hat, wiped his brow and looked down at Tummu with mild curiosity.
“It’s a game we like to play,” Tummu said. “Want to try it out, bud?”
“Perhaps, if ye make it a little interesting,” he said with a wink. “Are you a gambling man, Tummu?”
“Not really, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.”
“Oh yes it would,” Zakiya said as she approached them. “We don’t want a repeat of what happened at the bar in that sketchy village. How about you and I play a round, Tummu? Without the involvement of money, of course.”
“You really mean it?” Tummu said with a large grin.
“Sure,” Zakiya said. “But I’ve never played before. You’ll have to teach me.”
“No problem! There’s a lot of strategy involved, so try to keep up!”
“Well, I guess ye and I will have to find something else to do,” Toba said to Liwanu. “How about a bit of sparring? I’ve got an extra pair of gloves in my pack if ye enjoy boxing.” With a smile and a nod, Liwanu agreed. Toba retrieved the gloves with a grin.
As Liwanu laced up his gloves, he watched Toba throw a few punches in the air. His posture and movements were different from anything he’d seen before. Swaying motions would be interrupted by sudden flurries of punches as he moved in and out, boxing an invisible foe.
“That’s an interesting technique,” Liwanu noted. “Where did you learn to box?”
“A band of pirates I used to run with taught me,” he said.
“Pirates?” Liwanu asked with a slack jaw. “You can’t be serious. The World Peace Organization would never allow for the existence of pirates.”
“Back when they thought they ran the place, they never bothered us,” Toba said with a shrug. He sniffed and continued his practice strikes. “Kind of hard to have a strong navy when constantly preaching peace.”
Liwanu finished putting on his gloves and stood to his feet. The two touched gloves and began circling each other. He was confident in his abilities, having bested most of the boys in Otari growing up, but he never took any new foe lightly. Especially a former pirate. They both started off rather slow, throwing a few jabs to test distance and each other’s reactions. When a few minutes had passed with each fighter assessing the other, they stopped holding back so much.
Each of Liwanu’s favorite combinations failed against Toba’s swaying movements. The grizzly man dodged and parried each strike and landed a few of his own.
Growing tired, Liwanu’s hands drooped between strikes. Toba faked a jab, then went for a liver shot. He did the same thing again, landing it once more. Liwanu winced in pain as he stumbled backward. Toba went for the same combination one more time, but Liwanu was anticipating it. He didn’t fall for the initial feint and dropped his elbow in to protect against the liver shot, falling right into Toba’s trap. After faking the liver shot, Toba instead threw a straight cross directly into Liwanu’s exposed jaw. His body collided with the ground.
His heart pounded and his vision narrowed. An outstretched hand from Toba helped him back to his feet and assisted in clearing his mind.
“Don’t feel bad,” he said with a wink. “Everyone falls for my feints the first fight. I’m sure ye’ll do much better next time.”
Liwanu brushed off the dust from his pants and smiled at Toba. His anger was molded into determination. No matter how long it took, he would get the edge over his opponent. He reached for his canteen and took a drink of water. A large groan could be heard from Tummu and he looked over at his friend.
“I guess I learned the strategy of the game pretty quickly,” Zakiya said. Tummu slumped his shoulders as Zakiya reset the game before them.
“You really want to play again?” Tummu asked. After Zakiya nodded, Tummu perked back up and smiled ruefully. “I’ll win this time for sure!”
Chapter 17
In his quest to heal a broken world, Samuel’s next step required money. The people of Rode were used to paying taxes, but in order to jumpstart his various programs, Samuel needed more than what they were used to paying. A great number of people were unhappy with the change, but the armed tax collectors were impossible to resist. He was sure that everyone would come around eventually and see the benefits that he could provide the city. In the meantime, he didn’t mind relying on fear tactics to accomplish his mission. They would fear him. Then they would learn to appreciate him.
With his newfound influence, it took no time at all for Samuel to raid his father’s grounds and take every book from the premises. Including the tomes his father kept hidden. Learning was the catalyst that enabled him to take control. It was imperative that he continued his conquest of knowledge and take advantage of every resource available to him. Among the pile of books brought before him, one book in particular proved interesting. The old journal, that at first seemed unimportant, contained several pages on the mysterious group that had shaped the course of history. It was evident that the journal was written by a previous member of the group.
After reading through the old pages of the notebook, Samuel’s fears were realized. Without a doubt, the strange organization was still in existence. There was even brief mention of individuals obtaining strange powers in the journal. Like those travelling with the professor.
It was clear that there were two groups of individuals that he needed to worry about, and the more he considered them, the more he doubted their distinction from each other. One had knowledge. The other had power. And he knew from experience that the two were never far from each other. He became increasingly agitated, not sure what to do about the hole that now existed in his plans for increasing control.
For a few days, Samuel’s mind refused to focus on anything but the potential threats. No matter how much time and effort he put into various tasks required to lead a newly formed government, his mind continued to drift back to the group of Empyreals that had attacked The Crows. Why hadn’t Hiroki contacted him yet? Even if the deed had yet to be done, he should have received an update.
After a few more days, Samuel flipped through the old journal once again. His obsessive mind could not rest until he had answers. After turning the last page, he tossed the journal over his shoulder. He rubbed his temples and looked behind him. Only then did he notice a small piece of paper poking out of the cover to the old book. He scrambled over to it and picked it up. With eager fingers, he grabbed the loose piece of paper and gently pulled at it. With some effort, he freed it from its hiding place without tearing it. The piece of paper had no writing on it. Instead, there was a picture. It was faded, but Samuel had no trouble deciphering what was depicted in front of him. The journal fell from his trembling hand.
Without another thought, he called for a guard. He instructed the man to prepare a small group for travel. Arrangements were made to handle his leave, and within the hour, he was marching out of his office. He was prepared to find the small group of Empyreals and put an early stop to their crusade. Their connection to the ancient, powerful organization was made clear to him. It was imperative that he deal with the immediate threat. Then, when the time came, he would be forced to deal with the members of the mysterious group.
As he made his way down a hallway, he saw Brag waiting for him, nervously fidgeting with a pen. A passing glance was all Samuel offered him.
“Hold on,” Brag called. Samuel froze and Brag gulped. “There seems to be an issue with some of the guns, yes-yes. An apparent misfire that happens periodically. I can fix the issue for you, but it will take a few days.”
“I don’t have a few days,” Samuel said. “I know these weapons better than anyone. They are fine. I am leaving immediately.” He continued walking.
“Yes-yes,” Brag called out. “I heard that you were leaving… and that you picked someone to be left in charge in your absence… but you didn’t choose me.”
“And why should I?” Samuel asked. Brag noticed the hardened look in his friend’s eyes but continued anyway.
“Well, you said that we are friends, yes-yes. That you couldn’t have made it to where you are without me. That in many ways, I am your second in command.”
“I don’t follow your line of thinking. You are my friend, but you would be a horrible leader in my stead.”
“I don’t care!” Brag yelled. Samuel’s eyes narrowed.
“My patience is already thin,” he said slowly.
“You still owe me an explanation,” Brag continued. Samuel drew his pistol and shot him in the kneecap. Brag collapsed to the ground clutching his leg while his pen rolled away down the hall.
“You have overstepped the bounds of our relationship,” Samuel said over the screams of his only friend. He snorted and looked down his nose at the whimpering man. “Guard! Get in here!” he called down the hallway. A man rushed in the door within a few seconds and Samuel pointed at Brag. “Take this man away from me. Throw him in the worst prison you can find and throw away the key.” As he walked away, Brag’s screams echoed harmlessly through the building. Already thoughts of Brag were behind him. His focus returned to the mission before him.
As the sun rose so did Liwanu’s confidence. He was determined to hunt something to feed everyone back at the camp. Mud was applied to his face, and if it wasn’t for his bright grin, it would be difficult to spot him as he slipped through the woods.
Though his tracking skills were far short of those possessed by Toba, he still had years of experience spotting signs left by game. And the area he was in that morning was teeming with wildlife. Tracks and scat indicated the presence of wild boar, rabbits, antelope, and even a large feline. Though tigers were known to roam the area, they were rare. The track likely belonged to a panther.
The animal he chose to pursue, though, was deer. Liwanu followed the tracks across a small stream and into an open field. A deer stood still before him and sniffed the air. It was a setting not unlike the one he found himself in on World Peace Day. His hand ran the course of his smooth bow and he pulled it out in front of himself. The gentle flick of the deer’s tail let him know that it was unaware of his presence. After drawing his arrow and taking aim, the deer’s nose twitched slightly. He knew that it had caught wind of his smell, and he immediately fired the arrow. The wounded animal ran into the woods, but he knew that it likely lost enough blood to perish just inside the wood line.
Upon reaching his kill, he expected a wave of emotions. Many hours had been spent dreaming of finally killing his own deer. But when he looked at the animal, it wasn’t joy that he felt. There was a certain satisfaction, knowing that it would help provide food and energy for his friends, but it wasn’t what he expected. Without his father’s approval, it wasn’t any different than completing any other task. No more important than fetching water or gathering firewood. With a sigh, he reached for the deer.
With his increased strength, Liwanu was able to carry it back to camp, albeit barely. Without an immediate trigger for his anger, his strength could only reach a certain limit. He dropped the animal to the ground and placed his hands on his knees to catch his breath. When he looked up, Jaya was standing in front of him, eyes toward the sky.
“Are you okay?” Liwanu asked.
“I am fine,” she said. Her eyes refused to meet his. “I simply don’t like to look at anything covered with blood.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You don’t have to look at it. I’ll go get Tummu to help me butcher it, so you don’t have to be bothered.” Jaya pulled a strange face as she struggled to keep her eyes skyward and breathe only through her mouth for fear of catching wind of the dead animal’s odor.
“Thank you,” she said. “I also wanted to thank you for your advice. I’ve talked with Zakiya several times since you suggested doing so, and it has been helpful.”
“It was your own advice, not mine,” Liwanu said. “All I did was say that Zakiya would be a good person to confide in.”
Tummu walked up next to Jaya and looked at the deer in front of Liwanu. “Hey, nice job,” he said. After clapping his friend on the shoulder, he bent down to inspect the animal. “Clean shot, right through the heart. If your dad was here, he’d tell you how proud he is, I know it.”
Liwanu stiffened and stared at his best friend. “Don’t put words in his mouth for him. We’ll never know what he might say. I won’t ever speak with him again. And that’s that.”
