|
Moving to the back of the bus we passed four people each giving Reia and I looks of either wonder or fear. I motioned for Reia to sit while I stood gripping the guide rails of the bus. The passengers’ looks had put me on the defensive, so I looked ahead and caught them turning away to avoid my gaze. I thought it interesting that the price of the fare hadn’t changed in ten years or that the buses them selves were exactly the same make and model as when I left. Shrugging it off I assumed the bus industry had reached its limit and didn’t have a need to improve, or maybe there was a cut in government funding.
Watching Reia sitting on the plastic seat I could tell she was weary of being inside a machine even with my promise, her face was low and her eyes darted from one place to another every second. Unfortunately Earth was populated by just as many cars as people and even if we walked she would be nervous of the cars on the road. At least by bus we could limit the time we are around vehicles and get to where we were heading a lot faster.
The bus stopped and went on its way like it always would, passengers left and climbed on continuing with their day only glancing at Reia and me momentarily. Finally after about ten minutes we arrived at the bus depot and I took Reias hand as we stepped off the bus.
The depot was deserted and quiet. I had never seen it this way. In the past there was always something buzzing about at the station but now it seems that no one was here. The bus rumbled away on its continuing journey as Reia and I stood alone at the depot. Reia took a seat on one of the benches and breathed a sigh of relief as I continued to look around. The display cases looked dirty, broken and empty, the advertisements gone. The building was covered in pictures and words, statements of power by those brave enough to draw on an unguarded wall.
The silence was broken by the sound of footsteps as someone in a dark trench coat stepped out from the shadows around the wall. I examined the figure as it moved towards us. The black hat cast shadows across its face but I could make out a bandana drawn over its mouth. I looked to Reia who sat unaware of the approaching figure. It continued to step closer and closer, my instincts said to be ready for a fight. Stopping only a few feet from me, it stood eye to eye with me. A voice, husky and low bellowed out from under the shadow, “Hand over the jewelry and any money you’ve got.”
The figure was holding us up. Looking to Reia who now stood next to me I saw a semi-smile creep across her face. This hadn’t been the first time we had been held up. Seven years before, we were traveling across the Parin Pass, the water way that links Parin East and Parin West, to the eastern continent. The would-be thief was not the brightest as he attempted to hold us up while we were being escorted by the Parin security officials.
This time we were on our own so it was up to us to deal with this unfortunate soul. I decided to have a little fun with him before we dispatched him. Lowering my glasses I spoke as cocky as I could, “No.” The muggers head shifted back in shock as he nervously replied, “What? You nuts?” I chuckled looking to Reia smiling as I spoke, “You tell me to give you our valuables and you expect me to simply hand them over. I just don’t see any reason to do so.”
With his threat now in question he decides to put his trump card down, he pulls his coat aside revealing a silver hand gun shoved into his pants. Reia grips my arm hard in questioning fear. Years of war with the Saekoo had thought her to be wary of anything that could be a weapon. Eight years ago her surrogate mother was killed in a Saekoo raid. She watched from the forest outside the village, as the Saekoo destroyed everything. Her father and I were in the Badlands holding back another Saekoo attack that was only a distraction while the raid was happening back in Viliton. Taking all the food and raw materials the Saekoo left the village in ruins. When Reias’ father and I returned from the Badlands we found Reia weeping over the bodies. But that was only the beginning of her loss as her father passed away days later from his injuries in the last battle.
Before Reias father died he made me promise to protect Reia as he knew she would start the quest so she could stop the Saekoos’ General Tamlo. It was Tamlo who was the latest to rally the Saekoo to war against the Tu’ralota and Kalato believing that technology was the only true path. The Tu’ralota and the Kalato have kept the Saekoo advance to a minimum but their numbers as of late had started to grow too large, fortunately leaders began to rise and rally our forces. Leaders like Reias father, Lord Maxite.
Many saw the war as a losing battle. The Saekoo continued to grow in numbers and their victory seemed inevitable. Those like Lord Maxite kept the forces from believing that the war was in vain. After his death the spirit of the Tu’ralota and Kalato seemed broken. Reia knew her path as her Father did. Her destiny was and is to again instill faith in her people. The quest is the only thread of hope for victory we had. The old scriptures of the Tu’ralota say that when all of Nosis falls to war and the fate of its people is clouded in shadow one will rise and right the world. No one quite knows what it is that will happen but it is certain that it will end the war. The scriptures tell that the one will search for the shattered pieces of a tablet that will lead them to the end, so Reia and I began our quest.
Knowing now that the peace of Earth was shattered in Reias mind I knew we couldn’t play with the potential mugger any longer. The time that had passed had obviously been too long for the mugger as he drew the gun on me. With out even a thought as to what I should do I reacted.
Taking the weapon in my grasp I forced it out of harms way. With my free arm I made contact with his elbow and forced it up until it cracked. Before he fully realized the pain in his arm I dropped to a crouching position and swept his feet from under him in a single kick. Landing on his back with a thud I stood and drew Shetiga. Reia well aware of my next move though I was not used her Wind shard to form a vortex and propel me back through an advertising case.
In an instant I got to my hands and knees but froze. Now in control of my body I took a deep breath claming my nerves. I looked to Reia and watched as the mugger took off into a nearby alley. With my head lowered I stood and wiped the glass from my coat and solemnly spoke to Reia, “I’m sorry.” Reia walked to my side and brushed glass from my shoulder as she replied, “Why are you sorry? You couldn’t control him any more than you could control the sunrise or sunset.” “It’s not him that I’m sorry about. It’s what he represented.” “What do you mean?” “I could see it in your eyes.” I said as I raised my head and looked into her eyes, “This place is no safer than Nosis, the only difference is that here it is only the people you have to worry about.” Shaking her head lightly she replies, “Nowhere is completely safe.” “No but I tried to let you believe it was safe here. I hoped that maybe you could get your mind off of Nosis, off the war. I thought maybe you’d get a chance to live a normal life.” Her expression turned from curiosity to genuine appreciation. I wished she could live a normal life. I have no memories of her playing with other children or simply sitting around with nothing to do, only of us on our quest. Her childhood was darkened by war and by the teachings of the temple. She hadn’t a real childhood and for that I was truly sorry. In her soft voice she replied, “This is my life, for me it is normal and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
We stood in silence awaiting the next bus as I marveled at her maturity. Only a minute passed when the bus arrived. Similar to the last it stopped and we boarded it. Lurching forward the bus rumbled away as we moved closer to my past and our future.
|