The Mantis Continuum - Book Four - 12. Chapter 12 - The Journey North, by Land

The sun was beginning to set, when Bivon saw the lights of Seven Rivers flickering through the trees. Thech and Jzuna were still hidden in the back of his cart as he led his horse through the town square.

Just like in Port Judy, several of the village residents approached Bivon to order warm beverages as the evening cooled, but he informed them that he was on a supply mission and would be happy to make them their drinks when he returned.

Unlike in Port Judy, Bivon parked next to an inn. He gave his horse some food and peeked into the back of his cart.

“Thech, Jzuna, the man who owns this tavern is a real fan of my coffee. I should be able to trade him for a nice meal.”

“I didn’t think you had any of your drink stuff,” Jzuna replied. “You kept telling people that you couldn’t make them anything.”

Bivon smiled. “I’m on this journey for you two; I’m not here to make drinks for anyone. I also don’t want people noticing you. Wait here,” he added. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with some food.”

He grabbed a sack of coffee beans. They made a hushed dry rattling noise, and Bivon left the children in his cart.

The door to the tavern was propped open, and as he entered, he called out, “Ogre?! Where are you, you old mackerel?”

A skinny elderly woman with gray hair stepped up to him. “Ain’t you heard?”

“Heard what?”

The woman sucked her teeth and looked Bivon up and down. “Ogre ain’t here no more. Ogre got hisself chopped up.”

Bivon let out a confused laugh. “What? What are you talking about?”

“He got hisself killed. Ogre always were an arsehole,” the woman stated with a frown.

“He was not the most pleasant person to be around,” Bivon agreed. “When was this? Can you tell me what happened?”

“Been a while now,” she said.

Bivon scratched his chin through his beard. “I haven’t been to Seven Rivers since I moved back to Hazel Cove over two years ago.”

“Weren’t quite that far back, but yeah, about then. Nobody don’t know nothin’ ’bout what happened. Said they just found him all chopped to pieces. Didn’t see it meself,” she added, “so I don’t rightly know.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“He were all in pieces, weren’t he?” the woman replied by means of an explanation. “That’s what they said.” She pointed at the sack of coffee beans. “Whatcha got there?”

“Oh, well, I was hoping to trade this for a nice meal.” Bivon opened the mouth of the little bag and wafted its contents toward the woman. “Ogre used to like my coffee.”

“S’alright,” she replied, “I’ll trade ya. Whatcha wanna eat?”

A few minutes later, Bivon was beside his cart again, and he called out quietly, “I’m back with some food.” He heard Thech grunt and asked, “You kids ready for a little supper?”

“Yes, please,” Jzuna’s voice replied. “Thech is really hungry.”

Bivon pulled back the flap of his cart and set an enormous bowl of stew onto a small table. “Here you go,” he said, ladling a bowl for each of the children and keeping the rest for himself. He sliced three more pieces of bread and placed one beside each bowl.

“Thech needs help,” Jzuna informed Bivon, “but I should be able to do it.”

“Okay, let me know if you need my assistance.”

Jzuna hovered above Thech’s bowl and reached down with several of her tentacles to carefully lift it. She brought it to her brother’s wide mouth and poured in a little of the chunky stew. He chewed, swallowed, and Jzuna poured in a little more.

Bivon smiled at the pair, and his heart broke for them again.

After a few minutes, Thech’s bowl was empty, and he started chomping on the piece of bread.

Jzuna then turned her attention to her own dinner. Just like the latte back at the café, the surface of the stew slowly drained down until all of it and the bread were gone.

When Bivon finished eating, he cleaned out the bowls and headed back inside to return the oversized dish. When he reappeared, he was smiling.

“I think you’re going to enjoy these,” he said, and he held up his hands toward the children. In both of his palms were clusters of bright red fruit. “Give these sun-cherries a try.”

Thech’s arm shot forward, but his jerky motor functions made it difficult for him to control his movements. The boy’s eyes remained perpetually rolled up in his head, and Bivon wondered how Thech even knew where anything was, but he did seem to have an awareness of his surroundings. Bivon shifted his hand beneath Thech’s questing fingers, and the boy snatched the fruit, shoving them into his mouth. He hummed in delight as he chewed.

In Bivon’s other hand, he could feel the fruit beginning to weigh less, as Jzuna caused the sun-cherries to dematerialize.

“Those are delicious!” her voice squeaked. “Thank you.”

A little while later, when the three were again settling for sleep, Bivon could hear the children making quiet sad noises from inside his cart like the night before, but they were soon asleep.

The following day, the trio made the journey to the village of Brokenpointe. They arrived just after sundown, but they did not enter the much larger fishing community. Bivon led his horse and cart along a path that circumvented the perimeter of the town, hoping to draw less attention, and he parked at the northern edge of Brokenpointe by the final leg of the Great Southtrack.

Bivon left Thech and Jzuna in his cart, and he headed into a small market to procure a little food for their dinner. It was only a matter of minutes before he returned with some sausages and a chunk of hard cheese to go with the remaining bread, but Bivon froze.

An unnerving aroma of roasted meat filled the area, and there was something acrid to the smell. Bivon stepped up to his cart, and right next to it, he saw the source of the scent. His stomach lurched.

A burned and blackened skeleton lay smoldering at his feet; much of it glowed orange like hot charcoal. The jawbone was not attached to the skull and one of the skeleton’s arms lay separate from the rest of the mutilated body. Large chunks of scorched flesh clung to the lower half of both legs, and the hand of the severed arm was still in pristine condition. Clutched in the unburned fingers was the hilt of a sword, and a portion of its blade was smeared with a thin clear coating that glimmered in the rising moon’s light.

Bivon heard noises from inside the cart.

“Thech? Jzuna?” he said under his breath. “Are you okay?”

Jzuna’s voice was whimpering, but Bivon could not make out what she was saying.

“It’s me,” he said, and he slowly drew open the back of his cart.

Thech was protectively standing in front of Jzuna, and a threatening rumble was issuing from his gaping maw.

“Oh no,” Bivon whispered, “Jzuna!”

Right inside the cart, lying limp in front of him was one of the unique Biological Shift girl’s tentacles.

“What do I do?” Bivon asked. “Can we fix it? Can we heal you? Thech, please let Jzuna get by you so I can see. I’m not going to hurt you or her.”

Jzuna nudged her brother and he moved out of the way. For being only a giant eyeball with tentacles, Jzuna managed to express an enormous amount of emotion without a word. She looked frightened and in pain; Jzuna looked like she wanted her mother.

“Can I see?” Bivon asked. “What happened?”

Suddenly Jzuna’s voice cried aloud with choked sobs. “There was a man, and he had a sword, and he cut off one of my arms! He opened your cart, and he called us a bad word, and he chopped off my arm! He grabbed some of your stuff and was stealing it, and I’m sorry, I think we burned it up when we told the fire to eat him.”

“You did… that?” Bivon asked, trying not to look down at the charred remains.

“I’m sorry we burned your stuff,” Jzuna repeated in a whimper.

“Oh, no, no, no! Don’t you worry about that; let’s take care of you. Can I please see? How bad is it?”

Jzuna’s voice sounded pitiful. “Look what he did!”

Her one huge eye stayed focused on Bivon, as her hovering mass rotated partway to the side. She extended the gory stump of her hacked tentacle, and another of her slimy limbs was wrapped around it, cradling the injury.

“Oh, Jzuna, honey, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe it all happened so fast. I was only gone for a few minutes,” he added

“It’s okay,” Jzuna whimpered. “I’ll be okay.”

“Do you want something for the pain? Did your mother ever give you medicine? I don’t know how it will work for you, since you and Thech are so unique.”

“I’m okay,” Jzuna repeated, and she lowered into the basin that the two children used for a bed.

“What should I do with the…” Bivon began to ask, but Thech made his question moot.

The weird boy snatched the severed tentacle and thrust it into his wide mouth. He chewed, swallowed it, and then he joined his sister in their tub.

Bivon sighed. “I’m sorry,” he whispered again. He stepped around to the front of his cart. “I’m going to move us away from that.” He did not look back at the corpse. A few minutes later he turned down a quiet side street where the three spent the night.

Neither of the children ate dinner.

The next day, they began the final leg of their journey, but Jzuna’s spirit had darkened. The tragic death of her and Thech’s mother was compounded by the attack she suffered the night before. She was in pain, and when Thech climbed out of their basin, Jzuna remained at the bottom of it.

“I’m just gonna stay here,” she mumbled.

Bivon did not know what to do, but when Thech clambered up and positioned himself at the front of the cart where Bivon usually sat, the big man climbed up beside the boy.

The final day’s travel brought them to their destination before the sun began to set. Thech clearly knew when they arrived at the edge of Teshon City, because he began rocking in his seat with an excited energy as the cart rolled between the massive old base’s gates.

“Jzuna, honey,” Bivon called back to her, “you’re really missing quite a sight. If you’re feeling up to it, maybe just take a little look at the city.”

Jzuna’s massive eyeball peeked over the lip of the tub, and the view was indeed lovely. She levitated out of the basin and hovered behind Bivon and her brother.

Entire sides of buildings were decorated. Some were painted with vibrant murals and others were patterned in geometric rainbow colors.

“Oooh,” Jzuna’s voice cooed at the sight. “It’s so pretty!” She then asked Bivon, “Could I please have something to eat?” She had eaten nothing in a day and a half.

“Absolutely!” Bivon replied. “Are you feeling a little better? How’s your arm?”

Jzuna held out her damaged tentacle, still clutched by another limb. “It hurts, but maybe not as bad.”

“Oh, I am so glad to hear that. Thech and I have been worried about you, and we’re glad you’re okay. Now, let’s see what we can find you to eat.” Bivon rummaged around in a sack of supplies and provided a few options for Jzuna.

She psychokinetically consumed an apple, seeds and stem and all, and then she dematerialized a tin of fish Bivon opened for her. She left the tin behind.

Bivon stopped his cart beside a street vendor and ordered a pair of little stuffed rice dumplings for Jzuna, one savory and one sweet.

When they vanished, she declared, “Wow, those were yummy!”

“Oh, good. I’m so happy you felt like eating something.”

A few minutes later, Bivon turned his cart down a quiet side street, and he parked it in front of a house.

“Thech, Jzuna, why don’t you two wait in the back,” he recommended. “I have friends who moved here recently, and I think they’ll be very excited to meet you, but first let me check and make sure we’re in the right place, and that they’re home. This is my first time to their new house as well.”

He walked away from the cart, and the two unique children heard him knock on the door. It opened, and there was what sounded like pleasant conversation that lasted only a moment.

Bivon then cried out, “Wait, wait! I don’t want you to surprise them!”

Thech and Jzuna were startled as the flap to the back of the cart opened, but standing outside it was just a little girl. She looked excited and curious, and more than anything, she looked happy.

“Oh, wow!” the girl said to Thech and Jzuna in a loud squeaky voice. “You two are like magic!”

Bivon quickly appeared behind her and said, “Thech, Jzuna, it turns out my friends are indeed home.” He looked down at the girl. “I’m sorry, please tell us your name. This is Thech and Jzuna,” he added.

“My name’s Fennah!” the child declared. Every word out of her mouth sounded more excited than the one before.

“Why don’t we step back, Fennah,” Bivon suggested, “and give Thech and Jzuna a little space to get out of my cart. They’ve been in there a long time. It was a long journey,” and he smiled at the girl. Bivon looked at Thech and Jzuna, and he said, “And this is Tophilogin.”

A little round man stepped up behind him and said, “Hello, children! Welcome to my home.” He jabbed his thumb in Bivon’s direction with a smile. “This silly goose insists on calling me by my real name, but you can just call me mystic.”

The two unique children came out into the setting sunshine, and the mystic’s breath caught. Evening was close, and the fading light sparkled on the coating that covered Thech and Jzuna.

“Aren’t you both just incredible?” the mystic gasped. “My daughter, Lahari, is also a Bio-Shift, and I am so excited for you two to meet her! She’s not here right now,” he added, looking at Bivon, “but I’m sure she’ll be home soon.” He turned back to Thech and Jzuna. “My husband, Theolan, is inside making dinner. Please, you three, join us for a meal.”

As the group entered the house behind the mystic, Bivon asked little Fennah, “How did you become friends with Tophilogin?”

The mystic answered for her. “Princess Fennah is the last surviving member of a royal house that existed until recently, down in Xin.”

“You’re a princess?” Jzuna asked.

The mystic and Fennah looked all around the room because Jzuna’s voice seemed to have no point of origin.

“I used to be,” Fennah replied, turning back to Thech and Jzuna, “but now I’m just Fennah.” She sounded like she did not mind the change to her life at all. Her eyes moved back and forth between the two Biological Shifts. “Which one of you is talking?”

“I am,” Jzuna replied, wiggling her tentacles. She then asked Fennah, “What happened to your family?”

“Jzuna,” Bivon gently interrupted, “maybe that’s a little too private.”

“It’s all right,” Fennah replied in her bright voice, and she answered quickly. “My family was killed, and it was really bad, but they were always killing people, and they always said that people wanted to try and kill them too. I think it’s better now that they can’t kill anybody else.”

The little girl continued chirping out disturbing things in her merry way. “My daddy killed my uncle and my auntie because they killed my mommy’s cousins. And my daddy also made the sergeant kill a bunch of people in the throne room, and my daddy made everybody watch, even me. Oh, and my mommy really wanted her own daddy to get killed, and she used to say that a lot. Then one day they told me my grandpa was killed. Everybody was always killing everybody.”

Fennah added in a quiet voice, “I thought I got killed also.” She immediately became boisterous and flowery again. “But I didn’t get killed, and I know that a lot of people got killed, but now they’re not killing anybody, and that’s so much better!”

She stopped speaking, and Bivon and Jzuna did not know what to say.

“And we are so glad,” Theolan declared as he came in from the kitchen, “that you are away from all that killing and can grow up like a normal little girl.” He was wearing a frilly apron and large flower-print oven mitts, but he was not carrying anything hot.

“Yes,” the mystic agreed, “recent days have been brighter for many of us.”

“Our mama got killed,” Jzuna said quietly, and her voice came from all around them.

“That’s true,” Bivon confirmed. “Thech and Jzuna have no one.” He let his words trail off, and all of them turned to look at the two unique children.

“Oh, kids,” Theolan exclaimed, “I’m so sorry!”

The mystic stepped up to Thech and Jzuna, and he countered Bivon’s words. “You two are not alone.”