Dream Drive Ch. 07

"Maybe you, but not the tribe."

"I am the tribe," Boonta growled. "Or I might as well be."

"You're an idiot," Jackson said.

"I'd rather be a fool than a fearful leaf, fluttering away on every passing wind." Boonta smiled again. "Your mistake, Jackson, is that you imagined what you yourself would do, and acted on those assumptions. But you see, I don't think like you, because I'm not a coward."

A clever comeback did not spring into Jackson's mind. So he stood there, and, eventually, shrugged.

"Yes," Boonta said. "Shrug away, Jackson. Deflect. Evade. It's all you're good at, isn't it?"

"Shut up already."

"I'm going to enjoy the day you show your true colors," Boonta said. "The look on Chaki's face will be immensely satisfying."

"This, coming from the wannabe rapist."

"Chaki doesn't understand what you're like," Boonta said. "I had to take her from you, for her own good."

Jackson was incredulous. "By forcing her down? You little fucking shit. I don't care what Shaka says, I am two fucking inches from kicking your ass right here and right now."

"Words," Boonta said. "Flimsy, insignificant words."

"Enough," Katran said. "You're both giving me a headache. I'm starting to wish I still had Vuntha."

Boonta harrumphed and turned away. Jackson stared at his back for a moment, then sighed out the anger and leaned on his spear.

His eyes were drawn to the base of the mountain. He could almost see a long rope emerging from the scar on his hand and leading into the earth. He could certainly feel it. It never pulled him, physically, but it dragged on his being, as if they were somehow magnetized.

He glanced at the black pentagram in the corner of his sight, the one that had appeared when he'd been warned of the hunter. It was still pulsing at the same rate. Whatever it was, it hadn't changed -- yet.

Shakhan, the guardian Under-The-Mountain, had warned Jackson that if he lingered, he would be hunted. Their conversation hadn't really been in his mind much since he'd first heard it; too much had happened. But now, the hunter had arrived. Was he strong enough to defend himself?

The pentagram pulsed white.

The shiver in his spine told Jackson that if he met the hunter right now, it would be over really, really fast.

"Katran," Jackson said, "I'll be honest with you. I was going to forfeit our match."

Katran started. "You'd run away?!"

"How predictable," Boonta said.

"You wanted a fight so much," Jackson said, "that the best way for me to rub the salt in -- after Vuntha beats Boonta, that is -- would be to walk away from you."

"You're certainly optimistic," Boonta said.

"Why are you telling me this?" Katran asked. "You've changed your mind?"

"Yeah," Jackson said. "I just had a better idea. I'm gonna fight you."

Katran snorted, then shook his head. "Tatanka Ska, I do not pretend to understand you even a little. Then, let us both fight well."

"Make sure you're set for the long haul," Jackson said. "This is important."

"I'm glad you're coming to that conclusion as well," Katran said, "but I plan on ending our fight as swiftly as possible."

"Good luck with that."

****

When the last pair was announced, Chaki flew across the grass toward the battleground. Palla nipped at her heels. Close behind was a churning mass of people that all wanted good spots.

She skidded to a halt at the bottom edge of the bowl. Wooden posts had been nailed in front of the four dueling rings to mark a boundary; she propped herself against one of them. Palla swung around another pole to stop his momentum, then jumped over to her as others flooded around them.

The crowd trailed out like a slowly brandished whip, spreading itself first along the posts, then building up the slope in layers. To her surprise, Hanta shouldered in to join the two of them. When Chaki looked at him, he grinned back. "I didn't want to miss my son putting that idiot in his place."

"Do you think Vuntha will win?"

"He'd better. Boonta needs the push. Nothing else will get through his skull."

A part of Chaki didn't want to give Boonta another chance. A part of her wanted nothing less than banishment. But he was the elder's son; even with Jackson's word alongside hers, it was unlikely that Yukatan would ostracize his own blood from the Windseekers.

Perhaps Boonta could change. Maybe he could find a new balance between himself and the tribe.

But Chaki didn't really believe that. Shaka claimed she was working at it, but hadn't yet provided a solution to the Boonta problem. Chaki was of the opinion that the only thing that would resolve the issue was a firm beating, and she was looking forward to seeing it happen.

The crowd was now the largest it had been so far. With early morning chores, not everyone could spare time to attend the race. Many had been preparing for the upcoming feast while the archery contest was in progress. But now, with the soups cooking, and the horses penned in close to camp, the slope of the hill was packed with thousands of her fellow people.

Haanak, Kunaya, and Jalak took to the back side of the rings, where the men were arranged in a line. Chaki had managed to catch Jackson's eye a few times, but he only distractedly returned her wave. Something was on his mind. Perhaps the nerves were finally setting in.

The first four pairs of men were called forward. Each pair went to one of the four rings, all bearing their spears. The spears themselves were brought by each contestant, but they were only allowed a length between 20 and 25 handspands, and a blade between one and one-half handspand. The rules were simple: the fight continued until one party surrendered, was forced from the ring, or could no longer continue to fight.

All four rings fought at once, making for a fast-paced style contest. Distractions from another fight had caused the failure of many warriors, but such was part of the game.

A fight did not end when blood was drawn; it ended only when it ended. Death was a serious possibility. The gathered spirit guides stood in a group at one end of the arena, ready to heal with their runes. Chaki spotted Shaka amongst them. Together, the women were an intimidating group of beads, woven dresses, and shining gemstone necklaces.

They were given a respectful berth by the rest of the crowd. Chaki imagined herself amongst them, standing next to Shaka, and smiled to herself.

Jalak raised both his hands. The crowd fell silent. Chaki folded her arms and rubbed her sides; as the day went on, it had fallen chilly.

"Begin!" Jalak shouted.

After taking space away from the edge of the ring, one pairing had fallen still, each watching and waiting for the other to make the first move. Two more pairs began cautiously, testing the ends of their spears against the other, exchanging footwork.

The fight of the final pair ended almost as soon as it began. One of the men lunged forward as soon as Jalak's shout echoed over them. His surprised opponent raised his shaft to defend, but the first warrior's momentum could not be denied. His speartip chipped through the block and sliced across the side of his opponent's abdomen.

The wounded man cried out and collapsed to the ground, clutching at his side. The victor raised his spear into the air, eliciting a cheer from the crowd. Two of the spirit guides jogged forward to heal the downed warrior.

The other three fights ended sporadically; Jalak, Haanak, and Kunaya each shouted an "out!" when a man was forced to put a foot out of bounds to evade an attack. The losers had their bead-cords withdrawn, while the winners were paired up to fight against one another in the second round.

Vuntha and Boonta were in the next set. Jackson and Katran did not come forward -- they would lead off the four after.

There was a noticeable ripple in the crowd as Vuntha and Boonta set themselves on opposite edges of their ring. Rumors had spread, as rumors tend to do; there were few that didn't know of their feud over Drana. They were a similar type of fighter -- both stocky, close to the ground, relying on strength to overpower their foes. Boonta was taller, but Vuntha probably had a bit more reach with his arms.

They stared at one another, unblinking. Boonta held his spear tight across his chest; Vuntha held his low, and he rolled it in his fingers, as if feeling out the texture of the wood.

Chaki glanced over the crowd -- she saw Drana in one of the rows close to the posts, watching carefully. Even at a distance, Chaki could see that her jaw was clenched tight. Her face looked drawn and tired.

Shaka left the group of spirit guides and quietly positioned herself closer to the ring. Chaki was glad to see her move. If anything happened, she would be ready to step in.

"Begin!" Jalak shouted.

Boonta and Vuntha dashed inward, closing the gap to the center of the ring in three quick steps. Despite having taken a more aggressive stance, it was Vuntha that raised his spear to block, rather than attack.

Their spears clacked sharply. Boonta's stab went wide. They each fell back a step, and began to circle the other, looking for an opening.

Two of the other fights had ended in blood after the first exchange. Another few moments passed, and the third ended, an experienced and aggressive warrior having driven his opponent out of the ring. Vuntha and Boonta were left alone, still circling.

Vuntha stepped out with his left foot, and then he paused, wincing. Boonta's spear shot forward; Vuntha barely twisted out of the way, spinning back to his right.

Boonta pressed the attack. Vuntha struggled to defend himself, stepping backward, exchanging ground for time. Boonta pursued aggressively, chasing Vuntha almost to the edge of the ring. The noise of the crowd started to rise in excitement.

"Hanta," Chaki said, "Boonta keeps attacking on the left. He knows!" Hanta didn't answer, but his hands were tight on the boundary post.

Vuntha took another step back, and his face twisted in pain. His ankle must have been hurting far worse than he let on.

Chaki felt a rising sense of panic. "Hanta..."

"There's nothing we can do," Hanta said. "He's going to have to fight through it."

"He can't fight like this!"

Boonta's flurry of strikes put a sheen of sweat on his face, but his eyes were confident. He swung his spear in a flat arc, forcing Vuntha to block vertically.

The power of the blow was enough to push Vuntha onto his left foot for balance. He made a sharp grimace.

Boonta's spear smacked back off Vuntha's block, but Boonta used that very momentum to spin back the other way. It was a long, telegraphed move, but he was taking advantage of Vuntha's moment of weakness.

Vuntha exploded off his left foot, diving forward under Boonta's swing. The butt of his spear smacked Boonta's legs as he rolled to his feet. Already overbalanced from swinging into air, Boonta stumbled forward. He churned his feet to stay upright, swaying at the edge of the ring.

Vuntha got back up just as Boonta caught himself. In an instant, their positions had changed: Vuntha on the inside, Boonta on the edge of the ring. Hanta shouted something at Chaki, but she couldn't hear him over the huge roar of the crowd.

Vuntha's careful defense transformed into an all-out attack. He worked his weapon in short, quick strikes. His blade flashed as it came in from different angles. Boonta choked up on his spear, holding the shaft in both hands so he could knock aside the rapid strikes.

Suddenly, the stamina Boonta had spent driving Vuntha to the edge of the ring was a huge disadvantage. He was reacting fast enough, but he wasn't knocking Vuntha's spear away; it simply redirected and came back in.

Boonta's eyes darted to track his opponent's weapon. His feet were locked by the assault; he had no ground to work with. Vuntha's spear bit like a viper, left-right-up-down, left-right-up-down.

It seemed to go on forever -- Boonta on the brink, but not quite pushed over; Vuntha attacking as fast as possible, desperate to prevent Boonta from escaping the trap.

Chaki was almost lost in the speed -- but then she realized the problem. Vuntha wasn't changing his pattern anymore; he was repeating the movements of a training exercise she knew herself.

Chaki cupped her mouth. She wasn't sure if he would hear her over the crowd, or through the heat of battle, but she had to shake him out of his predictability before Boonta caught on.

And then, Vuntha stopped.

Boonta's spear automatically blocked to the right, following the pattern that Vuntha had set. Vuntha's blade winked on the left. It plunged through Boonta's shoulder, driving under the collarbone. Vuntha roared and followed through behind his spear, shoving Boonta out of the ring.

Boonta fell away from the blade. Chaki couldn't hear him over the crowd, but from the way his mouth twisted, he had to be screaming. The gash on his shoulder was deep; blood coated the grass where he collapsed.

Yukatan was at his son's side in moments, holding him steady. Shaka knelt next to him and wove runes. Golden symbols wavered into place above Boonta's body -- not drawn out one by one, but appearing together, almost all at once, a healing spell she'd performed hundreds of times. The bleeding stopped first, and then Boonta's flesh began to scab up at an accelerated rate.

Vuntha's chest rose and fell in heaving breaths. He walked toward the crowd, then raised his spear overhead in both hands. The next roar was louder than even the one Jackson had received when he finished his run. Chaki covered her ears.

And then she grunted, because Hanta grabbed her and Palla and packed them together into a hug. She heard the rumble of Hanta's voice, but his words were washed away. She just grinned and hugged him and her brother back.

The crowd's cheer fell flat, then changed into sparse shouts and cries. The three of them fell back from their embrace.

Shaka was on the ground, and Boonta was on his feet. His shoulder was still a bloody scar, only partially healed. He sprinted toward Vuntha's turned back.

Chaki and Hanta shouted and pointed, trying to direct his attention, but Vuntha had barely started to turn when Boonta slammed into him at full speed. They flew through the air and crashed into the grass, Boonta landing on top. Fists and feet were flying.

Hanta was on the other side of the posts faster than Chaki could blink; Yukatan was a step behind. They forced themselves into the brawl, Yukatan grabbing his son under the arms to pull him off, Hanta dragging Vuntha away. Yukatan got a blow to the mouth for his trouble. The beginnings of nasty bruises were already swelling on Vuntha's face.

Boonta raged against his father's grip; Haanak joined Yukatan, but even together, they struggled to keep Boonta in check. It wasn't until Shaka showed up and slapped Boonta across the face that he stopped.

Her voice was much, much louder than the crowd. Chaki suspected it was a set of runes. "You," Shaka said, "are acting like a wild dog. Control your emotions before you shame yourself further, you petulant fool!"

Boonta's face was cherry red, but he stopped fighting. Slowly, Yukatan and Haanak released him. Boonta stood there, staring at the ground, breathing hard.

"Boonta," Shaka said, "this is the final straw. I will not tolerate --"

Boonta produced something between a shout and a growl. For a moment, Chaki thought he'd attack Shaka -- but he turned on the spot and stamped off, away from the battleground and the crowds. Yukatan glanced at Shaka, then followed his son.

Chaki reached Vuntha and Hanta. Vuntha was standing, but he was leaning on his father for support. One of Vuntha's eyelids was purple and swelling fast enough to impair his vision. "Vuntha, hold still. I need to see."

"Ah," Vuntha mumbled. "That demon-fucked piece of shit."

"Shall I bruise that tongue of yours to finish off your facial rearrangement?" Hanta asked.

"Sorry," Vuntha said. "But he is one."

"It's not for you to say." Hanta lowered his voice. "And for the sake of your hide, check your tongue in earshot of the spirit guide. She is already going to be sewing herself a Boonta-skin dress tomorrow."

Chaki drew a few runes in the air, using her finger as a guide. Shaka could simply visualize them into existence, but that took a lot of practice. Even with her crutch, the runes came swiftly, leading her finger, more in tune with her thoughts than her gestures.

She had a feeling that her newfound speed had something to do with the power she'd gained from Jackson. It hadn't fundamentally changed her magic -- rather, smoothed it over. Everything was a bit easier.

"What happened to Shaka?" Chaki asked. "It looked like she fell."

"You didn't see," Hanta said. "The boy pushed her aside even as she was healing his wound so he could get at Vuntha."

Chaki sucked in a sharp breath, but turned her attention to her work. She held the completed runes in place, then began to add essence. Vuntha's swollen eyelid began to shrink back down immediately. The bruises on his face dwindled to the size of dots, then vanished. He blinked a few times, testing out the movement.

Chaki released the magic; the golden runes vanished. "Better?"

Vuntha worked his jaw. He felt at his chin with his hand. "Much. That's incredible." He looked at her. "Was Drana watching? Did she see?"

Chaki glanced into the crowd. "She was watching. I saw her earlier."

Vuntha sighed. "Good. Still...I can't believe Boonta acted against Shaka."

"I can," Chaki said. "If he gets away with this without punishment, I'll kill him myself. No one touches Shaka."

Vuntha and Hanta both stared at Chaki with worried gazes. Vuntha swallowed. "Don't worry. I won't get between you two."

"Vuntha, Vuntha!" Palla shouted. He ran up and caught Vuntha's side in a hug. Vuntha took the embrace eagerly, hoisting Palla a foot into the air before dropping him back down. "How did you do that roll?! I thought your foot was hurt!"

"I was wondering the same thing," Chaki said.

Vuntha grinned at her. "I got the idea when they walked by, and you were worried that they might have overheard that my ankle was sore. I figured if I played it up, I could lure him in."

"That..." Chaki paused. "I think Jackson's having a bad influence on you."

"Everyone," Jalak shouted, "return beyond the boundary! We can't continue like this! Please, respect the games!"

It took a few minutes for the commotion to settle back down. Vuntha walked off to take his place with the rest of the men that would fight in the next round, waving at the crowd as he went. His eyes scanned back and forth, then stopped on something; he waved and hoisted his spear up. Chaki was able to see Drana waving back from inside the cheers and waves of the people.

She returned to her post. Others had filled in their spot while they were gone; a stern look made them move back. Being the apprentice of a spirit guide had a few advantages. Hanta and Palla took their places beside her.

Chaki closed her eyes for a few moments. She could sense essence around her; trickling in the ground and grass, dancing on the wind. It thrummed inside every person. She breathed deeply, and her spirit filtered it out of the air, sucking in those particles and trapping them in her being. The process would normally take her days, but with her bond to Jackson, she could restore her magic after only a few minutes of meditation.

"Chaki," Hanta said. "It's Jackson's turn."

Chaki opened her eyes. Jackson and Katran were moving out onto their battleground. This time, the crowd didn't murmur; everyone was very quiet. There were a few lonely calls of encouragement for those in other rings, but even the other warriors were stealing glances at Jackson and Katran.

They did make a strange pair. Jackson was not short, but Katran's height made him seem so. They were both thin, but Jackson had a relaxed softness; Katran looked made of hardened leather. Jackson's hair was mussed and tangled, but Katran's style was short and neat. Katran held himself like a coiled rope. Jackson slouched.