Mandeler's Crystal: A Journey into Darkness

Contents

The Awakening

Breakfast

Cochrals

The Hut

The Crystal

The Gathering

Afterwards

The Unknown Trail

The Camp

Huxbee

The Trail North

The Cave

Melville

The Trail Ahead

The Storm

The Trail to the Sea

Portside

A Dash in the Darkness

The Quest

The Sea Quester

Something Ancient

Departure

A Sailor in the Making

Enemies from Above and Below

Out of Reach

The Island

The Clan

Departure

Homecoming

The Frontier

Earlsbee

Reunion

The Tattoo

In the Mix

A Glimpse Ahead

The Smoking

Mountain

Rain of Terror

Recovery at Sea

The Queen’s Wrath

Into the Drink

Three Up

Return to the Smoking Mountain

The Queen’s Nest

The New Face of Darkness

Homecoming

First Published as an e-book June, 2014

Published as a paperback Fall, 2014

by W. James Dickinson

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters,

places and incidents are a product of the

author’s imagination. Any resemblance to

actual persons, living or dead, events or

locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved.

Copyright ©2014 by

W. James Dickinson of Cochrane

Alberta, Canada.

Illustrations by W. James Dickinson

Canadian Copyright

March 7, 2014

Registration No. 1111576

ISBN: 978-1-77084-484-1

eBook ISBN: 978-1-77084-493-3

Printed and bound by

First Choice Books, Victoria, BC, Canada

Design by First Choice Books

firstchoicebooks.ca

To my wife, Judy.

Dedication

This novel is a work of pure fiction but the people who helped me to complete this book are very real.

Brian Cooley inspired me to start writing a novel but his greatest contribution was to critique my creatures as I struggled to bring them to life.

My wife Judy listened as I read out loud each chapter and revision, giving me the feedback I needed to guide the story. She always had the time to help, as I puzzled my way through the storyline and final text.

When we were young, Ken Fearnley, gave me a copy of Lord of the Rings, setting the bar higher for tales of adventure. More recently, Ken read the manuscript, checking for continuity of details.

In my professional career, I worked with Roberta Hursey for almost 20 years, and she coached me while I wrote proposals and letters. Without her as my English teacher, I would never have had the confidence to go public with any written material.

Dorothy Weimer, Marj Scheunert and Marie-France Berube took on the onerous task of cleaning up my typos. In the end it was Dorothy who was my editor and I am so grateful for her comments and suggestions.

All authors say it, but I really could not have done it without all of their help.

For those of you who have just picked up this book, I thank you for risking the few hours it will take to delve into the tale.

The Awakening

Mandu could see the muted colours of the canyon walls approaching. The wind roared in his ears and the tears streamed from his eyes as he tried to focus on vague details of the rapidly approaching gorge. He was diving from a great height and the trees were just coming into focus. Sensing the approaching landscape he willed himself out of the dive. His cheeks sagged with the force of pulling into level flight. Then in an instant he was clipping over the last of the dark trees and all that lay before him was the desolation of the canyon below. As he swooped low over a flat topped hillock he caught a glimpse of a converging winged shadow. He glanced over his shoulder just as the raptor screamed its attack. In the instant before the outstretched talons reached him, the dream cycle suddenly ended.

He sat bolt upright in the darkened room. He could still feel the effects of the wind on his face and the terror of seeing the attacking nemesis. How many nights had he awoken with this same dream, only to find himself tangled in his bedding and still labouring from the exertion of the chase? It felt so real and after each dream cycle it was getting harder and harder to shed the feeling of exhilaration and dread.

Mandu rubbed the heels of his hands into his eye sockets trying to strip away the seared images. Then he turned to the shuttered window and slipped open the familiar retaining pins. As the panel rotated open he was washed with the cleansing chill of the predawn air. Peering through the grill, he could make out a slight glow on the jagged eastern horizon that foretold of the day to come. He slid off his bed platform and felt the chill of the coarse stone floor under his bare feet. He pulled the damp night shirt over his head and shivered. On the back of his chair were the few homespun garments that made up his everyday wardrobe. As he pulled the thick tunic over his head the familiar scent of the animals filled his nostrils. He stood on one cold foot at a time and pulled on his breeches and then his favourite socks. Feeling warmer he reached for the wooden latch on his bedroom door.

He knew his way into the main hall by feel and as he drew near the great hearth there was a dim glow from last night’s fire. He groped for his cloak wrapping it around his shoulders. Near the back entrance he found his work sandals and slipped them on. He sensed rather than saw his bonded denzel approach on padded feet. The warm snout in his hand was so familiar and comforting. Soom gently leaned his smooth body against Mandu and matched his breathing with the boy. In the dark no one could have seen the comfort that each one showed as they tenderly leaned into each other. As a child his parents had bonded him with a male denzel. It was unusual for a boy to be bonded with a male but the match was instantaneous. He called him Soom, and as he had grown they were inseparable companions.

Mandu straightened his back and gripped the coarse fibers of his cloak up under his chin as he released the back door and silently pushed it open. As he stepped out of the portal he noted the drop in temperature. The last cool nights of their short winter would be over soon. Out of the main lodge he was now unprotected. His uncle would not approve of him being out of the lodge before sunrise on his own, even with Soom at his side. Why was it that he felt no fear of the darkness but could still feel the real fear of his dream cycle? He took in several deep breaths of the pre-dawn air and turned towards the animal shed.

The frosty grass crunched under his feet as he turned his gaze to the night sky. Argil was in the full moon phase and the primary moon’s rings shone amber with brilliance. The lesser moon, Izaic, in its new moon phase was just above the glow of dawn. A chill ran down his spine as his sensed movement in the star field and then out near the edge he saw it, a silent shadow crossing over the dragon constellation. Mandu caught his breath, for he knew instinctively that the shadow could only be one of the Great Raptors. So many legends told terrifying stories about his clan’s early encounters with the raptors. There had not been an attack since he was just a baby, but the shadow might foretell the coming of their return.

How many life times had it been since his ancestors had come to this planet? The stories told of how Mandu’s race had come here to set up two colonies and all had looked promising until the great tragedy wiped out their technology and left many of the people mutilated and dead. The legends told of a great storm on the sun that had crippled all the people’s thinking boxes and their special machines, including the flying ones. Many died as a result of the storm and the survivors had to learn to live off the land. It had been centuries since the calamity and since all knowledge was kept in the thinking boxes much was lost. It was not long after that the raptors had appeared and brought the second wave of terror. Crude fortified shelters were erected to protect the survivors and after the raptors had scoured the land they left just as quickly as they arrived. By then all the food was desperately low and hope was fading. It was the denzels that made the first move to help. No one remembers how it happened but the denzels became part of their lives. They did not appear to speak but somehow they understood how the planet and its ecosystem worked and conveyed it to the people. How to use the local flora to support and protect life became common knowledge and in a few decades the people started to flourish again. They learned to live off the land and find better ways to fortify their dwellings against the night raiders. Along with this came the bonding of the denzels with the young people. During all this time there was never any contact with Earth again.

Mandu let his hand slip onto Soom’s back. He felt the comforting reassurance of the warm body and slid his hand upon the neck ridge. The spines that looked so daunting were in fact soft to the touch. As Soom padded along beside him in the dark, it was hard to imagine what life would have been like without these sleek companions. He felt protected by the denzel as they neared the animal shelter. Like the main lodge, the shelter was barred from the outside world. Mandu placed his hand in the wooden lock mechanism and slid the heavy door open, its weight moving easily on hidden hinges.

As he stepped inside he could feel the air change. It was laced with the scent of the animals and the temperature was noticeably warmer. On his right he found the illumination flask. A small shake brought buds of light springing to life from within the crystal globe. Its inhabitants came to life, each one glowing with blue light. Dozens of small flying creatures were buzzing about giving off a cool glow that lit the animals nearby. This was Mandu’s safe haven and during the day he would bring the winter rations for the animals to eat. Some folks called it work or chores but Mandu never felt that way. To him all of these animals were in his care and it was only natural to make sure they were well fed and comfortable. It was not so much that they were beasts of burden; it was more like a partnership with both parties winning.

Stories of the days after the great tragedy told of the people’s struggle. The colonists knew nothing about the indigenous plants. They could not tell what was safe or poisonous let alone what was nutritious or tasty but with the help of the denzels, all that was needed for a well-rounded diet could be collected from the local plants. The people started to thrive off the land. After all, it was these animals that helped to make life here so much easier. Yes, in the wilds of Azimov-4 life and death played out in its natural way. Only the Great Raptors remained a mystery with little or no understanding of their sporadic attacks.

muzel

Mandu’s uncle was one of the Clan’s best animal handlers, making travel and collecting the bounty of the land much easier. One day soon Mandu would also be an animal handler. Stroking the beast he marvelled at these tall creatures with the same smooth scales as the denzels. Their colouring was vivid with blues, purples and highlights of burgundy. The muzel placed its muzzle into Mandu’s hand and he felt the warm rush of breath from the brow nostrils as the smooth forked tongue traced his fingertips. Sixteen years of age was considered the age of Manhood in the Clan and that heralded the bonding and working with the animals.

He went around to each of the muzels and said his silent good mornings. Even though they outweighed him fifteen to one he had never felt any fear being near them.

As Soom leaned gently onto his thigh he asked himself, why was it that he kept having the same dreams over and over? Soom looked up at him at the same moment and for the second time that night Mandu felt a chill up his spine. Then a voice in his head seemed to say: You are about to enter manhood and many of your questions will be answered!

Breakfast

Mandu awoke with a start; he had fallen asleep in the shelter wrapped in his cloak with Soom curled up beside him. He sat up from his bed of herman nut leaves seeing the light pierced through the window slit above. It was the dawning of a new day. Mandu straightened up, brushing leaves from his clothes and made his way to unlatch the shelter door. He could see the shape of the main lodge with its stands of flat topped conifers silhouetted by the rising sun. His Aunt Mirra would be stoking the morning fire and breakfast would be simmering in its clay pot. It was time to make an appearance.

Where have you been at this time of day? Don’t you know it is dangerous to be outside while it’s dark? barked Uncle Almar.

Mandu shuffled out of his damp sandals and raised his downy chin to his uncle, I don’t see what all the fuss is about. There hasn’t been a Raptor invasion for years! Even as he said it the image of the dark shadow in the morning stars flashed through his mind. Was he being irresponsible and tempting fate?

Twenty seven times the Raptors have swooped down upon us and each time a foolish young boy like you has vanished! Uncle Almar glared with brows drawn and Mandu felt every bit a child in front of his uncle. All his confidence drained away and his shoulders slumped.

He said, I know, I just had to get out of the house.

Are you having those bad dreams again? his uncle said with more kindness in his voice.

Yes.

Come sit with me, it is not easy being your father’s son, come tell me how the muzels are this morning.

Mirra looked up as the youth slid his chair over to his uncle. They were so alike with their thick blond hair, the younger one with the first traces of a man’s beard, the older one bushy and grey. The blue eyes were also the same but Mandu had his mother’s straight nose and quick smile. He still had the slender body of youth but he had stretched up and his shoulders were now broad. She stirred the porridge and sprinkled in a few more of Mandu’s favourite dried fruit. The bubbles popped rhythmically at the fire’s edge. It would be ready in twenty or thirty breaths so she moved to the table and distributed the bowls. She could hear movement in the back of the lodge as Jaida and Jamis, her twin daughters, came running around the partition pursued by their denzels, Nip and Tuck. The girls came bounding up and gave their mother hugs around her waist. They were seven season cycles old and they had the bouncing curly red hair of their mother. They giggled as she fondled their heads. The denzels swept around to encircle them and leaned in to add to the hug. By the time Mirra had disentangled herself the gruel was getting thicker and the bubbles were snapping to the surface. All right you lot, let’s come to the table and have breakfast.

Mandu slipped onto the bench across from his cousins and leaned over his bowl. Jaida and Jamis were already blowing on hot spoons full of the fragrant gruel. As he savoured the first taste of his breakfast his eyes drifted over the household denzels. They were seated on their lean haunches gently licking their own bowls of porridge from a low table. You could see in their eyes the same satisfaction as they took their first taste of the sweet mixture. He looked around the room at his family including the denzels eating their breakfast and wondered if it would always be like this.

Almar was half way through his bowl before he spoke again, How are the preparations coming for our trip? The last communication from Herbin Cochral said that all would be ready soon.

Mirra looked up at Almar but shifted her gaze to Mandu, Any special reason?

Oh we haven’t been off this property for ages, just call it a whim. Who wants to come along? said Almar.

The twins were on their feet squealing, Oh, can we come, can we come?

Of course you can come, we will all go. Herbin said they would host us after the Argil’s full moon and that was last night.

Mandu shifted in his seat, I would love to see the Cochrals but will we be back in time for my birthday?

His aunt and uncle turned as one and gazed at him. Almar said, Oh, this has everything to do with your birthday Mandu.

Mandu blushed and his family all smiled.

Cochrals

Mirra cast her eye over the packages and bundles for the trip. It was only half a day away but they would be spending the next three days there and the family would need extra clothes for the planned activities. Of course she had known about the upcoming event. It had been planned for months. Mandu was turning sixteen season cycles and it would be part of a larger community event. Still she double checked her lists and made sure all the essentials were in place. She had made several trips out to the traveler and all was set for departure except for the participants.

The sun had cut through the thin morning frost and it felt warmer. In a dozen sun cycles it would start to warm and the rain would sweep in from the high lands. Mandu pulled himself back to the task at hand and wheeled the hand cart back into the animal shelter with the loose sack of herman nuts. He had already shovelled out the shells from the previous feedings. He was putting enough of the hard rations in the self-feeder for two more days than necessary. During their departure the younger muzels would stay inside as tradition required.

Uncle Almar approached with the elder pair of muzels and their offspring. It was a common enough sight but there was still something remarkable about the huge animals getting into stride and moving with the same rhythm as their handler. As they moved towards the traveler each of the muzels would take turns nuzzling the other’s slender ears. As they approached the traveler they separated and came in on opposite sides, lowered their heads and slipped into the drawing yoke with the ease of a well-practiced move. The offspring was about three-quarters grown and pranced about in a circle.

The traveler was the universal conveyance device with ample room for the five humans and their luggage. It had two rows of seats with a big tray at the back to strap the luggage. Its intertwining overhead structure was both functional and decorative with swirls completing the edge trim. Today it was sparsely packed with personal items and they did not have the cover in place since there would be no rain for some time yet. The vehicle was made of the local resilient green cane and held firmly together with iron weed. It was so light weight and pliable that it was hard to imagine any better design.

Since all was loaded the family quickly took their places in the vehicle. The muzels stepped forward turning the traveler in front of the lodge and made their way down the lane. The three family denzels and the offspring flanked the departing traveler as the group picked up speed. Sitting in the back with his little cousins, Mandu felt the warmth of being part of this family. The landscape started to slide by.

Soom pulled level with them moving with an easy loping gait. Mandu glanced up at the pale blue sky and the rapidly passing landscape. It was intermittent forest with open areas dotted with low bare bushes. He must have come this way after his parents were taken. Why was it that the adults always referred to people as ‘taken’, instead of killed by Raptors? He knew they must have died in the attack.

He drifted into a daydream about riding abroad on an adventure of his own imagining tall mountains and a distant sea. The ever changing scenery blended in with it and for a moment he was carried away in his waking dream. He thought he could feel a dark shadow flying overhead and he shuddered looking quickly up but there was nothing there. As he came out of his reverie he noticed they had traveled far. There was still an echo of the outstretched wings in his memory. His dreams were starting to linger into the day, what that meant he did not know?

Herbin Cochral was standing on the steps of his lodge when he heard the approaching traveler. It drew up in front of his place in a cloud of winter dust. As usual the denzels had kept pace all through the journey and like the muzels, they stood without breathing heavily. His long-time friend Almar stepped down and gripped his hand and forearm in the greeting clasp. He could hear his wife, Petulla coming out of the lodge behind him and soon everyone was talking and embracing each other. Herbin was struck by how much Mandu had grown since the visit last summer. The boy was looking more and more like his father with long legs and broad shoulders. He moved as easily as an athlete but when the youth looked up he knew there was something much deeper about this boy. It was going to be a very interesting man-hood passage.

The Hut

For the next three days Mandu explored the areas around the Cochral estate. Sometimes he and Soom would take long walks in the morning just spending time quietly together. The muzel offspring would sometimes walk behind them nuzzling his back and neck until they were out of sight of the lodge and then it would romp back to be with the other muzels. His relationship with Soom was really very difficult to put into words. It was more like a feeling of oneness or somehow being an extension of each other.

Other times they would take Jaida and Jamis with them to climb in the herman nut trees. Their two denzels, Nip and Tuck were just as playful as the twins. The tangle of thick branches made a delightful maze to thread their way through. At first glance a denzel did not appear to be a climber but with their long toes they could climb the lower limbs.

He took delight playing with his cousins. Laughing and making up hiding games with the girls made him feel far away from the farm and some unknown sense of foreboding. Sometimes he thought he could remember that terrible night when his parents were taken.

The day Mandu turned sixteen he awoke without any dreams at all, it was such a release. He relished the feeling as he lay on his bedding at the end of the open common room. A faint light was coming through the narrow windows painting the far wall in a reddish glow. It was then that he could smell the morning porridge simmering by the low fire. Petulla must have slipped into the room earlier and started the first meal of the day. Suddenly he realized that it was his sixteenth birthday, with its secret manhood-passage. Today he would finally pass through the mysteries and be counted a man.

He sprang from his bed and hastily pulled on his clothes. Before he could finish Soom was at his side looking every bit as excited as he felt. It would all be revealed today. He was just about to cross the room when Uncle Almar and Herbin came from a side room beckoning him forward. He stared at the men because neither was dressed in his usual rough work clothes. They were wearing light cloaks that seemed to shimmer in the faint light. Herbin was clutching a bundle under one arm. Without a word they motioned for him to follow them outside. Soom followed quietly.

As they emerged from the lodge Herbin led the way with Almar and Soom following behind him. On a trail unnoticed before, they headed into the woods. They walked on through the mixed forest of conifers and herman nut groves. Mandu had not brought his cloak and the morning chill set him to shivering or at least he thought it was the cold. As they cleared the last nut tree grove he could see a small hill beside the river and on top of it was a tree like he had never seen before. It had a massive trunk and part way it split in two and twisted around itself until it stood well above the other trees. Unlike the other trees this one had serrated purple-green leaves with red fruit hanging on its sparse branches. At the base of the tree was a small mound.

As they climbed the little hill, what he had taken for a mound looked more like a roundish hut with an opening that faced the river. It was covered entirely with the strange tree’s leaves that gave off an odd odour. The pungent yet sweet smell grew stronger as they approached it.

It was then that Uncle Almar touched him on the shoulder with a warm hand. As he turned Uncle Almar reached up and undid the clasp on his cloak and let it fall to the ground. He stood there naked except for a spectacular gleaming purple crystal suspended from a thong about his neck. It seemed to illuminate a mauve tattoo with swirling patterns upon his chest. How could he have lived his life with never having seen this before? Herbin stepped forward clad only with his crystal and pattern in green. He gestured for Mandu to shed his clothing. Still shaking, Mandu pulled his tunic over his head and then unbuttoned his breeches. He stepped out of his undergarment and pulled off his socks and stood there in the sharp cold grass staring at these two men that he thought he knew.

As they turned towards the hut Mandu saw two other men dressed like his uncle standing on either side of the doorway. Again without speaking Mandu was directed into the hut and as he drew closer to the entrance a curtain was pulled back allowing the wisps of steam to drift up into the morning air. Herbin entered first and then Mandu and finally his uncle followed by others. As Mandu passed through the entrance the sweet pungent smell intensified. The last man tugged the curtain closed. In the dark he became aware of the sound of water gurgling at his feet.