Tell No One

Tell No One

Chapter 2

The sounds of celebration carried on the breeze exhalations of the air cleansing qkaa creatures that inhabited the tiniest of cracks in the worldships’ yorik coral walls. Their stature miniscule, their numbers many. They did little to mask the scent of merriment however, the air was acrid with the scent of various drinkable narcotics and strange food stuffs. Here, in one of the warriors many high chews, the celebrating would go on into the early hours of the day cycle.
The gathering was a small one, comprised soley of warriors all originating from domain Rapuung. The reason for their respite and celebration, had stolen a moment away from the small crowd, sounds of his comrades cries of warriors pride and salute to their new commander, still ringing in his ears like the piercing – but welcome – sound of a Vua’sa tearing into its prey.

Vua Rapuung had every reason to be proud; the celebration was in his honour after all. But for all the pride and exuberant need to revel in his new found rank, he felt strangely forlorn, subdued.
Taking a sip from the sacworm full of potent spark-bee honey that he held, he mulled over the thoughts – even as the liquid seared his throat – that had haunted him all day.
Her, the shaper.
She had never stayed far from his thoughts since the moment they had parted nearly a cycle ago. Barbed and razor sharp as her shapers hands-spears, she had tormented and grasped at almost every thought he’d had since then.
Her words and subtle movements had been as cryptic as the elegant and secret language of the deception sect. And yet he’d seen the askance in her eyes, felt the suggestion in the very tone of her few spoken words. Tempting him as she had been so clearly tempted herself, her tendrils had unfurled towards him – beckoning him to go, to find her.

Vua Rapuung wondered now, with an ache so alien to him that he could not even begin to embrace it, was she feeling that same ache too? Or had it, like her cruel whipsting of a personality, all been a bigger mind game than he could imagine?

“This is an auspicious day for our domain, it should not be spent brooding in the shadows.” A deep growl of a voice issued from somewhere beside Vua Rapuung,
“such activities may cause offence to the gods.”

Vua Rapuung turned his thoughtful, yet slightly surprised gaze on the tall, muscular form of the warrior that had approached him. They were extremely alike in appearance, both sharing markings and scars similar to the others. But the one that approached appeared older, and had already clearly attained the rank of the younger quite some time before.

“Brother,” Vua Rapuung acknowledged with a slight nod of his head. He trusted his brother’s words like few others. Many times his advice had lead to great things and Vua considered his elder brother, Hul Rapuung, to be becoming more sage by the klekket.

“I was merely taking a moment to contemplate today’s events.” Not entirely a lie on Vua Rapuung’s part.

Hul nodded, then downed the contents of his own sacworm,
“Many look upon you favourably, Vua Rapuung, they will not doubt your ability.” He said soon after,
“Your escalation can mean only fortunate things for our domain, other s from different domains have shown or expressed their favour also – a few in particular and the time or a warrior to take a mate is drawing ever nigh.” Hul Rapuung shot his brother a wry glance, surprised only by the lack of apparent reaction to a statement that would have drawn out interest from any single warrior he could think of.
Instead, Vua Rapuung had remained silent, that brooding expression never far from his stoic features.
“Or is it that you have found one already?”

“No,” Vua Rapuung cut in as quick and as sharp as a thirsty coufee, “There is no one, it is as I said – I am contemplating.”

Hul no more believed that than he did your average crèche tale, but he remained silent out of respect, this was his brother’s day, not his.

The pair watched the gathering from a distance for what seemed to drag on into uneasy eternity, but when the warrior, Vua Rapuung, finally did break the silence, it was with most unexpected words.
“Saal Zhi and Khrang Hul – do you recall the tales told of them?” he asked.

Hul’s brow furrowed in revulsion and confusion, “They were rumoured to have met in union outside their respective castes, “ He responded sharply and with as much contempt as their actions would have deserved.

“Were such rumours ever confirmed?” Vua Rapuung asked, pressing the matter.

“No – but many kept silent for reasons unknown.” Hul replied,

The slightly younger warrior nodded as if he already knew this fact, but soon asked another, more portent question,
“What they did was forbidden, it was heresy! Why did the gods avert their gaze and furious punishment when the heretics every act was common knowledge among many?”

Hul Rapuung considered this for a moment, noting the air of conviction surrounding his younger brother, this was no time to be questioning the gods!
“Rumours brother, that is all they could have been – “

Vua Rapuung cut him off once more, indignantly.
“You know this not to be true!”

“And you know that to question the gods is no place of yours! It is to walk a thin vine above a maw luur containing nothing heresy and shame.” He could not believe his scarred and adorned ears, where had this needlessness come from? And why now of all times? “No more of this needless talk, you are not this foolish.” Hul Rapuung chided with all the force their father would have used when they were little more than raw recruits, fresh from their domain crèche.

But for all Vua Rapuung wanted to take his brother at his word, now he was more hesitant. Many knew that the Zi / Hool rumour was almost certainly true, yet somehow the pair of doomed lovers had evaded the gods keenest of eyes and the sacrificial alter all together. If this was true of them, then why could he not make it true of himself too? Why should he not pursue the ever enchanting shaper?
No – his senses, dulled by the burning amber liquid he intoxicated himself with, kicked in then. These thoughts would lead to darker things than he could comprehend. He needed to atone for this wrong, he needed to rid himself of these feelings. Yet the ache was relentless, unyielding.
‘I find you very amusing’

Hul Rapuung had been drawn back to the crowd soon after speaking his piece. And unseen by all, Vua Rapuung managed to slip away silently into the muggy night air.
Atonement he feared, would not constitute nearly enough to be rid of this sensation, both a gift and a curse.