Chapter 9

The next morning, Evalieh awoke feeling hot and sweaty. He gasped for breath. Otta’s large fluffy tail had fallen across his face, smothering him. He quickly wiggled free and rolled onto the cool floor. Otta was sprawled out, laying sideways on top of everything.

“H-Hanali, is it time to get up and leave?” Evalieh whispered. He poked at the blankets. Hanali and Hambone were already gone. Otta rolled over and knocked him down with a flick of his tail. Evalieh bounced up, straightened himself, and tried to push his hair back but his hand caught something fuzzy. He flinched with anger, knowing his fuzzy pompoms and slick antennas had returned. He touched his sensitive antennas and they wobbled, making his body tingle. He shook his head and frowned, wishing he knew why this annoying thing keeps happening.

Evalieh made his way downstairs as he searched for the others. He kept his robe closed tightly when the front door suddenly opened. Hanali came in carrying a change of clothes for Evalieh while Hambone carried a basket of fruits, biscuits, and water.

“Ah, you’re awake,” Hanali said.

Hambone narrowed his eyes at Evalieh and tripped over a rock. Evalieh caught the basket and picked the pig up by his wings. “That’s what you get,” Evalieh said.

Hambone turned his nose up and wobbled away, fuming.

Hanali took the basket from Evalieh and sat a spot for each of them. Misshaped porcelain cups and plates were laid out and filled with food. Then, he rolled out the clothes for Evalieh. “I went searching for you something to wear and Marlin gave me his clothes, from when he was younger.”

Evalieh scowled and reluctantly took the clothes. “Turn away.” He looked around for the others and hoped they wouldn’t catch him. With haste, he slipped on puffy tunic that had gold tassels and a long draping sash across the waist. Then, he slipped on a pair leather boots and a pair of pants that had gold embroidery and sun symbols across the length. He looked himself over and tugged on the outfit until he felt comfortable. He rubbed his bare arms when a draft cut through the room, making him miss his gloves and bodysuit. “Thank you, this’ll work,” Evalieh said.

“Wonderful. I’m glad you don’t mind,” Hanali said.

“Well, I don’t know how I feel about hand-me-downs, but it’ll do.”

Hanali laughed and took a seat with his food. He gave a sad sigh and sulked. “You know, I had to ask Marlin why he and the others would settle here. One obvious answer was that they couldn’t survive up top, on the surface because of the shamans. Yet, no matter how I asked he didn’t want to join a clan right now.”

“Does that bother you? If they’re happy isn’t that enough?”

“It’s enough but I envision our island being unified and living peacefully together. I mean, it was—but right before you arrived things started to get worse. The shaman outbreaks were occurring more and more. Any other time, you’d have gotten to join us, join a clan, and grow your magical talents. I think you’d have liked that; I think many people would—if they’d stay with us.”

“What do you mean? I thought people stayed on the island?”

“More often than not, people come thinking they’ll learn some powerful magic and leave at the year’s end. They think they’ll take their magics with them but since they didn’t master their flame it doesn’t fully manifest and eventually fades.”

“Then, why bother, Hanali?”

Hanali leaned towards the sunlight and stared out the window. “You remember, right? the island needs new faces to help keep it alive.” He took a deep breath and gave Evalieh a faint smile. “Evalieh, I—don’t want to be forgotten. I just want us all to belong. My hope is that those who leave will remember us and carry on our history, even if it’s just a memory.” Evalieh moved to speak but Hanali raised his hand. “Don’t worry about, Evalieh. It’s okay, I know things seem ominous right now, but we’ll get through this. Besides, Hambone mentioned that he and Otta are trying to find the shaman who cursed the wolf family. With the four of us together, I’m sure we’ll manage to take care of everything.”

Evalieh frowned and looked away. He stared at the dying fire in the fireplace. He felt a tinge of guilt rising in his stomach, making him feel queasy. Everything Hanali tries to do is for the benefit of the island, its people, and for Evalieh. He looked around, thinking about how silly he’s been acting. Hambone reminded him of just how obnoxious and loud he can be. Feeling ashamed of himself, he decided that he wants to do better and be more engaged. He made a fist and smiled.

“What are you doing?” Hanali asked.

Evalieh turned red and chuckled. “N-nothing.”

“Are you eating without us?!” Hambone squealed and toppled down the steps.

Otta yawned into a howl as he walked downstairs. He ran his hands through his long hair, trying to straighten the mess. He sniffed and wagged his tail around when he smelled the food. He dashed by Hambone, sending him into a spin before snatching up a plate of food.

“My lord, remember your manners! You’re twenty years old, you can’t be doing that!”

Otta winced and growled at Hambone. He politely sat down and rested his arm on his knee. His ears drooped as he nibbled at the bacon and biscuit on his plate.

“What’s wrong?” Evalieh asked.

Otta shuffled his mouth around and remained silent.

Hambone wobbled over to the three. He was out of breath as he took his seat. “M-my lord, he isn’t one for manners. He always gobbled up his food and rushed out to play.” He took a big gulp of water and didn’t stop until it was empty.

Hanali handed Otta a gold fork. “Well, you do what makes you happy.”

“Don’t encourage his bad behavior,” Hambone said.

Evalieh smacked his plate. “Hey!” He narrowed his eyes and pointed at Hambone.

“Now, now, let’s not argue. We’ve got a big day ahead of us.” Hanali said.

Hambone dusted his shirt and gasped when he looked down at his plate. His eyes grew wide, and he trembled at the sight of the bacon. Evalieh chuckled and nudged the bacon off his plate and onto Hambone’s. The pig grumbled.

Otta scooped up the bacon and tore into the meat with his big white teeth. “Hambone’s not the same type. He is different…piggy, he doesn’t eat meat,” Otta said.

“Wait a minute.” Evalieh jumped up, nearly knocking all the food over. “How did you all get this far away from the desert? It’s far, isn’t it?”

Hambone looked up at Otta as he chomped on his food. He twiddled his little hands around and rummaged through his robe. He then pulled out a big orange flower that looked like a pinecone. It had stacks of petals along its cone. “This is a desert lamp. We swing this thing around at night and let the pollen fill the surrounding air. If the dust collects, it’ll connect a path through the pollen and yank us through at high speeds, as if we’re a fish on a line.,” Hambone said.

“Can’t use fire whirl anymore,” Otta said.

“Fire whirl? What’s that?” Evalieh asked.

“It’s one of Otta’s flame techniques. He does some sort of fancy kick and spin that creates a flaming cloud. We used to ride on it before his family was cursed,” Hambone said.

Otta jerked and cried out, startling the others with a jolt. He grabbed his wrist and started to shake.

“What’s wrong?” Hanali and Evalieh said.

“M-master?” Hambone said.

Otta’s body seized, and his eyes pooled with blood. He huffed and growled as his muscles strained and bulged. “Pain. Lots of pain!”

“It’s the curse! It’s getting worse, even if he’s not using the flame,” Hambone said.

Evalieh and Hanali crowded around Otta and laid him down.

“What can we do?” Evalieh asked.

“N-nothing. I-I’m fine,” Otta said. He struggled to raise his hand and Hambone grabbed it.

“My lord, you’ll be okay. Come back to us.”

“Hambone—so dark.”

Evalieh felt powerless and sad that he couldn’t help. His eyes turned teal, and his skin began to droop. He laid a sticky hand on Otta’s chest, causing a little spark to ignite between his hand and his antennas. Evalieh felt the shock and let go. Instantly his eyes and skin returned to normal.

Hambone whirled around and pointed his can at Evalieh. “What did you do Wretch?!”

Otta coughed and jerked around until he spat out a glob of black sludge. It dissolved into the air and his eyes returned to normal.

“What was that?” Evalieh grabbed his hand and rubbed his antennas. They tingled and vanished. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I think I helped him. Maybe.” He looked at Hanali for an answer.

Hanali scratched his face and looked dumbfounded. “Uh, maybe it has to do with who you are? I don’t think you know how to heal anyone—though I think you have the Earth and Water Clan’s flame inside you,” he said.

Hambone scoffed and looked back at his master. “Even the finest healers couldn’t help the wolf family. What makes you think one wretch could help?”

Otta rubbed his face and leaned up, coming to his senses. He took a moment to gather himself and brush his hair back. “All fine.” His ears twitched and his tail wagged.

“Just like that?” Evalieh asked.

“Yes! I’m feeling much better.”

Evalieh backed away, feeling awkward. “Uhm. I don’t know how I did it, but I’m glad it helped.”

“Do you think you’ll be alright?” Hanali asked.

Otta jumped up and stretched. “Good to go.”

“But my lord—you—you need to recover. We can’t go out and you’re in this kind of condition,” Hambone said.

“I’m fine, Hambone.”

Evalieh stepped clutched the wall and slid outside before they could notice. He opened the door and caught a whiff of salty sea air. He leaned along the deck railing and watched the afternoon sun sparkle across the ocean. Rocks and boats dotted the water’s horizon. Waves crashed into the rocks, making it look rough and dangerous. In the daylight, the little chasm town looked as green as leaves with all the foliage growing everywhere. By the mouth of the river a large tree stood with a winding staircase carved into its thick bark. That must be the only way out this dive, another round of walking.

Hanali came outside to join Evalieh. He leaned over the decks railing and sighed. “I think we’re going to wait until evening to travel. This’ll give Otta time to rest up—Hambone insisted.”

Evalieh shrugged. “That’s fine with me.” He rubbed his head where his antennas were. “I wish I knew what I did. I just felt a spark and then that was it.”

“You’re different. You don’t fit within the rules of our world—I don’t understand it myself. Although that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”

Evalieh didn’t feel reassured. His body tingled with a world of emotions that came and went. He couldn’t make sense of what was going on. He looked back at the tree with all the steps and dreaded the journey ahead. He heped the Bayo Bayo Tree would be able to help.

Later that evening, the four of them prepared to depart with food and gear. Otta dressed in his princely attire, wearing fur pelts around his waist, chest, and ankles. He walked around barefoot. Hambone swapped one robe out for another as he hobbled along on his cane. Otta pulled on the pelt covering his chest and picked Hambone up with one hand. He sat the pig in the pelt as if it were a baby carrier.

Hambone grumbled and the others laughed.

“Oh, that’s a nice look on you,” Evalieh said.

Hambone ignored him and threw his hands up. “I’m not climbing all those stairs.” He pulled out his desert lamp and shook it around. Yellow pollen clouded the air and tiny dots began to glow throughout the sky. Otta quickly grabbed Hanali and Evalieh in his arms and squeezed them tightly. Hambone snorted and shook the flower around. It spun and sucked in the air. Then, with a sharp jolt, they were flung through the air from dot to dot.

Evalieh thought his skin was going to peel away with how fast they jerked through the air. He cried out, fearing he’d fall. They zoomed across the sky from one point to the next. When the flower inhaled a dot of pollen, they’d nearly stop and feel weightless before continuing again. Hambone made sure he was shaking the desert lamp the whole time to keep the pollen stirred up.

They catapulted through the sky so fast everything became a blur. Evalieh clenched his stomach, feeling motion sick. With every lunge and tug it reminded him of the time ADAM prepared units for an assessment. One event pitted Evalieh against other teenagers through rigorous torture and combat. He had to fight barehanded against others while simultaneously dodging weaponized machinery that sought to divide the weak from the strong. Evalieh was more careful and observant, he didn’t want to fight but had no choice but to survive. ADAM forced the individuals to accept its ideology through force and then make them go out and promote that same idea depending on what unit they are categorized in. 

Evalieh and the others dropped out of the sky. He clung onto the others and closed his eyes, feeling terrified. Then, a force lunged them forward on turbulent winds and yanked them into another stream of pollen. It reminded him of the time a robotic arm grabbed ahold of him during training and pinned him down for others to attack. He studied the machine and quickly found a weak spot in its tubing and pipes. He kicked the pipe loose, causing the arm to break down and let him go.

Evalieh felt guilty because he was resourceful and observant. ADAM thought he was best suited for the green enforcer fraction, but he exuded qualities of the blue faction. Ultimately, he failed his final assessment after years of training. He didn’t want to be forced to fight others again, and he didn’t want to be forced to kill off any sprout of nature that cut through the artificial environment. He felt sad and hurt by the superiors he admired. They talked down to him and would lash him with a whip for trying to question ADAM’s ways. Evalieh wanted to see the plants grow and try new things outside ADAM’s strict daily schedules. He wanted to see the world survive and prosper against the decay, but he felt as though there had to be another way.

He felt envious of Hanali and the others who got to live in a beautiful land and have the freedom to express themselves. He didn’t want to have to wear a mask all day or suit up in a bed of tubes and wires that does things he doesn’t understand. All he knew was to follow ADAM’s rules for the sake of the world and for the sake of his own wellbeing or else he’d be punished.

The four of them suddenly smacked into a clunky cold lump floating in the sky. Evalieh fell out of Otta’s arms and smashed through the trees into a big bush. Otta and the others fell nearby.

Pain exploded throughout Evalieh’s body, making it burn like prickly needles. He rustled through the dirt and leaves, but his body wouldn’t listen. He was limp with pain. “Where are we?” Streams bubbled through the grass and around his body. He rolled onto his side and parted the flowers. He had fallen into a thicket of flowers and trees. He didn’t know how far they had traveled but a wall of hazy trees stretched into the sky, past the northern hills. “Hanali, Otta…Hambone, can you hear me?”

“There you are!” came a voice.