Chapter 4: Cries at the Beginning of Life

As the view of Orron’s southern flood-walls grew to a prominence, Rraos insisted R’vag to a stop and climbed down his back. The two young men were not using either the civil highway or the cargo route to Orron. For that, Rraos was thankful.

The highway ran through a land of grass, shrubs and occasional trees, which was in these days browning and dropping. Passengers through the road of course noticed a figure speeding far off the road. People were curious about why the blurring figure avoided the broad road; the highway could host up to four speeding carriages abreast, after all.
But regardless of what people had seen, or what they thought, responses wouldn’t be immediate. It would take some time before anyone could investigate the matter.

Rraos knew this. So, before anyone could launch an investigation, they needed to make sure to get their story straight. Though Rraos disliked the crass youth he accompanied, Rraos was now in the same boat as him and Jyevodirr.

“We need to come up with a story,” Rraos said, plopping down on the mossy ground. “Do you understand the gravity of the situation we are in?”

This attitude irked R’vag. Not only did the city buffoon perform miserably within his own estate, the moment they were out of immediate danger, he assumed his old condescending tone. His was the tone of a person who thought he stood over everyone. It made R’vag’s teeth grind.

“Yes, and you’re the one who knows it all?” R’vag sneered. “Snap out of it, you golden-butt brat. You are a fugitive now. Worse than even us countryside nobodies. Your days of lording over people are over.”

It was Rraos’ turn to get riled up.
As if he did not clearly comprehend his situation!

This was why he tended to avoid mindlessly violent and self-confident people. They hardly tried to understand any inner workings, and they were overly confident in whatever they knew. More irritating was their belief that an indirect touch was somehow pretentious or not worth their time.

Still, he had to make sure to be understood. He could hate the situation, but it would not change itself just because he hated it. He could also not afford to get his life any worse than it already was. It was only a mess now, not a disaster.

“I don't mean to sound like I’m lording over you. But things are urgent. If we are to survive this, we need to work together. It doesn’t matter if we like each other or not. I need to tell you what I think.”

These words resonated with R’vag. Survival was important.

“Okay. Tell me, then.”

Finally!
Had Rraos been in a different situation, he might have cheered. It was his first time dealing with a barbarian, and also his first time convincing one. He never would have thought reason worked with barbarians.

“The present problem is that you cannot run into the city carrying me.” He suppressed his urge to add, ‘I can’t believe you actually were going to’. The barbarian hadn’t stopped of his own accord, but at least he did stop.
“There is no way you can do that without being noticed. If we are seen, we become suspicious intruders. If we are found, you will be deemed a nefarious kidnapper. Even if I vouch for you, they will think that you have threatened me in some manner.
You may think ‘why would that be’? It would be so because at the city, I don't think anyone knows about my situation. Even people at the estate did not know everything. At least, I don’t think they did. I’m…. not sure about that; but I digress.
So, just suppose we get into the city suspiciously. We will have the entire City Guard swarming us. But even if we don’t, we will still have to deal with them. You see, the way we had been travelling has surely drawn attention. Who wouldn’t be suspicious of someone running like a beast off the road? The city guards will definitely be preparing some welcome. We will be facing too much scrutiny, too many questions.”

“And then what? What do we do?”

“Then what do we tell them? What is our excuse? Why am I, with all my power and position, indulging in something so bizarre? What will we say?”

“I don’t know. Just tell me what you think.”

“Let’s look at our options first. We cannot run. We’ll all become fugitives of the empire if we do. I may already be one, so we cannot afford to make things worse.
But nor can we fight. Not the entirety of the City Guard.
Forget any grand idea. We no longer are in the age of heroes. No war will break out. We cannot suddenly become saviours of the Empire. We’ll be choked by the unseen hands of power.
So what do we do? What –”

“What, what, what, what – can’t you just get to the damned point?” R'vag interrupted the older youth with exasperation, crouching extremely close to his face.

The urge to lash out was overwhelming in Rraos. The savage was too close to his face. It felt disgusting in more ways than one.

“Get away, you oversized monkey! How can I explain with your breath stinking up everything?” Rraos had not the courage to lash out physically.

But R’vag did. His fist smashed into the tree trunk Rraos was leaning on. A shower of tiny leaves fell on the two, and the tree groaned threateningly.
The violence shook Rraos with fear, but he still dared to meet R’vag’s glare.

This whole situation was frustrating also to the countryside youth.
Rraos was weak, and there was no honour in beating up the defenceless. So why did the rich brat have to be so….... irritating?
Venting his frustration on a wild tree was asking for trouble too. He knew how serious the wild was.

So, there wasn’t much he could do now. He had to bow down for the sake of the future.

“Happy now?” He shouted, backing away abruptly.

Rraos closed his eyes. He tried to steady his breathing and failed. He was very afraid, and fear wasn’t helpful.
Still, he needed to keep talking. His life could depend on it.

“Thank you,” he replied tremulously.

R’vag couldn’t care any less. “Now explain. And no ‘what’s and ‘why’s this time.”

“Yes…… yes. I’ll explain!”

But he didn’t. He first paused to steady his breathing. It took him nearly a minute to succeed. By the time he was speaking, R’vag was nearly at the end of his patience.

“Word at the estate was that you were the ones luring me into betrayal. The story can only change if I was the one hiring you two for protection. Even this doesn’t clear us of suspicion, but then we cannot be confirmed as traitors. Using this story, I can at least negotiate the release of one person.”

“Just one of us?” R’vag was beginning to understand why Jyevodirr had remained behind at the estate.

“Yes. One of you will walk freely. But whoever does is also burdened with proving our innocence first.”

“But how can we do that?”

“Just retrace your steps back home. Once nothing is found, they cannot detain us indefinitely.”

“That seems good enough. So, now we walk into the city?”

“Yes. We will certainly be met by city guards somewhere before entering the city. When we do, remember that you’re my xamos. I’ll say you whisked me away from danger at our estate. We’ll be taken in, but it’s better than nothing.
Oh, and we need to tell them about Jyevodirr as well. That way, at least he won’t be looking everywhere for us.”

Rraos noticed the hesitation etched in R’vag’s every motion, bold and unmistakable. It made him nervous.
Suspicion followed Rraos like his own shadow. It appeared inseparable from him. That had never bothered him when he had his wealth; now it did.

“You don't need to worry about me dragging you both down.” He tried to sound as sincere as possible. “I have no one but you two to protect me now. If I get you two in trouble, how am I going to survive myself? And I highly doubt we will all go down together. You both have strength; I have name and money.”

R’vag remained suspicious. How wouldn’t he? – Rraos was a sly person.
After their first encounter, Jyevodirr had told him that Rraos was likely lying to their employer. And now, the Arroxath youth was himself admitting his intent to use R’vag ­­and Jyevodirr. The only thing he had for him was Jyevodirr’s trust.

Jyevodirr wasn’t exactly brilliant or smart compared to many city-folk. Still, his old friend was smarter than some. He was much smarter than R’vag.
When they were young, he had trusted Jyevodirr for that. Growing up, the trust was given because Jyevodirr was trustworthy. There was never a time when he didn’t give his trust, and there was never a time when it was broken.

So, maybe this rich brat was lying. But Jyevodirr had decided to put his faith in him, so R’vag would do the same. ­

“Okay,” he assented, offering his hand to pull Rraos up. “Let’s go now.”

Relief flooded the older youth; a smile broke out in his face.

“Yeah.” Rraos climbed up clutching the outstretched hand.

Like two young pups learning to trust each other on their debut hunt, R’vag and Rraos headed towards the road together with uncertain steps.

Their feet were upon the highway soon enough, and they assumed a hurried gait. The grass and bushes had not hindered the duo too much, so even Rraos had energy to spare.

At their pace, they were by the looming flood-walls of Orron in a matter of minutes. As Rraos had predicted, guards were swarming the highway in front of the city.

As the Arroxath youth scrutinized the lineup, he felt a touch of unease.
The mass did not merely consist of low to high calibre and standing guards. There was even a Katov in the mix. That meant the matter was for some reason being taken more seriously than he thought. Why else would one of the topmost members of the city’s security be here?
From the day Jyevodirr had barged into his life, it seemed that Rraos just could not shake off the eeriness clinging around him.

R'vag noticed Rraos’ queasiness. “How bad is it?”

“Quite bad.” Rraos replied, his voice cracking with nervousness. “I did not think we warranted the presence of a Shield here.”

“A Shield?”

Rraos almost whipped his face towards R’vag with astonishment.

“Are you brazenly telling me you don't know who the Shields are?!”

“Of course, you pampered brat!” R’vag snapped. “Why would I ask otherwise? I can already see that our situation is serious!”

Rraos had absolutely no wish to hold a class here in such terse situations, but he did not have a choice. Better to inform than be taken by surprise.

“You know what city guards are, right?”

“Yeah. A force meant to protect a city and keep its peace. They don’t put these people in villages. Me and Jyevodirr tried to apply with them, but I failed and Jyevodirr did not join. They ask for too much education.”

“Well, yes. That’s how most recruits are chosen. They need to know what they want to protect. But then, to compensate for strength, the ones heading each city are from the Katov. The two highest posts are reserved for them. At the top is the Arm, and below them are the Shields.”

This time, it was R’vag whose brows knotted up in hesitation. The Katov was an organization he wanted to join one day. It was the Kraturr’s own army.

R’vag had never told Jyevodirr, but he was much more interested in the Katov than the Mag’rra.
The Mag’rra were associated with things requiring great talent and understanding. The Katov were not like that. Their idea was one he could understand. It was the idea of honing strength to an unbelievable degree. Strength of arms – pure and brutal.

They had never numbered much more than a thousand. The joining requirements were too ridiculous. But that also mean the thousand were all monstrously powerful. Their past accomplishments were as innumerable as stars in the sky. Even today, being one of them meant being a part of a legend.
This was what R’vag dearly wanted for himself.

But now, they had one of those unbelievable thousand barring the way. The situation felt like a nightmare.

Licking his dry lips, R’vag turned briefly to Rraos. “I really hope your plans work. This is some serious trouble we are getting into for your sake.”

Rraos said nothing. He too could only hope now.

Too fast, yet too slowly, they reached the mob of protectors milling about the roads. When they did, the man at the foremost stepped up to them. His grey and white fibre armour bore a black gate emblem upon the chest, just as all other city guards. But unlike others, another emblem adorned his back. It was a gauntleted fist in blood red. It was the emblem of the Katov.

“Qaiz’rra Rraos,” he greeted in a silk smooth voice, “are you in need of assistance?”

“Qaiz’rra.” Rraos greeted back despite his fear. “I most certainly am. So are my two latest xamosa. But will you really be providing us assistance?”

The Shield’s countenance hardened. “That depends on you, Qaiz’rra. What is amiss? You should know, words about you recently haven’t been good. Tell me your tale.”

Rraos paused. Words in the streets about him? Why had Z’xalorr never told him anything? The idea of him being a traitor grew in prominence.
But perhaps Rraos was a fool. Without the cold grip on the back of his neck, he could not remember Z’xalorr and see a traitor. Instead, he saw an older boy he grew up with. He remembered pestering the older boy time and time again. He remembered fooling around. Keeping secrets from his mother.
Z’xalorr was not just a person in their employ. He was like an elder brother too.

But that was a matter for another time. What loomed before him now was the scale that would determine his death or survival.

“I am well aware of that,” he said carefully. “That is precisely the reason I recruited the two new xamosa. I needed protection. I am unaware of who wants me gone, but rumours have brought me low. I even had to run away from home.”

Rraos paused a bit. He remembered the last time he saw his mother. Her kind gesture towards him. If he were to base his words on just that, he would be taking a huge risk. But what else could he do? He was also a swindler by habit.

“You see, my mother let me escape. I never would have, otherwise. Something strange is going on, and we don’t know what it is.”

The man in his thirties frowned. He held his silence momentarily, standing as still as a rock, then he abruptly turned. A few of the guards were called up, who summoned a few more in turn. Once the little company was assembled, the man faced the two youths again.

“I would like to have a few words with your mother.”

Rraos paled immediately. He felt an invisible force choking him. It was so, so suffocating. He could only pray for things to not get worse.

“I will take into account what you said. You two can enter the city, and your other xamos if he arrives, but you must all remain under our care. I must understand the situation a little better. Some guards here will take you to our headquarters, provide you with due care and rooms. We shall meet there again, Qaiz’rra Rraos.”

The man nodded; Rraos nodded back. His face was still ashen.

All this time, R’vag had quietly wondered what to do. He had been a guard before, so he had practice being silent and still. He nonetheless had wished the other youth would at least look at him once.
But the Arroxath youth instead chose to don his mask once the talks were done. R’vag could only silently follow as they were led away from the southern outskirts of Orron.

The group walked through the Arriving-Wing, a large city-block just outside Orron’s walls. Two such blocks flanked the city, shaped in the vague likeness of wings. Providing the blocks an afternoon shade were two massive extension walls, which also kept water from the Xap’yu away during rare floods. These were the ‘bones’, locally known as the flood-walls, beneath which thrived the two ‘wings’ of Orron.

The southern wing block was named ‘Arriving-Wing’ because this was the first stop for poorer workers arriving at Orron. Its streets were frequently crowded by people, many of whom had little knowledge about the city. These people usually milled about with their work, hardly ever seeing officials. When any did pass by, they were invariably enclosed by carriages.
Today, however, seeing an important looking figure openly parading through the streets sent confusion and excitement rippling amidst the throng. Some, gripped by paranoia, even felt fear, cooking up fanciful theories of officials coming to weed out the weak. They thought this procession could only be meant for those who had failed to fulfil their duty. In their imagination, of course they themselves were marked for expulsion!
The more pragmatic amongst the onlookers approached local business owners or other locals they knew to understand the situation. They were the ones who learnt that the man at the centre of the parade was from the family that controlled the entire city. But because he had his official mask donned on, no one knew his precise identity. No one even knew the reason for his open march.
But soon, the group walked through the Southern Gate, and with them they took away the excitement, fear and curiosity. Only a feeling of strangeness was left lingering for a long time.

Inside the city walls was a different world. Though the sight of officials was still rare at the southern edge of the city, the people there had at least seen the Arroxaths more often. The residents and business owners had to at least visit the Arroxath offices in the city.
Moreover, it was not evening yet. There were no crowds, no loitering masses. Only an unbothered street paved the way ahead for the group of guards and two young men.

For an entire city block, the group walked with their elbows close to the city walls. Only at the next block did they quietly turn right, streaming into the Security Station block of the city. A few meanders later, they were at a spacious compound filled with city guards. Any guard who saw this group, regardless of being in or out of uniform, immediately stood to attention. Their standing queues created a living pathway towards a large building at the centre of the compound.

Once the group was indoors, some of them dispersed, and a much smaller group kept walking. They went up some stairs and through a corridor, till they came upon a heavy ebony door reinforced by mayya to withstand punishment. The door was opened, and every remaining individual hurried into the enormous suite.

The suite was so luxurious, R’vag could hardly believe it was meant for detainment. He wouldn’t have been surprised if someone called it a place for hosting important guests. The first room itself was quite large, filled with numerous couches, tables and decorations. There were even paintings hung on the walls. Beyond the first were others, likely rooms with designated purposes. R’vag couldn’t tell, though, since the sight of them was barred by thick wooden doors.

When Rraos was led into one of the other rooms, R’vag made to follow. But both Rraos and the guards indicated that he was not invited there. It was a place for Rraos alone. He, on the other hand, had to remain in the exterior room. He would be offered no space for himself, nor would any strike a conversation with him.
It irked R’vag. Even when detained, it seemed that the Arroxath brat would still get preferential treatment.
There was nothing he could do but wait.

As the seconds ticked away, he decided to spend his time humming, or fidgeting, or clomping around, till he was bored of everything and decided to get some shut-eye. That was a good decision, though, since the room was cool and the couches were soft. He fell asleep too fast.
When sounds of irregular movement woke him up again, R’vag had no idea whether he had spent a few hours or minutes waiting. He didn’t want to get up. He was too comfortable. But the rush of feet intensified outside the door to their room, and then the door opened. When it did, R’vag shot up, his previous laziness forgotten.

“You took your sweet damned time, theyi.” R’vag spoke with a grin.

“Sure! But this is a funny place for you to be in.” Jyevodirr cheekily grinned back.

Without a verbal reply, R’vag stepped forward and clasped Jyevodirr’s offered fist with a tremendous smack.

“Funny or not, I can do things you can't even imagine, you damned goat!” It felt nice to be smiling again. It was such a relief that he physically felt lighter. More active.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m actually surprised a fight didn't break out with you here.”

“See? – I can do things that you could not even imagine!”

The two childhood friends shared a quiet laughter. Then, without wasting another moment, Jyevodirr got back to business. “So? Where is our man of the hour?”

R’vag pointed to a door set deeper in the room. “I wasn’t allowed in, though.”

Jyevodirr huffed and stood up. He motioned R’vag to follow. The muscular youth smirked viciously. His friend intended to do something crazy again, it seemed.

When the restive soldiers noticed the two young men walking over, they immediately launched into action. “What are you bastards doing? You think you can just barge in anywhere you want?”

The guards surrounded the two threateningly. Jyevodirr calmly pulled out the black card given to him by Rrianxi. The sight of it caused R’vag’s eyes to bulge.

“No, I don't think we can just walk in wherever we want. But if there is somewhere we were asked to be, we will get there. I need to deliver this and a message to Qaiz'rra Rraos. You know what this is, right? It is from his mother. The head of the Arroxatha herself.
If your duty puts you in the way of our duty, we will need to escalate the matter to our superiors in standing. Do you really want that? Or would you rather come with us and hear the message yourselves?”

The soldier leading the group looked conflicted. He perhaps wanted nothing more than to let loose and cut down the two no names with the full authority vested upon him. But the card looked genuine.

“Hand the card over”, he said, “I have to check its authenticity.”

Jyevodirr didn’t comply immediately. Having been a guard, he knew the procedures. “Bring out your tablet first.”

The soldier, captain by rank, sighed. He looked at one of the soldiers under him, who promptly fetched the device without the need of a verbal command. Only then was the card passed over to him. He fiddled around with the two devices for a moment, then he handed the card back. Dissatisfaction was the brightest colour in his face. The card was a genuine one.
The captain was silent for a few more moments. R’vag knew why. Even if his sense of righteousness could not allow activities he deemed suspicious, he was up against the authority of the Katov and the Arroxatha. It was a hopeless battle for one of so little strength.

The captain at last turned and headed towards the door beyond which Rraos rested. He knocked. “Qaiz’rra Rraos. We’re coming in. There is a message to you from the Family Head.”

“Come in,” said the muffled voice from within the door. The voice was quieter than expected.

The door was opened without ceremony. Light from the outside room flitted in, outlining the Arroxath youth. He sat still as a statue made of desert sand and rocks, and he had his mask on.

The captain went in first, followed by Jyevodirr and R’vag. Then, guards scattered into a tactical formation, two standing behind the youths, two standing between them and Rraos. Lights brightened, drowning the room in clarity and detail.

“Qai Rraos,” began Jyevodirr, “I have some requests. From the Family Head.”

Rraos gave no answer. His bearing was of a man teetering on the edge between hope and despair.

“Qinz’rra Rrianxi wants you to go and have a look at your businesses. We’ll escort you there once we are released.”

This was news to R’vag too, but the effect was more striking on Rraos. His posture straightened, radiating hope from behind the veil of his mask.

“And what of security?” he asked.

“The two of us are charged with your protection,” Jyevodirr replied.

“And where’s the money?”

Jyevodirr flashed the black card at Rraos.

For a moment, there were no words, no sounds. Pure emotions seemed to take over the room. Confusion. Hope. Disbelief. Wonder. Then, Rraos abruptly cut through them and walked towards Jyevodirr. He extended his hand to the countryside youth.
The clasp was not like the ones Jyevodirr was used to. It was far gentler, lacking the usual force and weight behind them. It was formal. But it carried more emotion, more hope and weight to it than the ones he was used to. It made him feel strange. Emotional.

“Thank you for everything, Qai Jyevodirr. Once we are out, we will go and have that meal I owe you.” Rraos’ hand was trembling. “And thank you too, Qai R’vag. I am satisfied. I look forward to our times together.
Truly, thank you both!”

Rraos walked back to his seat after that and shrunk. He gestured towards the door with his chin.
Neither of the two friends argued. They nodded and turned away from the older youth. The lights dimmed back down. Everyone walked out.

As the door was being shut behind them, R’vag looked back. In the dim light, he saw Rraos finally loosening his mask and setting it aside.

He did not understand what had happened, nor was he smart enough to piece everything together. But he was sure of what he had just glimpsed in the darkness. He knew what it meant with certainty.
Who else would cry so bitterly, and yet smile through it all? The only answer was – one who was given a life.

The door closed. R’vag looked away, patted Jyevodirr’s back, and smiled.

“You did good, brother!”