Ground of oam oams cry, p.26
Ground of Oam (Oam's Cry), page 26
“You look worried sick,” Lagden said, slowing down his pace to walk next to Levi. “I don’t think any Rebirtha will be following us for a while, not after how we wasted them last night.”
Levi didn’t really feel like dealing with Lagden at the moment. He had enough things to think about.
“That was only a small platoon of Rebirtha,” Levi replied, looking down to the ground. “There are many more where they came from.”
“Ha, they can send all they want, but I won’t leave any of them standing,” Lagden boasted.
Levi didn’t know if the kid really believed that or not, but then he never thought that Lagden’s intelligence was that great anyways.
“Good luck with that,” Levi replied, looking back toward the group. The small children were silent now. Levi knew that they would have to stop to rest soon, but he didn’t think anyone would want to.
“Don’t be such a coward, Levi,” Lagden shot back. “I can fight against the Rebirtha with or without you, but I can’t have a coward as my partner.”
“I didn’t realize that we were partners,” Levi replied, not really caring about what Lagden had further to say.
“Well, I’m afraid that we’re stuck together for a while, so deal with it,” Lagden responded.
Levi didn’t say anything in reply.
His chest was sore because of the bullet that had hit him in the body armor. His head also ached from the wound that he obtained from the two explosions. A cool breeze swept through the trees which soothed him somewhat. His clothes were dirty and damp with sweat.
“I better go check up on Lodan,” Levi said, moving past Lagden.
“Check up on whom?” Lagden asked.
But there was no response from Levi. Lagden hated that. He didn’t like it when people ignored him. He thought that Levi was probably just unable to come up with anything to say and needed an excuse to evade him.
Levi moved through the group of women and children until he caught up with Lodan. She looked worn out and tired. He felt bad for all of them. They were all tired, all having near death experiences. He couldn’t imagine how stressed out they must have been, but then he realized that it was probably about the same amount as he had been. Never before had he been that close to death.
“Lodan,” Levi called, as he caught up to her.
She turned to see him. “Levi, are you all right?” she asked, stopping to talk to him.
Levi nodded in response. “I had no idea that you were here until last night,” Levi said, touching her shoulder. They barely knew each other, but he felt like he had known her for a long time. It was probably because of all the time he spent with her son, Philip.
“Well, I had no idea that you were one of our escorts either,” She replied. They both began to start moving forward to keep up with the group.
“I was placed on the front line to fight in the war, but Timothy sent me here instead with a message to deliver,” Levi explained. He didn’t want to come across as a coward.
“A message?” Lodan asked curiously.
“Yeah, I don’t know what’s in it, but Timothy said that it’s important,” Levi replied. “I have to deliver it to the other fort.”
“I wonder what could be so important that he would send a soldier to deliver it,” Lodan said.
Levi felt awkward at the comment, unsure whether she was happy to know that Timothy sent him when her husband was probably still in the fight.
“I don’t know,” Levi said simply. “How are you holding up now? I know this must be difficult for you.”
“I feel exhausted and scared,” Lodan replied. “I just hope that my husband will be all right. He’s getting too old for combat.” There was a hint of sadness in her voice.
“Philip told me a lot about Jethrim during our training. He sounded like a good soldier, so I’m sure he’s fine,” Levi said, trying to comfort her. “I’ve also seen Philip fight, so I think your husband will be able to survive.”
“I don’t think fighting skills are passed down through a person’s genes, Levi,” Lodan replied.
“That’s true, but I think you’re whole family is gifted in combat,” Levi said. He never saw Philip’s father in combat before, but going by what Philip always said about him, he figured that the man was a good fighter.
“I hope so,” Lodan replied, sounding worried. “Both of my sons are gone too, and I don’t know if I will ever see them again.”
Thinking of what to say, Levi responded, “I have fought alongside your youngest son and he is one of the best. He knows how to take care of himself.” Levi hoped that what he said was true. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing his best friend.
He looked up toward the front of the group and spotted a few of the other escorts including the lead escort. Levi then noticed someone else walking up next to them. It was the woman that had saved him from getting his neck snapped by the Rebirtha. He had almost forgotten about her.
“Sometimes I wonder if all this is worth it,” Lodan continued.
“What do you mean?” Levi asked.
“I mean, is fighting the Rebirtha going to make a difference?” she replied. “We don’t even know how many of them there are. Could be thousands, or maybe millions, and we are only a few.”
“I’m sure that there are many more people like us out there,” Levi replied. “I mean, the earth did sustain millions of human beings before. We even have colonies on the moon and on mars. I think it’s safe to bet that the human race isn’t coming to its end yet.” Levi spoke as if he knew what he was talking about. The truth was that he couldn’t even remember who he really was or anything about his past. What more could he really know about the state of the planet?
The two of them were silent for a while longer. They continued through the forest running into small open areas occasionally which revealed more of the large mountains. Thick bushes and plants were clustered together making it hard to stray off the path.
“How much longer must we travel?” Lodan asked.
“I don’t know,” Levi responded. Neither did he know who would know the distance. He looked up toward the lead escort. Surely he would have some information, Levi thought. “I’ll go check with the lead escort.” Levi hurried forward. He made his way through the group of people and came up from behind to talk to them.
“Excuse me sir, but how much farther is the fort?” Levi asked, walking up to the man. All of the escorts glanced over at him. For some reason, Levi felt like an amateur compared to them. They seemed to know more about what they were doing.
“The fort is about forty miles away from ours, but we’ll be taking shelter with the rest of our people in some caverns.” the man replied, keeping his eyes forward on the trail. “There will be food and supplies there for us so that we can continue the rest of the way to Fort Gaigren. It will probably be another four hours before we reach the shelter.”
The answer didn’t impress Levi. He couldn’t bear walking much farther. Plus they had wounded men, Levi being one of them as his body was soar all over. Levi glanced back toward the group of people behind him. They were all exhausted and the death of Tyndale had made their mood worse. They were unable to save the escort after he was shot.
“Don’t worry, we will all get there in one piece,” the escort said. The man looked a little younger than Levi.
“You did a good job last night,” the woman said, that walked next to the lead escort. It was the same woman that had killed the Rebirtha before it snapped his neck. She had brown hair and green eyes. She wore a brown dress without sleeves and multiple bracelets went up the length of her arms. Levi didn’t know what they were for exactly, but they didn’t look like they were just for a fashion statement.
“Thank you,” Levi responded. “And thanks for watching out for me. I would be dead if it weren’t for you.”
“You’re welcome,” she replied.
“You did pull off some amazing stunts last night,” the man added. “I don’t know if it was smart, but it got the job done.”
“I just did what I could,” Levi replied. He didn’t know if the comment was supposed to be taken as a compliment or more of a rebuke.
“Now, I know that you were not originally on escort detail,” the man said. “Why were you there with us anyway?”
Levi thought carefully how to respond. He didn’t want to give the wrong impression and be thought of as a deserter.
“I was given orders by Commander Timothy to deliver a message to Fort Gaigren,” Levi responded. He knew that Timothy was well respected, and hoped that the escort would accept his answer because of it.
“So, you’re a messenger then,” the woman responded.
“No, I was originally put in the battle front, but Timothy removed me from that duty,” Levi answered.
“Why? There are many messengers available he could have sent,” the lead escort asked, sounding suspicious.
Levi felt like a guilty convict when the question was asked. It was like he had just been discovered in the act of committing a crime.
“I-I don’t know,” Levi replied.
The lead escort glanced over at him when he didn’t give a good answer. They all walked a little farther remaining quiet. Levi felt like slowly falling back with the rest of the group, but he didn’t want to look any guiltier.
The breeze stayed calm in the trees. He could feel the vibrations from the leaves blowing in the wind. Small squirrels and birds darted throughout the forest. The area seemed so peaceful, yet not far back it was war stricken.
The path led them into a clearing every now and then. They could hear a river running off in the distance and small streams ran through the trail. Levi looked around at the tall mountains that were covered in forest.
“So, what is your name, soldier?” the escort asked.
“It’s Levi,” he replied.
“Do you have a last name?” the escort asked.
“I don’t have a last name,” Levi replied, feeling awkward.
The escort and woman glanced over at him curiously. “I woke up about a month ago not knowing who I am. The name Levi is all I could remember.”
“Oh yes, I have heard about you,” the escort replied. “Word spread fast at the fortress when you arrived.”
“Well, it was never my intention to be popular,” Levi replied, trying to be sarcastic, although even he didn’t see anything funny about it.
The escort didn’t seem to take notice either and only replied, “I’m sure you didn’t.”
Levi found himself in another awkward situation. Working with a bunch of people who didn’t trust him was a difficult task.
The escort didn’t say anymore for a while leaving an uncomfortable silence. Levi almost asked the man for his name, but he felt too nervous. He couldn’t help thinking that the man would try to abandon him out there. It was a ridiculous thought, Levi knew, but almost everyone suspected him to be a threat of some kind.
“So, is it true that no one knows how you got inside the fort?” the woman asked.
Levi felt nervous about responding to the question, but he nodded in response.
“Not even you?”
“I don’t remember anything,” Levi replied.
“Well, you seem to know how to fight,” the escort said, staring straight on.
Levi could see that the comment wasn’t meant to be a compliment. Instead it was more of an attack. The woman shot a glare at the escort when he said it. Levi didn’t know what the relationship between the two of them was, but they seemed to be close in some way.
“I just got back from training a couple days ago,” Levi replied. Yet, it was true that he managed to catch on to the whole fighting business rather quickly, almost like he had had training somewhere before.
“My name’s Moriam, and this is Jeffry,” the woman said, after a while. Jeffry looked irritated when Moriam gave him their names.
“It’s good to meet you,” Levi replied.
“Indeed,” Jeffry responded, sounding inhospitable.
Levi felt like he needed to say something. Conversation definitely wasn’t flowing very well, and he would feel strange just walking away from them.
“So apparently you must know how to use a gun pretty well with that shot you made last night,” Levi said, addressing Moriam. She had saved him from the Rebirtha. It would have been a tough shot, and it would have taken a lot of courage to take it.
“Oh, yes, I am a Morgni sign reader, and I am required to know how to fight,” Moriam replied. “Every escort needs a Morgni sign reader in order to make it through the mountains.”
Levi was aware of the protocol. He also knew what a Morgni sign reader was. They were considered mandatory if you were going to be traveling a lot.
He also knew that the Morgni sign readers could be very superstitious. If anyone would be suspicious of Levi, it would be them. Moriam didn’t seem to suspect him as an enemy though, but she probably had her own superstitious ideas about him.
Morgni sign readers studied the art of Morgni signs. They often believed that the Morgni were spirits meant to protect the human race from extinction. Levi didn’t know if he bought into any of that, but he knew that there was something out there that would kill the Rebirtha. Who or what it was remained unclear to him. He often wondered why the fort just didn’t teach all of their recruits to read the signs if it was so important.
“What is that job like?” Levi asked. He had never spoken with a sign reader before.
“It’s an interesting one,” came the reply. “We don’t actually see many Morgni signs, but occasionally they’ll pop up.”
“Have you ever seen a Morgni before?” Levi asked, although he pretty much knew the answer which was no. No one knew what the Morgni looked like. It was another reason why some people believed them to be spirits.
He couldn’t help but wonder if he had seen one before. There was that time at the Oam, when they were running away from it. He had seen someone else there, and the thing had stopped him in his tracks just by looking at him. Whoever it was, it didn’t seem human to him.
About an hour passed as they continued through the forest. Conversation was little, as Levi and Moriam were the only ones talking. Jeffry would make a small comment now and then but that was all. The trail slowly led them up higher into the mountains. Occasionally the forest would clear a little bit, but mostly it continued to grow thicker and darker. They passed by a fast running river at one point that headed down the mountainside. It made a loud roar as it smacked against the rocks.
They reached a small waterfall toward the top of the river and the group moved up the side of it. The thing was steep but manageable by most of the people. Levi found himself looking back down the rushing waterfall that curved around the rocky slopes; he could see it drop all the way to the bottom which caused him to feel like he was going to fall.
Eventually they reached the top of a small mountain that was dwarfed by all the other mountains. It was clear of trees in one spot, but they moved back down the other side of it which was filled with much more trees.
Levi tried to enjoy the scenery as much as possible. It was indeed beautiful, but still he was anxious. He was taken by surprise when he looked over to his left; he could see many more mountains surrounding them, and a deep bowl shaped dip underneath them. A group of very large trees were a few miles off reaching almost as high as half the mountain. He had never seen trees so large before. They had dark brown bark while its dark green leaves covered only the tops forming a dome shape.
The trail narrowed as the forest closed in. It grew more and more silent, as well as darker. The sunlight only peeked through gaps in the forest. He found himself back in the crowd of people. No one seemed to speak anymore, all were silent.
At first it calmed Levi, but then he started feeling uneasy. As the group slowly and carefully moved forward, Levi sensed something move in their surroundings. It was always quick, so he couldn’t identify it. A movement would be felt on his right but then next on his left. For a while Levi wondered if it was the man named Carthus again, if such a man existed, but these movements just seemed different to him. The movements he felt earlier had been quick and almost ghost-like. He had never actually been able to pinpoint it, but these movements now seemed more substantial to him.
It made him feel threatened though he did not know why. The movements didn’t seem to be big, so it could have just been a deer or something moving. The crowd eventually came upon a large dried up river bed. It was rocky on the bottom, and was probably filled with water in the spring time. It was deep so they had to be careful as they climbed down into it. The trail seemed to end at it and Levi didn’t know what direction they needed to go. The lead escort led the way through the dried up riverbed. He obviously knew where they were going, so the group followed patiently.
They stayed at the bottom of the rocky trench, its sides going up about eight feet high. Levi didn’t feel comfortable in it especially since there was no clear trail to follow.
He had to be careful where he put his feet. The rocky bottom was loose and hard to travel. Very few plants grew in the trench while all the trees and foliage grew on top of either side of the trench walls. The group passed a large rock pile that sat on the edge of the trench to their left. Levi didn’t know what it was or how it got there, but he didn’t pay too much attention to it.
The air felt colder now to him because of the lack of sunlight there. His legs only grew more and more sore because of all the walking, and the rest of his body stiffened as well.
Levi tried to keep up front of the crowd as best he could, which wasn’t too hard considering that the rest of them were getting more and more exhausted as well. Levi thought about asking Jeffry for a break so that the women and children could rest since they had all been walking for so long. Before the opportune time to ask this presented itself, the group came closer to another large rock pile. The first one could still be seen a little ways back while the second pile also sat on the edge of the trench except this time on the right side.
