Skytrails

12-Reunion

Endrii'ochii led Krii to the far side of the mound, where a lone roundhouse sat in the deep black shadow of a gargantuan... something.

Krii gawked. "What is—"

"The thunderbird," Endrii'ochii supplied.

Krii felt the cold fingers of fear reach around his gut.

The thunderbird was the size of a small mountain, wings outstretched as if in flight, still as stone. He could see now that it rose above the giant mound and wondered how he had not noticed the silvery grey head and shoulders above the reddish black mass of earth.

"This is what destroyed the Minkaeran town?"

"Yes. Took only minutes."

They walked to the roundhouse, situated under the tip of one wing. Endrii'ochii announced himself, said he had a visitor for Sharn.

The curtain over the entrance parted and Sharn emerged. His eyes widened when he saw his adopted brother. "Krii," he said, face breaking into a grin, "It's so good to see you, brother." The two men threw their arms around one another. For a moment Krii felt like nothing had changed, everything would be okay.

They separated and Endrii'ochii dipped his chin toward Sharn. "I will return to the camp now, Vaiyok'somii." Sharn nodded and Endrii'ochii left them.

Vaiyok'somii. Voice of the gods. Traditionally, the title given to prophets, sometimes while they were alive, often after their death.

Seeing Krii's raised eyebrow, Sharn shrugged. "They have put me up on a hill I did not ask to be put on."

"I have heard many strange tales involving you and gods from the sky and temples and Minkaeran slaves. I would love to hear your own story of these events and see how much has been exaggerated with the retelling."

At the mention of Minkaerans, Sharn looked away. He gestured to the roundhouse behind him. "Tesdaera and Tenem'ok are inside, eating. You must be hungry. Let us find you some food before you give them your greetings."

"As you wish, Vaiyok'somii."

Sharn shot Krii a withering glance. "Don't start with that."

"Yes, Vaiyok'somii."

"I'm serious. Bad enough everyone else is using it. I don't need you rubbing it in my face, too."

Krii shrugged. "I only want to give you the respect you are due."

Sharn rolled his eyes, turned, and began walking toward the Kuali camp. "No doubt you have seen already, many of our people have come to stay here in the city of the sky god. People from our village, from other Kuali villages. Soon, other tribes may join as well. A refuge from all the fighting, all the broken promises and treaties, from hunger and sickness. It is like a healing of the land, like the long ago prophets predicted would one day happen."

Krii understood. Sharn the dreamer, the ever hopeful, had found a dream to latch onto. He would be able to overlook things he did not like because the end result would be the world they all hoped for.

Things the way they were.

Before.

Healthy people in a healthy land, no one trying to get rich by taking from another, no one seeing land as something which could be bought or sold from one person to another. Food for all, space for all.

Except— "I have heard stories of Minkaeran enslavement by our people," Krii said. "You know the idea does not bother me, but I would have thought you, with all your experiences living among them, would have been against it."