The Wild Ba’Neesh Chapter Twenty-Nine ©2019 Fay Thompson All Rights Reserved

Grand Master Guardian Ornius poured his large Everhot bottle full of Guatamalan coffee and then he sealed the top. He gathered up his carry sack with its selection of pastry, fruit, cheese and blood sticks. He twitched at his best robe, selected just for this occasion then he left his quarters to slowly climb the stairs up into Ba’Neesh territory on Levels One and Two at Citadel.

A flood of youngers greeted him and they raucously called out that Old One Horn had a visitor. He kept walking, knowing the ancient Ba’Neesh healer would be topside, enjoying the morning air. The youngers trailed him gabbling mostly in Neesh and giggling and laughing at jokes he couldn’t share. He sometimes wished he understood more of their hidden language but then again, likely it was better he didn’t know if he was the butt of their jokes.

He finally reached the island top of Citadel, a glory of well-tended plants, trees, bushes, shrubs and equally well-tended birds. Old One Eye liked to recline near the south-facing cliff edge at this time of the day so he walked through the grove and along the path where he usually found her. He’d brought a blanket he knew she favored, one of his priceless embroidered pieces. When he arrived he knelt down to greet her, offering his services to her.

She grunted and gestured for him to sit. She knew as well as he did that their old bones preferred sitting to standing. She had known he would come and she had selected the place with the large flat rock. He always brought goodies. To her mind Ornius was the best Soek ever, though she would never ever say such a thing.

He arranged his carry sack and bottle and a third satchel on the stone and then asked for permission to drape the blanket over her shoulders. She nodded.

He opened his containers and mused that although he could hear the giggles and whispers of nearby youngers, there was not a one to be seen. Clearly Old One Horn had the power to keep them in hiding, a worthy power indeed.

He sorted the offerings, poured two large mugs of hot coffee and then sat next to her, so close their thighs touched. She didn’t make any complaint.

“What is in that mystery satchel?” She asked.

“High-powered binoculars.” Ornius answered. “We should have an excellent view of the battle from here. And, if they should get through Thorne’s defenses, then we shall die first and fast.”

“To be celebrated.” She nodded, selecting a pastry to dip in her coffee. Ornius always had the best coffee of anyone. She had heard he brewed it personally.

They spoke amiably until Ornius’ external device pinged.

She grunted, her dislike of such devices well known.

“My apologies, Old One Horn, Thorne’s anxiety demands soothing.” Ornius said, toggling the device to answer.

“Yes, Thorne?”

“You should be in the war room, not topside, what if some weapon gets through?”

“If one gets through then we die. Right?” Master Ornius selected a chunk of cheese and took a dainty bite. “Defense is your job, Thorne. You are ably supported by both OrderSec and DireSec operatives as well as the supremely competent Jordy. Correct? What can one ancient Soek do for you besides listen to the attempted violence? You and I both know that you spent years perfecting the defenses. If they have a weapon that gets past you I can’t sew our way out of it. Mael obviously believed Citadel would survive. I trust Mael. Now, if you wouldn’t mind, I am enjoying or planning to enjoy the battle from a good vantage point with a dear friend. Please do not disturb me with things I can do nothing about.” Ornius set the device on silent, emergency only.

“You are far too courteous, Ornius.” She said firmly.

“He is nervous on good days. I can’t imagine the torture he will be today. Poor Jordy.”

“True.” She nodded. “Do I see a blood treat?”

“You do. I asked Lal to make them especially for you and for today.” Master Ornius smiled and spent the next few minutes uncasing his binoculars, cleaning them carefully and then adjusting them to fit her wider eye spread.

“I feel them.” She said, pointing toward the horizon.

“I too.” Master Ornius agreed, showing her how to hold the binoculars for the best view.

She scanned the horizon. “Too distant yet.” She said, handing the device back to Ornius. They both knew he would enjoy using it more than she. “We should eat more and discuss Tule Soc. Do you think Mael will roll through them? Imagine, two-thousand and five hundred Ba’Neesh in one location. I’ve heard they are all immature. What a horror.”

“I have tried not to dwell on them. It is too painful.” Ornius answered, adjusting the binoculars so he could scan the horizon. He knew that the opticals downstairs in Ops would have brilliantly sharp visuals, but it was different to see death approaching while listening to youngers giggle in the bushes. He thought maybe he should have explained that to Thorne but likely the caster would merely suggest moving the youngers to one of the lower bunker rooms that could survive for more than a month with their recycling systems if Citadel were damaged. No, if there was to be death, they would not play cowards in the dark.

“You must show me all of the footage from Mael and this stupid Soek Mick. Perhaps an evening under the Sigil?” It was a blatant invitation, she even managed a few snuffle snorts.

Ornius smiled. “What an agreeable suggestion.” He said, “We must ban everyone but Calypso, he can run the equipment and allow us to relax on some soft bedding. I will provide for a sumptuous meal.” He had already pre-planned for entertaining her and had the main kitchen preparing just in case.

“Acceptable.” She said.

He lifted the binoculars again and then froze. He pressed the auto-focus and an enormous fleet of aircraft came into focus. “They are here.” He said, readjusting the binoculars and handing them back to her. She sat upright, displaying far more interest than her earlier words might suggest.

“They are many.” She said. “I remember too well the mules climbing the cliffs before Mael…” She didn’t complete the sentence.

“Yes.” Ornius nodded with clear understanding. That had been a day of death and renewed life. He could just see a dark line on the horizon with his bare eyes. He didn’t ask for the binoculars back. He didn’t need to see the fleet again.

“Before Mael.”

“I’ve thumped him, you know.” She said. “His shell is truly a shell, laced with dimensionalized sigil.”

“Did he have that hair tuft of his, when you thumped him?” Ornius asked. Everyone but Mael found the round hole Anya had carved in the shell for Mael’s hair knot, to be humorous. What turtle had hair coming out of its shell? Of course, no one said that to his face.

“No.” Old One Horn grinned. “It was still that sugar toy thing in the process of becoming. It was soft and weird but he was in there all the same. I worried that the sigil defenses wouldn’t let me touch him, like it did the first time when he first arrived topside. Moira and I both tried but the damn sigil was already taking on its true power, like a good horn should.”

“He’s still mutating.” Ornius said. “He can hold his breath for more than two hours now. It’s extraordinary. Anya says it grows longer each time he free dives. He says the Channels go with him into the deep. I often think about such things.”

“I hadn’t known his breathing was that advanced.” She replied. “Oh, Ornius, they are firing things. Look. Look.” She shoved the binoculars in his hands. He didn’t adjust them, just used her settings to see the bright arcs of multiple weapons launches. His timing was perfect, he witnessed the anti-missile response devices breeching the water surface to throw weapons back at the arcs.

He handed her the binoculars and said, “Look for the defenses rising up and down in the water. Thorne said there were rows and rows like a shark’s mouth.”

“I see.” She crowed, her other hand punching outward. “Take that you cowards! Oh, Ornius, I see four defensive rings now. Those closest are huge. What do they do?” She passed the lenses back. Ornius looked.

“Those are the ones that will reach the aircraft. Oh look, there goes one.” He handed her the binoculars again. He heard the youngers much closer and he wasn’t surprised they had been snooping. More than two dozen peeked out from every nearby bush and tree. One of them saw him seeing her and she grinned and pointed, at the shapes now becoming fireworks.

“Sparkly!” She yelled. “I can feel them dying.” She did a weird whole body wriggle thing and soon all of the youngers were doing it. “Too far away to really capture their energy.” She said a bit sadly.

The battle continued until it became clear that the aircraft, which had spread out trying to find a vulnerability in Citadel’s defenses, kept dying with not a single weapon making it through. Illegal ballistics on both sides. Target practice for Citadel’s defenses.

A little over an hour later Ornius saw the aircraft banking away. He toggled his external. “Thorne?’ He asked.

“All aircraft are heading away.” Jordy answered, his voice wobbly with stress.”

“Anything I should know?” Ornius asked.

“We had several units fail to fire but we built in redundancies on redundancies so it didn’t matter, just equipment that will now be examined with great care.” Jordy answered. “We are receiving communications from more than twenty-five nation/states inquiring about their observation of the use of ballistics. We are International news, again. Thorne is formulating a response, did you want in on that, Sir?”

“Oh no.” Ornius shook his head even though he was on audio only with Jordy. “That is fully Directorate domain. Do we have an update on Fels?”

“Only that Serla and the Akaitapi are in the former nation/state of Germany doing a low-level scan for the hidden transport.” Jordy said. “A Soek named Norris is attempting to signal without using devices Tule Soc can trace. It appears to be a race. Serla says the gardener’s directions are exceptional.”

“Excellent.” Ornius nodded again. “Continue keeping me on silence, I am going to enjoy the rest of my meal now.”

“Yes, Sir.” Jordy’s tone was polite but slightly amused. He was wishing he could go to silence too, at least around Thorne.

Ornius turned his device back off.

“Well, there we have it Old One Horn, no death for Citadel today.”

“Cowards.” She repeated. “Distance weapons have their place but I will never approve of them.”

“Want to tell me about why that stupid Soek Mick is insistent on range?” He asked softly.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you Ornius?” She glanced over at him.

He nodded. “Any time I can get an inch in front of Mael I’ll take it. He says Mick knows something in the back of his brain. He thinks Mick wants huge range, beyond imagination huge.”

“None of us get ahead of Mael.” She said quietly. “Did you see him with that holo of Evgeny? Moira replayed that a dozen times in our circle, yammering at Perisee and Lemista about not sharing properly. They said they were sworn to intel privacy which is total crap. How could they play and not share and then he pops up and gets it straight off?”

“So, you think he’s right, about Mick?” Ornius asked.

“When is Mael Strom really wrong?” She countered. “He is in the deep with the Channels, like a Ba’Neesh. You know Ornius, I’m so damn old my memory sucks. One minute I know something, the next I’ve forgotten again. This Mick, this Neeshatari, I worry. It is a big memory lurking out there and I’m just on the bitter edge of it and every night I try to push my old brains out there trying to find it and all I get is tiny bits. I should be dead and regrown already instead of decrepit in this ancient body.”

“I know.” Ornius said, nodding. “But, we are here in these old meat sacks for a reason Old One Horn.”

“This is true.” She answered. “I have tried to die or be killed more times than I can count, and I fail. Me. Failing to die. It is ludicrous. And, my horn. By the Dark Gods, my horn is so Vrill saturated I feel high all the time, like narced out as the youngers say, on one of Jeffrey’s potions.”

“At least we have good food and good coffee.” Ornius temporized, now wishing to calm her down a bit.

“Food.” She nodded, taking the hint well enough.

The youngers, now that the perimeter was broken, were sneaking in and stealing bits of food and then crowing and daring each other to risk Old One Horn’s pointy massive horn for the next bit. A game. Fun.

The Elder settled in to play. Ornius knew that Old One Horn was still devastatingly fast, when she desired to be. He protected the coffee mugs and enjoyed watching the dart and run and steal and laugh game. Only two of the youngers sported wounds by the time the food was all eaten. The youngers were happily sitting on a rock together licking the blood and comparing one wound to the other to see whose was bigger and better and more bloody. Other youngers circled, jealous.

He helped Old One Horn to her fours and refolded the blanket. He couldn’t leave it with her because the Ba’Neesh were communal and it would be shared. He preferred to make it a treat just for her. He cleaned up the dishes and repacked the binoculars. Old One Horn was already gone, leaving without any comment. A few youngers remained behind to watch him, planning mischief no doubt. But, they loved his robes and he knew that likely the next game was a plan to chase his robe as he went back downstairs. It was all fair. His robe was enormously capable of defending itself while still looking elegant and appropriate for a Soek of his age. He smiled.

As soon as he entered the grove the game was on. He acted oblivious to their antics as they tried and tried to touch the robe and it whipped, darted and blew around evading them. He was trailed by squeals and laughter all the way downstairs. It was a good way to end his topside adventure with Old One Horn. His thoughts returned to Fels as the youngers weren’t allowed onto the private area of Level Three where he was going. He left his stuff in his apartment and headed down to Ops. What he would show Old One Horn would be a rerun, her favorite. She liked to know the endings of holos before watching them.

(Master Ornius is a return character from one of the other WitchBoard Novels to be released relatively soon. I adore him. And, as you can guess, we are now heading to Fels. Enjoy!)