Chapter Sixteen of 'Where the Stars Hang' a novel by J. L. Young
The stone walls and floor damp with a fowl liquid awaited the arrival of another prisoner. A Tye guard pressed the captive against the wall by the neck while he unlocked an iron gate. It screeched opened and he pushed the Alyk Gal’malym into the cell.
The Alyk lost her footing and slid to the back wall as the gate fought and screeched as though in pain as it closed. An outer door shut and sealed, the light could not infiltrate the dungeon. The Alyk, blinded by the liquid running over the stone floor, sat up and rested against the wall. Her vision cleared, she wasn’t alone.
A Tye, two meters from her, held the residuum of her severed tail, so it may remain dry. The Alyk never knew a Tye could cry. Her lips quivered. She turned away slightly. Her back was resplendent with holes where large feathers were forcibly removed.
“Why have they done this to you?” the Alyk asked.
The Tye took a second to realize a question was asked of her. She had learned the Alyk language prior to the occupation. Her eyes shifted toward the Alyk, “I refused to mate, this is the shame I must bear.”
“You look like a juvenile, how old are you?”
“I am twenty engine cycles, old enough to bear young. Now, no male will have me. Now I’ll die a chedekcil, a barren one. I will only be good for dying. My ova will be implanted in another to grant life. I will never know the honor of motherhood.”
“This is the punishment?” the Alyk asked.
“Is this how you live, concerning yourself with the lives of others?”
“Our compassion is a driving force that fulfills all Alyk Gal’malym. To do otherwise would be a crime against our own hearts.”
“So you do it for egocentric reasons?”
“We must think of ourselves, but not at the expense of others. At first, we did not see things this way. Wars were brought to everyone and we all suffered greatly.”
“You are a peaceful race, the Tye have seen this as weakness. Your unwillingness to wage war has resulted in your ruin.”
“In our search for tranquility, we lost our foresight. I have no control over that now, so I should not dwell on it.”
“It must give you peace that we do this to our own kind.”
The Alyk shook her head, “It grieves me. It is an atrocity that should be the spur that redirects the beast.”
“It will not change because of one Tye female. To utter the idea is to court death. Females are not permitted to speak in matters of state. I have already lost my ability to reproduce, I will not risk my life foolishly.”
“I have heard speak of a legendary Tye female. She was the leader of her ship and her plumage was so beautiful that words fail to describe them. She is fair and allows all to speak their minds without fear.”
“Such a person could not possibly exist. Where did you hear such a tale?”
“I’ve heard it on many occasions from many females and males alike. I get moved from house to house often and your names are difficult to interpret.”
“The tale of Sikjriss hails from antiquity. Some say her descendants are still aboard her ship conquering worlds. Others say that they have colonized an empty world and live on in peace.”
“I desire the latter.”
“Part of me does as well. I am Talagriss, the marked.”
“Aguinn Dar’su. You can come with me if you so desire.”
“Come with you where? We have your planet.”
“The means that which cannot be told, only seen.”
Aguinn climbed to her bare feet and stepped to the gate. Her hands took grip and pulled at the bars welded to the locking mechanism. Under her slow and steady strength, the welds separated freeing the gate.
The guard heard the snap of the metal and the creek of the corroded hinges, lunged from his stool, and grabbed his rifle.
He caught sight of the Alyk as she leaped upon the stone wall to gain elevation, striking the Tye across his snout. The impact caught him, he stumbled, and collapsed as the nictitating membranes sealed over his motionless eyes. Aguinn collected his weapon.
“Is he dead?” Talagriss asked.
“For his sake, I hope not. Come.”
Another guard appeared down the narrow passageway, larger than the other. He was eating a flesh Alyk leg while dragging his heavy weapon by his tail. He caught sight of Aguinn and he closed the distance between them. He clamped the flopping undercooked leg in his jaws as his agile tail handed him the weapon.
The Tye swung the heavy hammer in an arc aiming to catch the target as he approached. Aguinn evaded and struck him in the frill forward of his throat. This proved only to anger him.
Before he retaliated, Aguinn pulled herself up on the hammer and kicked off his chest, struck his lower mandible and landed on dry stone. She lifted the rifle and fired several shots in an arc across his chest. He looked down in shock before he collapsed.
“You killed him,” Talagriss gawked in amazement.
Aguinn knelt down and turned the beast. He still clutched the leg within his stout jaws. She placed her palm on his chest and closed her eyes. Her voice emerged as a mellifluous susurration.
She opened her eyes to Talagriss, who was partaking in the beast’s meal. “Forgive me, I haven’t eaten in some time,” the Tye said as she returned the appendage to the stone.
“Take your fill, we have a long journey,” Aguinn said as she looked down the hall in both directions. She took care not to watch the Tye feed.
“What was that you said over the guard?”
“An archaic ministration, spoken long before my time. Come, if it is your choice.”
The stone walls and floor damp with a fowl liquid awaited the arrival of another prisoner. A Tye guard pressed the captive against the wall by the neck while he unlocked an iron gate. It screeched opened and he pushed the Alyk Gal’malym into the cell.
The Alyk lost her footing and slid to the back wall as the gate fought and screeched as though in pain as it closed. An outer door shut and sealed, the light could not infiltrate the dungeon. The Alyk, blinded by the liquid running over the stone floor, sat up and rested against the wall. Her vision cleared, she wasn’t alone.
A Tye, two meters from her, held the residuum of her severed tail, so it may remain dry. The Alyk never knew a Tye could cry. Her lips quivered. She turned away slightly. Her back was resplendent with holes where large feathers were forcibly removed.
“Why have they done this to you?” the Alyk asked.
The Tye took a second to realize a question was asked of her. She had learned the Alyk language prior to the occupation. Her eyes shifted toward the Alyk, “I refused to mate, this is the shame I must bear.”
“You look like a juvenile, how old are you?”
“I am twenty engine cycles, old enough to bear young. Now, no male will have me. Now I’ll die a chedekcil, a barren one. I will only be good for dying. My ova will be implanted in another to grant life. I will never know the honor of motherhood.”
“This is the punishment?” the Alyk asked.
“Is this how you live, concerning yourself with the lives of others?”
“Our compassion is a driving force that fulfills all Alyk Gal’malym. To do otherwise would be a crime against our own hearts.”
“So you do it for egocentric reasons?”
“We must think of ourselves, but not at the expense of others. At first, we did not see things this way. Wars were brought to everyone and we all suffered greatly.”
“You are a peaceful race, the Tye have seen this as weakness. Your unwillingness to wage war has resulted in your ruin.”
“In our search for tranquility, we lost our foresight. I have no control over that now, so I should not dwell on it.”
“It must give you peace that we do this to our own kind.”
The Alyk shook her head, “It grieves me. It is an atrocity that should be the spur that redirects the beast.”
“It will not change because of one Tye female. To utter the idea is to court death. Females are not permitted to speak in matters of state. I have already lost my ability to reproduce, I will not risk my life foolishly.”
“I have heard speak of a legendary Tye female. She was the leader of her ship and her plumage was so beautiful that words fail to describe them. She is fair and allows all to speak their minds without fear.”
“Such a person could not possibly exist. Where did you hear such a tale?”
“I’ve heard it on many occasions from many females and males alike. I get moved from house to house often and your names are difficult to interpret.”
“The tale of Sikjriss hails from antiquity. Some say her descendants are still aboard her ship conquering worlds. Others say that they have colonized an empty world and live on in peace.”
“I desire the latter.”
“Part of me does as well. I am Talagriss, the marked.”
“Aguinn Dar’su. You can come with me if you so desire.”
“Come with you where? We have your planet.”
“The means that which cannot be told, only seen.”
Aguinn climbed to her bare feet and stepped to the gate. Her hands took grip and pulled at the bars welded to the locking mechanism. Under her slow and steady strength, the welds separated freeing the gate.
The guard heard the snap of the metal and the creek of the corroded hinges, lunged from his stool, and grabbed his rifle.
He caught sight of the Alyk as she leaped upon the stone wall to gain elevation, striking the Tye across his snout. The impact caught him, he stumbled, and collapsed as the nictitating membranes sealed over his motionless eyes. Aguinn collected his weapon.
“Is he dead?” Talagriss asked.
“For his sake, I hope not. Come.”
Another guard appeared down the narrow passageway, larger than the other. He was eating a flesh Alyk leg while dragging his heavy weapon by his tail. He caught sight of Aguinn and he closed the distance between them. He clamped the flopping undercooked leg in his jaws as his agile tail handed him the weapon.
The Tye swung the heavy hammer in an arc aiming to catch the target as he approached. Aguinn evaded and struck him in the frill forward of his throat. This proved only to anger him.
Before he retaliated, Aguinn pulled herself up on the hammer and kicked off his chest, struck his lower mandible and landed on dry stone. She lifted the rifle and fired several shots in an arc across his chest. He looked down in shock before he collapsed.
“You killed him,” Talagriss gawked in amazement.
Aguinn knelt down and turned the beast. He still clutched the leg within his stout jaws. She placed her palm on his chest and closed her eyes. Her voice emerged as a mellifluous susurration.
She opened her eyes to Talagriss, who was partaking in the beast’s meal. “Forgive me, I haven’t eaten in some time,” the Tye said as she returned the appendage to the stone.
“Take your fill, we have a long journey,” Aguinn said as she looked down the hall in both directions. She took care not to watch the Tye feed.
“What was that you said over the guard?”
“An archaic ministration, spoken long before my time. Come, if it is your choice.”