Janus steadily came to realize that it was the great reverence that the tribes held for the Wanderer that had also helped the cause of the seven lost foreigners. The warriors undoubtedly had been encouraged to even greater restraint when it had been revealed that the seven exiles had not only interacted favorably with the venerable, blue-robed elder, but had also been bestowed by the Wanderer with powerful gifts.
Janus gave a brief shudder as he considered again just how perilously close they had all been dancing to the edge of a razor sharp blade. One slight inclination by Ayenwatha in another direction could well have resulted in arrows hissing from the forest to impale Janus and all the others, before they even knew what was happening.
Ayenwatha was rife with curiosity about the seven exiles, and Janus was not surprised when the warrior-leader began to venture the inevitable cascade of questions regarding the foreigners and their circumstances.
Logan and Erika took most of the turns explaining the course of the events that had brought them to the very moment where Ayenwatha and his warriors had revealed themselves. Janus did not mind the others speaking for the group, as it gave him some more time to observe the reactions and responses of their host.
Ayenwatha listened to the accounts with manifest interest, and undisguised fascination. Janus could tell that it was very difficult for Ayenwatha to even conceive of the concept of someone coming from another entire world.
Ayenwatha rarely interrupted, openly encouraging all of them to go into great detail. Many of the surrounding warriors walking with them edged closer to catch pieces of what was certainly to them a wild and incredible tale.
As Janus watched Ayenwatha closely, he eventually came to understand that Ayenwatha was no individual to be underestimated, or taken lightly. The sachem possessed a subtle intelligence, and was clever in using it, as Janus slowly realized what the sachem was truly up to in the prolonged dialogue with his comrades.
Ayenwatha’s questions kept the others talking, often backtracking over areas that they had covered before. Janus came to understand that there was a cogent reason for the seeming redundancy.
It dawned upon Janus that the sachem’s desire for considerable detail was not the result of simply wanting to feed casual interests. As he listened to the foreigners, Ayenwatha was actively sifting through the many elements of their story. He was looking for any inconsistencies or conflicts in their accounts, as well as working to gain deeper insights, seeking to discover anything that would tell him more about the real truth involving the seven’s unexpected presence in the lands of his people.
Janus hoped that the greater amount of information given by his companions was reinforcing to Ayenwatha. Everything being said by them regarding their ordeal was the truth, and not some intentionally deceptive concoction.
From Ayenwatha’s continuing relaxed posture and amiable countenance, Janus suspected that their stories were measuring up well with the war sachem’s assessments. Janus felt confident, as the sachem’s correlation of the group’s various accounts would have revealed no incongruities, for there were none to be had.
Like the crystals, Ayenwatha’s pursuit of extensive detail was merely another bout of testing, woven shrewdly into an atmosphere of casual conversation.
“I believe that great magic was used upon you. It was wielded against you, or for you,” Ayenwatha remarked at long last, after the stories of the group’s travails had been thoroughly rendered. “But which kind of magic, I cannot yet tell. Perhaps it was the miraculous work of the One Spirit, the Creator and Sky Lord. Maybe it was the Mother of the World, whom the Sky Lord sent to us… or the Light Brother. Maybe it was the work of the Dark Brother, or malevolent spirits from deep in the underworld. Who can now say? Even so, in time, I am sure that it will become clear which kind of magic brought you into our lands. There is much to consider, and…”
Ayenwatha’s words were interrupted as the sound of flapping wings filtered down from the skies above the thickly foliated tree branches. Abruptly becoming silent, the war sachem froze in place, right as all of the other warriors snapped to a halt.
Janus instantly took their cue and stood still, holding his breath as he watched Ayenwatha for an indication of what to do. The sound of the wings grew louder, as if something was approaching. From what he could tell, whatever was coming was not far above the trees.
“Down, all of you, and press against the trees,” Ayenwatha commanded them sharply, in a voice laced with urgency.
The other warriors had already faded into the forest’s foliage, dissolving into undergrowth and shadows. For them, the act of vanishing into their surroundings was probably a mere reflex. For Janus and most of the others with him, everything was unfamiliar, including the nature of this new world’s dangers. Only Derek could have been expected to possess some kinship with the instinctive responses of a trained warrior.
Following Ayenwatha’s directive, Janus crouched low and pressed himself tightly against the trunk of a great maple tree. Looking around, he saw that the others of his group had taken similar positions at the bases of nearby trees.
Like himself, most of the others looked anxious and uncertain, and only Derek looked to be confident and more at ease with the task. Ayenwatha moved around quickly, nimble and light of step, as he took appraisal of the seven and their postures. His purpose became apparent as he made Antonio adjust his body position, aligning him closer to the base of the tree that he had sought cover under. The flapping sounds drew ever nearer, prompting Janus to start looking skyward.
“The sky scouts of the Unifier’s forces are above us. Stay still. Stay to the trees and do not move at all. Do not speak, until I tell you it is safe,” Ayenwatha cautioned them as he moved to a tree close by, drawing Janus’ attention back to the war sachem.
Ayenwatha then nodded towards the skies, compelling Janus to look upward again. Through the few breaks of light in the interlaced mass of branches and leaves overhead, Janus observed a number of winged forms passing through the air a short distance above the tree canopy.
A rapidly occurring assortment of brief glimpses transpired, as the winged group flew over the war band and the exiles. Shadows flitted all over the ground with their passage. Janus remained motionless, staring intently above, though he could not make out much detail out about the flying creatures. He did see enough to determine that whatever the winged creatures might be, they were large, and they were bearing riders.
A sizeable group continued over their positions, and by Janus’ best estimations it was at least twenty riders strong. After several more tense moments, the flapping of the wings faded and the skies became fully silent once again.
Cautiously, Ayenwatha crept out from his own hiding place, looking upward and listening carefully. After waiting for many long moments, he finally raised his hands to his lips and gave a signal that sounded like the call of a bird. The trilling call brought all of the warriors forth from the shadows, and they reassembled in the area around Ayenwatha and the seven.
“You may be at ease now,” Ayenwatha said to the exiles, indicating for them to come forward from their places. Derek and the others converged, rising up and striding from the trees towards Ayenwatha, one by one.