Under a Starless Sky

Chapter 20

They found no evidence of Shen for that night, all that next day, and all of that next night. He arrived by

the end of the second of day, before sun set. He walked out to find the boys in loose groups, nothing

organized. No one had expected him to come. No one truly expected anything except he would likely

be beat to death. He came out wielding a self-made bow and arrow. He had fined tuned it. He had

killed fire snakes with it. He had killed one Irk with it. The Irk roared, the arrow flew through opened

mouth, and penetrated the back of its neck. He had hope to severe the spinal cord and fell it in one

swoop. That didn’t happen. The creature suffered for days before dying, unable to eat, unable dislodge

the arrow. It finally died because it was too tired to run and its peers ate it. Shen hated that. He hated

this.

But he was capable. He stepped forwards into the light. An older boy whistled. Everyone turned to see

him. Kole was suddenly jovial. The first arrow dropped his favored, the strongest man in Midelay. The

arrow penetrated eye, into the brain, and he fell. Kole was speechless, his mouth agape. The man’s

blood had splattered him. The second man to die was his friend. Third arrow penetrated Kole’s right

shoulder. He screamed an order. Boys, not men, were incited to rush him. Shen retreated to the forest.

Boys followed. They chased, losing him in the woods. He had doubled back, came behind them and

shot an arrow hitting the nearest Sleeper Tree. Most of the group of boys fell. Only two did not. He put

an arrow by their feet.

“Run back, report what happened,” Shen said.

The boys ran back. He followed as if chasing them. He came out of the shadow of the forest, the boys

still running, and launched another arrow. Another man fell.

Nine female rushed him. He retreated, notching another arrow.

“Hold!” this was Gindy.

“You’re interfering in the affairs of men,” Shen said.

“Come to the circle. We promise no harm will come to you,” Gindy said.

“Only to be trapped in your circle?” Shen asked.

“You’re are invited into the circle in peace, you may leave the circle in peace,” Gindy said. “You have

my word.”

Tian came forwards, carrying a bamboo torch. The upper cell held pitch. “Shen, N’Ma requests an

audience. You will not be harmed. You must, however, surrender your weapon.”

Shen’s hands were shaking. There were tears in his eyes.

“Have I, or N’Ma, ever lied to you?” Tian said.

Shen released the arrow he was holding. It feel to the ground. Gindy came forward, hand out to accept

the bow. He surrendered it. He also surrender the quiver. He walked towards the Circle, surrounded by

apprentice and one Master. Tian walked next to him, with the torch. The boys and adolescent males

were no longer snickering. The men who stared were seriously angry. He arrived at the circle

unmolested. He did not bow.

“You need to…” N’Ma began.

“No,” Shen said. “You called for truce, I get to speak first.”

N’Ma was angry. There were other Masters present, some equally angry, some ready to kill, but a few

were neutral, studying him. Eirwen was present. He had never met her before. She was nowhere near

as ugly as the rumors that followed her. She was approaching thirty, and had still not been raised to

Master, and remained as guard on East Midelay side. She was thinner than she should have been. Her

appearance reminded her of the actress Essy Persson, an actress in the B movie, ‘Mission Stardust.’

Interestingly enough, that ‘alien’ look reminded him of Vril women, and the main character of ‘Galaxina.’

The look reminded him of Loxy, only she was brunette- and he heard an inner argument, no, not her,

you have been too far removed her and wanting, but a distant echo of Loxy was kind to him, ‘I like the

way you see me I’m every woman.’ His brain wanted to chase connections but someone spoke,

breaking his daydream. The weight of the situation brought him back and he wanted to die.

“That’s the rule,” Gitta said.

“I know the damn rules,” N’Ma snapped.

“I respectfully request people are sent to recover the boys, sleeping by the Sister Lo tree,” Shen said.

“You know the tree’s name?” N’Ma asked.

“Please, don’t let them sleep the night unprotected,” Shen said. “I have seen evidence for a rogue Irk

roaming.”

Some of the anger in the group dissipated. He wouldn’t know till much later that technically, the

sleeping men belonged to him, to kill or slave, per rules of engagement and he had just returned them;

an act of mercy. N’Ma nodded, and the task was delegated. Shen bowed, respectfully. Kole came

forwards. His arm and shoulder was crudely bandage. He complained that they had not done a proper

healing.

“As long the war is on, we cannot intervene with healing,” N’Ma said.

“I give you permission to heal him,” Shen said. “It will prolong is suffering.”

“You cheated!”

“We’re at war, Sir. Weapons are permissible after a declaration of war,” Shen said.

“Who taught you the rules?” N’Ma said.

“Your shelf, an unbound edition, loose papers between leather covers…”

“How do you…”

“No. This Call to Circle is not about how I know or what I know,” Shen said. “I have given you ample

opportunities to get to know me. This is a Circle of Truce. Either Kole is conceding that I’ve won and

submitting to my authority, or it is clarity about what must happen to end the war. Previously, the war

ended at my death. I am telling you again, I do not want to die, and I will do what it takes to win and live

in relative peace. The question for you is, how many men must die before this war is over.”

“I will not…”

“Silence!” N’Ma snapped.

Kole was quiet. He looked at the ground.

“You hold the high ground,” N’Ma said. “You could cease hostilities.”

“To what end? I can fight one on one, no weapons. I can fight four or five of my peers, without too many

injuries. But the older they are, the bigger the group, the only thing left is to escalate to the point of

death,” Shen said.

“We will join the…” N’ma said.

“You will not intervene,” Shen said.

“You will not use that tone with me…” N’Ma said.

“I asked for intervention! You denied me. Everyone surrounding this circle knows that. I asked for

peace, you reminded me it is not man’s way. You may not have wanted this level of war, but by the

goddess tree, you’re refusal to negotiate a more rational alternative has forced this issue, and now you

will witness the bloody truth about war between men. I intend to fight this, escalate this, blow this up,

until Kole concedes, or every male in West Midelay is dead, or injured beyond ability to fight. I want you

to know, this is not just fun and game that men play. I will not fight in an arena. I will not fight in a game.

I will not be corralled into a barracks where molestation not only happens, but it is expected as a rite of

passage. The war is on. I will fight until my death, or Kole surrenders. With caveats. If I end up having

to kill boys or adolescent, I will not cease torturing Kole, even after there is no one left to war with.”

Tian returned, notifying N’Ma that all the boys were recovered. They were all sleeping, none had died.

“Are we done here?” Shen asked.

“Where did you learn to craft bow?” Gitta asked.

N’Ma looked at her.

“Seriously, it’s a good design,” Gitta said. “I don’t think I have seen it’s equal.”

“I come from a place where war has held primacy for ages,” Shen said.

“You come from Easterly,” N’Ma said.

“I come from further than that,” Shen assured her. “Nobody here has a clue what I have seen, or what I

have the potential to unleash. War on drugs. War on poverty. War on families. War of the Roses. Gang

wars. Political wars. Hundred year wars. War on terrorism. War of the Worlds. War Games. Winter

wars. Lord of War. Street Wars. Star Wars. War on war. War and Peace…”

“If war is what you want, war is what you will get,” Kole said.

Shen bowed to him. He bowed to N’Ma. He turned to leave.

“We’re not done…”

“You’re not wrong…” Shen agreed.