"Fiery Birds", Part VI

He ran for what seemed a long time, but in fact little time passed at all. What he was aware of was that it was now getting harder to breathe. Zho felt himself growing more and more tired, and what felt like weight on his chest was making it harder and harder with each breath. 

Over the dunes, he could still hear the sounds of the machines, and now it appeared that they were not only alongside him, but moving ahead. 

It was fear that kept him moving. With each breath growing harder, he could only run so far.

Suddenly, ahead of him, three massive figures appeared, and shined a light into his eyes. The center one called to him "Zho! You need to stop!"

Not only did Zho stop, he collapsed.

-

When he awoke, he was in a brightly lit room, with yellow walls that bent in over him. A soft blanket was over him, and he was aware of movement. Voices were nearby. He tried to sit up, but found that he was held down by straps. His left arm was out to the side, and he felt a mild pinch like sensation. Looking at it, he could see a clear tube running down to his arm. 

Something was inside of his left arm, and it itched, but he couldn't get to it. 

One of the giants, a woman, appeared at his bedside. She wasn't as big as he thought, though she was easily one head taller. Unlike his black hair and hazel eyes, she had light brown hair and eyes of blue.

"Hello, Zho. Are you feeling all right?" she asked.

"My arm," Zho managed.

"That is to... pull the poison out of you. The land you were in is poisoned."

"But the plants grow there, how can it be poisoned?" he asked.

"It is a different kind of poison. Even the fish you ate was poisoned. This is why you are sick," she said.

Her accent was strange, but her voice was soothing.

Another one of the giants called to her.

"How is the Neander?" the other giant, a man, asked.

"He's fine, definitely improving" she replied.

Zho was confused.

"My name. My name is not Neander," Zho said.

"I know. You are Zho Cantib from Seaside. Neander is what we call your people."

"You are a different people?"

"Yes," she said, "we are... Martian. We are from a place called Mars."

"Does that mean I am from a place called Neander?"

She chuckled.

"No. You are from the Southeastern Coastal Region. But I do not think..."

"That is where you say I am from? We do not call it that. To us, it is simply The Land."

"I know, Zho. My name is Dr. Alouisa Trant."

"Your name is Doctor?"

"No," she chuckled again, "it is what I am. It is what I do. What do you do, Zho?"

"I mend nets."

"Then you could be called Net Mender Zho Cantib, but that's a lot to say."

Zho looked around nervously.

"Where are we going? I can feel movement."

Dr. Trant sighed.

"We have to take you to our village."

"You have a village? Is it near the golden glow?" Zho asked excitedly.

"Zho, it is the golden glow."

-

Zho wanted to look out the window that he could see nearby. The sky was lightening up, and had the colors of sunrise. But there were other colors as well, like soft whites and yellows. They were near Dr. Trant's village.

As he lay there, he could see out the window a tall spire, which glowed silver and white, slowly passing by. The machine he was in began to turn, and the spire came into view again. It was very tall and slender, and was reflecting the sunrise on one side. It seemed to be growing taller, when suddenly the machine shook with a light thud. They were no longer moving.

Dr. Trant appeared at his bedside.

"Zho, we are going to be lifting you up to carry you inside a big house. I don't want you to be afraid."

In fact, the fear had left him, replaced by a fierce curiosity.

"I am not afraid," he said. 

Dr. Trant smiled.

Beneath him, his cot seemed to lighten up, and he was aware that he was lifting up. The clear tube which ran from his arm disconnected, painlessly, and rolled itself back into a small black box. 

One of the male Martians came to the head of the bed and started pushing it towards the large side door. He looked at the man. Zho had never seen red hair before, either, nor a thick beard. His people could grow facial hair, but it was always thin. This man's red beard was as thick as the hair on Zho's head.

The door opened up, and at last Zho could get a brief glimpse as he was moved from the machine to a nearby passageway. 

This was the biggest village Zho had ever seen, though he only had Seaside to compare it to. 

There were many spires, and large rectangular buildings, all covered with glass. 

And now he could see the fiery birds for what they were.

They were machines, vehicles. 

Sky boats. 

Far beyond one of the spires, he could see one, a resplendent obsidian and silver spear, climbing up into the dawn sky, with many lights on it.

He could only see it for a few seconds before he was walked into the passageway. These Martians, as they called themselves, were magic.

Perhaps magic isn't what they really had. 

Perhaps they were just. 

Different.