The Gods Awaken

Then his head struck something hard and all became shooting stars of pain against a black, velvety night.

When he came to, Palimak didn't know how long he'd been unconscious. He was lying face down in wet sand, mouth full of grit, hot sun scorching his back, the stone turtle gripped in his right hand.

And the Favorites were jumping up and down on his shoulders, shouting hysterically:

'Get up, Little Master! Get up! Get up! Get up!'

Palimak spat sand and moaned, 'I can't. Gods, I hurt all over!'

'You have to get up, Little Master!' Gundara pleaded.

'It's coming, it's coming!' Gundaree cried.

He groaned and forced himself to his knees, brushing sand from his face. Then he heard a furious roar and sudden fear swept away all feelings of pain and weariness.

Hurtling along the beach toward him was an enormous lion's head. Seemingly supported by an invisible body that left no tracks in the sand, the maned head was carried about five feet off the ground.

The lion's eyes were fixed on Palimak and it was roaring in fury, exposing fangs the length and breadth of heavy spear blades.

Palimak needed no further persuasion from the Favorites. He jumped to his feet and ran for the jungle.

A narrow opening through the dense trees seemed to promise safety and he swerved toward it, practically diving through the leafy portal when he reached it.

Palimak stumbled, heard another roar-this one seeming to come practically at his heels-and he recovered, sprinting along the dimly-lit path as fast as his demon-powered muscles would carry him.

The lion was so close that he didn't have time to stop and climb a tree. He ran onward, praying his strength and breath would hold out.

Then he came to a sharp bend in the trail, forced by a great tree surrounded by thick roots that towered many feet above him.

'Stop, Little Master, stop!' the twins shouted in unison. 'It's a trap!'

But the lion roared at the same time, its foul breath washing over his shoulders.

Naked fear spurred a panicked leap and in less than a heartbeat he was hurtling past the sharpest part of the path's bend.

There was a burst of colorful lights, then a tingling sensation that shivered up his body from toes to crown. He fell heavily, landing on hard-packed ground.

Palimak remained there, hot sun scorching his bare torso. And he wondered why his heart was beating so hard and why his breath was so labored-as if he'd run a great distance at top speed.

But he had no memory of this, much less of the reason for it.

Many other questions came flooding in. He heard hundreds, possibly thousands of people cheering all around him.

Who were they? And why were they cheering?

There was also this shrill chattering noise in his ears. What was that all about?

And then he felt a stone-hard object in his pocket-jammed between the ground and his upper thigh. For some reason the object was important to him, although he couldn't say why, only that he was relieved it was still there.

Palimak thought, I wonder where I am?

And then came another, most disturbing thought: I wonder who I am?

Confusion mixed with growing alarm. For the life of him, he couldn't think of his name. It didn't help that all those people were shouting and those two hysterical voices chattering alien words in his ear wouldn't stop. He just wished everyone would shut up and give him a chance to figure it out.

Shut up, shut up, shut up, he thought. Odd, how those words seemed so familiar and served to make him feel better. He mouthed them: Shut up, shut up, shut up! It was like a tonic, settling his nerves.

Then a strong hand clutched his. And a deep voice said, 'Rise, Honored One.'

Palimak let himself be drawn to his feet. He found himself facing a broad, sun-blackened chest. He looked up-then up some more, neck craning back-until he saw a huge lion's head sitting upon on a man's thick, muscular shoulders.

'Good day, honored sir,' Palimak said mildly, feeling not one twinge of fear at this oddity. 'Who might you be?'

'I am King Felino,' the lionman said.

'Very nice to meet you,' Palimak replied. Then, frowning, he asked, 'Pardon, Majesty, but am I supposed to know you? I hope you don't mind my rude question, but I seem to have lost my memory.'

Instead of answering, the lionman handed Palimak a spear. Red ribbons were hung from its haft, looking like streams of blood.

'This is for you, Honored One,' King Felino said.

Palimak nodded. 'If that's my name,' he said, 'I quite like it: Honored One. So much better than the only other name I can think of, which is Little Master.'

He grimaced. 'I keep hearing that name in my head. a€?Little Master, Little Mastera€™ these voices keep saying. And I do wish they'd stop.'

Palimak looked around and noted he was in a broad arena made of hard-packed red earth. Surrounding the arena were hundreds of half-naked people. Faces painted with gaudy colors, teeth filed to points.

And they were all shouting: 'Kill, kill, kill, kill!' as they slammed their spear butts against the ground.

Palimak looked at his own spear, then at the lionman. 'Am I supposed to kill somebody with this?' he asked.

'It is your duty, Honored One,' King Felino answered. 'You must save your people.'

Palimak nodded. 'That's a pretty good reason,' he said. 'First sensible one I've heard all day.'

Then he wrinkled his brow. 'A little earlier somebody advised me to jump and although that seemed like a terrible idea at the moment, I did it anyway. And I guess it must've worked out. Because here I am, ready to do my duty and all.'

Just then the voices in his ear rang louder and this time he could make out the words: 'It's a trap, Little Master! A trap!'

Reflexively he glanced around the arena. 'I don't see a trap,' he said to the voices. Then, to the lionman,

'Do you see one?'

'It is time, Honored One,' King Felino said.

'That's good,' Palimak said. 'Because I'm starting to get tired of just standing here and doing nothing but listen to these crazy voices.'

Again, he scanned the arena. 'If you don't mind me asking, Majesty,' he said, 'exactly who and where is this person I'm supposed to kill?'

The lionman lifted his long, brawny arm, pointing. 'There,' he said.

Obediently, Palimak looked where the lionman pointed. At first he didn't see anything except empty arena.

Then, in the center, there was a burst of bright light. Followed by an enormous swarm of colorful butterflies exploding out of nothingness.

Puzzled, he thought, I don't see anything but butterflies and they hardly seem worth killing.

And the voices in his ear jabbered, 'It's a trap, Little Master. A trap!'

'Oh, shut up with your trap,' Palimak said, getting really irritated. 'Can't you see I'm busy looking for somebody to kill?'

At that moment a man popped out of thin air and plunged to the ground. He remained there for a moment, as if recovering from shock.

The crowd's shouts grew louder: 'Kill, kill, kill!'

'There's the villain, Honored One!' King Felino thundered. 'The black-hearted enemy of your people-Safar Timura!'

Then he roared his lion's roar, quickening instant hate in Palimak's heart.

As the enemy rose to his feet, Palimak lifted the spear and charged.