The leader reached for my face. I winced, expecting something painful to happen. But instead, it reached out with a strange-looking arm that was rounded on the end and wrapped with a rag. This guy was too big to be a klee. And definitely not a tang. But I couldn’t imagine what kind of animal had long arms that were rounded on the end. My heart pounded. I wanted to say something, but the words choked in my throat. I stared at this strange, rounded arm as it poked me to see if I was conscious. That’s when I realized it wasn’t a rounded, alien arm at all. It was a regular old human arm. We had been attacked by a cloaked gang of gars, and this was a normal human poking me. And his hand was missing. He spoke with a deep, soft voice that was something out of a dream—maybe the most incredible dream I’d ever had.
“What’re you doin’, shorty?” the voice said with the hint of a chuckle. “Just hangin’ around?”
He pulled the cape from over his head to reveal the most welcome sight I could have imagined. He smiled warmly and added, “I thought you’d never get here, Bobby.”
I reached around my neck and pulled out the necklace with the Traveler rings. I held the largest ring out to him and said, “Just dropped by to return your ring, Gunny.”
JOURNAL #18
(CONTINUED)
EELONG
“You look like you’ve been through the war, shorty,” Gunny said as he held me by the shoulders so the other gars could cut me down.
“Me?” I said. “What about your hand?”
“Ahh, just a minor inconvenience,” he said casually, though I didn’t believe him for a second. “Where did you find my ring?”
“You don’t want to know.”
I was lowered to my feet and stood facing my friend, the tall African-American guy who was the Traveler from First Earth, Vincent “Gunny” Van Dyke. He looked good for a guy in his sixties. But he also looked tired, with a bit more gray in his hair. No big surprise. Eelong did that to people. He put his ring on the finger of his right hand, then looked to me and shook his head. “You look older than when I saw you last.”
“I am,” I said. “Man, it’s good to see you.” I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight. A huge wave of relief washed over me. Gunny was alive and I was no longer alone. I didn’t want to let him go, but an angry snarl brought me back to reality. I looked to see a few gars poking at Kasha and Yorn as they dangled in their net traps.
A gar ran up to Gunny and said, “We will kill them now, while they’re trapped.”
I don’t know what was more of a shock, knowing that Yorn and Kasha were about to be killed, or hearing a gar speak fluently.
“No!” I shouted quickly. “They’re friends.”
“Klees are not friends,” the gar said. “They will die now.” The gar pulled a weapon from beneath his cloak. It looked like a long arrow, almost a spear, that was loaded in a simple contraption with a band pulled taut, like a spear gun. He raised the tip, and I saw it was very large and very pointy. He headed for the dangling klees, ready for an execution.
“Gunny,” I shouted in desperation. “Seegen is dead. The black klee is his daughter, Kasha.”
“Aron, wait!” Gunny shouted to the gar. The gar, Aron, stopped. Gunny looked to me and said, “Seegen’s dead? How?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “But Kasha is the Traveler now.”
“Gunny!” Yorn called. “It’s me, Yorn. Seegen’s acolyte.”
Gunny walked quickly over to the traps where Kasha and Yorn were dangling.
“What happened to Seegen?” Gunny asked Yorn.
“He went to Second Earth and came back dead,” the old klee snapped, sounding irritated. “Now would you mind instructing these gars to cut us down before I injure something.”
“In a second,” Gunny answered, then looked at Kasha. “I don’t know you. But I can’t let you loose until I know you won’t harm these gars.”
“Gunny!” Yorn exclaimed in surprise. “It’s Seegen’s daughter!”
“My father asked that I bring Pendragon to you,” she growled. “That’s what I did. I have no interest in these gars.”
I jumped in, saying, “She’s already saved my life a dozen times over.” I took a chance and added, “There’s only one problem.”
“What’s that?” Gunny asked quickly.
“Kasha doesn’t want to be a Traveler.” I figured I’d lay it all out for Gunny, in front of Kasha. What did I have to lose? “She says she doesn’t care about the gars, but then she helps them every chance she gets. She’s worried about the future of Eelong, but doesn’t believe in the threat of Saint Dane. She’s the Traveler, but I don’t know how to convince her that by helping us, she’s helping Eelong.”
Gunny said to Kasha, “You’re in a tough spot, missy. These gars would kill you both without a second thought. I’ll let them do it, too . . . unless you do what I say.”
“I’m listening,” Kasha growled.
“Come to Black Water with us.”
“No!” shouted the gar named Aron. “No klee has ever been to Black Water!”
Like the other gars, Aron wasn’t much taller than five feet. He had long dark hair that fell to his shoulders and even though he looked like an older guy, his face didn’t have the hint of a beard. It was weird, because I doubted if these guys shaved. They were like adult children. But more interesting, unlike the gars from Leeandra, there was intelligence behind their eyes. They stood straight and moved with purpose. It was just one more proof that gars weren’t animals to be hunted and slaughtered.
Gunny spoke to Aron like a wise parent. “I need you to trust me, Aron. My friend and I are here to help you, but we can’t do that without these klees.” Gunny spoke softly, and convincingly. It was like listening to Mister Rogers . . . or a Traveler using his powers of persuasion. Could Mister Rogers have been a Traveler? Interesting.
“I will take responsibility,” Gunny continued, addressing all of them. “They won’t harm you, I promise.”
The gars looked nervously between Gunny and the trapped klees. It seemed like they wanted to believe him, but their natural fear of klees made it tough.
“But they might tell others of the secret of Black Water,” Aron said worriedly. “We cannot let that happen.”
“It won’t,” Gunny assured him. “If they try to reveal the location of Black Water, I’ll kill them myself.”
Whoa, strong words from Gunny. He definitely had more of an edge than the last time we were together. Then again, I think I did too. Constant fear does that to people. I glanced to Kasha. Her ears went back.
“Do you trust me?” Gunny asked Aron.
The small gar looked to the others. They all nodded.
“Good,” Gunny said. He looked to Kasha and asked, “What’s it going to be, missy?”
Kasha’s ears were still back. She didn’t like being cornered. “I don’t see that I have a choice. I’ll go with you.”
“Wonderful! Would you please cut us down now,” Yorn begged.
“Cut them down!” Gunny said to the gars. “Be gentle; they’re our guests.”
The gars used small knives to cut the klees down, but they weren’t gentle. Kasha and Yorn hit the ground hard. Their legs were all tangled in the net so they couldn’t even do the cat thing and land on their feet. The gars quickly surrounded them, ready to attack if they so much as growled. They all had those spear weapons that were loaded and ready.
“Let’s all take it easy,” Gunny said. He walked deliberately into the circle of gars and stood next to Kasha and Yorn. “It’s late. We should get back.” He motioned for everyone to join him and we all started toward the waterfall. I couldn’t call it “black” anymore, because the sunbelt was long gone and pretty much everything was black. But the stars were out and we were able to find our way without walking into any trees. Gunny, Kasha, Yorn, and I walked together, with the gars behind us, keeping a watchful eye.
“How did you get to be chief gar, Gunny?” I said, half joking.
Gunny
chuckled and said, “I’m not. But they listen to me. They’re scared, and from what I’ve heard, they should be.”
“So they know the klees want to start hunting them?” I asked.
“Yes, they do,” Gunny said. “They send scouts to Leeandra all the time. It’s a frightening thing, being declared food. I figure Saint Dane must have his hand in this somewhere.”
“He does,” Yorn answered. “Seegen discovered that.”
“I don’t understand,” Kasha said. “These gars are, are—”
“Intelligent?” Gunny said. “Is that the word you’re looking for?”
“Yes,” Kasha admitted.
“I think there’s a whole lot about the gars you don’t know about, that’s why I want you to come to Black Water.”
We approached the pool at the base of the waterfall. Gunny led us around to the rock wall next to it and continued walking . . . on top of the water! At first I thought he was actually walking on water, but when I looked closer, I saw there were flat stones lying right below water level. I watched as Gunny walked directly toward the waterfall, then made a sharp turn and walked behind the water! Awesome! I went next, carefully making my way across the rocks, trying not to slip off and get wet. I stayed focused and when I looked up, I found myself behind the waterfall.
“This way, shorty,” Gunny called. He was standing on dry land at the mouth of a cave that disappeared deeper into the mountain. I joined him, then turned around to watch Kasha, Yorn, and then Aron and the gars enter from outside. Gunny picked up something that looked like a black tube about a foot long. He broke it in two. Instantly the two halves glowed bright yellow.
“It’s like phosphorous,” Gunny explained.
Light filled the cavern, making the waterfall sparkle. I saw that the ceiling stretched high above us and that the cave went farther into the mountain. The light also revealed that we weren’t alone. I jumped back in surprise when I saw that several more gars were standing deeper in the cave, gathered together silently like a bunch of dark bats. Their spear weapons were ready for business.
“Guards,” Gunny explained. “I wouldn’t want to try and get past them if I wasn’t welcome.” Gunny walked toward them, announcing, “It’s all right. The klees are with us.”
The guards didn’t move.
Aron announced, “We’re going to allow these klees to enter Black Water. Do not let them leave unless I tell you otherwise.”
This was their insurance. If the klees started making trouble and tried to escape, they’d run into this bunch of lethal bat munchkins. Gunny tossed the second phosphorous stick to Aron and continued the procession into the cave. The guards stepped aside and let us pass. Creepy. The passageway was winding and narrow. Gunny and I had to duck slightly for fear of hitting our heads. The gars didn’t have to worry about that, and the klees walked on all fours. Lucky them.
“The gars from Leeandra called Black Water ‘home,’” I said. “What does that mean?”
“You’ll see,” Gunny answered.
After winding our way through the cave tunnel for another few minutes, I started to feel fresh air. Up ahead I caught sight of a starry sky. We were nearing the end. Gunny led us out of the mouth of the cave, and I stood looking down on an incredible sight. Spread out before us, lit by the bright moon, was Black Water.
“Everything you think you know about the gars, forget,” Gunny said.
Yorn and Kasha stared in wide-eyed shock.
“What you see here is the truth,” Gunny added. “And if Saint Dane finds it, Eelong will be lost.”
JOURNAL #18
(CONTINUED)
EELONG
We stood on the side of a steep hill, looking down on a big, busy village. There was a grand building in the center, with hundreds of smaller huts built out in straight lines like the spokes of a wheel. The cross streets were circles that got bigger and bigger the farther they were from the center. The huts all looked like round log cabins with thatch roofs. Though it was nighttime, I could see it all plainly, because the moon was full and there were lamps burning on posts at most every intersection. Lights glowed inside the huts too, making them look warm and inviting.
It’s hard to guesstimate exactly how big the town was, but I’d say it was spread out over a couple of square miles. It was tucked into a hidden valley, surrounded by steep, rocky cliffs. A huge waterfall cascaded down on one end of the valley, feeding a river that wound its way through the center of town and continued out the far side. I couldn’t tell for sure, but it looked like farmland stretched out beyond the huts.
The town was a strange oasis tucked into the mountains of nowhere. The only thing that would have made it more surprising was if there had been snow and a guy with a red suit who made toys and drove a sleigh. The streets were busy with gars hurrying about like, well, like humans. Some rode bicycle vehicles, others drove wagons pulled by zenzens. Their clothes were sturdy and clean, nothing like the rags worn by the gars outside of here. I saw women and children and even some elderly gars, which was surprising, because none of the gars in Leeandra lived long enough to become elderly.
“I’m totally confused,” I stammered out, “I thought gars were . . . were—”
“Animals?” Gunny said. “They are, everyplace but here.”
I noticed that Kasha and Yorn were standing close together, on all fours, looking stunned. They seemed a whole lot more like animals than earlier that day. Just like that, our roles had reversed.
Aron, the gar, approached Gunny, saying, “We should get to town.”
Gunny said, “I’d like to take my friend and the klees to the hut where I’ve been staying. They’ve come a long way; they’ll need rest and food.”
Aron looked to the klees nervously. “And what if they escape?” he asked.
“I believe your guards at the waterfall will make sure they don’t.”
It was clear that Aron wasn’t cool with having klees here at Black Water.
“If that’s what you want,” he said. “But please keep a few guards with you. We don’t want anything going wrong when the Advent is so near.”
“Thank you,” Gunny said.
Aron went back to the group of gars to give them orders.
“What is the Advent, Gunny?” I asked. “The gars on the outside talk about it.”
“Not now,” Gunny said softly. “Wait till we’re alone.”
The group of gars dispersed, headed for the village. Two gars remained with us to keep their eyes on the klees. Their spear guns were out and ready for trouble. At least they didn’t insist that the cats wear leashes. Score one for the gars on the hospitality scale.
“Who’s hungry?” Gunny asked cheerily.
“I’m starved,” Yorn answered.
“I could eat too,” I added.
Kasha didn’t answer.
“Good,” Gunny said. “Let’s go to my hut and see what I can find.”
The four of us descended the rocky slope along a twisting path that led to Black Water. The two guards followed close behind.
“I have heard the stories of this place,” Yorn said. “But I dismissed them as fantasy.”
“Evolution took a different path in Black Water,” Gunny explained. “The way it was told to me is that many generations ago, a gar stole food from a klee. As punishment, the klee beat him. But the gar fought back and killed the klee. The gar was going to be put to death, but managed to escape with several others. They eventually found this hidden valley, settled, had children, and learned how to take care of themselves.”
“They created a whole separate civilization?” I asked.
“Exactly,” Gunny answered. “Once they were out from under the klees’ control, they evolved into intelligent beings.”
“So this is a society spawned from murderers and criminals,” Kasha said with disdain.
“You could look at it that way,” Gunny said. “Or you could say it’s an example of what can happen when individuals are given the freedom to grow.
”
My thoughts went right back to that horrible gar prison. It pissed me off to know the gars were capable of building their own society, yet the klees treated them like dirt. I didn’t want to hate the klees, but it was hard not to, after seeing Black Water.
We reached the first street of the village and continued along a grass strip that was the road. In fact all the roads were covered with short, firm grass that was like artificial turf. To either side of the road were huts. Delicious food smells drifted from some, along with music that sounded as if it were being made by a flute. Each hut was pretty much the same as the next, except for the well-kept flower gardens in front. Some were elaborate and colorful, others had nicely trimmed hedges. All the plants and the grassy roads made the town feel as if it were a living thing.
I was beginning to get used to this peaceful little village, when the calm was interrupted by a strange hissing noise that quickly grew louder. We all stopped, ready for anything.
“What’s that?” Kasha asked nervously.
“Don’t worry,” Gunny assured us. “It’s watering time.”
Sure enough, there was now a wet mist in the air. I saw that the lampposts doubled as sprinklers. A fine spray of water shot out just beneath the burning lamps in a three-sixty arc, sending moisture into the air. A look down the street proved all the lampposts were active.
“Every inch of Black Water is covered,” Gunny explained. “It’s very impressive.”
It wasn’t rain, but more like a fine mist. Probably just enough to keep all the flowers and shrubs happy.
“Unbelievable,” Kasha uttered in awe.
We passed several gars along the way. Their reaction to the klees was always the same. Fear. They ran to the other side of the street. Some picked up their children to protect them, or slammed the doors of their huts. I felt nervous eyes peering at us from windows everywhere. Nobody seemed happy about having two klees strolling through Black Water.
Black Water Page 23