The Slave Planet

by Seven Steps

  “What did you say?” Nadira asked.

  “I told her that I would,” Pennick said.

  “And then I didn’t see him for a week,” Seven said.

  “It was much easier finding star fruit than finding a star,” Pennick said. “I racked my brain thinking about it.”

  “Did you find one?” Nadira asked.

  “He made one,” Seven said.

  Pennick bared his sculpted left arm. Carved into his triceps, scarred over, was a circle with small points around the edges. “It hurt like fire, but it was the only thing I could think of.”

  “What did you do?” Nadira asked Seven.

  Seven chuckled. “I kissed him so that he would stop mutilating himself. But he gave me what I wanted. My star. A short time later, I began carving, and then ... I ran away to be with my star giver. Running away together was the only way we could start a new life. Just the two of us, and the jungle.”

  “And now you’re here,” Pennick said. “Travelers come to take us to the stars.”

  Something growled, then roared in the distance.

  Pennick picked up their pace.

  “So tell us your story,” Seven said. “You aren’t gods, yet you can do these amazing things. Where do you come from?”

  “We are from Venus,” Nadira said.

  Seven looked off into the jungle.

  “So you are slave traders?” Pennick asked.

  “Our people have a colony here, yes,” Nadira replied.

  Pennick examined Lex and Kiln as if seeing them anew. “Then, you’re death walkers.”

  “What are death walkers?” Lex asked.

  “Slaves,” Pennick said. “I’ve seen what the women do to you. Right before you arrived, my tribe captured a village. My father took the hunters and the boys to be sacrificed in the Valley of the Gods. Or so he said. He never allowed me to go, only special hunters, the High Ones, could accompany him. Anyway, I knew he was up to something, so I followed them. I just wanted to see what happened.” He took a deep breath. “I waited in the bushes. A large, strange boat came from the sky and landed in the valley. It shone like the sun. Then women came out and brought the men into the ship. I snuck inside before the door closed. The next thing I knew, we were in the sky again and when we landed, I realized that we were in Women’s City. I’d only seen it from afar before. Inside the city were these large women with no hair, and they carried around big black tubes. The Blasters.” Pennick looked at Nadira and Eva. “They take our hunters and they do something to them and then they put them on more ships and send them away. When the men go into the ship, they fight. But when the men leave the city, the life in their eyes is gone. It’s as if they’ve forgotten that they are hunters. Like their spirit is dead ... and yet ... they walk.”

  “But how did you escape?” Nadira asked. “You were on the ship.”

  “Some of the captive men tried to fight back. When the women came to restrain them, I ran out of the ship and escaped the city through a hole in the wall. I ran until I reached my father’s village. I had never seen anything like it.”

  Nadira sighed. “What you saw was a Venian slave colony. My people come here, and they trade men and boys for whatever the natives find useful. They remove the men’s memories. Once the men stop fighting, they bring them to Venus and they are sold to women as slaves.”

  “Do you own him?” Pennick pointed at Kiln.

  “I did,” Nadira said. She took Kiln’s hand. “But we ran away because we didn’t want to live our lives like that anymore.”

  “Neither did we,” Pennick said. “Our tribes fought because my father had begun making alliances with other chiefs. If the chief joined with him, they would band together, conquer other tribes, sell the men and boys to the Venians, and split the reward. If a tribe went against him, that tribe would be the one conquered and sold.

  “My father didn’t want to join Chief Erick,” Seven said. “That’s when everything changed.”

  Pennick stopped walking. “You Venians with your slave and your tricks. I am starting to reconsider helping you. You, your people, what good do they do?”

  “We give you medicine,” Eva said. “Without us, you would die of disease and famine. And besides, we wouldn’t have any slaves if you didn’t give them to us. You conquer and you kill and you sell and you buy. You are just as guilty as we are. You ask what good do our people do? Tell me, what good do yours?”

  Pennick narrowed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek. He turned and faced the jungle again. “We should keep going.”

  They walked on in silence until the sun had fallen lower in the sky.

  Something thrashed through the jungle on their left.

  Kiln’s head shot towards the noise. “What was that?”

  “Something big,” Lex added.

  “Keep moving,” Pennick said. “A moving target is harder to kill.”

  They quickened their pace, Pennick at the head.

  “How long until we reach Arees?” Eva asked.

  “We should make it to her before nightfall,” Seven said. “That is, if we make it at all.”

  “What do you mean?” Eva asked.

  “We’ll be entering Preyer territory soon,” Seven said. “They are more dangerous than the Women’s City will ever be.”

  Another rustle came from behind them.

  Something was stalking them.

  Kiln felt fire come from his fingertips and he moved closer to Nadira.

  “What is a Preyer?”  Eva asked, trying to keep up as their walking turned into a jog.

  “It is said that they come from the sea,” Seven said. “But no one knows for sure. All we know is that they are hunters, and they’re huge.”

  The trees swished behind them.

  “What do they hunt?” Eva asked.

  “Anything that moves. They travel with their food. When they find you, they shoot you with poison, reach out with their tentacles, and pull you into their mouths.” Seven made a slurping sound. “Once you are in their stomach, they are still, like trees, until their next meal.”

  “Have you seen one?” Eva asked.

  “I’ve heard tales,” Seven said. “My father’s hunters were hunting megro in the jungle when they came upon one. The megro was feeding and didn’t see the Preyer hidden among the trees. Then the megro got closer. The Preyer stretched out its tentacles and shot its poison. When the megro couldn’t move, it sucked him in with speed like the wind.”

  A roar shook the jungle.

  A giant cat-like beast broke through the brush, its golden coat shining, its teeth long and sharp.

  It set its sights on Nadira and ran forward.

  Kiln rushed to stand between the giant cat and his love.

  The cat leaped through the air, its claws outstretched.

  Fire shot from Kiln’s hands and struck the beast in the white fur of its exposed chest, turning it into a gaping hole, the edges blackened. The force of Kiln’s fire threw the cat’s body backwards, slamming it into the trunk of a palm tree. It slid down, leaving a bloody trail behind it.

  Nadira dropped to her knees, her face blank in shock.

  “Nadira!” Kiln cried, pulling her into his arms.

  Eva descended upon her friend, pulling her out of Kiln’s clutches, and cradling her. “Oh Naddie, oh my Naddie!” she cried.

  “Is she alright?” Pennick asked.

  “She’s fine.” Kiln said through clenched teeth. He threw irritated glares at Eva, who insisted on rocking Nadira back and forth. “She’ll be okay.”

  Life sparked in Nadira’s eyes, and she gasped for breath. “What was that thing?”

  “A megro,” Seven said.

  “We have to keep moving,” Pennick said, looking about them. “Megros don’t hunt alone. We don’t want to be here when the rest of them arrive.”

  “What does it matter?” Seven asked him, awe coloring her voice. “They can shoot fire. Nothing can touch us.”

  “I don’t want to put them to t
he test,” Pennick said. “Yes, they killed one megro. But twenty of them? And what about the Preyers? How many of them can they take on?”

  “You’re right,” Seven said. “We should keep moving. We’re almost in Preyer territory. We want to get through it while we still have light.”

  Pennick, Seven, and Lex threaded their way through thickening vines and over roots as thick as tree trunks. Kiln trailed behind, his square jaw clenched in blatant irritation as he stared daggers at Eva.

  Eva dragging Nadira alongside her. She put her friend’s head on her shoulder, and kept their hands firmly clasped.

  “I’m fine Eva,” Nadira said softly, stumbling along next to her. “Really.”

  “We almost lost you Naddie. What would I have done if we lost you? Oh I don’t even want to think about it.”

  Pennick held up his hand up. “Wait.”

  Deep grooves were carved into the ground in front of them, as if someone had dragged thick ropes through the jungle.

  Pennick pointed ahead of them. “We’re in Preyer territory now. Their trail leads that way, and it’s getting dark,”

  “Why can’t we just use torches and keep going?” Eva asked. “I’m sure that we can see them by firelight.” She smacked a fly that landed on her arm and wiped its remains on her dress.

  “They are attracted to heat,” Pennick said.

  “But everything is hot here,” Eva said.

  “No, body heat,” Pennick said. “They’ll sense us before we even know they’re there. Shh.” He put his finger to his lips. “Do you hear that?”

  “Hear what?” Eva asked.

  “That,” Pennick said. “Listen. The jungle is silent. The jungle is never quiet unless the Preyers are around. They’re close. Too close.”

  “How far of a head start do they have?” Lex asked.

  “These tracks are fresh,” Pennick said. “We should stay here for the night. It’ll be safer. We can see the Preyers clearer by daylight.”

  “No.”  Eva turned to Lex. “We have to find Arees tonight. We’ve already been here a day and a half. We have to get off this planet, and we only have a little time left before we lose our memories. We can’t afford to wait.”

  Lex ran dirtied hands over his sweat-soaked face. “Fine. We’ll finish our journey tonight. Lead on, Pennick.”

  I really think that you should fly,” Kiln said. “It’s safer.”

  Eva had finally moved ahead, allowing Kiln and Nadira time to talk.

  “I’m fine, Kiln. Really.”

  “What if the megro had gotten you? What if you had gotten hurt or worse?”

  “But it didn’t. You protected me, remember?”

  “I don’t know what I would have done.” His voice grew softer, as if he were talking to himself.

  Nadira took his hand and squeezed, a serene smile on her face. “Kiln, I’m alive. I’m perfectly fine.”

  How could she be so calm? She nearly got eaten by a giant cat, and she’s acting like everything is okay.

  He tried and failed to shake off of the irritation and fear that sat heavy on his shoulder.

  “If anything had happened to you there would be nothing else left for me.”

  She gave him another half smile, making his shoulders itch. He’d never been so angry at her in his life. How could she not understand what her loss would mean to him? She looked at him as if she hadn’t a care in the world.

  “Oh sure there is. I’m sure that Hava would still want you.”

  “I’m serious, Naddie!”

  His hard-edged voice sobered her, and she cast her eyes downwards. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

  Shame at his reaction added to the weight that he carried. She almost died. Now was not the time to yell. Now was the time to be grateful that she was still here with him.

  His cheeks reddened as his voice turned soft. “I’m sorry.”

  “I don’t like when you yell,” she replied, raising her eyes to him.

  “I know, but this isn’t a joke, Naddie. We almost lost you back there.”

  “So you’re saying its my fault that that thing almost ate me?”

  “No, I’m saying that I’m scared. I’m scared of losing you.”

  “You won’t lose me.” She placed a hand on his chest. “I’m right here.”

  He clasped her face in one large hand, his eyes staring deep into her soul.

  “Then stay here, Naddie,” he whispered. “I need you to stay here.”

  He pressed his lips to hers, and all thoughts melted from his mind. Having been starved from her affections for several days now, Kiln kissed her with unmasked hunger. He had forgotten how soft her lips were, how her body molded to his so perfectly. He pulled her closer to him and sank deeper into her mouth. Bolts of pleasure shot through him. One of his hands tangled into her curly hair followed by the other. He allowed himself a minute to enjoy the heady flavor of her before he reluctantly pulled away.

  “If anything happens to you, it happens to me. Wherever you go, I will follow you.”

  She nodded slowly, still drugged by his kisses. A bubble of pride welled in his chest. She was alive. She was here. And she was his.

  He stepped away, feeling the loss of her like the loss of a limb. A powerful urge to pull her back his arm threatened to overtake him when a shadow appeared on his left.

  “Nadira.” Eva eyed Nadira, then Kiln. She grabbed Nadira’s hand and pulled her forward, lobbing a dirty look at Kiln behind her as she went. “We have to keep up.”

  Stealing one last look at him, Nadira allowed herself to be pulled along by Eva, leaving Kiln to trail behind them, alone.

  CHAPTER 33

  Twilight laid heavy upon the jungle. White clouds turned pink and purple in front of the setting sun. An ancient mountain rose ahead of them, its shades of green, brown, black, and ivory darkening ominously in the fading light. A waterfall snaked along the top of the mountain before cutting a dark blue line through the rock, splashing into some hidden place. Dots of trees lined the ridge of the mountain, growing more and more numerous until the base of the mountain was hidden within its thick foliage.

  Without the dense cover of the trees, they clearly saw that the jungle started to slope sharply downwards, converging into some hidden point at the base of the mountain.

  The grass gave way to thickly tangled moss. They walked through a sea of sodden green, carefully picking their way down into the narrow valley.

  Kiln shook his foot as something slithered across it. “What’s under this moss?”

  “Snakes,” Seven replied. “We’ll have to move quickly so they don’t bother us.”

  “Their already bothering us,” Eva said.

  “By bother, I meant kill,” Seven said. “Most of these snakes are poisonous.”

  Eva choked. “Why are we walking through a valley of poisonous snakes?”

  “It’s the only way to get to Arees,” Seven said. “Keep going. They won’t bite you if you keep moving.”

  Eva picked up her pace to a near sprint, and she was the first one out of the snake-infested moss.

  The walls of the valley grew up around them, towering stone covered in green foliage.

  Lex examined the moss-covered walls that entombed them. “It’s like the earth just collapsed.”

  “There are valleys like this all over this part of the jungle,” Pennick said.

  The shattered pieces of the moon shined blue in the sky as the last rays of sun faded from the horizon. The moonlit valley ended abruptly in front of a vine cloaked stone archway that seemed to jut out of the mountain. A waterfall splashed onto the square stone abutment above the archway, ran off one corner, and pooled, nourishing the dense greenery in front of the arch.

  “What is it?” Kiln approached the archway, touching the slick hanging vines. He moved the vines aside, revealing hard stone.

  “It’s a tunnel,” Pennick said.

  “How do you know Arees is in here?” Lex asked.

  “It is said,”
Pennick replied.

  Lex pushed a section of vines away from the tunnel entrance and peered through the darkness. Soft light flickered in its depths. Flame-filled stone cauldrons were placed at ten-foot intervals, throwing small pools of soft, flickering light around them.

  Something scampered into the darkness. A splash, and then silence.

  Lex swallowed. It’s dark. I hate the dark.

  Kiln stood closely behind him. He lit a trail of fire ten paces in front of them. The flames illuminated the tunnel, reflecting off green, moldy walls.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” Kiln asked.

  Lex took a deep breath and reminded himself that he was a Glorium warrior who did not know fear. “Stay close.”

  He stepped into the tunnel, followed by Kiln, Nadira and Eva.

  Seven and Pennick hesitated.

  “We are about to walk into the forbidden place,” Pennick said.

  Seven nodded.

  “We are about to see the fallen one,” Pennick said.

  Seven nodded again.

  “Is this a bad idea?” Pennick asked.

  Seven nodded.

  Pennick turned to her. “We don’t have to go inside. We could stay out here or go back to our hut.”

  “But they will take us to the lady,” Seven said. “We have to go with them.”

  “If something happens to us, if we’re attacked, we have no weapons. We have no way to defend ourselves.”

  “They will protect us,” Seven said. “They will protect us just like they protected Nadira from the megro.”

  “Are you sure? Are you sure that this is what you want to do?”

  Seven frowned. “What do you want to do?”

  “Run away with you,” Pennick said. Stepping away, he let out an exasperated sigh and turned back to Seven.

  Her eyes were wide, glistening pools.

  “I want to go with them,” she said. “I want to see the lady. It is my destiny.”

  Pennick frowned then took her hand in his. “Then we will go.”