Evening had most definitely come too soon. It seemed like only minutes since he’d crawled out of his small, musty smelling tent and now the sun was already dropping below the tree tops. He took a small bite of his roast beef, and shuddered. Although Padraig had cooked it, and in his mind he knew it was juicy and delicious, in his mouth it tasted like ashes. He swallowed the bite and his stomach clenched. He was scared to death of facing the Zzzkntti tonight, but he was the only one who could do it, and hope to pull it off. A hand touched his shoulder. It was Maeve.
“If... when you bring the Zzzkntti back to Medin tonight, I’d like to go along with you.”
Logan gave the dark eyed woman a long look. “Why?”
“Let’s just say that I want to face my own fears.” For the first time Logan noticed how pale her face was today. “These monsters scare me witless, and they always have. I have to face my fear of them, same as you.”
“How do you know what I feel?”
“Good guess, wasn’t it? All it took was one look at your face, Logan. You are as scared as I am.”
He took her hand. “This could be very very dangerous. If the monster gets frightened, he will kill us, even before I have the chance to get us out of there. The room will be sealed, locking us in.”
“You’re a stubborn man, Logan MacKennit. Just say yes.”
Logan grinned. “Yes.”
The levity that the squad usually displayed in the evening was gone tonight, as if everyone could sense the dangers involved in this particular performance.
“We’ll start out with a simple reel again, and follow it with a jig. Then we’ll try something totally different. A ballad. I’ve heard Megan sing before and she has a nice voice. She also volunteered, silly girl.” That brought out a few laughs. “She’ll sing ‘Rose of Tralee’ and ‘Foggy Dew.’”
Padraig chuckled. “I know that old number.” He bowed elegantly to Megan. “I’ll sing the harmony, if she’ll agree.”
Megan gave the tall man a shy smile.
“Maeve and I met the creature last night, so we’ll meet it again tonight. If things go well the three of us will go to Medin and meet with the goddesses. We should return before dawn. If we’re not back by nightfall, Padraig, you bring everyone home.”
“As you wish.” He picked up a thick log and tossed it onto the fire. “We’ll want some light in the camp, this evening.”
“Truly.” Logan picked up the mandolin and glanced across the open meadow. “I see shadows moving under the trees. Our audience is here.” He strummed a chord. “Shall we begin?”
At the end of the first reel Logan and Maeve moved to the center of the field, Logan playing the mandolin, Maeve the bodhrán. The crystalline light of the moons gave the dell an oddly monochromatic look as the Zzzkntti stepped out of the dark woods to meet them. Logan swallowed.
The monster held up the long instrument that looked surprisingly small in his arms. “We play?” He almost sounded anxious.
Logan reached out and gently pushed the instrument down. “You listen.” He touched his ears and pointed to the small holes in the creature’s head that he assumed served the same function. “Listen.” He turned and spoke over his shoulder. “Any time now, folks, would be nice.”
A lilting recorder took up an ancient melody, followed a moment later by Tanden’s fiddle. Megan’s voice was as smooth as glass. Logan listened in stunned amazement as the girl flowed through the melody with her honey smooth voice. Padraig came in on the next verse, harmonizing perfectly, his rich baritone perfectly offsetting the deeper tones of her voice. Logan forgot the monster stood but a few feet away. He forgot everything but the music. When it was over he was unsurprised to feel tears on his cheeks.
The seven foot monster looked stunned as it stood in the meadow, instrument hanging limply, forgotten, in one hand. “Such beauty.” It seemed to be at a loss for words.
Logan took a deep breath and began to speak, very slowly. “We would like you to come with us... there.” His arm pointed up, toward Medin. “We need to talk to you. My leaders wish to talk to you.” He took a deep breath, “No tricks. If you think we trick you, you can kill me.”
< I don’t like it.>
Logan took out his belt knife, the only weapon on him, and dropped it at the monster’s feet.
The monster looked at his empty hands. “You brave.”
Logan laughed. “I am very scared.”
“Fear?”
“Very much fear.”
“But you come?”
“Yes, I come.” Logan swallowed.
“You brave.” He looked up at the moon. “We go.”
Oh, shit. Logan muttered under his breath “We go.”
The conference room they arrived in had been cleared of the huge table. In its place sat a smaller table and long low benches. The table and benches appeared to be attached to the floor, and there was no door.
The monster gave a start when they first arrived and then, when it saw that there was no threat, relaxed. It looked at the table with caution until Logan sat down. Maeve seemed to be frozen in fear, standing in a shadowy corner. Logan cursed himself for putting the girl in danger, but he had promised. The monster slowly sat, as if the very action was unknown to it. Selene and Rhiannon walked in at virtually the same moment. The Zzzkntti leaned forward.
“What you want?” He growled.
“Two things.” Logan replied, as the goddesses watched intently. “You listen to music. You let me touch you. Just touch, nothing more. Then you go. Maybe we talk later.”
“Talk about what?”
“Peace.”
The green monster frowned, as if it were an alien concept. “Listen first, then touch. Talk maybe.”
“Medin.” Logan said softly. “Please play the Mozart.”
“Very good, sir.” The voice replied out of the air. The lights in the room dimmed slightly, and the music began.
Five and a half minutes later the Zzzkntti looked up at Logan with stricken eyes. “What have we done?” The gruff, animal voice was gone. “Oh my god, what have we done?” Logan reached out and touched the sobbing creature.
The Zzzkntti, whose name turned out to be Tk’ Lat, sat sipping a large glass of water. “We found that we, the Zzzkntti as a race, had very violent tendencies. Our heritage taught us too well, perhaps. We decided to devolve our species, to return our kind to a simpler and kinder way of life.” Tk’ Lat gave a dry raspy laugh that raised the hackles on Logan’s neck. “We were burying our heads in the sand. As you rightly guessed, when the K’Dreex bonded with our species they inadvertently gave us full access to our genetic heritage. Without the comfort of the more limiting factors of reason and morality. Now, using the extended memory of my little K’Dreex, I can piece together what really happened to my people.” He looked sadly to Logan. “And what happened to yours.”
“How is your K’Dreex, by the way?” Logan asked as gently as he could.
“In a state of shock.” Logan pulled back for a moment, until he realized that the Zzzkntti was smiling. “D’ fal will be all right, in time. She is a resilient creature, after all. Almost as resilient as humans, thank goodness. We must now discuss how you propose to save my race.”
“Uhhh.” Logan said. “I thought that we were talking about saving my race.”
“The problems are conjoined. You save one you save both, or all three, I should say. Now, what are your plans?”
“Music seems to be the key, Tk’ Lat. The sound of music seems to jog the more reasonable parts of your consciousness awake. The question is; how do we expose enough of your people to music to matter?”
The green creature thought for a few moments. “You wouldn’t happen to have a full orchestra handy, would you?”
Logan laughed. “Not likely. What you saw us playing in the
meadow is about the best we have. The rest was lost.”
“And the Mozart?”
“We have just one recording, saved.”
“Hmmm.” The green being stared at the ceiling. “If we have only one, then one we will use. Do you have devices that can play music over a wide area?”
“How wide are we talking here, Tk’ Lat?” Rhiannon asked, frowning. “Meadow sized, city-sized or continent-sized?”
The Zzzkntti’s dark eyes lit up. “Continent sized?”
“Sorry. It would take us a year to build. We don’t have the time. We might be able to manage city sized, however.” The red-haired goddess looked thoughtful. “Would there be a gathering of Zzzkntti that we could get to? If we could rehabilitate half the population, we would buy ourselves some time.”
The Zzzkntti was staring off into space. “Do you have a map?” One appeared on the table in front of him. “Ahhh.” A clawed finger stabbed down. “WulNar. The Festival of Blood.”
“Pardon me?” Logan muttered uneasily. “Did you say Festival of Blood?”
“Yes.” The Zzzkntti was staring at the map. “Every year on the winter solstice, all the tribes gather together for a great festival to celebrate our many victories.” His dark eyes were glowing. “There are many sacrifices and much blood is spilled. It is a glorious ...” Tk’ Lat coughed, and looked embarrassed. “Now you see why it was such a mistake for us to try and ignore our past.”
“I see.” Rhiannon said coldly.
“And what is your plan if...” Tk’Lat turned a cool look on Logan. “If Logan is unable to succeed in neutralizing the Zzzkntti?”
Selene put her hands flat on the table. “We will obliterate every living thing on Cloch Dabhiolla and Reachrainn. Then we will start over again. I will not let the Zzzkntti invade the lands to the east.”
Logan was thoroughly shocked at Selene’s cold blooded attitude, and when he turned to the Zzzkntti, he could see that Tk’Lat reflected the same emotion.
“She says it so easily.” The creature murmured. “We have to save my race, we have to. Let me think.”
The Zzzkntti raised its fearsome head. “I believe I may have an idea. If your people can get to the shore of this lake.” His finger stabbed down. “I may be able to sneak them over to Tuskar Rock.” His finger stabbed down on an island sitting in the middle of the lake. “The name makes it sound small, but it’s not. It has to accommodate fifteen thousand Zzzkntti for the festival. If you can make your music heard across the island, we may succeed in neutralizing the vast majority of the Zzzkntti.” He looked smug. “The only ones that will not be present are the useless ones. The lame and the females.” The temperature in the room dropped perceptibly.
“Very good, Tk’Lat. We call that putting your foot into your mouth.” He winked at Rhiannon. “Your plan sounds workable. I’ll work out the details with Selene and Rhiannon, and try to keep them from obliterating everything they see, and talk with my squad. They will probably be the ones who are going anyway. I’ll talk with you again in... does three nights sound good?”
“Three nights is good.” He slapped the man’s arm, sending Logan reeling. “Don’t forget, Logan. Save my people.” Logan glanced at Rhiannon and nodded. The Zzzkntti was suddenly gone.
“Did you see that?” Logan turned to the back of the room. It was empty. “Maeve?”
“I sent her back, Logan.” Rhiannon murmured simply. “She was scared to death, and she had served her purpose.”
“Do you face everything with implacable resolve, Rhiannon?” He gave the goddess a hard look. “Are we just your tools?”
“You’re a good one to talk, Logan MacKennit.”
“At least I care for my tools!”
“Well, so do I!”
Rhiannon and Logan were standing almost nose to nose.
“That’s enough, children.” Selene was laughing quietly. “I had a friend say almost those exact words to me too. Great responsibility requires decisions that are sometimes painful.” She stopped and her look became distant.
Logan looked embarrassed. “Sorry, Selene. Sorry Rhiannon.” He gave Selene a knowing look. “You come across as hard and cold Selene, but I’ve seen through your veneer. You said that you would obliterate everyone just to make our green-skinned friend work for his own salvation.” Her skin was cool and soft as he touched her arm. “You’re just as frail as the rest of us. I couldn’t see you killing women and children, butchers and bakers and carpenters just on the off chance that the Zzzkntti might someday invade the lands to the east.”
Four violet eyes bored into him. “That’s why this is so desperately important, Logan.” Rhiannon’s voice was intense. “You have to succeed.” She reached out and touched her sister with one hand, and Logan with the other. He could feel her trembling. “We have to succeed.”
“I’ll do my part.” Logan sighed. “I guess I’d better get back to the meadow. They’ll want to know what’s happening.”
The red-haired goddess’s face held disappointment. “If you say so.” Her eyes were mysterious.
Chapter 18
It was one of those rare periods of total dark, when all four moons were down. Faint starlight glinting off the Thalassian rings was soft, muted by the high thin clouds that hung in the sky like gossamer strands. Logan stood in the shadows where he’d arrived, and across the field he could see the faint flickering of the fire. A nighthawk called shrilly in the deep woods, and the chill wind held the faint feel of winter. It wouldn’t be pleasant going north at this time of year, and even if they succeeded in reaching the island, neutralizing the Zzzkntti threat was more than he could imagine at this point. He looked at the small camp set around the fire. How many of them would survive to return to Medin? All? None? He sighed and began to walk toward the fire, the cold dew of the grass soaking his boots more with every step.
“So, how did things go?” Grady’s voice was gruff, as his big form seemed to detach itself from the shadow of a tree.
“Didn’t Maeve let you know when she got back?”
“Nah.” There was a flicker of light as Grady lit his pipe from a burning twig. “She just got back a few minutes ago herself. Headed right to bed.”
Logan frowned. “But...” He shook his head. “We know where we have to go next, and that’s a plus. I’ll wait until morning so I can fill you all in. It’s too long a story to repeat.”
“Oh, one of those?”
“Yah.” Logan replied brusquely. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Grady chuckled in the darkness. “That’ll be about three hours, I figger.”
It was the sound of someone being violently sick again that woke him, and he crawled out of his tent stiff and bleary eyed. Like the last morning, Tiana was down by the stream trying, by the sounds, to heave up her toenails.
“Aileen!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m on it.” The medic crawled out of her tent, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and stopped, staring at the pale faced girl by the river. Her gaze swung over to Grady’s tent, and then back to Tiana. “Oh no!” She was laughing quietly by the time she reached the girl’s side. Logan watched with interest as Aileen helped the blond woman to her feet, and then the two slowly walked toward the edge of the forest, heads together, deep in conversation.
“What!” The slightly shrill voice of Tiana echoed across the meadow. “How do you know?”
“I have certain connections, dear. Selene told me.”
“Well....” The small scout’s voice was sputtering in anger. “You can tell Selene that I am NOT pregnant. We’ve only been married for four or five, or six weeks.” Her voice was trailing off,
dropping in volume. “I can’t be pregnant!” She wailed. “It’s just not fair.”
“What’s all the shouting about?” Grady’s head popped out the tent he shared with his new wife.
Logan slapped the big man on the shoulder. “Congratulations, Grady. Tiana just found out that you’re going to be a father.”
“I am?”
Tiana chose that moment to come storming back into the small camp. “It’s all your fault, you big lummox.”
“Now wait a minute...”
She stood with her hands on her hips, fire in her eyes. “This is too all your fault. Why can’t YOU be sick every morning and we’ll see how you like it?” She sat down on a log by the small breakfast fire and stared in horror at her as yet still slim body. “Oh, gods. I’m going to blow up like a balloon. How will I ever sneak through the woods then?”
“That’s very simple, Tiana.” Logan said quietly, as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You won’t. Just as soon as you get your kit packed you go back.”
“But... who will help Bel track?” The blond girl was sniffling.
“Ryanne is almost as good a tracker as you, my dear. She will take your place.”
“She’s not as good at the crossbow as I am.” Her tone was bitter. “And I don’t want to go.”
“She’s good enough.” The entire squad was awake now, and Logan singled out Grady. “You. Go pack your wife’s kit, right now!”
“But I just got...”
“NOW, Grady!”
The big man stood up and grinned sheepishly at his wife. “Maybe it’s for the best, love.”
“Oh, shut up!” The blond snapped back. “Men!”
“Tiana.” Logan said as gently as he could. “If you can’t think of yourself, think of the danger you’ll be putting your unborn child in.”
She turned her tear streaked face to him, and wiped her red eyes. “Oh, you just shut up too—sir.” As an afterthought she stuck her tongue out at him.
The Darkness at the Edge of Noon: a Thalassia novel Page 24