Esperana chewed on her lower lip. “The Star People will want to know what happened to their Guardians.”
Kahuel's quick mind saw an opportunity. “If they come down, maybe we can take them hostage and negotiate for Talina's return.”
“Negotiate?” Esperana's look of disbelief was almost comical. “Do you realize that if they travel through the galaxies, these aliens probably have the power to destroy half a continent in one strike?”
Vanaru shot Kahuel a dark glare. “They might retaliate against the Chosen.”
Kahuel shrugged. “I don't intend to hurt the aliens, just hold them for an exchange of prisoners.”
Princess Esperana laid a soothing hand on Vanaru's shoulder. “It sounds daring... but not impossible. Maybe the Chosen can help us summon them...”
* * *
“My Lord, we lost contact with the Guardians!” First Meteorologist had a way of bringing joy into the blue pulsing glow of Straal's personal space, even when delivering bad news. “Our sensors detected an underground explosion.”
Straal mentally lowered the soft music of the spheres to admire her. But he couldn't let the delicate features of his favorite female distract him in times of crisis. “Do we have the record of what happened prior to losing contact?”
First Meteorologist smiled. A rare treat. She bent gracefully to lay a small tablet on his floating desk then pushed its center, prompting a blue hologram of the dome housing the power cells of the dampening field. “At the time, the watchers didn't detect anything suspicious... But look closer.”
On the hologram, Straal observed in fascination the hooded devout bringing offerings into the cave. After reflection, he didn't really behave like a pilgrim. He bowed stiffly, like a proud man not used to devotions. His attitude lacked the nonchalant and easy reverence of the Chosen.
First Meteorologist twisted her hands in front of her. She always fretted in his presence. “These last offerings must have been some kind of low-tech weapon. Some exploded just before we lost contact.”
“But the Chosen should not have such weapons!” Most disturbing to Straal was the idea that they could harbor violent feelings against the Estrell.
First Meteorologist motioned with her chin to the crude blade still lying on Straal's floating desk. “They weren't supposed to have forged metal either. Yet someone provided the weapon that crippled our guard.”
That concerned Straal greatly. Weapon knowledge was forbidden to the Chosen, and for good reason.
“Could the shipwrecked foreigners be corrupting the Chosen?” The musical mind voice of First Meteorologist never ceased to charm him.
“Of course, the foreigners are responsible!” They were the only new and influential element in the Chosen's lives. “They are threatening the outcome of the entire New Generation Project.”
“But we cannot eliminate them while they are inside the dampening field.”
“I know.” For the protection of the Chosen and the Estrell's progeny, all advanced weapons were inoperative in that sector, including the Estrell's. “We never thought we'd need protection against them.”
“Should we make an appearance to reinforce their faith in us?”
“Not in this hostile environment. It's too dangerous with all these violent foreigners around.” Straal sent a quick summoning thought to First Scientist.
“Then what can we do?” First Meteorologist looked so enchanting in her helpless expression, relying entirely on his wisdom and strength to solve the problem at hand.
Straal offered her a reassuring smile. “I may have a solution.”
The door swished open and First Scientist entered.
Straal welcomed him with a nod and shielded his private thoughts. “How strong is our control on the minds of the Chosen females carrying our eggs?”
“It seems to be fully operative, My Lord.”
“Good.” Straal rejoiced. At least something was working right. “The time has come to test their unflinching loyalty.”
Chapter Fourteen
The twin suns crept at a slow pace over the black cliffs, spreading cool shade on the sacred clearing. Sitting at a fire, Kahuel turned a fresh water fish the size of his forearm, impaled on a thin reed. Around him, warriors tended their cooking fires, fragrant with the bouquet of tubers and the fish they'd caught that day. At his side, Diablo napped, like most of the felines sated from their afternoon hunt.
At the other end of the glade, Vanaru walked among warriors and natives toward the ancestral tree at the left of the rock slab.
Kahuel glanced at Esperana sitting next to him. “Do you think they'll come?”
The Mutant Princess raised a pale brow, golden in the amber light of dusk. “The Chosen? I'm sure of it.”
Kahuel shook his head. For a Mutant and a mind reader, she could be dense sometimes. “I mean the Star People.”
Esperana's dreamy gaze followed Vanaru's tranquil stroll toward the ancestral tree. “He says they never failed to show up when summoned in the past.” She frowned. “I agreed to your scheme but it's terribly dangerous.”
“We have to try.” Kahuel wouldn't let her talk him out of it. “Talina is worth the risk.”
“I know how you feel.” Was it longing in Esperana's misty eyes as she watched Vanaru? Behind her, beyond the activity of mingling warriors and natives, the treetops shone in highlights of gold and amber.
“I certainly hope they come down from their lofty spaceship.” Kahuel longed to make them pay for holding Talina prisoner. But first, he had to get her back.
Near the ancestral tree, Vanaru picked one of the brightly colored ropes, the red one, hanging from the lowest branch. He unraveled it, measured the length to his arm, then motioned for the natives around him to move away as he stepped far enough from the trunk to give himself space. He swung the rope high overhead in wide circles, like a sling. The pierced bamboo slat at the end of the rope emitted a low modulated whine that rose in pitch and volume as Vanaru whirled faster.
Kahuel resisted the urge to cover his ears. The horses, tethered at the edge of the clearing, whinnied and stomped the ground. Diablo's ears pivoted, and the jaguar sat up, his piercing emerald eyes scanning the tree line. Soon the loud modulations prevented all conversations in the camp.
More felines stood up and froze in alarm, listening. A few cats attempted to imitate the strange sound with their throats, howling at the pink dusk.
“It's all right, Diablo.” Kahuel petted the jaguar's head reassuringly, but inside, he also shivered at the lugubrious call.
Kahuel recognized the distinctive sound from their first night on the beach after the wreck. Although he now knew it for a gathering signal, it still brought chills to his spine. The forest seemed to fear the disturbing sound as well.
The watchful Grays standing guard around the glade remained withdrawn, apparently unaffected by the oppressive modulations.
Watching his warriors, who looked up from their cooking fires, Kahuel rejoiced at the fact that they'd graciously honored his promise to Talina not to kill any more land animals for food. Mingling with Mutants and natives had taught his men and women to understand and respect other cultures.
As a prince, Kahuel had studied ancient records, traveled to the citadel of Kassouk, and met influential Mutants, and even alien ambassadors and dignitaries. But most of his warriors had never left Yalta before this fateful voyage, and they'd only known other Zerkers.
When the unsettling sound finally waned and ceased, conversations resumed around the fires.
Diablo settled for a nap, and the other felines calmed down as well.
Under the ancestral tree, Vanaru spoke with a group of older natives, then he walked away with them.
Kahuel glanced at Esperana sitting next to him. “Where is he going?”
Esperana closed her eyes briefly then shrugged. “He says several village elders invited him to share their meal. They have clan business to discuss.”
Kahuel wondered what could be more im
portant at the village level than all this turmoil with the Star People. “I guess even the smallest kingdom has its petty problems.”
Esperana sighed. “Good leaders fulfill all their responsibilities, big or small, with grace.”
A slight breeze fanned the aroma of sweet cooking herbs that made Kahuel's mouth water. “The fish must be ready.”
A warrior handed him a wide leaf with steamed grain. Kahuel thanked him then slid his fish off the spit onto the leaf as well. He offered the leaf to Esperana.
The Mutant Princess wrinkled her nose. “I don't know how you can eat something that smells so foul.”
“Suit yourself.” Kahuel pulled out his dagger and separated the filet from the fish spine, blowing on the steam to cool it.
Esperana accepted tubers and grain on a leaf from a warrior.
Kahuel dug into the white flaky flesh with his fingers and savored a mouthful of the delicious dish. As he glanced around, he noticed that all the natives had left. “Sundown must be mealtime for everyone.”
The Grays joined the rest of them in the clearing for the meal but sat slightly apart to eat. The conversations slowed. Through the relative quiet, Kahuel noticed the snorting of horses. An evening bird circled overhead. As darkness fell, the chirp of cicadas filled the air.
A small group of clanswomen, radiant and chattering like birds, emerged from the main trail and entered the clearing. They carried large wicker baskets overflowing with a kind of fruit Kahuel had never seen before. The red and green fruit, the size and shape of a pear, had a funny blue leaf like a fan, or the tail feathers of a bird. Kahuel admired the natives' hospitality toward people they might consider dangerous barbarians.
The young women walked among warriors and Mutants, smiling as they offered their colorful fruit, encouraging everyone to taste it. Kahuel accepted his with a smile. He bit into it, enjoying the sweet, dribbling juice. The offering was delicious and refreshing. It even brought out the flavor of the fish and grain.
“Thank you,” Kahuel managed, wiping his chin with the sleeve of his tunic.
Esperana bowed politely to the village women then tasted the gift as well. “Now, this is worth eating.”
The women set down their half-empty baskets on the grass.
Kahuel recognized their faces from the group that had returned a few hours earlier. He turned to Esperana. “Can you read their minds?”
The Mutant princess stiffened as if insulted. “Not without their permission. That would be rude.”
Kahuel suspected she didn't always ask. She never asked him, yet she did read his mind on occasions. “But you read them earlier, didn't you?”
“When they invited me to do so.” Esperana took a bite of fruit. “It was to verify that they had no recollection of being on the ship of the Star People.”
“And you believe they told the truth?” Kahuel realized how silly his question must sound. The Chosen couldn't lie.
“Absolutely,” Esperana dabbed at her mouth then discarded the pit into the fire, where it hissed and steamed.
Kahuel hated mysteries. “Why didn't the Star People just erase Talina's memories and return her to us?”
“In their eyes, she committed the unforgivable.” Esperana picked another fruit from the basket next to her. “She is potentially dangerous.”
Kahuel's gaze followed the Chosen women, full of gaiety, waving and smiling at the warriors. How unfair that Talina hadn't returned with them.
Chatting and laughing, the women left the clearing. Later tonight, after the largest moon appeared in the sky, the villagers would return in great numbers, to summon the Star People. And if everything went as planned, Kahuel would capture the Star visitors and negotiate their exchange for Talina.
* * *
Under the smallest moon shining overhead, Vanaru held his torch high as he led the elders through narrow jungle trails alive with silvery bars of moonlight and rippling shadows.
“Not so fast,” an elder complained behind him.
“We have to hurry. The large moon will rise soon.” To think that they had taken him away from Esperana, just to arbitrate some fishing territory dispute. But Vanaru must oblige his people. Without them, he would be nothing. He was born to serve them. They needed him. They mattered. His personal needs didn't.
He stepped briskly through the underbrush. They had to prepare for the gathering before the clan assembled. As they approached the clearing, the tranquility of the forest took Vanaru by surprise. He expected loud voices, raucous laughs, and heated conversations from the foreigners' camp. But none of that filtered through the trees.
A horse snorted nearby. He felt the presence of felines. Could the foreigners have learned to remain quiet out of respect for their sacred place? Vanaru would probably have to thank Esperana for it.
He visualized her. Esperana, I am almost at the clearing.
His contact only met with silence. Why did she ignore him? She must be meditating, or otherwise engaged on a higher plane.
As Vanaru came into view of the clearing, bathed in starlight and the rays of the small moon, clanswomen stomped the last embers of the cooking fires, while others petted and pacified the felines with mind-talk. Then Vanaru heard a soft sound that made him look down. Snoring. That's when he realized the foreigners lay on the ground in a deep slumber.
“Esperana!” Could she be asleep as well? No wonder she didn't heed his call.
As he picked his way among the sleepers, Vanaru noticed the empty baskets on the ground, strewn with half-eaten bird-tail fruit. Anger flared through his skull. “Who gave sleeping fruit to our guests?”
A tall woman petting the felines rose quickly. “We did, My King. The Star People ordered us to neutralize the foreigners and render them harmless.”
Vanaru wondered why he didn't get the message. Was his mind so busy that he didn't hear the call? “Why such an order?”
“The Star People do not trust the foreigners.” Truth shone through the woman's words, and honesty radiated from her mind.
These were the women previously abducted. Did they now enjoy a special bond with the Star People? Were they now their favored messengers? Vanaru wondered if he'd fallen out of grace because he'd failed to destroy the foreigners... and now he fraternized with them. The Star People were more perceptive than he'd expected. Their suspicions changed everything.
Vanaru shielded his thoughts as Esperana had taught him. “What else did they say?”
The tall woman lowered her gaze. “They want to speak with the foreign leaders, without them being a threat.”
That sounded reasonable, but something didn't set right in Vanaru's gut. Did the Star People know he'd allowed Esperana and Kahuel to damage the relics? The Chosen couldn't have told them. Vanaru had shielded his thoughts from them. His clan believed the explosion to be an unfortunate natural event.
The elders standing behind him commented in mind-talk about their king not being able to control the clanswomen.
Vanaru turned and glared at them. “I can hear you.”
The eldest of elders bowed then met his gaze. “My King, we have to do what the Star People ordered... for the sake of our villages, we do not dare disobey.”
“I know.” Vanaru sighed deeply. He had no other choice. Alone against the clan, alone against the Star People, trapped between the welfare of the Chosen and his personal feelings, he could do nothing.
The tall clanswoman stepped forth to stand in front of him. “We must restrain the foreigners before they awake, My King.”
Vanaru wanted to believe the Star People didn't suspect foul play. They might just ask Esperana and Black Jaguar to leave the Chosen alone, then return to their home in the sky. He nodded with reluctance. “All right. I trust you will be gentle and harm no one.”
“Of course.” The woman smiled and turned to direct the others. She snatched balls of hemp twine from a basket and threw them to the women, who then scurried away in small groups. They started dragging and carrying warriors and Mu
tants to the edges of the glade to make room for the gathering.
Vanaru wished he could do more to rescue his kidnapped sister. Without hostages to exchange, she would remain prisoner of the Star People and might soon die. Sadness filled him at the thought, but what could he do now? Nothing. Talina had wrought her own fate. It couldn't be helped. The welfare of the clan came first... always… and she knew it.
The elders spread out and one by one lit the circle of torches to brighten the gathering place. The golden glow illuminated the women bending and pulling and propping the sleeping foreigners against the nearest trees. Then they secured them to the trunks with twine. All, except Esperana and Black Jaguar.
Vanaru approached the tall woman and touched her arm. “Where is the Lost Daughter? Where is Black Jaguar?”
She motioned toward the rock slab. At the foot of the carved stone steps, both lay in the grass, asleep, hands tied behind their backs, feet bound. Diablo stood next to Black Jaguar, licking his master's face.
When the women approached the two leaders to take them up the steps, Diablo bared his fangs and hissed protectively.
Sensing the jaguar's concern, Vanaru sent him a soothing thought. “That's all right, Diablo. They will not hurt him.”
When Diablo stepped back, a woman stepped forth and hooked Black Jaguar under the shoulders. Another seized his feet, and they carried him not too ceremoniously up the steps, his scabbard knocking on every step. Diablo followed closely.
Vanaru waved aside those who approached Esperana. “I'll take her myself.”
He wished he could spare her the humiliation and the meeting, but one against hundreds, Vanaru couldn't do anything. He picked her up in his arms like a precious burden. She weighed less than he expected as he carried her up the steps with great care. She looked so lovely in her sleep. If he proved worthy of her, someday she would be his consort, his queen for life... but not tonight.
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