He knelt and positioned his precious charge next to Black Jaguar, propped against the largest boulder that had fallen during the explosions. Under Diablo's watchful stare, in the cold moonlight, he caressed Esperana's soft cheek and pulled back the long flaxen hair. She would want to look dignified for the important meeting ahead.
As he rearranged her robes to cover her bound ankles, he furtively loosened the ties a bit. Not just for comfort, just in case... In so doing, he noticed the hilt of a blade sticking out of her soft boots. Good. Vanaru hoped Esperana wouldn't need it, but he was glad she had a dagger. Then he pretended to check the ties of her wrists and loosened them instead.
He glanced at Black Jaguar's belt. The clan women had not thought of removing the foreigners' weapons... or they didn't dare touch a forbidden blade.
“Good luck, beloved,” he whispered in Esperana's ear.
Vanaru thought of loosening Black Jaguar's bonds as well, but it would look suspicious. Besides, he couldn't care less about the libertine who had defiled his sister, the man responsible for Talina's disobedience and her dismal fate. Vanaru had gone along with his scheme only because Esperana wished it.
He rose to scan the clearing. By now the Chosen trickled in and took their places in wide concentric half circles in front of the rock slab. Most felines had retreated to the fringe, to sit or lie next to their restrained and sleeping beastmasters.
Vanaru scratched Diablo's head and sent him an image of the Star People, hoping it would scare him away with his tail tucked between his hindquarters. “Come on, Diablo. Get down to the clearing with everyone else... It will be safer for you there.”
But the jaguar didn't care about its safety. The feline coughed a warning and refused to budge. When Vanaru held up his hands in surrender, Diablo sat on its haunches next to Black Jaguar, proud as if it were a birthright. Why the cat wanted so badly to shadow its master eluded Vanaru. Such loving loyalty toward a foreigner baffled him.
By the light of the torches, Vanaru scanned his people's eager faces. He probed their minds to share in their excitement. Summoning the Star People was a rare and solemn event, and it had happened twice in a few days. He sensed many questions in the Chosen's minds. They considered themselves privileged to witness this important time in their history.
Many remembered the prophecy, and now that the Lost Daughter had returned, they wished for the changes ahead. Curiously, he noticed that all the men wanted the change. Most of the women, those taken and returned, didn't.
Vanaru wondered what it meant and didn't like the oppressing weight in his chest at the thought. Nevertheless, he took his place in the center of the rock slab and sat in a meditative pose, cross-legged. He missed Talina's mind touch, and the reassuring contact of the Guardian snakes against his skin. Still, he must proceed, no matter how dangerous the contact... for the sake of the Chosen, so they wouldn’t suffer the wrath of the Star People.
He joined his hands against his chest and closed his eyes to focus on channeling the energy. “Begin the Star chant.”
As one, the Chosen intoned the traditional melody the Star People had taught them, the chant that linked their minds and provoked their trance, the loving words and notes that gave their protectors the strength to descend among them.
Soon, Vanaru felt a slight fluctuation in the chant. His body shook with the force of the contact, but he held on. He opened his eyes in response to a barely audible vibration. Directly in front of him, a wide pillar of silvery moonlight opened. As he glanced up, seven Star People slowly floated down in the confines of the light beam like in a dream. He'd succeeded.
The Star People, tall and imposing in their iridescent capes, settled on the rock slab one at a time. Talina had mentioned their frailty, and their large black eyes as a disguise. She said they had light irises, just like Humans.
After the last of them landed on the rock slab, Vanaru relaxed and rose from his meditation pose. Then he bowed in the traditional greeting. “Welcome among the Chosen. We only aim to serve you.”
* * *
Kahuel struggled to a more comfortable position but could barely move. He had a bad taste in his mouth, his head pounded, as if he'd spent the night drinking at the new wine festival. The infernal chant didn't help his headache either. Would it ever stop?
When he squinted, afraid the light would hurt his eyes, he realized it was still dark, except for a pillar of soft, silvery light. In it stood the strangest beings Kahuel had ever seen. Under tent-like capes, they stood tall, with smooth bulbous heads and large black eyes... the Star People.
They seemed to converse mind to mind with Vanaru. Kahuel wanted to rise, seize them, take them hostage... but he couldn't move. What had happened to him? He couldn't remember. In front of him, his booted feet were tied together with twine, and his wrists remained stuck behind his back. At his side, Princess Esperana opened her eyes but didn't let any surprise show on her face. Of course, she probably knew what was happening. She could read Vanaru's mind.
No one paid attention to Kahuel or to Esperana, or noticed that they'd awakened. The Chosen kept chanting, eyes closed, in a trance, and the Star People all focused on Vanaru.
“Why are we bound?” Kahuel whispered in her ear, the loud chant covering their conversation.
“The women betrayed us. The fruit made us sleep.” Esperana showed no emotion.
“Why is Vanaru going along with them?” The slippery weasel would pay for this.
“He did what was necessary to protect his people.” Esperana seemed unaffected by the betrayal.
But Kahuel hated being tricked. Diablo nudged his head. Kahuel appreciated his reassuring presence. The jaguar was free and wouldn't let anything bad happen to him. Brave feline.
“Diablo. Good boy,” he whispered. “Untie me...”
As discreetly as he could, making sure his sword wouldn't clink on the rock, Kahuel turned, offering Diablo his back and his bound wrists. He hoped the feline would understand. Then he felt the jaguar's teeth tugging at his ties.
“Good boy, Diablo.” Kahuel chuckled softly. “That's it.”
But Vanaru must have detected Esperana's awakening in his mind. He motioned to the Star People, and they all turned to face the two prisoners with their large black eyes. Fake eyes, Talina said...
Diablo quit biting the ropes and sat quietly, waiting. Smart cat.
Discreetly, Kahuel still worked on his ties, hoping he could free his hands without anyone noticing. He stopped when the Star People and Vanaru stepped in his direction. “What do they want with us?”
Esperana sighed. “It seems they know what we did.”
Kahuel shuddered at the consequences.
The iridescent capes looked almost diaphanous in the moonlight as the beings advanced toward them, but Kahuel could not see or even guess the bodies within. They might be frail, according to Talina, but they were also tall. Taller than him. As tall as Esperana. How strong could they be? When it came to alien species, he'd learned from the archives that looks could be deceiving.
One Star Person approached and stopped only a few inches from Kahuel's feet. “Our leader saw with his own eyes the irreparable damage you did to the dome sheltering the sacred relics.”
Kahuel wasn't about to apologize. Instead, he kept working on freeing his wrists.
“This is an abominable sacrilege,” the being went on in the same melodious voice. “But not as sordid as causing the death of the Guardians. These precious reptiles were our eyes to protect the Chosen. Their loss plunges us in sadness. Such cruelty cannot be tolerated. It must be dealt with.”
Kahuel couldn't help a retort. “But you had no problem ordering Vanaru to kill us all on the beach.”
Vanaru interposed himself. “What do you mean by dealt with?”
“Our laws are strict. We must take these evil-doers with us so they can face trial.”
“You mean trial and execution? Like with Talina?” Vanaru's look of pure horror told Kahuel he hadn't expected such a t
urn of event.
Then Kahuel realized what he'd said. “You want to kill us?”
The aliens' lips remained closed in a thin line.
Then the shoulders of the one who had spoken sagged. “Your offense is unforgivable.” The Star person scanned the edges of the clearing where Kahuel could now distinguish bound Grays and warriors. “Let this be an example, and a warning to all our would-be enemies. Their penalty is death.”
Chapter Fifteen
Death? To the Lost Daughter? Vanaru couldn't accept such cruelty. Still seated, down in the clearing, the Chosen kept chanting. Entranced by the haunting melody, they paid no heed to the exchange.
Black Jaguar glowered at Vanaru in the torchlight, from his sitting position. “I warned you about them, didn't I?”
His sister had warned him, too. But what could Vanaru do alone against seven Star People? Yet he refused to let them kill Esperana.
He touched the Lost Daughter's mind, shielding his thoughts from others. “What should I do, beloved?”
Esperana blinked in surprise. “You could stop the chant and free us, so we can escape!”
“Stop the chant? It has never been done”. Vanaru dreaded the possible repercussions but nodded. “It might work.”
At that instant, Black Jaguar's hands came free. He pulled out a dagger from his belt and bent over to cut the ties around his booted ankles, shouting, “Diablo, attack!”
In one leap, the jaguar landed upon the nearest Star person's shoulders and clamped its fangs into the smooth skull. The alien collapsed under Diablo's weight, batting long skinny arms, swatting at the jaguar. Rivulets of blood flowed from his perforated skull as he flailed inside the diaphanous garment like a butterfly caught in a spider web.
Horrified by the act, Vanaru winced at the excruciating pain emanating from the Star Person's mind. He also realized that no matter what he did, the Chosen would suffer dire consequences. There was no turning back. He closed his eyes to focus on the Chosen. “Stop the Star Chant! Now!”
The other Star People came out of their paralyzing shock and dashed for the moonbeam in a flurry of iridescent capes, abandoning their companion to his death throes.
The chant did not stop entirely, but all the men and a number of women stopped chanting.
“Stop the Star Chant! All of you!” Why did most women ignore Vanaru's command? He shivered at the realization... the abducted women.
The moonbeam that had carried the Star People weakened and thinned, now barely visible, and only half as wide as before. The six Star People racing for it stopped short of entering the faint moonbeam. Was it too weak now? Could it be deadly? Then they had no way of returning to their ship. Vanaru didn't want to think of the consequences.
He hastened to the Lost Daughter's side and knelt to help free her feet.
Esperana yanked the knife out of her boot and rose to her full height.
After a slight hesitation, the Star People turned to face their enemy. Their companion lay bleeding on the stone, and Vanaru could feel the being’s life force slipping.
Black Jaguar stood fierce, poised in a wide stance, sword in hand. At his side, Diablo hissed and bared bloody fangs.
As one, the six remaining Star People dropped their diaphanous capes to the stone slab, unveiling skinny bodies that gleamed like metal in the torchlight. With clicking sounds, sharp, jagged blades popped out of their knees, elbows, wrists, shoulders, and feet. The thin, protruding daggers started gyrating with increasing speed, now so fast as to be invisible, like the wings of a hummingbird.
Esperana smiled at Vanaru. “Come. Help me free the Grays and the warriors.”
Vanaru grabbed her free hand. “What about Kahuel?”
“He’s a warrior.” Esperana waved at the foreigner, who motioned for her to go.
Vanaru pulled Esperana behind the protection of a boulder to escape the menacing Star People. He gave them a wide berth among the boulders. Then he rushed Esperana down the steps, away from danger. They zigzagged through the circular rows of oblivious Chosen entranced by the chant, toward the edges of the clearing. Illuminated by torchlight, Grays and warriors bound to the trees slowly awoke, a confused look on their faces.
* * *
The Star People advanced steadily upon Kahuel and Diablo, all blades whirling at a deadly speed. Kahuel had never seen such weapons and had no idea how to fight them. How could he get close enough to kill them? Diablo stepped back carefully. The element of surprise had only worked once.
Drawing a throwing knife from his baldric, Kahuel aimed at the closest Star Person and let fly. His knife clanged against the rotating blades that shredded the shiny steel to bits in a spray of sparks.
“Blast!” Had Kahuel underestimated his enemy's defenses? Above the waning chant, he shouted, “Beastmasters! Wake up! Send me your cats!”
But would more felines or warriors make a difference? Orders to attack surged from various points along the periphery of the clearing. Felines loped and leapt over the seated clan people. Even those who'd stopped chanting remained in a daze, unaware of the struggle.
Soon the felines reached the platform. A few Grays armed with daggers and warriors with swords and axes, converged toward the slab. They climbed the steps and encircled the Star people. But none engaged the enemy.
“Projectile brigade, prepare to attack!”
Down in the glade, in the glow of the torches, slingers, hatchet throwers, archers, and knife throwers lined up between the rows of peaceful, seated Chosen and took aim.
Kahuel whistled then motioned to the Grays and his warriors on the slab. “Take cover!”
He dashed behind a boulder. Fighters and felines around him did the same or dropped to the stone. The Star People remained standing. Did they believe themselves invincible?
“Let fly!” Kahuel shouted over the weak chant.
Slings and arrows whistled. Hatchets and knives hurtled through the night air.
The Star People's revolving blades shredded arrows, knives, and hatchets with a metallic whine, as if it were soft wood. But the sling stones hit and bounced, twisting several of the rotating blades. A few jammed and stopped in a shower of sparks. One Star Person stumbled but quickly regained footing.
“Slingers, use larger stones!” Kahuel would find his enemy's weakness, yet.
As a warrior, he pitied the Star People. Despite their deadly armor, they were outnumbered ten to one. It was only a matter of time, and they knew it. They fought, but only because they were cornered. It made them recklessly brave, and more dangerous.
“Let fly!”
The next volley damaged more of their gyrating blades, but none of the Star People went down.
Blast! Spying over the top of his protective boulder, Kahuel counted the seconds to reload. “Let fly!”
That volley of stones the size of two fists hissed and whistled. It twisted and fractured more blades. Many daggers stopped rotating, but they still protruded dangerously from all their joints. The Star People spread out toward the boulders. In search of protection? Or looking for the hiding warriors?
Long swords popped out of their hands, like an extension of their arms. They had more reach than Kahuel's sword, but at least, now they used a familiar weapon.
“Projectiles, stop! Fighters, engage!” Switching the sword to his right hand, Kahuel drew his dagger with the left and darted out from behind his boulder with Diablo. Together they faced the Star Person coming at them. Just as the enemy raised both swords, Diablo crouched to leap.
“Diablo! No!”
Diablo leapt high, as he'd done before. But this time, two deadly blades sliced the air above the alien's head. Kahuel attacked the torso, to force the enemy to lower his guard. The steel sword clanged against the metal suit. Blasted armor!
The head was the only unprotected part of their body and Diablo knew it. But before the jaguar made contact, blades flashed, and he yelped pitifully. Blood spurted from several wounds on his hide. The Star Person bounced back and toss
ed the feline aside with the swords in a spray of blood.
Kahuel cringed. How dare they hurt Diablo! He redoubled his efforts, fighting back his opponent, but he was at a disadvantage with a shorter reach. Barely blocking the deadly swords, he only hit arms, chest, and lower limbs, all protected by armor that clanged under his blade. “Diablo!”
A wretched whimper answered him from the jaguar's black mass.
“Hang in there, my friend.” Great Engineer don't let him die!
Anger flared and heated Kahuel's ears. He launched himself onto the offending Star Person with such determination, that his opponent stepped back in fear. Pushing his advantage, Kahuel dodged and parried, carefully blocking the alien blades, dreading their sharp, harder metal might cut through his forged steel.
Around him in the melee, warriors yelled and screamed, some to give themselves courage, others in rage, anger, or pain. The smell of blood and sour sweat filled Kahuel's nostrils. Excitement burned through his veins... battle fever.
“Aim for the head and upper neck!” Kahuel forced his opponent against a boulder.
He wanted so badly to kill the blasted alien who had hurt Diablo. An unforgivable offense. The being still fought, but Kahuel could tell his foe's strength already waned. Good.
“They are getting weaker. Wear them out!” Was it the air on the surface that affected them? The lack of practice? The weakening of the chant? It didn't matter. Kahuel could use any advantage.
Gradually, the Star People's fighting slowed. Their blows weakened. Their arms trembled from fatigue. Their heads drooped despite the metal guard protecting their skinny necks. The weight of their blades seemed too much for them. This fight would soon end.
Kahuel whistled and motioned to warriors and felines. “Step back!”
Esperana who had joined the fight echoed his order for the Grays. “Stop fighting. Give them space.”
When all obeyed, the Star People halted, waiting. Esperana came to stand by his side.
Reassured by her confident attitude, Kahuel stepped forward. “Now, surrender or die!”
Black Jaquar Page 17