by Gini Koch
He bounced forward and back as dogs will when they’re excited and unsure. But finally the chocho got close enough to sniff my hand. After a few seconds I moved slowly and ran my hand over his head. His fur was thick and a little bristly, but not unpleasant.
The chocho seemed shocked. I was having that effect on the beings in Bronze Land. I continued to pet him. After about half a minute he sat on his haunches and, curlicue tail spinning, proceeded to let me give him vigorous petting like I did with my own dogs.
“Wilbur’s a great chocho,” I said as I caught Jeff’s horrified and worried expression. “He’s not going to bite Kitty, is he?” I asked the chocho.
Wilbur made the bark-honk and jumped up.
CHAPTER 26
WILBUR PUT HIS front paws on my shoulders and licked my face. Nope, Wilbur was definitely on Team Kitty.
The Lecanora looked more shocked than they had yet. “He . . . he has never allowed anyone to touch him,” the beaver representative said. Was pretty sure it was a female. Lush pelts made sexual differentiation difficult and only a few of the males were wearing codpieces. Or all the females had masculine voices. Too early to tell. “And you travel with other creatures none can tame.” She pointed webbed fingers toward the katyhoppers.
“Huh. Well, I have a way with animals.” Gave Wilbur a last vigorous pet. “Names are also helpful. Helps a creature know who you’re talking to and that you think enough of it to name them something specific. And all that.”
“Do you still doubt she is Shealla?” King Benny asked, as Wilbur joined Bruno and Ginger at my feet.
“Why does she call herself Kitty?” a skunk representative shared. Pretty sure it was a male, with no codpiece in evidence. However, he had fluffy fur, so his modesty wasn’t exactly compromised.
Heaved a sigh. “What you call us and what we call ourselves is different. As your king understands.”
“King?” the weasel-dude asked. “Musgraff is our clan leader.”
“And as far as we Gods are concerned, Grover, that makes him a king. Is there a problem with that?” Hey, he looked like a Grover to me. He didn’t appear to love the name, but he didn’t argue about it, either.
Lots of furry heads shook quickly but many furry faces looked worried. Clearly there was a problem with this.
“There does seem to be an issue with the title Shealla has bestowed,” Chuckie said.
King Benny nodded. “There is a king, a ruler of all the clans. He . . . does not take kindly to usurpers or those who wish the rule of the land to be more . . . equal. And he does not take advice, or hear things he does not want to. But this is wrong, and we believe that questioning how things are done and being correct should not be a cause for exile.” The others nodded emphatically.
The light dawned. “Ah, you’re all rebels. You wanted a better situation for your families, or you saw how things could be better, identified a threat the king wanted to ignore, and you were kicked out of your clans because of it.” Looked around. “That’s why you’re here, in a barren area.”
“It’s as if she reads our hearts and minds!” the skunk-guy exclaimed. The others nodded. Clearly Skunky here had some sway.
Exchanged a pointed glance with Chuckie. This was theater, lying, and subterfuge, and Jeff and Christopher weren’t going to be up to what was needed. Happily, they were staying quiet, presumably because Jeff was smart enough to keep quiet and Christopher’s desire to snark was being subdued by being able to tell what Chuckie and I were doing. Via reading our minds. Made a note to not share that the next color over was the Mind Reading Capital of the Solar System.
Chuckie shook his head and sighed. “Such little faith. It saddens me.”
“You have disappointed Alcalla,” King Benny said to his folks, who all looked ashamed and worried. Good. “And see? Leoalla will not even speak to us now!”
“He said he was the Messenger, not Leoalla,” a woodchuck that I was fairly sure was male said. Good to know that there had indeed been a reason Jeff had used Charles when introducing us to King Benny.
“Well, Brown, as I see it, Leoalla gets to say he’s whoever he wants to say he is.” As with Grover, the woodchuck-dude didn’t seem thrilled with his name, possibly because Chuckie had laughed when I’d bestowed it, but he didn’t argue about it, either.
“The Gods do not need to explain their ways to you,” King Benny thundered. “Leoalla was testing us. And Shealla, Alcalla, and Binalla all test us now, too. And we are now failing! You need to beg forgiveness for doubting the miracle of Leoalla’s appearance, and then Shealla, Alcalla, and Binalla’s deigning to join us as well.”
Nice to know what Christopher’s God-name was. Hoped we’d get some kind of clue for what Binalla was supposed to do before that lack of knowledge blew our cover for us. Figured forging ahead would be wisest. Working for me so far, at any rate.
“You can earn our forgiveness by assisting us.” The Lecanora all looked hopeful. “When we came down from the heavens, we were separated from our brethren. We need to find the other Gods. Assist us with this and your lack of faith will be forgiven.”
“You travel with strangers,” beaver-chick said. “Creatures we have heard of and sometimes seen from a distance but have been warned against. Why?”
Interesting. The katyhoppers hadn’t shown any kind of military mindset or setup and they hadn’t seemed aggressive or even sort of nasty, either. And I already knew they weren’t allowed out of the Purple Land under normal circumstances. Meaning it was likely that the Lecanora had been told to stay away due to the old “we don’t know what’s there and we don’t want you finding out first in case what’s there is good” ploy.
“No. We travel with friends. Friends who have helped us, and who we’ve helped in kind. And we travel with them in part because they know what we do—that there is a greater threat facing you and your world than your interpersonal struggles for supremacy.”
Skunky and King Benny exchanged a look. “You mean the ships in the air,” Skunky said finally.
“We do,” Chuckie said, managing not to sound shocked. Really hoped Jeff and Christopher were looking at their shoes or something.
“We were not . . . believed,” beaver-chick said. “When we saw the visions.”
“Visions?”
King Benny nodded. “Our people do an annual pilgrimage to the All Seeing Mountain. We ask for the Gods to guide us and show us what is to come, what they want for and from us.”
Resolved to both find out where this mountain was and get to it, pronto.
“Ah, yes,” Chuckie said smoothly. “Which is right and proper.”
“The air of the mountains is rich and blesses some with more clarity than others,” Grover said. “Many times this clarity is a blessing. But for all of us . . .”
“We all saw the ships in the sky,” Skunky finished. “So many, so strange, so imposing. But our clan leaders and the king would not listen.”
Jeff cleared his throat. “Last night, we spoke about this. The Lecanora clans aren’t at peace.”
“True,” King Benny said. “We fight with each other, and the king allows it.”
Took another good long look at the caravan. There was another reason they were in an area that was, at least compared to the Purple Land, quite barren. And I’d said it was barren before and none of them had argued.
“You’re not well equipped for war, are you?”
The Lecanora were all quiet, but King Benny finally nodded. “No, Shealla, we are not.” He looked down. “And so I fail the Gods.”
“No,” Jeff said strongly. “You do not fail us because you’re not killing other clans or prepared to destroy your own people, or others, or your planet.”
King Benny looked up. “But, how can we help the Gods to save our world? That is why you have come is it not? Because our visions are true and you have come to lead us and t
o save our world?”
Oh, the tough question. But, conveniently, I had the tough answer.
“Absolutely.”
CHAPTER 27
ENSURED I WASN’T looking at any of the men with me. “But first, we need to know all that’s going on. And if anyone wants to question why the Gods want this information, it’s because we want know what you know, or think you know. We’re here to help you, not do it all for you.”
King Benny nodded. “As you say, Shealla. Shall we tell you now?”
“No,” Chuckie said quickly. “We would like to discuss where we want to go. Why don’t you and your people determine where you will house us for the journey?”
The Lecanora all bowed and backed away. Once they were a few steps back, they turned and scurried off to their various wagons.
“I’d say I can’t believe we were sent here on purpose to save the world,” Christopher said. “But . . .”
“Based on past history, I can believe it,” Jeff said.
Chuckie nodded. “Frankly, it’s too easy to believe. I just don’t know who would send us here, specifically.”
“Maybe we were, maybe we weren’t.” Figured ACE or Algar had something to do with where we’d landed and that we’d absolutely been put here for a reason, and maybe more than one reason. “But I think we need to get to the All Seeing Mountain as fast as possible, if not sooner.”
“It would be faster if we just asked the katyhoppers to take us,” Chuckie pointed out. “They’re going to go faster than a caravan, especially since they can fly over bad terrain or areas with no roads or paths.”
“These people need us,” Jeff said. “It was clear to me yesterday and it’s clearer today.”
“I think there’s more going on than just the clan wars, and even more than whatever’s going on within this system.”
All three guys stared at me, but it was my turn to be shocked. Christopher nodded. “I agree with Kitty. Something’s off. More than what we’re seeing. Starting with how calmly the Lecanora and the katyhoppers accepted us.”
Looked at Pinky, who was waving his antennae like mad. “Oh? Really? Interesting. Okay, Pinky says that the katyhoppers have passed down a story, from the first katyhopper Matriarch who gained full sentience. And that story revolves around furless bipeds who look unusual for this world who will arrive out of nowhere and save the world.”
That sat on the air for a while. Jeff broke the silence. “So . . . are you saying the katyhoppers think we’re Gods, too?”
Saffron waved her antennae, with Turkey and Pinky adding in.
“Ah, no. They’re aware we’re from another planet. They just have folklore about something like this happening. It’s why the Matriarch sent them with us.” And why our three katyhoppers were excited and considered it an honor, versus a burden.
“I wonder if they can see the future as well as mind read,” Chuckie said musingly.
Pinky waved antennae.
“No,” Christopher said. “And I know you got that, too, Chuck. They don’t believe they can see the future. However, their Matriarchs make an annual pilgrimage to the All Seeing Mountain, just like the Lecanora do. The Matriarchs go at different times.”
“So each will see what the others might have missed,” I said, since that’s what Saffron was telling us. “No one other than a Matriarch is allowed to go, by the way.”
“Meaning Kitty’s right and we need to get to that mountain,” Christopher said.
“We need to find the others and help these Lecanora, too,” Jeff said firmly. “And I don’t want us splitting up again, so no one suggest it. And no, I’m not mind reading. I just know the three of you.”
“Wow, bitter much? But I agree. We want our scattered group back together, not rescattering to who knows where.”
“We have to backtrack, I think,” Jeff said. “They weren’t headed this way when they found me. We only came down this trail because it was the most direct way to get toward where I felt the three of you.”
“Where were they heading when they found you?” Chuckie asked.
“I honestly have no idea. I didn’t ask.”
“We can just ask King Benny,” Christopher said. “It may not matter. They don’t strike me as actually having a destination.”
“What makes you say that?” Chuckie asked. I could see the wheels in his head turning.
Christopher shrugged. “None of them seemed impatient. I didn’t hear anyone asking why they were taking this trip, no one was complaining about how they were late or going to miss someone or something.”
“They’re wandering in the desert looking for a homeland.”
The guys all looked at me. “Why are you comparing them to the Israelites?” Chuckie asked.
“They’re outcasts for their beliefs.” And my suspicion was gelling into certainty that we’d been sent here, to this planet, specifically. And not by whoever had tried to get us into this solar system in the first place. Which begged a big question. Two, really. “If the katyhoppers see ships in space, and so do the Lecanora, what does it mean? And how can they see them?”
“That’s why we want to go to the All Seeing Mountain,” Christopher replied. “At least to hopefully answer your second question. As for the first one, we’ve agreed that there’s trouble out here and if there’s trouble, spaceships being out isn’t a surprise.”
Chuckie shook his head. “I think the question is, why are they around this planet, specifically?”
“Really?” Jeff asked. “You three are reading minds and talking to sentient katyhoppers who also read minds. Why are you even asking the question?”
“I think we’re asking because until the three of us landed in Purple Land, to my knowledge, no one knew about the mind reading. And by no one, Jeff, I mean your dad, Richard, Alexander, Councilor Leonidas, Queen Renata, the rest of the Planetary Council. No one.”
“Maybe they just didn’t tell us about it,” Jeff suggested. “You know, like all the other things they didn’t tell us until we were being invaded or something.”
“No,” Christopher said slowly. “I really think that they’d have told us when we were invaded before your wedding.”
“Operation Invasion would have been the prime time, Jeff, especially because we were getting info on all the other inhabited planets.”
“While I’d never say that any politician can be fully trusted, present company being literally the only exception,” Chuckie said, “I can say that Councilor Leonidas never insinuated that this planet was worth paying attention to. Alpha Four was interested in Alpha Seven and Beta Sixteen, because they were so much closer to being space-ready. But everyone in the Planetary Council felt that Beta Eight should be firmly left alone. So why are the ships here?”
“If they’re here,” Jeff said. “Keep in mind that there are plenty of reasons people have visions.”
“Drugs being only one. I’m inclined to believe the Lecanora but only because of the katyhoppers.” Which might have been why Christopher, Chuckie, and I landed there.
All three katyhoppers waved their antennae like mad.
“Pinky, Saffron, and Turkey insist that they don’t do drugs. By the way.”
“The waterfruit could be considered a drug,” Chuckie said. “But that doesn’t mean the Matriarchs or the Lecanora, for that matter, haven’t seen what they think they have. We don’t have enough data to do anything more than guess, so we need to table the speculation and focus on getting to that mountain and finding the others.”
“I like that plan of action,” Jeff said.
“Well, Chuckie is the God of Wisdom, after all.”
Jeff grinned. “Yeah, and you’re the Namer of Things and boy, is that accurate.”
“Hey, a girl’s gotta do what she does best.”
“Please don’t get us into trouble, or ignore what Jeff, Chuck, or
I say,” Christopher said. “Because you’ve already fallen from a great height, so I’m expecting the other two things you do best to be coming soon.”
“I’ll hurt you later, Christopher.”
“Only if you can catch me.”
“Yeah, as to that, I have an idea.”
“No,” Jeff said flatly. “I may be having trouble reading anyone or anything, but up this close to you, I can get your emotions clear enough. Didn’t I already say and we all agree that spitting up was a bad idea?”
“You and we did, but Chuckie’s right—we’re going to be moving much more slowly than we want to. Christopher’s the Flash. He can be around the world in far less than eighty minutes, let alone eighty days.”
“I don’t follow you, Kitty, but I can, yeah.”
“And he won’t be alone. Bruno can also handle the hyperspeeds, as can the Poofs. With Poofs on Board, if there’s trouble, one or more of them can come back and warn us and then we, who also possess hyperspeed, can get to Christopher to provide backup.”
“I’m game, Jeff.”
“If we assume time is of the essence,” Chuckie said, “and I’m sure we should, then this makes a lot of sense. If Bruno and the Poofs will help.”
Jeff sighed. “Fine. And, by the way, I have a Poof with me. Not Harlie, but it’s been quiet and I have to admit it was nice to not be totally alone here. Not that I didn’t meet the Lecanora immediately, but you know what I mean.”
“Yeah. Harlie was with me so as to give Poofikins an assist in bringing Bruno along. They told us you weren’t Poofless on the journey.” A Poof popped out of Jeff’s suit pocket and yawned. “Sleepy there seems to be getting all its snoozing in just like the rest of the Poofs.”
Interestingly enough, the Poof didn’t do anything. Clearly Sleepy wasn’t going to be its name.
“Huh. I’m shocked that the Poof didn’t attach to Kitty, after that,” Chuckie said.
“Oh, ah, yeah.” Jeff looked hugely uncomfortable all of a sudden.
I laughed. “What did you call it?”