IN NATURA: a science fiction novel (ARZAT SERIES Book 2)

by David Samuel Frazier

  “Caratas,” she said quietly, as she began to chew.

  Tom backed off and sat down on a rock a few paces from the woman. He unconsciously wiped the blade of his precious knife on his pant leg and carefully placed it back in its scabbard. “Do you understand English?” he asked.

  The girl stopped chewing for a moment, one side of her cheek bulging from the giant bite she had just taken, and focused on Tom. “Caratas, hachas caratas,” she said, and resumed chewing.

  “Well, I don’t think that is anything near English,” Tom said silently to Ara. “Sounds kind of like Spanish to me, but it is not really that either.”

  “That is unfortunate, Pilot Tom. I assume that this ‘Spanish’ must be the spoken language of another tribe of humans. It is that way with Arzats. The various clans all had their own spoken language, some similar, some not so. I suppose since we could so easily communicate with our minds, it really didn’t matter. I was hoping you could speak to this human directly.”

  “Sorry, Ara. I didn’t understand a word of what she just said.”

  For a moment, Tom took his eyes off of the young woman and looked at the female Arzat. Her eyes seemed to smile at him.

  “No matter. I will simply have to teach her to speak with her mind.” Ara looked back at the young female, who had just about finished the entire portion of meat Tom had given her. “Of course, I was already easily able to read her mind and reach into her memories, but I still wasn’t sure if direct communication would be possible.”

  “What did she say, Ara?”

  “She said, ‘Thank you, very thank you!’”

  CHAPTER 27

  KOOTA

  Alex almost choked on her dinner when she realized her mistake. She had responded telepathically to the Arzat’s question without blocking. Now the giant was staring at her, his head cocked to the side, his eyes blazing with curiosity or just pure anger. She could sense his arms twitching, as if he were about to strike her again. Alex felt forced to look back at him, her mind working to block any further thoughts, while she willed herself to try to stay calm. He looks like he wants to kill me right now, she thought.

  Do not reveal yourself Alex! she heard her father screaming in her head, as the Arzat’s eyes probed her own.

  He’s probably also trying to probe my mind now, she realized.

  Alex put on the most innocent face she could muster and resumed chewing on the venison. This gave her an excuse to look away from the Arzat. She focused on the meat in her hands and blocking with her mind. She swallowed, took another bite, and looked into the fire, hoping that the beast would think their momentary connection was a fluke. She sat, determined to not to make eye contact, afraid if she did she would give herself away.

  Za’at continued to carefully observe the female, confused and surprised at her response. Was she really speaking to me, he wondered, still doubting that such a thing was really possible for an uman. But I heard her—I did, Za’at thought, now consciously blocking his own mind from the female. Yes, her spoken words sounded as if she had replied to him in her own unintelligible tongue, but he was certain she had directly passed a thought to him. She had said “Thank you” with her mind.

  He watched her for some time, waiting to see if she would again reveal herself to him, but she did not. The female simply sat, chewing on her dinner, gazing into the fire with her strange blue-and-white eyes.

  Finally, he realized he was famished himself and started in on a large hunk of the roasted ree. As he ate, he continued to consider the female, still bothered by what he thought had been a telepathic reply from a mere uman. Not possible, he tried to reassure himself. He attempted several times to probe her mind, but probe as he might, he couldn’t see into it no matter how much effort he applied. It was either not possible or the female could not only telepath—she could block!

  “Good, isn’t it?” he said aloud, trying again for a response. Nothing.

  “Kak,” he grunted, exasperated. The female finally looked up at him and Za’at noticed that she had finished the portion of meat he had given her. “Here,” he said only in his mind as he held out the wooden skewer with the roasted meat. The female looked at the skewer and carefully pulled off a few more pieces, but her mind remained silent.

  “Well, little uman,” he said, trying a different tact, opening his mind completely to the female, “now that you are fed, perhaps I should finish the work I started and kill you like I originally intended! I have not forgotten about my brother or the tremendous amount of trouble you have caused me.”

  Za’at glared at the smooth-skin and fingered his killing stick, still in its scabbard, probing vainly for some sort of reaction. The female hesitated, looked at him briefly, and continued to eat.

  He’s bluffing, Alex thought, almost starting to laugh with amusement at the big Arzat’s continued attempt to fish her out. I can see right through you now, buddy boy. Not only had she heard the Arzat, he had also opened his mind so entirely that for a moment she could see much more.

  His name is “Zat,” or something close, and he has no intention of killing me—at least not for the moment. Indeed, as she had suspected and rather foolishly hoped, he was planning on taking her back to his caves as a prize. Why? Because Za’at still wasn’t absolutely sure he could start a fire himself. There was some other reason as well, but Alex couldn’t quite understand it or see it yet.

  She looked directly at the Arzat and gave him her best blank look, as if she hadn’t heard anything.

  Disgusted with his unsuccessful attempt to penetrate the female’s mind, Za’at stood and stretched, scanning the campsite and its perimeter with his eyes while sniffing and flicking with his nose and tongue for any signs of danger. While Za’at was quite comfortable being out on his own, he was usually in the company of other hunters that were—as a group—always on the alert.

  I must be more careful, he admonished himself as he looked around, suddenly realizing that he had been paying far too much attention to the uman and not enough to any potential threats that might be lurking in the night. He squatted and tested the ground.

  “We shall rest here until Qu’aa rises,” he said aloud. “Then, I will take you to the caves and present you to the Elders.” He looked again at the female, still hoping for some reaction.

  Well, she will get the idea when I bed down, he thought.

  Za’at was no longer as concerned with beating the other hunters back to the caves as he had been. In fact, now that he possessed the secret of fire, he was suddenly not in any hurry at all. It will be even better, he thought, if the other hunting groups have returned before we arrive. Wait until I walk into the chamber with a live uman! Even better, when I show them all how to create fire from nothing!

  Za’at picked up his scabbard, threw it over his shoulder, and rummaged around the perimeter of the camp for some more dry wood, checking again for any obvious signs of danger as he did so. He returned to the fire and stoked it, then found a flat area nearby and stretched out on the ground, placing a large flat stone under his head for support.

  He watched the fire for some time, mesmerized by its flame, and eventually grew sleepy. Then, just as he closed his eyes, the female got up and began to walk from the camp. The scales rose on the back of his neck and Za’at prepared to leap up and grab her until he watched her pull down her clothing and squat close to the edge of the campsite. He calmed when he realized that he had not seen the uman relieve herself since her capture.

  Alex saw the Arzat raise his head and look at her suspiciously. He slowly lowered it back onto his hard makeshift pillow, still watching her out of the corner of his eye. She didn’t care anymore. She had been holding her bladder for so long that finally relieving herself was almost a heaven-sent experience.

  Just relax, ya big bastard, she thought, still carefully blocking. I have to pee—and it’s not as if I can ask your permission! When she had fully emptied herself, she stood back up and pulled up her cargo shorts.

  Looks lik
e your sleeping on the ground tonight Alex, she thought as she walked back toward the fire, examining the area for a semi-comfortable place to bed down.

  Alex was no stranger to sleeping outdoors, so the general prospect of it didn’t bother her in the least. But sleeping directly on the ground was something she was not used to. It was getting colder. As the night wore on, she knew she would lament not having something warmer to wrap herself in. She wished now that she had one of the coats she had left in camp.

  So much for only being gone a moment, she thought. But at least there is a fire. And, I have my own personal bodyguard to boot. In fact, she suddenly realized that she was so tired that she didn’t care how hard the ground was or how cold it had become—she needed sleep.

  Alex found a spot near the fire close enough so that the Arzat could easily keep an eye on her and far enough that she was out of his immediate reach. This isn’t so bad, she thought, snuggling down in the long green grass. She was near enough to the flames to feel some of their warmth and instantly fell asleep.

  * * *

  A small drop of rain spattered her forehead. Alex could smell water in the air, which was worrisome, but that was not what had awakened her. It was something else.

  She slowly opened her eyes and looked past the fire in the direction of the Arzat. He was still in the same place, lying on his back, his head still resting on the rock, with one hand wrapped around the scabbard that held his killing stick. Alex watched him for a moment, listening to the night and trying to focus her eyes in the dim light.

  I must have really crashed out, she thought, noticing the vague change in the night sky that suggested sunrise was coming soon. She looked straight up. There was no visible starlight directly above her, only dark clouds. Jesus, I hope it’s not going to pour rain, she thought, feeling another drop.

  The fire had died down considerably, but there were still embers glowing. Occasionally, an errant raindrop would hit them with a hiss. Alex thought for a moment about reaching over and stoking it. She looked back over at the Arzat, deliberating whether or not it was worth it to risk disturbing his sleep.

  Then, just beyond him on the perimeter of the tree line, she noticed movement. At first, she imagined it might just have been some tree limbs blowing in the light breeze, but her instincts were screaming that it was more than that.

  The camp was dark, but the remaining glow of the campfire and a partial moon near the horizon was creating enough light to cast shadows. She listened, frozen in place, her eyes looking for the source of the movement. Just stay calm Alex, she told herself.

  Hell, she thought, still holding her breath, if it were anything dangerous, the Arzat would be climbing all over it by now. Wouldn’t he? Alex looked back at him, but he hadn’t stirred.

  The breeze gusted for a moment in the direction of the movement she had seen. Not a good sign, Alex realized. It was possible then, that if there was any real danger lurking, the Arzat might not have caught the scent of it. She continued to watch closely, her eyes searching the night. If only I had the night vision he does, she thought.

  For a moment, her heart leapt with hope. Could it possibly be Mot and Ara? Was it possible they had tracked her and found her? They have had enough time. It was possible that they could have already caught up with her. Was she about to be rescued? Alex looked back at the sleeping Arzat and prayed he would stay asleep.

  Then, as she turned her head back toward the tree line, she saw it. The black silhouette of some sort of animal had silently leapt up onto a rock or some high ground, just at the edge of the camp. She studied the dark figure, not daring to move, her eyes desperately trying to determine what exactly the creature might be. Whatever it is, it certainly is not an Arzat, she thought. What the hell . . . ?

  It’s a cat Alex, her father whispered in her head. And a rather large one at that!

  Alex’s eyes strained to see, her body absolutely still. She held her breath again . . . waiting . . . watching . . . frozen in place.

  Finally, the figure moved again, and she could see the full outline of it clearly. It was the dark shape of a large feline contrasted against the only slightly less dark background of the night sky. Probably a cougar, she thought, though it seemed larger than any cougar she could imagine. One thing was instantly quite clear to her—the beast was in complete stealth mode and it was preparing to pounce.

  She quickly moved her eyes back to the sleeping reptile, hoping he would show some signs that he was aware of the impending attack, but his head had slightly rolled toward her and he still looked to be sound asleep.

  He is out, Alex. You need to make a move soon, her father cautioned her.

  Alex looked back toward the silhouette. It would be only seconds now. The breeze was still blowing the in the big cat’s favor. She considered screaming, but something told her that would only escalate the attack. I will have to awaken him somehow—before the cat makes its move.

  Alex then did the only thing she could think of. She opened her mind and began silently screaming at the Arzat, aiming her consciousness directly at his. Fuck it, she thought, he’s certainly going to know I can telepath now.

  “Za’at, do not move! But you must wake up. There is something just behind you on the edge of the camp!” Alex watched to see if there was any indication that the Arzat had received her message, but there was nothing to suggest so.

  “ZA’AT, WE ARE ABOUT TO BE ATTACKED!” Alex screamed again, with all the effort her mind could conjure.

  She lifted her head slightly and immediately heard a low, otherworldly growl coming from the direction of the cat. Its silhouette had disappeared from her field of vision. Somehow, even in the low light, Alex knew it was silently charging for the Arzat, intent on clamping its fangs into his throat before he could react.

  Just as the dark figure reached the Arzat, she saw him swiftly roll out of the way. The cat tumbled, completely taken by surprise at the sudden move, and skidded to a stop close enough to Alex that she could have reach out and touched it.

  Alex couldn’t believe what she was seeing. This was no cougar. It was far larger. In fact, the beast was as large as any full-sized African lion or tiger she had ever seen—four or five hundred pounds of pissed off feline.

  The giant cat hissed and pinned its ears back, obviously confused by the sudden turn of events. It glared at the Arzat, who was now standing in front of it with his hunting stick drawn. Then, the cat turned its head toward Alex with rage in its yellow eyes and sprang toward her, ready to rip her to pieces.

  Alex braced for the blow and instinctively shut her eyes—but there was no impact. She heard a blood-curdling roar, and when she opened her eyes again, she could see the Arzat and the huge feline struggling on the ground, clenched in battle. Alex watched in shock as the cat screamed and growled and rolled several times with the Arzat’s bulk wrapped in its two enormous front paws. She was helpless to intervene.

  As suddenly as the battle had begun, all movement between the two combatants suddenly stopped. The big feline had somehow ended up on top of the Arzat, almost completely covering his body. She could hear the cat breathing rapidly. A moment later there was complete silence. Alex held her breath.

  Finally, she saw the Arzat’s arm move. It grabbed a portion of the big cat’s shoulder and rolled it off of himself. The feline ended up on its back with its head listing to the side. Alex could see the sharp end of a killing stick buried in its jugular. The cat’s lifeless tongue draped over its large canine teeth and spilled into the bloody dirt beneath it.

  Alex looked back at the Arzat, who was rising to his feet. She noticed his left arm was bleeding badly, but otherwise he was still quite alive.

  The giant stood, his arms visibly shaking. He regarded the cat carefully, pulling his hunting stick from its throat, then kicked it savagely and turned his attention to Alex. He paused a moment, looking deep into her eyes, then switched his gaze to the sky and its early morning light and howled in triumph.

  CHAPTER 28r />
  SIGNS IN THE SAND

  Mot couldn’t believe he had been so foolish. He had not only unnecessarily walked into a dangerous situation with the dogs but he had also completely lost the tracks and the scent of the Arzat who had captured Alex in the process.

  You must perform better than this, Mot son of the Great Hunter Url, he told himself.

  After chastising himself at length, he took a chance and doubled back on the same trail he had used to escape from the beasts, listening and testing the air often for any sign of them. He was determined to regain the scent of the mysterious Arzat who had taken Alex, even if he had to backtrack for half a het and kill every dog he encountered along the way. For the moment, there was no longer any sign of them besides a very faint scent that indicated they had given up on him and moved on.

  When he thought he was about halfway back to the human camp, Mot surveyed the land and looked toward the mountains that loomed in the direction of the morning stars. That is where he is taking her, he thought, painfully aware of the fact that he was actually heading in the opposite direction.

  Mot changed course and covered the ground in a large arch around the human encampment. He sniffed carefully, especially when he crossed any sort of game trail. The process was painfully tedious and time consuming. Every moment he spent trying to reacquire Alex’s scent was putting him farther and farther from her. The clouds he had noted at sunset were continuing to threaten a downpour. If it rained, his search for Alex would become next to impossible.

  Mot crossed a small ravine—easily leaping from one side to the other—and his senses were overwhelmed. A group of Arzats had come through the area very recently, and there was the faint odor of human flesh. No doubt, he thought, these are the scents of the hunters taking their kills back home.

  Mot bent to study the ground, but it was packed hard and gave little indication of the exact number of Arzats or the number of human carcasses he imagined they were carrying over their shoulders. Five or six of them, he thought, probably six. He shuddered, still hoping that the Arzat he had tracked earlier was not part of this hunting party or that, at the very least, he hadn’t yet rejoined them.