Ara had finally sniffed out a small creek along the way and deemed the water safe to drink. The three of them wasted no time satiating their thirst in the brook’s crystal clear flow.
Tom couldn’t resist pulling his hiking boots and socks off and plunging his feet into the stream. He sat on a rock by the edge and looked around, grateful for a chance to rest. The cold water running over his toes was like a little slice of heaven.
“Are we getting anywhere near them, Ara?” he asked, while he examined the one and only pair of shoes and socks he would probably ever see again in his lifetime. It seemed as if he had been asking Ara that same question all day, but he somehow couldn’t resist. As anxious as he was about Alex, even Tom wasn’t sure how much longer he could manage Ara’s breakneck pace.
“That is hard to determine, Tom Pilot. I have detected no clear sign of any Arzats other than Mot for several torches. For some reason, it seems as if he has chosen to follow the humans and their horses rather than the Arzat who captured Alex.”
Ara was squatting next to the brook, scanning the area with her eyes and occasionally sniffing and flicking her tongue, tasting the air for danger. Tom noticed that one of her palms lightly rested on the ground, obviously checking the earth for any unusual movement around them as well.
“Any idea why he would have done that?”
“It is hard to say. But I know this—it would only have been for good reason.”
“Do you hear anything, Ara?” Tom asked, noting that Ara’s hand was still monitoring the vibrations in the earth.
Ara continued to hold her palm to the ground and flicked the air with her tongue. “The sound of the humans’ horses has diminished, Pilot. I can only tell you that I can sense Mot. I feel that he must be somewhere close by.”
Tom looked over at Maria. She had been watching him but turned away when their eyes met. He was still awestruck by her natural beauty. Unbelievable, he thought. She has been getting the shit kicked out of her all day and she is pregnant, yet she looks unfazed.
Don’t forget, Tom, he could hear Alex saying. She has lived in these conditions all of her life.
He looked back at Ara, who was eyeballing him quizzically. Tom could feel himself blushing. She is reading my mind again, he thought.
“It is quite all right, Tom Pilot. The Arzat males are very appreciative of the most beautiful of the Arzat females. In fact, in our clan, the more powerful males often took several mates over their lifetimes, sometimes even concurrent with others if they were senior enough. The greatest hunters, of course, were also given that privilege. In our time, the females almost always outnumbered the males, so the practice made perfect sense.”
Tom blushed again. “Well, I wasn’t thinking that, Ara!”
Ara cocked her head, looked at Maria, and then back over at Tom.
“That is unfortunate, Tom Pilot,” she finally said, clearly not believing him. “I can tell you this—that is precisely what this little female is thinking.”
Tom glanced at Maria and caught her eye again. She immediately looked away.
“I thought Arzats mated for life?” Tom said as a question, trying to change the subject.
“Oh, we do. But, there are exceptions to every rule are there not? Particularly where males and females are concerned? Sometimes mates are lost due to death or banishment. Sometimes we may lose our mate to an open challenge with another male. Of course, any male who decided he was no longer satisfied with his mate could simply request to be relieved of her by decree from the Council of Elders.”
“Huh.” Tom shook his head and began putting his socks and shoes on.
“Listen, Tom Pilot, I have had much time to converse with Maria, daughter of the Great Hunter Abraham. She knows much about this land and how to survive in it. Since the Arzat attack on her people, she is now without a mate and about to bear a child.”
Tom looked at Ara, her golden eyes boring into him.
“You would do well to consider keeping her . . . close . . . to you and Alex,” Ara said suggestively.
Tom felt himself blushing again. Alex would never hear of it! Would she? He glanced at Maria. She was looking at him directly with her clear-blue eyes, her face expressionless. This time, when their eyes met, she did not look away. He half wondered if Ara had included the young woman in part of their conversation.
“We’ve got to find Alex, Ara.” Tom said, suddenly uncomfortable. He finished lacing his boots and stood.
Ara picked up her hunting stick and rose. “I am sure we will Tom. But first, we must find Mot, son of Url.”
“I think you have succeeded, Ara, daughter of the great Hunter Zan.”
Mot’s words rang in Ara’s head and also in the head of Tom the Pilot. His thoughts were so surprising and seemed so close that neither Tom nor Ara believed they could be real. They both looked at each other.
“Yes, it is I,” Mot telepathed again with as much excitement as Ara and Tom were both feeling. “I am close, but I do not wish to frighten the female.”
Ara sniffed the air and flicked. The distinctive scent of her mate completely filled her senses. How has he gotten so close without me detecting him, she wondered, relieved she had found him alive and well.
“I am Mot, son of the Great Hunter Url,” Mot said proudly as his answer. “And I think it is I who have found you, Ara, my mate. I approached from downwind until I was sure. You would not have detected my presence.”
“However you have done it, I am most pleased,” she replied.
“Now, can you instruct the human female that I am near? I do not wish to frighten the life out of her.”
Ara looked at Maria, who had also risen and was prepared to continue. Her mate had wisely assessed the situation from afar, despite not knowing the entire circumstances concerning the female.
“Maria,” Ara said. “My mate is close by and is about to show his face. He wishes not to alarm you and has asked that I give you forewarning. He will not hurt you in any way. Do you understand?”
Maria glanced nervously at the trees surrounding them. There was no sign of any other lizard that she could see, but that was not surprising given what she had already learned from the Ara and her own personal encounters with the reptilian creatures.
“I am ready, Ara. I will not be frightened,” Maria said using only her mind. The moment she had passed the message to Ara, a large lizard, very much like the ones who had killed all of her friends and her mate, slowly appeared from the tree line. Maria noted that his skin was a variation of colors that almost perfectly matched the tones of the forest around him.
“Mot,” Ara said with a sigh of relief when she could actually see him. “Thank the Great Creator.”
Mot slowly approached Ara and placed his hands on her shoulders. He then bent down enough to touch the top of his head to hers.
Tom watched, amazed. He had never seen any outward expression of emotion from either of the Arzats before—ever! He turned to Maria to check on her reaction to Mot’s sudden appearance.
Maria stood, carefully looking at the large beast. He was huge, bigger than the female and bigger even than the lizard men she remembered from the camp. I’m glad they warned me, she thought, or I would have pissed myself. She felt the baby within her womb kick suddenly as if in agreement.
Maria had been contemplating the entire day what to do about her current situation, magically conversing with the female lizard for most of the journey, trying to learn as much as she could about these strange creatures and their human friends. It was a fantastic story about great long sleeps and two other worlds entirely different from her own that had existed impossibly long ago. Something in the telling had made her believe that the female lizard was not lying. Maria wasn’t even sure how she knew, but she knew. The fact that they were able to communicate at all seemed proof enough.
And this man, Tom the Pilot, was clearly not the female lizard’s enemy. In fact, he had apparently saved both Ara and her mate on more than one occasion. Not
only was he handsome, he obviously knew something about survival. Now, even if she could find her father and the tribe, she knew she would be reluctant to return to them.
There will be nothing but sickness and despair for my child, she thought, unconsciously rubbing her belly. Things will be just as before. My father will find another mate for me—this time of his own choosing—and I will be forced to comply with the beast’s every wish. Come the winter, we will starve with all of the others. And the next winter, if we are lucky enough to survive the one before, we will starve again. No, this cannot be, she resolved, as she watched her new companions reunite.
“Greetings, Tom, son of Richard.” Mot had turned from Ara and was now regarding his human friend with his red reptilian eyes. They were glowing. “Listen, Tom Pilot, I have located Alex—and she is alive!”
Tom felt tears begin to form at the edge of his eyes. He wasn’t one for crying, but Mot’s sudden revelation that Alex had so far survived her capture was surprising. He had spent almost the entire trip imagining the worst, including horrible visions of her body roasting over an Arzat spit. Now, there was suddenly real hope again.
“Where is she, Mot? Is she safe?”
“She is still with the other Arzats, Pilot,” Mot said, with a note of disappointment. “Unfortunately, I was not able to catch up to her before the Arzat who had taken her reached his caves. But, he has kept her alive for some reason. So, for the moment . . .”
“How did you find her?” Tom asked.
“He is an Arzat Hunter,” Ara interjected proudly.
Mot looked at Ara, then back at Tom. “I lost her scent many times, Tom Pilot, first at their human camp then later in the rain. I was lucky when I came across the tracks of some other humans and their horses. They have been tracking the Arzats as well.”
Mot didn’t bother to describe the Arzat killing and even blocked his thoughts of it from Ara. It would only further disturb her.
“I decided to follow the humans and discovered Alex’s scent again when hers crossed paths with theirs. Then, I was finally able to track her to their caves. They are exactly where one might think—on high ground with an entrance that is easy to defend. I saw an Arzat leading Alex into them with my own eyes.”
“What of the humans, Mot?” Ara asked.
“They are almost to the caves as well. I think they might be planning to war on them.”
Perhaps, thought Ara, the humans are looking for someone. She turned and looked at the female.
During their journey, Ara had—through conversation and by gently probing Maria’s mind—discovered that she was the daughter of one of her own clan’s elders. This would make her very important were she an Arzat. Ara could only assume it might be the same with humans. Whatever the case, a war between the two groups would probably not bode well for Alex. Depending on their numbers, it was hard to imagine any fight going well for the other humans either. If the Arzat caves were threatened, the Arzats would defend them viscously.
“Maria,” Ara asked so that both Mot and Tom could hear the question, “do you know if your clan is looking for you?”
“It is possible,” Maria answered. Her mind was suddenly racing. Had Ara’s mate discovered other humans close by? She thought about her father. Yes, Abraham might have sent out a party in search of her. If they had found their camp . . . well . . . she could only imagine her father’s reaction. He would probably have given up on Maria still being alive, but that wouldn’t necessarily stop him from trying to exact revenge.
“Mot, do you know how many humans?” Ara asked.
“Eight by three, Ara. What I cannot determine is how many Arzats. But, if their caves hold a typical clan, perhaps eight by eight by four,” Mot shrugged. “Perhaps less, perhaps more.”
Tom struggled to do the math in his head, converting the Arzats’ base eight counting to base ten. Maybe two-dozen humans in pursuit of two hundred and fifty or so Arzats! Rescuing Alex was certainly not going to be easy.
In fact, he thought, now that she was within their caves, it might just be impossible.
CHAPTER 39
THE LION’S DEN
Za’at lead Alex down a long stone corridor that quickly became dark and ominous.
To Alex, it appeared to be a natural cave with the exception of the floor, which was unusually flat. It was hard to tell if the Arzats had purposely reconstructed it that way or if the smooth surface was just the result of years of traffic. The rock walls curved into the ceiling and appeared to be composed of some sort of limestone. The passage looked like it had been fashioned by years and years of water erosion.
This thing must have been here way before the asteroid strike, she thought. She wondered how long the Arzats had actually used it as their home. Hell, maybe there are frozen sections like the cave I found Mot in. Maybe that is where these guys came from.
I think you are about to find out, Alex, she heard her father say. Alex knew old Simon would have been just as excited about this adventure as she was—apart from the high possibility of getting killed.
As they progressed, the sunlight that had flooded the cave’s entrance soon faded until Alex could barely see the giant Arzat in front of her. She was ready to mention this fact to him, but just as she was about to do so, they rounded a corner and some light returned, emanating from torches that had been placed into widely spaced slots along the corridor.
One bend later Alex emerged into a large chamber, almost identical to the one she had discovered before in the ancient caves where she had originally found Mot. The room was enormous by cave standards, probably one hundred feet in diameter and half again as high. The floor was flat, just as the corridor had been, with a large fire pit off to one side and several torches burning on the walls. She glanced up and spotted a beam of sunlight shining through a small vent in the chamber ceiling. Upon her entrance, several pairs of Arzat eyes immediately turned to her. The room, she noted uncomfortably, was full of them.
Alex felt goose bumps rising all over her body. She couldn’t believe that she was actually in an Arzat cave. The scientist in her was thrilled beyond measure, but the human in her didn’t like her chances. The reptilian eyes were hostile and there was sudden movement around the room. She looked to Za’at for some reassurance, but he gave none.
“If you wish to remain alive for more than a moment, do not say a word, Alex, daughter of Simon, and fully block your thoughts,” Za’at said silently without turning to look back at her.
Alex was careful not to answer even with her mind, taking Za’at literally at his word. She could practically feel the Arzat hands in the chamber tightening their grips on their killing sticks as if they were tightening them around her throat.
* * *
The Elder Ta’ar looked up just in time to see Za’at and the female uman enter the chamber. He and the other Elders had just finished hearing Mek’s incredible story. Ta’ar was old enough that he imagined he had witnessed just about everything this world had to offer, but never in all of his seasons had he seen a live smooth-skin enter an Arzat cave. The sudden aroma was a shock, even to his fading senses. His reptilian eyes opened wide with wonder, then narrowed. He flicked his tongue and took a large whiff of air as he slowly rose from his squatting position, using his own killing stick to help him in the effort.
Ta’ar’s nose confirmed that the uman was female, obviously pregnant, and reasonably short in seasons. Suddenly, Mek’s story was beginning to make more sense. He was somewhat surprised to see that the female’s hands were not bound. His crimson eyes instinctively checked to be sure she was unarmed and shifted back to Za’at who was holding something unusual in his right hand that reeked of death.
“Ah, Za’at, we were just discussing you,” Ta’ar said loudly across the chamber so all in attendance could hear. “We thought you might be dead, but I see that you are far from it. Mek was just describing what happened on your hunt. This must be the female uman you became so obsessed over.”
There was an ac
cusatory note in the tone of Ta’ar's voice that even Alex sensed. The older Arzat was speaking aloud in the Arzat language, which she could both hear aloud and which simultaneously and very oddly translated in her head. She remembered that Ara had told her that the Arzats usually only spoke aloud as a formality or in larger groups and usually only inside the confines of their caves.
“Interesting that you have chosen to leave her alive—and unbound!” Ta’ar added.
Suddenly, in the dim light, Alex saw more movement. One of the male Arzats had begun to move at lightning speed toward her, but Ta’ar intercepted him with a quick gesture.
“No one is to touch this uman without my approval. That includes you, Sa’te! IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?” Ta’ar said with a full voice, his words echoing off the chamber walls. His eyes were smoldering, fixed on the Arzat who had attempted to attack the strange female.
“Yes, Ta’ar, son of Baz.” Sa’te looked away from Ta’ar for a moment, fixing his own crimson and yellow-flecked eyes back on Za’at and the female. He was both disgusted and delighted that Za’at had brought such an abomination into their home. If there ever were an atrocity committed by an Arzat, this was it. The only good uman is a dead uman, he thought to himself. But why Ta’ar would allow the female to live for more than a moment was perplexing.
“Come, come, Za’at, son of the great Hunter Qua,” Ta’ar said with a note of mockery. He motioned for Za’at to proceed toward him.
Za’at looked quickly at Alex.
“Yes, yes, of course. Bring the uman . . . and . . . whatever that ‘thing’ is that you are carrying.” Ta’ar pointed toward Za’at’s right hand.
Za’at was so focused on the Arzat’s reaction to Alex that he had almost forgotten about his trophy. He raised it high as he traversed the room toward Ta’ar, aware that Alex was following closely in his footsteps. As he walked, he noted that all of the females were absent and had obviously been sent out of the chamber. Most of the hunters were gathered, which was unusual for this time of day, and more were entering using the various passages that connected with the main chamber.
IN NATURA: a science fiction novel (ARZAT SERIES Book 2) Page 24