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

by David Samuel Frazier

  Clearly, a formal meeting of the Council had just taken place or was about to.

  Word of my arrival, he thought, as he led Alex across the chamber toward the fire and Ta’ar. To his dismay, it seemed as if most of the Arzats that had been sent out concurrent with Za’at’s hunting party had already returned. As he crossed the giant room, he spotted most all of their leaders, not the least of which was his archrival Sa’te who had just taken it upon himself to try to kill his captive. Ba’a and his other hunters were nowhere to be seen. Where are they? he wondered. Za’at had counted on Baa being there by now with the other umans. With Alex in tow and all of his senses tuned, Za’at proceeded across the chamber.

  Alex stepped carefully, following him closely, still struggling to see the cave floor clearly despite the light from the fire. The last thing she wanted to do now was to trip and fall into the arms of a hostile Arzat. Around her, she began to notice a number of Arzat males that she hadn’t seen in the chamber earlier, as if they had appeared from nowhere. Some were squatting and some were standing. There must be several entrances, she thought, as she made her way through the room. Suddenly the males, rather than focusing on her, appeared to have turned their attention to the large cat’s severed head. Za’at was holding it high as they moved toward the fire and Ta’ar.

  “I brought this as an offering to the Great Creator and the clan, Elder Ta’ar,” Za’at said, once they stood before him. Za’at lifted the head even higher so that all in the chamber could see.

  Ta’ar looked carefully at the female, who remained one step behind Za’at, then turned his attention to the koota’s severed head. He stepped up just close enough to get a good look without getting in range of Za’at’s killing stick, suddenly realizing how tightly he was clinging to his own. The beast’s eyes were glazed in death but open, its jaw hanging, revealing a large tongue and several vicious and deadly teeth. Ta’ar had no problem imagining that, when alive, the animal could have easily fit his entire head into its mouth.

  “Very impressive, Za’at. I don’t think I have ever seen a koota so close.” Ta’ar turned his attention back to the female. “Or a living uman for that matter.”

  “Thank you Ta’ar,” Za’at said proudly. He could feel the other Arzat Hunters shifting around the room, knowing they were having their own quiet conversations about the slaying of such an impressive beast—that, or his audacity at bringing a living uman into the Arzat caves. Wait until I show you how to make fire, he thought triumphantly, carefully blocking, still holding the koota’s head high.

  Ta’ar noticed Za’at’s damaged shoulder. “I see that you were wounded. Was that from the beast or the smooth-skinned female?”

  Za’at could hear and feel low laughter erupt in the room. He suddenly began to doubt the wisdom of bringing the live uman with him. “No . . . not from the female. This beast attacked in the night, and I was able to slay it with my killing stick.” He unconsciously lowered the cat’s head to his side.

  “Interesting,” Ta’ar said, moving in closer to Za’at for a look at his shoulder, but continuing to stay well clear of the Arzat Hunter’s killing stick. “It looks as if you were badly cut. How did you stop the bleeding?”

  Za’at realized he was trapped. If he lied to Ta’ar, he would know it. “The . . . the . . . female. She used a burning stick,” he stammered.

  Ta’ar turned slightly and stared again at Alex, his large reptilian eyes cutting right through her, a hint of the firelight reflecting in them. Alex felt as if she were going to pee her pants. She looked down at the floor.

  “It appears that we have greatly underestimated these smooth-skins,” Ta’ar said, changing his tone and turning his attention back to Za’at. He looked again at the wound, scorched and black. “Are you aware, Za’at, that because you deserted your hunting party, they were ambushed and killed by the umans? Mek was the only survivor.”

  Za’at set the head down on the floor of the cave. His own head was spinning. He was responsible for his hunters. If they had been killed, no trophy or human prize or even the creation of fire was going to excuse him from that. His confidence ran out of him like water down a hill. “How . . . how . . . did that happen?”

  “Not only that,” Ta’ar continued, ignoring Za’at’s question, “but Mek unfortunately decided to return to the caves and has lead the murderous smooth-skins here.”

  Za’at felt his scales rising. He was done for. In fact, Ta’ar would be within his rights to skewer him right now. Stupid Mek! Now, I will be banished or killed for sure. How could this have happened, he asked himself, carefully blocking. He tried to scan the room, looking for Mek without being obvious about it. He finally spied him and realized the young hunter had been squatting close to where Ta’ar had been earlier.

  “That’s . . . That’s impossible!” Za’at stammered. “I left Ba’a in charge with specific instructions . . . How . . . How could such a thing have happened?”

  “You left Ba’a in charge. That is how it could have happened.” Ta’ar’s voice was still resonating through the chamber. He purposely wanted all of the hunters in the room to hear. “Apparently, Ba’a was not a good judge of . . . well . . . anything. According to Mek, they stopped in a bad place and were attacked unmercifully by a large group of smooth-skin hunters. Only he escaped. Unfortunately, he has also brought the umans—here!”

  “Here?”

  “Yes, here, Za’at. In fact, they are so close that I am surprised you were able to enter without being attacked yourself. Did you not sense them or smell them?”

  “No . . . I . . . no . . .” Za’at was trying desperately to think. Why would the smooth-skins track an Arzat all the way to the caves? To what purpose . . . ? Suddenly, he could feel Ta’ar’s eyes looking past him to Alex.

  Was it possible? Would the smooth-skins actually go to such lengths to try to recover just one of their own? Arzats would never do such a thing. I mean, perhaps if it were the offspring of an Elder, but . . . This situation was going from bad to worse. Za’at watched Ta’ar’s hands out of the corner of his eye, expecting that the Elder might run him through at any moment.

  “Now, Za’at,” Ta’ar continued, “we have a big problem. There are at least eight by three of the uman hunters outside—and they now know where we live. Who knows if they have called for more? Our caves are threatened and therefore the entire clan is threatened.”

  Za’at could sense Ta’ar’s hands squeezing his own killing stick, as if he were about to disembowel Za’at at any moment. He fought for something to say, but nothing was forthcoming.

  Ta’ar took one more uncomfortable step toward Za’at and began to speak to him only with his mind. “If I didn’t need every able bodied hunter right now Za’at, I would slay you this instant even without the consent of the Council and with my own hands.” He looked at Za’at directly, his eyes boiling with anger.

  Za’at was smart enough to look away, and the room was silent.

  “But, for the moment—and only for the moment—it looks as if I am going to need you.” Despite any misgivings he might have about Za’at, Ta’ar knew he was a ferocious fighter.

  Yes, he thought, if we are going to battle the umans, there is no sense in prematurely eliminating one of the clan’s most formidable hunters.

  “Perhaps if we surrender the female,” Za’at offered, and immediately realized his mistake.

  Ta’ar looked at Za’at again for a long moment, as if he were the most worthless Arzat he had ever laid eyes on.

  “Sa’te,” Ta’ar said aloud, “take this uman, bind her hands, and place her under guard.”

  This can’t be good, thought Alex, still confused by all of the talk of other humans. Did they know about Tom? Were there other humans who had survived the asteroid? Where would they have come from? Her mind immediately went to work trying to solve the puzzle.

  Sa’te, who had been off to the side, stepped forward immediately, seizing the uman’s arms with both of his enormous hands.


  “And Sa’te,” Ta’ar added, “be sure you don’t harm her—or you will answer to me.”

  “Yes, Ta’ar, son of Baz.”

  Alex could instantly feel the Arzat loosen his tight grasp, but only slightly.

  “And Sa’te,” Ta’ar said as an afterthought, “have one of the females shit her, feed her, and water her. Perhaps your mate should be made responsible. Give whomever it is the same instructions I just gave you. I need you back here immediately.”

  “Yes, Elder Ta’ar,” Sa’te replied, already beginning to lead the female away.

  “And Za’at,” Ta’ar commanded, “you will stay. We have an attack to plan. Since you seem to be so adept at provoking the umans, perhaps you can provide some worthwhile counsel while we decide what to do about your own . . . atrocities.”

  CHAPTER 40

  PRISONER

  The male Arzat that had seized Alex’s arm began leading her forcefully down one of the side tunnels that connected to the main chamber.

  Once again, it hadn’t taken very long for the two of them to move completely away from any major light source and Alex was once again struggling to see. She almost tripped and fell several times, but the Arzat’s solid grip on her held her upright. Every fifty feet or so, they would round some corner and a torch would appear, fixed to the cave wall. The smoke from the burning torches hung briefly in the rafters of the cave, but there seemed to be some airflow that kept the smoke moving so the cave remained breathable. Obviously, Alex thought, the caves were somehow vented.

  When there was light, Alex could see other, smaller entrances to side caves. Many of them appeared to be inhabited though none of them were lit. Every so often, when she dared to look into one, her eyes were met with the eyes of other Arzats, some of them hissing in surprise. She couldn’t be sure in the near dark, but most appeared to be females.

  Her escort finally stopped at one of the many door-sized holes in the corridor wall and called out using only his mind. “Ma’ar, come. I have brought you something.”

  From just inside, a female approached the door, sniffing and flicking. Then she spied Alex.

  “What . . . ? Why . . . ? Why would you bring me such a thing Sa’te? An uman? A live uman?” the female Arzat asked silently, glaring into the smooth-skin’s strange eyes, which were frightening. The uman smelled like a female. She sniffed again, just to be sure.

  “Never mind, Ma’ar,” Sa’te replied. “The story is too long and too incredible to tell. But it should not surprise you to know that Za’at is involved. He has led a whole group of these creatures to our caves and we are planning an attack. For some reason, Ta’ar has ordered this one unharmed, at least for the moment, and has made her wellbeing my responsibility. You are the only one I trust to keep it so.”

  “But . . .” Ma’ar started to say.

  “I must get back to the chamber,” Sa’te said, cutting Ma’ar off. “Watch over her and see that she remains alive.” He roughly pushed Alex toward the female Arzat, turned, and began to walk away.

  “But, Sa’te, I . . . I . . . know nothing of the smooth-skins. How . . . ?”

  Sa’te stopped and turned back for a moment. “I don’t know any more than you, Ma’ar,” his tone was one of frustration. “I suppose they eat and drink and shit like any other animal. Just be careful. Her scent might send the other Arzats mad once they sniff her out. Tell them what I have told you—that no harm is to come to her, by order of the Elders. I will ask Ta’ar to spread the word through the caves.” Sa’te once again turned and left.

  Suddenly, Alex found herself alone with this new female. She had been following the conversation and was trying to make sense of it. What did the Arzat mean by a group of humans? Was it possible that Tom, Mot, and Ara had already tracked her?

  She looked up at the golden eyes of the female, who was staring nervously at her, sniffing the air, and occasionally flicking her tongue. Best not to rile her for the moment, Alex thought, still carefully blocking. One thing was good—the other Arzat had not bothered to tie her hands as he had been instructed. Perhaps, if she stayed calm, this female wouldn’t think to do so either.

  Alex slipped down a portion of the wall near the entrance and sat. The Arzat female backed further into the room and squatted, never taking her eyes off of Alex. Near the female, Alex noticed something in the dim light that appeared to be half wrapped in animal skin. The Arzat reached out and protectively placed one of her hands on the object, which was about the size of a football.

  Yes, Alex. It’s an egg. An Arzat egg! she heard her father say.

  * * *

  By the time Sa’te had returned to the main chamber, the council of Elders had already reconvened. The five of them were squatting in a circle near the fire pit. Mek was present, along with Za’at and the rest of the leaders from the other hunting parties.

  Sa’te was not happy that he had been sent off like some stone carver or wood gatherer to take care of the uman. He was agitated and angry by the time he was able to rejoin the meeting. Why, he wondered, would we leave the smooth-skin alive even for a moment? She should be dead. Now Ta’ar has forced me to risk the wellbeing of my own mate and my first offspring. He silently took a place in the circle and squatted, glaring at Za’at and wishing him dead as well.

  “What do you know of them, Za’at?” Ra’a, one of the other Elders, asked, referring to the uman hunters.

  “As I have said Elder Ra’a, I only know what has been told to me since my return. When we attacked the camp, there were only eight and six umans in the group—mostly young or female. I counted only four mature males. We tracked them for half a het and there was no sign of any other smooth-skins anywhere in the area.” Za’at was carefully trying to justify the attack.

  The Elders were still trying to make sense of the umans who had showed up at their front door. Why had the smooth-skins taken such a risk?

  “Go on,” Ra’a said, wishing to know all of the details.

  Za’at recounted the attack and how he and the hunters had somehow missed the female, careful to mention that he had been in the midst of counting their kills when the female had appeared out of the night. He described how she had run a spear through Ack and how later they had lost track of her during the fight that had ensued between Baa and Za’at, blaming Baa for instigating it.

  Za’at even admitted that he had become obsessed with finding the female and why, once he had found her, he had kept her alive. He knew, unless he could convince the Elders that all of his reasoning had been sound, his life would be forfeit, regardless of whatever else happened. Then, he had carefully described the method Alex had used to make fire.

  “Hah,” Sa’te scoffed, listening to Za’at’s story and finally unable to contain himself, “fire from nothing?”

  Za’at looked at Sa’te, his eyes burning. The rivalry between them was no secret and was lifelong. He knew that Sa’te was very much enjoying his current predicament and it took every bit of Za’at’s self-control to keep him from leaping at the male and killing him.

  Ta’ar glared at Sa’te as well, giving him an unspoken warning to remain silent. No one, other than an Elder, was to ever speak at Council without first gaining permission.

  “The Great Creator makes fire,” Ta’ar said, turning his attention back to Za’at.

  “It’s true Elder Ta’ar, just as I have said. The umans do create fire from nothing. Mek can speak to it. He saw the fire they made in their own camp before we attacked. We followed them for a het. They did not bring it with them. After I captured the female, I made her show me their secret.”

  Sa’te and the rest of the Arzats scoffed again. What Za’at was saying was sacrilege. There had always been rumors—yes—but the Arzats in general refused to admit what they knew in their hearts to be true about the umans.

  Za’at leaned forward, risking all in an effort to save his own skin. “And there is something else. The female can speak!”

  “We know the umans can speak,” Sa’te said,
exasperated and speaking out of turn again.

  When will the Elders end this nonsense? Kill or banish Za’at now and be done with this, his mind was screaming. Sa’te was struggling to block.

  Ta’ar glared at Sa’te as a final warning.

  “Only with their minds as we do,” Za’at added, looking directly at Sa’te, baiting him, hoping for a physical confrontation.

  “Elder Ta’ar! May I speak?” Sa’te was beside himself and did not wait for permission. “This is outrageous! Fire from nothing? Umans able to speak only with their minds as Arzats do? Za’at invents these stories to excuse his own behavior and his incompetence!”

  “Do you wish to formally challenge me, Sa’te,” Za’at said quietly, almost unable to contain his desire to leap on the younger Arzat.

  “Enough,” Ta’ar threatened. While his curiosity was peaked, he wanted this conversation to end before one of the Priests caught wind of it and stuck their noses in or he was no longer able to contain the two males. “We will have plenty of time to find out the truth. Right now, we must decide what to do about the umans outside.”

  “The answer is simple,” Kaz, another of the Elders spoke up. “Kill them. All of them! In my lifetime, we have gone from never hearing or seeing the smooth-skins to having them compete for our food and our land. Now, they have slaughtered a whole group of our own hunters. I say . . . kill the umans that are in front of us and send our hunters out far and wide to rid ourselves of the rest of them once and for all. I formally call for a vote of the Council,” Kaz finished, banging his hunting stick on the floor of the cave.

  “And Za’at,” Ta’ar added, venom in his voice, “you should lead the attack and hope that one of the uman hunters gets lucky.”

  CHAPTER 41

  ONE WAY IN

  Tom slid up onto a large rock formation and crawled on his belly toward Mot. Mot was also prone, with his head just high enough to peak over the top of a loose boulder. From his new vantage point, Tom could see the cliff’s face that Mot had told him held the entrance to the Arzat caves. At first glance, Tom was immediately disheartened. It appeared to be a perfect natural fortress. He raised his head for a better look.