For some time the prince had been resisting the urge to ask how much farther they had to travel.
Instead he turned his attention to the twins. They were the closest ones to him. Tyro was leading the party, with Cho just behind him. He and the brothers were in the middle. Picking up his pace, he caught up, got between them and matched their strides. Each carried a large leather bag over his shoulder. The prince did his best to ignore the awful squid smell. Both men were taller than Gar by a few inches and well built, yet not as big as Tyro and not as tight as Kai. He walked with them for a while.
Neither of them spoke, but on occasion they would look at him then at each other.
“So, what’s going on with you two? You’re both so quiet. Or are you guys the strong, silent types?” Gar said, trying to sound light.
The twins smiled, but said nothing.
“Don’t you guys ever speak or are you willfully ignoring everyone?” Their almost mute existence seemed so strange to him.
He heard laughter from ahead of them. It was Cho. She looked over her shoulder. “Are you kidding? They hardly ever shut up.”
Gar stopped, dumbfounded. It had to be the stupidest thing he’d ever heard. “You’re crazy.
Neither of them has said more than two words since we started out!”
The boys smirked at each other and walked on ahead through the brush, chuckling under their breath.
“There’s a limited telepathy between close family members among my people,” said Kai, coming from behind Gar. He’d been following up behind the party, choosing to be alone. This was the first thing he had said since they had woken up.
“It’s not as strong as it is with those who are joined, but the thoughts are still shared. Parents to children, brother and sisters. But not beyond.” Gar became sullen. This native was the last person he wanted to be talking to.
They were now walking side by side. Gar was about an inch shorter than Kai. He noticed that the native had to double his pace as well to keep up with his tribesmen.
“Don’t worry. I’m staying out of your head,” continued Kai. “As much as possible.”
“Good,” Gar replied, curtly.
“Besides, it’s not a very nice place.” The prince glared at this pest who dared to make such a comment. His first instinct was to demand what he’d meant, then decided it wasn’t worth it. How could this savage have any understanding of what went on in his head? They were from entirely different worlds. He was from a place of advanced science and learning, this simpleton --well, he had to give him credit for being a good swimmer.
They had been walking for several minutes before Kai spoke again.
“Did you dream last night?”
“No.”
Kai considered this for a moment. “I dreamt last night.”
“Oh?” replied Gar, not really interested.
Mostly, he wished Kai would leave him alone.
Kai went on. “I dreamt of an endless night sky, like a massive lake, but larger. And there were great boats that crossed it. They were so fast.
They passed a giant red moon. And there were huge villages that floated on them with many people coming and going.”
Gar found the tribesman’s take on his universe slightly amusing. He supposed that as they slept Kai couldn’t help some mental overlap.
Much to his relief, of all the images that dwelled in Gar’s head, he was glad images of Orestus was all that the native was seeing.
“You want to know what you are dreaming about,” Gar stated more than asked.
Kai regarded him. Again, the prince could feel the intense curiosity he’d sensed the night before coming from Kai. He supposed some conversation was better than none at all. Besides, no one else seemed to want to talk to him.
“You’re seeing my home world, Orestus, and the gas giant it orbits called Phrayen. Probably also some of the G.S.P. ”
Kai
looked
at
him,
confused.
Gar
remembered that the nanites which helped his brain translate language weren’t prefect. It didn’t always work when there were no words in the native language for what he was describing. He sighed, slightly put out.
“Your dream was about my Sky Tribe.” This answer seemed to make more sense for Kai who nodded and continued walking, taking this information in.
“And you have had no dreams since…?” Kai let this sentence trail off. He could tell the stranger did not want to talk about what had happened. He sensed Gar bristle at the mere inference. They walked in silence for a few more minutes while Gar swallowed his resentment. It seemed as if their short conversation was over.
“Hunting,” Gar said, abruptly.
Kai’s face turned to him quickly with a look of surprise. “You dreamt of the hunt?” Gar didn’t like Kai’s reaction. It made him feel stupid somehow. “Yeah. I was hunting my ship. It turned into a monster. My mother was there…yeah, I know…it makes no sense.” There was an awkward pause between them.
“Maybe conversation’s just not a good idea,” Gar stated bluntly and walked ahead.
***
It was noon and they had been climbing a gentle incline for about half an hour. There had been a few breaks throughout the morning, but they hadn’t been nearly long enough for Gar and at that point he was becoming quite fatigued.
Everyone in the royal palace, and pretty much all of Orestus, was compelled to partake in body conditioning, but it had never been anything of this manner. Mostly, they ran on virtual tracks and worked with maintainers who would monitor the various exercise devices. Real world applications were not really considered and Gar was quickly reaching his fill of this real world.
As they walked, he had been trying to remember the interstellar assignment he had programmed into this ship’s computer but could recall nothing. The assignment number would be able to tell him a little about where he was.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t jog his memory. Next time he would make sure he left a trail of breadcrumbs to follow home.
From about 50 feet ahead he heard Tyro shout. “We’re almost there. Hurry up!” Gar caught up to the group. They were standing at the top of a forested ridge. Tyro motioned for Gar to come forward and pulled some of the foliage back so the stranger could see.
For a person who had traveled the universe and seen many wonders, he found himself impressed by the sight that lay before him.
Their keep, as the Aklesh warrior referred to it, was a tree of monumental size. Gar estimated it to be about 14 or 15 stories high and as wide as the Hale Plaza on Orestus. It was made up of huge knots and winding growth.
It had grown by the side of a small river.
Next to its base there had been a series of steps carved out of stones that lead to the water. He could see people bathing and washing clothes. The sounds of children laughing could be made out even from their vantage point.
They were still a good 15 minutes walk away and Gar was grateful it was downhill from that point on. As they descended, the young prince couldn’t keep his eyes off of the spectacle.
The tree had a mass of roots that spread out like huge fingers upon the ground. These swelled up and created a natural plateau. On this flat area a large sort of platform had been built out of the tree itself. From it the Aklesh had extended it further so it created a common area where countless huts sat, as well as hung from different parts of the tree, which were connected by little balconies and ladders of varying sizes. Where these great balconies were not supported by the tree itself, massive supports, as large as the normal trees that surrounded it, had been driven into the ground and tied to the platform.
From this common area two large trunks grew and twisted above, creating a second natural platform where numerous huts sat. It was hard to tell the actual number since the man-made platforms wrapped completely around the huge trunks. From there the two trunks became four large branches. Spiraling platforms had been built into the reac
hing arms of the tree. These also contained huts. Each massive branch had a wide reaching parasol of purple and blue leaves that seemed to cascade from the top and hang about a third of the way down like the lingering sparks of fireworks. Up by the tallest canopy there was a large structure about as big as ten of the huts in size.
Several huge staircases carved out of the tree connected all of these places.
Around the base of the tree several structures had been built. These included a small tower that nestled into the crook of one of the larger root systems. It had a large, pulley elevator which they were using to ferry supplies from the ground to the platforms. There were also several huts nestled at the base of the tree and roots which formed a village. They seemed to fit a hut into any nook and cranny available. Underneath the lower platform were several large structures that he could only assume were used for food storage.
Lastly, behind it all he could see various groupings of cultivated gardens as well as an area fenced off for large, furry white creatures which were the first other life forms he’d encountered besides his current traveling companions.
The place was bustling with activity. Gar had been expected a few simple huts, crudely built, but what he had stumbled upon was a whole tribal metropolis.
“Home,” Cho said as they drew near. He could sense Kai behind him tensing nervously, full of uncertainty. Gar could sense that the word home held mixed feelings for the younger warrior. The twins and Cho also became agitated as they began to walk among the huts on the outskirts on the forest village, but Gar could only notice that from seeing it; he couldn’t sense it in them.
The people of the Aklesh tribe had the same distinguishing features as those of the fishing party he was with. The men were strong and tall in general, their heads shaved in the same fashion as Tyro, Kai and the twins. There was more variation among the women; some were dressed like Cho, in loincloths and leggings, while others had simple leather dresses. Some of the other, younger women had exposed midriffs. It seemed the older a person was, the more modest the attire worn. Some pieces of clothing were decorated with blue and purple beadwork or white fur. It was then Gar realized that this race’s legs from the knee down also had a blue patterning, including the entire foot. It became apparent they were born with this coloring.
The people of the tribe were busy with the midday occupations of preparing food, basket weaving and minding the children.
The children, some naked and some not, were the first ones to notice a stranger in their midst. They stopped their playing as they walked by, jaws gaping while whatever games or small fights they were involved in were forgotten.
Soon the adults began to take notice as well.
Conversations stopped and tasks put aside in order to stare at this alien that walked among them. Many of the older tribesmen and women knew of the Sky Tribes, so there was no question that he was from one of them. But, to see one was so rare, everything else was put on hold.
Gar smiled awkwardly and waved. The motion sent a flurry of whispers among the crowd that was now gathering.
Tyro led their group confidently, and the others flanked Gar on all sides. Kai stayed close.
If he hadn’t known better he would have thought he was a prisoner. And there was still no telling whether or not he might end up becoming one.
He felt nervous and although he was loath to do it, he reached out a thought to Kai. He’d never done such a thing before and the experience was unsettling.
What’s their problem?
Don’t blame them for being curious, Kai responded. It’s not often they see a person from a Sky Tribe. There are a lot of questions about where you come from and a lot of stories and legends about it, too. Just try to relax. We’ll get you to…
But, before Kai could finish, they heard a sharp female voice cut though the crowd from up ahead. People parted way for the speaker.
“What’s going on here?!”
Tyro and the group stopped and the woman with the demanding voice burst forth. This woman was dressed like Cho except for her hair, which was worn in the style of the men. Her height matched that of Cho’s brothers, and she was intensely muscular for her sex. Her manner said immediately that she was not a person to mess with. She appeared to be very annoyed by the appearance of their fishing group.
Vol’zhal, Kai’s voice crept into his head.
Lead warrior of our tribe. Let Tyro do the talking. Gar felt slimy every time Kai’s voice slipped into his brain, but he let this go since this mental coaching was keeping him calm. He was feeling a little overwhelmed by the situation.
“No, no, no,” she berated their group. “You are not supposed to be back for two more days.
Can’t you do anything right? The Beloch only mate for one week. Now we’ll miss the best fish of the season!”
Tyro began to explain. “We had to return…”
“I’ll bet!” Vol said with a hard laugh. “Did someone stub their toe?” It was that moment that she finally noticed Gar. She took him in very slowly from head to toe then leaned towards Tyro.
Her expression was one of distaste “Sky Tribe?” He nodded.
“Other?”
Tyro’s answer was neither a positive or negative one.
Vol walked to Gar and got very close, still examining him. She was several inches taller than he was and certainly much stronger. Her scrutiny set him on edge. He wasn’t a piece of cattle for inspection and such an examination was highly offensive.
“You’re
short,”
she
said,
with
a
disapproving tone.
“Stare at me for that long and that’s all you can figure out?” Gar said flatly.
There was silence in the crowd. His comment took a moment to register, but once it did, she began to swell up. Before she could lay into him, Tyro put a firm hand on her shoulder.
“We need to see High Mother now,” he said with a note of finality.
She seemed to respect Tyro, but took a moment to back down. Gar did catch her glance at Kai with the same distaste she had been lavishing on him.
“Go,” she muttered and stormed off.
“Who shoved a spear up her backside?” Gar scoffed.
Tyro whirled on Gar, The warrior brought his face so close to the haughty prince it was only an inch away from his. The tall tribesman’s mass greatly overshadowed him.
“Don’t say anything to anyone else!” he said, and that was an end to any more of Gar’s sarcastic outbursts.
He motioned and the group headed for one of the great stairways. None of the crowd followed them.
Gar bit his lip. No one ever spoke to him like that.
As they climbed the long stairway, people were leaning over the railings of the platforms to catch a glimpse of Gar. Word had traveled quickly among the Aklesh that a visitor from the Sky Tribe was in the keep.
Cho and the twins took the fish and the supplies and separated from the group at the first platform. From there Kai, Tyro and Gar had continued on, going up another stairway to the second platform.
Gar could now see the Aklesh living arrangements from a much closer perspective.
The hut structures were cylindrical and framed with sturdy poles. All the walls were plastered with mud and straw and worked till they were smooth, like clay pottery. The roofs were made up of pieces of bark. These were light brown and grey and laid out like shingles. Sticking out of each rooftop was a pole that came out of a small opening in the center. On the poles were more shingles that fanned out like small umbrellas. Gar figured it was some sort of chimney.
Many living quarters were made up of more than one hut. They were attached at the sides.
Every single dwelling had at least one small window and doorframe. Hung in each door was either beading or a red sort of straw curtain.
The prince assumed finding a good mattress was going to be a hopeless cause.
Many of the people, old and young
alike, were standing in the doorways and windows staring in wonder.
Gar could only imagine how these primitive people would react if they knew the galaxy was crammed full of countless humanoid variations, some of which were quite alarming. And some of which were barely human at all, having evolved so differently from their common ancestry.
Tyro and Kai took him to an out-of-the way corner of the platform where there was another raised balcony accessible by a short ramp. This little area leaned out from the tree a bit and had four huts on it, two separate ones and the two that were connected. Kai and Tyro led him to the smallest one farthest from the left. Tyro pulled aside the straw curtain.
“Stay here,” he said. “We will come for you in a while. There are other matters that need attending.”
Gar sighed. “So, I just wait.”
“Yes,” he said simply, then motioned for him to enter.
***
Gar was certain he’d been in the hut for at least two hours. He could tell because the light that shown from the little window had moved across the floor a good two feet.
The living space he found himself in was humble but serviceable. There was a cot on the side large enough for one person, or two if they were side by side and very close. It was covered with a pelt of white fur, like the kind he had seen adorning some of the native people. He had found his way to the bed almost immediately. Surprisingly, it was soft.
There was no telling the next time he would be able to rest, so the prince took full advantage of the opportunity. It was the first time he had been able to lie down on something resembling a bed for more than a day.
By the cot was a large woven basket with clothes as well as a small table next to it. The small pieces of furniture were roughly hewn.
Woodwork was not a very common thing to see on Orestus. The table had some wooden bowls and a pitcher with water on it. The center of the small living space had a circle of rocks and was obviously meant to hold a cooking or heating fire.
There were various red woven mats that covered the dusty ground.
Although the place smelled of grasses and clay, it was clean. Gar was not put off by his surroundings, quite the opposite. He enjoyed ambassadorial visits when he was required to go.
AKLESH (Under Strange Skies) Page 4