Victim of Circumstance (The Time Stone Trilogy Book 3)

by Robert F Hays

  “What do I do with that knife I found?” Yuri said. “It looks like a good one. I was going to ask who lost it and give it back.”

  “And face questions on how you found it,” Colin said. “As they can’t see, we’re going to find tons of lost junk all over. Collect it all and bring it back here. We can say we brought it from across the dark and use it as trade goods.”

  “We have to be careful we don’t sell someone their own stuff,” Ken said.

  “We’ll alter it just enough to disguise it,” Colin said. “That knife, we can cut the blade down a bit with my laser dagger and cut a bit off the wood handle.”

  Colin jumped at the sound of a knock at the door. “Ho Tanni,” came a playful voice from outside.

  Colin opened the door. “Ho Tanni, Colin.”

  “I have food for you,” she said. “I hope you like beef stew.”

  She handed Colin a wooden bowl with a large wooden spoon sticking out. The room filled with the aroma of beef and herbs.

  “We do, but we don’t want to inconvenience you, do you have enough?”

  “Inconven… What’s that?”

  “Put you to extra work, take something that you need.”

  “No, I always make too much.” Tanni sniffed the air and turned to Ken. “Your name is Ken, am I correct?”

  “That’s what’s on my ID chip,” Ken said.

  “Your what?”

  “Yes, that is my name.”

  “I meant it when I offered to show you the town. I’ll be your guide. When would you like?”

  “We have things to do,” Colin said.

  “Yes,” Ken said, “A lot of things. I’ll let you know when I’ve got the time.”

  “Don’t take too long,” Tanni said.

  As the door shut behind Tanni, Colin turned to the others. “There’s another thing we have to practice, sniffing.”

  “I saw that,” Ida said. “She sniffed the air. That’s how she knew where Ken was.”

  Yuri chuckled. “She must have a warped sense of smell. She obviously has the hots for you and I think you stink.”

  “Jealousy, jealousy, jealousy. I smell like roses.”

  * * *

  The Rangers spent the next two hours wandering around the house in a combination of exploration and look practice. It was a comfortable three bedroom with plain colored walls. Ornamentation consisted of textures. The walls of each room had a different surface; the bedrooms were covered with acoustic dampers. They hypothesized that this was similar to the muted, restful colors of bedrooms back home. The living room had the smoothest walls of all and its layout tended to amplify sound.

  The furniture was wood with down filled cushions. The armrests of the chairs were elaborately carved with figures of small animals. No such adornment was found on the legs or backrests. It was obvious that only parts where a hand would rest during normal use were given any artistic attention at all.

  After practice they settled back on the down filled mattresses for a nap to wait for the evenings festivities to begin.

  * * *

  “Ho Colin, Farren,” was the call at the door accompanied by a knock.

  “Ho Farren, Colin,” Colin said. He walked to the door, gave a quick grunt and opened it. Several grunts came from the gathered crowd outside. Colin scanned the group and grunted in return. The crowd was four times larger than the one that first greeted them.

  “Come, come,” Farren said. “The elders and our pastor are waiting. There’s a feast prepared with dancing and music. Maybe we can persuade you three to tell a story too.”

  They stepped out the door and followed Farren. The excited, chattering crowd fell in behind.

  “And teach us any new dance steps,” said a plump young lady as she caught up to Colin. “The last visitors from across the dark showed us many. They’re beautiful to watch.”

  “Dance steps?” Colin said. He was trying to figure out how the relative intricacies of a dance could be watched by a sightless people.

  “Hey,” Ken said. “Show them the ones you taught us, you know, the ones you said your grandfather used to do. The swim, the mashed potato, and the fluge.”

  “Good, good,” the lady replied.

  The narrow street was straight and lead toward the outskirts of the village. To Colin, the town looked ugly with its stark, unpainted walls. The one thing that did appeal to him was the fragrance of flowers, which were everywhere.

  Ken bent down and pulled at something embedded in the dirt. He smiled and showed it to Colin. It was a necklace of some sort with finely carved figures hanging from it. Colin returned the smile and Ken put it in his pocket.

  “Girl,” Yuri signaled in Ranger hand sign.

  Colin shrugged.

  “Girl,” Yuri signed again. “Young girl. Looked straight at me.”

  “They all looked at us,” Colin signed back.

  “No, no,” Yuri replied. “Looked with eyes. Aimed straight at me. I looked her, she looked away.”

  “Coincidental,” Colin replied.

  “No, she looked you, then Ida, then me.”

  “Bow flies?” Farren asked.

  “What?” Colin replied.

  “You looked like you were brushing away bow flies,” Farren said. “They’re pretty bad around here but not at this time.”

  “No ah... no...” Colin replied in a stutter as he quickly dropped his hands to his side. “Yuri and I were ah. . .”

  “A dance,” Yuri said hurriedly. “I was reminding Colin of the hand movements in a dance.”

  “Ah,” Farren replied. “Its style was very quick. It must look very nice when you’re bedecked.”

  Colin exhaled heavily as he realized that they could no longer communicate in Ranger sign language.

  “We’re coming to the common area,” Farren said.

  They rounded a corner and were met by the sounds of drums and several types of woodwind instruments. The mood of the crowd with them seemed to elevate and general chatter increased. The houses ended abruptly and the road emptied into a large cleared area. The area was covered in a grass that looked mowed like some of the modern genetically engineered varieties. Another crowd of three hundred or more waited there seated on woven mats in a vague semicircle. Members of their group called out names, probably friends or relatives. On occasion the calls were answered.

  “Can talk now,” Colin signed, carefully keeping his hand movements to a minimum. “Noise will cover.”

  “Come this way,” Farren said and led them to the center of the semicircle. Two men stood as they approached. “This is Elder Deckett, director of our town, and Pastor Bye, our minister and keeper of the sacred faith. Let me see if I can remember. It’s Colin, Ida, Yuri, and Ken. Am I correct?”

  “Yes,” Colin replied. “Pleased to meet you. We have much to talk about. A lot has to be done to establish further contact between your people and ours.”

  “Further contact?” Bye said, his face showing confusion. “The last time people crossed the dark was when I was a little boy. I don’t know how we can do that. The dark can only rarely be crossed by the adventurous and too many are lost trying.”

  “We have found ways,” Colin said. “It should be easier now.”

  Bye laughed. “That is if we wish to have contacts with your people again.”

  “Why not?” Colin said.

  “The people that cross the dark from your side are the bravest, the ones with moral character, protected by God. In conversations with the last group, I understand that many other people there aren’t that way. I’d be quite concerned that ungodliness, immorality and forbidden practices may infect our people as well.”

  “Ah...” Colin said, groping for words. “It’s been a long time. Things have changed.”

  Bye grunted in the direction of the Rangers before speaking again. “One of you is female. Is another her husband? We don’t approve of unescorted females in the company of males.”

  “I’m her husband,” Ken said.

&n
bsp; “Then why is it that she doesn’t walk with you. People have told me that she doesn’t walk with anyone in particular in your group.”

  “Yuri’s my brother,” Ida said quickly. “And Colin’s my cousin. They’re family, so I walk with all of them.”

  Colin gave them both a concerned side glance. He didn’t want to lie to these people, but what else could they do. If they told the truth, they may be instantly ejected from the village in the name of morality.

  Deckett, the village’s head laughed. “Pastor Bye,” he said. “You yourself just declared those who cross the dark as the bravest, the ones whose strong moral character gives them protection under God. I’m sure there’s an explanation for all their ways. They’re just different, not immoral.”

  “That is yet to be seen,” Bye snapped. Deckett winced. Bye turned to the Rangers. “Do Colin and Yuri have wives back home?”

  “No,” Colin said. “We’re single.” On saying that, he noticed out of the corner of his eye several women within earshot suddenly raise their heads appearing more interested in the conversation.

  “We have many single women here,” Deckett chuckled, “They would be most interested to hear that.”

  “Our women are not for trade,” Bye snapped.

  “I was just saying….”

  “I will advise them,” Bye interrupted. “They’ll think carefully and we’ll find out if these men have purity of soul and honesty of intent.”

  “We didn’t come to find a mate,” Colin said.

  “So, why did you come?” Bye said.

  “Simply trade, exchange of information and mutual assistance in the defense against evil.”

  “Good, the Pentacosts that came last time were wanting the same.”

  “Pentacosts?” Colin said. “We’re from Pellan.”

  “You aren’t Pentacosts?” Bye said with great concern.

  “No, we’ve never heard of them. Where are they located?”

  “Twenty warms walk across the dark, if you don’t get lost. Where do you come from?”

  “A lot further than that.”

  “Are your people’s morals based on the Holy Bible?”

  “Our laws and our culture are based on the Bible.”

  “Pastor,” Deckett said. “These people are a lot braver and more under the protection of God than we thought.”

  Bye raised his head. “Time for the celebrations.” He smiled and directed his head toward Colin. “I apologize if I may seem insulting. We have to be careful. This is a God fearing town. It’s my duty to protect all here from the practices and ways of the devil.” He raised his head again. “Where’s the food and drink, and who is it that dances first?” He turned, bent down and snapped his fingers near three rolled woven mats on the ground. “Use these mats to sit. We can talk between the entertainments.”

  Colin reached for a mat, pretending to fumble for it. The others did the same and sat in their own little group next to the village elders. Farren sat with them.

  “Sit next to me, darling,” Ken said to Ida. “They’re right; you have been neglecting your husband recently.”

  “Yack you,” Ida signed in return.

  Colin looked up just as an elderly man approached, his gray beard covered his chest and long gray hair hung half way down his back. He walked with a stick and was assisted by two women.

  “Colin,” Deckett said. “One you haven’t met yet. It is Hansel, the venerable one of our town.”

  “He’s my father,” Bye said. “He used to be the town Pastor.”

  “Then I got too old,” Hansel said. “I kept forgetting the lines of the Bible so I turned the task over to my son.” Hansel extended a hand and snapped his fingers. He looked like he was offering a hand to shake but Colin hesitated. He hadn’t seen anyone here shake hands.

  “They don’t wish to shake my hand?” Hansel said.

  “It may not be their custom,” Farren said. “They’re not Pentacosts, they’re Pellans, a good and righteous people from what we have found so far.”

  Colin laughed. “I was thinking it may not be your custom.”

  The villagers also laughed.

  “There’s much we have to learn about each other.” Farren said.

  Colin heard a tinkling sound.

  “The dancing begins,” Hansel said.

  Colin turned to see three women walk to the center of the semi circled crowd. He suddenly realized how these blind people appreciated a dance. The women were covered in tiny bells that sounded as they moved. He also noted that the bells on each arm and leg had a slightly different tone so the audience could tell which part of the body moved by the sound.

  The musicians started a quiet tune and the women lined up. They started to dance with long exaggerated movements and sudden jerks of their limbs. Colin shut his eyes for a moment and listened. He found himself liking the form of entertainment, in the way the artists meant it to be viewed.

  Between dances, wicker bowls and trays were passed around covered in fruit and cakes. Colin had to keep reminding himself not to relax. He saw that Bye had an ear cocked continually in their direction.

  “So, how did you make it across the dark?” Bye asked between dances.

  “We were chosen to go for our abilities,” Colin replied. “And before we left we were taught by the best of our people.”

  “What’s your work?” Bye continued, sounding casual.

  Colin decided to stay as close to the truth as possible in his answers. “We’re fighters, trained to defend our town.”

  “Soldiers?” Bye said. He leaned forward with a look of concern. “Is that why you came here? To fight us?”

  “No, no,” Colin laughed. “Our mission is friendship. There’s another group we wish to warn you about, the Alliance. They’re fighting us and want to take our lands and things we have. We don’t want them to come here as well.”

  “They’d waste their time here,” Hansel said. “Very little to take.”

  “You do have land,” Colin said. “They’d want that.”

  The men laughed. “We’ve thought on that many times,” Bye said. “Another people wanting to take what we have. The dark and the wall protects us. Any army trying to cross would lose half its soldiers before they reached here.”

  “There are ways of crossing without getting lost. We crossed without losing anyone.”

  Bye’s face turned serious. “You talk of sorcery?”

  “No, just clever people using their God given intelligence to figure things out. Nothing diabolical.”

  “Then tell us how it’s done,” Bye said.

  “That’d take more time than we have in one evening.”

  “Let them relax,” Hansel said. “After their arduous journey, they need to recover before we question them on new sciences.”

  Bye’s face relaxed and he gave them a slight smile. “Let us hope they’re proper sciences.”

  “They are,” Colin said. “We even found ways of reducing the number of bow flies.”

  “Now that’d be useful,” Hansel said.

  “It’d be good,” Farren said. “Then I won’t have as many floating in my lemonade.”

  The group around them burst into low laughter then quieted, returning their attention to the entertainment.

  * * *

  At around midnight, the celebration slowly broke up as groups stood and wandered back into the town. Finally, the elders rose and bid the Rangers a good evening.

  “I’ve work to attend to,” Farren said. “Will you be all right finding your way back to your house by yourselves?”

  Colin chuckled to himself. “We found our way across the dark; I think we can find the house.”

  The remaining villagers burst into a round of laughter. The Rangers stood, bid them a goodnight and thanks for the celebration then wandered toward the village.

  “Simple humor,” Ken said when they were out of earshot. “One of the elders told me a joke I heard when I was in second grade. I outdid him by telling one I he
ard in third grade.”

  “Well, they were all so friendly,” Ida said.

  “All except the good Pastor,” Colin said. “He had his ear in every conversation. Seldom smiled. Seems to be checking us out.”

  “That’s one thing that puzzles me,” Yuri said. “They smile at you even though they think you can’t see the smile.”

  “Or frown,” Ken said. “The pastor did a lot of that.”

  “Simple explanation,” Ida said. “I can tell if someone’s smiling over a voice only pen phone. Changing the shape of your face changes the tone of your voice.”

  “Yes,” Colin said. “These people’re hearing oriented so they’d notice subtle changes in tone of voice.”

  “But they also smile when they’re not talking,” Yuri said.

  “Habit,” Ida said. “Haven’t you ever smiled to yourself while you’re alone where there’s no one to see it?”

  “That Deckett guy is supposed to be the town headman,” Ken said. “But the Pastor asked most of the questions.”

  “The Pastor also contradicted Dechett on a number of occasions,” Colin said. “It appears that he’s the real leader here.”

  “A sort of theocracy,” Ida said, “with an, in name only, leader.”

  “We had them back on Old Earth,” Colin said.

  “I saw that girl again,” Yuri said.

  “What girl?” Colin said.

  “The one that looked straight at us. I went to the bathroom and she was there when I came out. I think she followed me.”

  “Did she look at you again?”

  “Yes, straight at me. She also looked away when I looked her straight in the eyes.”

  As they rounded the last corner before their house they saw a woman with a young boy by her side standing at their door.

  “Ho Miri,” She called as they approached.

  “Ho Miri, Colin,” Colin replied.

  “Did you bring any new healing herbs from across the dark?” she asked. “The last ones brought a herb called penny royal. It was really good for curing some female problems.”

  “We brought some medicines,” Colin replied. “What’s the trouble?”

  “My son Jael has warts. They’re ugly to look at.”