Beast Master's Ark

by Andre Norton; Lyn McConchie

  "Tani, how long have you been here in the camp?"

  "We got here last night. I'm staying with Jumps High's family. His mate is so nice. And they have two daughters. We've had a wonderful time."

  Storm wondered for a few startled moments if he was hallucinating. It had to be almost the first time any human had ever described time in Nitra hands as wonderful. He was even more startled when two Nitra girls appeared, each seizing Tani by a hand to draw her away with them. In all his time on Arzor he'd never seen Nitra women. They were guarded and protected like the precious water holes. He allowed his gaze to slide unobtrusively over the camp as he unsaddled his mount.

  There weren't as many females to be seen as males, but they looked much the same as the Norbie women of Krotag's Shosonna. They were handsome, the small curving ivory-white horns on the hairless heads only adding an exotic touch. They were a little shorter than the Norbies. The males would have averaged no more than seven feet of extremely slender height, although they all gave the impression of wiry strength and endurance. The women averaged perhaps six inches shorter, their slenderness giving an elegant grace to the adults and a gawky charm to the girls.

  The women wore the yoris skin corselet slit over the hips, but spreading from beneath it they added light frawn fabric bloused trousers that tucked into calf-high laced boots of yoris skin. They also wore jewelry. Some of it was rough-polished semiprecious stones only. Some had claws and teeth interspersed between the stones. One old woman wore a collar that covered her from shoulder point to shoulder point and dipped down almost to waist level. The Norbie males often wore such items, but only the males. This one was not of claws or teeth but composed of exquisitely carved plaques; it looked both ancient and very valuable and Storm looked away quickly. It would not be good if the clan thought him to be too interested in a valuable item.

  Storm could see no other woman, and few of the males, wearing such a collar at all, and those others were all of the usual type. The oldest warrior from the group that had taken him came from the crowd as they watched Storm without speaking.

  "You come now to the tent of our Thunder-Drummer. She speak to you and Sunset."

  Storm was four paces in his wake when the last words registered. He stopped, signing a question. "You say 'and Sunset.' You mean at sunset, yes?"

  The warrior was impatient. "I speak 'and Sunset.' The female of your people who came with Jumps High. She is friend to clan. You come now!"

  Storm followed with apparent meekness as he mulled over that startling information. The "Sunset" must be Tani, but how had the girl become accepted as a friend to a Nitra clan? Whatever she had done it must have been unusual and effective. Settler women had often been left unharmed in the old days after Nitra attacks. But the Nitra didn't rush out to claim them as friends of the clan. Even if they had taken Tani's status to be that of a female on her name-trial, they wouldn't have accepted her casually. She must have proved herself a valuable friend in some way.

  From what he'd understood, the clan's Thunder-Drummer, their medicine woman, had sent groups of warriors out on a search. They were to find one or more people who were different. Exactly what difference they'd looked for, Storm was uncertain. They'd taken him, he thought, for his team. Maybe that was why they'd taken Tani, too. Except that on the trip back she had somehow impressed them mightily and was now accepted as clan-friend. He stooped to enter the dwelling. It was large, being both home and Wizard House for One-Who-Drums-Thunder.

  Within its walls a circle of Nitra sat waiting. Tani was there, too, sitting by the male who had spoken to her earlier. The old female with the magnificent necklace was there as well. Her face, now painted in the significant patterns of a Thunder-Drummer, was almost unrecognizable. Storm sat hiding his surprise. The settlers had been on Arzor six generations, and the only Nitra contact until that time was with warriors.

  In Norbie society women were the keepers of the campfire. The ones who held the tribe's memories and lineages. Males were the warriors and hunters. It looked as if women were even more amongst the Nitra. He had not realized the Thunder-Drummer was a woman, the sign for that was sexless. It meant simply One-Who-Drums-Thunder. Sitting to the right of the One-Who-Drums-Thunder was a young male with a badly scarred and twisted leg. Normally the Nitra would have quietly encouraged one with those injuries to die. Their land was harsh. The clan could not afford to feed useless mouths, which meant the boy must have a valuable function. Storm waited and saw.

  The oldest warrior from his group entered and sat. The woman nodded. He began. In his own soft twittering speech he explained how they had searched and found one who had animal and bird spirits to accompany him. As he began to talk the boy raised his hands and signed. He kept pace with the story in the fastest and most fluent finger-talk Storm had ever seen. Apparently that was for their benefit, because the old woman lifted a hand. She spoke and the boy signed.

  "You speak this talk, he signs not too fast for you to understand?"

  Storm nodded, he could follow the boy's signs even if he could not have signed that quickly himself. "The female of your kind. She does not understand such swift talk. You will tell her anything she must know?"

  His hands signed agreement.

  "That is well."

  Around the other side of the circle Tani had understood more of the signs than either expected. She smiled slightly. It had only been for her amusement that she'd learned, but she had used both the learning from the cortex impresser and then the visual tapes. With a week of teasing Logan into helping her and then several days' continuous practice with Jumps High's group and his family, she could now understand the talk at a faster rate than her unpracticed hands could make the signs. It was the slowness of her fingers they had mistaken for slow understanding. She would watch hard now and see how much Storm told her.

  She guarded herself. She'd read of other cultures and visited over a dozen planets in her life. She knew misunderstandings were common enough and once in the clan camp had begun to see what the Nitra's initial mistake had been. She'd noted the bow-hands drying in the smoke outlet of the shelter. A warrior had died for each of those hands. It neither surprised nor disgusted her, contrary to what Storm would have expected. Tani had grown up with the stories of Cheyenne conquest from her father. The past of Ireland, too, had been long and bloody, as were its stories. Alisha and later Aunt Kady and Uncle Brion had told her those.

  Tani had hunted with her team. She knew that all things die in their time and that to draw back in horror at the native trophies would give offense. She'd made a quick signed comment about being in the home of true warriors and thereafter ignored both trophies and the subject. But she had noted the quick reaction of pleasure and pride. She'd done the right thing. She watched the story of Storm's capture unfold. It took little time and then Jumps High started his tale.

  This took far longer as time and time again one in the circle would wish a part of the story retold. The part where she had warned them of Death-Which-Comes-in-the-Night. How Jumps High had chosen to believe her and moved the camp. And how the other group had taken the camp later and died for it had to be told over several times. Until every nuance was sucked dry. As the story continued past that point she noticed even Storm was regarding her with interest. Tani grinned to herself. He should see that you didn't have to be a team-wasting, war-trained Beast Master to know things, too.

  She was right. Storm was interested. Her story explained for a start just why the Nitra were accepting the girl as a clan-friend. He, too, hid a smile. She hadn't known they were Nitra, that was the base of everything. Logan hadn't told her that beyond the Norbie tribes lived the Nitra. It appeared that Logan had simply assumed Tani would never be in a position where she would meet Nitra, and had refrained from possibly scaring her. So when four warriors came out of the dawn, Tani had met them as friends. She'd offered food, drink, and the shelter of the fire.

  To the surprised warriors, that had marked her as a female of high status to begin
with. Finding she had animal spirits who traveled with her had underlined it. Then, she had saved their lives, they had believed that she heard the Voice of the Thunder. It made her, not quite a Thunder-Drummer, but one similar to an apprentice and to be honored. Her happy acceptance of them and the return offer of her own small-name had sealed their decision. Around the circle the tale was continuing.

  Storm had not known until then that Tani had taken the filly. He listened as Jumps High related how the young mare had attacked and killed the warrior who tried to ride her. He was more than fair in the telling, Storm thought. The Thunder-Drummer wished to see this warrior horse. Solemnly the circle trooped out to the horse herd. Tani called the filly and they stared at her. The medicine woman turned to Storm and her aide's fingers flew.

  "Our clan-friend rides this one. Can you do so as well?"

  Storm shook his head, signing a negative, then he expanded on that.

  "Maybeso I stay on this one's back. That is not riding. Her heart is given to Sunset alone. This horse would hate me if I force her to carry me. To ride her when she is unwilling is as if I forced a warrior to be slave to me. The horse accepts only Sunset. No other rider, not ever again."

  From the corner of his eye he saw the sudden distressed look on Tani's face. She hadn't understood the depth of the bond a duocorn could form. The filly would never be any good now as a mount. Not for anyone but Tani. When the girl departed from Arzor she must leave the filly, but only as breeding stock. The silver horse would never again share the joy of two as one, feel the delight in her own speed amplified by the emotions of her rider. Storm wished he hadn't made that so clear, but the girl had to know sometime.

  Tani hadn't known. All she could do now was walk up to hug Destiny's warm neck. The medicine woman observed and, being wise, said no more. They returned to the shelter and the story was concluded. Then they sat in silence. It was some five minutes later when the Thunder-Drummer stirred. Her voice and the signing began as she turned to Storm.

  "Your people seek an end to the Death-Which-Comes-in-the-Night. Sunset can hear it if it is close and she listens. Can you also do this?"

  "I don't know," Storm told her honestly. "I've never tried while I was awake, although I've dreamed of it. But Sunset heard the death while she was with your warriors and awake. She may be more sensitive to it."

  The woman pondered. "Amongst the clans there are few who can drum Thunder. But sometimes in times of danger those who do are able to link power. Such a time was when a false Thunder-Drummer came against us, saying do my bidding, I am Lord of the Thunder. You saw this thing?"

  Storm nodded. "I was there. I saw the power of those who drum truly. I saw the false one overthrown."

  "Then, don't you think, man whom spirits follow? The girl can hear the death, maybe you can link with her to hear more strongly."

  Across Tani's face flashed a look of disgust. Both the medicine woman and Storm saw it. The Thunder-Drummer shook her head.

  "I do not force. I only suggest. But if something is not done I fear this death will eat up the world. Against that who would not fight? Who would not risk anything to save their clan?" She stood slowly. "I will rest. Let you rest also and think." Her eyes turned to gaze at Storm. "You are free of the camp, but do not stray past the borders lest our warriors think you are leaving us without farewell."

  She reached out to touch Tani's arm. "Come, eat with me, little sister. Tell me of your family. Jumps High says your parents are dead and your home gone, at the hands of an enemy. I would hear of how that happened."

  Storm watched them leave until only he remained sitting with Hing in his lap, and Surra, who had found him by the horses, leaning against his leg. His mind was dark. If it would save Arzor he'd link with Tani, but it would not be pleasant. For some reason the girl disliked him, or at the very least distrusted him. Once or twice in training he had linked with other Beast Masters. The linkage was minor, just a sensing of emotions, and in those cases the emotions had been more curiosity and interest.

  Through any link with Tani would come much stronger feelings. Even if she agreed. But then he thought with relief that she would have to agree for a link to be forged, and she'd made it plain she would never do that. He relaxed a little. Once the Nitra understood they'd let them leave. Maybe back at the ranch he could persuade her to think about it. She liked Arzor. He could play on the possible death or destruction of the planet. He had time, he could wait for understanding to come.

  Chapter Nine

  The next day the camp was active. Tani crawled out of her blanket to find that she was summoned.

  "I go on scout," Jumps High signed. "I and my group. If you wish to ride with us, we will go as soon as we have eaten and the horses are made ready."

  Above, the lavender sky was brightening toward a day of sunshine. Tani stretched and grinned. Destiny would enjoy a day out and so would the others of the team.

  "No one will mind if I bring my spirit friends?"

  "That is good."

  Laughing, she ran to wash, then return to where Jumps High's mate prepared food. Small Bird turned to hug the girl.

  "You sleep well, Sunset, now eat. I make fritters. You have had them before?" Tani shook her head. "You will like them." Small Bird was positive.

  Tani enjoyed the horva fritters. Now that she'd eaten one of Small Bird's fritters, she remembered she'd had them once before at the Quade's ranch. They were made from a native Arzoran grain, although the Nitra ones seemed to have been made from a wild variety of the grain and tasted slightly different. There was lorg berry jam to ladle over them and Tani ate greedily. When she rose to leave she hugged Small Bird. She'd discovered that the Nitra within a clan were an affectionately tactile people. They liked to hug friends and family, and touching was a part of their clan life. The girl liked that. Her parents had both been openly fond of each other. Within their tiny family, Bright Sky, Alisha, and Tani had hugged each other often. Her parents had kissed regularly in passing, both their small daughter and each other. Affection had been a constant underlay of their lives.

  Kady and Brion were loving but were less open about hugs and casual pats. Tani had not known it until now, but she'd missed the feeling of contact. Her first introduction to Small Bird had been when the woman swept her into a warm embrace of welcome. The girls had hugged her in turn after that. Tani had been surprised at first, then pleased. After two days she hugged back matter-of-factly. It was the way one behaved and she liked it, the touch filled some gap in her heart that had been empty until she was brought to the clan. Now she scrambled her gear together and carried it out to the horse herd, in search of the filly. She didn't have far to go.

  Destiny pranced up from the edge of the herd. She made a mock pass at her friend with her horns slicing air in a wicked upthrust movement, then she turned to dance sideways.

  Tani laughed. "Yes, we're going out. A lovely long ride with friends."

  From behind her there was the soft sound Nitra made when they wished to draw attention. The girl turned to find the Thunder-Drummer behind her, interpreter at her shoulder.

  "You ride with Jumps High. Ride carefully, little sister. Word came to me at dawn from another clan. The death struck at them last night. A family lie dead."

  Tani stared in horror. "How many?" her hands asked.

  "Three. A warrior, his mate, and a small son. We do not have so many children we can spare any. And the loss of a family is a great loss to a clan. The clan grieves greatly for them. It seems to me that the death grows larger and more hungry each time it slays. Their Thunder-Drummer goes now to a sacred place to ask of the Thunder what they should do. Such a place I sought many days ago. There I prayed to the Thunder. Answers I was given to questions, but not all."

  "What did you learn?"

  "That I should send out warriors to find those who will battle the death."

  Tani knew about oracles. Sometimes the message was obscure, and at other times it could be easily misinterpreted. Often those
receiving it read more into it than was there.

  "Did it say we'd win?"

  The Thunder-Drummer shook her head. "It said I should seek and find. I asked other questions. That one was not answered. Others were. It seemed to me that this was meant." The hands paused to give weight to what followed. "If those we found cannot win, then no one can, but the battle is not for them alone but for many. Those we found shall be as the arrowhead. Those who aid them are as the shaft and the feathers that aid the arrowhead to fly straight and to strike a killing blow. I have seen the stars wheel about you, Sunset. I have seen you raise up our world in your hands and hold it as a mother holds her child. And behind you I have seen another stand whose face I could not see. In the smoke of the sacred falwood I have seen dreams. Ride safely, clan-friend."

  She turned on her heel and was gone, the interpreter following. Tani stared after her. Then she shrugged. If it was, it was. She returned to the filly, saddling and bridling her swiftly as Destiny danced. Then she swung up into the saddle and headed for where she could see Jumps High and his group waiting for them.

  It was a peaceful day. They returned toward evening with all pleasantly tired and hungry. The coyotes had demonstrated that they could find and drive game, so that over the saddles of two of the warriors hung merin deer. Both were yearling bucks. They'd make a very welcome addition to the clan's cooking pots and would be meticulously shared. From Destiny's saddle rings hung a string of grass hens. Tani would take those to share with the family who sheltered her.

  She was smiling gently as she swayed to the filly's pace. It had been a wonderful day. She must give Mandy another message for the ranch and send her there. She could let them know where Storm was as well. She looked over the camp happily as they slowed to circle toward the horse herd. Arzor was so lovely. It looked just the way her father's own lands must have looked once. She sighed. If only he and Alisha were here with her, how they'd have enjoyed today.