“But he didn’t kill the gar!” the first klee argued. “The fight isn’t over.”
Kasha took a threatening step toward the other klees. “The fightisover,” she snarled viciously. “Unless you want to enter the circle with me.”
The klees exchanged nervous looks. Nobody wanted to mess with Kasha.
“Durgen won’t like this,” the klee said.
“You say that like I should care,” Kasha spit back sarcastically.
The klees shrugged and backed off. “Just letting you know, is all,” one of them said.
Kasha watched them to make sure they weren’t going to come after me, then looked to me. “Are you all right?” she asked.
“I’m alive,” I answered. “Where have you been?”
“What? I get no thanks for saving you?”
“Thanks. Where have you been?”
“You need food,” she said. “Come with me.” She held out a leash for me to slip over my wrists.
“Not a chance,” I said, and walked off.
Kasha didn’t argue. She dropped the leash and we walked, together, back toward her home. I was weak and hungry and a little wobbly on my feet, but it didn’t matter. I had my freedom and I didn’t have to kill a gar to get it. For all I knew, being sent to that prison and starved and mistreated was all a Saint Dane-orchestrated setup to get me to kill a gar. If so, it failed. The nightmare was over.
As we walked I saw that the prison was next to the zenzen corral. We walked through the animal enclosure, passing several of the multijointed horses, who were kept in much nicer conditions than the gars, I might add. Being outside for the first time in a month made me appreciate how truly beautiful Leeandra was. Heck, anyplace would have looked beautiful compared to that gar hole.
“We tried to rescue you sooner,” Kasha finally said, but it was more of a statement than an apology. “It was impossible. Durgen has many friends among the handlers.”
“You should have tried harder,” I said bitterly.
“Should I?” Kasha snapped. “You forget why you were there in the first place. It was because I chose to save your life instead of a klee. Now I’ve saved your life twice. But instead of thanks, you criticize.”
I wanted to argue, but didn’t think it would help.
Kasha added, “We couldn’t even get close to you. We had to wait until they brought you out to…” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t want to say it.
“To get killed,” I said, finishing the sentence. “Why do they keep gars in prison like that? It’s beyond cruel.”
“It’s not a prison,” she corrected. “Prisons are for klees. You were in a stable.”
“Whatever,” I answered angrily. “They treat gars worse than animals. Why? So they can have their little bloodsport?”
“No,” Kasha answered. “Gars have many uses.”
“Like?”
“Like working to keep Leeandra operating by clearing the water pipes and replacing power crystals above the trees. The handlers train some for wippen tournaments; or to help blind klees who can’t get around on their own. Some go into homes as servants or perform acrobatics in shows for young klees. If a gar doesn’t show a particular talent, but is loving, a handler can train them to be excellent pets. Gars are very important to Leeandra.”
“And some are used to kill each other to amuse the handlers,” I added. “Or to feed tangs to protect the foragers.”
Kasha didn’t comment.
“Bottom line is, the gars are your slaves,” I said. “The klees treat them as totally disposable creatures who do all your dirty work. It’s wrong, Kasha, and the thing is, you know it. I saw you save that gar in the jungle when I first got here. You’re not the hard case you pretend to be.”
“There are many things I don’t agree with,” she said softly. “I still see all sides.”
We walked in silence for a while. I then asked, “Has Seegen turned up?”
Kasha didn’t answer, which meant that the Traveler from Eelong was still missing. I was beginning to worry that he might never come back, which would spin my situation into a whole ‘nother, scary direction. We didn’t say another word for the rest of the walk. I wanted to stay angry at Kasha, but didn’t have the energy. If they couldn’t rescue me sooner, I had to accept that. Besides, I was too relieved to be out to stay mad at anybody. Except for Saint Dane, that is.
When we got to her home, Kasha gave me some fresh clothes (rags) and allowed me to use the running water in her bathroom to clean up. It was an incredible feeling to shower off the crud that had been building up for the last month. I felt like a snake shedding its skin. Once the filth was gone, I took a look at my body to see I had lost a ton of weight. I actually had a six pack for the first time in my life, but it wasn’t because I was in shape, it was because there was no fat to cover the muscle. I looked totally cut…but felt horrible. I couldn’t look at myself anymore; it was too depressing. I quickly put on my new, clean rags and joined Kasha in the main room of her tree house.
I was overwhelmed to see that while I was washing, she made me a feast. There was a roasted bird, bowls brimming with fresh, nonmoldy fruit, and round loaves of dark brown bread.
“Don’t eat too fast,” she warned. “Your system isn’t used to it.”
Tough. I was starved. I sat down and did my best not to be a total pig, but the more I ate, the more I wanted. I chowed, only stopping long enough to let out a belch that felt like it came up from my toes. After that I dug right back in. Kasha stayed in the kitchen, allowing me to enjoy my meal in peace. It didn’t take long before I was totally stuffed. I actually didn’t eat all that much because I think my stomach had shrunk down to the size of a walnut. There was still a tableful of food left over when I had to call it quits. I thought of forcing myself to puke, just so I could do it all over again, but realized that would have been idiotic. Not to mention rude. So I sat back and enjoyed the sensation of a full belly for the first time in a long time.
“I fear for my father,” Kasha said. She was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. “Boon and Yorn have been taking turns watching that tunnel in the tree.”
“The flume,” I said.
“They are convinced he will somehow magically appear there,” she said. “I don’t share their optimism.”
Kasha sat across from me at the table. For the first time since I’d met her, she seemed unsure. She wanted answers, and I sensed that she might finally be willing to listen to what I had to say. I may have been a lowly gar, but if it meant finding out what happened to her father, she would listen.
“Believe it or not,” I began, “I know how you feel. My life used to be normal. I had a great family; I liked my school; I had excellent friends-it was about as close to perfect as you can get. But I also had an uncle Press. One day he showed up and told me I had to leave home because people needed my help. It didn’t take long for me to find out my life wasn’t as normal as I thought.”
“And where is this Uncle Press now?” Kasha asked.
I quickly realized I had gone down the wrong road. But I had to answer truthfully. “He’s, uh, he’s dead.”
That wasn’t what she wanted to hear. Bad move, Bobby. Kasha stood and paced anxiously. It was odd how I couldn’t hear her feet making sounds on the floor, but after all, she was a cat.
“I don’t know how to say this in a good way,” she began. “Just say it,” I coaxed her.
“All right. I don’t care. I really don’t. All this talk of Travelers and territories and evil demons is nonsense, and it’s ruined my father’s life. He was respected. He was about to be named to the Council of Klee! But once he found that tunnel in the tree, he changed. He became obsessed with this foolish mission. It consumed his life. And Yorn encouraged him! I tried to get him to see reason, but instead he told me that one day I would have to take his place. I turned to my best friend, Boon, to help me talk sense to him. But instead of helping me, Boon got sucked into the ridiculous fantasy as well. They amuse them
selves with tales of battles on other worlds, while ignoring the real problem facing Eelong.”
“And what’s that?” I asked.
“We’re starving,” she said bluntly. “The klee population is growing quickly. The number of gars is growing as well. Our ability to grow food crops isn’t keeping up with the demand. All the fertile land has been overfarmed for generations. We can’t even maintain the level we’re used to, let alone increase it. The meal I just prepared for you is a feast that would normally be stretched to feed an entire family of klees for several days. If we don’t find a way to turn this around, quickly, our civilization will begin to starve to death. So forgive me if I don’t care to chase an evil demon through time and space, when my own home is on the edge of catastrophe.”
“Kasha,” I said softly. “That’s exactly why you have to worry about Saint Dane. He goes to territories, uh, worlds that are reaching a critical time. Like the food shortage here on Eelong. That’s perfect for him. He’s using it as an excuse to get the klees to start killing gars. Right now, he’s on the Council of Klee, trying to get them to repeal Edict Forty-six. Who knows where it will go from there?”
Kasha shot me a look. “There are no gars on the Council of Klee.”
“That’s because he’s taken the form of a klee named Timber,” I said. But even as the words came out of my mouth, I knew Kasha wouldn’t believe them. Heck, if I hadn’t seen Saint Dane transform myself, I wouldn’t believe it either. I decided to change the subject before I lost her.
“Have you ever heard of something called Black Water?” I asked.
“Black Water?” she said incredulously. “Where did you hear that?”
“From the gars in prison. What is it?”
“It’s not a thing, it’s a place,” she answered. “Tell me about it.”
“It’s a gar story,” she began. “I don’t know much about it, but I’ve heard gars speak of it. It’s a place where all gars will someday go for their ultimate reward.”
“They called it ‘home,’” I said.
“I’m sure they did,” Kasha said. “They need something to give them hope for a better life, no?”
“So it’s like the promised land? Or heaven?”
“I don’t know what those things are,” Kasha answered.
“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “Where is this place?”
“It’s not real, Pendragon,” she said with a sarcastic chuckle. “It’s a fantasy.”
“You mean Black Water doesn’t really exist?”
“Only in the minds of the gars” was Kasha’s answer.
I debated about how much more to tell Kasha. Should I tell her about the amber boxes? Or about the mysterious thing called the “Advent”? Kasha would one day be the Traveler from Eelong, and I would have to trust her, but that time hadn’t come. I decided to continue, but cautiously.
“I don’t think the klee guards thought Black Water was a fantasy. When I was in that cell, one of the gars started talking about it. A klee burst in and took the gar to the Inquisitors.”
Kasha stopped pacing, as if this were surprising news. “A klee took a gar to the Inquisitors to ask about Black Water?” she asked. “That makes no sense.”
“Who are the Inquisitors?” I asked.
“It’s a division of the security police,” she answered. “They interrogate anyone they feel poses a threat to the peace. If you think those handlers who stage gar fights are cruel, you ought to meet the Inquisitors. They’re vicious. I never agreed with their methods. But they don’t interrogate gars.”
“They do now,” I said. “And they want to know about Black Water.”
Kasha let that settle in. It made no sense to her, and made little more to me. But I was beginning to smell something bad going down, and it had the distinct aroma of Saint Dane.
“Kasha!” came a voice from outside. A moment later Boon walked into the room.
“Boon!” Kasha shouted. “I rescued Pendragon!”
Boon saw me, but didn’t react. If he was happy about my escape, he sure didn’t show it. That wasn’t like Boon. I had only known him a short time, but it was long enough to know something was wrong. He walked slowly into the room without making eye contact with either of us.
“What’s the matter?” Kasha asked. “Are you sick?”
Boon sat down and stared at the table. I could see that he had been crying.
“Boon!” Kasha bellowed. “What’s wrong?”
Boon looked to me. He seemed scared and a bit lost. I don’t know why, but the moment I looked into his eyes I knew exactly what was bothering him. Maybe it was because the news he had was inevitable. That’s the way it was meant to be. I hoped I was wrong, but one look at Boon told me I wasn’t. I nodded, giving him encouragement and letting him know that I understood. Boon turned from me and looked at Kasha. Kasha’s eyes were wide and hungry for an answer.
“Kasha,” Boon said as his voice cracked. “I found Seegen.”
“Really? Where is he?” she asked excitedly.
“He’s dead.”
He didn’t have to say another word. The rest would be details. All would be important, but not as important as the inevitable truth I now faced.
Seegen was dead.
Kasha was the Traveler from Eelong.
JOURNAL #17
(CONTINUED)
EELONG
Segen’s body lay in the mouth of the flume. An hour after Boon delivered the bad news, four of us stood over him, staring down at the former Traveler from Eelong. It was me, Boon, Yorn, and of course, Kasha. His daughter. Seegen was a big cat. He was mostly gray, with many white spots. Even in death I could tell he was a formidable creature. But no longer. We stood there silently. I think we were all waiting for Kasha to speak first. I glanced at her to see that her eyes were tearing up. But she was strong. She didn’t break down or anything.
“How did he die, Yorn?” she asked.
The old cat sighed and said, “I don’t know. As I told you, he left here for Second Earth, looking for Pendragon. When he came back through the flume, he was dead. What happened there I can’t say.”
Boon did a quick examination, checking for signs of injury. He found nothing.
Kasha looked to me and said, “You told me klees are treated like gars where you come from. What could have happened?”
“I can only guess,” I answered. “If Seegen appeared in my home town, they’d try to capture him. They’d probably shoot him with a tranquilizer to make him sleep. As a last resort they might shoot him with a gun that was more deadly, but there are no wounds. I don’t think he died on Second Earth.”
“But he left here alive, and now he’s dead,” Kasha said, trying to contain her emotions.
I felt horrible for her. I knew what it was like to lose a loved one. And I also knew what lay ahead for her.
“I don’t know how he died, Kasha,” I said sympathetically. “And I know you don’t believe in the battle against Saint Dane, but I promise you, it’s real. Your father’s death is proof of that.” I knelt down to Seegen and gently removed his braided necklace. Dangling from the loop was his Traveler ring. I held it up for Kasha to see.
“You’re the Traveler from Eelong now,” I said. “I’m not asking you to change your beliefs, but I am asking you to help us stop Saint Dane.”
“And why should I?” Kasha asked.
“Because it’s what your father wanted, and I guarantee Saint Dane had something to do with his death. If you want justice, you’ll join us.”
Kasha looked at the dangling ring. She glanced to Yorn. Yorn gave her a slight nod of encouragement. She looked to Boon. Boon gave her a weak smile in return. Kasha tentatively reached out and grasped the ring, examining its dark gray stone and the symbols that circled it.
“I believe in things I can see,” she said. “Everything I’ve heard about you, Pendragon, must be taken on faith. But my father is dead and that’s about as real as can be.” She gave me a piercing look and continued,
“What I do is for him. Not you.
Not Yorn or Boon or some misguided mission. As long as you understand that, I’ll help you.”
“Understood” was my simple answer.
She then dropped the ring in the dirt. “But I am not a Traveler,” she said with disdain.
Boon and Yorn looked at me, waiting for my reaction. I didn’t get ticked or anything. All I did was bend down and pick up the ring.
“Whatever works for you,” I said. I dusted off the ring and added it to the two I already had on the cord around my neck.
It was a tense moment. Yorn broke the silence by saying, “Seegen was my best friend and I was his acolyte. I may be old, but I can still be of use.”
“Absolutely,” I said.
“Good,” Yorn said. “We should first attend to his body. After that we can set our sights on Saint Dane.”
We struggled to bring Seegen’s body from the underground cavern out to the jungle where a zenzen-powered wagon was waiting for us. We had traveled to the flume tree in this wagon because we knew we would have to bring Seegen’s body back. We gently loaded the big cat’s body onto the wagon, covered it with a blanket out of respect, and began the long journey back to Leeandra.
“Will there be a ceremony?” I asked. “And a burial?”
“A ceremony, yes,” Yorn explained. “But we do not bury our dead on Eelong. Bodies must be burned to keep them from scavenger tangs.”
“Like with Gunny’s hand,” Boon reminded me.
“Yes, Gunny’s hand,” Yorn added. “I was surprised to have found it after he was attacked. I thought for sure the tangs would have devoured it.”
Yorn dropped his head and fell silent, as if the conversation was upsetting him. It wasn’t doing much for me, either. The whole subject was depressing and gross. I didn’t mind that we didn’t talk for the rest of the journey. I was too busy watching out for tangs, anyway. Luckily for us, we didn’t run into any. I suppose I should be grateful for that small bit of luck, because it seemed as if the only luck I had been having lately was the bad kind.
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