The Valley Beneath the World: The Fugitive Future - Book One

by Brian Lowe

  "How did you know they wouldn't survive?"

  Because we had to learn to survive them. We were once human. We were scientists who lived in the caves and studied the trees, which were the oldest we had ever seen. We studied how they could live here under the ice. But plagues came, and killed many of us. They would have killed us all, but the trees took pity on us, and offered us shelter. So we adapted ourselves to be more like them, and now we have become one people/forest.

  "Plagues? Like the one that killed the animals you talked about?"

  Yes. They--

  There would have been more, but I lost it when I was nearly thrown out of my nest by the sudden violent shaking of my tree like it was trying to dislodge someone attempting to climb it!

  I was holding on for dear life, but even in my extremity I could tell that the buzzing of Tizinti mental waves had disappeared. It wasn’t just that I couldn’t see them, they were gone. Under other circumstances this might have been my chance to escape, but the tree was thrashing so badly that if I stepped out on a limb, I'd go flying through the air on the instant.

  Suddenly a figure popped up on the trunk near me. He flung some kind of harness at me, apparently the twin of a climbing outfit he was wearing that helped him maintain his grip on the madly gyrating tree.

  "Put that on, damn it! I came to get your furry butt out of here!"

  I didn't pick up the harness. I couldn't move at all. I was too busy staring at the gorilla who'd come to rescue me.

  XXXI

  The tree bucked again and if it hadn't knocked me on my seat, it would have thrown me out of the nest to my death. My rescuer was using both hands and the hooks on his climbing rig to hang on.

  "Hurry up! This isn't as much fun as it looks like!"

  I mentally kicked myself into gear and threw the harness on. It fit itself to my body and fastened automatically. My hands were now half-covered with gloves sporting sharp hooks that curved over my own fingers, and similar arrangements on my feet. Taking no more time than needed to make sure I knew what was where, I grabbed the tree trunk myself and started down without needing any more instruction.

  The moment I got on, the tree stopped shaking so much, although it didn't stop altogether. When I got about a hundred feet from the ground I could hear voices below, and I saw a knot of gorillas and Thorans with long forked sticks fighting off the sweeping branches of the Tizinti. Of the smaller Tizinti I saw no sign. I turned back to my own task, but when I heard a cry I looked down again to see a Thoran flying through the air. He landed with a thud and I couldn't tell if he was moving.

  My rescuer and I hit the ground at the same time as another gorilla came running up to the group, leading a dazed Avanya. They stopped just long enough to pick up their fallen comrade and we were led at a run through a nightmare gantlet of clawing and swiping branches.

  The air was full of dust and pollen that made it hard to breathe, or even see. The branches were pounding the ground, grinding into the dirt anything that was caught beneath them. One of the gorillas went down and a Thoran stopped to help him. In a single second where my vision was clear, I saw the branch coming that he didn't, the branch that would take his head off if it connected. I lunged forward, knocking him off his feet, and the branch took me full on the shoulder. It spun me around and I sprawled on the ground, my shoulder feeling like it was dislocated, trying to catch my breath, completely unable to move.

  I felt hands seizing my shoulders and dragging me away, and despite the pain for a moment all I could do was let them. When I got my breath back, I told them that I could go on. They dropped me, I bounced up, and we sprinted for our new friends who were waiting for us just beyond the fringe of the forest.

  "Sorry about that, folks," one of my rescuers said when we were finally able to slow down. "Welcome to Udar."

  Now that we were safe, I let my mind examine the question that was echoing through my brain cavity: Why had Avanya never mentioned that there were gorillas in Udar? Did she not know? She had specifically included me on the team because I was a gorilla--did she not know Udar as well as she said she did, or had she been lying to me? And then what about that surprise she'd given me in the training hologram? Maybe it was the crack I had taken from that branch, but my head was spinning.

  I had been forced to watch every step I took since the moment that hunting party erupted out of the snow and marched me down here. The first thing Vollan had done was literally throw me to the wolves, and matters hadn't improved much since. Even after I was given a place to stay in Tanar, I was an outsider. I thought I'd never see my family again, that I was stranded with these Thorans who barely accepted me--but now that I'd found my own kind, instead of feeling at home, I felt let down. I should have been looking forward to this--I could have, had Avanya bothered to tell me.

  With all of these concerns running through my exhausted brain --I hadn't eaten much in three days, and my sleep had been what you might call "restless"--I almost plowed right over the man in front of me when the group marched straight up to a cliff and came to a sudden halt about a dozen yards short. Automatically, I looked up, expecting some evidence of habitation, even if it was just cave openings like I'd found before, but there wasn't anything to see.

  I looked around at my companions stupidly. One of them took pity on me.

  "Hold on a moment," he said. It was the man I'd saved from the Tizinti. "They'll let us in and we can get that shoulder looked at. Thanks, by the way," he added.

  I almost passed it off with a flippant response, but I bit it back. "You're welcome," I said. I had saved his life, and I didn't want him to think I didn't appreciate what it meant to him. Why squander whatever goodwill I had accumulated?

  One of the others nodded to himself. "We're cleared. They're unlocking the gate now."

  Right on the heels of his words, the cliff opened up.

  Not the entire cliff, by any means, but a doorway, large enough to fit us all in a group, and twice our height. I was surprised to see sunlight on the other side, and as I was helped through, I saw another cliff a hundred yards away, across a well-maintained lawn spotted with statues and fountains. I craned my neck to look behind me, and there was the path we'd taken all the way from the forest, which I could still see in the distance.

  My new friend, the man I'd saved, grinned. "Pretty good, huh? Best camouflage ever invented. That's why we had to come out to find you; you'd never have found us." He put out a hand. "I'm Tomme. You must be Timash."

  I shook hands. "Nice to meet you."

  "I've been looking forward to it. I've never met anybody who's actually crossed the Southern Valley before." His eyes flickered over me. "It must been rough. What happened to--?"

  "Tomme!" The leader of the group, who hadn't bothered to introduce himself, made an imperious gesture with two fingers. "Let's go. Aerios, do me a favor and please take care of our guests."

  I hadn't even noticed the Thoran woman in a long brown dress who had silently appeared next to us. She was almost as tall as I am, which made her tall for a Thoran. She smiled at Avanya and me, and we were suddenly alone on the grass as our escort melted away.

  "Please come with me. You must be tired. We've had two apartments prepared for your use."

  I walked next to Avanya, holding my thoughts in check the whole way, in view of the number of people around us. So far so good, but after Vollan's rather violent opening interrogation, I wasn't trusting anyone.

  XXXII

  The Tizinti had grabbed me, knocked me over the head, and stuck me fifteen stories high in a tree. There was no question I was their prisoner. The inhabitants of Udar had rescued me, saved my life, and installed me in a comfortable suite plainly designed to gorilla, not human, standards, the like of which I hadn't slept in since I left home.

  So why did I feel like I was still a prisoner?

  The door to my suite was unlocked; it slid open at my mental command. There were no guards outside. But there was also no directory I could find, and the apar
tments weren't numbered. There must be a local datanet, but I had no idea how to get onto it. The bottom line was, if I wandered off, I might have no idea how to find my way back again--and I didn't want to get off on the wrong foot by having to ask somebody to guide me, even if I could find a person.

  I suppose I could have tried to talk to Avanya again, but I was tired, it had been a hell of a day, and the last time we talked I had thrown her over my shoulder like a sack of meal and she'd fainted. Maybe I should wait until we were both a little less stressed out. Eventually I followed my hosts' suggestion, and laid down on the softest bed I'd felt in weeks. I was asleep before I could get comfortable.

  I'm not sure what woke me, the delicious smell coming from my front room or the growling of my stomach in response. I was on my feet before I got my eyes properly open, my nose leading me unerringly to the origin of that delightful aroma. A covered silver serving bowl awaited me on the table, a tall flask of chill water next to it, neither offering any clue who had brought it. I pulled the cover off the bowl and my mouth watered at the stew inside, steam arising to assault my nostrils. The first hot meal I'd had in days! I stopped myself from burying my face in it, but I did ignore the utensils that had been set out and lifted the bowl to my lips, slurping until I had to come up for air.

  It might not have been as good as Mother used to make, but it sure tasted better right then. I drank half the water and returned to finish the stew. I am not ashamed to say that I licked the inside of the bowl clean.

  The second I set the empty bowl down on the table, my door chimed. The timing could not have been accidental, and I made a note that I was under observation.

  At my command, the door opened, to reveal Aerios, the woman who had led me here, standing in the hallway. Avanya was behind her.

  "Good morning, Timash. I've been asked to escort you and Avanya to the council chamber."

  I nodded politely and gave her the kind of little bow that Keryl had taught me. As usual, it seemed to both amuse and impress the lady. I let her lead the way, falling into step with Avanya, who was hiding her nervousness well enough that I wouldn't have noticed it had I not gotten to know her so well. Although it was a political arrangement, she had told me that she was looking forward to this meeting, that she had developed a real affection for her fiancé through their correspondence. Come to think of it, I would have expected she'd have arranged to meet him already, as soon as we got here. I guess she'd been as tired as I was. What other explanation could there be?

  Avanya couldn't help but give a little start when we entered the council chambers, and I was surprised myself, but I was able to control it for reasons which will quickly become obvious: The entire population of the room was comprised of gorillas.

  They were sitting around a table, quietly discussing some local business when Aerios ushered us inside. Upon our entry, they broke off their discussion and regarded us with interest. I was interested, also, not only to take their measure, but because I was certain that each of them, while individual to me, would be interchangeable to Avanya. When I had first wandered out of Tehana City and started meeting humans, it had taken me a while to comprehend more than the most blatant of their differences. After a while you learn to recognize people as much by their telepathic emanations as from their appearance, but if Avanya could identify any of these apes on the street five minutes after meeting them, I'd eat my shirt.

  Which would make it even more entertaining if one of them was the man she thought she was going to marry.

  The ape seated at the far end of the table rose and approached us, extending a hand.

  "Avanya! Timash! I'm glad to meet you at last." He took my hand first, then Avanya's. "I'm Trocas, deputy councilor and acting chairman in Zevi's absence." Aerios was still standing behind us, and Trocas caught her eye. "Aerios, do me a favor and wait outside, please." Our guide went out, leaving us alone.

  "Zevi isn't here?" Avanya blurted. I couldn't tell if she was asking in dismay, or relief.

  "I'm sorry," Trocas said, "but he had an important duty to attend to elsewhere. Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to talk about it outside the council." He indicated the others with a nod of his head. "I'll introduce you, but we don't expect you to remember all of our names." The other councilors chuckled. Then Trocas introduced us, and surprise, I remembered most of their names. Whether I would be able to match them to faces was another question.

  While I wasn't looking, two more chairs had emerged from the floor to ring the table, the existing chairs subtly rearranging themselves to create more seating space. Trocas led us to the empty seats and sat us down. After offering refreshment, which we declined, he favored us with another warm smile.

  "So, as I said, I am acting chairman of the council in Zevi's absence. We're eager to hear about your trip." His expression took on a more somber tone. "I assume there were more of you when you started."

  He had hit a sore spot. Originally, my only thought about what would happen after we reached Udar was whether I'd ever be able to return to Tanar, but now, with Tierse gone, there didn't really seem any reason to go back--particularly since Udar held a healthy population of apes. I could fit in here, but the loss of my friend hurt.

  In any event, this was Avanya's show. I could sit back and let her answer all their questions. As far as I was concerned, my part in this mission was done. If this was to be my new home, then the best I could do was listen and learn about it.

  "When is Zevi expected back?" Avanya's tone was casual, but I'd gotten to know her pretty well the last few days, and I could see she was tense. She had never shown any fear of me, except when I was really angry, but now, in this room full of gorillas, I sensed she was ill at ease.

  Trocas spread his hands in an apologetic gesture. "It's hard to say. It could be several days. He was very specific, though, that the both of you were to be treated as his guests until he returned. We can brief him then, or you can talk to him yourself, of course."

  "I see. Thank you." Avanya shifted slightly, a movement that only I noticed because I was next to her. The chair, designed always to cradle her body in the most comfortable way, automatically attempted to compensate. "In that case, yes, there were six of us when we started…"

  In a few words, Avanya described our journey, detailing the fates of our companions, the attack by the lake by Kur's men followed by the lake monster, and our personal travails in finding shelter during each night of our hike. Oddly enough, she didn't mention the neutron cannon or our having to leave it behind. For my part, I kept quiet. Perhaps she was embarrassed. Maybe she was planning to tell Zevi in private, when he returned. Whatever the case, it was out of my hands.

  Listen and learn, I told myself. In truth, I had already learned much… but I hadn't been listening.

  XXXIII

  If there was a datanet that might have helped me find my way around, no one told me about it, although after living in Tanar I was getting used to being treated as an afterthought. I didn't see much of Avanya for the next couple of days; I figured she was talking to Trocas, or else she was staying in her rooms waiting for Zevi to get back from whatever mysterious mission was claiming his time. And while I wasn't planning on marrying the man, I had to wonder where the hell he had gone--Udar couldn't be that big, if it was anything like Tanar, and where else was there to go?

  Aerios continued to act as my guide whenever I wanted to get out… and more than my guide, I had a feeling. It seemed like she was shepherding me on a carefully-mapped tour of my surroundings, designed just as much to keep me out of some places as to acquaint me with others. As we walked through recreation halls, libraries, living areas, and laboratory wings, I had to revise my previous opinion: Udar was significantly larger than Tanar, and more crowded. Whereas Tierse had seemed to know everyone in Tanar, and Aerios exchanged greetings with some of those we met, it was still relatively few. Compared to Tanar, Udar was overflowing with people, both human and gorilla. With manpower like this, it wasn't surprising that Tanar
wanted to form an alliance against Kur.

  "So what was Udar's specialty, originally?" I asked Aerios on the first day. We were wandering around what she had described as a laboratory complex, without giving any particulars as to what kind of labs they were. We hadn't entered any of them, which didn't surprise me. "I know that Tanar was involved in biochemical research, and Kur was agricultural…"

  "Oh," Aerios said, faltering. "Um, I have to think about that for a moment. It's been a long time. We were… an archeological research station. As you may know, most of the fossils that were ever deposited anywhere near Thora's surface were excavated eons ago. When the Southern Valley was discovered, the idea that there might be unknown fossils after all these centuries made some people very excited."

  I thought of the lake monster and the thunder lizard I had encountered. "And now they don't have to look for fossils; they can just go outside."

  She gave me a blank look. "Oh. Yes, the thunder lizards." She shook her head slowly, and her eyes took on a faraway expression. "Terrible…" After a moment she pulled herself together. "Come, it's getting toward lunchtime. You can try one of the cafeterias, if you like."

  I may not be the best interpreter of human expressions, but I could've sworn that for a second instead of "Terrible…" she was thinking, "Impressive…"

  However it was being accomplished, my suspicion that I was under surveillance was quickly verified, because now every time that I left my rooms, Aerios was waiting for me. On my second night, I made a point of staying out until the general population had retired. Returning to my apartment, I bid Aerios good night and told her I would see her in the morning.

  I waited two hours before venturing out again, and Aerios was right there waiting. I tried to come up with a reason for leaving my room, gave it up as a lost cause, and went back in to bed. She had to know I was getting suspicious, but it wasn't like she would have believed whatever excuse I came up with anyway.