Rahlys dropped down beside them.
“Is it gone?” Leaf asked timidly.
“Yes. We did it,” she assured him.
Rahlys, Melinda, and Leaf shared a hardy embrace, tears of joy and relief staining their faces. Keiluk jumped about with jubilation. All her people were safe.
“Melinda can speak,” Leaf announced wide-eyed.
“Yes, I know. I heard her.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the key,” Melinda said, her head bowed in contrition.
“It would have helped,” Rahlys said, “but you were probably compelled not to. It’s all right,” she added gently and smiled giving Melinda another reassuring hug. “Everything worked out in the end.” For the longest, they just sat there in the quiet dark snuggling together with the softly glowing crystal for light.
“Ready to go home?” Rahlys asked after a while. When they nodded in agreement, Rahlys secured the chest and key for the journey. “Everyone is worried about you two.” Keiluk barked. “You too,” she added rubbing the dog’s thick soft white fur and scratching behind her ears.
Rahlys called the crystal to her hand and in an instant they were on their way home.
CHAPTER 21
Aaia
Finally the shaking stopped. Regaining his feet, Rojaire rose to assess the damage. First he counted heads. To his relief, all were present and accounted for, but his companions were almost unrecognizable covered in dust and blood as they were, some moaning from injuries. Sulyan stumbled about bleeding profusely from a gash to his head. Thayla grabbed him gently. Rojaire jumped in to help.
“Where are we?” Sulyan asked, his eyes glued shut with blood.
“We’re safe. Sit here my friend,” Thayla urged easing him down next to Kaylya.
“Yes, sit with me, Sulyan,” Kaylya said soothingly. Except for her foot, Kaylya appeared to be alright. Ilene quickly joined them to assess Sulyan’s condition.
“I’ll check on the others,” Rojaire said. Traevus and Kiril joined him.
“Let me take a look at your head wound,” Ilene coaxed taking her water canister and a cloth from her pack to wash away the blood.
“Ilene, is that you?”
Ilene smiled; voice recognition was a good sign. “Yes, let’s see what’s under all this blood.”
“If you can tend to him, I’ll see who else needs help,” Thayla said and with an affirmative from Ilene moved away. She found Wessid and Zaloka trying to calm Drak who was obviously in a lot of pain with a broken arm.
“Oh, Thayla…” Zaloka began pleadingly, but needed not say more. Thayla immediately took charge. Apparently her warrior training had included tending to the wounded. Traevus admired her all the more.
“Looks like a clean break. We need to splint that arm.” Thayla looked around for something to use as splints; only grasses grew in the little enclosed valley. Drak moaned.
“He’s in a lot of pain.” Zaloka’s face was tense with worry and concern.
“What’s the situation here?” Rojaire asked checking in on them.
“We need materials to make a splint,” Thayla updated him. “I have a short blade in a thin hardwood case that will work for one side. We need something else.” Then Thayla thought of the reed flute Sulyan was making for Ilene.
By now Ilene had cleansed and bandaged Sulyan’s head and face and he could see again. Sulyan readily agreed and Ilene retrieved the unfinished flute from his pack and brought it to Zaloka, ripping what must have been a tunic to wrap the arm and tie on the splits.
“What can I do to help?” Rojaire asked.
“When we’re ready, you can help hold him still while I set the bone,” Thayla said. “We could use some grass for cushioning,”
“I’ll cut some,” Kiril volunteered and stepped away to do so.
“I wish we had something to give him for the pain,” Ilene said.
“You do,” Traevus said walking up to Ilene. He placed the star stone he had borrowed in her hand. “You can help relieve his pain.”
Ilene still felt inadequate and poorly trained despite the brief intense training she had received from Councilor Anthya at the Academy. Hesitantly she caressed the smooth golden stone with her fingers. If her ability was strong enough, it would allow her to draw soothing energy to transmit to Drak. Could she do it?
“I will try,” Ilene said with gentle hope.
Soon Kiril returned with an abundance of cut grass. With everything needed assembled, they were ready. Ilene sat by Drak, placed her hands on Drak’s head and focused. Drawing on her own strength and the natural energy around her, she sought to block the pain receptors to the brain and send a flow of tranquil warmth. With eyes closed and focus intense, she could feel the warm flow of healing energy through her arms and hands. Soon Drak’s arm was set and splinted, and Drak was resting comfortably.
Rojaire took stock of their situation as gray clouds moved in. They were fortunate to have made it to the valley alive and until another way out was found they were here for good. Most of the colonists suffered only superficial cuts and bruises from falls and falling rocks, but one of his crew had a head injury, another a sprained foot, and yet another a broken arm. They still had to go up a steep uphill climb over the cut and down the other side to the larger valley. Then there was quite a ways to go to reach the settlement camp. How will I get them there? And how have the others fared since Traevus, Kiril and I left them a season ago. He was anxious to find out.
“Now what?” Captain Setas croaked as spry as ever.
“We rest, eat, and hold a meeting,” Rojaire said.
Long before the caverns caved in, Edty and Theon had moved their camp out on open ground by the fire pit and Theon’s crude branch chair. Kiril’s journal was safe and Edty had rescued the rest of their meager belongings. Theon reassuringly touched the familiar weight of the journal hidden away in his tunic.
The ground had finally stopped shaking, but now it was threatening to rain. From his chair, Theon directed Edty in building a shelter cuddled in a thicket of trees. Edty covered the lean-to pole construction frame with woven mats of large thick rubbery leaves in varying shades of purple and green. Their make-shift beds, woven mats stuffed with grass, were already in place. As Theon’s cramped old hands struggled to weave he reflected over the abundance of the color green in the valley’s foliage. On Earth nearly all the foliage was green, except for seasonal changes, but on Aaia green was rather scarce, except in their special valley. For some reason Theon found this comforting. And as always when he was in a reflective mood, he thought of his daughter Ilene half a galaxy away. He shed a silent tear and wiped it away.
“I think we’re done,” Edty announced having finished attaching all but what Theon was still working on into the construction of a waterproof door to keep out the rain. On cue the first drops of rain began to fall.
“Are you ready to go in?” Edty asked taking the unfinished woven mat from him and laying it aside.
“Yes, sure,” Theon said glad to be done with his shaky effort at weaving. Tenderly Edty helped him slowly stand. “And thank you,” Theon added sincerely.
“It is my pleasure to serve,” Edty said softly.
Tassyn, Caleeza, and Ollen hadn’t showed up. Theon began to doubt he and Edty would ever see them again, but he wouldn’t say that to Edty. He also suspected that the underground passage, the only way into their valley probably collapsed during the quakes. Hopefully their friends were not trying to reach them at the time. Either way, Theon doubted they would ever see Rojaire, Traevus, and Kiril again. He didn’t share this dismal thought with Edty either.
“Why do you call it Kurper Valley?” Wessid asked.
Rojaire, Traevus, and Kiril told the story of finding the little silvery grass eaters in the valley when they first arrived. “Theon crushed one in the head with a stone and we cooked up the meat,” Kiril exclaimed.
“Meat? You have been eating meat?” Zaloka asked.
“It’s a common pra
ctice on Earth,” Ilene said in her father’s defense.
After much discussion over several possible options the colonists voted unanimously to stay together although they did agree to lighten their packs by leaving behind some nonessential items in Kurper Valley to be retrieved later.
The nourishing rest and surging rush from having survived so much already seemed to invigorate them. Sulyan was speaking coherently. Ilene looked tired from expending so much healing energy, but was eager to continue on. Drak with his arm in a sling agreed. He seemed comfortable enough, thanks to Ilene. Kaylya’s sprained ankle didn’t seem as bad as they had feared and with her foot carefully wrapped walked with only a slight limp. They would make her a cane when they reached wood. Meanwhile the others were willing to give her a hand. They also had a couple of star stones. Ilene was using one to aid in pain control for her patients. Traevus could use the other to aid those who needed help up the cut and down the other side to the promised valley.
Thayla summed it up for them. “Let’s see this valley you’ve been telling us about.” Over the duration of the journey Thayla had truly become one of them.
The crossing over the cut to the promised valley proved difficult, but went smoothly. Even with the heavy clouds limiting the distant view from the top, what they did see impressed them. Wessid took Zaloka’s hand and whispered, “I think we made the right choice.”
“I agree,” she whispered back.
Entering the forest below, they halted long enough to cut Kaylya a walking stick, then moved on. They hadn’t gone far before a ferocious beast appeared suddenly before them roaring and baring sharp teeth. Zaloka screamed in terror, no doubt having second thoughts about coming here after all.
“It’s the bear-beast!” Kiril announced matching the life form standing in front of them to the large claw prints they had seen before.
“Bear? That’s not a bear?” Ilene corrected. It looked more like a cross between a dinosaur and a dragon.
Rojaire reached for Kaylya’s walking cane to use as a defense weapon which she willingly surrendered. Waving the staff and shouting, he tried to drive the animal away. Whatever it was, bear or dinosaur or dragon, it didn’t seem intimidated by their greater number.
“Stand back,” Thayla shouted taking over. The warrior awakened, she drew her great blade and charged the beast with a spine-chilling war cry that sent the beast running, dragging its spiny tail behind it. That was the last they saw of it.
“What a woman!” Traevus praised respectfully.
Then it began to rain; soon drenching rain poured down. Before the rain began, the colonists, covered in blue-violet stone dust from head to boots, appeared to be a homogenous race. A shortage of available water had made it impossible for them to wash up. As the rain washed the dust away a wide range of skin tones and fabric colors emerged. By the time Rojaire and his colonist reached the river, just as fast as the cloudburst came in, it glided away over the mountain. Soon the sun drenched the valley in steamy warmth.
“Our camp is on the other side of the river,” Rojaire informed them when they stopped to rest. “We will follow the river for a while before crossing; we still have a ways to go. Eventually we will come to a shallow rocky ford where we can cross.”
“I could run on ahead and let the others know you are coming,” Kiril volunteered, his patience with the group’s slow pace wearing thin.
“No, we stay together,” Rojaire said without hesitation. “We are too close to take unnecessary risks now; besides, we want to arrive together.” The rest quickly agreed.
The period of darkness was quickly approaching. The sun had already disappeared behind the western mountains after having dried up the day’s rain. Once again Theon sat in his chair near the campfire reflecting on his life while Edty put on water for tea. At first Theon thought the voices he was hearing were in his head, but before long Edty heard them too. Standing up, he gazed into the gloomy distance and soon he could see a group of people making their way toward them. It couldn’t be Ollen and the others returning; they were coming from the wrong direction.
“Theon, I do believe we have company, lots of company,” Edty gasped. What would constitute as a lot of people to Edty he wondered?
Theon reached for his walking staff and stepped forward for a better look. Edty was right. A large group of people were approaching. To his surprise, nearly a dozen people were headed their way.
“It’s Rojaire!” Edty shouted nearly dancing in place. “And look, there’s Kiril and Traevus.”
Theon said nothing, too overcome with emotion to speak. Rushing up to him he saw Kiril and, dare he believe, his daughter Ilene.
“Greetings Theon and Edty, I told you I would return,” Kiril shouted gleefully.
“Oh, Father; I’ve missed you so much,” Ilene cried, nearly knocking Theon off his feet if not for Kiril adding his support. Tears streamed down Theon’s face. He raised his aged hands to her face and tangled his fingers in her hair to assure that she was really there.
“Ilene, my dear daughter, welcome.”
Ilene looked him over carefully concealing her shock over how much he had aged. He seemed so frail. She gently probed his condition.
Kiril could read her concern even without a star stone. “Here sit down,” he said, gently guiding Theon back to his chair. “Crystal shards, it’s good to see you again.” But before he would sit, Theon reached into a pocket of his tunic and pulled out the purloined journal.
“I kept it safe,” Theon said handing it to him.
Kiril accepted it calmly nodding. There was no further exchange of words over it. None were needed; all was understood, their bond of friendship unbreakable, or so Kiril hoped. Theon did not yet know that Ilene was the love of Kiril’s heart. Kiril tucked the journal under his arm and helped Ilene ease Theon down into his seat. Edty stood fixed in place, overwhelmed by the crowd.
“How did you survive the underground passage through all the ground quakes?” Theon asked. “Who are the others? Did the High Council send them?”
“Greetings, Earth traveler and Edty.” Once again Theon was shocked by an unexpected presence as Captain Setas stood before him in all her diminutive form.
“But, my lady, what about your ferryboat?”
“I do believe my sea-faring days are over.”
“Greetings, Theon and Edty.” Rojaire said stepping up to them. “As you can see Kiril, Traevus and I have returned with colonists as promised and no, the High Council did not send them. I am fairly certain we are no longer recognized by the High Council as Accepted Ones. It hardly matters anymore; the underground passage is sealed. We barely got out alive and some of us are injured. One thing is for certain; we are here to stay.” Then Rojaire brought Kaylya forward. “I would like for you to meet Kaylya, the love of my heart.”
“You found her?” Theon asked in surprise.
“Yes, thanks to Rahlys and the Oracle of Light.”
“Greetings, Theon. It’s wonderful to finally meet you,” she said taking his hand in hers. “I’ve heard many stories about you.”
One by one the others were introduced.
“Zaloka is my chosen mother and Wessid is my chosen father,” Kiril explained introducing them. “And this is Drak?”
“The map maker?” Theon asked.
“That was my great grandfather,” Drak clarified. “I’m just the map keeper.”
“And Inventor Sulyan?” Theon gasped in surprise recognizing him.
“Greetings, Theon. It is my pleasure to serve.”
“And this is Thayla from planet Twaka,” Traevus introduced with obvious admiration.
“Greetings, Wise One.” Thayla bowed in deference to Theon’s great age.
“Where are Ollen, Tassyn, and Caleeza?” Traevus asked when all had been presented.
“We don’t know,” piped up Edty.
“It’s a long story,” Theon said taking a deep breath before getting started. But before he could begin to tell it, the colonists heard
a distant shout in the growing darkness. All turned their gaze to the north as the shout repeated.
“It’s Tassyn,” Edty cried and forgetting his fear of the dark rushed toward the shadowy figures in the increasing darkness. “Tassyn!” they could hear him shouting as he ran.
“It looks like they’re carrying something,” Rojaire said. “They may need help.” Putting aside their own weariness from the long journey just completed, he and Traevus headed out to meet them. Caleeza and Tassyn carried a makeshift litter bearing Ollen, conscious and obviously in pain from all his injuries and the jostling he must have endured on the way. But he rallied when he saw Rojaire and Traevus again.
“Did our boy Kiril make it back too?”
“He certainly did,” Rojaire assured him, “and we brought a few more along with us. Let’s get you back to camp so you can meet them.” Edty and Traevus quickly replaced Tassyn and Caleeza carrying Ollen.
“What happened?” Rojaire asked as they walked along.
“He was crushed in a rock slide triggered by a ground shake,” Caleeza explained.
“Where did it happen?”
“A long way from here.” She paused and turned to him. “This valley is a lot bigger than we thought.”
“I take it, life here hasn’t been exactly uneventful since we left.”
“Looks like you have stories to tell, too,” Caleeza said nodding toward the waiting throng of people, some apparently with injuries of their own. The throng of people parted for them and Edty and Traevus carefully placed the litter down by the fire. There was a chorus of greetings and introductions as well as a barrage of questions.
Ilene probed Ollen’s condition while Caleeza sat anxiously by his side. She didn’t detect any life-threatening damage to any vital organs. “He’s going to be alright,” Ilene reassured Caleeza. “But it will take a long time for him to fully recover.” Ollen assured them that even though he was badly beaten, he was not defeated.
“He can have my bed in the shelter,” Edty offered.
“You and Ollen were members of the lost expedition,” Ilene suddenly realized. “You were on Earth. I was part of the expedition looking for you.”
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