Tarizon, The Liberator, Tarizon Trilogy Vol 1

by William Manchee

  9

  The Prophecy

  In their evening conversations Luci told Peter about her family and childhood. He listened with great interest and when she was done began asking questions that had been bothering him.

  "Would you like to go back to Earth and visit your mother?"

  She frowned. "No, that wouldn't be possible. She thinks I'm dead. It would be very traumatic."

  "I know, but aside from that, wouldn't you like to see her again?"

  She thought about that for a moment and replied, "There's no use even thinking about it. It can never happen."

  "I know, but don't you ever fantasize about impossible things?"

  "No, there is no purpose in that."

  "Sure there is," he replied. "Thinking about something or visualizing it is the first step to making it reality."

  "But some things can never be reality no matter how hard you think about them."

  Peter smiled at her stubbornness and replied, "True, but many things that seem impossible are not. I'm just saying you should keep an open mind about visiting your mother someday. I'm certainly not giving up hope that one day I'll return to Earth and see my family again."

  Lucinda shook her head, "You need to face reality, Peter. Tarizon is your home now and you need to accept that. Central Authority will never let you go back to Earth. How do you think they kept TRP secret for all these cycles? They don't take chances like sending an Earth alien back home."

  As much as Luci and others tried to convey that message to him, Peter couldn't accept it. Deep down he knew somehow he'd get back to Earth. He had no clue how or when that would happen, but somehow he knew it would. Perhaps he was only in denial, he admitted to himself, and Lucinda was right, but for now he needed hope to keep his sanity. He needed to hold on to his belief that one day he'd be reunited with his family and friends back on Earth.

  The following morning Peter did his patriotic duty and made a sperm donation. It was quick and painless and the nurses who processed him were very courteous and professional. When he was done, they advised him he was to return once each week to repeat the process. As he left the clinic, he wondered how many women his sperm would impregnate and how many children would eventually bear his resemblance.

  Lucinda had accompanied him to the clinic and was waiting for him in the reception area when he got out. She had promised that she'd take him to lunch and then for some sightseeing. Peter hadn't seen much of the city up close and was curious as to how the general population lived. The restaurant she chose was the Satellite Café. It had many American dishes on the menu which made him feel right at home. They both ordered chile dogs, french fries, and cherry cokes. While they were eating he asked her if the toxins in the atmosphere had affected her in any way. She said they had.

  "Fortunately, Shisk is a domed city."

  "Domed?"

  "Yes, there is a huge air dome over the city that keeps out the toxic air. Filtered air is constantly pumped into the city and the air pressure keeps the air dome inflated."

  "Really. I couldn't tell there was a dome over the city."

  "It's transparent and with the grey sky above, it's nearly invisible."

  "Does anyone live outside the city?"

  "Yes, but they have to stay indoors or wear breathers."

  "Breathers?"

  "It's a mask with a filter attachment that removes the toxins in the air."

  "So, are all the cities of Tarizon domed?"

  "No, just a few cities in each province."

  "How many provinces are there?"

  "There are seven on the continent of Turvin where Shisk is located and twenty-four more on all five continents, so I would estimate maybe a hundred domed cities on the planet."

  He nodded.

  Lucinda continued,"Domes are difficult to build and expensive to maintain. You can't imagine how much air is inside a dome and how difficult it is to keep it filtered."

  "Right."

  They continued to talk during lunch, and when they were done eating they headed for the subtram. Lucinda said she wanted to take Peter to the Shisk Museum of Political History. She told him it housed the original copy of the Supreme Mandate and the World Proclamation. When they reached the subtram station, Lucinda punched in some numbers and waited as they were scanned. After a minute the door opened and they stepped inside. There was a slight sensation of movement but it was barely noticeable.

  "We could really use a subtram system like this in Dallas. I wonder why your government hasn't shared this technology?"

  Lucinda shrugged. "I don't know. You don't have a good public transportation system?"

  Peter shook his head. "No, it takes us much longer to get around in our big—"

  The subtram suddenly bucked, lurched, and started vibrating violently. There was a jerk, then it came to a screeching, halt slamming them hard against the side panel. Lucinda screamed as they first hit the wall and then fell backward on top of each other.

  "What the—" Peter said, rubbing the back of his head where it had struck the hard surface. It was swelling and pain was shooting into his neck and shoulders. Lucinda was moaning.

  "Are you okay?" she asked as she struggled to her feet. "Nothing a half a bottle of aspirin won't fix," Peter replied. "What happened?"

  "I don't know. I've never known a subtram to malfunction."

  Lucinda opened the control panel on the right side of the door and punched some numbers on a keypad. She waited but nothing happened. She tried again and then looked at Peter and shrugged. "We'll have to wait for help to arrive. It shouldn't be long."

  Looking around the interior of the subtram Peter noticed an escape hatch near the top. He pointed to it. Lucinda glanced at it and shook her head. "No, it wouldn't be wise to go outside. We don't know where we are."

  Peter smiled and said, "You mean we might be in a bad neighborhood?"

  Lucinda nodded. "That and parts of the city have been quarantined due to a virus."

  "A virus. You have viruses here too?"

  "Yes, the toxins in the air weaken the immune system. Viruses spread like bad news."

  Peter took a deep breath and shook his head. "Wonderful. So, how long do you think it will take them to find us?"

  "Not long. I'm sure they were monitoring us."

  They waited for awhile in silence but no one showed up. Lucinda looked worried, so Peter took her hand in his and squeezed it in a reassuring gesture. She smiled and said, "I don't understand this. They must know the subtram has stopped. An alarm must be blinking somewhere."

  "Maybe whoever is running the system today is sleeping on the job."

  "No. That's not possible."

  After it seemed they'd been trapped in the subtram for over a kyloon, Peter pointed to the trap door again. Lucinda shrugged and said, "Okay, can you boost me up there."

  Peter nodded and cupped his hands making a foothold. Lucinda put her hands on Peter's shoulders and he lifted her up to the ceiling. The trap door opened easily and she pushed it aside. He gave her a heave and she pulled herself up through the trap door and disappeared. A few moments later she reappeared at the trap door and said, "I'm going to throw down a rail. I think if you wedge it against the wall you can climb up high enough to reach the ceiling. Then I can help pull you through."

  Peter nodded and stood to the side while she tossed down the rail. It made a loud clanging noise when it hit the floor of the subtram. After wedging it between the wall and the floor, Peter tried to climb it rapidly and grab the edge of the trap door, but it gave way and he fell hard to the floor. Lucinda cringed at Peter's plight. Luckily he wasn't seriously hurt, so he scrambled to his feet and tried again. This time he took more time to be sure the rail was wedged securely and he was able to climb high enough to grab onto the edge of the trap door. Lucinda immediately grabbed his wrists and helped pull him up and through the small opening.

  Once outside the subtram, Peter realized they were on an elevated trestle high above the city. A pungent
odor hung in the air. Lucinda pointed to a metal ladder that was built into the column supporting the beam. It led to the city far below. They looked in every direction searching for rescuers but saw nothing. After a while they decided they had no choice but to climb down to the city, so they began to descend the ladder welded to the side of the column. As they got close to the ground sounds began to filter up to them—voices, music, traffic, sirens, and a dog barking.

  "You have dogs here on Tarizon?" Peter asked.

  "No. We have an animal that looks like a dog. It's called a rhutz."

  "Ruts?"

  "Rhutzzz."

  "Do you have one?"

  "No. They don't usually like people. They're only tolerated because they control the rodent population and the holy man Sandee used to have one as a pet."

  "Really. So, if they are so dangerous, why did he have one?"

  “It’s a long story. I’ll tell it to you later. Right now we better concentrate on getting home.”

  "Is that American music I'm hearing?" Peter asked.

  "Yes, the Earthchildren are addicted to it. Central Authority doesn't like it but they tolerate it since it makes the Earthchildren happy."

  When they reached the ground they found themselves on a busy street. Luci started walking and Peter followed close behind her. As Peter began to focus on the people that were walking by, he noticed they were dirty, poorly dressed, and looked sickly. He cringed as a man walked by with a limp extra arm coming out of his stomach. Many of the men and women had huge warts and giant pimples on their faces. Lucinda looked back at Peter with a worried look on her face.

  "Do you know where we are?" Peter asked.

  "No. She said. I'm looking for a communication post so I can call for help."

  "What do they look like?"

  "Like one of your telephone booths but silver colored with a VC monitor."

  We walked on but saw nothing resembling a communication post. After awhile Peter felt eyes on them. They must have stuck out like tall mushrooms in green grass with their clean white clothing and black sandals. Peter looked around and made eye contact with a rough looking group of men across the street. Then he noticed what looked like a very large German Shepard following them. It was salmon colored with yellowish brown eyes.

  "Has this ever happened to you before?" Peter asked in a low voice.

  "No. This is very strange. Central Authority should have picked us up by now."

  "Is that a rhutz?" Peter asked.

  Lucinda turned and stared at the wild-eyed creature following them. "Yes."

  "It looks a lot like a dog," Peter said. "I can't believe it doesn't like people."

  Lucinda frowned. "Don't mess with it. If it thinks you are a threat it will attack you. I've heard of people being killed when they encountered a stray rhutz."

  “I just want to pet it. I had a dog like that once, until someone poisoned her.”

  "Poisoned her?"

  "Why?"

  "One of my father's enemies trying to scare him, I guess."

  Luci shook her head. "Evil is just part of human nature, I guess. Most of us are strong enough to resist it but some are weak and inevitably will succumb to it," she said, hesitating as they approached a noisy tavern. It was called the Mighty Jolly and they could hear much laughter inside. She looked back at Peter and said, "Maybe in here someone can call Central Authority."

  Peter put his arm on her shoulder. "I don’t think going in a bar in this part of town would be wise. Let’s find a restaurant or a public building."

  Lucinda nodded and started to move on down the street. Peter looked into the bar as he walked by. A small man sitting on a bar stool saw him and motioned to Peter to come in. Peter stopped and stared at the little man. Lucinda turned and said, “What’s wrong? Why are you stopping?”

  Peter shrugged. “Some dude wants me to come inside.”

  “What?” Lucinda said as she hurried back to the door of the bar. She looked at the man who was now waving frantically for them to come inside. Lucinda looked at Peter.

  “Well, I guess it won’t hurt to talk to him,” she said as she stepped inside the tavern. Peter looked back and saw the rhutz just a few feet behind him. It looked so much like his old dog, he knelt down, extended his hand, and said, "Here boy."

  Luci gasped when she turned back and saw Peter kneeling before the rhutz. The rhutz bared his teeth and growled at him. Peter withdrew his hand, stood up, and looked at Luci. She shook her head, turned, and started to go toward the little man, but he had disappeared. She looked around and not seeing him went straight to the lady bartender who was dressed in tight leather-looking pants and a gold blouse. Her bright yellow hair had purple highlights that clashed with her pale green eyes. Peter joined them unconsciously staring at the woman’s odd appearance. He couldn't understand a word they were saying so he just smiled at her.

  When the conversation ended, Lucinda said, "She doesn't want to call Central Authority because if they came here they'd bust up the joint and cause her a lot of grief. She said there was a communication port three blocks east of here.

  Peter looked around at the room full of strange people most of whom were now staring at them. He nodded and said, "Let's go, then."

  When they turned to leave a large muscular man stepped in front of them. He was flanked by the midget who had lured them into the tavern. For a moment Peter thought his eyes were out of focus. The man seemed to have three heads and six eyes. Peter blinked several times but the image didn't change. He glanced over at Lucinda and noticed her mouth had dropped open. The three-headed mutant gave Peter a once over and said, "Hi there, laddie. You must be Peter Turner."

  Lucinda gasped and looked at Peter. Peter shrugged. "Yeah, but how—"

  The man extended his hand. "I'm Threebeard. I hope your little subtram mishap didn't cause you any alarm."

  It was clear where the name Threebeard had come from. The man had three chins each with a little clump of hair at the end. His three heads were not separate and distinct but three heads joined together below the ears. His three pairs of bright blue-green eyes had red pupils that moved in different directions. The sight gave Peter the creeps and caused him to break out in gooseflesh. Threebeard had just one wide nose and a single long mouth covering not less than forty pearl white teeth. Peter reluctantly shook the mutant's hand and asked, "So, you stopped the subtram?"

  "Yes, I'm sorry to intrude on your evening, but there was no other way for us to meet."

  Lucinda frowned and said, "Central Authority is going to be quite distressed that someone sabotaged a subtram. I hope you're prepared to spend the next twenty days in a labor camp."

  Threebeard laughed and replied, "I don't think so. After you got out, I sent it on its way and rewrote the history file so that this stop will never show up in any record."

  "How did you manage that?" Lucinda asked.

  "Well as they say on Earth, three heads are better than one, right?" Everyone in the bar had crowded around them now and laughed heartily at Threebeard's joke. "I'm what you call on Earth, a genius."

  Peter swallowed hard. "So, what do you want with us? And how did you know we would be out on the subtram today?" he asked.

  Threebeard dug into his coat pocket and pulled out a small laptop computer. He held it out and said, "I make it my regular business to tap into Central Authority’s computer and monitor traffic in and out of the capital city. I had noticed your name on the roster for Earth Shuttle 21 and was surprised to see an Earth-alien aboard."

  "Not as surprised as I was.” Peter noted. "So, what do you want from me?"

  Peter looked around at Threebeard's entourage who seemed to be listening intently to the conversation. He wondered if any of them spoke English and knew what they were talking about. They seemed to laugh at the right times, so some of them must have spoken English, he thought. Threebeard seemed to pull the question out of Peter's mind and replied, "No, they don't understand a word we are saying, but some of them can read
your mind."

  Peter winced and looked around at the faces that were staring intently at him. "Ah. . . Where did you learn to speak English?" he asked.

  "Watching American movies for cycles on end. It's so generous of your cable companies to broadcast them into the airwaves so we can download them into our video converters."

  "The signal makes it all the way to Tarizon? There's no way."

  "True enough, but our shuttles record everything that is transmitted while they are on Earth. All I have to do is tap into their systems when they return to Tarizon and the information is mine."

  Peter nodded. "Don't the shuttle computers have security against unauthorized entry?"

  "Sure, but nothing that I can't penetrate."

  There was general laughter again. Peter looked around amused. He was starting to like Threebeard. Lucinda, on the other hand was getting more nervous by the minute.

  "That's pretty impressive," Peter said.

  "Yes, and I speak all thirty-one of the languages and dialects spoken on Tarizon. As you say on Earth, I'm a quick learner." There was laughter again.

  "That's really amazing. But you still haven’t told me what you want?”

  “Videl Lai tried to kill you just as soon as you got off the shuttle. That piqued my curiosity.”

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “They erased your memory so you wouldn’t know it happened.”

  “Who erased my memory?” Peter said irritably. “You’re not making any sense.”

  “Remember your friend, Jimmy Falk,” Threebeard said.

  “Yeah. I had lunch with him when we got off the shuttle.”

  “He’s dead. Videl Lai had him murdered along with thirty-two other passengers from Earth Shuttle 21.”

  “Jimmy is dead?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry to say he is and the only reason you aren’t is that someone is protecting you.”

  “Who is protecting me and why does Videl Lai want me dead? Who the hell is he anyway?”

  Threebeard ignored his questions for the moment still sizing him up. Peter was visibly shaken by all that Threebeard had thrown at him. Luci put her arm around him and held him tightly. “I’ve been with Peter since he arrived on the subtram,” she protested. “Nobody has tried to kill him.”

  “It happened right after he got off the ship. Peter didn’t come with the others, did he? He was personally escorted to the subtram station?”

  “Well, yes,” Lucinda admitted. “Someone dropped him off. They said he’d been delayed.”

  “That’s right. Everyone seems to think he’s the one," Threebeard continued looking Peter directly in the eyes. "You must be. You were the only Earth -alien on Shuttle 21 that could possibly be him. I think you are surely him, but I must be absolutely sure."

  "The one? What one?" Peter asked, feeling very confused.

  Threebeard looked at his entourage expectantly. They all gave him a blank look in return. He said, "There is an old Prophecy:

  When the sun and the moons align,

  amongst the Earthchildren will come

  one wise and pure in heart.

  A man of humble birth,

  who'll tame the savage rhutz,

  unite those who'd have liberty

  and justice restored to Tarizon,

  and rid it of its evil tyrant.

  Known as The Liberator,

  he'll restore the Supreme Mandate

  and free from bondage

  The Mutants, Seafolken, and Nanomites.

  Peter started to laugh but then realized Threebeard was dead serious. Lucinda looked at Peter with a look of wonder in her eyes. Peter felt uncomfortable and replied, "Ah. . . . I hate to disappoint you, but you've got the wrong guy. I'm no Liberator or whatever, I promise you. I'm just a poor high school kid who got on the wrong bus."

  Threebeard gave Peter one of his long smiles and replied, "You are modest like the Prophecy says. I detect too that you do indeed have a pure heart. It is said that like Sandee Brahn, the Liberator will tame the savage rhutz and they will walk together in triumph. I noticed there was a rhutz outside following you."

  Peter looked toward the door. The rhutz was peering into the tavern. "Yeah, well he's not exactly tame," he said. "In fact, he almost bit my hand off."

  "Well, only time will tell, but I do believe I have met the Liberator. Yes, I'm sure of it."

  “I don’t think so, but assuming I am this Liberator person, as I understand it the Supreme Mandate is currently the law of the land, so your prophecy makes no sense.”

  Threebeard smiled. “Yes, but not for long, I’m afraid. You see I know Videl Lai very well. We have been adversaries for a long time. He doesn’t believe in the Supreme Mandate and only honors it today out of necessity. For years he and the Purists have been plotting to seize control of the government by any means necessary and once that is done, suspend the Supreme Mandate. They deny it, of course, but that is clearly their intention.”

  Peter didn’t know what to say. All he could only think about the fact that someone was trying to kill him and that Jimmy was already dead! He looked around the bar at all the strange faces. He felt sick. All he wanted to do was get the hell out of there.

  “I know it is unsettling to be the target of an assassin,” Threebeard continued. “Videl Lai has tried to assassinate me as well, so I know how you feel right now, but don’t despair. You will be protected.”

  Peter forced a smile and said, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Threebeard. I suppose we'd better get back on the subtram before we are missed. I'd hate for anyone to get hurt on account of our disappearance."

  Threebeard bowed and then stepped aside. Lucinda walked past him and Peter turned to leave. "When you accept your destiny—the fact that you are the Liberator—I am your loyal servant," Threebeard said. "Come to me to summon your army. We will be waiting to follow you to victory."

  Threebeard's words sent icy shivers through Peter. He stumbled out of the Tavern and walked briskly in the direction of the communication station. Luci had to run to keep up. He looked back at the tavern and shook his head in utter disbelief over his encounter with Threebeard. He noticed the rhutz again following him, studying him, sizing him up like Threebeard had done. He continued to walk nervously, wondering if his life was really in danger or if Threebeard was back in the tavern having a good laugh at how he had terrorized an Earth-alien.

  As they walked, Peter couldn’t help but notice the poverty, disease, and desperation of the neighborhood they were in. Luci saw the repulsion on his face. “It wasn’t always this way,” she said. “Before the great eruptions there were no slums in Shisk, few mutants, and the Nanomites and Seafolken were free.”

  “Really? The volcanoes really did screw up your world.”

  “Along with the tremors, tidal waves and fires. It was hell on Tarizon for over a cycle. Videl and his followers used the calamity to gain power and subvert the Supreme Mandate.”

  “Who is Videl Lai, anyway? Threebeard never said.”

  “He’s the Vice-Chancellor—a very powerful man that you don’t want as an enemy. Some say he is plotting to take over the government.”

  “So, what about this Prophecy? Did you know about it?”

  “Yes, everyone knows about it, but not everyone believes it.”

  “That’s good news. Not everyone on this planet is insane.”

  When they got to the communication station, Lucinda punched some numbers on the console and said something into the receiver. When she was done she took a deep breath and said, "It won't be long now. They've sent someone to pick us up."

  As they were waiting Peter noticed a gang of menacing looking thugs coming out of the shadows. They had clubs and knives and didn't look the least bit friendly. He nudged Lucinda and she looked up and gasped at the sight of them. Before they could react they were surrounded and the menacing mob was closing in on them. As the noose tightened the mob started chanting something which upset Lucinda greatly. She be
gan screaming at them. A man in a shabby dark cloak pulled a knife and stuck it in front of Peter's face narrowly missing his cheek.

  Suddenly a growling sound came from behind them. The man turned around but it was too late. The rhutz came at him so fast he didn't have time to defend himself. The teeth of the rhutz sank deep into the thug's groin. He let out a scream of intense pain and struggled to free himself of the vicious animal but with no success.

  The other thugs watched with their mouths open as dark red blood squirted in every direction around them. Finally the rhutz let go and the man fell to the ground, rocking back and fourth, holding himself, and moaning in great agony. When the rhutz bared his teeth at the rest of the mob, they all turned and scattered in every direction. The wounded thug didn’t hang around either. He managed to struggle to his feet and limp away. When Peter and Luci were alone again, Peter made eye contact with the rhutz. In his mind he thanked him silently for saving their lives. The rhutz lowered his head almost like a nod and then laid down. In the corner of his eye, Peter saw Threebeard looking at him from across the street. When their eyes met, Threebeard gave Peter a toothy grin, turned, and walked away.

  In the distance there was the sound of an approaching aircraft. It was sort of like the sound of a helicopter but steadier—like a harsh wind. The sound intensified and suddenly a black object appeared with blue and red flashing lights. It hovered overhead for a moment and then dropped down to the street. Two soldiers jumped out of a side door and motioned for them to come aboard. They followed them and climbed inside. As they were about to leave, Peter looked at the rhutz. It was standing now watching them. Peter put two fingers in his mouth and whistled.

  "Come on boy! Let's go," he said.

  The rhutz hesitated and the soldiers started to close the hatch. Peter put his hand on the door to give the rhutz one last chance to jump in. This time the rhutz sprang to its feet and ran toward them. It jumped through the door, narrowly making it before it closed. One of the soldiers pointed his gun at the rhutz, but Peter put his hand on the muzzle and shook his head.

  The rhutz backed away into a corner. Everyone stared at it. Peter knew having a rhutz as a pet on Tarizon would be the equivalent of running around with a pet wolf in Dallas. Most people would feel uneasy with such a beast lurking about and they'd wonder about the pet's master as well. It was the Prophecy that was on his mind, though. Would this rhutz befriend him? He'd already saved his life and jumped into a helicopter on his command. It seemed definitely within the realm of possibility.

  Peter walked slowly over to where the rhutz was standing and sat down next to it. The rhutz looked at him warily and then inched itself closer. Peter extended his hand and the rhutz began to sniff it. A moment later the rhutz let him touch the back of its neck. Soon he was petting it gingerly.

  "That a boy," He said smiling up at Luci. "We are going to be friends after all. You had me wondering there for minute."

  Luci shook her head. "What are you going to feed it?"

  Peter shrugged. "I don't think we'll have to worry about that. It's been taking care of itself for a long time, I suspect. There are probably plenty of rodents in our sector of the city. If not, he can live off of our table scraps."

  It was late when they got back to their compartment. They were both hungry and exhausted from their ordeal. They ordered Chinese this time and then readied a place for Peter’s new friend to sleep. By that time they’d determined the rhutz was female. When they'd finished, Luci asked, "What are you going to call her?"

  “Hmm. That’s a good question.”

  "Remember Threebeard said the rhutz walked with Sandee Brahn? Maybe you should call her Sandee."

  Peter nodded and replied, "I don’t know, some may think it disrespectful to name an animal after a holy man. Let's see what else would be good? . . .Let me see. . . . Killer . . . Rambo?"

  "Rambo?" Luci asked. "Where have I heard that name?"

  "You know, Sylvester Stallone? Vietnam? You must have seen the movie when you lived on Earth."

  "Right, I vaguely remember it."

  "Nah. Rambo doesn't quite fit. How about Rin Tin Tin?"

  "Rin Tin Tin?"

  "He was a famous American dog that starred in the movies back in the 30s."

  "Hmm. Rhin Tin means iron jaw in Tari."

  "Rhin Tin. Hmm. That's cool," Peter replied. "We can call her Rhin for short?"

  Lucinda nodded her approval. They both looked over at the rhutz to see if there was any reaction to her new name. She was sniffing and poking around the blankets that were to be her new bed. Finally she laid down and looked at them. She seemed satisfied with the choice. "What do you think, girl? Is Rhin okay?"

  Suddenly he felt a strange sensation in his head. He rubbed his forehead. It wasn't a bad feeling, just different than anything he'd ever experienced. He looked at Rhin who was now asleep.

  "I think she likes her new name," Luci said. "She'll be a good companion for the Liberator."

  Peter rolled his eyes. “So, you were going to tell me how Sandee Brahn and rhutz became friends.”

  “Oh, yes. Well, when Sandee was a boy he lived with his parents in Lecton which is part of northern Azallo. They were poor farmers who barely survived in the barren land that is characteristic of that part of the world. Sandee was eleven years old and had no brothers and sisters. He had to hike many kylods every day to go to school and when he returned home in the afternoon there were many chores to be done before he could have dinner and go to bed.

  “It was a time of near anarchy in Lecton. It was at war with its neighbor Serie. Soldiers from both sides often raided each other’s territory and plundered and pillaged everything in their path. One day the Brahn farm was overrun and Sandee’s parents were murdered. Sandee himself would have been killed except that he was on an errand for his father when the soldiers came. When he returned home, he’d lost everything that was precious to him.

  “Unknown to Sandee the soldiers had left two men behind to be sure they’d taken everything of value. When these men saw Sandee they vowed to kill the last witness to their murderous venture, but God had other plans. Upon seeing the men Sandee fled along the river trying to outrun them, but they were stronger and faster and soon overtook him. This is when the rhutz appeared. He came out of the brush and nearly ripped off one of the soldier’s legs. The other soldier tried to shoot the rhutz but couldn’t get a clear shot. He finally decided to flee while he had the chance, but after the rhutz finished off the first soldier he went for the second. The second soldier never had a chance.

  “This is when God appeared to Sandee who was lying on the bank of the river in great shock and sorrow over the death of his parents. God told Sandee that he’d been one of many victims of the evil that was choking Tarizon. He told him He wanted him to bring peace and justice to Tarizon and that He would give him the strength and power to do it. Of course, this eleven year old boy was shocked and confused at this and nobody believed him at first when he told them God had spoken to him, but the rhutz stayed with him and became a constant companion. This odd and wondrous sight of a small boy protected by the savage rhutz gave many pause. There were other miracles too and within a few years it was clear that God was indeed with this boy and he quickly became renowned for his intelligence and wisdom.”

  “Wow. That’s quite a story,” Peter said. “I wish God had talked to me. It would have made all of this a lot easier to accept.”

  “I don’t know, you’d still wonder if it was really God who had spoken to you or just your imagination.”

  Peter nodded. “That’s true.”

  “Whether God talked to you or not the fact that you walk with a rhutz will make many people believe you are the Liberator.”

  There was a long silence while Peter and Luci contemplated this. Eventually Luci got up to go to bed. She was dressed in a short white gown that exposed her perfect legs. Peter had been eying them all night barely able to keep his hands off them. She caught him watching her a
nd smiled.

  “You know,” she said. “I really had fun today.”

  “Really? So did I.”

  “I feel very comfortable around you. I don’t know why, but I’m glad I got to be your guide, particularly if you turn out to actually be the Liberator.”

  Peter felt a jolt of happiness overcome him. She turned to retire to her bedroom. He got up and rushed over to her. “Wait,” he said urgently. She turned and looked at him expectantly. As he gazed into her alluring eyes he took her hand and pulled her next to him. They kissed passionately.

  When he finally let her go, she gave him a wry smile. “It’s about time, cowboy. You had me worried there for awhile.”

  Peter didn’t understand exactly what Luci meant by her comment, but he didn’t much care. All he knew was that his yearning for her was over. She had made it clear she wanted him. Tonight she would be his lover and he was going to make it a night neither would ever forget.