He reached a hand toward her face and stopped mid movement.
Talina took another step back. She read the sincerity in his mind and her chest churned with conflicting emotions. “But you have no respect for life.”
“If it's that important to your people, maybe we can compromise… find more acceptable ways to feed ourselves.” He meant what he said. “How do you survive? Can you teach us your ways?”
“You want to learn from us?” Talina had not anticipated such a reversal. She saw in his mind both people working side by side, according to the laws of harmony. “Why?”
“Why not? You have lived here a long time. You know your land.” He smiled reassuringly. “And maybe we can help you, too.”
She closed her mind to the possibility. How could a people who killed teach them anything of value? “I doubt it.”
He studied her quietly. “I only have one question. You berate me for killing a boar for food, but I think your people might have killed one of my men.”
“It cannot be true. We respect all life...” Talina's heart raced in her chest and she felt her cheeks grow hot. She had not sensed any Human death.
“Some of your people may have different ideas. Could they have ordered the sharks to attack my diver? He died horribly.”
Talina recoiled at the thought. Warning drums pounded in her ears. “Sharks?” Why would he bring up sharks? “Sharks are difficult to control. They have small, primitive brains, and the water impedes mind-talk.”
That's why she hadn't felt the man's death. He died underwater. But only one person could have ordered the sharks to venture close to shore and kill... Vanaru! Had he taken the Star People's suggestion to heart?
Black Jaguar gazed deep into her eyes and her legs weakened. “What is your name?”
“Talina.” She could barely breathe, her entire body filled with a strange, cottony heat.
He smiled. “I'll see what I can do to prevent more animal deaths, Talina.”
She loved the way he said her name, rough but sweet, low as a caress. She sighed. “And I will find out if my people contacted the sharks.”
“I hope we meet again.” His open mind exulted hope, kindness, and something else, warm and comforting.
How could she not trust him? “We will meet again, Black Jaguar.”
Talina only hoped the shark attack was an accident, and their respective people would not decide to fight each other.
Chapter Six
Kahuel picked his way among the black rocks of the natural jetty, splashed by the waves breaking on both sides of the narrow, broken path. Princess Esperana stood at the end of the rocky spine, her back to him, looking out to sea. Her long white robes flapped in the gentle breeze.
As he approached, Kahuel cleared his throat. “I hope I'm not intruding.”
“Please.” The tall princess glanced at him over her shoulder. “It's odd to see you without your infernal cat.”
“Diablo found companionship in the forest.” Kahuel wondered whether the princess could even catch his meaning.
“Good for him.” Princess Esperana's deep, detached voice covered the distant cries of seabirds. “I'm trying to make sense of a dream.”
“What kind of dream?” Kahuel wondered why a high and mighty Mutant would mention her dreams to him. “Does it involve our situation?”
“Possibly.” Esperana turned to face him and her hazel eyes clouded. The breeze blew her long flaxen hair in unseemly disarray for a Mutant. “I saw a young man with golden skin and turquoise eyes, surrounded by large, venomous white snakes.”
Kahuel shivered at the mention of snakes. “I can't stand reptiles... Diablo doesn't like them either.”
“The young man seemed to be calling to me.” She sounded nostalgic. Could she feel lonely?
The mention of turquoise eyes startled Kahuel. “Did the man have hair of honey?”
The Princess lifted her brow. “His head was shaved. Why?”
“The eyes remind me of Talina, the native I just spoke to... she did mention a brother.”
“I also talked to the woman briefly in my mind.”
“You did?” Why hadn't Talina mentioned it? Kahuel hated secrets. He looked back toward the beach. “By the way, the natives don't want us to kill animals for food. They say it's evil in their culture.”
They stood too far from the beach for anyone to hear them, even with the gentle breeze blowing from the ocean. This conversation would remain private. Kahuel didn't want anyone to panic about the mind readers.
“The native woman called me a Lost Daughter.” Princess Esperana shaded her eyes and scanned the dark surface where only flotsam marked the place of the sunken Galleon. “She knew who I was.”
“So, she confirmed the truth of your ancestry.” Kahuel wondered whether that fact would help or hinder his people. “That's good, no?”
Esperana faced him and shook her head. “She tried to read my mind without permission. How dare she?”
Kahuel bit his lips, resisting the urge to grin. So, Talina was gutsy enough to challenge a Mutant. He squinted in the bright sunlight. Birds circled overhead. “Maybe it's the way of her tribe... If they all can read minds, they have nothing to hide.”
“Everyone has something to hide.” The princess scoffed. “I didn't let her do it, of course. The little twit seemed surprised I could shield myself.”
Kahuel offered his bare back to the warm suns. “Did she tell you about the Star People? Apparently, they think we are evil, and they want us dead.”
Esperana's jaw dropped, then she closed her mouth and turned away. “So that's what they call them. The Star People? I was right.”
“About what?” Kahuel was getting tired of secrets. “If we have to depend on each other for survival, I need to be informed.”
Esperana pursed her lips and considered Kahuel briefly. Would she deem him worthy of her confidence? She sat on top of a flat boulder and indicated another one for him. “I didn't just come here to find my roots. I suspect an alien race is trying to control the natives. Any off-world interference constitutes a threat to the entire population of this planet.”
“An alien threat?” Kahuel scratched his head. Despite the restrictions on Humans concerning Mutant knowledge, he'd seen the ancient records and listened to his parents retelling the story of the last alien attempt to control the planet. “It's the Mutants' job to defend us against invaders from space. The Council of Princes in Kassouk even requisitioned Yalta's royal spaceship for this purpose. Have the space patrols detected an alien presence?”
“That's just it. They haven't.” Esperana paused. The roll of the surf and cries of seabirds filled the soft breeze. “That's why the Council of Princes didn't believe me when I talked about the dangers of an alien invasion. With no detectable spaceships, they believe there is no threat.”
“And what do you think?” Kahuel remembered reacting when he first heard the name… Star People. It did sound like an alien presence.
“The so-called Star People could have devised more advanced technologies.”
“Such as?” Although not an engineer, Kahuel was intrigued.
“Some sophisticated cloaking device, maybe?”
“If we are on a large island, the whole island could be cloaked... that would explain why it wasn't on our maps.” Kahuel scanned the blue sky. Could the Star People be right here, invisible, listening to them? That would be frightening.
Esperana gazed over his shoulder toward the beach. “I suspect they are the ones who gave the natives their mind-reading abilities through genetic manipulation. They could be operating on a different frequency, one our scanners cannot detect... just like this dampening field our transmitters cannot pierce.”
Although not versed in technology, Kahuel understood what she meant. “If the Star People can read minds, could they use the same brain power to hide, or even travel undetected?”
Princess Esperana nodded. “You catch on fast, Black Jaguar. What you suggest is entirely possible... and such
a source of energy would escape our surveillance.”
Kahuel's face flushed hot at the compliment. “But how do you propose to stop them if you can't detect them?”
“That's what we need to find out.” The princess sighed. “They must have weaknesses. Everyone does.”
“In order to learn more, should we make friendly contact with the natives?” Exhilaration filled Kahuel at the prospect of seeing Talina again.
“That's one way.” The princess narrowed her eyes, studying him. “But it could be dangerous for you and your people. They can read your minds, but you can't read theirs.”
“That's a risk I'm willing to take.” Danger or not, Kahuel preferred open relations. Besides, knowledge of the enemy might give him the tools to protect his people.
“But what if they are responsible for the shark attack this morning?” Esperana stared at the waters that had churned red with blood only a few hours ago.
A heaviness filled Kahuel at the loss of the unfortunate diver. “Talina didn't dismiss the possibility that her people could be responsible. She promised to check into it, and in return I promised not to kill any more animals for food.”
“That's very generous of you, Black Jaguar.” Esperana raised a questioning brow. “Mutants can easily forego meat protein, but are you sure your warriors will go along with this promise of yours?”
“If that's the only way to keep good relations with the natives, we'll have to try.” Kahuel hoped his people would see the advantages of keeping the peace as more important than their taste for meat. If they didn't, he had no idea how he could enforce his authority.
“What if the natives do not want peace?” Princess Esperana gazed far beyond him. “Are you ready to fight them?”
“Fight them?” Kahuel realized the difficulty of being a leader. He must think of the expedition first. As much as he couldn't stand the thought of harming Talina, he couldn't let the natives slaughter his people.
* * *
Talina caught her breath and leaned against the smooth trunk of the ancestral tree in the sacred clearing. In her shocked state, she couldn't even mind-talk. “Vanaru!”
She composed herself and climbed the steps to the stone slab that served as a stage for religious ceremonies. Her older brother, dressed in white silk tunic and pants, walked out of the tall fissure in the cliff. The sacred cave, carved by the Star People long ago, lay sheltered inside the rock, safely hidden from view. Vanaru picked his way between the coils of large white snakes basking in the sunlight at the entrance. His shaved skull gleamed in the dappled sunshine.
“What is it, Sister?” Vanaru smiled reassuringly as he met her on the flat stone slab.
But Talina had no need for reassurance. She only wanted the truth. “Did you call the sharks upon the foreigners?”
Vanaru's smile vanished, and his face darkened to copper, making his turquoise eyes stand out even more. “The strangers need to know they are not welcome on our land.”
“How could you do such a thing? A man died.” A ripple of revulsion shook Talina's body.
“Don't be so shocked.” Vanaru's face muscle contracted and his expression hardened. “The foreigners have no place here. We have to do something, protect our way of life.”
“But what you did is criminal.” Talina stifled a sob.
“Not if the Star People ordered it.” The righteousness in Vanaru's stare frightened her. “The strangers must go back to their homeland.”
Talina couldn't let her brother intimidate her. She shook her head in frustration. “Their ship sank. They cannot go back. At least, not right away.”
“Their presence on our shores cannot be tolerated, even for a short time. It is poisoning us.” Vanaru's gaze scanned the surrounding vegetation. “They killed a boar...”
“I know.” Talina flinched at the pain and the shock of the giant swine when the cold arrowhead pierced its heart.
“What can you expect from people who burn corpses instead of letting nature feed upon them?” Vanaru laid a light hand on her shoulder. “They are selfish and destructive. That alone proves they are evil.”
“What about the Lost Daughter among them?” But even as she said it, Talina remembered with shock how the Lost Daughter had shut her out.
Vanaru picked up on her thought and stiffened. “I want to believe she is one of us.” Vanaru looked wistfully away, in the direction of the foreigners' cove. “But the Star People deny her existence.”
“Maybe the foreigners just don't know any better.” Talina refused to believe Black Jaguar had bad intentions. “Their leader seems open to change.”
“Lies. People who do not mind-talk lie.” Vanaru set his brow in a stubborn frown.
“But I read his thoughts, and he was truthful.” Talina wrenched herself away from under her brother's hand. “How can I trust the Star People when they preach love for all living things then order us to harm others?”
“The Star People only want our happiness. As the leader of our clan, I agree the foreigners threaten the sacred laws of harmony ruling our lives. It's already happening. Can't you see it's because of them that we are quarreling?” Vanaru exhaled slowly. “Lying, fighting, killing and controlling, that is their way, not ours.”
“I don't believe all strangers are evil. They are people like us. They speak our language. They come from the same original tribe.” Talina remembered Black Jaguar saying her name so gently despite his coarse accent. “Don't they deserve a chance to redeem themselves?”
Vanaru paced the sacred slab, somehow avoiding the large, basking Guardian snakes. “The foreigners are not like us. They cannot mind-talk. The Star People insist they must leave by all means necessary.”
Talina exhaled a frustrated sigh. “There was a time when our people could not mind-talk either. Did that make us evil?”
“We are different now. We are better, we are special. We are the Chosen. We never lie to each other.” Vanaru paused, and the cacophony of birdsongs in the surrounding jungle grew deafening.
Talina calmed herself, determined to talk sense into her brother. “Our people don't lie because they know they would get caught. If they could lie, maybe they would.”
“I'm sorry, Sister,” Vanaru said calmly. “The Star People want all the foreigners gone or dead.”
Talina cringed at the thought. How could she endure the cries of so many people dying? And she certainly could not tolerate the pain of Black Jaguar dying. “This goes against our way. It makes us worse than them. They have no intention of killing us.”
“You don't know that for sure. Besides, our way is what the Star People say it is.” Vanaru's stubborn expression forbade any objection. “If the foreigners cannot leave, they must die.”
“That is cruel and unnecessary!” How could Vanaru not see this?
“Nevertheless. It must be done.” Vanaru turned back toward the gaping fissure in the cliff behind them, the entrance of the sacred cave.
Talina rushed ahead of him and blocked his way. “I'll advise our people not to follow you.”
Vanaru looked down at her with patronizing indulgence. “You are so naive, Sister. Sense all the minds around us. The Star People brought us harmony. Our clan worships them.”
“Maybe they shouldn't.” Talina probed the forest and felt the minds of her clan bent on obeying the Star People for the greater good. The depth of their commitment crushed her hopes of convincing them otherwise.
Vanaru smiled sadly. “We have no other choice, Sister.”
“I do have another choice.” Talina wouldn't be bullied by her older brother. “I refuse to take part in such a cruel endeavor.”
Vanaru's jaw tightened and his turquoise eyes squinted at her. “Then you'd better leave. You have been seduced by their evil ways.”
“You cannot banish me.” Panic coursed through Talina's mind and body at the very thought. No one could live alone once exiled from the clan. “You need me to contact the Star People.”
“I can and I do banish you
.” Vanaru's steady gaze filled with a hideous emotion that made his handsome face despicable. “I have grown strong enough to contact the Star People on my own. You favor our evil enemy. You have no place among us. Leave!”
“Gladly!” But Talina's heart weighed like a stone in her chest. Away from the clan, starved of their loving, nurturing collective minds, she faced slow, agonizing death. “I'd rather die than remain among murderers.”
Head high, Talina turned away, climbed down the steps of the rock slab, and walked away from the sacred clearing. Her mind cried at the wrenching pain of the separation, but she had to escape the influence of all these minds who blindly obeyed the Star People. How could anyone consider slaughter an acceptable solution?
* * *
Bare-chested, sweating in the tropical heat, Kahuel chopped firewood to set the example, and show his people he was doing his share of hard work... unlike the Grays. When Diablo nipped his booted ankles and pulled, as if to drag him toward the tree line, excitement surged through Kahuel. Talina must be waiting for him. His heart beat like a jungle drum at the very idea of seeing her again. Wiping sweaty hands on his thighs he walked toward the edge of the forest.
He nodded to a sentry guarding the camp. “It's all right. I'm with Diablo. I won't be long.”
The sentry nodded back.
Kahuel followed Diablo into the shade of the green forest canopy. Diablo led him straight to the waterfall where he and Talina had first met. She sat on a rotten stump, folded upon herself, head buried into her raised knees, shoulders shaking. He heard sobs. It wrenched him to see her so sad, and his anger flared at who had caused it.
Diablo trotted toward the young panther licking Talina's bare feet.
“What's wrong, Talina?” Kahuel approached her with careful steps, afraid she might bolt, or the panther would attack at the slightest jarring movement.
Talina raised her gaze to him with so much hope in her tear-reddened eyes that his heart jumped in his chest. “Thank you for caring, Black Jaguar.”
She'd said his name so softly it gave him goose bumps all over. Kahuel pushed back a strand of golden hair from her lovely face, soft and fluid under his fingers. By the Great Engineer, everything about her heated his blood. How he wished she would see him with the same lusty appetite.
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