“Ten to one, if we didn’t have the siblings with us, we’d all be dead,” said Cole.
“You’re probably right,” responded Sheridan. “For now, let’s count that as a blessing.”
A bright light shone down through an opening in the jungle canopy onto a narrow path. Two warriors stood guard on either side of the trail. The head Kurgan raised his spear in the air. The two guards repeated the greeting.
Sheridan noted the guards wore gold earrings and had numerous other ornamental piercings on their tan-colored faces.
The path left the tree line behind it and emerged into a clearing nestled next to a large freshwater lake. Hundreds of small dwellings lined the path which led toward a large city made of stone. A small group of young Kurgans spotted the unusual prisoners and ran over to look at them. In less than a minute, nearly one hundred excited children scampered along beside the warriors. Some picked up sticks and pretended to help escort the prisoners into the city.
“My God,” said Sheridan when, in the center of the city, he saw a tall stone pyramid with a rectangular dwelling on the top. On either side of it were two smaller pyramids. As they got closer, Sheridan could see dozens of other stone buildings built in a perfect circle around the three pyramids.
A large herbivore dinosaur-like creature with a bone frill on its head lumbered out of a side street. It trudged along, pulling a long, wooden cart behind it. Several guards joined the procession riding tall, green, ostrich-like beasts.
Hundreds of Kurgans stopped what they were doing and stared at the strange people. The smell of meat cooking over a fire wafted in the air, making Sheridan’s empty stomach growl. The head Kurgan led them to an open square and forced the men down on their knees while the siblings were gently laid on the ground next to Tarina and Wendy. A crowd of curious onlookers swarmed close to the captives.
“So, what do you say, Major, are we going to be lunch or dinner?” said Cole.
Sheridan groaned. “Alan, please, not you as well. It’s a fallacy that Kurgans eat their captives.”
“Yeah, the ones we know don’t, but I’m not so sure about their backwoods cousins.”
The crowd parted and silence fell as an elderly Kurgan wearing a long white and crimson robe walked toward the prisoners. Each step seemed to pain the old man’s knees. Around his neck hung a golden medallion with an ancient-looking dragon’s face on it. The old man walked along slowly, studying the faces of the people before him. When he got to the siblings, he pointed a gnarled finger at them and gave an order. Two young Kurgan females dressed in long white robes ran over with gourds filled with water to help revive the pair. The old Kurgan stooped down and looked into Katin’s golden eyes before standing up and saying something to her.
She shook her head and tried to respond.
Sheridan watched them go back and forth for a couple of minutes trying to establish a common language they could both understand. Finally, the elder Kurgan smiled and patted Katin on the cheek.
“What’s going on?” asked Sheridan.
“He’s speaking Kurgan to me, but it’s such an ancient dialect, so it took me a little while to understand what he’s saying,” replied Katin.
“Which is?”
“If I’m following him, we’re going to be taken to a nearby building and interrogated by the elders of the city to determine if we are a threat to them or not.”
“And if they perceive us as a threat, then what?”
“This is a Kurgan culture, as it was long before we reached for the stars. If they see us as dangerous, I suspect they’ll sacrifice us to one of their gods by cutting our hearts out.”
“Then they’ll eat us,” muttered Cole.
The temperature inside the stone building was cooler than outside. A light breeze blew through the structure, helping to keep the stifling humidity at an agreeable level.
Sheridan, Cole, Tarina, and Wendy stood silently staring ahead. The siblings sat on a pair of chairs. Laid out on the floor were their weapons and Wendy’s comms device, along with everything taken from the dead Chosen soldiers.
A cordon of Kurgans carrying swords and spears stood silent, eyeing the interlopers. The elderly Kurgan from the town square walked into the building accompanied by three other Kurgans. One was short and fat, and needed a cane to walk. The second was so aged and blind, he had to be guided by two children to his seat. The last was a muscular Kurgan who looked to be in his early twenties. He stood with his arms crossed behind the town elders.
“My name is Kard,” said the old Kurgan who had been speaking with Katin. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
Katin looked over at Sheridan. “He wants to know why we’re here.”
“Tell him the truth,” he replied. “There’s no point in lying to him.”
Katin nodded, stood, and removed her coveralls, showing off her golden bracelets and crimson dress. Her brother also disrobed, exposing his body armor and sash. “Kord, my name is Princess Katin, and this is my brother, Prince Kobak, the rightful heir to the Kurgan Empire. These people behind me are my friends but come from a planet named Terra.”
The fat Kurgan let out a raspy cough and then spoke barely louder than a whisper. Kard spoke for him. “We’ve been informed that you were attacked this morning by people who look like your friends yet spoke as you do. How can this be?”
“They are known as Chosen soldiers,” explained Katin. “Those men were loyal to General Kordus, whose father is trying to steal the throne from my parents.”
“Why did they look like your friends?”
“Sir, it’s complicated. After you left the empire to come back here to live in peace, the Kurgan Empire kept expanding. Just over one hundred years ago, my people and the Terrans fought a bloody war which ended in a stalemate. However, several star systems that we had overrun remained under our control, and those people became citizens of the empire. They may look like my colleagues, but they’re citizens of the Empire and are fiercely loyal to the Kurgan throne.”
Kard turned and helped explain Katin’s words to his fellow elders.
The young Kurgan pointed at the weapons on the floor and said something.
Katin shook her head.
“What did he say?” asked Sheridan.
“He’s speaking too fast for me,” said Katin. “I think he wanted to know why we brought forbidden technology to their home.”
“Tell him that it’s normal for us to carry such pieces of equipment whenever we go anywhere dangerous or unknown,” said Sheridan.
Katin passed on Sheridan’s words.
The blind Kurgan slurred his words as he spoke. “My friend would like you to tell him what you know about us?” explained Kard.
“In my teachings as a child, I was taught all Kurgans once came from this star system, and after a few centuries of colonization and warfare, some people decided to return home and renounce war as a way of life. The Lord Kurgan gave his blessing to this endeavor and vowed that you could go and live in peace for as long as you wanted to.”
Kard canted his head. “I am our city’s shaman and have read the holy texts written before and after our ancestors returned home. We were known as Kurgans long before the prophet who named himself Lord Kurgan came along preaching a new religion based on his personal teachings. You may feel my words are blasphemous, but I can assure you I have historical records dating back millennia to reinforce my words.”
“Sir, I am not angry at what you said as the empire is currently engaged in a civil war over the correct interpretation of the Lord Kurgan’s words.”
“War is an evil that lies in the heart of everyone. We may have wanted to rebuild our lives free from hate and violence, but it wasn’t to be. Within a generation, old blood feuds resurfaced, and our three worlds tore one another apart. Technology had given us the power to create weapons of unspeakable destructive capability but not the wisdom to know we shouldn’t use them. In less than a year, tens of billions were dead. The survivors fled here
and pledged to live in peace with one another and to do so, we renounced all forms of technology.”
“A wise decision.”
“As you and your Terran friends are strangers in our home and were unaware of the prohibition on technology, this may work in your favor.”
Katin rushed to translate the conversation.
“Can he be more specific about why this may work in our favor?” asked Sheridan.
Katin and Kard spoke. She looked back and said, “The elders must now deliberate about what we have said and present their findings to the town’s ruler.”
Sheridan looked over at Kard. “Katin, please translate my message word for word. Sir, this is not the time for a discussion on our future. As we speak, General Kordus and who knows how many Chosen soldiers are on their way here to murder Prince Kobak and his sister. The only way to save yourselves is to forget that you ever saw us and let us hide somewhere far away from here until our friends can arrive and rescue us. If you don’t, I can assure you that hundreds, if not thousands, of your citizens will die needlessly.”
“We can fight,” said the younger Kurgan, hitting his chest with his right hand.
Katin paused for a moment. “My Terran friend is right, if you fight, you will die.”
The blind Kurgan said something only Kard could hear. The shaman nodded and faced Sheridan. “Terran, if what you say is true and these warriors are coming to murder the heir to the throne, why did you lead them to us?”
Katin looked at Sheridan and translated Kard’s words.
“Sir, we had no idea that our ship would bring us here,” said Sheridan. “Trust me when I say if we could have done it differently, we most assuredly would have. I’m sorry that we ended up here; it was never our intention to embroil you in the affairs of the Kurgan Empire.”
Katin passed along Sheridan’s message.
“What you intended is irrelevant,” said Kard. “By coming here, you have dragged us into their conflict.”
Sheridan didn’t wait for the translation. “Sir, you only have hours before General Kordus arrives. And when he does, he will not hesitate to use all of the weapons at his disposal to get what he wants.”
Katin rushed to translate.
Kard and the other elders stood. He looked at Katin. “We will take your and your friends’ words under advisement. You will remain here under guard until we have spoken with our ruler.”
A warrior stepped behind Sheridan and cut the ropes behind his back. Sheridan brought his hands around and massaged his aching wrists, trying to get the circulation going again.
“Well, I only caught about a third of that conversation, but it didn’t sound good,” said Cole as he was cut free.
“It’s not,” said Sheridan. “I asked Katin to warn them about General Kordus’ imminent arrival. Instead of doing something about it, they’ve gone off to discuss what to do with us.”
“These people are not used to strangers appearing in their midst,” said Katin. “I doubt anyone other than the Shaman has much understanding of their history and their place within the stars. They will do things as they have for millennia, and all we can do is wait.”
Cole lowered his voice. “We need to think about what we’re going to do should they come back and order our deaths. Our weapons are only a few meters away. I’m not going to let myself be killed when I could fight my way out of this mess.”
“The guards seem sympathetic to the siblings,” said Tarina. “If need be, Kobak could fake an injury, and when the guards come to help him, that could be our window of opportunity.”
“I’m with Alan on this one,” said Wendy. “I’d rather die trying to escape than be butchered by these people to appease some mythical god.”
“Before we do anything rash,” cautioned Sheridan. “Let’s not forget there are thousands of people living in and around this city. Are we going kill them if they try to stop our escape? I don’t like waiting any more than you do, but until our lives are threatened, I say we wait it out.”
“You’re the boss,” said Cole.
“Folks, I’ve been doing the math in my head,” said Wendy. “If Kordus made the jump within a few hours of getting the word from his people that they had detected our distress signal, I place him in orbit above the moon no later than 1800 hours tonight.”
Sheridan glanced at his watch. “That gives Kard and the rest of the elders less than eight hours to make up their minds. Hopefully, they don’t squander away the time.”
“What about our people?” asked Cole “If they’ve also learned where we are, when is the earliest we could see them?”
“Noonish tomorrow,” said Wendy. “But knowing our luck and the speed with which a rescue force could be assembled, I’d say it’s more likely we won’t hear from them before tomorrow night at the earliest.”
“That’s twenty-four hours too late,” said Sheridan. “We and all of the inhabitants of this city could be dead by then.”
“Even if we were to be released, where could we go?” asked Katin.
“Anywhere but here,” replied Sheridan. “There has to be somewhere not too far away from here where we could lie low for a day or two.”
“Why don’t we try to hide the siblings among the people living here?” asked Wendy.
“It won’t work,” said Sheridan.
“Why not?”
“Because Kobak’s DNA will be on file. All Kordus’ people have to do is scan the Kurgans living here to determine if he is hiding among them. Besides, I’m not sure how far we can trust Kard and the rest of the town elders. They may just sell out the prince to save themselves from annihilation. I know I’d seriously contemplate it if I were in their shoes.”
“All the more reason to put as many klicks as we can between these people and us,” said Cole.
“Mike, we’ve got company,” said Tarina as the young muscle-bound Kurgan strode into the room.
The Kurgan stopped in front of Kobak, bowed, and said, “Your Highness, please follow me.”
Katin translated the warrior’s words.
Kobak reached over, took his sister’s hand in his, and said, “My sister must be allowed to come with me.”
“As you wish,” said the young Kurgan.
A sinking feeling grew in Sheridan’s stomach. They were deliberately separating the siblings from the rest of the group. He took a step toward Katin only to have the emissary draw his blade and point it at Sheridan’s chest. The guards in the room brought up their spears and stood ready to strike.
“Easy does it,” said Tarina, pulling back her husband.
The young Kurgan slid his blade back in its sheath and pointed at the weapons on the floor. Two guards ran over and scooped them up. Any chance of escape vanished.
“Don’t worry, I’ll speak with the town ruler and make sure no harm comes to you,” said Katin.
“It’s not him I’m worried about,” said Sheridan, eyeing the emissary.
“Stay calm, and I’ll send for you as soon as I can,” said Katin as she and her brother walked out of the room under guard.
“What the hell’s going on?” asked Wendy.
Sheridan shrugged. “I’m not a hundred percent sure, but let’s hope Kobak makes a good impression with the town’s ruler, or our lives may be forfeit.”
Chapter 16
With his hands clasped behind his back, Michael Sheridan paced the stone floor, occasionally stopping to glance down at his watch.
“You’re going to wear out a groove in the floor if you keep that up,” joked Cole.
“I can’t sit still while our fate and that of every living soul in this city hangs in the balance of a few old Kurgans,” replied Sheridan.
“Pacing won’t speed things up.”
“No, but it allows me to think.”
“If it works, you should do it more often.”
“That’s enough boys,” said Tarina. “Why don’t you two come over here and see what Wendy and I have found?”
“What is
it?” asked Sheridan, walking over to a stone statue on the far side of the room.
“Take a good look at the carvings on the base of this statue and tell me what you see,” said Tarina.
Sheridan bent over to look closer at the etchings. “I’m hardly an anthropologist, but it seems to be telling the history of these people.” He pointed at a stylized spaceship. “This must have been when they first ventured into the stars, and this picture of a planet must be the current Kurgan homeworld.”
“I thought so too, but Wendy pointed out what the pictures really represent.”
“Which is?” asked Cole.
“Walk around the statue and let your eyes soak in the next few carvings,” said Tarina.
Cole and Sheridan walked past Tarina and stopped. After a few seconds, Sheridan’s eyes lit up. “My God.”
“Yes, ‘my God’ indeed,” said Tarina.
Sheridan got down on his haunches to get a better view of the inscriptions. “These aren’t Kurgans welcoming the spaceship, they’re—”
“Humans,” said Cole.
“Or something that looks humanoid,” said Sheridan.
“Come on, Michael, you’re being obstinate. They’re clearly drawings of our ancestors greeting this ship,” argued Tarina. “I studied Mesoamerican history at the academy, and this falls in line with their creation myth in which a god called Kukulkan came to Earth. This deity supposedly was a feathered serpent. It’s not that far of a reach to believe a Kurgan ship may have visited Earth in the past and been mistaken for a flying serpent. Lots of ancient cultures on Earth talk of dragon-like gods who descended from the heavens to pass on knowledge to them.”
“Well, ain’t that a kick in the pants,” remarked Cole. “They travel all the way to Earth to help kick-start our civilization, and then for some reason forget all about us. Eons later they end up fighting a couple of bloody wars with us.”
“I wonder if the Shaman knows about this?” asked Sheridan.
“He’d have to,” said Tarina. “You heard him; he said he’s read all the holy books dating to a time long before the Kurgans discovered space travel.”
Crimson Fire (The Kurgan War Book 8) Page 8
