Veiled Planet (Hidden World Trilogy Book 1)

by Teagan Kearney

  Rishi worked opposite her as she ran the hard brush through the satyr’s coat. Soon she was absorbed in noting the details of the satyr’s wool. She hadn’t realized how incredibly soft the pelt was. The wool was a darker green at the roots, lighter at the tips, incredibly soft, and the tight curls sprang back easily once released from the bristles. She had just gotten into a rhythm, enjoying the exercise after sitting still all day when Rishi interrupted her thoughts.

  “Come around here. You’ll be interested in this,” he called.

  This had better be good, she thought, wondering why everything he did annoyed her.

  “Look at this,” Rishi said, pointing to a shiny black dot half the size of her smallest fingernail hiding under a thick pale yellow curl. “This is a zikbug, and it lays its eggs in the satyr’s hide. Given time the animal weakens and develops sores as the eggs grow and feed off the fat under the skin.”

  Kara stared fascinated as he used his knife to prise the insect away from the hide, noticing the presence of several long thin proboscises extending from the soft underside. Tossing it to the ground, he stamped hard, smushing the insect under his boot heel.

  “Do you get a lot of them?” she asked, her curiosity aroused.

  “Not much in the scrublands or desert. They are forest creatures, but left undetected they can lay a hundred eggs or more before they die. Okay, your lesson is over, go and finish brushing your animal.”

  Kara had just finished and handed back the brush, when she looked up and saw Makel heading toward her.

  “Yleni wants you.” He tugged at her tunic, and smiled up at her with his big brown eyes full of mischievousness. “Women do the cooking.”

  Kara could hardly believe her ears. She wasn’t an angry person. No, she was accommodating. At least that’s what one of her reports had said. Accommodating meant being flexible, adaptable, a quality much in demand among her people. The fact that she always seemed to be the one who did most of the accommodating had never bothered her overmuch, but now, she felt her cheeks flush with heat. In which millennium did these people live?

  “Yes, you'd better go. You don't want to keep her waiting.” Rishi’s tone was casual. “The men look after the animals.”

  Was he laughing at her? She clenched her fists. Yes, she was dependent on these people for her well-being and safety, but it was becoming hard work to stay civil. Gritting her teeth, she refrained from answering and followed the young boy, staring at the ground to hide her sullen expression.

  “Here.” As soon as they arrived, Yleni handed her a large wooden container with a handle. “Masir, Makel. Go with Kara and bring water.” The two boys carried similar, smaller containers.

  “Yleni,” Kara began, thinking maybe the tribeswoman could intercede with Ikeya for her, but she'd already turned away, and was busy digging though the sacks of dried food. Kara had hoped to catch Ikeya away from the others as she figured she'd have a better chance of getting answers from him, but it was beginning to look like she’d have no option but to bring up the business of getting home while they ate this evening—regardless of whatever Marut etiquette rules she broke.

  The well was a short distance up a set of wide steps cut into the rock, and she and the boys joined the queue of women and children performing the same task. She breathed a sigh of relief as she experienced none of the morning’s antagonism, although a few of the young girls remained reserved and shy. Maybe Rishi was right, and Leyrah had spread the word of how the ‘foreign devil’ had helped her child.

  The Maruts’ physical beauty, with their golden eyes and skin, struck her anew. She'd noticed that both men and women wore a variety of beads through their thick braided hair, and she really wanted to know what they used to make the smaller yellow and white beads, liking the way sunlight sparkled in their hair when they moved.

  As she moved closer to the head of the line, she watched carefully. Her mind buzzed with questions, but her curiosity receded and the conversations ceased as her turn came, and she stepped up to the well

  With great care, she tied the tough satyr wool rope lying by the top of the well firmly around the handle of her container, and lowered it slowly into the dark hole. She was surprised by how much rope she had to pay out before she heard the splash of water. All she had to do next was pull the bucket up, and hope she didn't make a complete fool of herself by not having tied the rope tight enough. When she heaved the loaded container out onto the ground, the children cheered, and the women laughed and smiled approvingly at her, showing their perfect white teeth.

  Upon returning, they tipped the water into a larger barrel. Part of her despised the primitiveness of having to carry water from one place in the ground to another. Thanks to the early planetary surveys, the first colonists had known to ask for land with a water supply, and thus reduced the possibility of the Maruts offering them a slice of desert. They had been able to settle the area with their basic supplies organized in a civilized way, and colony life was regimented with a clear division between work and leisure. Yet the laughter and chatter of community intimacy was something novel, and she liked it.

  Once Yleni was satisfied with the water arrangements, she had Kara help prepare the meal, giving instructions at every step, stopping to correct and demonstrate how to do everything correctly.

  Kara became absorbed in mixing water with the dried powdered grain in a wooden bowl, then kneading the mixture till it attained the right consistency to form little balls. She forgot about the conversation she wanted to have with Yleni about Ikeya as she pressed the dough balls between her hands and flattened them.

  Yleni then placed the flat cakes on the hot stones at the edge of the fire, showing Kara how to use a long stick with a wide flattened end to flip them.

  Kara enjoyed the texture of the sticky dough between her fingers, adding more flour till she could work it nearly as expertly as Yleni. The physical activity of preparing food with her hands was strangely satisfying, and she hadn't had as much fun since she was a little girl helping her mother.

  By the time the food was ready, the sun had dropped low in the sky.

  Kara loved the display of colors at sunset, but watching it from outside the base’s main gate didn’t compare with the day's end out here. She stood, easing the kinks out of her legs, watching the reddish cast of the evening desert light turn to a deep rosy glow before the sun disappeared below the horizon.

  “It’s stunning, isn’t it?”

  Rishi’s voice in her ear startled her. She hadn’t seen him approach. These people even moved in a different way to her. But then their existence out here depended on skills she didn't possess. “Yes.” She was discovering how wild and beautiful this planet was—and how dangerous.

  “But there are many perils out here.”

  She gave him a puzzled look. Yet again, he seemed to be reading her thoughts. There’d been no reports of telepathy, or any psi talents among the Maruts, although theoretically it was possible. Especially if you understood how little the colonists truly knew about them.

  He laughed, and his easy infectious grin transformed him from a threatening stranger into someone she found hard to dislike.

  They sat around the fire while Yleni served steaming broth into bowls and handed out lightly crisped flatbreads from the pile in front of her.

  Hours had passed since Kara had eaten, and she copied the others, attacking her food with gusto. Nobody talked during the meal; the other families ate in silence too, and the earlier noise and bustle was notably absent, except the odd child’s voice here and there. Clearly her earlier decision to speak to Ikeya as they ate was out of the question, and she ignored the notion, getting stronger by the minute, that the universe was conspiring against her. To her surprise, she found her taste buds adapting. Tonight’s stew differed from last night’s, and she relished the spicy tang on her tongue. She really wanted to discover the exact ingredients. As they ate, she observed Ikeya out of the corner of her eye, noting how his eyes softened as he regarded h
is wife and his boys.

  At the Academy, you quit the communal dining hall as soon as you finished. Cadets always had something to be getting on with, either more study or meeting up with friends or participating in sport activities. She couldn’t believe she was experiencing a pang of homesickness for the clamor of conversation and constant movement that accompanied student mealtimes. Here it appeared the custom that no one spoke or moved till the last person in the group consumed their final crumb. Yleni finished last and flashed Kara an approving smile across the circle as Ikeya stood, signaling the end of the meal. At once the boys began chattering to their father, both demanding his attention.

  Kara sucked in a deep breath. “Ikeya?”

  Darkness had fallen, and the Marut leader stared at her in the flickering fire light. She noted the same calculating expression as before, but she needed to talk to him. Being here with the Maruts was an incredible experience, and one the colonists had been angling for since they’d arrived on the planet—but this wasn’t a planned approved expedition. She wanted to go home. The small pain in her chest grew bigger. More than anything she wanted to see her father, let him know she was alive and doing fine. She gathered her courage, and opened her mouth.

  “Later, Kara. We’ll talk later. I promise,” Ikeya forestalled her.

  “I want to talk now.” She thrust her chin out.

  He studied her, and his eyes raked her as if studying an opponent for weakness. “I promise you will go home, Kara.”

  Her shoulders sagged with relief. Thank the stars!

  “But not yet. You will stay with us for a while. Get used to it.” He stood and strode out of the camp, with the boys and Rishi hurrying after him.

  Chapter Six: Making Friends

  Marut Proverb:

  One true friend by your side, who will guard your back against your enemies,

  is worth more than a tribe of acquaintances who ignore your pain.

  Kara breathed in the dry dusty scent of the scrublands, trying to put Ikeya’s words from her mind. She had to focus on his promise to take her home. Coming to terms with the other part of what he’d said wouldn’t be easy, but what choice did she have? If only her father were here with her. He admired and respected the Maruts and their way of life. He’d often said the reason he and her mother moved out from the colony center was because he was disillusioned by the change from open-minded space explorers into safe bureaucrats who had lost their sense of adventure. After landing and getting the base established all anyone was concerned with was their own specialist areas of expertise and research.

  The struggle for existence in a harsh environment dictated how the Maruts lived, and whether they survived or died. The tribe endured because of their detailed knowledge of how to deal with the planet’s dangers. As a species they showed cunning and intelligence in continuing to exist and thrive. What a contrast with the spacers turned settlers who relied on technology developed by others, and who still depended on their contact with the Triumvirate via the mother ship in orbit.

  Marut life was uncomplicated and straightforward. As long as they found food, water, shelter, and safety from predators, these people appeared content. Nearby the sounds of the tribe settling down drifted toward the night sky: the muted voices of the women as they cleaned up after the evening meal; the children’s laughter as they played quiet games, too tired out from the day’s travel to make much noise, yet trying to stay up as long as possible; the deeper voices of the men as they moved around the camp, while they discussed the day and saw to the animals.

  She listened to the satyrs chomping and snuffling as they settled for the night. A small pull on her jerkin startled her, and she turned quickly, smiling when she saw Savitri. The girl took hold of Kara’s hand and pointed toward the other side of the camp. “Is there something wrong?” she asked, but the child pulled her hand harder. Kara looked for Yleni but couldn’t see her. Oh well, she wasn’t a prisoner kept on a leash.

  As Savitri skirted the edge of the camp, no one took any notice of the little girl and the foreigner. When they reached the other side, Savitri guided her into the inner circle, and over to Leyrah. The woman sat by a small pot of steaming water hanging from a tripod. Padini sat beside her wrapped in blankets, her eyes large and luminous.

  Leyrah looked up. Her smile held a genuine warmth.

  “How is she?” Kara asked, squatting by Padini. She felt the little girl’s forehead. Cool, no fever. This confirmed her earlier thoughts. The patch she’d administered to Padini eradicated bacteria and simple microorganisms hostile to human life, combined with a general immunity booster developed as humanity spread across the galaxy. The medicine had worked on Padini, a good indicator that the Maruts’ metabolism might be compatible with that of the incomers to their planet. Good to know.

  Padini gave a small smile. “Thank you.”

  “Please, sit with us.” Leyrah pointed to a folded blanket close by the fire.

  Kara hesitated, unsure if she should stay. She didn’t want to anger Ikeya or Yleni by disappearing and they’d likely send Rishi to fetch her, and he’d call her disappearance without informing them rude or childish. That decided her. She sat on the proffered blanket, and crossed her legs. Savitri promptly sat beside her, imitating her slightly awkward posture. Kara smiled and the young girl gave a shy smile in return. The warm glow of acceptance was such a relief after the morning’s negative reaction.

  Kara didn’t have much experience with young children. At base, once children reached the age of seven, they left home and moved into residential communes where they began their education, returning home three times a year during study breaks. Unless a couple made a strong protest—or as Kara’s parents had done, moved too far from the community—living at home wasn't an option. In such circumstances, the authorities made exceptions and the children's education took place at home. Lessons were sent via comlink and the parents acted as tutors until the child was deemed ready to leave home. This system worked well for a young colony as the children's safety was ensured, and parents able to devote their energies to work—a priority when establishing new settlements.

  After her mother’s sudden death and its traumatic effect on their family, her father had insisted on educating her at home till she was sixteen. He needed help to run the farm, and the practical experience she gained by continuing to assist him and recording details of her mother's research was more valuable to her and the colony than studying at the base academy.

  Leyrah poured the hot caj into a bowl, and handed it to her guest. Kara understood that as a mother, she was grateful and wanted to reciprocate, even if all she had to offer was the hospitality of a warm drink and a place to sit.

  The tea had a delicate aroma and Kara determined she had to find out more about what herbs they used. Sipping the warm drink, she found it delicious and soothing, and decided it probably possessed health benefits. Leyrah had trusted her with her daughter’s life. A friend could be a good thing. After all who knew how many days, weeks, months even, she might end up staying with these tribespeople. She caught her breath. Yes, they’d rescued her, but afterward… could they have taken her back to the base or had she been kidnapped? No, she wouldn't let her mind go down that road. She closed her eyes and inhaled the herb’s fragrance.

  “Dashara.” Leyrah stood up, and acknowledged her visitor with a small bow.

  Kara looked up, a stab of fear spiking as adrenaline surged. It was the woman, the aggressive one with the glittering jewelry, who’d called her a demon and tried to attack her that morning. Her heart beat faster. She looked around, but everyone within sight was involved with their families. Neither Rishi nor Ikeya knew where she'd gone. If the woman assaulted her now, she didn't stand a chance. Had Leyrah betrayed her trust? Lured her here just for this purpose? She looked over at Leyrah but her expression was sincere as she gazed up at the newcomer.

  “Come, Shanwa Dashara, sit with us.”

  “Thank you, Leyrah. Your hospitality is accepted.”r />
  To Kara's ears the offer and reply had the sound of a standard request and response, and she held her breath.

  Dashara squished herself between Padini and Kara, who tried to subtly shift away from the woman, as Leyrah offered the new guest a large cup of caj. The woman's presence was imposing and impossible to ignore, accentuated as it was by the strong smell of a flowery perfume.

  The scientist in Kara noted the women used the planet’s flora for more than just eating and healing. For the nth time, she wished she had a comunit with her.

  After sitting and sipping her tea for a few minutes, Dashara turned to Kara. “Every member of my family is dear to me. You have my heartfelt gratitude for saving my granddaughter.” She put an arm around Padini, squishing her against her ample bosom.

  Padini grinned up at the big woman.

  Ah, that was it. Kara unwound, but didn’t completely relax. She still didn’t understand the rules this society operated by, but, as with her people, saving someone’s life signified that person owed you a serious debt. She breathed a little easier. At least she’d live to the end of her drink.

  “Kara!” It was Rishi. He sounded panicked as he emerged out of the darkness, his golden eyes gleaming fiercely in the firelight.

  Once more that little jolt of electricity, and her heart gave a small leap when she saw him.

  He started when he noticed who was sitting next to her.

  “Be calm, pup,” Dashara commanded. “Stand back and wait.”

  Rishi made a low growling noise in his throat, but to Kara’s surprise he obeyed, and took a step backward, although the wary look in his eye remained.

  Dashara focused on Kara. “I, too, am a healer.”

  “Oh,” said Kara still at a loss at how to react to the changed attitude. “That’s good.”