The Purlieu Experiment, Book 1

by Linda L Rigsbee

  Rianne finally spoke. “The more we mix, the stronger we are.”

  They both looked at her stomach. But their blood was already mixed because of Anica. Donte looked at Quade. “My mother unwittingly messed up their plan.”

  Donte navigated back to the list and selected THE ANIALWCH CONNECTION. This must be where he came in.

  “There are those among us who are seers. Dalziel was one of them. When he came to me with his vision, I knew it was true because I was the only one left who knew that the Bosvrouwen were actually a mixture of Bergen and Anialwch.”

  “There’s the missing information.” Quade said. “The Anialwch Connection.”

  Donte stopped reading and looked at Rianne. She was staring at the screen, a hand over her mouth again.

  She looked at Donte. “This is true?”

  Donte shook his head. “It’s possible. He looked at her beautiful golden hair. That means our baby is a mixture of Bergen, Libertad and Anialwch. It wasn’t an evolutionary change at all. But when…how?”

  Donte turned back to the screen. They had come this far. There was no turning back now.

  “Dalziel saw the emblem of Lochfowk in the hands of a young Anialwch princess who was both a mascot and an ewe. I must remind you at this point that Dalziel spoke no Anialwch. I had to explain to him that ewe is the Anialwch term for a seer. He said this ewe would rescue a young prince from the desert. He would carry the blood of Bergen, Libertad and Anialwch. He has black hair, blue eyes and wears the uniform of Bergen. I would know this prince, but I was not to tell anyone until he began to unite the colonies. When the princess comes of age, she and the prince will lead Purlieu to freedom. This prince is The Anialwch Connection.

  Dalziel’s vision said that there would be a great complex underground and the mascots would go there when the Fontalo returned, or the humans would surrender us to the Fontalo to save themselves.

  As I write this, I am preparing to go into hiding. I will give the password only to The Anialwch Connection. He will understand what he must do when it is time.”

  Donte looked at Rianne. “He saw me in the uniform of Bergen and thought it was me.”

  “Donte, it is you. Who else could it be?”

  He shook his head. “It’s just folklore, Rianne.”

  “Right, because how would a young girl find you in the desert?”

  “I didn’t say that was folklore. He could have learned about that. It wasn’t a secret.”

  Rianne met his gaze. “When does a girl from Anialwch come of age?”

  He grimaced. “At 19, but he would have known that if he studied them.” Something else occurred to him at that point. “Niall is a Lochfowk and so is Akira. She knew all those things. She could have told him.”

  Rianne stared at him. “Donte, how old do you think this file is? I know for a fact that it is older than your trip to the desert. Niall has been missing for nearly 30 years. You can’t deny this. You are The Anialwch Connection.”

  “But I no longer wear the uniform of Bergen. Have you forgotten?”

  She sighed. “Tell me that Pieter didn’t offer it to you again.”

  “I didn’t accept it.”

  “But you didn’t deny it either, did you?” She said. “Why are you fighting this so hard?”

  “I don’t know anything about fighting a war.”

  “It doesn’t say you are going to fight a war. It says you are going to lead the colonies to freedom – you and Celyn…” She lifted her brows. “Oh, I get it. It isn’t the leadership that bothers you. It’s Celyn…and the union.”

  He frowned. “There is no union. She said vows. There are all kinds of vows. Kenyon made a vow. You made a vow when you served on this spaceship, didn’t you?”

  She smiled. “Don’t get all upset. We have nine years and I intend to live them to their fullest…with you.”

  “We should live them to the fullest if we have two hundred years left. I am not going to exchange vows with Celyn. I love you.”

  Rianne opened her mouth to speak and he lifted a hand. “I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

  She laughed. “Sometimes you are so much like Pieter.”

  Quade was watching them throughout their exchange, saying nothing. Finally he stood. “Donte, you know what you must do. Refusing to acknowledge your destiny in this instance is tantamount to desertion.”

  He turned and left them without further comment.

  Donte stood and pulled Rianne into his arms. “He’s right. I can’t walk away from this.” He held her close. “Don’t leave me Rianne. I need you. This thing with Celyn scares me half to death.”

  She drew back and looked into his eyes. “Whatever happens, I love you Donte. No one can promise that they will always be there for another person. It doesn’t matter whether you have a lifespan of 20 years or 400 years. We can only make the best of what we have now. If we fret about what tomorrow may bring, we will ruin today.”

  He looked at the screen. “All this time I thought The Parliament created us to protect the colonists. They had nothing to do with it. To them, we were simply in the way. They never thought of us as being human at all.

  Rianne looked at him. “Until The Fontalo tried to kill us off.”

  He shook his head. “They would have done the same for any life form.” He pulled her close. “Rianne, what are we? Should we be reproducing? If we keep getting stronger, is it because we are mutating? If we’re no longer protection and guidance for the colonists, then what is our purpose? If I don’t even know why we are here, how can I lead others – and what am I leading them to?” He sighed. I thought I was coming here for the answers, but I think I have more questions now than before.

  Rianne reached down and navigated out of the files. The computer began making a strange noise. “I don’t like the sound of that,” She said.

  One by one, the files disappeared until there was nothing left. Rianne looked up at him, her eyes wide. “It’s all gone!”

  “Good.” He said. “Let’s go home.”

  As he turned, a large plaque on the wall caught his attention. It was the Lochfowk emblem of the Baigh, a cluster of leaves around a large white Accipitridae. The figure was three dimensional and the eyes seemed to be staring at him.

  Rianne looked at the accipitridae and then at Donte. “Is she here?”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  “You feel her presence.” It wasn’t a question, and she was right, he did.

  “This is just spooky.” He took her hand and led her out the door.

  Quade was waiting for them in the hall. “Beier sent a message to you, Donte. He wants you to meet him in Bosvrouwen on the tram to Bergen. They have a rogue ursidae that has killed several people. Some hunters went out to get him and he circled around, catching them unaware. It killed three of them. They want you to lead them.” Quade shook his head. “You don’t have to do this, Donte.”

  No, he didn’t have to, but he didn’t know how he could possibly refuse them. It didn’t matter who made him or for what purpose. Right now he could save lives. The ursidae would not catch him unaware.

  He looked at Rianne. “I’m sorry.”

  She smiled up at him. “I understand. What is a little sickness compared to the loss of lives?”

  Quade frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  Rianne shrugged. “For some strange reason, when he is around, I don’t feel the fetal sickness.”

  Quade’s gaze rested reflectively on Donte. “Is this the first time this has happened?”

  Donte shook his head. “No, it happened with Liana and Halisi too. Do you have any idea what might cause it?”

  Quade thought about it for a few minutes. “Switch shirts with me.”

  Donte laughed. “I doubt it’s the clothing I wear.”

  Quade nodded. “So do I. I’ve got an idea it’s the pheromones. When we get to the tram transfer in Bosvrouwen, I want you to switch shirts with me and Rianne can go to Libertad w
ith me. We’ll see if it works with me. If that works, you could leave a shirt with her when you go somewhere. I’m interested to see if this is something we could manufacture for all women.”

  “I suppose it’s possible, but would it work on humans?”

  They were silent all the way to the station in Bosvrouwen. As he switched shirts with Quade, Donte looked at Rianne.

  “Remember; it isn’t me in that shirt.”

  A twinkle came into Rianne’s eyes. “I’ll try to keep that in mind. I wouldn’t want Akira to catch us together and croak.”

  Quade shook his head and grinned. “You two are something else.”

  Donte sobered. “After the baby is born, I want to serve my three years. I will need the experience.”

  Rianne nodded. “You know I will be there for you.”

  He leaned down and kissed her. “I’ll be back as soon as we get that ursidae.”

  CHAPTER 36

  Beier was waiting for Donte at the station in Bosvrouwen and they boarded the next train to Bergen.

  “It is good to see you again, Monomi. Bergen has missed you.”

  Donte shook arms with him and they sat facing each other as the tram left the station. For a while they watched the scenery, each lost in their own thoughts.

  Hunting a rogue ursidae was dangerous. Donte could keep it from sneaking up on them, but killing it with a musket bullet before it reached them wasn’t nearly as certain.

  “Has anyone told Pieter about this?” He asked Beier.

  Beier grinned. “You don’t think I’d bring you into this without his permission, do you?” He pulled a small metal box from his pocket. “He said I was to give this to you.”

  Donte held the weapon in his hand and ran a thumb over the smooth surface. The humans had muskets, but he was allowed to have a laser. Pieter thought of it as a necessity to ensure his safety. Yesterday Donte would have thought of it as a weapon to protect the humans. If the Fontalo returned, there would be no need to protect the humans. Only the mascots need fear for their lives. The prophecy said the humans would turn on the mascots. Would the mascots use lasers against the humans? He thought of all the animal genes implanted in mascots. It was a fine state of affairs when the animals had weapons to use against the humans.

  Beier interrupted his thoughts. “Do you know how to use it?”

  Donte nodded. “The bigger question is, do I know when to use it, and on what?”

  Beier looked startled. “On the ursidae, Monomi.”

  Donte looked at him and smiled. “Yes, on the ursidae, for now.”

  Beier watched him with interest. Finally he leaned back in the seat. “Monomi, if ever there is a time I can help you. I hope you know you can trust me.”

  Donte stared at the weapon. Did people actually like him, or was it the pheromones? Of course, with Beier, it could simply be gratitude because he thought Donte was responsible for his freedom. That was as misleading as the pheromones. A lot of people were involved in the freeing of the captives.

  He was suddenly aware that Beier was waiting for an answer. He tucked the weapon in his pocket. “That is a comforting thought, Beier. I’m certain I would not want you as an enemy.”

  They met five humans at a cottage near the tram station in Bosvrouwen and rode into the mountains on equines from there. For most of the afternoon, one or all of the men were watching Donte. He tried to look unconcerned without giving them the impression that he was inattentive. Their anxiety was distracting. He sensed things all around him – aves, cervidae, and other inhabitants of the forest. As usual, it took him a while to dismiss the emotions of those with him and focus on the wildlife.

  They found the place where the men were killed and began tracking. The trail was old. The ursidae could be anywhere by now. Donte looked around for the kind of habitat an ursidae would use and any sign that the ursidae had used it on a regular basis.

  He sensed the presence of an ursidae several times, but it faded away in the forest, like any normal wild animal would. The ursidae they were looking for would not move away. It would stalk them instead.

  As darkness neared, they camped in a small clearing. After the evening meal, they sat around the fire with their hot drinks. The men had said little since he joined them. It had been a while since he had felt the newness of his presence among humans.

  He sat on a log, sipping the hot liquid from the cup. He needed to initiate conversation, but he wasn’t in the mood for it at the moment. He was still feeling humbled by the information on the Baigh. When the mascots mixed, did they carry all the genes of each animal, or was it selective?

  Beier interrupted his thoughts. “You are quiet and reflective this evening, Monomi.”

  Donte lowered his cup and nodded. “I was wondering what our baby will be like.”

  Beier’s brows lifted. “Rianne is going to have a baby?”

  Donte nodded again. “In about eleven months.”

  A sarcastic voice broke into their conversation. “One more generation of Mascot rule. Just what we need.”

  Beier stood, his expression austere as he turned to the man.

  Donte spoke to him gently. “Beier, everyone is entitled to their opinion…and the opportunity to express it.”

  Beier sat back on the log and looked uncomfortable.

  Beier wanted to defend him, but reprimanding the humans would only alienate them. He needed their support in the future. They had a right to know the prophecy. It concerned the humans as much as it did mascots.

  Donte let his gaze touch each face around the fire. When he spoke, it was in a calm voice. “I agree that hu…colonists should have equal opportunity to rule. Right now is not a good time, though. It has been prophesied that The Parliament will return and I will lead you to freedom.”

  The men looked skeptical. How could he blame them?

  The first man snorted. “You will lead us into slaughter. We’ll do the fighting so you can be free.”

  Donte looked at the man. “I don’t know what will happen. All this is new to me. I was told only yesterday by Niall before he died. I can tell you that I will do my best to negotiate our freedom in a peaceful way.”

  Beier frowned. “Niall was the last of the original spaceship commanders. He’s been missing since the plague. Where did you see him, Monomi?”

  “I cannot say.” Donte lifted his hot drink and drank the rest.

  “What do we call you?” One of the men asked.

  “My name is Donte.” He looked at Beier. “I prefer to be addressed that way.”

  Beier sipped his drink, eyeing Donte over the rim.

  “Not Monomi?” One of the men said.

  Donte shook his head. “Monomi is a term that was created to be used from one mascot to another. It was intended as recognition of higher rank - and an expression of respect. The Parliament never wanted the mascots to rule exclusively. Our purpose is to protect the colonists.”

  The men looked at each other. Whether they believed him or not, they didn’t appear to be upset by the information. One of the men stood and went to the fire, pouring hot fluid into his cup. He walked over to Donte. “Would you like a refill, Donte?”

  Donte lifted his cup and smiled. “I think I would. Thank you.” He held the cup while the man filled it. Donte looked at the liquid. “This should keep me awake tonight, one way or another.”

  Beier grinned. “Give me some more of that. I’d better stay awake tonight to make sure he does.”

  The colonists bedded down beside the fire and Donte stayed up, keeping the fire going and walking the edge of the clearing, listening and sensing the wildlife. Things were quiet until early morning.

  He felt the malevolence before he actually sensed the ursidae itself. He walked back to the camp and alerted Beier, who woke the men. They prepared their weapons and waited, watching him.

  The equines snorted and stomped their feet. Donte pulled the laser from his pocket and slid back the shield, setting it on high range. He slid the cover back over
the weapon and checked the equines to make sure the lines were still tight. Behind him, he was aware when Beier joined him.

  “Where is it?” Beier whispered.

  Donte nodded his head, indicating the area ahead of them and spoke in a quiet voice. “It’s standing still, watching us.”

  “Maybe it isn’t the same ursidae.”

  “I sense malevolence.”

  Beier watched him a moment.

  “He’s moving away.” Donte started after the ursidae, trying to force the ursidae into a showdown. Instead, the ursidae started to run away. Donte ran after it, Beier behind him.

  They ran for a short distance before Donte suddenly stopped and turned back toward the camp. “There are two of them.” He said to Beier. “The other one is headed for the camp.” Donte began to run. Beier’s feet cracked twigs and dry leaves as he ran after Donte.

  Donte called out to the camp. “Watch the area to the south!” He pulled the laser from his pocket and slid back the cover.

  He broke into the clearing as the ursidae charged out of the trees from the South. The men were ready, firing their muskets. The ursidae stumbled and went to the ground.

  Beier carefully approached the ursidae while the men reloaded their weapons. Donte divided his attention between the downed ursidae and the other, which had stopped running and had turned back toward the camp.

  Beier leaned over the ursidae. When it didn’t move, he kicked it. The ursidae suddenly lifted its head and struggled to its feet.

  “Get out of the way!” Donte called to Beier. Beier threw his body to the side and Donte fired the laser, bringing the ursidae down again. He didn’t need to look. The ursidae would not be getting back up again. He turned his attention back to the approaching ursidae.

  The other men followed his gaze, their muskets ready. The ursidae was approaching the clearing.

  The ursidae suddenly charged from the trees, targeting Donte. Donte lifted the laser and pressed the button, but it didn’t fire. The weapon had not recharged from the killing of the other ursidae because he left the cover open. He slid the cover back over it. The men were firing and puffs of dust and drops of blood were bouncing off the ursidae’s fur, but it wasn’t stopping.