by Carol Buhler
I stopped. “What?” I’d forgotten to lower my voice and Jol looked over the precipice at me.
I shouted, “Wait. We need to change our plans!” Turning back to Jonathan, I asked for details but he said he had none—only the rumor.
I took his hand. “Thank you, boy. Or rather…I assume you’re the father of Dr. Tucker’s grandson and granddaughter.”
He grinned shyly. “Yes, sir.”
“Then you are not a boy. Take care of your father and your family for me. Promise?”
“Always.” With that, he turned and ran down the steep stairs as if he’d done it all his life. I didn’t run down those stairs—or hadn’t for fifty years.
Back at the top, I yelled that everyone would be going with us to Center as thoughts of hostages swirled through my head. Two nursing mothers protested but I sent them back to their rooms to collect what they needed for the babies. Sensing my urgency, Korola and Jol helped round up the younger children, whom we usually left behind with one or two couples when we went to Center, and the oldsters who complained as much as the mothers had.
“Aarnyon! All reeth are to go—or at least get as far away as possible if they have young unable to fly.” He didn’t question my order.
I called Kaldon and Josdon to my side. “You two stay and keep watch. But,” I intensified my voice into what resembled my father’s old command tone. I’d never spoken in that manner to any of my children. “If something happens, don’t get hurt.”
They exchanged a glance.
“I mean it. Nothing is worth having either of you hurt. Tell me you understand my order.”
“Yes, Dad,” came from one then the other. Jol arrived and looked at me, puzzled.
“They’re staying to watch. Is everyone else ready?”
“Ready, but grumpy.”
“Oh, well,” I said with a total lack of sympathy. “Get mounted and let’s go.”
Astonishment greeted us when we arrived at Center. Sardon strode toward me, Xagdon at his back, as I walked to the Joe mansion door. “What’s going on?”
“I had a premonition. We left only two watchers behind. We’ll see what happens.”
The Joe mansion had been built in my grandfather’s time, specifically to awe his contemporaries, I thought. We only stayed in it during Center meetings. But this day, its enormous size was welcome. Everyone that needed shelter fit into the copious rooms available, except for our reeth-mates. Only Aarnyon and Bennget had accommodations inside the mansion. So, most of the younger don went to stay in the valley with their reeth-mates’ herds. The children were settled into the old nursery, which hadn’t seen so many young ones for years.
Korola and my sister Joela bustled immediately into the kitchen to dust, wash, and do whatever they felt they needed to do to prepare dinner for all of us. Jol and I headed to the Council Building, built several years after the mansion and placed directly across the stone-laid plaza.
Our entrance brought silence. I began, “I’ve had warning of possible movement of the human robber bands against us—me specifically, I think. Send counsel to your families to be especially vigilant, or to come here, one and all.”
“Desert our homes?” one don yelled. Sounded like Gardon’s raspy cry.
“Do as you please. I brought everyone.”
The clamor subsided quickly as Speakers wanted to hear my news. They could easily send word to their families via their reeth-mates—I didn’t worry after I’d passed on that first statement.
I stood at the podium, Jol took the Joe Speaker’s desk, and I related the warnings Dr. Tucker and his son had delivered. I wasn’t foolish enough to tell them who had notified me. They might not have believed knowing the words had come from humans.
Discussion at first was unbelieving anyway. As Xagdon spoke, however, I saw others nodding. They’re thinking of the things they’ve seen among humans these last few years. Aarnyon shared the feelings coming from the Speakers’ reeth-mates. Tempers, and worry, were rising the longer Xagdon talked.
I had nothing to counter him.
Hours passed before Aarnyon informed me Korola was ready with dinner, so I adjourned the meeting saying we’d gather again early the next day. “Check on your families not here,” I reminded.
19. War
I woke around two in the morning to a message from Kardon’s reeth-mate, Pollolf, via Aarnyon. He and Josdon were invisibly following the robbers, who had struck just before midnight. “Dad,” the reeth relayed to me, “the stable’s on fire—and the feed racks. And they dropped something from an air-car that blew the house apart!” Excitement, fear, adrenaline made his voice shake and the reeth relayed the words exactly, complete with inflections. “Nothing’s going to be left!” he squealed.
Another reeth cut in. Josdon’s mind-mate since the voice is his. “We overheard them yelling at each other when they found the place empty.” His voice was just as unsteady. “Someone was watching all day yesterday and saw the air-car with Jonathan bringing his message.”
Pollolf again, with Kardon’s voice. “We’re following to make sure Dr. Tucker and his family are okay.”
Words tumbled over each other as both boys and their reeth-mates tried to tell me what they’d witnessed. I finally got them to listen. “Don’t put yourselves at risk,” I shouted knowing Aarnyon would faithfully convey my anxiety, at least to the two reeth. “Dr. Tucker’s no fool. You just watch and report.”
“But, Dad…”
“Do what I tell you!” I roared. I’m sure everyone in the house heard me. Noises in the hall said my family was gathering. I heard a knock and shouted, “Just a minute.”
Korola was up and robed; she handed me a second one to cover my nakedness as I headed for the door.
“No, not you, Kardon. You do whatever you must to stay safe. We’ll be on our way in moments.”
“We’ll just follow, I promise.” The reeth cut the connection as I opened the door. Brothers and sisters clustered there, in various stages of dress. I spoke quickly, telling them what I’d learned, then directed Aarnyon to share with everyone’s mind-mates.
“Done,” he said quietly.
Uncles came running down the corridor, already dressed in riding gear. My brothers scattered to change. “We’ll meet in the plaza,” I told Aarnyon, “in five minutes.”
Korola helped me pull on my jump suit and handed me my tight fitting boots. They slipped over my feet with well-worn ease. “Take this.” She handed me a padded jacket. “It’ll be cold this time of night.”
“Thanks.” I pulled her to me and kissed her deeply, an embrace she returned as anxiously as I gave it.
“Take care. Come back.”
“I will.”
Milling in the plaza were way more reeth and riders than just my family. Sardon strode toward me. Well, of course! Everyone is here in Center right now, and probably everyone heard the boys’ words.
We launched over the forty-foot drop and soared eastward through the pass in the mountains that sheltered Center. Aarnyon followed Kardon’s mind-mate’s mental guide. I estimated they were at least two hours away. “Boys,” I whispered to myself. “Stay safe.”
Thirty-five minutes later, the boys turned and headed north, their reeth showing ours the broad river they followed. We changed direction, angling to reach Julesburg before they did. I wanted to spread our forces out, watch from above, and try to find where the thieves were headed. Surprisingly, Xagdon agreed. “Catching them isn’t enough,” his reeth-mate relayed to Aarnyon. “We have to know where they’re hiding, and who’s helping them.”
We formed a circle around the city, hovering a hundred feet higher than humans normally flew their air-cars, everyone behind the reeth invisibility illusions, even in the dark. Jol placed himself to my left, Joela to my right.
We’d barely made it. Only moments after I reached my place in the wavering ring, the lights of four air-cars barreled past below us.
“We’re right behind them,” Pollolf said.
As we flew, Kaldon related what they’d found in Johnstown. As I’d expected, Dr. Tucker and his family hadn’t been caught unaware; they’d fled during the night and gained refuge with Bardon, while the raiders were setting fire to my grass storage. Even though the scoundrels had threatened and roughed up nurses and aides at the hospital, no one had known that Jeremy wasn’t at home asleep in his bed. In fury, the robbers had set fire to his house. However, they didn’t destroy the hospital or kill anyone. It seemed their most violent acts were reserved for me and mine.
During that long flight, I struggled with images of what could have happened if we hadn’t taken Jeremy’s warning seriously. If I’d allowed the children and old ones to stay, they would have been murdered. I was sure of it. If one of the gang had been watching the house, they had to have known most of us were preparing to leave. They’d planned their attack when only the young and weak would be there.
They dropped an explosive device! “Was that decided before or after they learned the complex was empty?” I asked myself and shuddered at what I thought was the answer.
The night sky started to lighten and before us, the air-cars headed down alongside the Sapphire Sea. Landing, they ground-drove the cars under a ledge topped with knurly trees. We’d never have seen their hiding place if we hadn’t followed so closely. Several men ran out and brushed away the marks on the soft sand of the beach.
We landed several miles away since there was no way we could disguise the noise of a hundred reeth flying nearby once they’d shut off their air-car engines. We didn’t think they’d risk appearing in the daylight, but then, we hadn’t expected them to so brazenly attack the Joe compound. Two of Xagdon’s sons stayed to keep silent watch.
“Glad to rest,” Aarnyon said as he rolled his head and neck to relax his shoulders. “Hard flight.” It had occurred to me that we’d be in trouble if we’d had to fly much further. Air-cars can continue as long as they have fuel—we can’t.
“We need fuel, too!”
“We also need rest, which air-cars don’t.”
“Reeth don’t break down,” he snapped.
I wondered about his cantankerous attitude.
“I’m furious! They’d have killed anything with that explosion. My great-grandson would have been there if you hadn’t warned his family to walk away when he couldn’t yet fly.” A picture of a three-month-old foal flashed through my head, deep-chocolate brown with the typical curling caramel-colored mane, flippant tail and nascent wings. My reeth-mate’s pride in the colt was obvious.
“Are they safe?”
His tone mellowed. “Yes.”
Xagdon and Sardon joined me, Jol, and the rest my family members for a quiet conference. “My boys have been doing a reconnoiter,” Xagon said. “No one else in the area—so this isn’t their main camp.”
“They won’t get caught, I hope,” Uncle Johndon said.
Xagdon smirked. “No way. My youngest, Xendon, is a great illusionist. He can make his own brothers see him as a rock, even when they know he’s standing right there. Moves quietly, too. Those villains won’t know he’s there.”
He focused on me, giving me the honor of seeing me as the leader. “Four men for each air-car. All wearing hand guns. And they have those repeating far-shooters like we saw off-loaded from the supply ships two, maybe three, landings ago.”
“You’ve watched the supply ships?”
“Every time since the first.” His voice seemed smug, matching his face. “Humans love to show off their new toys. I doubt anything has arrived here on Gareeth that me, or one of my boys, hasn’t seen and examined in detail.”
Dropping his jovial tone, he went on. “Those repeating guns are serious stuff. You need to warn everyone. Permission to have Balliard relay what information we have to all reeth?”
Whoa. He’s asking me? “Please do.”
After an hour of discussion, we concluded there was nothing further we could accomplish until the robbers went on the move again. Curling up with Aarnyon as a pillow, I tried to get some sleep. This sleeping on the ground has got to stop, I thought as I wiggled and squirmed to find a comfortable position.
“Are you settled yet?” Aarnyon asked with disdain.
“As best as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
**
As soon as it was totally dark, the air-cars drove out of the overhang with men brushing away the tracks. One after the other, they took off from a rocky stretch where tracks would never be found and headed north with us close behind. At the mouth of the Wof River, they left the Sapphire Sea area and headed slightly more to the east, following the river. Just as we reached the outskirts of Lorner, a silent mental wail rippled through our reeth. Aarnyon reported that Bonn was under attack by a large band of aggressors shouting a battle cry of “Kavv! Kavv!”
Sardon, Xagdon, and I dropped out of the pursuit to confer. Pictures coming from Vuddon and Furdon’s reeth-mates, relayed from sons left at home, showed what could only be uniformed soldiers marching through the streets, setting fire to anything that would burn, pulling struggling women behind walls to rape and then slit throats, and shooting any man or boy that attempted to stand up to them.
Following my earlier edict, none of the watching don attempted to interfere although their reeth portrayed their outrage and anguish at the suffering of the women and girls.
“Monsters!” Sardon muttered at the brutal scenes. “Why are they doing this?” His reeth-mate took him literally and sent the question.
Taking advantage of his mind-mate’s invisibility illusion, Furdon’s son captured one of the attackers and hauled him away from the fighting which had finally started as those of Bonn set up a semi-organized defense. It was obvious that they’d been taken completely by surprise.
The soldier the younger don captured was tough but he caved to the pressure of don-strong fingers on the tender points where necks join shoulders. Babbling into don and reeth ears, he admitted his force was bent on taking control of the wealthy port for the benefit of Kavv. Further persuasion got him to say his “general” had been negotiating with Bonn for a foothold, but the leaders of Bonn had refused the merger. Kavv’s mayor, “the general,” decided to take it all.
A frisson of worry swept through me. Hindon’s holdings were near Kavv. Why hadn’t he warned us of a growing army? Aarnyon reached for Hindon’s mind-mate. There was no response.
“Send Nandon to check on the place,” I ordered Aarnyon. “He’s closest. Warn him what he might find.” Aarnyon did as I asked although none of us had any idea what might have happened there.
We were debating whether or not to follow our own warriors when Jol and Taggert sent word that the air-cars had landed outside a huge warehouse on the edge of Lorner and were quickly hidden inside. The big building was surrounded by over a hundred ground cars and Jol estimated that at least that many humans were inside.
Picturing the long-guns Xagdon had described, I ordered them to join us in the large copse of trees we’d found bordering the river. We couldn’t just attack without knowing what we faced.
Xagdon immediately posted sentries and we settled down to strategize. Finally admitting we had no idea what to do, since none of us had ever dealt with the sort of aggression we could face, we sat glumly and followed the visuals coming from Bonn. Even Xagdon, for all his earlier bluster, confessed that he knew how to build a defense, but not how to plan or lead an offense.
By morning, it seemed the people of Bonn were successfully repelling the invaders.
To my surprise and joy, Korola, her sisters, and aunts arrived just as dawn broke, bringing us food. I wrapped my arms around he
r and nuzzled my aching head on her shoulder, hiding under her hair so others wouldn’t see my tears of exhaustion and frustration. She hugged me fiercely and whispered that she was proud of my efforts and loved me forever. Foal. What a fym!
“Dad?” I reached out an arm and pulled Jol into our embrace. In a smothered voice, he said, “I have an idea.”
20. Stealth and Surprise
We rested, catching what sleep we could during the day, and that night, Jol, Kardon, Josdon and I went into Lorner with Xagdon’s youngest projecting illusions of being human. We strove to move slowly and easily through the crowds on the streets, making our way toward the warehouse where the air-cars remained hidden. Confident my sons were as proficient as me, I led them after Xendon, the four of us a father and sons from the farmlands spending a night on the town without our women folk and with our cousin, a “native” guide. We entered bar after bar, subtly digging for information about the warehouse and its occupants while pretending to get drunk. The illusions were easy to maintain. All we had to do was follow the lead of the revelers around us.
Xendon was definitely the “grand illusionist” his father claimed. He seemed so human to me, I often found myself looking around for our missing “cousin” who blended in almost too well.
We learned the warehouse was owned by something called Growth Enterprises and was supposedly the distribution center for cars manufactured elsewhere. A consensus of stories said the current owner was crazy, had probably murdered his predecessor, and employed at least a hundred fifty men—all bruisers who looked like they’d rather punch you than talk to you. “A surly bunch,” one old man muttered in exchange for a beer.
By midnight, we’d made our way to the bar closest to the warehouse. It was having what the human sitting next to me referred to as a “roaring” night. I knew instantly what he meant—the place was packed, overwhelming with smoke, alcohol fumes, and shouting voices. It was so full that we’d been forced to share a table already occupied and not sit at the counter. I tried to breathe shallowly as I listened half-heartedly to the odorous drunk on my other side ranting about having lost his job. When he mentioned who he’d worked for, I was suddenly on the alert—Growth Enterprises.
