by Lee Watts
"Tooka, hith!" she shouted to the silver-furred creature as she rose and put a wary hand on the curled whip tied to her belt. Merrick extended his arms outward to show he wasn't looking for a fight. The woman placed her free hand on the animal to calm it.
Reasoning the savage didn't save Alexander to kill him, Merrick halted. The girl twisted her head looking at the animal and then turned her deep brown eyes back at the stranger to make sure neither was about to strike. Knowing he couldn't speak the girl's language, Merrick simply gestured toward the prince. She nodded and gently pushed against the massive animal causing it to back off a few steps. Cautiously, Merrick went to the young man.
Alexander coughed and rolled over to try and clear his lungs of some of the water he swallowed then turned and beheld the royal guard.
"Mer… Merrick."
"It's alright, Sire… at least for the moment. I think these natives are friendly."
"Th... Theeran?" came a soft, inquisitive voice from behind Merrick. The two men looked and saw the girl wide-eyed. With a thick accent, she repeated her query, "Theeran?"
Amazed how this woman could possibly know the language of his distant homeworld, the prince answered, "Yes. I am… Alexander."
Placing a hand over her heart and with a smile, she responded, "I… Aulani… They… wai- waiting for… you."
"Waiting?" Alexander echoed in confusion. "You understand us?"
"Yes," she said with a smile. "Theeran part school."
Merrick helped the prince to his feet.
"School?" Alexander asked. "Who are 'they?' How did-"
"Not fast. Hard… get words."
"Sorry. Now Miss Au…
"Aulani," the girl repeated.
"Aulani, yes. First, how do you know Theeran?"
"The first thing," Merrick interrupted "is building a fire to dry you out then we'll worry about questions."
Drenched, Alexander readily conceded. Merrick turned to Aulani and rubbed his palms together and stuck them out as if warming himself by a flame.
Nodding she understood, she gestured for them to wait then turned to her animal.
"Tooka, nonson afell," she ordered, and it followed her into the jungle brush as she gathered firewood.
Alexander watched her until she disappeared into the brush.
"What do you make of my rescuer?" he questioned.
"I'm not sure. But until we find out, I suggest caution. It may not be wise to let them know you're the prince of the Realm."
"Why is that?"
"First, we don't know who she is or who she's with. Second, I'm trying to spare you embarrassment. After all, it's princes who are supposed to save fair damsels in distress not the other way around," he jibed.
Alexander grimaced at the playful quip and thought it best to change the subject.
"What about the others?" he asked. "How are we going to get them across the river, and why in the worlds did Cale cut the line?"
"I think when he saw the natives, he cut the line to keep them from us."
"Oh, half drowning me is a great way to- Where is he?"
"I don't know. Last I saw he was drawing his pistol and turning toward the natives."
"Oh, great. If he makes a spilt-second decision and kills one of them, it's the final nail in our coffins for sure."
Returning with several branches matching her tanned skin, Aulani arranged the wood then reached in the leather pouch at her hip to grab something to start the fire, but Merrick waved a hand letting her know it wasn't necessary. Drawing his portion of the battlestaff from its bamboo-like casing on his back, the blade flamed to life.
Aulani leaned back in shock of the flame. Her beast jumped several steps away while instinctively roaring in fear of the flaming sword.
"Don't get excited, my large friend," Merrick gently said. "It's not going to harm you."
Keeping an eye on the creature, Merrick knelt and placed the battlestaff under the kindling, holding it there until the fire sustained itself. He then replaced the blade into its crude casing.
"How sword… fire?" Aulani questioned.
"I'll explain later."
Alexander huffed.
"I'm looking forward to hearing that one myself," he mumbled.
Hearing steps, they all turned to see Cale and a native boy approaching them. Alexander guessed the scrawny boy at fourteen.
Cale momentarily paused, obviously pleasantly surprised at seeing the attractive young woman with the prince and Merrick. After a moment he turned his attention to Alexander.
"You okay?"
"If you don't count being nearly assassinated and half-drowned then yea, I'm fine."
"I knew you wouldn't understand." Cale snipped. "I was trying-"
"It's okay, Cale. I understand."
"Thank you… Sire."
"Sire?" Aulani probed.
"So much for keeping my identity a secret," Alexander shrugged. "Cale, it seems our new friend speaks Theeran."
"How's that possible?"
"Learned it in school," Alexander answered as if it was common knowledge.
"What?"
"I don't know. She was about to explain when you arrived."
The castaways looked to the woman for an explanation. Pausing every few words, she explained her people were from a colony ship that was caught in a wormhole and crashed on Acatus years ago.
"How long have you been here?" Alexander asked.
"No sure," she answered. Pointing to the boy that was next to Cale, she added, "Jaiden born night crash."
"Are there others?"
"Few left. Come, I take you Father. He… specting you."
"Expecting us? Did you see our ship crash?"
"No, he told you come."
"Told? By who?"
Aulani thought for a moment, but couldn't recall the word so instead pointed up.
Cale rolled his eyes.
"Great, more religious zealots."
Merrick interjected, "First, we have to figure out how to get everyone else over here."
"Cross river?" Aulani asked.
"Yes."
"Can walk cross. Rocks not far. "
"Excellent. Let's get started."
Within an hour, the entire group was across the river. Hiking through the rainforest jungle toward Aulani's people, Didymus spoke with their new friends. Jaiden bounded along with the excitement of youth, He told how their colony ship was from the Entauri Cluster. The Cluster was a group of worlds originally settled by colonist of Enty who broke away several hundred years before it joined with Theera to form the United Realm. During the trip, Alexander developed a sudden interest in all things Entauri and a deep interest in every topic the shapely young woman mentioned. As hours passed, Didymus too became fascinated with the young woman, but for different reasons. Being a linguist, he noted Aulani's accelerated rate of grasping grammar and vocabulary. During their three-hour trek, she had already made substantial improvements. By the time they stopped for a short break, she was able to carry on a basic conversation.
Sitting on a fallen log, Jaiden spoke with Didymus, the boy doing the majority of the talking. The professor was surprised when the boy mentioned he knew how to read.
"How did you manage that without books?" he asked the boy in the Entauran language.
"We have books," Jaiden answered in his tongue. "The Codex and a flight manual from the Morningstar were in one of the escape pods. I've read both of them tons of times," he gloated. "I can quote whole chapters out of the Codex, and I bet I could fly any starship since I've read so much about their controls. Papa says I know more about starship navigation than him, and he was a pilot."
After another hour's journey, the group entered a clearing where lived the haggard survivors of the Morningstar. Dressed in a combination of rags from their original clothes mixed with furs and leathers pieced together from jungle creatures, emotion poured from each face in the small band. Alexander wasn't sure if their reaction was one of shock, disbelief, or joy. In t
ruth, it was a mixture of each. A thin man with a limp approached them. His chest-length beard showed only faintest traces of the brown it once was.
Using the Entaurian language, the professor began the introductions.
"I am Didymus Galbraith. We are from the United Realm of Theera-Enty."
The lead man replied in Theeran, "Welcome, I am Sev Suchet."
After pausing to study each face of the newcomers, he added, "We've been waiting a long time. Tell me, which of you is the king without a kingdom?"
CHAPTER 16
"And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform." – Romans 4:21
"Mr. Suchet, I am Alexander Lyons, prince of the United Realm. Well, I am… removed from the Realm at present, but how did you know?"
"The Elder gave me a promise," Sev answered with a smile. He said For the king without a kingdom will our deliverance come, and here you are."
"Yes, but… I don't know how much deliverance there will be. We're marooned like you. We crashed weeks ago. We detected a signal with our scanner. If we can find the source we're going to try and use it to call for help."
"Be of good courage," Sev replied, "for the Elder has promised we will be delivered, and He is a keeper of promises. Now, come, let us sit and learn of each other."
Taking places around a fire where an animal was on a spit, Alexander introduced Merrick, Cale Rayne, Marcus Gibson, Payton Simon, and Didymus Galbraith. Then Sev gestured to his people as he mentioned each in turn.
"You've already met my daughter Aulani."
Alexander looked to the attractive young woman and smiled. She smiled back, brushed a strand lock of her chocolate hair behind her then shyly turned her gaze to the ground. Alexander was the first person her age she'd seen since the crash.
"And this is my son Jaiden," Sev continued.
The shirtless boy was well-sunned as his sister. He was lanky but only slightly more than anyone his age. Having spent his entire life in the jungle, Jaiden's hair fell uneven upon his eyes and shoulders. He was a stark reminder of how quickly Acatus V was stripping away the vestiges of civilization.
Sev introduced the other survivors starting with their former captain, Telza Larson. There were now broad streaks of gray in her once raven hair. As Sev was speaking, Christina, a ruddy-haired, fair-skinned woman exited one of the huts. Seeing the newcomers, she froze. Placing a hand in front of her mouth, and with a swell of tears, she stood motionless for several moments while quietly trembling. Aulani went and put a comforting arm around her. Together they approached the visitors. Aulani spoke in her language to introduce each man. Alexander was last, but when Aulani introduced him, she mentioned something extra to Christina making her quickly look to Sev. He nodded in confirmation.
Beaming, Christina clasped Alexander's hand while speaking excitedly.
"Sire," Didymus translated, "she said she's overjoyed at your presence and is sorry she doubted."
Confused, the prince just smiled and nodded while feeling uncomfortable with the prophecy of being a promised deliverer.
"We've seen your campfires for days," Sev said. "At first we feared you were Jago."
"Jago? What's that?" Merrick asked.
"Tribe," Aulani answered. "Very bad."
Interrupting the conversation was a twang followed by Sergeant Simon crying out because of the smoldering arrow piercing his shoulder. The air whizzed as burning arrows flew, and the ground thumped as forceful shots lodged in the dirt and surrounding trees. Everyone scrambled to find cover from the deadly surprise attack. A dozen bulky, green-skinned warriors bolted forward shrieking vicious war cries. Brandishing a pair of heavy hatchets, the lead man targeted Merrick. Drawing his battlestaff, he blocked the blow. The savage took a step back in surprise at the flaming sword then quickly lunged again.
Though Alexander's half of the battlestaff didn't flame, the arm-length weapon still provided greater reach than the Jago's hatchets. A crazed man charged the prince, hurling one of his weapons at him. The spinning ax chopped through the air; with a thwack, it sunk deep into the wood of the hut within centimeters of Alexander's head. Remembering Merrick's sword training, Alexander quickly sidestepped then sent the blade in a wide swing, deeply slicing his opponent across the torso. Rapidly spinning the blade, he reversed the strike sending a blow to the back of his opponent's neck.
Aulani used a three-meter-long whip she'd crafted for her defense. Loosing it from her belt, she expertly placed a powerful crack directly in the throat of a charging Jago. The attacker immediately dropped his weapons, and both hands went to his neck as he bellowed from the intense pain.
Aulani's animal, Tooka, hefted a Jago, throwing it forcefully against one of the nearby trees as easily as a child tossing a rag doll.
Blue laserfire sprayed wildly as Marcus, and the other soldiers dropped enemy combatants. Merrick's weapon was a blur of flaming strikes. He heard his companions all shouting at once. The mix of yells, screams, and weapons fire, plus having to focus on his opponent, kept the royal guard from being able to distinguish any particular voice. His foe swung hard, but instead of blocking, Merrick dodged, causing the attacker to lose balance. Pressing his advantage, Merrick thrust his sword deep into the man, ending their contest. Reaching down, he picked up one of the attacker's hatchets and checked for immediate danger.
A Jago lifted Christina off her feet and over his shoulder in an attempt to make off with her. Jaiden charged the hulk while jabbing his crude dagger deep into the man's back. With a shout, the man threw Christiana to the ground, staggered half a step then turned to face the boy. The wild-eyed green brute lumbered toward the now unarmed teenager. Jaiden stepped back but tripped and raised an arm in a futile attempt to defend himself. Spinning through the air, Merrick's hatchet sunk deep into the middle of the attacker's forehead, and the green man fell lifeless by the boy.
With momentum against them, the invaders fled back into the thick jungle brush. The castaways held their ground and surveyed the extent of the damage. Jago arrows littered the ground, some of the Morningstar survivors were extinguishing the small fires started by the burning arrows.
"AULANI," Jaiden called out in panic.
He repeated the call, but without an answer. They all checked for her, but she was nowhere to be found. Picking up a scent, Aulani's animal bounded into the forest, and Jaiden started to follow, but Merrick grabbed him. The fourteen-year-old writhed and protested, so Didymus came over to try and calm him.
"Tooka will find her trail," Jaiden shouted in his language. "We've got to go after her!"
Didymus reasoned with Jaiden enough where he at last relented from immediate pursuit. The translator looked to Merrick and Alexander as it was discovered Christina was also missing.
"We must move quickly to stop them before the sacrifice," Sev declared.
"Sacrifice?" Alexander questioned.
"Yes," answered Aulani's father. "It's the only reason they'd take them. It's a ritual they perform when the moons are in full eclipse. Based on the markings on these arrows I'd say that group is from the tribe a few days upriver."
"Then there's no time to waste," Alexander concluded. "We need to get Aulani before they get her back to their village."
"Wait a minute," Cale protested. "If they're upriver, then that's the opposite direction of the signal."
"We can't abandon her," Alexander insisted.
"Hey, I feel bad for those women. It's a terrible thing, but if we are going to get off this planet then it's crazy to head off to a village of human-sacrificing savages! Give me one good reason we should risk our necks to save somebody we just met?"
"Because Aulani saved me, and because it's the right thing to do," Alexander replied.
"Yea, and I bet because she's good looking has nothing to do with it?"
"That's entirely beside the point!"
"Really? Then why haven't you mention Christina?" Cale accused. He didn't expect an answer, and none was given. "Yea," he sne
ered, "that's what I thought." Disgusted, he shook his head and walked off.
Alexander turned to the rest of the group. His eyes fell first on Marcus.
"It's your decision, Sire," the master sergeant said. "Where you lead we follow."
That only makes the decision harder, Alexander thought. Cale was right. If he led the group on a rescue mission, some of his own men might not survive. Was this woman he just met worth risking their lives?
Not this woman, he reminded himself, these women. He realized Cale was right. He wasn't thinking of Christina but only Aulani. He told himself he would risk going if Christiana was the only prisoner, and for the most part believed it. His contemplation was broken by the sound of Sev grabbing his walking stick. Using it to support his bad leg, he limped forward.
"I'm going," Sev announced with determination. "The last promise I made her mother was to keep our children safe. I promised her."
"They'll kill you too, old man," Cale jeered dismissively. "You won't succeed."
"The Elder does not judge us by our success," Sev replied softly. "He judges us only on our faithfulness. I will do what I can."
Alexander looked to Merrick, who nodded.
"Wait," the prince inserted. "We will go. We led the Jago here. It's our fault Aulani and Christina are gone so we will be the ones to get them back."
"But you don't know the way," Sev retorted.
"He does," Merrick said while motioning to Jaiden.
The youth deduced what was going on and crossed to his father.
"Please, Papa. You are hurt; let me go."
"But… if I lose you both..." Sev started to say, but couldn't continue from emotion choking his throat as tears began to streak his face.
"You won't lose either of us, Papa. We'll bring her home. I promise."
"Our chances are much better with the boy as a guide," Merrick added.
Sev embraced his son, kissed the top of his head and nodded.
"Yes, yes... you're right."
"Oh, thank you, Papa," Jaiden said as he clutched his father.
