For One Nen (8 page)

“What are they?” Teltel asked.

Deni pulled a withered leaf from the dying plant in the mound in front of her. She then took a slip from the gray tub and held them side by side.

“They’re the same,” Teltel exclaimed.

“He’s not only Het – strong and brave, he’s also a quick learn,” Deni teased.

She reached up to pat his thick arm, then showed him how to plant the slip and water it.

“Can she read again?” Teltel asked Deni with a tilt of his head toward Tala.

“She’s standing right there,” Deni whispered. “You could ask her yourself.”

He turned to face Tala but immediately dropped his eyes. “Uh, mmm…uh,” was all Teltel could say. He turned back to Deni and whispered, “Could she read again, please?”

Deni patted Teltel on the back and whispered. “I know just how you feel.”

She looked back at Tala, opened her golden eyes wide for a moment, and winked. Tala began to read.

1200 BE

Far below the surface of the planet REEN

Tinnen caught up to his friend before High Priest Kent arrived for the sparsing. “Please don’t do this, Master. I’m already responsible for taking your arm. Don’t let me be responsibl
e for taking your life also.”

“Why?” Ate
nilek was leading his friend.

“Because it’s not right.”

“Why?” Atenilek prodded.

“Because you're more important t
han I am, Master.”

“Why?” Atenilek continued.

Tinnen was crying by now. “Because you protect us. Because you protect the Empire.”

“I’ve done nothing to protect anyone. Or did you forget our job of diving for the stone
s of light together?” Atenilek said.

“What?” Tinnen asked without a clue as
to what Atenilek was meaning.

“Who proclaims who is more important? Didn’t the
Giver of Life give all of us life? Shouldn’t the giver say whose life should be taken, if any at all. It was the Empire that trained us all to give away our very lives.”

“You’ll be sent home
, Atenilek,” Lakis said. He had been listening with his forehead scrunched into deep wrinkles and his lips pursed tightly.

“Here comes Emperor Kent.” They all fell silent when they saw the empire’s regal leader come down the road dressed in his usual purple
attire. People were arriving with their young loved ones close too.

“Very good of you to come after your ordeal, Atenilek.” Kent said as he entered the gate. “It shows your strength.”

Lakis saluted Kent as he sauntered past him without acknowledging him at all.

“Go home,”
Kent tried to push Atenilek’s mind with his powerful thoughts.

Atenilek stood upright and still.

Emperor Kent was headed into the sparsing grounds when he realized Atenilek hadn’t obeyed his direct but nonverbal order.

Without turning around Kent tried again to push him.
“Atenilek, go home,”
Kent pushed his thoughts into Atenilek.

Lakis turned and headed down the road as if he were going home.

“Lakis,” Atenilek called. “His order was for me. He just pushed so hard, that you heard it too.”

Lakis didn’t turn back. His god had given him an order and he didn’t question it.

Kent turned to face Atenilek.

Tinnen hardly breathed in the stillness of these first moments of this standoff.

Atenilek grew flushed as he strained to keep his own mind and speak his own words. His gills went dry and his face turned a pale gray.

Kent eyed him with delight
, but after a moment left the giant. He had pushed his giant subject and thought the matter had ended.

Kent entered the great sparsing grounds to an eruption of triumphant shouts from the adoring crowd. He smiled with delight at the young people pressing in close to him for instruction. He had only to show an invisible line of where to stand and the young sparsers took their marks, quietly and without refusal.

Kent retreated high on his rocky perch and prepared to signal the killings to begin. It was at this time that Atenilek took Tinnen’s place in the sparsing line.

Everyone became quickly aware that there was a Het in the line sparsing line. He was a head taller than even the tallest Goweli. Ehic faced Atenilek with terror and confusion. But all turned to chaos for a moment when Kent saw Atenilek in the line facing Ehic. He sprang from his high place and hurried his way through the crowd to Atenilek. It was about this time that Atenilek’s parents arrived after getting word that their son was taking the place
of a Nen in the killing line.

“What are you doing, son?” Atenilek’s father shouted, i
n utter dismay.

“I’m sorry.” At
enilek said without movement.

Kent walked straight up to Atenilek and planted his feet in front of him
, his eyes flaming with anger.

“Tell him he can’t do this?” At
enilek’s father said to Kent.

The Emperor didn’t budge. He was fully engaged in a staring match with Atenilek.

Rumblings from the crowd grew louder and louder. The prepared killing lines even fell to chaos as people pressed in to see what was happening. Atenilek’s mother began to voice her plea but Kent raised his hand and silenced her. Silence rippled through the crowd in a deafening simultaneous gasp.

297 AE

Aboard the EGRESS

“Oh, don’t stop now,” Teltel moaned loudly.

“Well we’re at the end of our row. The only thing left to do today is cut up some sugarcane,” Deni said.

“How do we do that?” Teltel said with enthusiasm.

“How are you with a knife?” Deni asked.

“Very good…I think. I’ve only used one a few times and that was only for cutting string.”

“Well as you know, around here, it is ‘no experience necessary’ kind of work. All you need is to be ready to work hard. Now, here’s a knife. I want you to cut two of the tallest stalks that are over there in those large pots close to the garden’s door.”

Teltel took the knife and walked a few steps before he turned back.

“What exactly is a stalk?” he asked with slight embarrassment.

Deni demonstrated with her fingers in the air. Each one is a stalk. Just cut two of the tallest, down close to the edge of the dirt. The boy walked to the pots and the ladies stood close.

“I like him,” Tala said softly as she watched him go. “He’s not brash like – well like so many his size.” 

“He also gets tongue-tied around you. And he’s supposed to be the brave one. The Het, strong and brave,” Deni snickered.

“He’s sweet a
nd I think it’s possible to be too brave, you know?” Tala said with a tone of melancholy.

“Do you feel like reading anymore?” Deni asked.

“I love it. It’s where I want to be,” Tala said.

“Come as often as you like,” Deni said with a pleasing and welcoming grin.

Tala became serious. “I don’t think I’m going to work at the library anymore.”

“What?” Deni looked up with surprise. “But you love your books.”

“Are these okay?” Teltel asked as he walked up and unknowingly interrupted the women’s conversation.

Deni turned away from Tala and said, “Yes. They are perfect. Now we take them over here to the chopping blocks and cut them into pieces that the cooks can use.”

Tala followed quietly.

Deni pulled her long knife from her boot and began to cut one of the stalks.

“We cut them here at each joint, plus we cut off these extended branches,” Deni instructed. She raised her eyebrow and said, “Be careful. Take it slowly.”

Deni left Teltel to his work while she walked back to the pots of sugarcane. Tala again followed.

“Did you hear me?” Tala asked in a whisper. “I want to stay here. I don’t want to work in the library anymore.”

Deni turned to face Tala. “You can stay as long as you like. But I thought you loved your books. I don’t want you to – not – ever go back.” Deni ran her hand down Tala’s arm and felt the thin silky sleeve of her flowing garment. She inhaled with pleasure.

“I have a crate of writings that I’ve never read before; probably no one on the entire Egress has ever read before,” Tala explained. “And…I have you. I have no need to go back.”

Deni leaned an eighteen foot stalk of sugarcane down and snipped about a foot off of the top. She slipped the knife back into her tall boot and gazed toward Teltel as he worked diligently at his station across the room.

“You know, I like him too,” Deni said, “But he’s gotta go.”

“I-am-
leaving,” Aiden snapped as he headed past the much taller ladies and quickly moved his little legs toward the shiny main door.

“Good night, Aiden,” Deni said as they watched the door close behind the elder gardener.

“Anyone else coming in tonight?” Tala asked as she rubbed her lips together.

Deni didn’t answer but instead abruptly put the
short piece of the sugarcane in Tala’s mouth and turned back quickly to Teltel.

“You almost finished over there?” Deni called out.

“Can’t we read a little more?” he asked.

“I
t’s getting late and I’m pretty tired. How about you come back again tomorrow?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Teltel said with disappointment. He wasn’t ready for the stories to end.

“Come after class,” Deni said as she cut the ends off the two stalks Teltel had first cut. She handed one end to him and put the other in her mouth.

The giant boy chewed the end and smiled. “It’s sweet,” he said with excitement.

“Yes the cooks slice the pieces lengthwise and spear them into the orange potatoes we gathered earlier,” Deni explained.

“We forgot to pick them all up. I could help with that,” Teltel offered with enthusiasm.

“It’s fine. You’ve helped enough for one day. Enjoy your sugarcane,” Deni gave him a pat on the back.

“Thanks for the stories,” he said to Deni and then turned shyly to Tala, “and for reading, Miss.”

“See you again soon, Teltel,” Tala said in her smooth voice.

Teltel looked up quickly and gave a smile before he completely lost his breath. Chewing on the green stalk he went through the shiny door smiling.

Deni’s heart felt magnetic as she yearned for her love. She looked up at Tala for a long, silent moment that almost became awkward.

“Do you want to read a while? Or I could help clean up for the night,” Tala asked as she tried to fill the silence.

Deni placed her hands firmly on Tala’s small hips and looked up at her piercing blue eyes. “I love the stories. I love hearing you read. I think your voice is a kind of song that I only hear in my dreams. But I am Tsila. We are a tribe of few words. I’ve talked more the past two days than I’ve talked in almost two months. I have no more words to say.” Deni reached out and latched the lock on the shiny garden door.

Tala placed her hands on the sides of Deni’s brown face and kissed her long and deep.

Deni pulled Tala even closer and untied the cord that held Tala’s flowing garment to her tall slender body.

Releasing the cord, Deni watched as Tala’s garment floated to the floor. Laying Tala down on her own garment, where Deni had quickly added her own, she slid slowly next to Tala’s sleek ivory body.

Closing her eyes and lightly touching Tala’s cheek with her own, Deni whispered, “I’m not scared anymore.”

“I am,” Tala admitted with her hot breath close to Deni’s ear.

Above Tala, Deni’s red tight curls caressed Tala’s bare skin as she asked, “Scared of me?”

“Scare
d that we won’t have more times like this,” Tala said. She lifted her face and added. “I want to know you when you are eighty.” Her eyes moistened as she added, “I know I would have loved you even then.”

“Hush now, love!” Deni said as she stroked Tala’s straight and long blonde hair. “Let’s not let any of that steal this moment or any
of our moment.”

“I’m still scared,” Tala admitted. She let her head rest on the floor.

“I am too,” Deni said with her golden eyes shining.

“But I thought you said you weren’t scared anymore,” Tala replied in a whisper.

“Of you,” Deni said, “and of this. I’m not scared anymore.”

Tala raised her head and rolled Deni to her back as she leaned above her. “Me?”

Deni laid her head back into Tala’s open hands. “I’ve imagined this moment for so long; this first moment with you.” She laid her hand over her own chest and tried to steady her breath. She inhaled deeply and blew it out with a quiver before her words could escape.

“Just scared that reality wouldn’t live up to all my fantasies. Scared I’d wake up and it would be like all the other dreams I’ve had of you when, in the end, I wake and you’re not there.”