IN NATURA: a science fiction novel (ARZAT SERIES Book 2) (19 page)

CHAPTER 26

LOOK WHAT I FOUND

“I will not hurt you.”

  The words rang in Maria’s head, but she was sure she had actually
heard
nothing! The forest was completely silent, yet someone was speaking to her.

  Curiously, something about the message she had received sounded female in tone, which was comforting. But there was also something about it that was distinctly
not
human, which was frightening. All of these things ran through her mind at once as she held her breath, sure she was about to die, wondering if her mind had completely left her.

  There was an audible stir in the branches of the trees behind her. Maria dared to look back.

  All she could see at first were the creature’s eyes, which, even at a distance of ten paces, seemed to reflect some of the light of the fire from across the river. They were reptilian with elongated pupils that were very much like the ones she had seen before on the other lizards, but they were lighter and more golden than red. As she peered into them, she began to gradually make out the large head and body that they lived in—a large grey silhouette that was just a shade lighter than the black of the night forest.

  She wanted to run, but something told her the effort would be futile this time, even if she could manage to get her legs moving. Her body seemed to be paralyzed. Once again, her mind distinctly heard the words or thoughts, “I will not hurt you.” Incredibly, she was certain they were coming directly from the strange reptilian eyes that were fixed on her.

  Ara kept repeating herself, as gently as her mind would allow, trying to calm the young female. She simultaneously sniffed the air several times, reconfirming that the human was indeed alone and that there were no others lurking around in the night or any other possible trickery she hadn’t considered. When she was satisfied it was completely safe, she slowly rose from her squatting position and stood before the female, just two or three sticks away.

  “I can tell that you are hungry and alone little human female named . . . Ma-ri -a,” Ara said silently, using the human’s name to help comfort her. “Come! I will lead you to our camp across the water. There you may eat and meet another of your own kind.”

  Ara was anxious to get back to Tom—she had left him unguarded. She took one step toward the female, then another, until she could reach out and offer her hand. “Come with me,” she said. “I will not hurt you and neither will my human companion. We have nothing to do with the Arzats that attacked you and your friends.”

  Maria looked up at the beast, its eyes still boring into her as if the lizard could see her insides as well as her out. Whatever was before her was every bit as frightening as the creatures that had killed her mate and her friends—yet there was something quite different.

  Maria wasn’t sure if it was because of the voice that was playing in her head or the lizard’s physical appearance. Perhaps it was both. But something told her that this lizard was very different from the others—and
female
. As she looked out at the enormous four-fingered hand the creature had extended, she did the only thing she could do—she reached up and took it.

* * *

Tom was looking out into the night, listening intently for any sound that might indicate that Ara was returning. She had been gone from the camp for a long time. Now he was wishing that he had insisted on going with her.

  Helplessness was not a feeling he was used to experiencing—yet that is what he felt. He suddenly realized that out of the four individuals that had emerged from the ARC, he was the only one left that he was
certain
was even alive.
God, I hope nothing bad has happened to her,
he thought, as he looked out into the black forest.

  Tom noticed that the fire had burned down significantly. He reached for a long stick and pushed some of the remaining firewood deeper into the coals. When he looked up, Ara was emerging from the dark forest.

  “Sorry, Pilot Tom. It took me longer than I expected,” Ara said to him, sensing his concern. “But, look what I found hiding in the night.”

  In one hand, Ara was still clutching the makeshift killing stick she had fashioned for herself. In the other was the hand of one of the most beautiful women that Tom had ever laid eyes on.

  As Ara approached the fire, he got an even better look. Clearly, she was just a young girl if anything, somewhere in her mid to late teens. Obviously, she had been quite traumatized based on her overall appearance, which was no surprise. Tom could imagine that anyone seeing an Arzat for the first time might look exactly like this young woman looked, which was some sort of wild cross between confused and terrified. What was surprising was the fact that the girl was quite pregnant, since her large belly was the only physical indication of it. Still, there was something absolutely spellbinding about her.

  He glanced at Ara and imagined that she had actually rolled her eyes when she registered his reaction. Then, she appeared to communicate directly with the young woman and indicated a large rock near the fire for her to sit down on. When Ara had successfully accomplished that task, she turned and looked back at him.

  “Tom, we must feed this little female. I can tell she is half-starved.”

  “Uh . . . yeah . . . yes, Ara.” Tom forced himself out of his trance. He realized he had probably been staring at the young woman with his mouth half open.

  “Well then, Tom Pilot,
mate of Alex
, perhaps you can help me find some food for this young female?”

  Ara found Tom’s reaction to the little female quite amusing.
So,
she thought, blocking,
Tom the male human is not so different from the male Arzats when it comes to young females of their own kind. Hah! Always a younger, more fertile female! Only the laws of Orn and tradition ever kept the Arzat males in line. I wonder if it is the same for humans.

  “Of course, Ara. Of course,” Tom stammered, still flustered. He walked around the fire pit to a large, flat rock where he had placed the remainder of the bison he had roasted earlier. There was still a sizable haunch left. He promptly cut some smaller pieces from it with his long knife.

  As he sliced the meat, he was aware that both of the females were watching him closely. With no other utensils available, Tom skewered the pieces with the end of his knife and moved slowly toward the young woman, who was still watching him intently.

  “Ara, can you tell her that I am not going to hurt her?”

  “I was hoping you might be able to do that for yourself, Pilot Tom. I was able to reach into her mind, but I am not sure yet if she can fully understand me. Her name is Maria, or something close, and she speaks a tongue that is somewhat different from your own. That is all that I really know. That and . . .” Ara cut her thoughts from Tom and began to block. She was about to tell him about the attack the female had experienced and her witnessing of Alex’s abduction earlier in the day but then thought better of it. Now was not the time. First, the young, pregnant creature needed food. Then perhaps, both Tom and Ara could push her for more information.

  “I am not going to hurt you,” Tom said aloud, as he carefully approached the young woman. As he got closer, he realized that her eyes were blue like Alex’s but darker—much darker. They provided a shocking contrast to the young woman’s long and jet-black hair. Her eyes were locked on his, but he didn’t sense fear as much as sudden curiosity in them.

  She certainly was hungry, because as he held out the knife, she plucked the meat from it into her hands and began eating, occasionally glancing back and forth between Tom and Ara.

  “
Caratas
,” she said quietly, as she began to chew.

  Tom backed off and sat down on a rock a few paces from the woman. He unconsciously wiped the blade of his precious knife on his pant leg and carefully placed it back in its scabbard. “Do you understand English?” he asked.

  The girl stopped chewing for a moment, one side of her cheek bulging from the giant bite she had just taken, and focused on Tom. “
Caratas, hachas caratas
,” she said, and resumed chewing.

  “Well, I don’t think that is anything near English,” Tom said silently to Ara. “Sounds kind of like Spanish to me, but it is not really that either.”

  “That is unfortunate, Pilot Tom. I assume that this ‘Spanish’ must be the spoken language of another tribe of humans. It is that way with Arzats. The various clans all had their own spoken language, some similar, some not so. I suppose since we could so easily communicate with our minds, it really didn’t matter. I was hoping you could speak to this human directly.”

  “Sorry, Ara. I didn’t understand a word of what she just said.”

  For a moment, Tom took his eyes off of the young woman and looked at the female Arzat. Her eyes seemed to smile at him.

  “No matter. I will simply have to teach her to speak with her mind.” Ara looked back at the young female,
who had just about finished the entire portion of meat Tom had given her. “Of course, I was already easily able to read her mind and reach into her memories, but I still wasn’t sure if direct communication would be possible.”

  “What did she say, Ara?”

  “She said, ‘Thank you, very thank you!’”

CHAPTER 27

KOOTA

Alex almost choked on her dinner when she realized her mistake. She had responded telepathically to the Arzat’s question without blocking. Now the giant was staring at her, his head cocked to the side, his eyes blazing with curiosity or just pure anger. She could sense his arms twitching, as if he were about to strike her again. Alex felt forced to look back at him, her mind working to block any further thoughts, while she willed herself to try to stay calm.
He looks like he wants to kill me right now,
she thought.

  Do
not
reveal yourself Alex!
she heard her father screaming in her head, as the Arzat’s eyes probed her own.

  He’s probably also trying to probe my mind now,
she realized.

  Alex put on the most innocent face she could muster and resumed chewing on the venison. This gave her an excuse to look away from the Arzat. She focused on the meat in her hands and blocking with her mind. She swallowed, took another bite, and looked into the fire, hoping that the beast would think their momentary connection was a fluke. She sat, determined to not to make eye contact, afraid if she did she would give herself away.

  Za’at continued to carefully observe the female, confused and surprised at her response.
Was she really speaking to me,
he wondered, still doubting that such a thing was really possible for an
uman.
But I heard her
—
I did
, Za’at thought, now consciously blocking his own mind from the female. Yes, her spoken words sounded as if she had replied to him in her own unintelligible tongue, but he was certain she had directly passed a thought to him. She had said “Thank you” with her
mind.

  He watched her for some time, waiting to see if she would again reveal herself to him, but she did not. The female simply sat, chewing on her dinner, gazing into the fire with her strange blue-and-white eyes.

  Finally, he realized he was famished himself and started in on a large hunk of the roasted
ree
. As he ate, he continued to consider the female, still bothered by what he thought had been a telepathic reply from a mere
uman. Not possible,
he tried to reassure himself. He attempted several times to probe her mind, but probe as he might, he couldn’t see into it no matter how much effort he applied. It was either not possible or the female could not only telepath—she could block!

  “Good, isn’t it?” he said aloud, trying again for a response. Nothing.

  “Kak,” he grunted, exasperated. The female finally looked up at him and Za’at noticed that she had finished the portion of meat he had given her. “Here,” he said only in his mind as he held out the wooden skewer with the roasted meat. The female looked at the skewer and carefully pulled off a few more pieces, but her mind remained silent.

  “Well, little
uman
,” he said, trying a different tact, opening his mind completely to the female, “now that you are fed, perhaps I should finish the work I started and kill you like I originally intended! I have not forgotten about my brother or the tremendous amount of trouble you have caused me.”

  Za’at glared at the smooth-skin and fingered his killing stick, still in its scabbard, probing vainly for some sort of reaction. The female hesitated, looked at him briefly, and continued to eat.

  He’s bluffing,
Alex thought, almost starting to laugh with amusement at the big Arzat’s continued attempt to fish her out.
I can see right through you now, buddy boy.
Not only had she heard the Arzat, he had also opened his mind so entirely that for a moment she could see much more.

  His name is “Zat,” or something close, and he has no intention of killing me—at least not for the moment.
Indeed, as she had suspected and rather foolishly hoped, he was planning on taking her back to his caves as a prize. Why? Because Za’at still wasn’t absolutely sure he could start a fire himself. There was some other reason as well, but Alex couldn’t quite understand it or see it yet.

  She looked directly at
the Arzat and gave him her best blank look, as if she hadn’t heard anything.

  Disgusted with his unsuccessful attempt to penetrate the female’s mind, Za’at stood and stretched, scanning the campsite and its perimeter with his eyes while sniffing and flicking with his nose and tongue for any signs of danger. While Za’at was quite comfortable being out on his own, he was usually in the company of other hunters that were—as a group—always on the alert.

  I must be more careful,
he admonished himself as he looked around, suddenly realizing that he had been paying far too much attention to the
uman
and not enough to any potential threats that might be lurking in the night. He squatted and tested the ground.

  “We shall rest here until Qu’aa rises,” he said aloud. “Then, I will take you to the caves and present you to the Elders.” He looked again at the female, still hoping for some reaction.  

  Well, she will get the idea when I bed down
, he thought.

  Za’at was no longer as concerned with beating the other hunters back to the caves as he had been. In fact, now that he possessed the secret of fire, he was suddenly not in any hurry at all.
It will be even better
, he thought,
if the other hunting groups have returned before we arrive. Wait until I walk into the chamber with a live uman! Even better, when I show them all how to create fire from nothing!

  Za’at picked up his scabbard, threw it over his shoulder, and rummaged around the perimeter of the camp for some more dry wood, checking again for any obvious signs of danger as he did so. He returned to the fire and stoked it, then found a flat area nearby and stretched out on the ground, placing a large flat stone under his head for support.

  He watched the fire for some time, mesmerized by its flame, and eventually grew sleepy. Then, just as he closed his eyes, the female got up and began to walk from the camp. The scales rose on the back of his neck and Za’at prepared to leap up and grab her until he watched her pull down her clothing and squat close to the edge of the campsite. He calmed when he realized that he had not seen the
uman
relieve herself since her capture.

  Alex saw the Arzat raise his head and look at her suspiciously. He slowly lowered it back onto his hard makeshift pillow, still watching her out of the corner of his eye. She didn’t care anymore. She had been holding her bladder for so long that finally relieving herself was almost a heaven-sent experience.

  Just relax, ya big bastard,
she thought, still carefully blocking
. I have to pee—and it’s not as if I can ask your permission!
When she had fully emptied herself, she stood back up and pulled up her cargo shorts.

  Looks like your sleeping on the ground tonight Alex,
she thought as she walked back toward the fire, examining the area for a semi-comfortable place to bed down.

  Alex was no stranger to sleeping outdoors, so the general prospect of it didn’t bother her in the least. But sleeping directly on the ground
was
something she was not used to. It was getting colder. As the night wore on, she knew she would lament not having something warmer to wrap herself in. She wished now that she had one of the coats she had left in camp.

  So much for only being gone a moment,
she thought.
But at least there is a fire. And, I have my own personal bodyguard to boot.
In fact, she suddenly realized that she was so tired that she didn’t care how hard the ground was or how cold it had become—she needed sleep.

  Alex found a spot near the fire close enough so that the Arzat could easily keep an eye on her and far enough that she was out of his immediate reach.
This isn’t so bad,
she thought, snuggling down in the long green grass. She was near enough to the flames to feel some of their warmth and instantly fell asleep.

* * *

A small drop of rain spattered her forehead. Alex could smell water in the air, which was worrisome, but that was not what had awakened her. It was something else.

  She slowly opened her eyes and looked past the fire in the direction of the Arzat. He was still in the same place, lying on his back, his head still resting on the rock, with one hand wrapped around the scabbard that held his killing stick. Alex watched him for a moment, listening to the night and trying to focus her eyes in the dim light.

  I must have really crashed out,
she thought, noticing the vague change in the night sky that suggested sunrise was coming soon. She looked straight up. There was no visible starlight directly above her, only dark clouds.
Jesus, I hope it’s not going to pour rain,
she thought, feeling another drop.

  The fire had died down considerably, but there were still embers glowing. Occasionally, an errant raindrop would hit them with a hiss. Alex thought for a moment about reaching over and stoking it. She looked back over at the Arzat, deliberating whether or not it was worth it to risk disturbing his sleep.

  Then, just beyond him on the perimeter of the tree line, she noticed movement. At first, she imagined it might just have been some tree limbs blowing in the light breeze, but her instincts were screaming that it was more than that.

  The camp was dark, but the remaining glow of the campfire and a partial moon near the horizon was creating enough light to cast shadows. She listened, frozen in place, her eyes looking for the source of the movement.
Just stay calm Alex,
she told herself.

  Hell,
she thought, still holding her breath
, if it were anything dangerous, the Arzat would be climbing all over it by now. Wouldn’t he?
Alex looked back at him, but he hadn’t stirred.

  The breeze gusted for a moment in the direction of the movement she had seen.
Not a good sign,
Alex realized. It was possible then, that if there was any real danger lurking, the Arzat might not have caught the scent of it. She continued to watch closely, her eyes searching the night.
If only I had the night vision he does,
she thought.

  For a moment, her heart leapt with hope. Could it possibly be Mot and Ara? Was it possible they had tracked her and found her? They have had enough time. It
was
possible that they could have already caught up with her. Was she about to be rescued? Alex looked back at the sleeping Arzat and prayed he would stay asleep.

  Then, as she turned her head back toward the tree line, she saw it. The black silhouette of some sort of animal had silently leapt up onto a rock or some high ground, just at the edge of the camp. She studied the dark figure, not daring to move, her eyes desperately trying to determine what exactly the creature might be.
Whatever it is, it certainly is not an Arzat,
she thought.
What the hell . . . ?

  It’s a cat Alex,
her father whispered in her head.
And a rather large one at that!

  Alex’s eyes strained to see, her body absolutely still. She held her breath again . . . waiting . . . watching . . . frozen in place.

  Finally, the figure moved again, and she could see the full outline of it clearly. It was the dark shape of a large feline contrasted against the only slightly less dark background of the night sky.
Probably a cougar,
she thought, though it seemed larger than any cougar she could imagine. One thing was instantly quite clear to her—the beast was in complete stealth mode and it was preparing to pounce.

  She quickly moved her eyes back to the sleeping reptile, hoping he would show some signs that he was aware of the impending attack, but his head had slightly rolled toward her and he still looked to be sound asleep.

 
He is out, Alex. You need to make a move soon,
her father cautioned her.

  Alex looked back toward the silhouette. It would be only seconds now. The breeze was still blowing the in the big cat’s favor. She considered screaming, but something told her that would only escalate the attack.
I will have to awaken him somehow—
before
the cat makes its move.

  Alex then did the only thing she could think of. She opened her mind and began
silently
screaming at the Arzat, aiming her consciousness directly at his.
Fuck it,
she thought,
he’s certainly going to know I can telepath now.

  “
Za’at
, do not move! But you must wake up. There is something just behind you on the edge of the camp!” Alex watched to see if there was any indication that the Arzat had received her message, but there was nothing to suggest so.

  “ZA’AT, WE ARE ABOUT TO BE ATTACKED!” Alex screamed again, with all the effort her mind could conjure.

  She lifted her head slightly and immediately heard a low, otherworldly growl coming from the direction of the cat. Its silhouette had disappeared from her field of vision. Somehow, even in the low light, Alex knew it was silently charging for the Arzat, intent on clamping its fangs into his throat before he could react.