IN NATURA: a science fiction novel (ARZAT SERIES Book 2) (27 page)

  Za’at could sense Ta’ar’s hands squeezing his own killing stick, as if he were about to disembowel Za’at at any moment. He fought for something to say, but nothing was forthcoming.

  Ta’ar took one more uncomfortable step toward Za’at and began to speak to him only with his mind. “If I didn’t need every able bodied hunter right now Za’at, I would slay you this instant even without the consent of the Council and with my own hands.” He looked at Za’at directly, his eyes boiling with anger.

  Za’at was smart enough to look away, and the room was silent.

  “But, for the moment—and
only
for the moment—it looks as if I am going to need you.” Despite any misgivings he might have about Za’at, Ta’ar knew he was a ferocious fighter.

  Yes
, he thought,
if we are going to battle the umans, there is no sense in prematurely eliminating one of the clan’s most formidable hunters.

  “Perhaps if we surrender the female,” Za’at offered, and immediately realized his mistake.

  Ta’ar looked at Za’at again for a long moment, as if he were the most worthless Arzat he had ever laid eyes on.

  “Sa’te,” Ta’ar said aloud, “take this
uman,
bind her hands, and place her under guard.”

  This can’t be good,
thought Alex, still confused by all of the talk of other humans.
Did they know about Tom?
Were there other humans who had survived the asteroid? Where would they have come from?
Her mind immediately went to work trying to solve the puzzle.

  Sa’te, who had been off to the side, stepped forward immediately, seizing the
uman’s
arms with both of his enormous hands.

  “And Sa’te,” Ta’ar added, “be sure you don’t harm her—or you will answer to me.”

  “Yes, Ta’ar, son of Baz.”

  Alex could instantly feel the Arzat loosen his tight grasp, but only slightly.

  “And Sa’te,” Ta’ar said as an afterthought, “have one of the females shit her, feed her, and water her. Perhaps your mate should be made responsible. Give whomever it is the same instructions I just gave you. I need you back here immediately.”

  “Yes, Elder Ta’ar,” Sa’te replied, already beginning to lead the female away.

  “And Za’at,” Ta’ar commanded, “
you
will stay. We have an attack to plan. Since you seem to be so adept at provoking the
umans,
perhaps you can provide some worthwhile counsel while we decide what to do about your own . . . atrocities.”

CHAPTER 40

PRISONER

The male Arzat that had seized Alex’s arm began leading her forcefully down one of the side tunnels that connected to the main chamber.

  Once again, it hadn’t taken very long for the two of them to move completely away from any major light source and Alex was once again struggling to see. She almost tripped and fell several times, but the Arzat’s solid grip on her held her upright. Every fifty feet or so, they would round some corner and a torch would appear, fixed to the cave wall. The smoke from the burning torches hung briefly in the rafters of the cave, but there seemed to be some airflow that kept the smoke moving so the cave remained breathable.
Obviously,
Alex thought,
the caves were somehow vented.

  When there was light, Alex could see other, smaller entrances to side caves. Many of them appeared to be inhabited though none of them were lit. Every so often, when she dared to look into one, her eyes were met with the eyes of other Arzats, some of them hissing in surprise. She couldn’t be sure in the near dark, but most appeared to be females.

  Her escort finally stopped at one of the many door-sized holes in the corridor wall and called out using only his mind. “Ma’ar, come. I have brought you something.”

  From just inside, a female approached the door, sniffing and flicking. Then she spied Alex.

  “What . . . ? Why . . . ? Why would you bring me such a thing Sa’te? An
uman?
A live
uman?
” the female Arzat asked silently, glaring into the smooth-skin’s strange eyes, which were frightening. The
uman
smelled like a female. She sniffed again, just to be sure.

  “Never mind, Ma’ar,” Sa’te replied. “The story is too long and too incredible to tell. But it should not surprise you to know that Za’at is involved. He has led a whole group of these creatures to our caves and we are planning an attack. For some reason, Ta’ar has ordered this one unharmed, at least for the moment, and has made her wellbeing my responsibility. You are the only one I trust to keep it so.”

  “But . . .” Ma’ar started to say.

  “I must get back to the chamber,” Sa’te said, cutting Ma’ar off. “Watch over her and see that she remains alive.” He roughly pushed Alex toward the female Arzat, turned, and began to walk away.

  “But, Sa’te, I . . . I . . . know nothing of the smooth-skins. How . . . ?”

  Sa’te stopped and turned back for a moment. “I don’t know any more than you, Ma’ar,” his tone was one of frustration. “I suppose they eat and drink and shit like any other animal. Just be careful. Her scent might send the other Arzats mad once they sniff her out. Tell them what I have told you—that no harm is to come to her, by order of the Elders. I will ask Ta’ar to spread the word through the caves.” Sa’te once again turned and left.

  Suddenly, Alex found herself alone with this new female. She had been following the conversation and was trying to make sense of it. What did the Arzat mean by a
group
of humans? Was it possible that Tom, Mot, and Ara had already tracked her?

  She looked up at the golden eyes of the female, who was staring nervously at her, sniffing the air, and occasionally flicking her tongue.
Best not to rile her for the moment
, Alex thought, still carefully blocking. One thing was good—the other Arzat had not bothered to tie her hands as he had been instructed. Perhaps, if she stayed calm, this female wouldn’t think to do so either.

  Alex slipped down a portion of the wall near the entrance and sat. The Arzat female backed further into the room and squatted, never taking her eyes off of Alex. Near the female, Alex noticed something in the dim light that appeared to be half wrapped in animal skin. The Arzat reached out and protectively placed one of her hands on the object, which was about the size of a football.

  Yes, Alex. It’s an egg. An Arzat egg!
she heard her father say.

* * *

By the time Sa’te had returned to the main chamber, the council of Elders had already reconvened. The five of them were squatting in a circle near the fire pit. Mek was present, along with Za’at and the rest of the leaders from the other hunting parties.

  Sa’te was not happy that he had been sent off like some stone carver or wood gatherer to take care of the
uman.
He was agitated and angry by the time he was able to rejoin the meeting.
Why,
he wondered,
would we leave the smooth-skin alive even for a moment? She should be dead. Now Ta’ar has forced me to risk the wellbeing of my own mate and my first offspring.
He silently took a place in the circle and squatted, glaring at Za’at and wishing him dead as well.

  “What do you know of them, Za’at?” Ra’a, one of the other Elders, asked, referring to the
uman
hunters.

  “As I have said Elder Ra’a, I only know what has been told to me since my return. When we attacked the camp, there were only eight and six
umans
in the group—mostly young or female. I counted only four mature males. We tracked them for half a
het
and there was no sign of any other smooth-skins anywhere in the area.” Za’at was carefully trying to justify the attack.

  The Elders were still trying to make sense of the
umans
who had showed up at their front door. Why had the smooth-skins taken such a risk?

  “Go on,” Ra’a said, wishing to know all of the details.

  Za’at recounted the attack and how he and the hunters had somehow missed the female, careful to mention that he had been in the midst of counting their kills when the female had appeared out of the night. He described how she had run a spear through Ack and how later they had lost track of her during the fight that had ensued between Baa and Za’at, blaming Baa for instigating it.

  Za’at even admitted that he had become obsessed with finding the female and why, once he had found her, he had kept her alive. He knew, unless he could convince the Elders that all of his reasoning had been sound, his life would be forfeit, regardless of whatever else happened. Then, he had carefully described the method Alex had used to make fire.

  “Hah,” Sa’te scoffed, listening to Za’at’s story and finally unable to contain himself, “fire from nothing?”

  Za’at looked at Sa’te, his eyes burning. The rivalry between them was no secret and was lifelong. He knew that Sa’te was very much enjoying his current predicament and it took every bit of Za’at’s self-control to keep him from leaping at the male and killing him.

  Ta’ar glared at Sa’te as well, giving him an unspoken warning to remain silent. No one, other than an Elder, was to ever speak at Council without first gaining permission.

  “The Great Creator makes fire,” Ta’ar said, turning his attention back to Za’at.

  “It’s true Elder Ta’ar, just as I have said. The
umans
do create fire from nothing. Mek can speak to it. He saw the fire they made in their own camp before we attacked. We followed them for a
het
. They did not bring it with them. After I captured the female, I made her show me their secret.”

  Sa’te and the rest of the Arzats scoffed again. What Za’at was saying was sacrilege. There had always been rumors—yes—but the Arzats in general refused to admit what they knew in their hearts to be true about the
umans.

  Za’at leaned forward, risking all in an effort to save his own skin. “And there is something else. The female can speak!”

  “We know the
umans
can speak,” Sa’te said, exasperated and speaking out of turn again.

  When will the Elders end this nonsense? Kill or banish Za’at now and be done with this,
his mind was screaming. Sa’te was struggling to block.

  Ta’ar glared at Sa’te as a final warning.

  “Only with their minds as we do,” Za’at added, looking directly at Sa’te, baiting him, hoping for a physical confrontation.

  “Elder Ta’ar! May I speak?” Sa’te was beside himself and did not wait for permission. “This is outrageous! Fire from nothing?
Umans
able to speak only with their minds as Arzats do? Za’at invents these stories to excuse his own behavior and his incompetence!”

  “Do you wish to formally challenge me, Sa’te,” Za’at said quietly, almost unable to contain his desire to leap on the younger Arzat.

  “Enough,” Ta’ar threatened. While his curiosity was peaked, he wanted this conversation to end before one of the Priests caught wind of it and stuck their noses in or he was no longer able to contain the two males. “We will have plenty of time to find out the truth. Right now, we must decide what to do about the
umans
outside.”

  “The answer is simple,” Kaz, another of the Elders spoke up. “Kill them. All of them! In my lifetime, we have gone from never hearing or seeing the smooth-skins to having them compete for our food and our land. Now, they have slaughtered a whole group of our own hunters. I say . . . kill the
umans
that are in front of us and send our hunters out far and wide to rid ourselves of the rest of them once and for all. I formally call for a vote of the Council,” Kaz finished, banging his hunting stick on the floor of the cave.

  “And Za’at,” Ta’ar added, venom in his voice, “
you
should lead the attack and hope that one of the
uman
hunters gets lucky.”

CHAPTER 41

ONE WAY IN

Tom slid up onto a large rock formation and crawled on his belly toward Mot. Mot was also prone, with his head just high enough to peak over the top of a loose boulder. From his new vantage point, Tom could see the cliff’s face that Mot had told him held the entrance to the Arzat caves. At first glance, Tom was immediately disheartened. It appeared to be a perfect natural fortress. He raised his head for a better look.

  “Be careful, Tom Pilot,” Mot warned. “I see two Arzat sentries at the cave’s entrance and they have very sharp eyesight. The slightest sudden movement and they might spot us.”

  Tom lowered his head. “Where do you see them?”

  Mot slowly motioned with one of his long reptilian fingers. “There, perhaps eight sticks up, on the ledge.”

  Tom squinted. The sun was behind them now, deep into afternoon, brightly lighting the rocks that formed the cliff. He did the math in his head. An Arzat killing stick was about six feet, so eight times six . . . around fifty feet or so. Tom tried to find the spot.

  “Do you see them?” Mot asked.

  Tom studied the cliff, still trying to judge the height of the entrance, but couldn’t see anything but the rocks that made up its face. The mountain looked as though it had been sheared in half by a glacier or an earthquake. He had come to the same conclusion as Alex had—that the cliff’s face looked much like a smaller version of Half Dome. “No, Mot, honestly . . . ”

  “There . . . there, Tom . . . Do you see them now?”

  Suddenly Tom could see the distant outline of the two Arzat sentries moving around, their shadows passing on the face of the cliff. When they stopped, they disappeared like ghosts back into the rocks. The entrance, if it were indeed where he had just seen the Arzats, was about fifty feet above them, perfect for defense, impossible to penetrate without being discovered. His heart sank.

  “Are you sure there is no other way in, Mot?”

  “There are many, Tom Pilot,” Mot said, his eyes still focused on the cliffs, “but they are all almost completely blocked with large rocks from within. They allow air to move in and through the caves. There is another small vent on the top of the mountain. If you look closely, you will see smoke escaping.”

  Tom looked, but could not see anything. “Can we dig our way through them?”

  “Unlikely, Pilot. The stones are large and purposely set from the inside to make removal from the outside almost impossible. Even if we were to try, we would undoubtedly be discovered.”

  Earlier, Mot had left Tom and Maria and had gone scouting for another way into the caves, while Ara had gone off to study the humans. Were he to have found one, Mot told Tom he would immediately enter and see if he could find Alex and bring her out. It was possible, Mot had told Tom, but not probable based on usual Arzat behavior. According to Mot, the Arzats preferred caves with one working entrance, which they could closely monitor. Apparently, he had been right.

  “I found three other entrances on the back side of the mountain, Tom Pilot. All are blocked with heavy rocks from the inside as I described. Even where the smoke escapes on top, the entrance is too narrow for me to climb through, and it is directly over the main chamber.”

  “What are we going to do, Mot?”

  Mot’s senses told him that the breeze had shifted and was beginning to run toward the cliff. Even if the Arzat sentries couldn’t see them, it was possible they might sniff the two intruders out.

  “We need to go, Tom Pilot.”

* * *

When they returned to Ara and Maria, Mot sensed a change in the human female. Something was different.

  “What did you find, Mot?” Ara asked.

  “It is difficult, Ara. There is only one real entrance as far as I can tell. There are others, but they are blocked in Arzat fashion. What of the humans?”

  “As you said, there are eight by three, all males. They appear to be readying themselves for attack. I saw them working on their weapons, wrapping cloth around small spears as if they were torches.”

  Mot looked up into the sky, trying to determine where
Qu’aa
was in relation to the horizon. He had no idea what the humans might be planning, but he was almost certain that the Arzats themselves would try to attack them after dark. This would not have happened in the world that Mot and Ara were from, but this was not that world. Here, it seemed, the Arzats might be the apex predators day or night. In the dark, they would consider themselves at the advantage with the humans given their superior night vision and their stealth. That fact, coupled with the likelihood that there were far more Arzats . . . well . . .  the humans didn’t stand a chance.  On the other hand, a battle between them might create just the opportunity Mot was looking for.

  “What do you think, Mot?”

  “Well, Tom Pilot, we could wait and see if the Arzats bring Alex outside and hope to overwhelm them if they do, which is unlikely. We could present ourselves to them and attempt to negotiate her release, which—knowing Arzats—is also unlikely. Or, we can wait and see what happens with the humans. Perhaps we—or I should say
I
—can gain access to the caves in the confusion of a battle. After all, I
am
an Arzat. Eventually, someone will sniff me out, but I might have enough time before that happens to locate Alex.”

  Tom had come to the same conclusions. Basically, they needed a miracle.

  “Will they battle?” he asked.

  “It appears so. Though why the humans would attempt it . . .” Mot didn’t finish the thought.

  “Anything else?” Tom said, his hope fading.

  “Not that I can think of, unless the Great Creator decides to intervene.”

  “What do you think, Ara?”

  “I’m sorry, Pilot. It is as Mot says.”

  Much as Ara hated the thought, she had come to one other very important conclusion of her own—that they needed to abandon this hopeless attempt to rescue Alex and escape before they themselves were caught. Maria would be a fine mate for Tom, and, given time, he would perhaps get over the loss of Alex. More importantly, they could all have a chance to survive.

  Soon, Ara knew, she would drop the egg of her own offspring and be entirely vulnerable. Even sooner—
much
sooner—the human Maria would give birth. In fact, Ara sensed, that event might happen almost at any moment. She carefully blocked these thoughts, though she knew that Mot would probably have guessed what she was thinking.

  “There is something else, Mot.”

  Mot turned back to Ara.

  “Maria asked me to carefully describe the humans. One of them, who appeared to be their leader, carries a human weapon with bright red appendages—I think Alex calls them ‘feathers’—attached to the ends,” Ara said.

  “And?”

  “She didn’t directly say so, but I think that the human leader might be her father.”