Stranger King (13 page)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Thegn woke
as Lena’s hand touched his arm. He reflexively moved back, watching her with bated breath as she apologized.

“The shelter only has an hour left of air,” she said, “We need to get ready to move out.”

He glanced up at her face, the burns blistering around her eyes.

“How bad is it?” she asked, wincing.

“I cannot tell, you seem to be still human, though,” Thegn joked, uncomfortably.

To his surprise, she smiled and laughed a little.

“Stick to the cloth, priest. I think you would make a poor comedian.”

Something had changed, Thegn thought. She felt it too. But he dared not comment, he dared not grasp at what was still so newly growing.

It was almost night again when they left the shelter. Thegn followed Lena as the wind picked up, the particles making it difficult for him to see. The chemicals were still in the air, the trees burnt to the ground. But it was safe enough for this trip back to the compound, back to her people.

He glanced at her through the darkening light, watching her trek forward. Would this understanding be gone once they had returned to her kind? He had nearly lost Maria that way, but this was different. He did not have a word to explain it. But he feared his life would be over if this feeling was lost.

*

When they arrived at the shelter, they were separated. Thegn waited patiently as he was brought through a scanner, the device beeping occasionally as Kozol watched from the side.

Janiya ran a vacuum over his skin, sucking up traces of his skin cells. He opened his mouth when he was told, coughing into a plastic bag, his throat scraped with a swab.

Janiya looked over at Kozol and said, “He’s clean enough to enter. Can I give them the go-ahead?”

Kozol watched Thegn for a tense minute, the two men looking at each other as Kozol glared. Janiya said quietly, “He helped protect our settlement and he poses no danger to us. Just let the bastard in. He’s not going to hurt us.”

“So everyone keeps saying,” Kozol muttered, “but that doesn’t suddenly make it true. Lena couldn’t have watched him that entire time.”

“And he could have gone out in that? You saw what it did to the forest. Anyone built as he is couldn’t have survived that. Just make a damn decision, Kozol.”

Kozol turned his glare to her and then back to Thegn.

“Get in, bastard,” Kozol grumbled. “Don’t make me regret it.”

“What do I need to do to prove myself to you?” Thegn asked quietly.

“Can you stop being one of them?”

“Can you stop being human?”

Kozol walked out angrily.

Janiya put her skin samples into a bag, “I need to study how this chemical works. I’ll compare the data from both of you. Thank you for your cooperation.”

“Is she alright?” Thegn asked. “Is Lena safe?”

Janiya nodded. “She’s fine. We’re going to keep her isolated for a day while she recuperates. You can see her then. Until then you should probably keep out of the way until Kozol calms down.”

“I understand.”

Janiya hesitated and said, “You’re growing quite fond of Lena, aren’t you?”

“She is admirable,” Thegn said.

He did not recognize the expression on her face as she allowed him out of the room.

*

Thegn arrived the next morning at Lena’s quarters. He hesitated outside the door until he was permitted inside. Maria waited nearby, patiently reading her book to give them a semblance of privacy.

Her face had begun to heal, the blisters softening into a dark red. She sat on the side of her bed, drinking water slowly as she winced.

“You asked to see me?” Thegn said.

She indicated for him to sit on the floor. She had a cushion waiting for him. He did so, keeping his head low.

“I had a lot of time to think over the last day or so. I want to apologize. No, I was not wrong for wanting to protect my people, my family here. But I have been unkind to you when I should have already seen you for what you are.”

“And what am I?” Thegn asked curiously.

“A man,” Lena said, “Just like any other. A good one, certainly. But a man. You have been better to us than we have been to you. You are a hostage, yet you want to view us as friends. Kozol told me he wanted you gone. He told me if there was a chance, I should kill you.”

Thegn paled. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because you could have done the same. You could have killed me and run. But you didn’t. You could have let that thing kill all of us. I can’t do that to someone else… I have killed men before, but I am not a murderer. This invasion won’t turn me into one.”

Thegn watched her face carefully as she continued, “I won’t kill you. I’m going to tell Kozol that today. If he won’t listen, I’ll let you go. I’ll have to blindfold you. I know you would not betray us, but it is easy to talk when motivated to do so. You will need to run. Get as far as you can. Get back to your Council and your Goddess and tell them we need this war over. I won’t let your people rule over mine.”

“What will they do to you?” Thegn asked softly.

“Kozol and I will fight, certainly, but we always do. That’s not something you should worry about.”

“What if I want to stay?”

Lena looked down at him, her eyebrows furrowing.

“If you stay here,” Lena said, “we might kill you. If I have to pick between you and Kozol, I will pick him. If you fight back, I will stop you. I like you, I do. But my loyalty is to them.”

“I promised you before. I will never strike one of your kind, even in protection of my own life,” Thegn reminded her.

She sighed, running her hands through her hair. Thegn wished strongly to touch her hands, and he lifted his palm, holding himself back. She looked up, noticing the tattoos on his palms.

“May I?” she asked, reaching out for his hand.

He nodded as he stretched it forth, trembling slightly as she used both of her hands to cup his. She removed one, using her fingers to trace the lines of his skin, the markings of the three suns.

“What does this mean?” she asked.

“Of the Council races, there are three suns. The one of my system, the one of the Elchai, and the other two, they share a planet and a sun. The Goddess shines through all three. The life-giver, the bringer of light into darkness. Even before we knew of her, she was already there with us in our skies.”

“I guess if my people are conquered, you may have to add a fourth sun.”

Thegn smiled weakly. “I don’t know if they’ll succeed in converting your people. They barely succeeded in getting just a few of my own, and they have been trying for a standard century.”

“That’s a strange compliment, but it does make me feel a bit better. I’d like to think we’d go out fighting, wherever we ended up. Tell me … my people on other planets now; are they happy? Are they safe?”

Thegn thought, and replied, “I have met six humans in captivity. All of them were older than you, or so I would guess. Three female, three male. I think they were attempting a breeding program, but they were having difficulties. They spoke a little with me. It was another language and I had a translator. I was not allowed to ask much. But they were alive, they were healthy. They were allowed to wear clothing, to sleep in beds. They were … tame. That is the word you would use.”

“You remembered.”

“I learn quickly.”

Lena smiled sadly. “I suppose there are worse fates than that. My father would have disagreed … oh, how he would have fought. He hated the Americans; I can’t imagine how he would have reacted to your kind. If he could see me right now, he would have slapped me and told me I was a fool. Maybe I am.”

Thegn did not understand, so he remained quiet as she continued.

“I imagine that he died alone. He should have been the one to survive. He knew how to fight, how to live. What did I ever learn? I should have listened to him more, I should have learned all I could have. But here we are.”

“I’m sorry,” Thegn said quietly. “You have spoken of him much. He must mean a great deal to you.”

Lena sighed, “This isn’t what I wanted you to come here for. I’m sorry. Go back to your room. Stay there and don’t let anyone in until I say it’s safe to come out. If I’m not back in an hour, run. Promise me you’ll run. Do whatever you need to do to get back to your people.”

Thegn said nothing.

As he rose to leave, she stopped him, placing her hand on his arm. He paled as he turned back to her and waited.

“Why would you want to stay?” Lena asked quietly.

Thegn replied, “I said before there are two species who live on the same planet. The Crisu and the J’Hai. Really, they are basically the same. Their world is almost entirely water, littered with islands around the equator. The Crisu are large sea creatures, a little like your seals, but fluid. Their bodies edge into the very particles of the water and bring minerals into themselves. They also eat plants and insects, like their kin the J’Hai. They are smaller, lighter, covered in red and purple scales. They don’t look much alike at first, but you can see it more and more when one is beside the other. Either species can mate with their own kind or the other. The space between water and land is sacred, covered in these beautiful spun … I don’t have the word for it. The eggs are kept there until they hatch. At the moment of birth, they are either suffocating or drowning, and go toward the air or water. That is how a creature knows if it is Crisu or J’Hai. There are no genders, no sexual differences, merely air or water. There is a story about a child who needed both air and water to survive and lived its life on its side in the sacred space, breathing in both, being neither of its birthrights.”

When Thegn did not continue, Lena asked, “What happened to the child, in this story?”

Thegn answered, “The Crisu say it suffocates, the J’Hai says it drowns. But for a time, the child manages to be equally of two worlds. That is not an unworthy goal.”

She let go of his arm and he left without another word.

*

He heard her shout before Kozol’s hand reached the door. Thegn backed into the corner, waiting with bated breath until Kozol dragged him out into the hallway. He was pushed to the floor, his tail painfully compressed against his back.

Kozol looked down at him, a cocked gun aimed directly between Thegn’s eyes. Thegn breathed faster, his ghele beating quickly under his skin.

Kozol demanded, “Why did you come here?”

Thegn replied fearfully, “I told you. I was sent to document and preserve human culture. I do not mean you or any of your people harm. If you feel you need to kill me to protect your kin, I understand and I forgive you.”

The gun clicked in Kozol’s hand and Thegn closed his eyes, breathing quickly.

“Kozol,” Janiya’s voice stated calmly, “If you fear him, then lock him up. We can keep him unconscious. But there is a wealth of knowledge in his blood. We cannot continue our research without that. If you have to do this––”

“Why is everyone else so bloody calm?” Kozol shouted. “Did you not see the others die? Do you not see where we live now because of them? What respect do I owe him? Because suddenly one of them has a conscience? Because they feel like they should document us before they wipe us off the face of our own planet? No. No. He needs to die. Someone needs to pay for what has happened here. If I can’t kill the rest of them, let me kill him. You’ve had your pet for two weeks now; you’ve had your fun. The more he knows, the more danger we’ll be in if they ever recapture him. And they will come after him. I say we kill him and lay his body at that slavers’ hut. Give the bastards back the head of their beloved priest. They aren’t the only ones who can fight a goddamn war. Until now, we humans have been pretty goddamn good at it.”

“This will kill us,” the man named Calvin said softly. “This is not the time. If you can’t have him here, let him go. You don’t have to do this, Kozol. You’re better than this.”

“Don’t you dare tell me now what I can and can’t do. You have seen it as much as I have. Don’t you remember Hope? Don’t you remember what we had to do just to survive? Lena, oh Lena, you would have me let him go? You were there when Stiar died. If it weren’t for them, she would still be alive. You remember we nearly died there and then. You remember the bastards herding us like cattle. And you have the audacity to come to my room and beg for his life. Have you no sense of dignity?”

Thegn did not hear Lena reply and he dared to open his eyes to look at her. They exchanged a glance, but it was enough to slow his heart slightly, the color coming back into his skin. He looked up at Kozol again, at the gun still pointed directly at him.

“I’m not the one about to shoot an unarmed creature,” Lena said. “What pride does that take, Daniel? Go on then. Show me what it means to be human. Fire away.”

Kozol glared at Thegn and his hand shook, the weapon dropping to the ground. He fell to his knees, the other man kneeling down to put an arm around him.

Kozol wiped water from his eye. “Lock him away. I do not want to see him in our home. When the scientists can do no more tests on him, then we shall see. There will be no contact with the others, unless a translator is needed. Bastard. You are not one of us. I want a report from the rest of you by the end of the day, bringing together what information you have gathered from him. We will prepare for another raid.”

There was a quiet murmur among them and Kozol replied, “I’m tired of hiding in a hole, waiting for them to decide what day to kill us. They have our people, they have supplies, weapons. It’s time. We stop hiding. Dismissed.”

Thegn felt himself dragged back into his room, the door shut and locked behind him. As the lights faded out, he rested on his knees, his hand pressed lightly against the door.

He would survive another day, at least. He knew he should want to return home, to bring this news back to the Council, to demand for an end. To return to the side of the Goddess and serve her faithfully for the rest of his days.

But the betrayal grew in his heart, the treacherous thought that made him open his eyes, that made him look at Lena despite the gun leveled at his head. He had wanted her to be the last thing he saw, a quiet respite before death.