She looked at him anxiously. He appeared battered and singed. j Also, she had noticed that he had a slight limp.
“I am well,” he told her in quiet Tehkohn. “And you did well. I saw your kill.” Then he spoke in English to Jules. “Some Garkohn may be driven back here before the fighting is ended. If that happens, my people will follow. It is still important for your people to stay inside until I or one of my judges says it is safe.”
Jules nodded, spoke to his three men. “You heard him. Tell the people that too as you spread the word. Make sure everyone is alerted.”
Nathan James hung back as the others left. Alanna had seen him looking from her to Diut and frowning at Diut’s use of English. She knew what was coming. “Jules, what’s going on? What’s between Alanna and that…the Tehkohn Hao?” Only Nathan and Jacob knew that it was possible for there to be anything between them. Only they knew about the Garkohn crossbreeding. And only Nathan would concern himself with such a thing in the middle of a war.
Jules’s expression became stony. “For once, Nathan, do as you’re told without asking questions.”
“But…”
“Move!”
Startled, Nathan moved.
Diut left Alanna’s side and limped over to the fallen Garkohn. Alanna knew what was about to happen, but Jules and Neila did not. She glanced at them uncertainly.
“What’s he doing?” Neila asked Jules.
Jules said nothing.
The Garkohn forced his coloring to its normal dark green, overcoming both fear and pain. He looked at the leg that Diut was favoring and even managed to whiten a little. “We did hurt you then, Tehkohn Hao.”
“So,” Diut admitted.
“For hunters fighting against a Hao, even that is no small thing.” The man wrenched himself around to face Diut directly. “Let me die as a fighter.”
In a swift flow of movement, Diut dropped to one knee, seized the hunter by the fur of his head, jerked the head down, and broke the man’s neck with a single blow. The Garkohn’s hands were just reaching Diut’s arm as the blow landed. He had died as he wished to die-as a fighter was supposed to die. It was Kohn custom that a fighter who had fought well and lost had his neck broken—even if he had actually been killed in some other way. Other Kohn read contempt or respect in the way an enemy’s body was left.
“So,” Diut repeated, this time in agreement with the dead Garkohn’s request.
Alanna looked at her parents, saw that they were watching grim-faced. “There’ll be a lot more of that if the fighting spills into the settlement,” she warned softly. “The Tehkohn don’t carry off injured enemies and they won’t leave them here alive to heal and fight again.”
Neila shook her head in weary disgust. “Savages,” she muttered.
Alanna shrugged.
“Are you really one of them, Lanna? Can you really accept them as your people even now that you’ve gotten used to the way he…the way they look?”
“Yes,” said Alanna.
“I don’t understand.” She shook her head again. “After all we tried to teach you. And you’re bright. You learned so much. You accepted God and the Mission…”
“I accepted you and Jules. You used to know that.”
“But…”
“You saved my life. I was grateful, and in time, I came to love you. But you know I was never a true Missionary.”
“What else can you be? You’re here on an alien world among creatures of another species…”
“I’m a wild human,” said Alanna quietly. “That’s what I’ve always been.” She glanced at Jules. “I haven’t lost myself. Not to anyone.” And again to Neila. “In time, I’ll also be a Tehkohn judge. I want to be. And I’m Diut’s wife and your daughter. If…you can still accept me as your daughter.”
Neila gazed downward, her arms folded tightly across her chest. “Wild human,” she murmured. “I think that in spite of all your time with us, we never really knew what that meant.”
Alanna did not know whether Neila was rejecting her or accepting her in spite of her differences—her sins. She stepped closer, her expression questioning. Then, somehow, she had gone as far as she could in asking the woman’s acceptance. She stood still waiting.
-Neila looked up at her, held her gaze for a long moment, then abruptly caught her in a hard silent hug that reminded Alanna oddly of Tahneh, the female Tehkohn Hao. “You are what you are,” Neila said softly. “I don’t understand, but…” She shrugged, looked at Alanna sadly for a moment, then turned to go into the house.
And Jules?
Alanna looked at him. He looked at her, then at Diut, who stood a few feet away waiting. Finally, Jules turned his back on them both and followed Neila into the house. Without saying a word, he had managed to reject both of them, or at least, to reject their union. He probably understood what Alanna had said and what she had done better than Neila did, but understanding did not equal acceptance. Alanna had broken what was to him a very basic, very old taboo. A taboo that was part of the foundation of his life.
Diut came to her, spoke quietly. “I am going outside.”
Her concern with her parents shifted instantly to him. Already, the Garkohn had cornered him, come near killing him. Now he was going to give them another chance. But she made no protest. She knew that he was going out after Natahk. She touched his throat lightly and he turned and loped off into the shadows between the houses. She noticed that his leg seemed to bother him less now. That was good since he would have to camouflage himself and go over the wall. Opening the gate and walking out would make him the target of any number of possibly vengeful Garkohn.
She went back to the house to sit and wait. The helplessness she felt was galling. It was made worse by the almost tangible weight of resentment that Jules seemed to spread over the house. Finally, he went out to help check on the people’s preparations. It pained Alanna that she felt relief at his going.
She had always felt closer to him than to Neila—felt more able to talk with him, more able to be honest with him. She wondered what would have happened had she told him sooner, before the Tehkohn escape. She shook her head thinking about it.
“Was there…a ceremony of some kind?” Neila asked timidly.
Alanna jumped, startled out of her thoughts, then realized what Neila had asked.
“You mean a marriage ceremony?”
Neila nodded.
“No. But there was a ceremony for Tien when she was born. It amounts to the same thing.”
“How did she look? I mean…was she…”
“She was much like him. He thought she might even be Hao. You can’t tell until their bodies mature a little and their coloring darkens.”
“What would you have done…what would he have done if the baby had been like you?”
Alanna smiled a little remembering. “We talked about that. He said if the child was like me, he would help me teach it to hunt with a bow.”
Neila looked surprised. “He must be more tolerant than he seems. Did you want a liaison with him?”
“No.” Her memory went back even farther, and suddenly she wanted to tell the story, the truth, to this woman who had become her mother. She had never told it before, even to other Tehkohn. Doubtless, they knew parts of it, but only the public parts. The fact of the liaison, the marriage. Telling the rest now would pass the dragging time. She spoke easily, feeling amusement where once she had felt terror. Neila was horrified.
“Does he still beat you?” she asked.
“No more. Now we talk.”
“But still… Lanna, what he did to you is at least as bad as what the Garkohn do to their captives. You stayed with him while you were in the mountains because you had to, but surely now…”
“Now he’s my husband.”
“Not by any law we recognize.”
“I recognize it.”
“But why? I still can’t understand… Is it so that he’ll help us against the Garkohn?”
“It could be,” sai
d Alanna. “That would be a good reason. But no, it’s because of what I said a few minutes ago. I’m not a Missionary. I don’t think I ever could be. But I can be Tehkohn—in spite of the physical differences. It’s almost easy.” She thought for a moment of the Garkohn, of the abducted Missionaries. “I’m not like Tate. Not like the others who were taken with her. Natahk may have made Garkohn of them, but not very good Garkohn. Because first, he would have had to destroy them as Missionaries.”
“Why did Diut beat you if not to destroy you as a Missionary—break you down?”
“We fought for a lot of reasons. Most often because he wasn’t used to hearing people say ‘no’ to him.” Alanna shrugged. “Neither was I. And the first time, because when I got a good look at him and realized that he wanted me, I panicked.”
Neila shuddered. “I would have panicked myself. I think he would have had to kill me.”
“I didn’t want to die.”
Neila looked at her strangely.
“I didn’t have any Missionary inhibitions about pairing with a Kohn man,” she said. “After I got used to the way Diut looked, I was glad the match had been made.” She laughed suddenly. “We were at least equally strange-looking to each other.”
“Not strange enough. How can you laugh about it?”
“It’s past. He said I looked deformed, wrong. That’s why he was curious about me. It didn’t seem possible to him that I was really a woman.”
Neila made a sound of disgust. “And what happens when the sick novelty of having a deformed woman wears off? Will he start to beat you again? Will he throw you out? Or will he just kill you to be certain he’s rid of you? Since he kills so easily.”
“That novelty wore off as quickly for him as it did for me. I think you know that.” Alanna paused. “You saw him put his life in my hands tonight.”
“…yes.”
“And he put himself in danger for all three of us. It really would have been easier for him to lead the Garkohn on a chase around the settlement—if he hadn’t been afraid of what they’d do to us before they got the chase started. Us, not some anonymous unskilled Missionaries.”
Neila said nothing.
“Do you know the meaning of the hand-to-throat gesture?”
“It’s a caress.” Neila sounded harassed. “It’s one of the things they do instead of kissing.”
“It’s that, yes. But it began as an expression of trust. You don’t let anyone that close to your neck unless you trust him. The words that went with the gesture were, ‘I hold your life, and do not take it.’”
Neila sighed, shook her head. “All right, Lanna. You’ve made your decision. I only hope your trust isn’t misplaced.”
Suddenly there was noise outside. Shouting, the sound of the gate being opened. Jules slipped silently into the house.
“Garkohn,” he said. “Two of them came over the wall blood-red with paint, and opened the gate for the others. Image of God, if we only had our guns!”
“Is everyone under cover?” asked Neila.
“Yes. Now if only the Tehkohn can get in here before we’re dragged out again.”
Alanna got up and blew out the room’s single lamp. Then she went to the small front window and looked out. The Garkohn were gathering on the common, building up the dying fire, and apparently quarreling among themselves. Most were smeared with red paint. Some were injured. Natahk was nowhere in sight—nor was Diut.
The argument on the common seemed to intensify and Alanna saw a huntress strike a hunter down. It was then that Alanna recognized the huntress as Gehl. Alanna watched her more alertly now. What was it she wanted her fighters to do?
Gehl pointed out a storehouse that Alanna knew was full of Missionary supplies, and two Garkohn went into it. When they came out, one was carrying a full bucket. Clearly, Gehl meant to take up where Natahk had left off. Alanna did not even wait to be certain which house was to be the huntress’ target. She knew. She went for her bow.
She found it quickly in the dark, took it and the quiver to the door. She opened the door and nocked an arrow.
Gehl had taken the bucket herself and was coming toward the house with it. Aiming quickly, carefully, Alanna put her first arrow through the huntress’ neck. It was a foolish target, Alanna knew—a small target obscured by the huntress’ mane. But Alanna took grim pride in having made the shot.
As the huntress fell, Alanna took another arrow, aimed, and shot the Garkohn who had been bringing Gehl’s torch. By then, the rest of the Garkohn had had time to hide themselves. But they were pinned down. They had hidden in the Missionary way of simply crouching behind a tree or building. They were all too well covered with red paint to camouflage themselves.
Alanna shut the door and barred it. She went to the window and lifted out the plastic pane—plastic from the ship. It would be more difficult to shoot accurately through the small window, but it would be safer than continuing to shoot from the door. It would lessen the possibility of an unpainted Garkohn catching her unaware and forcing his way in.
Even as Alanna thought of this, she saw a Garkohn run from the storehouse. She followed the bobbing patch of red for a second, then released a third arrow. The Garkohn flared yellow, fell, then managed to drag himself behind a tree. Alanna could have hit him a second time, but she chose not to. She had only five arrows left. Deliberately, she set two aside for Diut—just in case.
Abruptly, Alanna realized that the storehouse that the Garkohn had run from was afire. She could just see the flickering yellow and orange glow in the high small windows. As she was calling Jules and Neila to see, some of the lamp oil stored there exploded.
The sound was like muffled thunder. There were other explosions. The flames were clearly visible now as they began to eat through the walls. Then some movement near the gate caught Alanna’s attention. Tehkohn were pouring into the settlement.
Alanna noticed that some of them too were smeared with red paint. She put her bow down, fearing that she might accidentally shoot an ally. If only the Tehkohn were quick. How long would it take sparks and flying embers to ignite the dry wood of the houses near the storehouse.
There was fighting almost immediately. The painted Garkohn could conceal themselves from Alanna behind trees and houses, but they could not hide from Tehkohn who were moving around actively seeking them. Also, the fire now lit the common brightly, aiding the Tehkohn. Alanna saw several Garkohn try to go over the wall, scaling the rough sheer face like insects until quicker Tehkohn judges pulled them back. And there were Tehkohn on guard at the gate.
Suddenly Neila screamed. When Alanna turned to see what was wrong, she found herself looking through the door of her own bedroom into a wall of flame.
She could hear it now, would have heard it much sooner crackling along with the burning storehouse, had she not been so intent on the battle outside.
Jules moved at once to the pile of supplies in the corner beside the fireplace. Understanding, Alanna and Neila moved to help him. These were essentials. Everything else was to be abandoned anyway.
Bundles were carried out under the eyes of the Tehkohn gate guards, and placed near the wall. The Garkohn all seemed too busy to take any notice of what the three Missionaries were doing—yet at least one Garkohn had found time to set fire to the house. That thought made Alanna watchful as she set her load down. Jules and Neila hurried back for the rest. Alanna was about to follow them when her watchfulness paid off. She saw the partially camouflaged Natahk just before he reached her. His camouflage was good, but he had paint on one shoulder. What Alanna saw first was little more than a flash of red coming at her out of the shadows.
Instantly, she launched herself to one side, barely avoiding the grasping hands. Even as she moved, she remembered his speed. He was so much faster than he should have been as a hunter—possibly faster than she was. He was, after all, the best of the Garkohn hunters.
She fell, rolled, kicked savagely, seeing that he was almost upon her. He had taken almost no time at
all to recover from his futile lunge. She could not let him get his hands on her. With his skill and strength, he could kill her without exerting himself.
She leaped to her feet as he regained his balance after her kick. But again his recovery was too swift. He managed to seize her arm.
Instantly, she folded to him, unexpectedly yielding. She raked the short hard nails of her free hand across his eyes.
He flared yellow, made a choked sound of pain, threw her to the ground with stunning force.
For a moment, the scene was frozen. Natahk, his body glowing yellow with pain, stood silent, hands to face; and Alanna only half conscious on the ground. Alanna was dimly aware of people gathering. Someone took hold of her shoulders to drag her away from Natahk. At that instant, Natahk came to life. He swept up Alanna’s rescuer much as Diut had lifted a Garkohn earlier, and threw him at the surrounding Tehkohn.
Clearly, he could still see. Alanna tried to focus on him. Yes, he could still see. Out of one eye.
He dragged her to her feet by her hair and one arm. The arm he twisted agonizingly behind her. The hair he looped around his hand and used to pull her head back so far that she almost forgot the pain of her arm. Apparently, this stopped the advancing Tehkohn.
“I thought so,” said Natahk. “Now who will keep me from the gate? Who will cause me to kill the wife of the Tehkohn Hao?”
Pain made it difficult for her to think. The extreme angle of her head made speech almost impossible. She felt herself dragged toward the gate, heard Natahk’s command.
“Open it! And if there are Tehkohn outside, clear me a path through them.”
She heard someone open the gates, but for what seemed a long time, Natahk did not move with her. She felt herself losing consciousness. Her eyes refused to focus and her head throbbed. She thought she heard Missionary voices—Jules and Neila calling. Others shouting. Then she heard another voice, quite close. Diut.
“If you kill her, I’ll make your Garkohn tortures seem pleasant to you.”
“Let me pass,” said Natahk. “And she need not die.”