Chapter 72
The next day Aerlid, Karesh, and a small group of gemengs left the tribe to go investigate the mountains.
While they were gone Riley continued as she had been- training the tribe, trying to implement a system of laws, keeping everyone fed and so on. All the while the tribe kept moving towards the mountains, getting bigger as it went.
Finally, Aerlid and Karesh returned.
‘They will do.’ was the first thing Aerlid said.
Riley waited, letting them continue. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed them both.
‘There’s an underground river- it’s quite far into the caves but the water’s drinkable, and there’s enough of it. The caves are quite extensive, they go all through the mountains. There should be room enough to store supplies and to move the tribe in. We left some of the gemengs behind, they’re mapping the caves more thoroughly.’
‘That’s great.’ Riley said. ‘Alright, we’ll head there and set up. Is there any cave mould?’
Aerlid didn’t speak for a moment. Then grudgingly he said, ‘yes.’
‘How much?’
‘It looked like a lot, but I don’t know how fast it grows. It might not last long.’
‘Hmm, do the valkar know of any other plants that grow in caves?’
Aerlid knew what she was thinking. They could only store so much food. If the ehlkrid were around for too long they might easily find themselves starving if they couldn’t replenish their supplies. ‘I don’t want you asking the valkar for anything, Riley.’ Aerlid said warningly. He remembered too well the way humans had demanded things of the valkar once they realised what they were capable of. ‘I’ll see what I can find out. But you mustn’t ask, or I will not help. At all.’
There were other things she wished to ask- such as did valkar ever actually eat? Instead she met Aerlid’s gaze levelly for a moment. ‘Alright, Aerlid. I will leave that to you.’ she said, ‘But I need you to stay with the tribe for a bit.’
‘Why?’
‘I’d like to see if I can explain things to the other tribes without ending up ruling them. I have enough people to be responsible for already. And maybe they can think of something I haven’t.’
‘Alright.’ Aerlid said slowly. ‘How long will you be gone?’
‘Not long, I hope. There are some people I want to find. I’ll come back to check on you anyway. There’s a couple, you remember them?’
Aerlid nodded, he had indeed run into the first willing couple in the tribe.
‘They’ve already had me break them up and let them get back together a few times. I think they’re getting better, but you need to go check on them every now and then, to make them feel safe.’
‘Alright.’
‘I think you might have some others asking too.’ Riley added.
‘I’ll take care of it.’
When Vann heard the news he didn’t say anything. He just sat there, his face slack. Commander Reista gazed at him from across the desk. For once, the Commander had given Vann permission to sit in the chair as soon as he’d entered the room.
‘Are you sure?’ Vann finally asked, his voice weak.
The Commander nodded curtly. ‘Yes. It will be all over Coastside soon, but I wanted you to hear it first.’
‘Also,’ Commander Reista went on, ‘I think you would be a good fit for this mission, considering your success with the fish people.’ Unsaid was, if Vann wasn’t allowed to go the Commander didn’t exactly trust him not to sneak into the mission anyway.
‘Mission?’ Vann hadn’t heard much since Riley’s alive.
‘Yes. Predators routinely fly over the Plains on scouting missions. They noticed a very large group of gemengs in one place. It looks like the gemeng girl has been uniting the tribes of the Plains.’
Vann stared. He seemed to be thinking very slowly.
‘And considering her knowledge of the military, you can see the threat this poses to Astar and Coastside.’ The Commander said.
Vann nodded slowly. Why was she uniting the tribes? Why was she alive?
‘Her old unit members have been interviewed. There is some hope she isn’t planning on invading.’ The Commander’s face was grim. ‘There is a very high chance if that woman brings all the gemengs of the Plains against Astar, she will win. So, a mission is being sent to the Plains to try and negotiate with her. It may be our only chance.’
‘I don’t think she’s dangerous.’ he said suddenly. The image of her carefully beating the submariners, even the man who had used a lightning rod on her, sprung to mind. He could not imagine her as dangerous.
‘She faked her death, ran off to the Plains and has over a third of the Plains gemengs under her control, Submariner. She is very dangerous.’
‘I understand, Commander.’ Vann replied, his voice strong.
‘Submariner, you made a fool of yourself over this woman.’
Vann’s mouth thinned. Not all of the women at Lillia’s party had kept what had been said secret. And of course, everyone had seen him rejected by Riley countless times.
‘But you’re a submariner. I know that she would never come before your loyalty to Coastside, otherwise I would not let you go on this mission. Not everyone else will see it that way.’ he said warningly. ‘You will be the only person from Coastside on the mission.’
‘I understand.’ Vann replied firmly. ‘I assume I will be there to negotiate with her.’ he said in a businesslike tone.
The Commander nodded. ‘Yes. Have you heard of the other humans that Astar recently made contact with?’
Vann nodded. He had heard something about that. Not much though.
‘Well, the man who organized that will also be going.’
‘I see. When do I leave?’
The Commander gave him the details of the mission. Vann felt very calm. The shock and pain he’d felt at the news of Riley’s death had eased. He was not necessarily excited though either. She had faked her death, and not given one word of warning, so meeting her could only mean rejection again.
So he was calm, neither looking forward to or dreading what was coming, merely waiting for the axe to fall.
The weeks spent secretly sneaking around the Plains passed quickly for Riley. She enjoyed it. For a moment she was free from her responsibilities, from the smells and sounds of hundreds of gemengs. There was nothing but wide open skies and grasslands, filled only by animals. She was entirely alone.
But those responsibilities were ones she had sought out, so she did not dread returning. And it wasn’t as if she was just relaxing out here. Riley secretly challenged various tribal leaders to duels. They wouldn’t talk, or listen to her, without first being defeated. So she defeated them. She told them what was going to happen, gave them some suggestions, and then instructed them to protect their people in whatever way they saw fit.
She wasn’t only out here to warn the other tribes though. There was a destination she had in mind, and now she was finally in sight of it.
She was not in the Plains any longer. She was close- but not in them.
The houses that rose before her looked much smaller and dilapidated than last time she’d been here. She approached the houses. The tiny village looked empty.
Suddenly a roar, so loud the earth shook.
A monster appeared. It barrelled towards her, like a hairy bullet.
Riley calmly stepped out of the way. It ran past her, skidded to a halt and turned.
‘Hello!’ She called. ‘I’m not here to hurt you!’
The creature came towards her again. Again, Riley dodged.
‘My name is Riley, I just want to talk!’
‘Leave now, before I tear you to pieces!’ the beast thundered.
‘No. Please,’ she held up her hands. Her sword and dagger hung from her belt- the belt and scabbards were the same old ones though the weapons were new. ‘Do you want me to disarm myself?’ She asked. ‘I am not here to hurt you.’
The creature let out another roar and charged a
t her again.
This time, Riley stood her ground. She was wearing her everyday clothes, so it didn’t really matter if he ripped them.
The creature collided with her. Riley caught him, stopped him. She did not even tremble, though it hurt. The creature let out a surprised squeal.
‘I’m not going to hurt you.’ she repeated. She stepped back, her hands up again. ‘See? Now, can we talk?’
Finally, the creature straightened up. He looked at her with wide, dewy eyes. He was entirely covered in coarse, brown fur, and his nose was decidedly pig like. ‘Who are you?’ he asked.
‘My name is Riley.’ she held out her hand and smiled. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you.’
The man stared at her hand, then her face. Slowly, as if expecting it to bite, he shook her hand. ‘Jaleg Mightyroar.’ he said.
‘Is Olef here?’ she asked, looking around. He had been the leader. He would be good to talk to.
‘Dead.’ The man replied flatly.
Riley should not have been surprised, and yet she was. ‘I see.’ she managed. ‘Are you the leader then?’
He nodded.
‘Alright. We should talk.’
Jaleg didn’t move.
‘Would you like to talk here or do you want to sit down?’
‘Here.’
‘Alright. Well, I’d like to help you.’
As she and Jaleg talked, other gemengs crept from their hiding places. Eventually, they came to see what they were talking about and Riley found herself with a small audience.
It took a while for what she was suggesting to sink in. Mostly, they thought she was crazy.
She was getting used to that.
But she remembered these people, their fear of each other, of a mysterious lord.
‘You want to help us defeat our lord?’ Jaleg finally asked, his eyes wide.
Riley nodded. ‘Yes. I’ll show you how to defend yourselves. Then you won’t have to pretend to live in houses that are falling down.’ She looked meaningly at the buildings that were not quite as decrepit as they looked. ‘After that, well, you might need to leave.’ She told them about the ehlkrid. As with the other gemengs she met, she mentioned the mountains. She wasn’t going to hide what she thought was the safest place from them.
Jaleg looked at her critically, his big eyes narrowed. ‘Alright. We’ll humour you.’
Riley smiled. ‘When does your lord usually come?’
‘Whenever.’ Jaleg shrugged.
‘I see. Well, I’ll train you and show you how to fight together. And then you will defeat him.’
It took over two weeks to get to the Plains.
During that time Vann spent a lot of time talking with Saris. Or Seris. Vann, much to his chagrin, found he had the same difficulty remembering Messenger’s name as everyone else. So he called him Messenger, just like everyone else.
Messenger was intrigued about how Vann had talked to the fish people. He had been surprised. Vann noted a certain wariness in his manner, as if he was not quite ready to believe gemengs could be useful- and equals- unless he saw it himself. But he had listened and was willing to reserve judgement until he met them himself, which was a far cry more than what the other Astarians were willing to do. They thought he- and Coastsiders in general- were crazy.
Messenger’s willingness to have his mind changed was vital, Vann quickly realised. His word alone would not be enough to convince anyone Riley wasn’t trying to invade them. Though a little voice inside said, he needed to be open too. Maybe she was dangerous. He acknowledged the voice. But he didn’t think it likely.
And Vann liked Messenger. He was interesting to talk too. The fact that he was willing to talk about where gemengs might have come from was rare and refreshing. They had a good time sharing theories about anything and everything. Messenger had his own share of stories as well. Cavachi sounded like nothing Vann had ever seen, though he got the feeling Messenger wasn’t telling him everything. He would talk about the stories the Vachi had about the gemengs, and then he would skirt away, as if trying to avoid something.
The convoy was hard to miss.
You heard them coming first. Armoured vehicles roared through the Plains, leaving a trail of crushed and broken grass in their wake.
Aerlid knew enough about the Astarian military from Riley. So when he heard the unmistakable sound of the trucks he quickly turned his attention skyward. He sung softly, his eyes gazing at the sky. A ripple. He counted. One, two… three Predators. One would surely be enough to wreak havoc on the tribe. Karesh was only just gliding- the Predators would be far out of reach of any counter attack. Except perhaps, his own.
Aerlid quickly turned. ‘Get Karesh!’ he yelled at the nearest gemeng.
When Karesh arrived Aerlid quickly ordered him to prepare the tribe for battle. As soon as Aerlid finished speaking Karesh disappeared to do his bidding.
Aerlid turned back to the direction the humans were coming from. And he waited.
Soon the grasses parted, a monstrous truck appeared before him. The sound was appalling. More were behind. The truck stopped. Armoured humans poured from the vehicles, quickly getting into formation. The number of energy weapons pointed at him was daunting. Behind him, the warriors of the tribe were silent and unseen. They would not attack without his signal.
Then three men hopped out of one of the vehicles. They were not armoured, though they wore military uniforms.
The men approached.
There was a tall, tanned, handsome, blonde man. Aerlid did not recognize his uniform. In the middle was a stocky, hard faced man who looked like he might be in charge. The third man was slenderer than the other two. He had quick eyes and brown hair.
His eyes locked on Aerlid. They went wide. Then an excited grin split his face.
Aerlid frowned slightly.
He started talking hurriedly to the man beside him, the important looking one. The blonde man stopped walking as well, his attention on his companions. The important looking man had a thoughtful look on his face. He made a sign and the energy weapons were lowered.
Aerlid, surprised, waited for the three to approach.
The brown haired one could barely contain his excitement. ‘Hello!’ He said in Astarian. ‘My name is Messenger, are you a valkar?’
Aerlid stared, taken aback.
‘Don’t worry.’ he said hurriedly, seeing his face. ‘I have met Vearla, in Cavachi. Are you the Moonsinger?’
Aerlid finally found his voice. ‘Vearla?’ he said, speaking Astarian as well.
‘Do you know her?’
Aerlid nodded, confused. ‘How did you meet Vearla? Who are you?’ he demanded.
‘My name is Saris Valais, but you can call me Messenger. I met Vearla in Cavachi, the home of the Vachi. Oh, you might know them as Raka!’
‘Yes. Yes.’ Aerlid narrowed his eyes at this man. Saris. Then he turned his eyes back to the soldiers, still armed. ‘I’m a bit confused. What are you doing here?’
‘I have so many questions! Do you-’
‘Not now, Messenger.’ The important looking man cut him off. He gazed at Aerlid fiercely. ‘I am Neiteis Briggs, Commander of the Astar Military and member of the Council of Astar. We are here to discuss the formation of a gemeng army under a gemeng named Riley Meilis.’
Aerlid frowned. And then it clicked. ‘Ah. I understand. You wish to know Riley’s intentions.’
Mr Briggs nodded curtly.
‘I can assure you, Riley holds no ill will towards Astar, and certainly has no intention of attacking Astar.’
‘That’s good to hear.’ he narrowed his eyes. Obviously, that wasn’t going to be enough.
‘Mr Briggs, he’s a valkar. Like Vearla. He wouldn’t be here if she was going to be unpeaceful.’
Mr Briggs shot Messenger a hard glance. He stopped talking.
‘I imagine you wish to speak to Riley yourself.’ Aerlid said. He noticed then that the blonde man was looking at him intently. Aerlid spared him a glance. He wasn
’t sure he wanted this good-looking man near her; Riley was very naive and inexperienced when it came to certain things. ‘I’m afraid she isn’t here.’
‘Where is she?’ Mr Briggs asked, it was less a question than a demand. ‘And when will she be back?’
‘I don’t know, to both of those questions.’ he glanced up at the sky. ‘I can call her tonight. She will see my sign and come as soon as she is able.’
‘Tonight? When the moon is out? Can we watch?’ Messenger piped up.
‘It’s going to be quite obvious.’ he replied stiffly. He gazed at the army again. ‘Do you require anything for your men, Mr Briggs?’ Aerlid asked. ‘I wouldn’t want your stay to be uncomfortable.’
‘No thank you, we have everything we need.’ Mr Briggs replied curtly. ‘I would be interested in seeing how you contact Riley Meilis however.’
Aerlid looked at him for a moment. ‘Very well, as a sign of good faith, you may watch.’
Cheerful fires lit the night. Wild yells and snatches of songs rang out across the Plains. The smell of meat cooking was enticing Riley over to the fire. But something else had caught her attention.
‘What is it?’ Jaleg asked. Riley was pale and stiff, her eyes locked on something in the sky.
Jaleg looked up. Words died in his throat. Others noticed and looked too. There were cries of exclamations. Shocked awe. Fear. Delight.
The shadows on the moon had taken on a new shape; that of a pouncing cat.
Riley shook her head and looked back at the gemengs. ‘It’s nothing to worry about.’ she said. The atmosphere here had changed. Gone was the fear. Replacing it was pride, delight, fragile happiness. ‘It’s a sign from a friend, he wants me to return.’
The gemeng who had ruled over this place was gone, killed by the village people working as a team. Riley had stayed back, letting them do it. They had been much easier to teach than the gemengs of the plains. It had almost been fun. Perhaps that was because they were at the bottom of the gemeng hierarchy, lower than even the lowest of the Plains gemengs.
‘I need to go.’ she repeated, this time specifically to Jaleg. ‘Remember what I said about the ehlkrid. If you want my help, you know where I’ll be.’
He smiled slowly. It was a rare thing to see on him. ‘Perhaps not. You have many of the Plain’s gemengs with you.’
‘Good luck then. Find somewhere safe.’
‘Thank you. Thank you very much. And don’t worry, we will.’
She smiled. Her eyes went to the celebration one more time before she turned towards the Plains and jogged off into the night.
To say the humans were impressed with Aerlid’s work was an understatement.
He had sung, and the moon itself had changed.