The crowd murmured in agreement.
“This isn’t going so hot,” Bobby said nervously.
Ranjin, the viceroy, stood and quieted the crowd. “Explain to me how you came upon this poison gas, Timber,” he said.
“It was developed as a fertilizer,” was Timber’s answer. “The fact that it mutated into a poison was purely by accident . . . a fortunate accident that can mean the difference between life and death.”
“Again, the truth,” Bobby said. “Except that it mutated on Cloral. He left out that little nugget of information.”
“And using it would be the death of Eelong,” Kasha added. “He is very clever.”
“Forgive me for sounding like a weak old klee, but I have trouble ordering the extermination of so many gars,” Ranjin continued somberly.
“Do you have equal trouble allowing the destruction of the klee race as we know it?” Timber countered. “The gars are planning a revolution. If we don’t act quickly, we may soon see an animal on the Council of Klee wearing the blue robe of viceroy.”
The klees in the crowd erupted with howls and shouts of anger.
“He really is a demon, isn’t he?” Kasha gasped.
“The time is coming!” Timber shouted to the crowd. “We can rid ourselves of the gar menace with a single strike. If we take this positive action, our children will never again be hungry, or live in fear.”
The crowd screamed its approval. Timber turned his back to them and looked to Ranjin, expecting a response. Ranjin took a few steps toward the edge of the stage and looked out on the frenzied crowd as they chanted, “Lee-an-dra! Lee-an-dra!” Ranjin lifted his wooden staff and the crowd quieted.
“I have ruled the Council of Klee proudly for longer than any other viceroy in the history of Leeandra,” Ranjin began. “I am proud of the work I’ve done, and I am grateful for the confidence you’ve had in me. However, I cannot give my blessing to this course of action.”
The crowd murmured its disapproval.
Ranjin continued, “I feel that the mass slaying of living creatures, no matter how low a life-form, goes against the very nature of a civilized society. But it is clear to me from your reaction here today, my opinion is not a popular one. It makes me feel that perhaps I’ve grown too old to make the difficult decisions necessary to lead the klees. Times are changing, and I’m afraid I cannot change with them. That is why I am stepping down from the position of viceroy.”
Bobby and Kasha exchanged nervous looks.
Ranjin held out his long wooden staff, the staff that represented the power of the Council of Klee . . . and handed it to Timber, saying, “I am passing it to the next generation of leaders, and to Timber. I can only wish that the course you choose is the wise one.”
The crowd went berserk, cheering and screaming its approval. Timber took the staff, barely able to contain a smile. He grasped the staff with both hands and held it over his head in victory. The crowd was in a frenzy.
“No!” Bobby hissed and moved to jump out onto the stage.
Kasha held him back. “Don’t be foolish,” she whispered. “They’ll tear you apart.”
Bobby pulled away from her and said, “Don’t you realize what happened? Ranjin just handed Saint Dane his next territory!”
Kasha pulled Bobby away from the window. “We’ve got to go,” she ordered. “Before the Council of Klee comes back here and—” She turned for the door and walked straight into . . . Durgen.
“I’m speechless, Kasha,” Durgen said. “I was told you were seen coming in here, but I didn’t believe you would be so foolish. Imagine my surprise to find it was true. And with your pet gar as well.”
“Durgen, please listen to me,” Kasha pleaded. “Timber must be stopped. The gars of Black Water are civilized. They have the ability to end our famine.”
Durgen stared at Kasha, dumbfounded. He laughed, “You can’t expect me to believe that.”
“You’ve known me forever,” Kasha continued with passion. “We’ve fought side by side more times than I can count. I’m begging you, forget what happened the last few days and listen to me. Timber is evil. If he goes through with his plan to destroy Black Water, it’ll be disaster for the klees and all of Eelong. He must not be allowed to rule the Council.”
Durgen shook his head sadly and said, “I used to know you, Kasha. It pains me to see how you’ve been duped by these revolutionary gars.”
“Revolutionary gars!” Bobby shouted. “Wake up! If Timber wipes out the gar population, the klees will be next!”
“Security!” Durgen yelled.
Instantly four klees pounced into the room. Kasha tried to bolt for the door, but three of them caught her and held her down. It only took one to hold Bobby.
“I know how impatient you are, Kasha,” Durgen said. “Your trial will be quick.”
“Don’t do this!” Kasha shouted.
“You have such sympathy for these animals,” Durgen said with a touch of venom. “I think it’s only fitting that you spend your last days among them.”
He nodded to the security force. They dragged Bobby and Kasha out of the room.
“Please, Durgen,” Kasha begged. “Timber isn’t who he claims to be. It’s going to be a disaster.”
“If it is,” Durgen replied, “you won’t be around to see it.”
Bobby didn’t argue. He knew it was useless. The security force dragged them out of the tree, across the jungle floor of Leeandra, and brought them to the absolute last place on Eelong where Bobby wanted to be.
The gar stable where he had been held prisoner.
He and Kasha were thrown in among several dirty gars who huddled in the corners. For Bobby, being back in this putrid prison slashed open all the emotional wounds from his previous stay. He fell to his knees in defeat.
“Welcome back, Pendragon!” came a voice from above.
Kasha and Bobby looked up to see a dark brown cat with black spots looking down on them through the grid. It was Timber. It was Saint Dane. It was a nightmare.
“It seems as though revealing my plans to you made no difference,” Saint Dane chuckled. “The only question now is what will happen first? The destruction of Black Water, or your execution?”
EELONG
(CONTINUED)
“You’re making this far too easy, Pendragon,” snarled the cat who was Saint Dane. “It’s almost no fun anymore. Almost.”
Kasha leaped at the stone wall, desperately trying to climb and get at the villain. The gars cowered in fear. They weren’t used to being trapped with an angry klee. Kasha got halfway up the wall, but gravity took over and she fell to the stone floor, landing on her feet.
“What are you?” she shouted at Timber. “Why are you doing this?”
Timber shook his head like a disappointed parent. “I sympathize with you, Pendragon. This new generation of Travelers certainly isn’t helping you much. Then again, Seegen wasn’t much help either, except to me. His map to Black Water was exactly what I needed. I wish I could thank him. It was such a pity I had to feed him that poisoned apple before he left for Second Earth.”
Kasha let out an anguished howl and jumped at the wall. Her claws scraped the stone, but once again, she fell. This time landing on her back with a sickening thud.
Bobby knelt by her and put his hand on her back. “He’s trying to get to you,” he said softly.
“He’s right, my dear,” Timber said. “I always know what you Travelers are thinking. It must be quite unnerving.” The klee rolled over on his back and licked his paw in a very catlike manner. He was totally relaxed and enjoying himself. Bobby thought he could hear the demon purring, which totally creeped him out.
“Don’t listen to him,” Bobby said to Kasha calmly. “He doesn’t know as much as he pretends to.”
“Oh?” Timber said. “Was I right about your friends from Second Earth? I’m sure they’re on Cloral right now, searching for the antidote.”
Bobby and Kasha exchanged quick glances. Saint D
ane may have known about Mark and Courtney, but didn’t know how far they had gotten.
“They’ll be too late,” the demon klee added. “By the time they bring the antidote here, Black Water will be a graveyard and the second territory of Halla will be mine. After that, there’s only one thing left for me to worry about.”
“What’s that?” Bobby asked.
“I’ve got to decide which territory to visit next! Perhaps I should go to Quillan. It’s such an amusing place. Or maybe it’s time to drop in on Zadaa so we can be done with that Traveler you have such affection for . . . Loor.” Timber rolled over and looked down on Bobby, saying, “I don’t suppose you’re having second thoughts about joining me?”
“What do you think?” Bobby snapped back, making himself clearly understood.
“Just as well,” Timber replied with a dismissive shrug. “I wasn’t making the offer. I must leave you now. After all, I’m the Viceroy of Leeandra. I have duties. I must prepare to deliver our welcome home gift to Black Water.”
“This isn’t over, Saint Dane,” Bobby said through gritted teeth. “No matter what happens here, I’m not giving up.”
Timber leaned down through the grid and broke into a wide, evil grin. “Of course you aren’t, Pendragon,” he hissed. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” He straightened up and pounced off, disappearing into the night.
Bobby looked at Kasha. The confident attitude he put on for Saint Dane was gone. “We’ve gotta get out of here!” he said nervously.
Kasha jumped for the door and shouted, “Guard! Guard! I demand to see Durgen!”
A klee appeared in the window and said, “You have no right to make demands, traitor.”
Kasha stepped back from the door, stunned. “Traitor?” She turned to Bobby and said, “They think I’m a traitor.”
“I’m sorry, Kasha,” Bobby said. “That stinks, but we’ve got bigger things to worry about.” He paced the cell like a caged cat, which was ironic. Kasha once again tried to climb the stone walls, this time with more control. Like a rock climber on a steep pitch, she found crevices to dig her claws into and slowly moved higher. She made it halfway up the wall and Bobby thought she might actually make it. But her back foot slipped, her balance was gone, and she crashed to the ground again.
“I wish you were the one with claws,” Kasha said, rubbing her sore shoulder.
“Saint Dane said something at the meeting I didn’t understand,” Bobby said. “He said two klees could deliver the poison and be back within the afternoon. It takes a full day to get to Black Water. What was he talking about?”
“He was probably talking about using a gig,” Kasha answered. “That’s what I’d do.”
“What’s a gig?” Bobby asked.
Before Kasha could answer, they were interrupted by a low, humming sound.
“What’s that?” Bobby asked, looking around.
The sound was soft at first, but grew in volume. Seconds later the hum changed to the sound of four musical notes played over and over. It was a sweet little tune that sounded to Bobby like the sound from a flute.
“Have you heard that before?” Bobby asked.
“No!”
“Then what is it?”
The answer came from an unexpected source. The gars who had been cowering in the corners of the cell, stood up. Moments before, they had been groveling like animals. But once the sound began, they seemed to transform. They stood erect, straighter than any gar Bobby had seen outside of Black Water. Bobby and Kasha moved out of the way as the gars walked to the middle of the cell to form a circle. As one, they reached into their rotten clothing and pulled out their amber cubes.
The cubes were glowing.
“Uh-oh,” Kasha uttered.
“Yeah, uh-oh,” Bobby agreed. “It’s starting.”
The gars held their cubes out in front of them. The warm, amber light lit up their faces as if they were standing around a campfire. They no longer looked like frightened animals. These gars had a calm come over them that made them seem almost . . . human. The four notes played through a few more times, then stopped. The cell fell silent as the light from the cubes grew brighter. A few moments passed, and a voice came from the cubes. It was the first radio broadcast on Eelong. It was the turning point.
“The time has come,” the friendly, female voice said. “Salvation is at hand.”
There was a long pause. The gars stared at the glowing cubes. Bobby and Kasha stood in the shadows, watching with wide eyes.
The voice said, “Use the link. Listen to my words and follow my voice home.”
• • •
Mark bounced on the back of Spader’s zenzen as they traveled along a rocky path in the woods. They were right behind Gunny, who was in the lead since he knew the way to Black Water. It was a totally uncomfortable ride for Mark because Spader had the tank on his back and it pushed him even farther back on the haunches of the zenzen. Mark held on to Spader’s tank with both hands, with his legs stretched out over the widest part of the creature. He wasn’t even sitting in a saddle. Mark didn’t want to complain. After all, he was the one who didn’t know how to ride. But after balancing like this for several hours, he was ready to scream.
“Can we stop for a second?” Mark finally called out.
Gunny pulled his zenzen to a stop at the end of the trail before it opened into a clearing. The others stopped behind them.
“What’s up?” Courtney asked.
Mark jumped off and walked around to get his blood flowing again. “I don’t mean to complain,” he said. “But I feel like a wishbone trying to balance on a bouncing basketball.”
Boon said, “I don’t have a tank, you should ride with me.”
“Gladly,” Mark said. He rubbed his legs one last time, then climbed up on the back of Boon’s zenzen. “Thanks,” Mark said. “This’ll work.”
They were about to continue riding when Spader said, “Wait, what’s that sound?”
They all listened.
“Sounds like a flute,” Mark said.
“There’s a farming village ahead,” Gunny announced.
They trotted their zenzens out of the woods and across the clearing until Gunny held his hand up, stopping them. Ahead they saw what looked like a swarm of giant fireflies hovering a few feet off the ground. More lights dropped down from the trees and joined them. As a group, the lights moved toward the trail.
“What is it?” Boon asked.
“It’s the beginning of the end,” Gunny said soberly.
A closer look showed that the lights weren’t fireflies at all, but dozens of glowing, amber cubes being carried by gars who were climbing down from the trees to join the others already on the path.
“Link has been activated,” Gunny said. “The Advent has begun.”
“The . . . that means they’re headed for Black Water,” Mark exclaimed.
“The gars back in Leeandra must be doing the same thing,” Courtney added.
“How do they know the way?” Spader asked.
“The link cubes,” Gunny answered. “They glow brighter when faced toward Black Water.”
“Like a compass,” Mark added. “It’s so simple.”
“The fuse is lit,” Gunny said softly. “Now that the gars are on their way, there’s no telling when Saint Dane will unleash the poison.”
“But they’re not there yet,” Spader exclaimed. “Let’s pick up the pace, mates!” Spader kicked his zenzen forward and galloped along the trail. Gunny and Courtney followed right behind him.
“You comfortable?” Boon asked Mark.
“No,” Mark answered truthfully. “So let’s get there fast, okay?”
Mark hugged the furry klee, and Boon kicked his zenzen into motion. The goal was clear. They had to beat the gars to Black Water.
• • •
In the prison cell, the gars erupted into cheers and hugged one another as if they had just won the World Series. Some were weeping with joy. Bobby and Kasha stayed in the s
hadows.
“I don’t know what they’re so happy about,” Bobby said. “They’re just as stuck in here as we are.”
The gar celebration ended, but their adventure was just beginning. As if they had been rehearsing this for a long time, they put away their amber cubes and went to work. Several quickly formed a human pyramid against one wall that reached up toward the ceiling. With practiced precision, they climbed on top of one another, higher and higher, until two gars reached the bamboo grid. Bobby and Kasha watched in fascination as a gar on the ground pulled out a loose stone in the floor to reveal a cache of sharp tools. The gar handed them up the pyramid to the gars on top. Quickly the top gars began sawing through the bamboo grid.
“They were planning this,” Kasha declared.
“You think?” Bobby shot back with a touch of sarcasm.
The bamboo bars were cut through in seconds. With a couple of quick cracks, two bars fell to create an opening big enough for a single gar to crawl through. One gar poked his head up through the opening to the outside and . . .
“Hey!” came a shout from above. “Get back in there!”
It was a klee guard. But the gar was ready for him. With incredible speed and the advantage of surprise, the gar grabbed the klee and pulled him down through the opening in the grid. The surprised guard plummeted down into the cell head first. He hit the stone floor hard.
Bobby winced.
The klee guard rolled over, moaning. The gars on the floor quickly jumped him and took his wooden club and lasso. Bobby looked back to the ceiling to see that the gars who had been on the top of the pyramid were gone. They had escaped. The rest climbed down quickly.
“Now what?” Kasha asked.
An alarm sounded. Outside the cell could be heard the sounds of confusion. Whistles were blown. Klees snarled angrily.
“Sounds like those two gars are getting busy,” Bobby said.
The gars in the cell gathered around the door as if they knew exactly what was going to happen next. A second later the door to the cell slammed open and a klee guard was thrown into the room, unconscious. The gars didn’t waste any time. They fled from their putrid prison, taking their first steps toward freedom.