The lead pilot dropped his hand to give the signal, and the attack began.
Each of the pilots flipped the valve in his gig to release the Cloral poison. The deadly liquid shot from the tanks in the form of a heavy, green gas. It came first from the lead gig, followed quickly by the others. The gas from each gig trailed behind to join with the gas from the other gigs, until it formed a dense, green cloud that grew larger as they flew on. The deadly cloud hovered, barely moving, for it wasn’t much heavier than air. The poison gas from all nine gigs drifted together, growing thicker by the second. When the cloud grew so thick that it blocked nearly all the light from the sunbelt, it began to slowly settle toward the ground.
• • •
The Black Water gars began to lead the first arrivals down into the village. They needed to keep the crowd moving to make room for the multitude of gars who were still to come. As they walked along the path, they spotted a curious sight on the far horizon. It looked to them like a small flock of birds. The surprising thing was that these birds seemed to be dragging a green cloud behind them. The Black Water gars watched in wonder, glancing to one another to see if anyone else might know what this strange event was all about.
The newly arrived gars laughed and pointed. Since everything for them was a new and exciting experience, this was simply another marvel of Black Water.
• • •
The klee pilot on point looked back to see the vast, green cloud that he and his team were laying down. He didn’t see a single break in the dense gas. He quickly estimated that it was spread wide enough to cover all of Black Water. They couldn’t have done a better job. He smiled in victory.
• • •
The Black Water gars experienced yet another surprise. A loud hissing sound could be heard that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. It was a familiar sound, but not one they expected. Normally it was only heard at night. Never in the middle of the day, especially on such an important day as this. But as strange as it may have been, the sound was real.
The central irrigation system was coming to life.
The sprinklers were everywhere. On light poles along the streets, on the farms that surrounded the village, even on the trees in the forests. The water was released in the form of a mist that spewed so much moisture into the air, the gars were soon soaked to the skin.
The new gars treated this as yet another marvelous treat. They cried for joy as the water washed away so many horrible memories. They danced, they splashed in the puddles, some even fell to their knees and scooped up handfuls of water to quench their thirst.
• • •
At the Center, Bobby and the others ran outside to learn that the sprinklers were working. They were instantly soaked by the heavy mist. It was like a rainstorm that began twenty feet above their heads.
“If this doesn’t work, isn’t it safer to stay inside?” Mark asked.
“If this doesn’t work, being inside will only delay things,” Gunny answered. “I’d rather get it over quick.”
“This is a lot of water,” Bobby said to Spader. “That antidote is going to be spread pretty thin.”
“No worries, Pendragon,” Spader answered with confidence. “Manoo told me it wouldn’t take much to stop the poison.”
“And you trust him?” Bobby asked.
“Well,” Spader said with a sly smile. “Not much I can do about it now.”
“We’ll find out soon,” Boon announced. “Look!”
He pointed to the sky as the nine gigs sailed directly overhead, spewing their poison, turning the sky as green as if they were dragging a carpet of artificial turf over their heads. Everyone stared up at the dark ceiling of poison that was slowly falling toward them.
“Is this g-gonna hurt?” Mark said, barely above a whisper.
“If it gets us,” Bobby answered, “it’ll be fast.”
“Gunny,” Aron said, visibly frightened. “I don’t understand what is happening.”
“I’ll explain it all in a couple of minutes,” Gunny answered. “If we’re still around.”
As the formation of gigs passed over the giant crowd, the happy gars cheered and waved at them, as if to thank them for the spectacular air show welcome.
“Look,” Kasha announced. “Their tanks are nearly empty.”
A quick look up at the formation of gigs showed that the stream of gas coming from the lead gig was thinning out. So too was the gas coming from the others. The noxious cloud was as big as it was going to get, which was plenty big enough. The gigs had reached the far side of Black Water. As soon as the gas from the outermost gigs was spent, they rose together, flying up and over the mountain, leaving Black Water behind. Their evil mission was complete.
“That’s good news,” Kasha said. “They won’t be able to target the gars outside.”
“It would be better news if the antidote worked in here,” Courtney said.
All eyes went back up to the green cloud that was dropping ever closer. Boon stood near Kasha. The two exchanged nervous looks. Courtney walked to Bobby and took his hand. Bobby gave her a weak smile and squeezed. Mark stood on Bobby’s other side.
“We tried,” he said.
“I know,” Bobby agreed.
The group continued to stare up at the sky. It was an eerie feeling, since the joyous sounds of the celebrating gars acted as a backdrop. The happy music didn’t fit with the reality that every living being in Black Water was seconds away from death.
The green cloud fell gently toward the ground. The Travelers and the acolytes waited. And waited.
“Breathe deep,” Gunny said somberly. “The faster the better.”
Gunny’s suggestion had the opposite effect. Everybody held their breaths. The water from the misters dripped into their upturned eyes, but nobody looked away. If these were their final moments of life, they wanted to make them last.
Mark said softly, “Is . . . is it getting brighter?”
Nobody reacted.
Above them the green blanket seemed to be a bit less dense.
“It is!” Courtney shouted.
“It’s breaking up!” Boon shouted.
Seconds later the unmistakable shape of the sunbelt could once again be seen. And felt. Light was coming through.
“Hobey!” Spader declared. “The poison’s getting eaten up when it hits the mist!”
In a matter of seconds, the sky went from dark green, to lighter green, to vapor white, and finally . . . to blue.
“Hoooweeee!” Gunny shouted, and spun around in a little dance. It was the first time Bobby had seen him happy since they left the Earth territories. “We’re alive! Black Water is alive!”
Everyone had different reactions. Gunny danced in the rain like a happy scarecrow. Aron watched him with a frown of confusion. Fayne thought they were all crazy and left to go back to her post.
Spader ran to Courtney and gave her a big hug, spinning her off her feet. “We did it,” he shouted with joy. “We beat him!”
Mark finally let his guard down. Now that the pressure was off, he couldn’t help himself. He cried.
Boon and Kasha’s reactions weren’t as huge. The acolyte touched his Traveler on the shoulder and said, “Seegen was right. You were the one.”
Kasha gave him a sad smile.
Rather than joining in, Bobby chose to walk away from the group and watch the happy gars who continued streaming into Black Water. Their celebration continued at full throttle, getting bigger as more gars arrived.
Gunny approached Bobby and watched the festivities for a few moments, then said, “How does it feel to witness the birth of a new civilization?”
“It’s awesome,” Bobby answered. “I’m happy for them. I’m pretty happy for us, too. It’s good not being dead.”
The two chuckled.
“We did the right thing, Bobby. Especially after what happened on Veelox. Eelong is safe. Saint Dane won’t have his next territory.”
Bobby let that sink in a moment, then
said, “You’re right. We didn’t have a choice. But this war isn’t over. I’m just worried about what we might have to do to beat him next time.”
Gunny nodded thoughtfully. “I better go inside and figure out how to explain this all to Aron.”
Gunny left Bobby alone with his thoughts. They had beaten Saint Dane. Again. Eelong had reached its turning point and all signs now indicated a bright future for the territory. There was still work to be done. The rift between the gars and the klees wouldn’t be mended easily, but Bobby felt sure that without Saint Dane around to mess things up, it would be possible. Yet Bobby was still troubled. Saint Dane had dared Bobby to stop him. He went so far as to tell Bobby exactly what his plan was for Eelong. That’s how confident he was that his evil plan would succeed.
But it didn’t. Bobby beat him. It took the help of Mark and Courtney, acolytes from a different territory, but they saved Eelong from destruction. Bobby asked himself if that was all there was to it. He wanted to believe it was true. Certainly there was plenty of proof in front of him. The oppressed race of gars was not only safe, they had the chance to save all of Eelong from starving. It seemed so right.
Yet Bobby didn’t feel right.
He watched the joyous gars, trying to draw proof from the scene that all was well. They were dancing in the jammed streets in the most amazing street party Bobby had ever seen. Everyone had a smile on his face and a happy tear in his eye.
All but one person.
It was a little, blond girl who looked to be no more than five years old. She stood alone, on top of one of the huts. She stood out from the others in that she wasn’t dancing or singing, or hugging any of the gars. She looked strangely familiar, but Bobby didn’t know why. He took a few steps closer to get a better look, when the little girl turned and stared at him.
Bobby stood stone still. He remembered her. She was the little girl who welcomed him when he returned to Black Water. She had stepped out from the crowd of gars and handed him a white flower. Bobby remembered the flower, and he remembered her eyes. They were blue. Piercing blue. And as she looked at him now, her blue eyes seemed sharper than he remembered. More intense. It was like she was looking right through him.
A cold chill crept up Bobby’s spine. His mind went to a place he didn’t want it to go. But he had no choice, because a moment later the little girl started to laugh. It wasn’t a happy laugh. It had a touch of lunacy that cut through Bobby’s soul.
The little girl called out to him. She said three words. Three words that meant nothing to any of the gars who danced beneath her. They meant nothing to most every living being on Eelong. But it didn’t matter. The words were meant for Bobby, and Bobby alone. When he heard them, his knees went soft.
The little girl cried out, “On to Zadaa!”
“Saint Dane!” Bobby shouted and ran for her. But when he reached the hut and climbed on top, the little girl was gone.
EELONG
(CONTINUED)
Gunny was right. They had witnessed the birth of a new civilization.
Once the multitude of gars completed their journey to Black Water, their hosts took on the huge task of settling them down, giving them a place to sleep, and providing meals. The logistics were staggering, but the Black Water gars had been preparing for years. They were ready. The bigger challenge would come next, as they worked to educate their primitive cousins and set them on a course toward a civilized life.
But this alone wouldn’t be enough to cure Eelong. The gars still had to confront their enemies, the klees. Though some gars wanted revenge for the history of horrible treatment, those with a larger vision understood that for Eelong to prosper, the two races had to coexist.
Gunny and Bobby went a long way toward mending fences by explaining to Aron how one single klee was responsible for the attack on Black Water. Timber. They convinced him that once Timber was thrown out and the klees were shown how the gars could help end the food problem on Eelong, the klees would no longer feel threatened and begin to look at the gars as equals. It was a good theory, one that Aron hoped would prove true.
Aron never told any of the gars how close they had come to destruction. He wasn’t entirely sure he believed it himself. He wanted to look forward, rather than worry about the past. Aron would prove to be a wise leader. But the task still remained to confront the other side—the klees.
That job fell to Kasha and Boon. The Travelers and the acolytes made the long journey back to Leeandra, along with Aron and a few of the Black Water leaders. Kasha and Bobby were still fugitives. Boon was too, for having stolen the zenzens. They didn’t want to arrive back in the city only to be arrested, so they returned with an impressive show of force that the klees could not ignore. No less than fifty gars marched on Leeandra. Each rode on zenzens (even Mark), wearing dark cloaks and body armor. They also carried spearguns. They had no intention of using them; they wanted to put on a show that would prove to the klees that they were a force to be reckoned with.
Leading the group were the klees, Kasha and Boon. They boldly led the others into the wippen stadium to demand a meeting with the Council of Klee. What they found was something they never could have predicted.
Leeandra was a city in shambles.
Once the gars fled, the klees discovered how integral they were to running the city. The gars had done all of the menial jobs the klees weren’t interested in. Now that they were gone, the elevators and trams broke down; the flow of water was stopped because the elaborate system of pipes wasn’t kept clean; and worst of all, food was becoming even more scarce because the foragers weren’t willing to risk their lives to go outside Leeandra without the gars to protect them. Leeandra was paralyzed.
It was the perfect situation for Kasha and Boon. Together with Aron, they went immediately to the Circle of Klee to find Ranjin, the former viceroy. Ranjin was quick to grant them an audience. The group learned from Ranjin that after the failure of the attack on Black Water, Timber disappeared. (No big surprise.)
Kasha told Ranjin the truth about the gars. He listened closely as she explained how the gars were actually intelligent beings. She described how the gars had developed advanced farming techniques that could mean the end of the food shortage. Aron made sure that Ranjin understood the gars would help feed the klees, but only if they were treated as equals. The klees would have to put aside all their old prejudices and accept that the gars were not animals.
Ranjin listened to all that Kasha and Aron had to say with keen interest. Kasha said that for the gars to begin helping the klees, they needed a show of good faith. A symbol. Without it, they would leave the klees to starve.
“What is it I can do?” Ranjin asked.
“You must once again become viceroy of Leeandra,” Kasha said. “You have proven to be the lone voice of reason. That voice must be heard again.”
Ranjin agreed to once again wield the staff of viceroy, and do all he could to forge an alliance with the gars.
After that, events happened quickly. Aron and Ranjin spent days talking about the future of their two races, and of Eelong. They found common ground in the technology that each race had created. The link radio would prove to be an invaluable tool to coordinate forages and track the movement of tangs, so the danger of surprise attacks would be diminished. The link could also be used aboard gigs, allowing the helicopters to travel greater distances without fear of losing power, for they could receive information about clouds and storm patterns. Of course, at the center of their plans was the gar invention of virloam. Using this remarkable substance for farming would guarantee enough food to meet the needs of a growing territory. Neither Aron nor Ranjin expected the road ahead to be without bumps, but each felt certain that traveling down that road was in the best interest of all.
Four weeks after the failed attack on Black Water, Eelong was on its way to becoming a safe, peaceful territory with a bright future.
Bobby and the Travelers stayed on Eelong long enough to make sure the healing process began.
At first Bobby wanted Mark and Courtney to return home, but they asked to stay. They had risked their lives to help save Eelong and wanted to see the payoff. Bobby didn’t argue. They had earned that right. After the Advent, they first spent two weeks in Black Water, marveling at how the gars quickly adapted to their new lives. Mark was fascinated with the technology the gars had developed, and spent days at the Center, learning about virloam and the link radio. Courtney had a great time teaching the gars how to play soccer. She got Spader involved and the two formed a small soccer league, with Spader and Courtney the captains of opposing teams.
Two weeks later they made the trip to Leeandra for the historic meeting with Ranjin. While the important meeting and negotiations were taking place, Mark and Courtney stayed at Seegen’s house. They explored the town, marveling at the incredible city built in the trees. They did this with no small feeling of pride. Since Bobby first left on his adventure, they had longed to play a more important role in protecting the territories. On Eelong their wishes came true. If not for them, Saint Dane would have destroyed Eelong. Courtney’s self-confidence had returned, and Mark finally got the adventure he had longed for.
But it was time for the adventure to end.
One evening the three visitors from Second Earth were in Seegen’s home, sharing a meal. Mark had appeared nervous all night. When they finished eating, he said what was on his mind.
“Guys,” Mark said, “I think it’s time to go home.”
Courtney hadn’t expected that. “Why? It’s awesome here!” She asked, “What’s at home? School? Homework? Parents ragging about school and homework?”
“Well . . . yeah,” Mark answered. “I miss that.”
“And what are we going to tell our parents? ‘Sorry we’ve been missing for a month, folks, but we had to flume to another territory with Bobby Pendragon and stop a race of cat people from destroying a secret village in the mountains. Pass the salt.’ I don’t think so!”