“Oh my god oh my god oh my god,” Alice muttered rapidly under her breath, walking the short distance to the temple of Kel with her brother and Veera. She was thankful he’d brought her a small, yet hearty and fresh breakfast. Her butterfly-filled stomach didn’t feel capable of handling an Event Horizon ration bar.
“Is it worth bothering to tell you to calm down?” Russell joked lightly. It was an overcast but warm morning, heralding a toilsome and humid day in the fields for most of the village.
“Probably not!” Alice admitted. He shrugged.
“Just remember you’re the one with all the tech…and power. Try to act like it,” he encouraged in a more serious tone.
“Yeah, you’re right, I’m sorry,” Alice accepted his point. Even so she mumbled a retort under her breath, unwilling to let her brother have the last word. "I bet you were excited when you hopped out of your pod, mister super serious bigshot."
“You don’t need to be sorry,” Veera insisted warmly, casting a sidelong glance at her husband as they stood just outside the temple. “I find it wonderful that you’re so excited to get to know our people.”
“Thanks Veera! Glad to see Lieutenant Buzzkill hasn’t rubbed off on you too much,” Alice sniggered, giving even Io a laugh as she did her best to translate the phrase for Veera’s understanding. Slang was not a major part of the Cauthan’s command of the English language just yet.
“Well if you’re all done I’m going in,” Winters informed them, holding aside the black cloth door cover featuring the curious diamond filled with branching lines. “Hey Xan, Thantis, you in here? Fenrir around? He behave alright?”
Alice could not hear the reply, but given that her brother continued inside she figured it was an affirmative. When Veera followed after him she steeled herself, took a final deep breath and strode forward. Her words caught in her throat, turning to a gasp as she got her first look at the inside of a Cauthan temple. To her it seemed something like a primitive library, apothecary, and doctor’s office all smashed together. But even that heavenly alien amalgamation of purpose was nothing compared to who, and what, was inside.
“He’s beautiful,” she whispered.
“Which one?” Her brother joked, though her reply wiped the smile clean off his face.
“Yes.”
-----
Xan glanced up from his customary seat within the temple, furs padding his leg and Fenrir taking a morning snooze at his side. It seemed even hyrven suffered in humid weather and Thantis was, of course, making notes to that effect.
Distraction arrived in the form of Winters, who waltzed into the temple like he owned the place, as was his custom. Xan reasoned he did ‘own’ the hyrven, at least. Behind him came Veera, and then another human. He allowed the vellumn he’d been reading by the light from one of the two small windows on either side of the building to lay flat in his lap, old treatises on the setting of broken bones more than outmatched by her.
He knew it was a female thanks to his friendship with Io, but he’d never seen the spirit clothe herself in such a way as this human. The long, reflective fur that grew from the top of her head was tied in a loose band and hung at least as far down her back as the voluminous crests of a well-endowed Cauthan female. She wore tight fitting clothing, a pair of blue pants that were made from a relatively durable fabric, and a white sleeveless top that left nothing about her torso’s anatomy to the imagination. He grimaced as he beheld the odd lumps of a human female’s chest for the first time in the flesh. A lance of phantom pain ran through his leg. She was far too happy for his liking, saying something to her brother he didn’t understand. The Jumper extended his translator to him. He accepted it.
“What’s she doing here?” He demanded.
“Damn, Xan. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed, or did Fenrir gnaw on your cane?” Russell asked with a smirk.
“That’s your dog?!” The female yelped.
“It’s called a hyrven, human. Who in Kel’s name are you?” Either Xan’s tone or words did not sit well with Russell. He walked right up to the young Cauthan and leaned over him.
“That’s my sister you’re taking pot shots at, you little sack of shen shit.”
“Piss off, hyrven breath.”
“Takes one to know one, short stuff.”
“I’ll have you know I’m average in height and I have the scrolls to prove it, you furless wonder.”
“Don’t make me call you a cripple, cripple.”
“At least I have claws, squishy male.”
Russell’s face broke into a broad smile as he took a knee to scratch Fenrir under the chin and bump forearms with Xan. The toothy grin from the former guardsman made it clear that there were no hard feelings between them. “Seriously though dude, she’s my sister. Take it easy would you?”
“You know how good change has been to me,” Xan groused. “Forgive me if I don’t take well to outsiders. Last ones took my leg.”
“And the outsider before that slaughtered them all to a man and then killed a fucking ursae so you could be nice and warm and have a spankin’ new cane,” Russell shot back. “Look man, if today’s a bad day of the leg we’ll come back. We just wanted to say hi, exchange some knowledge, and help Alice think of some ways to start improving life here in the village.”
“Did you not just hear what I said about change?” Xan demanded in disbelief. Russell rolled his eyes.
“Do you want technology from the people capable of traversing Kel’s domain or not, you little shit?”
“Russell!” Veera and Alice yelled in unison.
“What?!” Both men replied. Russell looked back at Xan.
“Thank you,” he said in a righteous tone.
“Us males have to stick together, right Fenrir?” Xan asked.
“I, for one, would love some new technology. Good day to you all!” Thantis called as he emerged from his private quarters. “And Alice? Good day to you. Oh dear let me see…hmm, I may have another mug around here somewhere,” Thantis mused, immediately returning from whence he came to rummage around for glassware.
“Traitor,” Xan muttered jokingly, looking up at the newest human to intrude into his life. He could see the resemblance between Russell and her, especially in the nose and their hair. Her eyes were different, however, a deep, earthen brown. He took a long breath. “So your name is Alice? My name is Xan. I’m a-”
“A death priest, right?!” She blurted out.
“I was…going to say apprentice. But I prefer that,” he eventually replied, grabbing his cane and making to stand.
“Oh no it’s alright, you don’t have to-”
“Never tell me what I can and can’t do,” Xan snapped. He was momentarily afraid Winters would bite his head off, but the human stood by quietly, holding onto the scruff of Fenrir’s neck instead. The hyrven didn’t seem interested in moving at all, much less attacking anyone given the humidity and temperature.
“I’m very sorry, I didn’t mean to insult you,” Alice replied in a much more reserved fashion. The hurt in her tone made his feathers wilt.
“Yeah well, I’m still getting used to being a gods-forsaken cripple. My bad,” he said, figuring she wouldn’t mind salty language if she was Russell’s sister.
“Xan served in the city guard; has the scars and kill count to show for it,” Russell supplied.
“Yes, I can see that,” Alice agreed, incapable of missing the nicked ear, eyepatch, and cane. She extended her hand to him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, priest of Kel. My name is Alice Winters.”
“Yeah, I could definitely get used to that,” Xan smiled earnestly for perhaps the first time in her presence, taking her hand as she didn’t seem to want to bump forearms. His eyes widened a fraction as he came in contact with her skin. “You’re soft.”
“I…” Alice suddenly withdrew her hand, clasping it with the other. The Cauthan regarded her face with interest. “Hey Thantis, forget the tea and get out here would you? She’s turning colors!”
“Oh now you’ve done it, jackwagon,” Russell interjected, dragging Xan back into his seat by his ear as Veera sighed and took a seat on the stone table in the middle of the room. Thantis soon arrived and handed her the first mug of tea.
“A cold brew to energize you on a muggy day,” he declared with vibrancy. “And yes, my apprentice I witnessed this very phenomenon yesterday. Remind me, spirit Io. This is embarrassment?”
‘Or self-consciousness, or potentially bashfulness, yes,’ the AI supplied.
“I apologize for my apprentice, Alice,” Thantis said immediately. “Might I offer you some tea?”
“That would be lovely, thank you. And don’t worry, I’m fine standing,” she added as Thantis continued to look around the space as if another chair might materialize from nothing. “Io, this is alright to drink?”
‘I have not encountered anything lethal to humans within the Cauthan diet so far, but one can never be too careful. A shame the A-MACS don’t come with the same suite of spectroscopy tools as the B-MASS. Sir, would you mind testing it for us?’ Io asked politely.
“Seriously?” He replied, having left his armor at home.
‘Women and children first, mein barbar,’ she countered with a wink.
“Oh yeah, real funny. Hey Thantis, what’s in this stuff?”
The elderly priest rattled off a list of ingredients without missing a beat, returning with more cups for Xan and Russell before finally taking one for himself. By that time Io had cleared the concoction for human consumption and Alice had taken a tentative sip.
“Oh my, that is wonderful!” She agreed, feeling a cooling sensation akin to mint wash over her tongue as well as a couple of other savory flavors.
“I am thrilled to hear it, and please consider yourself welcome in the house of Kel,” Thantis stated, greeting her more officially.
“Thank you for your time,” Alice replied. “I had hoped to speak with you about a great many things today, should you have the time.”
“And I you. Time will be made,” Thantis spoke. “I see you have already met my apprentice and our most intriguing object of study?”
“I have. He’s a hyrven, right?” Alice asked, recalling the word from Io’s encyclopedia on the Cauthan.
“They both are,” her brother jested, though she now understood his relationship with Xan a bit better. They were blood brothers, veterans.
“Those are bold words for someone within striking distance,” Xan quipped, brandishing his cane.
“Hey now. I had that made for you and I can have it taken away!” Russell insisted as Xan swung lazily at his head.
“Boys!” Veera interrupted sternly. “Alice has business here and the two of you are behaving like hyrven. Russell, I should go on patrol soon. Are you coming?”
“Yeah, course. Just wanted to make sure the introductions went smoothly.”
“Oh you achieved that much,” Alice assured him sarcastically. He winked at her.
“Welcome to my world, sis.”
“Oh you are so full of it,” she shot back.
“How delightful, such youthful energy,” Thantis remarked, having dragged a single chair out from his living quarters. He simply sat and observed the goings on, enjoying a livelihood that rarely graced his solemn temple.
After a few more minutes of light conversation, Veera and Russell finished their tea and bade them farewell. Fenrir, after some persuasion, decided to accompany them. That left Alice sitting politely in a second chair across from Thantis and Xan. The former was looking at her with unbridled excitement, the latter with a guarded expression.
“Now then, Alice, what did you wish to discuss? I daresay there is an entire world of both knowns and unknowns for us to speak of?” The elder began.
“I’ve not forgotten your request about the Egyptians,” Alice began, wanting to put a courteous foot forward as she began a recording on her A-MACS. “However I would like to start with something a bit more immediate and relevant.”
“That seems a prudent suggestion,” the death priest agreed. “Please.”
“Yes well, I’ve been charged with fulfilling part of the treaty that was just signed between our peoples, namely the portion where humanity will assist this village. It’s rather open ended and is not limited to research that we conduct here on Mara. But at the same time I don’t want to overstep.”
“How courteous,” Xan deadpanned.
“Courteous indeed,” Thantis agreed earnestly with a sharp look at his apprentice. “Perhaps it is best to start small, Alice.”
“That was my thought as well. To that end I was hoping to inquire about your cooking pots.”
“Oh? What about them?” Thantis asked, not anticipating that particular line of questioning.
“Well, during human history there have been some instances of civilizations poisoning themselves with metals,” Alice began, causing Xan and Thantis to look at one another with worry. “Not all metals are toxic, but on occasion the refining process can miss something.”
“I see. You have concerns regarding the metal we use to prepare food? You think we may be ingesting foulness?” Thantis asked.
“Yes.”
“And how will you go about determining if this is the case?”
“No poking and prodding, at least initially” Alice promised, earning a smile from Thantis. “I’ve asked Lachlan to interview villagers with a series of questions. He’s the man who was with me yesterday.”
“There’s another?!” Xan ejaculated.
“There is, my apprentice,” Thantis confirmed. “Sentaura was quite taken with him, likely on account of the instant bond he formed with her son. He is staying with them.”
“No hyrven-fucking way…”
“Xan!” Thantis snapped. “You will comport yourself in a manner worthy of Kel or you will study runes all day. Is that clear?” Thantis demanded. Both Alice and Xan fell silent as the grave, having never seen Thantis snap at anyone before.
“Yes sir, I’m sorry sir,” he replied. “Please continue, Alice.”
“Ah yeah, so…right! Lachlan is out there and hopefully the responses he’s given will indicate if there’s a problem. I can share them with you now if you’d like. Did my brother ever explain the periodic table to either of you?”
The blank look on the faces of the death priests answered that question well enough. Alice was unperturbed. “Alright, no worries. It’s probably more boring than runes,” she suggested, tossing a smile Xan’s way. The Cauthan partially returned it. “What matters now is health. I can explain the ‘what’ later. The ‘how’ is that, in humans at least, the body is unable to get rid of certain types of metal. It accumulates in our nervous systems, the parts of our body that allow us to control our movements and thoughts. Eventually it can even kill.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“My word!” Thantis gasped.
“Here I was thinking the only way metal could kill you is if you get stabbed in the gut with it,” Xan quipped.
“That would be quicker,” Alice agreed before listing out the various terms and conditions that she’d requested Lachlan look into. The two Cauthan nodded and listened, occasionally asking for clarification. When she finished they put their heads together.
“There was a scroll about a hunter who lost control of his limbs and eventually died, but that happened rather quickly and I think it was on account of something he ate out in the forest,” Xan mused.
“Of course you would remember that account, my apprentice,” Thantis smiled.
“Yeah well, it’s a lot more interesting than most of what you’ve got laying around,” he replied. “But I don’t recall anything like what you described, Alice. I mean, if anyone was going to have this metal poisoning it would be Thantis and Gentia, and they’re two of the healthiest Cauthan in the village.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere with me, but probably somewhere with my mate,” Thantis admitted. “Alice, we would be happy to secure a small sample of metal for analysis aboard your ship, but I do not have any records detailing what you describe.”
“That’s a relief!” Alice exclaimed. “So Xan, feel like coming up to the Event Horizon with me? See Kel’s domain from the inside?”
“You jest,” Xan eventually replied warily.
“Oh, you could come too if you like, Thantis,” Alice suddenly added, seeing the dejected look on his face. It was amazing how easily she thought she could read them, and it explained a great deal of how her brother had integrated himself so seamlessly into their population.
“Why do you want me to go up there?” The young Cauthan pressed. Alice did not hide anything from them.
“My desire is to introduce you to a couple of other scientists I know and respect. They are doctors, people who specialize in healing the sick and caring for the vulnerable. It’s my hope that we can begin gathering information on your species to help us better understand and treat you.”
“And why in Kel’s name would we agree to that? Will you let us strip you down and play around with your body?” Xan demanded hotly.
“While my apprentice’s choice of words is most inappropriate...I must echo his sentiments,” Thantis added. Alice did not seem upset in the slightest. Instead she pressed a couple buttons on the personal tablet that she’d brought with her and held it out to them. “My word! What in Meylith’s merciful name is that?!”
“That’s a young boy infected with smallpox,” Alice described the image in front of them. “He’s about nine years old, which would make him about the same age here on Mara. You have diseases don't you? Sickness?”
“Veera’s own mother passed away from illness many winters ago,” Thantis confirmed. “She is one of many that I can recall.”
“I’m sorry,” Alice replied sympathetically before continuing her story. “Smallpox is a virus, a tiny pseudo-lifeform that hijacks human bodies to replicate itself.”
“Alright, that’s screwed up,” Xan interjected with disgust.
“It is,” Alice agreed strongly. “The human body contains a system for fighting off invaders like that, but the damage is done by the time we can defeat smallpox on our own. I don’t mean to reopen fresh wounds, but it sounds like the most recent raid on your village was similar. They were beaten back but…many Cauthan suffered.”
“Yeah, that just about sums it up.” Xan’s tone was harsh, but she could tell it was not directed at her. “So what’s the deal with this smallpawks thing? What does it have to do with you wanting to study our bodies?”
“We cured it,” Alice informed them happily. “We discovered a way to immunize people, prevent them from ever getting the disease. As of today smallpox is extinct in the wild. The only remaining samples are kept in a handful of high security virology labs. That’s the field of study devoted to viruses, by the way.”
“You have people whose entire lives are spent studying just one thing?” Thantis requested.
“Our most advanced men and women of learning choose to specialize in one subject,” Alice elaborated. “The body of human knowledge is simply too great for anyone to be an expert in everything, or even most things.”
“By Kel, how extraordinary,” the elder whispered in awe. “So this virus you spoke of, how did you find this immunity?”
“The trick was in helping the body to develop its own defenses,” Alice explained, switching to images of an immunization clinic. “We would take tiny samples of the virus, samples we knew to be dead, and introduce them into the body intentionally. That’s what that doctor is doing right there with that needle.”
“Yes, yes and then?” Thantis demanded eagerly. “What happens when you intentionally introduce it?”
“The body recognizes it and stores that information away, so that if it ever encounters smallpox in the wild, it destroys it immediately. We have vaccines like this for dozens of diseases…and almost all of our children live to become adults,” Alice concluded with gravity, driving home the point.
“So what you’re saying is, if you study us you can begin doing this sort of stuff to our bodies?” Xan asked cautiously.
“That’s the hope, Xan. I would not dare make any promises I cannot keep personally, but at a minimum I would like to understand your body better. Even if we don’t cure diseases, maybe we could help with lesser things like broken bones or wounds. Take your leg for example. I’ve met many human soldiers who were wounded like you and we’ve begun making biological prosthetics for them! Think limbs made of metal and plastics that integrate seamlessly into the body. Oh drat, I don’t have any pictures of those available on my device and you have no idea what plastic is. I’ll have to grab some for you next time I’m up on the Event Horizon.” Alice was too busy playing with her tablet to notice the change in Xan’s expression.
“What else…?”
“Hmm?” She lifted her head to find Thantis looking sadly at his apprentice.
“What else can you…fix?” Xan demanded.
“I…” Alice suddenly understood the question. “I’m sorry, Xan. I can’t promise anything. I was reading some information that Io put together last night. Even at the most basic level our bodies are different. I couldn’t…I wouldn’t dare do anything to any of you until we understand exactly how your bodies work. It could take years. There are so many humans who died trying to advance our study of medicine…I cannot allow that to happen here.”
“On that we are in agreement, young Alice,” Thantis spoke up. “While I would heartily welcome any knowledge or assistance in improving the health of our people, we have lost so many recently. Besides, to consider the very idea of killing one so that another might live? Such bloody sacrifice is antithetical to the balance.”
“Your death god…doesn’t like death?” Alice cocked her head, causing Xan to snort in derision.
“Since you seem to be so confident, Xan, why don’t you explain the balance to Alice, hmm?” Thantis put him on the spot. The young Cauthan felt his scales shake for a moment. He met Alice’s eyes.
“Kel is like winter,” he began. “That’s your name, isn’t it?”
“It is,” Alice affirmed, oddly spellbound as she prepared herself to absorb Cauthan mythology.
“Right, so Kel is the Lord of Winter. He comes and reaps what remains of the harvest. The trees retreat and crops wither and die. Snow blankets the ground and the cold…it kills. But then it fades. It delivers a new world to us each spring where life can grow anew. That is the balance, and that is the sort of death that Kel brings.”
Thantis nodded sagely in the silence, proud of his pupil. Alice took a moment to process the philosophy, finding it to be both elegant and compelling. “I see. Thank you for sharing with me. Humanity does not have a god like Kel, at least not in modern times, but we have something known as the Hippocratic Oath. My friends, the doctors I spoke of, they both took this oath.”
“And what oath might that be?” Thantis wondered.
“Do no harm.”
-----
“And up ya go now, wee fluffy lad! How was yer playdate?” Lachlan asked Ursol, having retrieved the tyke from the temple of Meylith in the early afternoon. Sentaura had accompanied him there that morning, explaining that Ursol would be learning with the acolytes and the other cubs of the village. Lachlan referred to it as a school, earning a tilt of her head.
After turning Ursol over to Gentia, they had parted ways. Sentaura made her way to the fields, while Lachlan began his tour of the village at Alice’s behest. He introduced himself as politely as possible given that he was armed, armored, and worst of all acting in the manner of a door to door salesman or Jehovah’s Witness. Surprisingly, more than a few Cauthan found time in their day to speak about their lord and savior heavy metal poisoning, and by the time he retrieved Ursol, MacGregor had a statistically significant dataset to deliver to Alice.
“Well well, left Sentaura in the fields to come and play around at my temple?” Gentia teased as Ursol waddled his way over, eager to see and play with the strange but friendly human some more.
“When does she usually come for him?” Lachlan asked, unsure if he should attempt to engage in humor or sarcasm with one of the village elders.
“When she’s done,” Gentia offered, watching as the human Marine lifted Ursol into his lap as he sat on one of the many benches throughout the place of worship. With most families returned to some form of residence, it had returned to its primary function. Only a handful of homeless still resided there. “How did you know we were finished with today’s lessons?”
“I can’t say I did, just happened to be done with my work and it seems Alice is still over at tha temple next door,” he replied, grabbing Ursol’s tiny paw as he reached for the knife that was strapped to his chest. “Now now little one, let’s not be gettin’ curious with the weapons, alright?”
“Can we see momma?” Ursol requested.
“I don’ see why not,” the Marine agreed, looking at Gentia to see if she would suggest otherwise.
“I think that would be wise. He should be with his mother,” she remarked pointedly.
“Ya won’t be hearing protest from me on that point. Could ya give me an idea o’ where she might be?” Lachlan requested.
“Head to the north gate and search the fields to the northeast. If she is still there I’m sure you will find her. I don’t know how you humans stand this sort of heat dressed like that.”
“Heh, that would be thanks to a little thing we call sweat.” Lachlan pointed to his brow where he knew there would be a fine sheen of moisture given the weather. Fortunately for him relief was but a shuttle ride away, and he privately admitted to counting down the hours until dusk. Not wanting to let any aspect of the new male in his life go unexplored, Ursol promptly stood on MacGregor’s legs and licked at his forehead. “Now just what do ya think yer doing?” The Marine exclaimed, holding the youngster at arm’s length. His muzzle was scrunched up in displeasure.
“Yucky salt!”
“While I’m sure my mate would be utterly fascinated by such a development, I am not,” Gentia chuckled. “And on that subject I believe you have a guest, human.”
“Hey Lachlan!” Alice called from the entrance to the temple. “How’s it going?”
“Not too bad, lassie!” He replied, happy to see a familiar face as she walked over to him. “Here, let me transfer what I’ve got to ya. I was just about ta head out and find this little guy’s mum. What have you been up ta all day?”
“Chatting up the death priests,” Alice replied with a laugh, enjoying her new life immensely.
“I’m sure I won’t hear the end of it tonight,” Gentia remarked knowingly.
“Selah to you, Gentia,” Alice added, internally kicking herself for not having addressed the Cauthan matriarch sooner. “Your husband was quite welcoming and he and I had a fruitful discussion. We’ve agreed to meet again within the next couple of days and Xan has tentatively volunteered for some simple medical procedures aboard our ship. I hope we’ll be able to lessen his pain and learn more about how your bodies work.”
“I see,” Gentia said sternly. “Perhaps I will need to discuss my mate’s liberal interpretation of the duties of an apprentice? No offense, Alice Winters, but you will not be taking any of my acolytes up to your ship.”
“I do apologize if I implied such a thing,” Alice conceded as Lachlan bade them both farewell. Ursol had grown bored and agitated given the shift in conversation, but the promise of seeing his mother and getting a ride on MacGregor’s shoulders was more than enough to get him back on track.
“Ow hey now, watch what yer doin’ with that helmet!”
Alice and Gentia both had a small chuckle at the Marine’s expense as he departed into the afternoon sun, leaving the two women to watch over the few remaining Cauthan children who were waiting for their parents to come and collect them. “How long will they stay here?” Alice requested.
“I presume you mean until what age?” Gentia sought clarification. Alice nodded. “Most will leave our daily care right around Ursol’s age, perhaps a year or two later. Farming is hard work, and every hand is a blessing.”
“I’m sure,” Alice agreed.
“Those who remain with us longer will learn runes or other skills, depending on their parents’ wishes. Most continue on to apprentice as hunters, craftsmen, or artisans. Some cubs will never spend a day here.”
“So there’s no formal system of education,” Alice concluded.
“I liked your brother. He didn’t judge and was easy to poke fun at,” Gentia declared, gazing at Alice. “Oh and don’t look at me like that. You think I don’t realize how different things are? Look at you. You’re young, have no mate or cubs, and have spent your entire life learning. I am sure we must seem-”
“Beautiful,” Alice surprised her. “I’ve studied many alien cultures, and yours is wonderful in so many ways. I didn’t mean to imply anything, Gentia, and I apologize for interrupting your day. I had just hoped to learn a bit about Meylith and your customs around mating since my own brother has participated in them. It was Thantis’ suggestion.”
“Was it now?” Gentia asked with a smile. “That tea-obsessed mate of mine actually let you go willingly? You must have said something quite offensive. I half expected him to tie you to a chair and bombard you with questions until your brother or Veera came calling.”
“No offense to your mate or his apprentice, but I doubt either of them could manage that feat,” Alice smiled, though Gentia seemed to deflate slightly.
“So what did you promise young Xan, hmm?” The elder wondered. “To restore his sight; to give him his leg back? After what your brother has done it seems reasonable to entertain the possibility.”
“I promised him nothing of the sort, though I hope one day those things might be a possibility,” Alice stated soberly. “All I offered him was the chance to help his people. We cannot heal what we do not know. Veera will be participating as well. You may not know me, but you know my brother and Io. They will make sure those two are kept safe. All I want is to learn. The more I know, the more I can help.”
“Mmm, the proud female and Cauthan in me wants to tell you to leave with your paternalistic words,” Gentia admitted, watching as a cub far younger than Ursol crawled and occasionally toddled her way around the room. To the untrained eye it looked as though she were unattended, but every so often an acolyte would glance her way, ensuring she didn’t go anywhere without supervision. Alice cooed as Gentia reached down and hoisted the small fluffy and feathery bundle onto her lap. “But when I think of her, I would give anything to change her fate for the better.”
Alice remained silent, feeling an icy chill creep down the back of her neck as Gentia allowed the little cub to play with her fingers and grasp at her garments. “What’s her name?” She requested, reaching out with a single finger to gently stroke the cub’s crest feathers. They were downy soft.
“It’s Ketra. Yes, little one, that’s you,” Gentia spoke kindly as though she’d had dozens of children and grandchildren before. The light brown bundle of fur babbled and cooed back, though Io’s translation suite was not up to the task. Alice concluded the cub was pre-lingual.
“And what can I do for Ketra?” The human whispered.
“I think I might come to like you, Alice Winters. So far you have asked instead of told. You have looked at us as people instead of subjects. You wish to learn but also to help. Those flying metal…I don’t even know what to call them.”
“They’re referred to as shuttles, Gentia,” Alice supplied politely.
“Yes, thank you. I sense they are but the tip of the spear in terms of how our lives will change. I enjoy poking fun at Ratha quite often but I share her concerns. On Mara the strong survive and the weak perish. In the face of humanity…we are hopelessly weak, just like Ketra.”
Alice blinked rapidly, trying to fight off the weight of a people who understood just how fragile their existence had become. “I think I understand a bit now why contact with civilizations like your own is forbidden under normal circumstances.”
“Your brother seemed to have other thoughts,” Gentia chuckled, cradling Ketra and shushing the cub as she began to cry softly. “But we are all grateful for the things he has done. It is…difficult to rely on the benevolence of another when all around us we see so little of it, even from the gods.”
“What…where are Ketra’s parents?” Alice asked fearfully.
“And you’re brave like him as well,” Gentia observed. “You don’t want to know, but something in you felt compelled to ask. They are dead, Alice Winters. Her home was set ablaze during the raid. When morning came we found her, protected by their bodies. I am unsure exactly how they died. Only Kel knows, and were it not for the swift death your brother delivered to those heathens I would curse His divine name!” The elder paused momentarily, taking a breath to calm herself and to settle Ketra, who seemed to have picked up on the anxiousness around her. “But the balance can be…difficult to understand at times. My mate knows even better than I. Perhaps it is Kel’s idea of a joke or trial, leaving a cub not a season old without family. At least she will not remember such terrors. Her grandparents are able to stop by sometimes but…food must be grown.”
“I…I’m so sorry. Please excuse me!” Alice whispered, holding her forearm to her eyes and walking swiftly from the temple. Gentia smiled sadly in her wake.
“She has a tender heart even at her age? Perhaps humanity will not disappoint me after all. Forgive me, little Ketra. When you live as long as I have…when you are grown perhaps it would be better if all you have of our way are memories.”
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Alice did not make it more than a few feet outside the temple before she sat herself in the road, leaned back against the wooden building and cried. “It’s not fair!” She insisted to the ether.
Cauthan children were already adorable by nature of their fluffy fur, downy feathers, and curious little faces. They tugged at the heartstrings even with two parents alive and well, but Ketra’s story had Alice’s heart momentarily in tatters. Drawing her knees to her chest, she allowed herself to rest her forehead against her arms and cry in the darkness provided by that position. She questioned how she, alone, could make any real difference in that cub’s life. Alice didn’t even sense him until he was kneeling at her side.
“Who the hell do I need to kill?” Her brother demanded quietly. She looked up at him with puffy red eyes and shimmering cheeks, where her tears had left trails of moisture that refused to evaporate in the muggy air.
“It sounds like you already killed them,” she replied, prompting Russell to sit at her side. “Did you know about Ketra, Rusty?”
“The tiny orphan girl? We found out when we got back,” he affirmed shortly. “Cute little thing.”
“This probably isn’t my place but you and Veera…can’t have cubs right? So why not…you’re pretty wealthy for Cauthan, aren’t you?”
“It was never an option” he insisted. “We aren’t ready for something like that, Alice. At least we weren’t this year. We decided to head out on our own. We found and cared for Fenrir. That’s no life for a little girl. And…”
“What?” Alice placed a hand on his shoulder, seeing the brooding and pained look that had often marked his face as a teen.
“Veera prays to Meylith…every night. You think I would suggest something like that to-” he began. The Jumper tried to finish but ended up punching the ground instead and cursing under his breath. “Fuck…fuck!”
Even with her limited knowledge of the Cauthan, Alice was able to put two and two together. Meylith was the goddess of home and hearth, and the patron deity of motherhood. An immense cultural significance existed around the institution of child rearing, and not even the thought of her brother mating with an alien could lighten the mood of realizing that Veera was praying every night for her own cubs. “Oh Rusty, I’m sorry.”
“We’re alive, Alice. Everything else is just a bonus,” he ground out. His tone was bitter but not sarcastic as he looked around at weary farmers and bustling craftsmen, at Cauthan who worked themselves to the bone to provide for themselves and their children before dying. Even the priests lived ascetic lifestyles, especially now that Antoth held the title of High Priest. “At least now that you’re here I can let off some of this steam. Hobbes was a right cunt.”
“Nasty, brutish, and short. The Leviathan,” Alice quoted. “Yeah, but you can’t fault him for calling it like he saw it. Feels like being dropped into medieval Europe.”
“I love her, Alice. And I love them,” he whispered to the only human he could imagine saying those words to. “They deserve better.”
‘Ich auch!’ Io agreed emphatically as Russell continued.
“I’m not a monster to them. I’m a husband, a friend…a hero.”
“You’re not a monster! How could you say such a thing?” Alice gasped, revolted by his language and blindsided by his opinion of himself. He was wearing a shirt and cargo pants, but Io was still with them somehow, using Alice’s A-MACS to present her with a folder full of medical documents. Everything was redacted except for a single line item. “Berserker syndrome?” Alice read softly. “Russell, what…what is this?”
“You’re going to help them, right?” He asked instead, forcing a smile to his face and waving to a Cauthan who Alice did not know. “Please, Alice.”
Confusion, sorrow born of sympathy, and worry for her brother swirled within Alice’s mind and heart. She had never felt a greater need for a sit down with Yvonne. She thought of the compelling Frenchwoman and her husband, and considered what they would do in her stead. The answer was obvious. “Xan agreed to come to the Event Horizon,” Alice told him, taking his hand and squeezing hard. “It’ll be a long, long journey, but we start tonight!”