Watching the lovely waitress walk away, ‘Tj’Chin’Ker wondered what the woman’s family lines were. Who and what were her people? He could see a hint of Tavakia in her features, but those light blue eyes, especially combined with that incredibly smooth and dusky skin, were pure Svarta. She moved like those graceful Sand Dancers that he had seen in his youth while traveling near Al Akkad, those amazing women who had ruled over their family territories had possessed a veritable rainbow of skin tones, and ‘Ker remembered being mesmerized by their talents in the realm of dance.

He couldn’t place her lineage. For that matter, there had just been so much of this world he had not seen in the years of his childhood. He had heard that there were, here, hundreds of different Peoples scattered all across these “Western Continents,” but he had never visited any of these lands before his own People, the ‘Tj’Shae, had migrated from this world over an eon ago. The Law they had followed from their earliest days held that “The Dancer” would punish any People who traveled to these lands without his express permission. There were even some humorous stories about greedy and curious Kings and Queens who had attempted to bribe the Dancer to gain that permission. Though, most of those tales ended with some variation of “...and they were never seen nor heard from again.”

There was a discrete clearing of the throat that brought ‘Tj’Chin’Ker back to himself. Stark was grinning at him from over his cup of fermented nut syrup.

“But, as I was saying, boy, these folks don’t need to know exactly what you sing about, as long as you do it well. Give them something to remember, I’ll bet the Amaudynu Brihonna is one you could really belt out if given a chance.” Elgin’s smile intensified as ‘Ker felt himself flinch. “Consider it a favor to the man who will save your race for you. A down payment on the effort you want me to expend.” The bushy eyebrows above Elgin’s eyes bobbed up and down expectantly.

A stuttering set of musical notes broke their impasse, as they both were taken by shivers when the air jangled and discordantly rang with a malicious and incongruous note, and a sudden whiff of the graveyard passed their noses. ‘Ker’s head swiveled, trying to find the source and pick up the mood of the audience at the surrounding tables.

When he looked back as the Dancer, it was as if nothing was wrong. The heavy

brows knotted a moment, and then relaxed as he said simply, “Someone is trying something very stupid to get my goat tonight. I’ll make a call right quick, if you wouldn’t mind, and then I can send you with Cole back to the house over on Franklin to bed down for the night.” He frowned a moment before warning ‘Ker, “Be sharp, m’boy. Some folks may come looking for you

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

tonight.” Then a slow smile appeared. “But I’m making this call to someone who will see

to it nothing gets too out of hand.”

Elgin had a small device out from his pocket in a moment. The little black shiny thing looked like a piece of jewelry to ‘Ker. The onyx surface gleamed in the lowered lights of the bar room, and the silver piping about the edges of the thing fairly glowed to

‘Ker’s eyes.

Before he could dial on the small device, it chirped at the Dancer. Stark was startled, but quickly rebounded to place the thing against the side of his head. It was very different from the various other “talking” devices he had witnessed people using since he had woken up.

The older man’s mood visibly brightened as he greeted someone ‘Ker could not see, and barely hear.

“David, lovely to hear from you…How may I help you tonight?”

Music played in the background and the buzz and drone of people having pleasant conversations rose and fell as ‘Ker watched his ancient ancestor speak into the dark depths of the palm sized tool.

“Well…Thank you, David. I think I know what they’re after. They’ll be waiting for a while yet. Keep them in sight, I’ll make a call. Don’t get involved until you see Curt. Stay in the shadows until you see Curt. Got that?”

“Good boy, knew I could count on you.” Elgin said quickly before hanging up. With a deep breath he settled himself and then dialed a new number. Glancing at ‘Ker, he said, “This simplifies things. I now have to call the fellow I was going to call anyway, but now just as a precaution. An extra effort. Ah! Serendipity!”

“Curt!” He took up talking to another buzzy bug-like voice from the tool again, and this time he acted as pleased as he could possibly be. His broad, wide lipped smile was infectious. “I have a job for you tonight. Yes! I know, I know; but you told me just the other day you need more exercise.” He threw a wink at ‘Tj’Chin’Ker with that last comment.

“I need you to skulk.”

He was listening to replies…’Ker made the connection after a moment's thought. It was another type of “Cell-O-phone.” He had seen them used a few times now, but

until this moment had assumed the people he had spied walking about the landscape

talking to themselves had been mumbling, murmuring idiots. Some had spoken animatedly to little things they had held. Some had yammered at their wrists. Some had just tapped the skin behind an ear, and then animatedly shouted into the aether. Every town, village and city he had as yet visited had had them.

‘Ker was relieved to see that the droves of “insane” people he had seen were just talking to friends and relations far away on these smaller phones.