

ALSO BY SARAH CHAPMAN

The Magekiller

The Mixed Duology:

The Lord of the Plains

The Broken Kingdom

The Lord of the Plains

The Mixed Duology: Book One

Copyright © 2014 by Sarah Chapman

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever including Internet usage, without written permission of the author.

Ebook formatting by Maureen Cutajar

www.gopublished.com

To my fiancé,

I wouldn't have finished it without you.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank everyone who helped me with this book. My parents, who were some of the first readers, and particularly my mother, who read it more times than I did while proofreading! I'd also like to thank everyone else who helped and supported me while finishing this story.

Contents

Map

PART 1

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

PART 2

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

PART 3

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

PART 4

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

Chapter 65

Chapter 66

Chapter 67

Chapter 68

Chapter 69

Chapter 70

Chapter 71

Chapter 72

Chapter 73

Chapter 74

Chapter 75

Chapter 76

Chapter 77

Chapter 78

Chapter 79

Chapter 80

Chapter 81

Chapter 82

Chapter 83

Chapter 84

Chapter 85

Chapter 86

Chapter 87

PART 1

Chapter 1

Lestar's hands were sweating. It wasn't his first patrol, or even his second, still, his hands were sweating.

Over the tree tops the faint glimmer from the AgriShield was visible. They were out far, beyond the city limits, beyond the heavily shielded and protected farmland. Out, in the trees. The late afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the leaf litter on the ground. It wasn't a dense forest, it was easy to move through. There was no undergrowth, just dry leaves. It wasn't a forest to have sweating hands in. But he had sweating hands.

A rustle. Lestar swung around, panting, his SIGPEW pointing. His eyes flicked around nervously. Nothing. An animal? The animals were dangerous here too. Sometimes he wondered, were they animals or just extra dumb gemengs?

'Lestar!'

Lestar swung around again and saw Maz approaching, a grin on his face. Seeing his partner, his thumping heart began easing back into a steady rhythm.

It was hard to see much of Maz's face under his helmet and visor. It wasn't enough to protect you from a gemeng though. Was it? He didn't know. All these patrols and he hadn't seen a single one. But...he wasn't that far out. Further out, further than he'd ever been was Garrondin, the gemeng town that formed Astar's first line of defence. He hadn't seen them either. All Lestar had seen were the _fake_ gemengs of the city. Gemengvals, the worthless creatures that littered Astar.

'We're almost done, as soon as Batar and his team get here we can head back.' Maz said, his grin fading as he saw Lestar's expression. 'What's wrong, did you hear something?' he asked, an undertone of alarm in his voice.

Lestar shook his head, 'no, no, it was just you, but I thought-'

Maz sighed in relief, 'come on, let's continue our patrol.'

Lestar nodded his understanding and swallowed. He turned and headed back along the track he had made through the trees to do another round, Maz following not far behind.

You didn't travel alone. Not out here. Lestar thought he probably should have gone with Maz when he went to relieve himself. That would have been an opportune time for a gemeng to jump out and maul him. But he hadn't gone and Maz was back safe and sound.

Lestar and Maz were silent as they continued their patrol. Lestar's eyes scanned nervously back and forth, though not so nervous as before. Maz was the calmer of the two.

A rustle. Lestar swung around, though with less fright this time, pointing his SIGPEW squarely in the direction of the sound. Maz turned as well, though his eyes kept scanning the area.

Another rustle. Lestar's heart stopped for a moment. Sweat broke out on his face. Slowly, sickly, his heart started beating again. Slowly. Everything so slow. He took a step forward. His hands shook on the SIGPEW. 'W-who's there?'

Nothing.

'We are the Astar Home Defence Patrol, show yourself or be fired upon!'

A sound. Then from behind a tree in the distance a figure stepped out. It took a hesitant step forward. Lestar thought he would vomit. 'Wh-who are you?' _What are you?_

It took another step. Lestar's hands tightened.

'Identify yourself or be fired upon!' Maz ordered from behind him.

The figure stopped. It raised its hands. 'I-I'm not dangerous.' It said. Its voice wavered and shook.

A gemeng.

'Are you human?' Maz called again.

The figure shook its head.

Lestar tightened his hands, his weapon shook.

'Leave this area immediately!' Maz ordered.

'B-but I-I...'

'But what?!'

'I want to come t-to Astar. I h-heard some g-gemengs live th-there.'

Maz considered the gemeng's words for a moment before saying, 'you have to go to the testing station out past Garrondin. You can't come through here.'

The gemeng was silent. It was short. If it was human Lestar would have thought it was a child. Did gemengs have children?

'Do you know where Garrondin is?' Maz asked, a hint of kindness in his voice.

'B-but...' the gemeng stuttered. It sounded like it was going to cry.

'But?'

'It's not safe out there!!'

At that Lestar burst into wild laughter.

They waited until Batar and his team arrived, then Maz and Lestar escorted the gemeng child to the testing centre, through Garrondin. It wasn't strictly necessary for them to do this, but the gemeng was frightened, and they couldn't leave it hanging around the perimeter, and it didn't seem appropriate to shoot it for being afraid.

The sky was darkening slowly, it was still summer and the sky would retain light for some time. The trio walked in silence, Lestar and the gemeng in states of fear, Maz maintaining a calm, soothing presence. His long strides were easy and relaxed, though if you looked carefully you would see his hands were trembling.

The sky turned to dark blue, with gold at the horizon. Lestar noticed briefly.

As they came to Garrondin, a collection of well maintained, if not exactly pretty houses, the gemeng started shaking. Maz did not change his stride. The villagers came to stand in the doorways, some peered from windows. None came any closer. Lestar quickly glanced at them. These gemengs were not the gemengs of his nightmares, of the outside world. They did not possess the claws and teeth and spiked tails and second mouths that _real_ gemengs had in terrifying abundance. No, they were just stupid, weak creatures that needed humans to provide them with the material for making weapons. Maz and Lestar walked down the main street and were quickly free of the town.

About half a kilometre down the road they came to the testing centre. It was an unadorned box of a building. There were two main entrances, one on the opposite side for gemengs hoping to migrate into Astar, and the one they were approaching for the successful migrants.

Maz led them around the building towards the main entrance. The road in front of the building was empty.

'Hey there!' Maz hailed the two guards standing before the doors of the centre. 'We have a gemeng here!'

'You're late! It'll have to wait til tomorrow.'

'Where can we leave it?'

One of the guards shrugged and pointed down the road.

'Is it wise to have gemengs gathering so close to home?' Lestar asked nervously. Maz glanced at him, his expression saying he was thinking the same thing.

Just then a man dressed in civilian clothes came to the door. 'What's all this commotion?!'

The guards turned and quietly explained. The man looked towards them, out through the reinforced glass doors. 'We'll take him.' He said and motioned for them to follow him as he turned and walked deeper into the centre.

Surprised, Maz and Lestar headed towards the door. Despite himself, Lestar did not suggest they leave. For once, curiosity got the better of his nervousness. He wanted to know what tests were conducted here. How could you tell a gemeng was weak enough to be allowed to live among humans?

One of the guards pulled the door open. Maz and Lestar said their thanks (Lestar mumbled) and they entered with the gemeng behind them.

The corridor they entered was dark, as the centre had closed for the day. In front of them was a glass window with a blank terminal behind it. The corridor continued to the left and right, though to the left it was too dark to see anything. To the right the corridor stopped at a door, which was open, revealing another hallway. The first door in the second hallway was open, and light was spilling from the room, the man who had summoned them was waiting.

As they entered he closed the door and turned to the gemeng. 'So we're going to have a look at you, eh?'

Maz and Lestar moved out of the way so the gemeng was standing alone in front of the man. 'You know what happens here?' The man asked.

The gemeng shook and shivered. 'N-no.'

'We do some tests to determine your strength. If you're too strong you won't be allowed into Astar and you will be forced to leave the area. Some of these tests are quite painful, do you understand?'

The gemeng nodded.

'Right then. We'll start by taking some blood.' The man moved towards a cupboard on the wall and removed a needle. 'What are your abilities?' He asked as he prepared the needle.

'N-none...'

'None? No fire in your blood? No lightning? You can't command water? You can't smash boulders with a single punch?'

'N-no.'

'Are you very resilient? Can you walk for days without tiring? Do you need regular food and water? What is your diet? How long does it usually take a wound to heal?

'No..no, uh, vegetables...some meat...'

'Hmm...hold still now. Do you have any less hairy areas?'

The gemeng shook his head wildly.

'Alright, do you mind if I remove some fur?'

The gemeng stared at him before slowly shaking his head. The man had already fetched a razor.

'Now hold still,' he said, and quickly shaved a small area on his arm. 'Hold on,' he said as the gemeng started at the sight of bare skin, 'I'm not done yet.'

The man scrubbed and cleaned the freshly bared skin. He did it quickly, then with a needle he took some blood from the gemeng.

'Hmm...' the man said as he held the needle up to eye level. 'Not too much resistance, and the needle hasn't burst into flames. That's always a good sign.' He turned to a table by the cupboard and set up some vials. He took a piece of metal, wood and paper from the cupboard and laid them out.

First he put a drop of blood into each vial. Then he dropped blood first on the metal, then the wood, then the paper.

He waited, his eyes flicking from the vials to the materials, a deep frown on his face. 'That's good...not even the paper is damaged. And the colour is good.'

The colour of the liquid in the vials had changed from dark red to layers of different colours. The top layer was a clear yellow, nearly transparent, and the bottom a darker orange.

It meant nothing to anyone but the man, who seemed satisfied.

'Alright, next room.' And he strode quickly across the room, turned the lights off and flung open the door. He turned the lights on in the other room and gestured impatiently for the three to follow.

'This will be a painful test, and you will be injured. We're going to shoot you and see what happens.'

The gemeng made a small sound, but it didn't ask to leave.

Lestar and Maz looked at each other and back at the man.

'Stand over there please, face me.' He gestured towards a wall that had scorch marks on it. There was a red line marked on the floor in front of the wall, which is where the gemeng stood. The man approached and with a measuring instrument measured the width of the gemeng's shoulder. He pulled on its skin with another instrument and then walked to another cupboard. He selected an energy weapon and started changing the settings on it.

'This is a very sensitive experiment. This weapon is set to a level that it will go right through a human shoulder of the same width as yours, with a similar amount of fat. If it doesn't go through your shoulder it tells us you're a little bit different to us. Are you ready?'

The gemeng shuddered.

The man faced him, the energy weapon loosely held in his hand by his side. Suddenly he fired, so quickly that Lestar and Maz didn't even see him raise his hand.

There was silence as the light from the weapon died down. The gemeng made a strangled sound of pain and shook. The smell of burnt flesh and fur filled the room. Lestar's mouth twisted in disgust.

The man approached and looked at the wound, as if he did this every day, which he did. The wound was a small round tunnel through the gemeng's shoulder. 'Not all the way through...mostly, but not all.'

Lestar felt cold steal over him. Sweat broke out on his skin. He had seen gemengs on the screen in the military training facility, he had heard about them, but he had never seen one. Not a _real_ one. Maz blanched.

'I see, well, that doesn't necessarily mean you won't be allowed in, but we'll have to do some more tests. Are you up for it?'

The gemeng nodded slowly.

'I thought you wouldn't take long to pass,' the man frowned, 'you get to recognize a look about them.' He explained. 'Why don't you go rest at the gemeng camp, hmm? Come back tomorrow and we'll do the rest of the tests.'

The gemeng didn't respond.

'I'll patch that shoulder up for you.' The man said.

As he worked he turned to Maz and Lestar. 'Thanks for bringing him all the way here. You boys can head on back now.'

'How do you know it's a him?' Maz asked suddenly.

'I've seen a lot of gemengs.' He shrugged.

Again that cold feeling stole over Lestar as he and Maz left the building. It was dark outside. They greeted the guards and headed back up the road towards Astar. So many gemengs, so close. And so different...

Chapter 2

Aerlid glanced down at the girl as she trotted alongside him, swinging her legs forward in an entirely impractical manner.

She was excited. She wasn't quite sure what about, but she knew it was something new so she was excited.

The sun was approaching the middle of the bright blue sky, and the day was slightly warm. It was an excellent day for travelling.

'There'll be gemengs there.' The man said. 'Other people, and children for you to play with.'

The girl had heard the words 'gemeng' and 'human', but never before seen one. All she knew were bugs and birds, animals for eating and animals that would try and eat her. And Aerlid. Animals and Aerlid.

And that was ok. That was all she knew, so how could she want any more?

Aerlid, for his part, was concerned about her. It was time, he thought, for her to meet the people who shared her world. Time to learn there was more to the world than trees and animals that could be hunted and animals that would hunt you, plants you could eat and plants you could not.

And so he had told her they would head to a place where gemengs dwelled together. None of these things meant anything to her, and that was what was exciting. And the day was nice. That was exciting too.

As they entered the town Riley looked around entranced. She had never seen anything like it. Her small mind was overloaded as her eyes flicked from one vision to the next.

To Aerlid it was an entirely different view. The fact that it bore such a resemblance to human settlements was both surprising and not, but then that was why he'd chosen this place out of many others. It was a small settlement, with one main road and two side streets that intersected the main road. A cursory glance showed a dilapidated, run down place, most likely abandoned. If one cared to look closer, they would see that despite the boarded, or just plain empty windows, the sagging rooves and tilted walls, the buildings were all sturdily built. Despite appearances, it would take more than a small breeze to level the village.

Aerlid stopped just before the first house on the main street. Riley stopped with him once she noticed.

Silence.

Riley finally looked over her little shoulder at him, her brow furrowed and a pout on her lips. It was an expression that clearly said 'What are we _doing_?'. Despite her impatience she remained silent and after a final glare she turned back to the village.

The silence continued. Riley rocked back on heels a few times then stopped. Aerlid remained still. Stillness suited the girl well, but not today as today was supposed to be an exciting day.

Finally Riley sighed and walked back towards him. She stood in front of him and frowned. 'Well?'

'They'll come out.' _I think_.

Riley had no idea what they were. She had no image to associate with the word 'gemeng', and so Riley had alternately imagined rabbits, deers and mountain tigers. She had settled on mountain tigers, and was now very much looking forward to living with them. Still, she did not ask. Instead she just sat down to wait, the anticipation of the promised surprise fading away.

Soon after Aerlid joined her.

When night fell Aerlid lit a fire. He made a soup of some dried meat and vegetables they carried with them. Riley was a poor cook. She had an unsettling habit of throwing everything in reach into the pot. Aerlid hoped she'd grow out of it.

They ate. Aerlid glanced up at the slim crescent of the moon and sighed. Would it frighten them to hear singing in the night? He had an idea that the people of this village might be frightened by just about anything. He kept his gaze riveted on the moon but remained silent. Tonight the song remained in his heart.

As the fire died down Riley curled up and slept. Aerlid remained awake.

When the sun rose over the horizon the next morning Riley awoke, though she did not move. She waited, her senses reminding her of her surroundings, and slowly got up, her movements suggesting she was more asleep then she really was. She often tried to surprise Aerlid in the morning with this trick.

After the pinks and golds had disappeared from the horizon, and dusky blue had changed to a more lively hue, Aerlid began making breakfast.

He stirred the pot, murmuring to himself. It had been so long since he had such things as bread and butter. What he could do with such things. Riley blinked sleepily in the morning light, apparently uninterested in his talk.

It was when he was just about ready to serve the reheated soup that a man emerged from a house two blocks up from them, right at the opposite edge of the town.

Aerlid did not stop what he was doing, though he looked up carefully. The man stood alone in the middle of the street.

He was tall and wide, his face covered in bristly brown fur. Human eyes glared at the two interlopers over a muzzle of a boar. He wore clothes; an unremarkable outfit consisting of shirt, trousers and a belt of a dirty grey colour. His muscles bulged and strained against the feeble fabric. It was something of a miracle that it didn't tear.

'WHAT ARE YOU?!' the beast roared.

Riley blinked in surprise and looked over her shoulder at the creature. Her eyes sharpened. A foe? Could she beat it or should she run? It looked strong. How fast was it? Where should she run? All these thoughts went through her mind in the moment between noticing the beast and the animal intelligence coming into her eyes.

Aerlid slowly rose to his feet. 'We are not threat.' he said quietly, his normal, even tone sounded hushed and pale after the roar of the beast.

'WHAT ARE YOU?!' louder this time. The ground shook.

Aerlid was aware of Riley's slow and careful movements as she got into a position to run.

'We are gemengs.' Aerlid said, just as softly. 'We do not wish to be a threat.'

With a stupendous roar the beast raised his arms above his head. Then he slammed his fist into the earth. There was a rumble and crack as if like thunder, and then like lightening a crack in the earth opened and zig-zagged its way towards the two. Riley swiftly moved out of the way and into the shadow of the nearest house, out of sight of the beast. The crack stopped. In front of the fire. The earth trembled.

Aerlid held his hands out, palms up and slowly moved towards the beast. 'We mean you no harm. We can defend ourselves, but we mean you no harm.'

The beast trembled.

Aerlid stopped. 'We wish to stay here a while. May we?'

'You mean no harm?' the beast rumbled.

'No harm.'

There was silence. Somewhere, a crow cawed. 'You know the lord of this land? You know his men?'

'I have heard he is fearsome. I have heard his men are too. But we mean no harm, we wish to stay a while.'

The beast was afraid, Riley knew. She did not need to think it. Many animals were afraid of her. That didn't mean they weren't dangerous though.

With great reluctance the beast said, 'you may stay...as long as you don't make any trouble.'

'We will make no trouble.'

With a sound that was surprisingly sweet after the roars that had been pounding from him before, the beast summoned the rest of the villagers from their houses. Slowly they came. Not all were like him. Some had skin like Riley. Some had fangs. But all walked on two legs and had two arms. This was a great change to Riley, as few animals behaved in this manner. With uncharacteristic curiosity she approached from her hiding place near the side of the house.

As the villagers saw that the newcomers were not attacking them, were not trying to steal them away or flatten their houses, they relaxed. Even the beast seemed less afraid.

And thus began their life in the gemeng settlement of no name, known only to its inhabitants as home.

Chapter 3

Living in the settlement was in some ways very different to Riley's previous life, though in other ways much the same. Different, in that there were two legs everywhere. Two legs her size, two legs Aerlid's size. And they were not the same as the wild creatures. They talked and lived in houses and wore clothes. Riley and Aerlid did not live in a house. They had a camp between the edge of the forest and the village, just prior to the first house. Their food was much the same as always, to Aerlid's disappointment. These people did not have fields or livestock. If they had ever had such things they had long since been destroyed by the lord of this land and his men. In fact, the diet of the villagers was little different to what Aerlid and Riley ate. If they did have things not from the forest they hid them well and certainly did not share them with the outsiders.

Riley was wary of the large two legs. She had seen the earth open at the roar of the beast (his name was Olef), but the little two legs did not look much faster or stronger than her. Those ones were safer until she understood the ways of these creatures, and whether they were to be feared or not.

Aerlid spent most of his time in the village, talking with and helping the other villagers. The rest of the time he spent hunting and taking care of their camp (Riley of course had to help with such things), and teaching Riley. He was different here than in the wild. He had paled and shrunk, become smaller and weaker seeming than he actually was. And he no longer sang to the moon. Riley noted that it had happened, understood instinctively that the two legs feared them less because of this, and she thought no more of it.

Riley learnt many strange and disturbing things from the little two legs. Rarely did the girl display much curiosity. When she did it was usually to learn about whether a new thing was dangerous or not, and how might she fight or flee if it became necessary? But here the world was so different that she was forced to spy and listen carefully. At night she crept silently between the houses and peered through windows, or when they were boarded up and she could see little through the cracks she just listened. The two legs did not see her, and that made her happy.

One day she crept back to the camp, carefully lest the possibly dangerous two legs sought to catch her off guard while she was retreating. Aerlid was sitting by the fire, warming his hands. He gave her a look of mild curiosity as she approached before turning back to the fire.

'Are you my father?' She asked.

Aerlid's attention swung firmly back to the girl, he hesitated before asking, 'do you know what a father is?'

An uncertain look came over her face. She had heard and seen things, and discovered that males and females did unsettling things together, which resulted in the small two legs. The small two legs created by the large ones, tended to live with them and be looked after by them. 'You can't be my mother...' she said hesitantly.

'Oh can't I?' Aerlid said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. The girl's eyes flicked towards his and narrowed. She had come to recognize that tone.

'No Riley, I am not your father.' Aerlid relented.

Riley nodded slightly to show her understanding, and then folded herself gracefully down until she was sitting cross legged on the ground.

'Do you want a father?' Aerlid asked.

Riley looked at him blankly.

Aerlid sighed. Her lack of imagination was baffling at times, he wondered if she would be the same had he raised her among people and not in the wild. 'You know animals have mothers and fathers too, Riley.' Aerlid said, his eyes back on the fire.

'That's different.'

'How is that different?' he asked, somewhat surprised she had picked this up.

'They aren't like me.' and she grinned. 'I'm smarter than them.'

'Is that all?'

Riley nodded vigorously.

Aerlid determined not to think any more about how her mind worked. Dinner needed to be cooked and Riley needed to be kept from putting dirt in the pot when he wasn't looking.

Aerlid watched Riley play with the gemeng children, a slight frown on his face and a crease between his brows.

Riley hovered around the edge of the group, skirting out of reach of the other children whenever they came close. As he watched a large, hairy child shoved another to the ground. He had seen the same behaviour with the adults. The children were really just mimicking their parents.

When Riley returned to the camp she was tense and wary. Her eyes darted around, as if she expected someone to jump out and attack her. Despite her discomfort, at least she had not drawn her sword on the other children. The gemengs had been suspicious of their weapons; her child sized sword and his, worn beneath his coat. Gemengs did not have weapons like this. That would require material, and the skill to shape it, and the gemengs had neither.

'How fast can you climb?'

'I can climb faster than you!'

'Well I can go higher!'

Riley frowned at the small two legs- children- as they argued. There was an undercurrent of hostility in the banter that she was well aware of. She was reserved and quiet among the children as she tried to learn their ways.

One of the smaller, bristly children sprung up onto the tree they were gathered around. 'I'll show you! I can climb faster and higher than you!'

One of the children shoved Riley suddenly. 'You go!'

Riley glanced at the shover warily and approached the tree. 'Climb, climb, climb!'

Surrounded by chanting children, bristly and skinned, she saw no option, and no real reason, not to do as they insisted.

Riley bounded up onto the first branch of the tree. Then with a laugh the others joined and they were all racing to the top, or as high as they dared to go.

Riley had never climbed a tree with so many others. She stopped and paused, balked when she saw another on the branch she wished to jump too, and so she was much slower than usual.

She was about half way up and frustrated. She looked up at the branch above. A skinned child (like her!) was balancing on it. Riley frowned. She didn't want to wait. They took too long and she _liked_ climbing! She sprung off the branch she was on, her fingers latching firmly onto the higher branch. The child glanced down and their eyes met. Riley was about to swing herself up. He raised his bare foot. Her mouth opened in an 'O' of surprise as he stepped down hard on her fingers.

She slipped. She could see him standing. Then he turned and jumped to the next branch. She was falling. Her fingers scraped upon the next branch down but couldn't hang on. The next, the next, the next. The ground was coming closer. With a thump she landed on her feet. She landed awkwardly, her ankle buckling under the weight. Her hip hit the hard ground, cushioned by the hilt of her sword that was no cushion at all. She went down with a cry of pain.

Her breath came hard. Pain throbbed in her leg, her side. Sweat broke out on her skin. The tree was above. They were in it, climbing climbing, climbing. She swallowed and awkwardly pushed herself up, all her weight on her right side. She sucked air in, tried to calm her breathing. She began hopping away, her back prickling. What if they saw?

Hop, hop, she hopped away, using trees and bushes for support when she could.

When she got back to their camp her chest was heaving. With disappointment and a little fright she looked around and saw Aerlid was not there. Riley glanced around quickly, her mouth dry, looking for somewhere to hide until he returned. If the little two legs couldn't be trusted neither could the big two legs.

Riley hopped and struggled away from the village and towards the forest. She found a tree and some bushes and hid herself where she could see the camp.

And she waited.

Aerlid returned about an hour later. It felt a long time to Riley. Her ankle and side were throbbing. She was thirsty and tired and scared. Riley struggled from her hiding place and approached him. He noticed her quickly. 'Riley, what is it?' He asked, his eyes narrowing as he came towards her.

'Tree, fell.' she muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.

Aerlid gathered her up and carried her back to their camp, putting her back down again. 'Where does it hurt?' he asked her, though his eyes were already on her ankle.

'Ankle, and here,' she pointed at her left side, just above her sword belt.

He carefully lifted her shirt up and saw a dark, ugly bruise already forming. She must have fallen right on her sword.

From a leather bag Aerlid removed his physician's tools. The ankle was broken, her side was badly bruised and her fingers were scraped raw. Not overly serious, but he could not say the same about the fear in her eyes.

He brushed a hand over her ankle lightly. Her face relaxed as the pain eased and he began setting her ankle.

Chapter 4

Less than a week later, Riley was walking normally again, her ankle injury a thing of the past. Yet she was wary in the village and didn't stray too far from the camp.

The other children mostly ignored her, as if it had been proven she was not a threat.

Yet Riley was getting frustrated and annoyed. She bared her teeth at the children as they passed, her hand brushing her sword, knowing that if Aerlid had seen her snarling like a wild beast she would have received a thump on the head. She didn't want to be frightened. She didn't want to stay here because the children were horrible and mean.

So today she ventured into the woods, determined to overcome her fear. Beforehand she had informed Aerlid of her plan.

She was careful and avoided the other children. They were dangerous, she now knew. They were not to be trusted.

As she played and jumped through the trees her fear gradually eased and was overcome by delight. A wide grin was on her face as she flowed like water up a tree, all the way to the top. She sat on a high, thin branch, overlooking the forest. Calm and content.

She stayed up there, her eyes drifting closed, though she didn't sleep. She enjoyed the feel of the tree against her back, the wind against her body, the pleasure of balancing on a thin branch, and the view of the forest before her. She faced away from the village.

A noise drifted up to her. Her eyes flickered open. The children. Not an unusual noise, she could recognize the pleasure and fear in those voices. Another sound, more uncertain. Another, more fear.

Her eyes flicked open again. They were annoying her. She couldn't make the noises go away, but she could at least see what was happening so she could then ignore it.

Riley flowed down the tree, and then from one to the next. The sounds grew louder as she approached the village. She stopped, her heart hammering in her chest.

A deer. A deer standing by a tree, its head down. But the fur wasn't right. It was a reddish brown, but it looked wrong. Not soft and furry. Jagged and tearing. The deer raised its head. Sharp teeth filled its mouth. The eyes always distressed her most, because they were the same. The same dewy tenderness of a normal deer.

Riley tilted her head back and screamed. It came out like the sound of an owl. The children glanced towards her from where they were gathered in the trees.

Riley looked back at the ehlkrid deer and shivered. As she watched, it reared up and slammed its hooves against the tree the children were in. It shook and creaked. The children screamed and sobbed in fear, some climbed higher up and jumped to other trees.

It reared again. More of the children scampered and leapt into other trees. Soon only three children were left in the tree and they hung on grimly. Riley watched. She could not fight the ehlkrid deer. It was a monster, a terrible monster. She just watched and waited for her call to be answered.

A movement caught her eye. One of the children was trying to reach her tree, but he had jumped badly. The branch he was on swung and shook. He clutched it with his knees and hands, his eyes wide with fear. Riley quickly scampered up to his branch.

Nervously she approached, intending to help him along. Her eyes were on the deer.

She was on his branch, carefully moving along. Then the deer jumped.

It was a prodigious jump, rising near three meters in the air. Its sharp teeth grabbed the shirt of the boy. He screamed, though the deer only had his shirt. In his fright though his hands slipped.

With a cry of dismay Riley jumped out and grabbed his hand as he fell.

He swung from her hand, his chest heaving, his eyes bulging.

The deer circled. Riley heaved him up quickly, her arm shaking from the strain. The boy had his hands on the branch and Riley was trying to pull him up when the deer jumped again. Riley reacted instantly and leapt from the branch.

The deer saw her, started and stopped. It fell gracefully to the ground, its eyes on the easy prey. There was a standoff as Riley and the deer regarded each other. Then Riley turned and ran.

She ran and ran. The deer moved after her quickly and silently. She knew it was there. She was heading towards the village. The ehlkrid was fast, very fast. Not as fast as the mountain cats, but then neither was she.

She needed a tree, but the ehlkrid could jump high and fast too and would likely get her before she could get high enough to be safe. She let loose another owlish scream.

She turned suddenly and rolled. She was on her feet in seconds and was moving again. The deer scrambled, it could not turn as sharply as her.

She didn't risk a glimpse behind. She turned again. The deer was faster this time. Then a flash of silver caught her eye. Riley hit the ground and rolled. Behind her there was an animalistic scream. Riley turned and was on her feet again. The deer was down. It thrashed, its teeth gnashing the air, its hooves flailing.

Aerlid stood over it, his sword dripping blood. He stabbed it again and it went still. He turned to her and said nothing.

'The children are back there. I don't think they got eaten.' Aerlid nodded.

'Shall we go check?' He asked. She nodded. Giving the corpse a wide birth Riley led the way back to the children.

They were still huddled in the trees. Shocked surprise greeted her as she appeared. They'd thought she'd been eaten.

'It's dead now.' Aerlid announced. 'Come down and I'll take you back to the village.' The children clambered down. The pale and trembling group approached and huddled around him as he herded them back. He noticed the boy with the ripped shirt. 'Did it break your skin?' he asked.

The boy shook his head. 'If you feel ill or strange at all, you must tell me at once.' Aerlid said, and the boy nodded fearfully.

Back in the village the children suddenly broke away and hurried to their parents, who had come out of their houses.

'What was that?' one of them asked, approaching Aerlid.

'An ehlkrid deer.' Aerlid said tiredly. 'I killed it, now I need to destroy the body.'

The beast, Olef, stepped forward. 'No! Give it to us and we will take it.'

Aerlid eyes narrowed. 'You intend to eat it.' he said softly. It was not a question.

Olef, a touch of nervousness in him, nodded.

'The ehlkrid flesh will do nothing for you. At best, you will be terribly sick until it is expelled from your body.'

'I have eaten it before!' He roared, a hand pounding his chest. 'I am strong!'

Aerlid paused. 'Are you sure it made you stronger? How sick were you?'

Olef said nothing, which said it all.

'If you wish to eat it, I won't stop you, but be aware, you have not enough...you are not strong enough to gain any benefit from consuming ehlkrid flesh.'

Olef bared his teeth. 'Where is it?'

With a sigh Aerlid pointed into the forest. 'Will you at least burn what you don't eat?'

Olef nodded. 'Aye.'

With that Olef and the rest of the villagers headed into the forest.

Chapter 5

Riley shifted nervously in front of the fire. Aerlid, tired, looked up at her questioningly.

'I don't like it here.' she announced.

Aerlid paused. Neither did he. 'The children have been nicer since you saved one of them?'

She nodded. 'I think...but...' she glanced down. They had been nicer. They'd been positively pleasant. 'I don't like it here.' She didn't trust that niceness. She didn't know what to think of it, how long would it last? Was it truly meant or was it just another game? She didn't understand how things worked here... she had made no friends and didn't think she ever would make friends with these people.

Aerlid nodded. 'I think we should leave.'

Her face brightened instantly. Aerlid felt a pang of sadness at that. She'd smiled so rarely since they'd arrived, she did not feel safe here. When she smiled her whole face was transformed, as with most people. It was a bright, pleasing sight to behold.

'They ate the deer...' she said uncertainly, looking at him.

'They did...' he sighed, 'some believe that eating the flesh of...those things... will strengthen you. And for some it does... but not for people such as these.'

'For us?'

'No.' he said sharply, and instantly relaxed as Riley looked relieved.

'Can we leave soon?'

'Tomorrow.' he promised.

The next morning Aerlid informed Olef that they would be leaving. He received a grunted acknowledgement in response.

After, they packed up their small supplies and buried what had been their fire pit.

As they stood ready to leave the children and adults gathered in the village. Aerlid raised a hand in farewell, as did Riley. They did not bear ill will towards these people, but they weren't comfortable or happy here. The solemn group responded in kind.

They headed towards the forest. Riley turned and asked Aerlid, 'are you supposed to say something?'

Surprised and pleased she had asked he replied, 'farewell is good I believe.'

Riley turned back to the crowd and waved again. This time she cried out, 'farewell!!'

A few smiles broke out on the faces of the children and adults. Then Aerlid and Riley turned their backs and disappeared into the forest.

They travelled through the forest for many weeks and Riley was happy. She was practically skipping along, when she wasn't climbing of course. And she never seemed to tire. They stopped before it got dark so he might teach her more of fighting, with and without a sword. While they travelled her lessons on the world continued. It was a relief to Aerlid to see that she had not been too damaged by her experience in the gemeng village. It was also a relief to release himself. He was no longer pale and small. Every night he sang to his heart's content.

It was on one of these pleasant days of travelling that Riley made her announcement. 'I'm going to fight with two weapons.'

Aerlid's step slowed at that and then he sped up again. 'Two weapons?' he asked cautiously.

'Yes. I need to get a sword smaller than this.'

'You can make a dagger from stone, if you want one you may make it yourself.'

Surprised, she said, 'no, our weapons aren't made from stone!'

'The hunting spears are.' he frowned at her.

'I don't want a hunting knife. I want a dagger that is a weapon like your sword and mine.' She said, quite shocked that he didn't understand this.

He looked at her in surprise, 'what are you going to do with it?'

'Fight with it.'

Aerlid opened his mouth to say something and then closed it. Where did she think these swords came from? Where did she think he was going to get a dagger made from the same material, further, where had she gotten this idea?! He'd certainly never mentioned sword and dagger- or even sword and shield fighting styles to her- mainly because he wasn't familiar with them!

'The sword you have now is little more than a dagger. Perhaps when you're older.'

'When I'm as tall as you?'

'I doubt you'll get as tall as me.'

Riley looked at him askance. 'Of course I will.'

'And how do you know that?' he asked desperately.

'Because I get bigger all the time and you stay the same.'

Aerlid was silent for some time before saying, 'you are going to stop growing, you know.'

Riley, quite stunned by this revelation, said 'no I won't!'

'You will. Once you reach a certain age children stop growing.'

Riley was so shocked that the conversation about swords and daggers ended right there.

After about three weeks of travelling Aerlid began to detect the scent of the ocean in the air above the smells of the forest. He began angling towards it. It had been a long time since he had seen the ocean and it would be a nice change. Not long after, they reached the coast, the forest never far away.

Riley was excited to see something new, but Aerlid kept her on the side of him furthest from the ocean. It was a beautiful thing, and he remembered happier times when he had swam in it freely, but now he could not be sure of its safety.

The beach was not like the beaches he had once swum from. The rough scrub and hardy grasses stopped at a brown sheet of rock. Pits and cracks ran through the sheet, and closer to the shore parts of it became more pebbly while in others it retained its structure.

With the ocean calm, as it was now, the rocks did not seem particularly dangerous, they did not look jagged from this angle. Once strong waves came up, jagged or not, the rocks would be very dangerous. But that was not why Aerlid kept Riley away from the beach.

'Are we going somewhere?' Riley asked, as they walked along the edge of the grass that marked the beginning of the rocks.

The wind played with her hair and the sun beat down from the cloudless sky, warming them pleasantly.

'We are.'

Riley didn't reply for a moment.

The lapping of the waves was peaceful.

'Where are we going?'

'A human city.'

Riley gave him a sidelong look.

'It will be different to the village.'

'Will they step on my fingers?'

'Maybe, though not in the way the gemengs did.'

'Hmm...will they like me?'

'That depends on how nice you are.'

'I was nice to the two legs.' She said after a moment, her gaze focused ahead. She was swinging her legs in a totally inefficient manner again. That meant she was happy, despite her solemn tone.

'Ay, but they aren't like the gemengs. You shouldn't call them two legs.'

Riley didn't bother arguing with that.

'No snarling either.'

She didn't respond. She had mostly grown out of that habit anyway.

That night Aerlid was concerned about the safety of camping near the beach. Something could crawl out of the ocean and attack them, at least in the forest he was familiar with the dangers. He could always stay up all night watching, but that hardly seemed practical when the forest was so close.

Riley didn't mind, so they returned to the forest to prepare dinner and camp.

After dinner was finished and packed away Aerlid sat and relaxed. He let himself forget about the mundane concerns of life and became silent within. The night opened up with a clarity that always astonished him. The breeze against his cheek, the grass beneath him, the sounds of animals, the sounds of Riley. When he was ready he opened his eyes and looked to the moon.

And he sang.

He sang in words Riley could not decipher, though she grasped the edges of their meaning. They were words and sounds she struggled to copy. But she knew the tune. And Riley hummed along with him.

The next day they walked along the beach again. Summer would soon be ending, today though was a lovely day like yesterday. The days were usually lovely in this part of the world.

The travelling was easy and pleasant.

Sometime after lunch Riley spotted a large bird flying over the ocean. She watched it for a few moments, noting that it did not skim the surface of the ocean and maintained a large distance from it at all times. Then suddenly it darted down and shot back up into the sky, a fish caught in its beak.

'Dangerous..' Aerlid murmured. He could practically feel the relief of the bird as its flapping ceased its frantic nature once it was far from the ocean again.

Later they saw another bird, being as careful as the first one. Riley watched it again for a few moments before her attention turned away.

They walked on.

Suddenly a splash and a roar came. Riley turned, startled. She was just in time to see a long glinting blue pillar, standing a good three meters from the ocean. She could discern no marks on the scaly pillar to tell her anything about this creature. No eyes, mouth, no holes or appendages. The bird was gone. Then the creature slowly crashed back into the water. The water swirled and churned in its passing. Only after a couple of minutes did it calm down.

Aerlid stopped and stared. 'A mixed? No...' he said, his eyes on the water. 'Yes, it is. How did _that_ happen?'

Riley looked up at him and took his hand. She was shook up. Aerlid turned away from the water. He glanced down, noticing what she had done and smiled. 'It's alright. Come, let's keep going.'

They did not go back into the forest, but they did move further away from the beach.

They left the beach as the coast began to curve northwards and headed further inland, back to the forest.

Riley did not complain. The ocean was new and exciting, yet scary too. How was she to fight things in the ocean? She could not swim. If they crawled up on land perhaps it would be more even, but the ocean creatures were too alien for her, she feared them.

The days gradually shortened and soon it would begin to grow colder, though it was still weeks before they would have to think of changing their clothes.

There was a purpose to Aerlid's travel that had not been there since he'd decided they should enter the gemeng village. He was going somewhere now.

One day they came to the edge of a cliff. Perched upon the lip of the cliff was an ancient wall of stone, barely higher than Riley. The years had worn the stone down, until its original function could not be discerned. Riley glanced once at the grass underfoot and caught a glimpse of the same rock that made up the wall. They had come across these remnants of an ancient time several times during their travels, but they held little interest to Riley and she paid no further attention to the wall. Aerlid said they were very, very old, and at her obvious disinterest revealed no more.

Aerlid though favoured the wall with a long look, 'this must have been the palace...' he murmured.

Riley did not respond, and instead looked out over the cliff in amazement. It was not forest that greeted her but a vast plain of grass. In the distance the jagged shapes of mountains were just visible, though she did not look at those. She peered over the edge of the cliff. The plains were like an ocean of grass, so they were at once alien and familiar.

Riley spared a glance for Aerlid and grinned at him.

He smiled and sat down on the cliff edge next to her. It was a long drop to the ground below, not that this bothered either of them. 'Those are the Plains.' Aerlid spoke. Riley settled down to listen, her eyes wide with interest, moving between him and the Plains.

'The strongest gemengs in the world are said to live here. I don't know if that's true, nonetheless they are the strongest gemengs in this part of the world. There are many groups or tribes,' he continued, 'these gemengs aren't like the ones you met. Even the weakest would be stronger than all the people in that village combined. No, they are all warriors here, and they are constantly at war with each other. Though...' he cast a critical gaze over the view below, the wind playing with his hair. 'It seems they have more control these days, or perhaps there just aren't any fire masters among them. There was a time when these Plains were often in flames. Fires would rage across from here to there.' and he pointed at the mountains, a blue haze in the distance. 'Many would die, and afterwards the land would be nothing but charred black ruin. It always recovered quickly though. Fire is naturally common in this type of land anyway, just not so... uncontrolled.'

He stopped for a moment, enjoying the peace.

'We won't be going there.' he said after a while. 'It's too dangerous.'

Riley shot him a frown and then reconsidered, remembering the fearsome ocean creatures.

He smiled, knowing what she was thinking. 'Maybe once you get a bit taller.'

They stayed there for a while, Aerlid instructing her in an easy and relaxed manner on the different gemengs he knew of. He'd stop sometimes for great lengths of time; there was no hurry in this instruction. Further, this was one of the few things-fighting- that he knew interested his charge...though interested might be a weak term... either way, she listened attentively and absorbed it after hearing it only once. She also had a disconcerting habit for one so young of coming to her own conclusions about things he had never even spoken of- extrapolating from the lessons. Her decision that she would wield two weapons was only one example.

He told her how to recognize the different types of gemengs, where they would most likely be found, how they tended to fight, their strengths and weaknesses, and if he knew anything about how they lived he told her that too.

After a few hours they moved away from the cliff. Aerlid did not wish to draw the attention of the Plains people, though he had wanted to show this to Riley. He took her through the forest, the course of travel chosen so that they would remain a safe distance from the Plains.

The lessons continued.

It was getting colder. Cold enough that Riley had started giving him baleful scowls for bringing her to this part of the world. Cold enough that it was time to get something warmer to wear.

'Riley,' he called. She was running ahead of him and doubling back whenever she got too far ahead. The thin material of her clothes did little to keep her warm, though running made up for it, and she could run all day.

She trotted back to him, her brows slanted darkly over her eyes.

'We need some coats. You are to make them.'

She turned without a word and started trotting off the way she'd come.

'Off you go!' He said cheerfully, and gave her a gentle boot in the rump.

She started and turned over her shoulder, giving him an injured expression. Still, she ran off quickly and silently.

He did not expect to see her for some hours and continued walking. He knew it would get colder here, but how cold, he wondered? Would the leaves fall and the snows come? Would it get windy and rainy? It hardly mattered however. He had taken her to colder climes before. She hadn't liked it, though she still needed to know how to survive in unpleasant conditions as well as in the pleasant sunny weather of the forest they frequented most often.

Around midday Aerlid found Riley. She had made a camp and was busy preparing the carcass of a dear. When she noticed him she gave him a cross look, but he could tell she wasn't really unhappy. She was working with stone tools. A small smile tugged at his lips. She wouldn't use her sword for cutting up animals, it would never be used for something so mundane. She'd make herself another set of tools before she did that.

The deer was too much for them to eat by themselves. As Riley skinned it Aerlid began preparing the meat and drying it so that they wouldn't have to waste it. Aerlid had taught her to take only what she needed and to use all she took.

Riley used the bones to make a needle. It took a few tries to get it right. She used the sinews to make thread. Then with her recently made knives, needles and thread, Riley set about fashioning cloaks for them. They'd had some once before, but they'd been lost in a freezing mountain stream some time ago, and they'd had no need for a new set since.

Riley didn't finish that day. They stayed at that campsite a few days. By then Riley had made a lovely warm cloak for Aerlid.

He asked her what she was going to wear.

'It'll take ages to eat this meat.' She said. 'I'll make one later.'

'Perhaps we'll find someone in need of food.'

Riley shrugged in uninterested response.

Chapter 6

They left the forest for soft rolling hills. The vegetation was made up of low grasses, with the occasional shrub. The wind was insistent and cutting as it blew across the hills. They had coats now at least, and warm bed rolls.

Aerlid didn't think it would snow in these hills, though it was certainly getting very cold and unpleasant. Further north? Maybe.

Riley did not find the hills particularly interesting. She had stopped running back and forth and trudged along beside Aerlid in sullen silence. Aerlid ignored her sulking.

There was no large game in these hills, so perhaps it was good they were loaded down with enough meat to feed a family for a year. Still, if they chanced upon anyone out here (and Aerlid hoped they would), he fully planned to unload most of their burden on the unsuspecting traveller.

They had been travelling through the hills for almost two weeks. They reached the top of a hill and Aerlid stopped. Riley did too, after a few paces. He stretched and looked around. The sky was grey and cloudy, and there was nothing to see except hills in every direction. It would be easy to get lost here. He glanced down into the shallow valley they would soon be descending into. It had proved quicker to just walk over the hills rather than try and find a way between. He stopped in surprise. Was that a curl of smoke rising from the ground? He could see no hut or camp, or anyone down there at all.

Riley spotted it too and pointed. A hopeful gleam came into her eyes. Was something going to break up their routine?

They walked down the gentle slope towards the smoke. As they got closer Aerlid could see that some of the grass was raised and the smoke was coming out from under this. He got down on his knees and observed it more closely. To him it looked as if it was a trapdoor, hidden with grass and left partly open for smoke to escape.

He shot a look at Riley, she stood beside him.

'Hello?' He called into the smoky gap. 'We are travellers! Is anyone there?' He spoke in the language he knew had once been spoken here. He hoped it hadn't changed too much. It was just one among many languages he knew and had taught to Riley. If this failed he'd try one of the others.

He could always just leave part of the meat by the hole. As long as he didn't have to carry it anymore and it didn't go to waste.

A thought occurred to him. As Riley watched Aerlid changed subtly in front of her. She noted it, but she was not surprised by it. She had seen none of the gemengs from the village do that- though she had an idea that they were quite different to her and Aerlid. She thought no more about that than she did about anything else.

The shine faded from his hair, the sense of vitality and strength drained from him and his skin took on a more leathery, lined look. His shoulders hunched slightly. 'We are human, we are not gemengs!' He called again.

No answer. Aerlid glanced at Riley critically. She didn't appear _too_ strange right now. Perhaps because she was still sulking.

'We have food, if we leave it with you will it be welcome?'

No answer. Aerlid sighed and sat back on his haunches. Someone was there, he was sure. A human most likely, to live in such a craftily hidden home. What a human was doing out here was anyone's guess. A pity it didn't trust them though.

'Stand up slowly. Keep your hands up and turn around.'

Aerlid fell still at the hard, cold voice behind them. So lost in thought was he that he hadn't noticed whoever it was sneaking up on them. Seiaan, he thought idly, they speak Seiaan here. That was good, he and Riley spoke mainly in Akran, but Seiaan was similar (or the version he knew was), and less complicated, and he had taught it to Riley.

Slowly, Aerlid obeyed. He saw Riley had done the same. She did not look frightened, just curious, and he could see why.

A frown lit across his features as he saw who had ordered him up. A dull, greenish helmet covered its head and tough, opaque (he assumed only from this angle) glass (or some other material) covered half its face, leaving only a thin line for a mouth below. It wore a suit of what he could only assume was armour. There was plating of the same colour as the helmet over its chest and thighs and arms. It was attached to what looked like padding. The plating was very thin, and the padding covered it from neck to wrists to ankles. It hands were covered in gloves and it wore sturdy boots on its feet. In its hands it was holding a long thin _something_. Aerlid had no idea what it was, but considering the strangeness of its armour he could only assume it was some kind of weapon.

'What are you doing here? This is a restricted area.'

'We are travellers, we did not know it was restricted.' Aerlid said calmly. How much damage could that thing do, he wondered?

'Travellers.' he sounded like he didn't believe them.

'Yes, travellers, faya.' Aerlid said, using the Seiaan term for someone with authority.

'You claim to be human.'

Aerlid glanced at Riley out of the corner of an eye. Could he claim her as well? 'I am.' he said, 'my companion is not.'

The weapon quickly turned to point at Riley. She was gazing at it, with wide bright eyes.

'We are carrying much meat with us, when I saw the smoke I thought someone might be willing to take it, that is all, faya. I meant no offense.'

'Hmph. Where are you travelling to?'

'Uh...the house of my mother.' He did not know the name of the place they travelled too.

'You're taking a gemeng to see your mother.'

'She is the daughter of my sister, faya.' He lied, a hint of sorrow entering his voice. 'A gemeng...' he glanced quickly at Riley, who was paying no attention to him whatsoever. 'I prefer not to speak of it in front of her, if it pleases you faya. My sister did not survive and I have been looking after her daughter ever since.'

'Hmph. Your mother lives in Astar?'

Aerlid nodded, 'Yes, faya.' It was somewhat galling to be so obsequious to this man.

'Fine. I'll escort you out of the area. When you get to Astar you'll have to be tested...I can't say they'll let the...gemeng...in.'

Aerlid nodded sadly.

He gestured for them to precede him. He walked behind them, the weapon still pointed at their backs. 'You can put your hands down now.' He said after a while.

'What place is this?' Aerlid asked after a while. He did not see any other humans or signs of habitation. Craftily hidden indeed.

'Resource extraction.' he replied after a few tense moments. 'Very well defended.' He added, a warning note in his voice.

What did he think they would do? Go find some big mean gemengs and tell them there were humans here? Aerlid did not respond, though he was curious nonetheless. He was pleased Riley wasn't asking about the weapon though. Of all the things in the world, the one thing that engaged her curiosity was fighting and all things related. Yet she seemed a surprisingly peaceful child, at least compared to the gemeng children.

They walked for almost an hour before the guard called a halt. The hills here didn't look any different to the hills anywhere else, though Aerlid supposed they were.

'Keep walking that way.' the guard pointed. 'Stay away from this area.'

Aerlid looked around. 'It all looks the same.'

A small smile tugged at the guard's mouth. 'Good. Just don't wander to the east and you should be fine.'

'Thank you, faya. May the Lord and Lady bless you.'

The guard frowned a bit and nodded, though he didn't move.

'Faya, would you take any meat?'

The guard hesitated. 'Leave it here.'

With a smile Aerlid quickly removed his pack and began piling up meat they didn't really need. He left a little under half in his pack. 'Thank you!' Aerlid said, with a deal more meaning than before, then quickly added, 'faya.'

'Off you go now.' And the guard made a gesture with his weapon.

Aerlid took Riley's shoulder and they started walking. He was aware of the guard watching them for a while. Aerlid didn't turn around to check if he left.

Riley, thankfully, did not ask about the 'creature', as she put it, until the next morning.

The hills had ended and they were back in a forest. Riley was happy. He had told her from now on they were only to speak Seiaan together, something she had accepted without comment. She was bouncing around and climbing and running all over the place. So much so that Aerlid ended up carrying her coat more often than she did.

The forest here was different to the one that Riley perhaps thought of as home, if she thought of any place like that. For one, there were no leaves and the trees were stark and bare. Riley knew what that meant. She gave the trees a sorrowful look, Aerlid a dark one and climbed anyway.

'Will we be gone before it gets cold?' Riley asked hopefully, speaking in Seiaan, not Akran. Her Seiaan was not as good as her Akran.

'I do not think so.'

He stifled a laugh at the expression on her face. 'We are almost there I think.'

'We're going to live here.' her tone was expressionless.

'Aye.'

Riley didn't talk to him for the next few days.

Two days after Riley started talking to him again they found a road. Riley was thrilled. She had only ever seen a road in the gemeng village and so they were very new to her. And this one was much wider than the road in the gemeng village, though still only made of dirt. Aerlid looked back over his shoulder and saw the road came from the west. They had come from a more south-easterly direction.

Not long after that they found an encampment just off the side of the road. More 'creatures' patrolled the encampment and appeared to be in the process of moving people out of it.

'You failed the test. You can't stay here.' They heard from somewhere within the camp, and more like it.

Riley stayed close to Aerlid, her expression closed.

The camp was small and consisted of tents and bedrolls in a rough circle beside the road. Gemengs roamed through it. Mostly, these gemengs were skinned, though there were some furry, scaly, strange looking ones too. Some sat shivering by fires, others watched the human guards as they hurried the gemengs who had already been tested out of human lands. 'If you don't leave within 24 hours of failing your test we _will_ shoot you. Now move!'

Aerlid stayed on the side of the road furthest from the camp and they hurried on. They rounded a corner and stopped suddenly, for there was a line right in front of them. At the end of the line was a block of a building. Riley peered around the line at it curiously. Another thing she had never seen.

Aerlid raised his eyes above the block, above the trees and saw, barely visible, the tops of buildings. He lowered his eyes, his heart beating fast. He had seen cities that made anything the humans had ever made look like little more than the encampment back there, still...it had been a long, _long_ time...

'Excuse me, faya.' Aerlid spoke politely to the man ahead of him. 'What is this line for?'

The man turned around, revealing small, watery eyes with two small horns just above. 'For the testing centre.' he said, his voice so thick it was hard to understand him.

'Thank you.' Aerlid said and the man turned back around.

Riley was looking up at him. 'We will stay in this line for now.' Riley's brow crinkled. Aerlid thought he would have to explain the theory of queues to her while they were here...another thing she had never come across. 'Then we will go through that building, and perhaps after we will be in Astar.'

'Astar.' Riley sounded the word out. 'Is it a tree?'

'...No. It is a...it is like a village, but bigger.'

For a second she looked small and frightened. She moved a bit closer to him. Aerlid, a fond smile on his face, patted her head. Slowly and subtly, he began fading and changing. Riley glanced at him once and paid no more attention to his change.

The line moved forward slowly. As it moved he thought. Aerlid, he thought, was not a very human name. And they were bound to mispronounce it and call him 'Erlid' or 'Arlid' instead of 'Ay-erlid' (the first syllable was pronounced like 'hay' without the 'h'). Riley had called him 'Erlid' for a while, though that was excusable in a child, and certainly in a child who could not even pronounce her own name. She had decided Riley was the appropriate way to shorten her name and that was what she had been ever since.

To Riley he said, 'Call me Arntar.'

'Arntar.' she repeated after a moment, testing it.

'Now, what's a good Seiaan family name...? Meilis. I'll be Arntar Meilis and you'll be Riley Meilis.'

'Arntar Meilis. Riley Meilis.' She mimicked, not showing the slightest interest in her new name.

'That's right.' He told her.

And that was the end of that.

That night they camped in line, and the next too. Once again, Aerlid refrained from singing. He heard from the people around him that weapons weren't allowed into Astar. The gemengs in line advised him to leave his weapons with the guards, if he failed he'd want them back. The next morning they were standing in front of glass doors, at the head of the line.

Two guards stood at the door, one on either side. A third stood in front, he was directing people into the centre.

'You,' he gestured at Aerlid. 'You're a gemeng?' he asked.

'No... but my companion,' and he patted Riley's head. She looked up and smiled beautifully at the guard, 'is a gemeng, faya.'

'Hn. Well, you can go in together. They'll check you too, just to make sure. Some gemengs try and pretend to be human...' he shook his head. 'Oh, you'll have to hand over your weapons before entering. You can get them back later if you fail, not that the testing should be a problem for you... if you're a human.'

Aerlid calmly handed over all their knives.

'We have to check you just to make sure.' the guard told him. 'Some people try to sneak weapons in...'

Aerlid made some commiserating noises and knelt down by Riley. 'You must not be scared now.' His hands gripped her shoulders tightly. 'Just do what the nice people say and everything will be fine.'

A strange feeling was coming over Riley. She felt lightheaded and tingly. She nodded anyway.

Aerlid stood up and let the guards pat him down. The second guard remained by the door, his strange, long, thin weapon at the ready. After finishing with Aerlid the guard moved on to Riley.

'Alright, that's it. Go on through.'

Aerlid smiled and thanked them. Taking Riley's hand he led her through the open doors and into the corridor beyond. The sword on his waist and on hers went by unremarked.

A woman, wearing less armour than the guards but still some, sat behind a glass window. She looked up at them, uninterested. 'Gemeng?' she asked.

'No, I am human, my companion is a gemeng, fena.' he repeated, using the feminine form of faya.

'Hm. How old is she?'

'Seven. If it is alright, I would like to stay with her, fena.'

'Go to the door on the left. Off you go.'

Aerlid nodded and still holding Riley's hand, walked to the door on the left, which opened as he approached.

It was a small room. A man in a coat was waiting. He smiled and asked them to step into the room. As they did he locked the door.

'Ok, which one of you thinks he's human?' he asked cheerfully.

Aerlid repeated what he had told the guard and the woman. The man in the coat took some of his blood and took it over to some vials and strange looking instruments.

'This'll take about ten minutes. Why don't you sit down and relax?'

Riley surveyed the room in wonder. She was more than occupied for the next ten minutes.

'Well, look at that! You are human!' The man unlocked the door and gestured them towards it. 'Off you go! Have a nice day.'

The door slid closed behind them and they were back in the small room with the lady behind the glass. Riley had been quite disappointed they'd had to leave.

They waited as the lady was talking to a long, lanky man. He moved off to the door on the right. Then the lady called Aerlid and Riley over.

'Ok sir, you're officially human.' and Aerlid was graced with a smile. 'I just have to ask you some questions.'

As he answered the lady made tapping motions on little squares set in front of her. Aerlid was fascinated, something even he had never seen! He managed to refrain from asking about it.

Aerlid told her his name (Arntar), his age, where he was born, why he had been travelling and so on and so forth... most of which was lies.

'Ok, that's all.' the lady said after a quarter of an hour. 'Now you'll have to take the girl to the door on the right. Room 4. Have a nice day.' She smiled at him again.

Aerlid murmured a response, smiled and led Riley to the door on the right. It opened as they approached, revealing a hallway with doors coming off it. He could see the doors were numbered one to six. As they approached door 4 opened for them.

Davi looked up as the door opened and a man and a girl (or was it?) stepped into the room.

He smiled welcomingly at them as he looked them over. The man, he had been informed, was human. There was a slight hunch to his shoulders, though his arms were nothing but corded muscle. Well, they'd have to be if he travelled outside the human lands- and survived. His hair was long and grey. His skin was lined and leathery with years of outside work, and his eyes, very pale eyes, were quick and calculating. He smiled at Davi, and his face brightened. Davi relaxed slightly.

The man carried a white coat in his arms. Around his waist was a belt, upon which a sword hung. He knew little about swords. They were gemeng weapons. For some reason, it didn't occur to him to question why this human was allowed to carry a weapon.

He turned his gaze on the girl. Apparently, she was seven. If she was human, he would have put her around that age, but she wasn't, and you could never be sure with gemengs. She was holding the hand of the man and looking around with wide eyes. She was paying Davi very little attention. She wore black. There was little else to say. It was just a plain, unadorned black suit that went from her neck to her ankles to her little black boots. On her waist, like the man's, was a belt and sword. Her eyes were big and green in a pale face. White face. No. He looked more closely. White? His heart skipped a beat. No, she didn't look human at all. He had seen white skinned humans. Most were freckly. Most were a little sick looking. He had never seen skin like this. She was perfectly white, there were no freckles or discolourations on her skin. And there was nothing unhealthy or weak about it either. It almost shone. He'd never seen skin that looked so vital and alive. His eyes dragged as he looked towards her hair. Black. But black like her skin was white. Black that was not different to white, but the same. More same than different. Black looked happy on her. Black looked positively cheerful- it looked like _yellow_! But wait...he blinked. It was still there. A flash of green in her hair, though the light hadn't changed. He was momentarily reminded of green meadows and summer leaves. Then it was gone.

She wasn't human. Oh no, definitely not human. (Though he'd never seen a gemeng like her either).

He smiled, his smile shaky. 'H-hello. I'm Davi, you are?'

The girl's eyes flicked to his and he wished they hadn't. 'My name is Riley.' she said solemnly and somewhat stiffly, didn't she introduce herself often? She held out her hand.

Davi smiled sickly and didn't take her hand. He turned instead to the cupboards. 'Well Riley, we're just going to do a few tests, alright?'

Behind him Riley was turning to the older man. 'Yes, you said it right.' There was a touch of pride in his voice. Davi didn't pay attention.

He turned back around, a needle in his hand. 'We'll take some blood first, is that alright?'

She nodded again.

But he didn't approach. He shook his head slightly, his brain hurting as he looked at her weapon. Something didn't seem quite right. But he said, 'Uh... please remove your weapon.'

A touch of defiance came into her features. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind he thought, she doesn't hide her feelings well.

'Riley, I will hold onto it.'

'But-'

'Riley, please.'

There was something in that tone that made the monstrous girl sigh and unbuckle her belt. She handed it to the older man. The pain in Davi's head subsided and he forgot about the sword.

Davi almost wished he was testing a giant furry gemeng with fangs that couldn't speak. The strangeness of this girl was almost too much for him. Even so, he stepped forward and asked her to hold out her arm. She did so.

He hesitated to touch her. But he did, and rolled up her sleeve, and found her arm felt no different than a human arm. Perhaps she just looked strange? He was very surprised when the needle went into her arm without any trouble. Even more so when dark red blood came out, doubly surprised when the needle didn't burst into flames. He'd seen that before. Those gemengs failed.

He moved away quickly and went through the tests automatically. Metal, wood, paper. Then put the blood in the vials and watch the colours...

Nothing burst into flames. Nothing corroded away. No strange smells, smokes, colours or fireworks. The liquid in the vials turned the right colour too, with layered yellows and oranges. He was horrified. No, she couldn't be...she was a _monster_!

Despite his misgivings he turned back to the girl and smiled. 'Alright, now another test. This one will hurt a bit, ok?'

Riley's eyes narrowed in suspicion at him, though he didn't notice as he gathered his tools and approached her. The girl was getting the feeling this male didn't like her. Didn't trust her. Feared her. She didn't like it.

He measured the width of her shoulder. Narrow. 'Hmm...you're going to have to remove your shirt.'

Riley stared at him.

'You have something under there, don't you?'

Riley slowly nodded.

'Ok, off it comes, I need your shoulder bare.'

Riley glanced at Aerlid, her expression pained. Aerlid merely nodded at her, so Riley complied. She pulled off her shirt and handed it to Aerlid. Underneath it she just wore a singlet. These clothes she had had all her life. She'd noted she couldn't have made them from any animal she had ever come across, but she had never asked Aerlid where his and her clothes came from.

Davi turned back and measured the fat of her shoulder. Little.

'Alright, now go stand over there.' he pointed and Riley moved to stand on a red line marked on the floor.

Davi moved back to the cupboard, replaced the tools and got out the energy weapon. He changed the settings and moved to his position.

He raised the weapon. For a moment it hovered at her face. Then he lowered it to her shoulder. Pulled the trigger.

There was a zap and hiss, the smell of burning flesh. The girl's mouth opened in an 'o', her eyes wide. She was very still. Then she began shaking.

Davi looked at her in shock. Straight through. He could see the wall through the hole-no more than a centimetre across- in her shoulder.

Aerlid, sickened, asked, 'is that all?'

Davi nodded. Aerlid moved to Riley and touched her other shoulder carefully. 'It's alright now. It's alright...'

Davi, his fear gone, moved towards the cupboard. He replaced the weapon and got out some medical supplies. He'd almost been...he chuckled to himself, he'd almost been expecting _nothing_. He'd thought the gun would not hurt her. He didn't know why but that was what he'd thought.

He turned back to the pair. There was no blood- the flesh was seared shut. 'Alright, I'll just patch that up for you. You'll have a big scar, perhaps some difficulty moving it, perhaps not.'

'That's the last test?' Aerlid asked, his voice wobbling in his effort to stay calm.

Davi did not notice. He nodded. 'Yes. Go on back to Ingia and fill out some forms, and then you'll be starting your new life in Astar!'

Chapter 7

Filling out those forms felt like something out of a nightmare. Riley could barely move from shock and pain. Aerlid was straining at the leash. He needed to heal her. He needed to gut that monster of a tester. Why was this woman explaining credit repayment schedules to him?!

It was something of a miracle they got through those forms without Aerlid threatening anybody. They rented an apartment. He was given a loan which he would have to pay back, and a probationary job at a clinic. If he didn't meet the standards of the clinic he would have to go to the bureau of something or other to get another job. A school for Riley was organized. Leaflets were handed out. Aerlid thought he was going to bite his tongue in two. Riley sat on the floor, her back against the wall. The only reason Aerlid got through it was that one hand was lightly touching her head and that was enough, just enough, to start healing her.

'You'll pass through Garrondin before coming to Astar.' the lady was saying. Aerlid struggled to pay attention, this at least was important.

'It's a village full of gemengs, they won't bother you though. They're part of the defence network, so you needn't be afraid, just go straight through.'

'...huh?' Aerlid said stupidly.

She explained slowly. 'They're part of Astar's defence system. They're provided with gemeng weapons by Astar, not human ones. They won't bother you, so you can go straight through the village without any trouble.'

Aerlid nodded slowly. 'Yes, I understand.' he managed. 'Please keep going.'

She finished giving him directions, and a map, then it was done. Finally done. He gathered Riley into his arms, trying to be careful of that terrible hole in her shoulder. He walked slowly, barely aware of his surroundings. Riley slept in his arms as he made his way through forest, Garrondin, more forest, then past a wall. Then he was inside Astar. It all passed in a blur. He had directions, and he was determined and careful. Should he get lost that was more time wasted that he needed to spend fixing her shoulder. So it was that he made it to their apartment complex without losing his way.

Then there was another painful conversation, this time with the landlord. At least he saw how tired they were and quickly let them go. He asked if he needed directions to a clinic. Aerlid responded, 'No'.

The apartment was sparsely furnished. He barely noticed. He found a small room with a bed in it and carefully laid Riley down. There was a chair in the next room which he brought in and put next to the bed. Sitting in it, he laid his hands over her shoulder and closed his eyes.

He stayed that way all night.

The next day when Aerlid awoke it was past dawn. The sun shone brightly through the open shutter doors to the balcony. The living room was bright, the bedroom somewhat darker. It was the first time in he didn't know how long that he hadn't sung because he'd fallen _asleep_. Hardly a fitting way to treat the Lady, but if the Lady had something to be upset about, this was the least of it. He looked down at Riley. His hands were still on her shoulder. Dangerous. He carefully removed them. The hole was gone, her shoulder unmarked. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He'd have to wait til she woke to see how her mobility was. Aerlid tried to stand. Dizziness hit him so hard he stumbled, caught himself on the wall.

Riley still slept. She would likely sleep the rest of the day and then some.

Carefully, he stumbled out of the room and shut the bedroom door softly. He slid down the door and hit the floor with a soft thump. He cradled his head in his hands. Healing Riley and fooling the testers had taken a lot out of him. His head was thick and foggy, the sunlight felt like spikes thrust into his skull. His stomach didn't seem like it wanted to behave. He sighed and stretched out his legs, lifting his head up. Slowly he opened his eyes and waited for them to adjust. The spikes of sunlight faded. He needed to eat. And wash. There must be somewhere to wash but at the moment he couldn't remember where. Slowly, with a groan he stood, shaking.

He took some food from their packs and had a little nibble, just enough to settle his stomach. Gathering his courage, he left the apartment, taking the key with him.

Their apartment was on the second floor. The bathrooms, he found, were on the ground floor. Despite his discomfort he still managed to be pleasantly surprised to see the humans here had proper plumbing. He took great pleasure in his shower. It wasn't warm, but that was ok. It wasn't as if he'd had hot showers out in the wild. It woke him up and stilled the pounding in his head.

He needed to find somewhere he could wash his clothes. He had one pair of what he thought of as 'real' clothes (this set included his white coat), the rest were animal skins. His real clothes needed a wash- he had worn them coming into Astar, and he doubted the clinic staff would be too impressed if he turned up in animal skins. Right now though, he wasn't up to finding the landlord and asking.

He returned to the apartment and sat down in the chair gratefully. He ate some more food, slowly. As he ate he looked over their new home.

There was a small kitchen opening off the living room he was sitting in and one bedroom. The living room wall opposite the entrance consisted of wooden shutters. Outside was a small balcony that overlooked the entrance to the apartment block. The shutters were open at the moment and through them he could see grey stone and... more grey stone. The apartment floor was tiled, the walls bare stone. There was a table and one chair in the living room and a single bed, and the other chair, in the bedroom. There was no bathroom in their apartment; it was communal. Why was there only one bed? he wondered vaguely. They had slept on the ground out in the wild, so it wouldn't matter if they did that here. Could you buy beds from somewhere?

His thoughts drifted on and he went back to surveying the apartment. It was small, and sparse, but at least it was clean. The kitchen consisted of a sink, a counter and some cupboards. It wasn't much of a kitchen. Still, it was luxury compared to what he had become used to. He vaguely remembered something about a communal stove and icebox.

After his survey of his new domain he had a flip through the leaflets the hellishly slow lady at the testing centre had given him. The first thing he looked at was a map of Astar. Well, part of Astar. Mainly the poor parts. The clinic he was to report to was marked. So was the office he was to go to if he didn't meet the standards of the clinic staff. He felt it was more likely that they wouldn't meet _his_ standards. Shops were also marked, as was Riley's school. He studied it curiously. It didn't look too far. He fully intended to walk her to school and pick her up. She didn't have the sense of time city folk did and he thought it was more likely she'd wander off and try and climb a few buildings and probably arrive at school just as everyone was leaving.

There was also a set of instructions. It had details on his payment plan- useful since he barely remembered any of that- and rules and customs of Astar. It was like a traveller's guide in that respect. Then again, he didn't think there were many travellers these days, at least, not the type who travelled for pleasure. There was also information on the education system. This he read more closely. From a quick perusal it seemed education was very important to the Astarians. Education was free. All of it. After five years of schooling children were expected to choose a general area of work- military, research, medicine, resources, farming, administration or civilian. Research, medicine, farming and resource followed the same path for two more years- two more years where children could choose which path they wished to follow. Afterwards they split, farming and resource students having one more year of education together before learning the rest of their trade on site. Administration and civilian also followed the same path for three years. Military was entirely different. A year was spent learning basic things, then they split off into four parts. His eyes widened- space? Space followed military for a year, seeming to weave in and out of research and the air force.

'They are ambitious...' he thought. But why? Perhaps even more surprising than that was that education was free even after the primary level. Getting in was solely determined by ability. He had a closer read. Where did people go who couldn't get in anywhere else? It took some close reading that set his head pounding again, but it sounded like military or civilian- whatever that was-was the place for those people.

As he looked over the pamphlets he wondered how long they would stay here and whether Riley would have to make a choice. He had a pretty good idea what she would choose. He was supposed to return these pamphlets after a week. They were paper- and paper, he was getting the feeling, was very valuable here. As were stoves and iceboxes and bathrooms apparently.

He spent the rest of the day in the apartment. He left once around dinner time to talk to the landlord on the first floor. The landlord was willing to show him around and explain how everything worked. He showed him the ice box- it was quite large and had a number of compartments in it. He handed him a key and told him he was only to store food and told him how long everything would last in there. Aerlid wondered what else he would store in there but didn't ask... He also found out where the laundry facilities were.

He checked on Riley, found her still sleeping. He closed the door gently behind him. That night he slept on the floor.

The next day Aerlid awoke at dawn. He was tired and gritty but he needed to get ready for his first day of work. He stumbled around the apartment for about half an hour, checking on Riley, nibbling on some food, checking on Riley again.

He was concerned about leaving her alone the entire day. Would she wake, alone in an unfamiliar place and panic? Aerlid ate as much as he could stomach then settled back into the chair by Riley's bed. Closing his eyes he placed his hands lightly on her shoulder.

By the time he was done his stomach was growling again, but Riley wouldn't wake til he returned, and she wasn't going to starve while she slept.

That done he showered and prepared what he'd bring to work. He pawed through the chips of delicate veined marble that passed for money here. His cleanest clothes were animal skins, so he was hoping he'd be able to buy some new clothes on the way to the clinic. However he wasn't sure how many of these chips he should bring. With a grumble he gathered some of each size into a bag, along with some food. Then he left, locking the door behind him.

Once outside he glanced up at the sky. Without a timepiece he could only make an approximate guess as to the time so he hoped he wouldn't turn up late. Walking at a pace that, when healthy, he could keep up all day, he followed the route he had chosen from the map. It would take him past some shops without too much of a detour.

The first clothing store he found wasn't open. In fact, looking around the street, nothing was open. He sighed and glanced at the sky again. The streets here were wide and straight and made of hard packed dirt with stone gutters. Between the gutters and the buildings was a strip of dirt wide enough for two people to walk abreast. This was where he walked. The buildings in this part of the city were low, one story affairs. Most of the buildings had large windows with sturdy, tightly shut wooden shutters in place. Signs were painted upon the bare stone above the windows. He saw further into the city the unremarkable grey buildings rose in an orderly fashion. Astar was not a beautiful city by any stretch of the imagination. Despite this, everything looked solidly made and well maintained.

Aerlid waited on the sidewalk, carefully watching the sun all the while. It was perhaps an hour before he spotted a human walking towards him.

The human eyed him without fear.

'Do you work here, fa?' Aerlid asked, as the man came closer. This time he used the polite term for someone who did not warrant a 'faya'.

He shook his head and Aerlid's heart fell. 'I work next one over.' he said.

At that Aerlid beamed. 'Do you sell clothes, fa?'

The man nodded and smiled slightly. 'I suppose you'll be wanting some?'

'Yes, please.' he tried and failed to keep relief from his voice.

Aerlid waited for the man to unlock and open the door. The store was dark inside. Aerlid tried to wait out of the way while the man bustled around. He kept the door open with a doorstop and unshuttered the windows. The effect was immediate. Aerlid blinked to keep the spots from his eyes as the shop lit up brightly. There was no glass in the windows.

The shop was quite small. A small selection of clothes and other items were displayed along the walls. At the back of the room was a counter, and behind this another room filled with boxes.

'So, have a look around. When you find what you like I'll fetch it from the back for you.'

Aerlid had a wander around and examined all the items. It didn't take long. Like the buildings of Astar, the clothes were well made and serviceable but not much to look at. It was more a matter of choosing the right size than choosing what he liked. In a few minutes he had the sizes he wanted. The man disappeared for a few moments before returning with his items; two new pairs of clothes for Aerlid and Riley.

'That'll be a square bar half.'

It was then Aerlid realized he had a problem.

The shopkeeper smiled as Aerlid looked at him blankly. He took some money out from under the counter and laid it out carefully. He pointed at the smallest piece, 'this is an eighth.' he pushed two eights together and put them next to a whole piece of the same size. 'Two eighths make a quarter.' He then pushed the eighths and the quarter together. 'Two quarters make a half bar and two half bars make a bar.' He glanced up at Aerlid who nodded to show he understood. 'Two bars make a square, two squares make a half and two halves make a block.'

Aerlid nodded. Then he looked down at the pieces of stone in his bag. 'And I owe you...'

'A square...' he nodded when Aerlid brought one out. 'One bar and a half bar.'

He smiled. 'That's settled then.'

'Would I be able to get changed here, fa?' Aerlid asked carefully.

The shopkeeper, amused, gestured towards an alcove he hadn't noticed before, with a curtain in front of it. 'Go ahead.'

Aerlid quickly changed and gathered his things in his bag. He thanked the shopkeeper, silencing the voice in his mind saying he could have been swindled and left the store looking like a regular Astarian.

After that he quickly made his way to the clinic, glancing up at the sun all the way.

Aerlid returned to the apartment bone tired but satisfied. He had indeed met the standards of the clinic staff, though it had been harder than he'd thought. He was tired and in a completely new place. He'd had to go back and use skills he hadn't practiced in a long time. He couldn't exactly just lay his hands on a patient and heal them with his colleagues watching.

He dumped his purchases on the table and went to check on Riley. He brushed his hand over her head lightly. She would awake naturally when she was ready.

He closed the door quietly and went back to the living room, munching slowly on dried meat. He'd have to buy some vegetables somewhere, he thought idly.

What were they doing, shooting people like that? he wondered. How exactly did they expect a wound like that to heal? At best, left to their methods, she'd never be able to move her shoulder again and have a very unpleasant scar. How did they test those settings anyway? Did they round up Astarians, put them into groups and shoot them?

'Oh damn, looks like it didn't go all the way through...NEXT!'

He rather doubted that.

His mood soured, he stopped eating, no longer in the mood.

Stretching out on the floor, he was asleep in moments.

When he woke it was morning.

Aerlid blinked and raised a hand to his eyes. Slowly he sat up and stretched.

He checked on Riley before showering. When he returned he noticed in pleasant surprise someone had been at the food. That was a good sign. He went into the bedroom and found her curled up asleep, lying on her good shoulder. He didn't want to wake her yet he didn't want to force her to sleep the rest of the day again either.

Gently he woke her without touching her shoulder.

She looked at him blearily.

'Riley, I am going out. I will not be back til it is dark. Ok?'

She nodded, but he doubted whether she understood.

'You're safe here, I want you to stay here, ok?'

She nodded again, her eyes fluttering closed.

He closed the door carefully behind him. He didn't think he should- or could- do anymore to her shoulder until she woke up and he could test her mobility.

He left early and ambled slowly to work. He arrived promptly on time.

When he returned home that evening Riley was awake. She was sitting on a chair in the living room, her legs dangling off the ground, looking groggy. Aerlid thought she looked how he felt.

'How are you feeling?' he asked.

'S'ok.' she mumbled.

'I think you need a shower.'

'Shower?'

To say Riley was surprised when she saw the shower was a bit of an understatement. Aerlid spent a good five minutes explaining to her that she wasn't to take very long- water (as well as everything else) was precious here. When he was done he still wasn't sure she understood, though she nodded, her eyes wide.

He hoped she wouldn't stay and gawk at the shower, or try to experiment with it, but there was really no telling. He wondered if their shower privileges would be revoked. The fact she was wobbly on her legs was probably in their favour right now. She _couldn't_ take long. He listened intently to her shower, listening for the sound of her falling.

Despite his worries Riley finished quickly and Aerlid was reduced to interrogating her about whether she'd actually used soap. He gave her a sniff, decided grudgingly that yes, she had used soap, and ushered her back up to their apartment.

They had dinner together. He'd bought some fruit and carefully shared an apple out between them. He felt they both needed it. The pricing of food was curious here; it depended on how much you bought. If you bought just enough to survive the pricing was low, once you started adding more food the price of every item increased substantially. It seemed the authorities wanted everyone to have enough to eat, but no one to eat more than they absolutely had to. He wondered how it worked- what if someone else from the family came and bought food? What if you went to a different store? He hadn't asked.

Aerlid's mood improved markedly as they ate. Riley was eating with both hands, moving her injured shoulder easily.

'I am going to see how your shoulder is.' he told her once dinner was done.

She nodded, looking half asleep. Aerlid placed a hand carefully on her shoulder and closed his eyes. He didn't heal, just examined. When he removed his hand dizziness hit him so hard he almost fell.

Carefully he made his way back to his chair.

Riley looked at him with worry in her eyes.

'I think I need to sleep now.' he said, swallowing thickly. He needed to rest. He needed good food. 'You should go to sleep too.' He wouldn't be able to do any more for her shoulder for a while. Perhaps a long while. Neither would he be healing anybody in the clinic with anything but human methods.

Riley slid off the chair and came over and patted his hand. He smiled at her. Then she went to the bedroom. By the time she was there Aerlid was asleep on the floor.

Chapter 8

The week Riley had first awoken had been hellish. Aerlid had worried constantly over her shoulder, and worked every day, when what he really needed to do was sleep for three days straight. Now though, Riley seemed fully recovered and he was starting to feel half alive again himself. He couldn't be sure about her shoulder though, not until _he_ was recovered enough to check properly. She'd practiced some routines the other day and he hadn't noticed that she was favouring her other side or having difficulty moving her shoulder at all.

Yesterday he'd noticed Riley was getting shifty about being locked in the apartment all day. He'd taken that as a good sign. There was one day of rest every seven days. Last Restday both of them had been too tired to do anything, but this Restday he intended to show her Astar. As preparation for that, he'd had to tell Riley that she wasn't to go catch any birds (or Lady forbid, somebody's pet) for food.

That morning before work he moved some of the meat to the ice box. It didn't really need to be there to last, but it kept the bugs from getting at it, at least. When he arrived at the clinic he was greeted in a friendly manner by his colleagues. He hadn't been in the right state to pay much attention to them previously, and thankfully they had understood. His colleagues were typical Astarians. They were a people with pale blonde or light brown hair and predominantly blue eyes. Men and women wore their hair in the same way; short.

'You're a little early today, Arntar. Keila and Lann aren't here yet.' Jania, the receptionist said with a smile. She was an older woman and reminded Aerlid of a grandmother. She also acted as a physician when she wasn't in charge of the waiting room. 'How is your little girl? Do you have someone looking after her while you're here?' she asked.

'No, she is alone. I do not know anyone and I am not sure if this is an appropriate place for her, fei...'

'Nonsense! Bring her with you, she can play with the toys. I can watch her while I'm here. Better than being alone all day.'

Aerlid smiled, 'thank you.'

There was the sound of a door opening. Aerlid turned as Keila, one of the two other workers at their small clinic, arrived.

She smiled when she saw him and said hello to Jania. 'You look better today.' she said to Aerlid, looking him over critically with a physician's eye. 'How is your little girl?'

'Better. I think she will be ok.' he sighed, trying to keep his expression from darkening.

'You should bring her in.' she said frankly. 'If she needs her arm removed better to do it now.'

Aerlid's stomach clenched, the blood drained from his face. Keila suddenly rushed towards him and sat him down on one of the chairs. 'There, there, I'm sure it will be all right. That's just the worst case scenario, it doesn't happen often.'

Aerlid swallowed. 'No...no, she's ok, fei.' He suddenly wondered what would happen when people realised Riley had full mobility in her shoulder. Almost as if she'd never been shot. He shook his head, trying to push those thoughts away. He couldn't deal with that right now. Suddenly he asked Keila about her child- he vaguely remembered she had one.

The conversation turned to his worries about Riley starting school, which seemed rather pale in comparison to his other concerns. Keila was quite charmed by his concern for his niece- that was the story he was going with- and told him she often took her son to the park to play with the other children.

Keila looked up as the first patient of the day came in. 'Well, why don't you and your niece come to the park with us on Restday? It'll give her a chance to meet some other children before she starts school.'

Aerlid had trouble hiding his surprise at her kind offer. 'Yes, that would be- thank you, fei.' He was relieved and apprehensive at the same time. Well, if something was to go wrong, better it go wrong with fewer witnesses.

She smiled kindly at him and touched his arm. 'Don't worry, everything will be fine.' Then she stood, her attention turning to the patient.

As soon as Aerlid arrived home that night Riley popped up to greet him- she'd been waiting. Aerlid felt another surge of relief at her bright smile and shifting feet. She was recovering nicely.

He'd been too tired to continue her lessons, fighting or intellectual, though that didn't stop her from practicing.

'What have you been doing all day?' He asked as he sat down on the hard wooden chair. No comfort here.

Riley smiled, 'training! And cleaning.' she frowned as she looked around. 'There was not much to clean.' With a frown she asked, 'where do you sleep?'

'On the floor.' he replied.

'Why do I not sleep on the floor?'

'Because you were sick.'

'But I am not now.'

'I think you still need some rest.'

'You sleep on that...' she waved at the bedroom.

'Bed.' Aerlid supplied.

'Bed. I will sleep on the floor.'

'Riley-'

'When do I get my parrying dagger?' she asked, excitement back in her voice.

Aerlid closed his eyes. Riley was like that. When she thought the conversation was over, it was over. But a bed would be a welcome change, so he wouldn't argue about it now. He'd have to buy an extra one sometime soon. Well, if furniture was priced like food, at least it shouldn't be too expensive.

Wait... what had she said? 'You still want a parrying dagger?' he asked, his voice weak.

'Yes!' she beamed.

'You know most people suffice with just one weapon, would that not suit you? And you really should master one weapon anyway before moving on to two.'

'No, two suits me.' Was that contempt in her voice? Where on earth had she gotten such ideas? He'd certainly never spoken to her of dual wielding. She was still talking, though he wasn't paying as much attention, 'and I should practice now. I'll practice both styles. You teach me hand to hand and sword fighting at the same time. Why can't I learn to use one and two weapons at the same time?'

Aerlid opened his eyes and sat up. He looked deeply into her eyes. The wan tiredness dropped from him and he shone, shone like he did in the forest. His hair was silver- moonlight, not grey, his eyes dark- like night. Sometimes you could see a flicker of starlight in there. There were no lines on his face and his skin did not tan. 'Seta?'

Riley just looked at him, as if he hadn't said anything- or if he had and it hadn't been directed at her.

His movements deliberate, Aerlid reached inside the neck of his shirt and pulled out a necklace. On the end was a clear, empty orb. He held it in front of her.

'Do you know what this is?' he asked, straining to remain calm.

'It's your necklace.' She said, clearly uninterested. 'I think I can learn to use two swords!'

Aerlid sighed and closed his eyes, the shine dropping off until he looked mostly human again. It took a moment before he could speak again. 'You realise I can't teach you much about that style.' he said, his voice hollow. He struggled to maintain his composure. He turned his mind back to the conversation. He vaguely remembered seeing a dual-wielding style once or twice before, (Flent, was it called?) but he'd never learnt it, never seen enough of it to understand it. Then, remembering what else she had said, added 'and that is not really comparable!' Seta had not fought with sword and a parrying dagger anyway. Seta had not shared Riley's interest in fighting. He squeezed his eyes shut as his heart thumped against his chest.

Riley was talking again. 'I can teach myself. And it is.'

He tried a different approach, arguing with her rarely got him anywhere. 'Well Riley, before we invest in another weapon for you, I would like you to make a wooden one- and not out of any of our furniture.' Not that any of it would be any great loss, but he would probably have to pay to replace it.

'Really? Can we go get some wood?' she asked, her excitement palpable.

Aerlid had to think about this for a moment, dragging his mind back to the conversation at hand. He couldn't leave Riley outside while he was at work to go look for wood herself, and he was so often too tired after work to do much except sit. Part of that was because he was still recovering from the testing centre, and it would be some time before he was healthy again. Perhaps in the park? He'd have to ask Keila. Though that gave him another idea. 'I could bring you to work...' he said slowly. Jania had already said it was alright. It would be a good chance to expose her to humans and to show her part of the city before she played with Keila's son. Also, it would be good to expose her to someone else's Seiaan. It couldn't be much worse than staying here alone all day.

'Really?'

'Hmm...'

Aerlid opened his eyes and straightened up in the chair. He looked at her carefully through eyes that always went curiously pale when he changed his appearance. If a plain, human colour had to be used, were his eyes more light than dark? 'Riley, humans are very different to you and I. They are very different to gemengs.'

Riley nodded at him seriously, her eyes wide in her little face.

'They are soft, Riley, what would not hurt you could kill them. They get hurt easily, they die easily.'

'Do you understand? You have to be very gentle with them. _Very_ gentle.'

'They are soft.' she repeated in a tone that made him think she understood. 'I have to take care of them.'

A smile twitched his lips. 'You have to take care _around_ them.' He sighed and brought her closer in a hug. 'Watch them closely, see how they behave with each other. Be very cautious. You are different to them, and they know it.'

Riley looked around in awe as Aerlid led her through the city to the clinic, though she remembered what he'd said last night and stayed close to him. They left early so there were few people about, and Riley solemnly stepped out of the way of those that were about, as if merely standing in their way might do them harm.

Aerlid opened the door of the clinic and gestured for Riley to enter ahead of him. The room was shabby but clean and tidy. The wallpaper was an uninspiring brown (the brown of paper bags and cardboard boxes), the chairs though had a modicum of stuffing in them, a step up from their apartment. There was a box in one corner of the room with colourful toys for children and a counter along one wall behind which sat Jania the receptionist.

When he entered Jania was the only one there. She greeted him with a friendly smile. Riley looked at her solemnly. She was being very solemn lately.

'Hello, fena.' she said politely.

Jania peered over her desk at Riley. 'Why, is this your little girl?'

'My niece, yes, fei.' Aerlid did not in fact like pretending to be related to Riley, and had explained to her that they were not- it was just for show. 'Yes, this is Riley. Is it alright for her to stay here today, fei?'

'Why of course! My,' she squinted at Riley from behind the desk. 'What interesting hair you have there, child. I've seen my fair share of gemengs I think and I've never seen hair like that.'

Riley didn't respond, she'd paid attention but it had meant nothing to her.

Aerlid on the other hand had to work hard to still his suddenly racing heart. Her hair. Such beautiful hair. Such inhuman hair. This old lady, indeed, all the workers at this clinic had contact with gemengs- sick gemengs. He was pretty sure the views these people had towards gemengly strangeness were quite different to that of the general population. He remembered the man at the testing centre- he'd been around gemengs a lot too. Yet the flashes of summer in her hair had unmanned him completely.

While he was thinking all this Jania invited Riley to sit down, and would she like to play with the toys?

'Where did those toys come from?' Aerlid asked, stumbling as he tried to turn his thoughts to something else.

'My husband made them.' Jania smiled, lines forming around her eyes and mouth. Smile lines. 'Our children are grown now so I brought them here, something for the children while they wait.'

Aerlid looked at the box curiously, which Riley was pawing through. 'What did he make them from, fei?'

'Oh, mostly wood from the park.'

Aerlid looked at Jania quickly. You could gather wood in the park?

She smiled, 'if the wood has fallen on the ground anyone can use it. It isn't good enough to be used in production, no reason to let it go to waste.'

Aerlid thought about that curiously, could he make a wooden dagger for her from the sticks in the park? He gave Jania a smile and thanks and went to sit by Riley, who was being very grave in her playing with the toys.

'You do not like them?' he asked.

'I do not want to break them.' she replied as she delicately picked up a block and turned it round and round.

'I am sure you will be careful, but that does not mean you cannot enjoy yourself.'

Riley smiled, and then it grew wider. 'Like with the cats?'

Aerlid had to bite his tongue for a moment before replying. It nearly killed him to say, 'yes, like with the cats.'

Then, to spare himself any more torture he stood and went to chat with Jania while he waited for patients to arrive.

When Keila arrived she rushed over gushing, 'Ooh, is this your niece? My, isn't she pretty!'

Riley looked up as Keila advanced on her, somewhat startled at her speed. 'Hello, fena.' she said.

'O-oh...' Keila's words faded as she crouched by Riley. 'What interesting hair you have there...my, I've never seen the like.'

Keila, suddenly a tad faint, turned back to Aerlid. 'Well, we better get started hmm?' she said with false cheerfulness before straightening up and walking quickly to her office.

Riley looked at Aerlid as if to ask, 'may I play now?'

He gave his permission and looked at her hair sadly. Such beautiful hair, all her family had hair like that. He sighed. Perhaps it was too strange for the humans. He would have to think about this.

'Will you be ok here on your own?' Aerlid asked.

Riley nodded. 'I will take care of them.'

'Take care around them.' he said with a smile then turned to enter his own office as he saw the door open and the first patient of the day arrive.

Riley was fascinated by the coloured blocks and things in the box. Some were broken and old and didn't work right anymore, though she didn't know this. She picked them up and turned them over, inspecting them on all sides. These were for playing? Like trees? After inspecting each one Riley carefully placed it beside her before going on to the next. There were blocks for building- not many so the structures she would create would be on the small side, flimsy cards with pictures on them, and little figures made out of wood. There was one with wheels and one that looked like the 'creature' - the human guards.

As the clinic filled up children approached the box. Riley had never had to share before- except with Aerlid really, so she wasn't overly familiar with the concept. However she was to take care of these weak ones, so she very seriously shared the toys out with all the children. She kept few for herself, content to watch the weak ones as _they_ played.

'Pow pow, pow' a little boy was waggling the guard around at a green block. 'Pow, die gemeng, die!'

'I wanna play!' a little girl cried, 'Gimme!'

'No, you're too young to play with gemengs.' the little boy said sternly. 'They're too dangerous for you.'

'Hush!' a woman leaned down to the children. 'Meitar, let Jeina play - oh,' she looked at Riley for a few moments. The look on her face said she wasn't quite sure...was she human? There was something about her, her colouring was different, though without the flash of summer in her hair it was hard to notice. 'Put those toys away and come sit here.'

The children grumbled and climbed up onto the chairs next to their mother. The mother kept shooting Riley looks until it was time for them to leave.

Whenever he could Aerlid came out and checked on Riley. Jania seemed fond of her and offered her lunch.

Riley wasn't sure what to say, she thought she should wait for Aerlid. Jania took her silence as a yes and brought her a sandwich. Riley was once again amazed, she asked what this stuff was, and that stuff, and it was strange tasting to her. 'You've never seen bread? Poor dear...'

When Aerlid returned Riley told him of bread, a dark grainy substance which stood guard around things she recognized. She asked what animal it came from.

'Bread? Where did you get bread?'

Riley pointed at Jania.

'It is not polite to point, Riley.' he said absently as he approached Jania. He thanked her and apologized, then offered to pay her for the food- it was expensive here.

'Oh, that's very kind, but there's really no need. She seems to have come through the testing quite well. It's usually very hard on the children.' she said in a lower voice.

Unease gripped him hard. 'Oh, quite well. I think her shoulder should be fine, fei.' he said carefully, testing to see how she would react.

'Ah, she's extremely lucky then.' Jania sighed. 'Most people never get their mobility back.'

'How much should I pay for the food?' Aerlid asked, changing the subject. Jania's reaction was promising. Maybe it would be ok... Riley didn't even have a scar. The only time he didn't remove a scar from her was when she had been phenomenally stupid and he wanted her to remember what had happened. He was sickened at the thought he might have to give her one to keep her safe.

As the last patient left the clinic Aerlid thanked Jania again and led Riley back home. He took her up to the apartment and then went to check the icebox. They would have meat tonight again- though smaller amounts than usual. They'd have some vegetables too at least. Meat in Astar was much more expensive than vegetables. People got most of their protein from vegetables and lived on a mainly vegetarian diet. Meat was a special something, eaten perhaps once every two weeks or once a month. He supposed that was because animals needed to be fed before they could in turn be eaten. They were probably lucky to be having so much meat. He intended to save it and space it out. Besides...he was getting heartily sick of it.

Aerlid entered the common area on the ground floor where the ice box and wood stove were located. You had to provide your own fuel if you wanted to use the stove. Another reason meat was a more expensive meal- it had to be cooked. He'd noticed different families tended to cook meals together when it involved the stove as it made better use of the fuel.

He opened the ice box and frowned. The lock on his compartment was broken. He opened the top and looked inside. Empty. Slow anger began to burn in him. Carefully he closed the ice box and walked over to the landlord's office.

He knocked three times before the door was opened. 'Yes?'

'My food has been stolen from the ice box, faya.' he said coldly. 'What is the procedure when this happens?'

'Oh, the meat.' the man shrugged. 'Not much you can do.'

'That meat could have lasted us months. You say there is nothing I can do about it, faya?'

'Well, you could tell the Internal Order Forces...but by the time they get round to it...how are they going to find out who did it, anyway?'

'So nothing? I just do nothing?'

He shrugged again. 'Not much of a crime is it? Now some family will be feeding their _human_ kids some good strong meat, you should be pleased. _'_

Aerlid was silent for a moment. His head pounded, his skin went cold. 'My girl is a gemeng...are you saying our food was stolen because Riley is not human?'

The man shrugged, a gleam in his eyes. 'Most likely. People don't like to see gemengs gorging on meat when human kids ain't getting enough.'

Aerlid closed his eyes. He counted. He controlled his breathing. Oh how his hand wanted to go to his sword- his sword that wasn't there anymore. It remained in his room, where anyone who looked upon it would not recognize it as a weapon. 'Use of the ice box is included in the rent, correct?'

The landlord's eyes widened. 'Yes, it is...'

'Well I will not be paying for that anymore, and I expect a refund for what I _have_ paid.'

'Now hold on-!'

'You may not care if gemengs get stolen from, but I am human, and I think the authorities might be interested in that.'

Food was important here. It was a big deal. He was sure he was right. He was sure this slimy little creep didn't want the authorities to know he turned a blind eye to food theft.

'O-of course...I'll calculate your new rent now.' Slowly the man walked back into his office.

Had he not expected that? Had he expected Aerlid to accept the theft calmly- in fact to be pleased some good human children were eating well on his food?

Once the landlord returned and handed him his money Aerlid bid a very cool good-day and left

When he entered the apartment Riley looked up at him expectantly. He wouldn't tell her. He thought she would take it well, might not understand. Even so, he wouldn't tell her.

'How do you feel about salad?'

Riley shrugged. 'Am I allowed to help?'

Aerlid paused, usually Riley was to be kept far away from any food preparation at all times. But tonight... 'yes, come over here and I'll show you how to make it.'

He felt an ache as he watched her. In some ways, it looked like this place was going to be worse than the gemeng village.

Chapter 9

Restday was fast approaching, and after that Riley would start school. Despite how uncomfortable she'd been around Riley, Keila had repeated the offer to take them to the park. Aerlid had been pathetically grateful, truly expecting to be shunned by her.

The previous night Aerlid had explained to Riley that not only did she have to be gentle with the humans, she had to be careful in other ways too. She was different, and they knew it. They would treat her differently. They might not be honest with her, or kind or fair. They might even go so far as to try and hurt her. So she had to be wary around them. She had to be careful in more ways than one now.

She had accepted that as easily as she accepted that they were soft and easily hurt.

He looked at her hair with a critical eye. The reactions of the humans to her was unexpected. He never remembered humans reacting that way to his kind in the old days. Was it because of the gemengs, or was it because she wasn't quite one of his people?

Either way, that beautiful, joyful hair was a problem. He wouldn't cut it, he had a feeling Riley might strenuously object to that. That didn't mean it couldn't be hidden though.

'Riley, come here.' he called carefully. On the table was a cap, in his hand a hair tie.

Riley stopped her forms and came over.

'On the chair.' She sat, glancing at the cap and tie as she went.

Aerlid began gathering her hair to tie it up. Riley took this calmly until he actually started to wrap the ribbon around her hair.

'What are you doing?!' she cried in alarm, twisting away from him.

'I am just tying you hair- Riley, _Ow!'_

She had bit his hand as he tried to grab hold of her.

She glared at him, a betrayed look in her eyes. 'I don't want to tie it up!'

'Riley, it is not a big deal, just stay still!'

She wouldn't stay still. She fought and bit and scratched and was entirely unreasonable. She didn't draw blood, but she still bit _hard_.

'No! I don't want to!' She cried, tears in her eyes as Aerlid finally got the ribbon in her hair. It was a very messy ponytail. Barely a ponytail at all in fact. As he watched the ribbon fell out of her hair.

'Riley, you have to. It will help you fit in here.'

'I don't want to! I'm not _like_ them.'

'That is exactly why you need to hide your hair.'

She sniffed and glanced towards his hair, then away. But she didn't say anything about it and he felt a rush of affection for her. 'Riley, please. I want you to tie your hair up and put that hat on. It is really not that bad.'

She looked at him sadly.

'Please.'

She bowed her head in defeat, putting up no more resistance as Aerlid tied her hair up and placed the hat on her head.

Riley brought her feet up on the chair and curled her arms around her knees. She wouldn't look at him.

The next day was much the same. Riley wore the hat and tie, but she wouldn't look at him or speak to him and she barely touched her food. He knew she was being entirely unreasonable. He was glad he didn't have to tie his hair back- it was bad enough that he had to change it from moonlight to grey.

'You know most humans tie their hair back to keep it out of their way.' he told her.

'My hair does not get in my way.' she mumbled sullenly. 'I am not like them.'

Both statements were true. Her hair was getting past shoulder length, and never did it get in her way while training or climbing or hunting. Neither did his. Sunlight was not meant to be contained and tied up, and neither was hair that had sunlight and summer in it. Or moonlight for that matter. What was even worse was that he could understand her sullenness. He had never tied his own hair back and he didn't really want to. Of course if he had to he would. And with more grace than this as well.

'We are going to the park tomorrow.' He said, his voice desperate. 'There are trees in the park.'

'Can't climb with a hat.'

A flash of anger, 'of course you can climb with a hat! Riley, I am taking you to the park tomorrow and I expect you to climb trees and stop behaving like a baby!'

Riley straightened up instinctively at the tone of his voice, a little less sullen, though by no means happy.

That evening after Riley went to sleep Aerlid stood outside on the balcony, looking up at the moon. His Lady. He sighed and sang a bit under his breath. He stopped.

Riley would not make friends if she sulked. Who wanted to play with a sulky little girl? He hoped she would be happier once they got to the park, but what if she wasn't?

There was one thing that would make her happy, though it was very short notice...if he'd had a dagger of his people's making he would have given it to her, but he didn't. All he had from them were his sword and hers and the one pair of clothes each.

On their way to Astar from the testing centre they had passed by Garrondin, the village of the gemengs. He didn't remember much. He'd been more focussed on getting Riley somewhere he could heal her. Garrondin seemed to serve as the first line of defence for Astar. And there...there they fought with gemeng weapons, not human. Did that mean sword and shield rather than weapons that shot light and strange, thin armour?

How would he get there? He had an idea he would be looked upon with suspicion at best by the Astarians- visiting Garrondin for gemeng weapons after travelling in the world for so long, and with a gemeng no less. Best if they didn't know. He could arrange that. He could arrange that very well indeed.

When Riley came out of the bedroom that morning she felt hollow and sad. She saw Aerlid standing in the main room looking tired, a package wrapped in furs in his hands. He beamed at her.

'Riley.' he said, his voice tired and happy at the same time.

She looked up at him, though she had not thought about the package and there was no change to her expression.

He grinned nevertheless. 'I have something for you.' He didn't ask her to guess. Best not to ask Riley to guess things.

He handed the package to her. It was short and heavy. She placed it on the table and unwrapped it. Slowly her eyes widened. Then her face broke into a radiant smile.

'A dagger!'

She picked it up and held it out. She took a few experimental thrusts. 'A dagger!' Considering how small she was it was not that different in size to her own sword, but when she grew taller (taller than Aerlid) it would be perfect with a single handed sword!

Aerlid smiled in relief. 'Yes, it was not made especially for parrying, though it will serve. Just make sure you don't tell anyone about your weapons or training.' he said seriously. As usual, Riley nodded without comment. 'Now what do you say about having breakfast in the park?' he said cheerfully.

Riley rushed back into her room and came out with her sword. She took a few swings, the dagger held loosely by her side. Aerlid watched in increasing surprise as she started some rough movements with them. She parried an imaginary opponent with the dagger and sliced with the sword. She stopped and started again, making the sort of movements you might expect of someone who had had a few lessons in wielding two weapons- or at least seen it before.

'Where did you learn that?' he asked, his amazement clear in his voice.

She spared him a glance. 'Nowhere.'

'Nowhere? Then how do you know to do it?' he asked in bewilderment.

'I thought of it.'

'You...?' Aerlid closed his mouth. She thought of it. Well why not? She had decided these weapons were best suited for her.

'Riley, why don't we go to the park now? You can put them away and' he was about to say play, 'practice with them later?' she nodded at him, her excitement somewhat dampened. She hid them back in the bedroom and when she came out she was wearing her hat and tie, her beautiful, strange, summery hair hidden from sight.

She looked up at him as if to ask, 'is this right?' She still wasn't happy with it, but a new dagger made up for a lot of things.

He smiled in relief. 'Come, I think you will like the park.'

The park was a long walk from their part of the city but they left early and they enjoyed walking. The roads of Astar were in the most part paved with smooth stones, though in some places they were merely hard-packed dirt. Aerlid explained to Riley that if she saw large, bulky, wheeled things moving down the roads she was to stay far from them. In fact, she was to stay on the sidewalk. Despite the varying quality of the roads Aerlid saw that the drainage was consistently good.

The park was set on a block by itself and surrounded by dirt roads. There was no fence around it, trees, grass and bushes just sprung up from the ground on the other side of the road. It looked vast and open, the buildings surrounding it were no more than five stories high. Aerlid spared a glance at the skyline of Astar. The buildings rose smoothly from single story abodes at the edge of the city to towering sky scrapers in the middle. The progression was uniform- planned even.

Riley was very excited and Aerlid had to hold on to her to keep her from running across the road. The fact that the automobiles were so rare made it even more important for Riley to be careful. It would be too easy for her to forget that these roads were wide for a _reason_.

So Aerlid took her hand and led her across the road into the park. It was cooler under the trees than in the city. Dirt paths led deeper into the park. There were no benches that he could see, but the grass would be lovely to sit on after the chairs in their apartment.

Aerlid thought there was no one else around, then he heard the sound of feet pounding on the ground. He turned and saw a man in a dark green suit jogging along the path. He narrowed his eyes at the colour. A military man? He told Riley she could play, though only in one tree, which he sat beneath.

As the sun rose higher in the air Aerlid summoned her down and made her eat. 'They should be arriving soon. Do you remember Keila?' he asked.

Riley looked at him blankly.

Aerlid pushed her no further, though he made her stay with him while they waited. He continued her education to make the time pass quicker. He had been thinking of teaching her to write or read, but it was hard without any material to write on or read from. Further, he had to think of which language he would teach her. When he had learnt Seiaan it had been a purely spoken language. Any writing they did was done in Akran. Was that still the same? He remembered the pamphlets he'd received when arriving in Astar (which had been returned now), but he'd been so weak when he read them he couldn't remember much about the writing style. It had been _partly_ Akran he thought, at least a bit. Still, he didn't know enough about it to start teaching it to Riley.

About half an hour later a cheerful voice hailed them. 'Arntar!'

Aerlid stood up, bringing Riley with him. Keila was walking down the path with a little boy in tow.

Aerlid walked to greet her, tugging Riley along with him. 'Keila, how are you, fei?'

They made their pleasantries before Keila introduced her son. 'This is Beili.' she said and pulled the little brown haired boy forward. 'He'll be starting his second year tomorrow.' she said proudly. 'Beili, say hello.'

Beili stuck out his hand and eyed Riley suspiciously. ''ello.' he mumbled.

'Hello. My name is Riley, fa.' Riley shook his hand solemnly, then she turned her face to Aerlid, who nodded at her, yes that's right, that's how you say hello.

'Well, why don't we go sit down, hmm?'

They bundled the children off further into the park and Keila chose a likely spot to sit. 'So Riley, what do you think of Astar?' she asked Riley pleasantly once they sat down.

Riley looked at her blankly, then her eyes slid to Aerlid. Aerlid dearly hoped she would answer. That sort of question wasn't likely to elicit a response from her; she likely hadn't thought of it at all, just noted things.

Her eyes slid back to Keila. A nervous look stole over her. 'It hasn't many trees, fena.' she said finally.

'Oh, well there are trees here, do you like to climb them?'

Keila had taken that as negative, Aerlid saw, but it wasn't. It was merely a statement.

'Yes. I like to climb.' then after a pause she added, 'I climb very well. Better than the cats.'

'Cats?' Keila asked.

'Where are the cats?' Riley asked Aerlid expectantly, her hands resting on her knees. 'I have not heard any cats.'

'There are no cats.' he said soothingly, once again hoping she would leave it at that. Riley and those damned cats. There'd been many varieties of cats in the lands they travelled. Riley had for some reason gotten it into her head that she was to duel them. Not hunt; duel. You did not hunt with a sword, you did not announce your presence when you hunted. But that's what she did. She went up to those cats, more than triple her size and twice as fast and took out her sword, not attacking until they noticed her. He'd only seen the aftermath of it once, when Riley scampered up a tree seconds before being gutted.

'No cats.' he said again, his voice faint as the memories receded.

Riley frowned.

'No large animals.' he said firmly when he noticed that look. Quickly he turned the conversation to something else, 'do you come here often, fei?'

'Why do you talk funny?' Beili demanded.

'Beili!' Keila scolded. 'We come here sometimes.' She said, turning her attention back to Aerlid. 'Beili likes to climb trees too.' And she winked at Riley, who returned her gaze blankly. 'Would you two like to go play?'

Riley looked at Beili. Small, human Beili. A frown crinkled her forehead. She had to take care of Beili.

While she was thinking this Beili got to his feet in relief, gave a cursory glance to Riley, and ran off to the nearest tree. He stopped and proclaimed, 'can't climb this!' and went to the next. Riley, followed at a slower pace. She thought she could climb that tree, but best if Beili didn't. He was human after all.

Keila watched all this fondly. 'Aren't they cute?'

'Aye.' Aerlid replied, a bit more worried than Keila.

As she watched Keila's smile faded. 'She's very graceful.' she said, her voice trailing off. 'I've never seen a child like that...My, she has healed nicely.'

'Y-yes.'

Aerlid watched Riley carefully, choosing to focus on Keila's first comment. He hadn't noticed much, as she was no different than the rest of his kind in that regard. His people were at one with all aspects of their bodies, every hair, muscle, bone, cell... He didn't think she had ever stumbled over her own feet, and she never would. How could you get tangled up with your own body? How could parts of your body get in the way of other parts? Were they not all the same? The fact that humans managed it had been of great interest to his people. They had at first assumed it was some sort of debilitating neurological condition. Their offers to try and fix it had been met with responses varying from laughter to offense.

'Well that's good.' she said, gathering herself. 'You must show Jania and I what you did. Most of the time there's little we can do.'

Show her what he did? No human had ever managed to learn even the tiniest part of what he and his kind did. 'I think we were just lucky, fei.' he responded.

As Aerlid watched Riley climb in the trees with the human child he frowned. She was going slowly, more watching over the other child as a shepherd might his flock than playing herself. Watching to make sure Beili didn't stumble or hurt himself.

He would check her shoulder soon. He thought he was up to it.

'It must be nice for you to come home.' Keila was saying.

'Oh, yes, yes it is.' he responded quickly. 'Tell me,' he said quickly before Keila could ask any more questions in that vein, 'how is the space exploration going?' this was something that had interested him greatly. Why would such a frugal and practical society attempt such a thing?

Keila's eyes brightened. 'Oh, well. I don't expect Beili or his children to live on the moon, but perhaps their children's children...'

'Live...?'

'You know there are no gemengs on the moon.'

He looked at her glittering eyes.

'Imagine a world where we don't have to fear the gemengs. One day, that's what our children will have.'

Chapter 10

Riley was being very irritating on her first day of school. Not that she was behaving any differently from the day before, but Aerlid was finding her usual behaviour very unsettling. She didn't seem to appreciate his hurry. He stuffed her into her hat and new clothes, then she went and got changed into her usual all black attire. He changed her back and had to hold her forcibly at the table and watch her eat her breakfast. That done, he asked what had happened to her brand new backpack and lunch he'd made her. She had shrugged.

Finally, with Aerlid looking more than a bit harried, they were out the door, which was locked so Riley couldn't go back in.

She waited, completely calm and unruffled, while Aerlid checked her over. He was very nervous about her first day. It would help if she was a little bit too.

He took her hand- holding tight so she couldn't escape, and they began walking towards the school. He explained to her again she was to listen to the teacher, that she was to wait at the school for him to pick her up, that she was to be gentle with the other children and so on...

When they arrived Riley's interest perked up. The school was a double story building with a low fence around it. Other children and their parents were gathered in the dirt yard. Most looked older than Riley. She smiled up at Aerlid. Aerlid was feeling sick to his stomach. Would she be ok? Would she make friends? What if they treated her...well, with the hat she didn't look _too_ different. He looked at her little hatted head. He dearly hoped she would be ok. He would have liked to stay with her a bit longer but... The other parents were leaving, waving goodbye to their children.

Riley was smiling. She didn't seem upset or concerned. Then again, she didn't have much of an imagination. Aerlid said goodbye, and wasn't hurt that Riley said goodbye cheerfully. She caught the expression on his face though and carefully repeated his instructions to her. With some relief at that, Aerlid left, though he loitered at the gate.

Riley waved at him before following the other children to where some large two legs were gathered.

The children were splitting up, based on height it looked to her (though it was in actual fact age). Names were being called out and the groups were splitting up even further. When her full fake name was called she was surprised. She looked around and walked to her line. She was at the end, though more small two legs (no- she must call them _children_ ) were gathering behind her.

The names trickled off. Lines were heading away. Hers began moving and she followed. They were led into the building and along a corridor. Suddenly the line stopped, up ahead there was a sound of a door opening. Then the line began moving again. The wall to her left was black and there was a table in front of it. Facing the table were rows of other tables and chairs.

'Ok everyone, take a seat! No shoving now, there's enough room for everyone.'

Riley was perhaps the only unhurried soul in that room as the other children scrambled for seats next to their friends, or seats that weren't wobbly or seats that weren't too close to the front of the room.

Riley took a seat in the third row back. A big boy stood in front of her. 'Hey, _I_ want that seat!'

Riley stood up and calmly looked for another seat. The boy started in surprise. He had of course, expected to get what he wanted, but not like _that_.

He sat down quietly while behind him Riley was taking a seat on the other side of the room. She spent no more time thinking about giving up her seat than the time taken for her to do it.

When the seating was done a woman was left standing alone at the front. It was to this lady Riley gave her attention, because Aerlid had told her she was to listen and obey this person. (If there had been two large two legs she might have been confused and perhaps decided Aerlid meant her allegiance to belong to the larger large two legs.)

'Now, I am Ms Thrope, I will be your teacher for the next five years.' she cast her eyes over the class. 'In this class we have both gemengs and humans, I don't want to see any fighting because of it, understand?' she said, her gaze sharp. 'When I ask a question I expect a 'yes, Ms Thrope' or, 'no, Ms Thrope'. Understand?'

There was a chorus of 'Yes, Ms Thrope.' Riley joined in and was pleased she was behaving well.

'Now, are we going to see any fighting?'

'No, Ms Thrope.'

'Very good. Now, keep your bags under your desks, if you have them. No eating or drinking in class, and no hats,' she wasn't looking at Riley as she said this but Riley was the only one wearing a hat. 'If you have a question, you raise your hand. There is to be no talking while others are speaking. If you need to use the bathroom, you raise your hand. Is this understood?'

'Yes, Ms Thrope.'

Riley joined in the chorus but at the same time had her hand in the air, a distressed look on her face.

'Yes? What is your name?'

'Riley...Meilis, Ms Thrope.'she said, almost forgetting the fake family name.

'What is it, Riley?'

'I have to keep my hat on, Ms Thrope.'

Ms Thrope was momentarily surprised but she said, 'Not in my class, now take it off.'

Riley paused, upset. Then she remembered Aerlid had told her to obey the teacher, and that was Ms Thrope. She took her hat off. As soon as it was off she wondered if she might also remove her hair tie. Because were not the hat and tie for the same purpose? She stowed her hat with her bag and thought she would wait and see if Ms Thrope changed her mind about the hat. If not, she would remove the tie. Deciding that, she beamed at the teacher, who was once again momentarily surprised.

Ms Thrope explained how the day would be split up, what they would be learning this year, what they were expected to do for homework, supplies they were expected to bring and so on.

The only paper in the classroom was in the school's books, which Ms Thrope explained were very precious. They would learn to read from these during class. They would also learn to write, though on the board, not on paper.

By the time this was all explained it was time to go out for break. Ms Thrope instructed everyone to take what they needed from their bags as the door would be locked during break and they would not be allowed back in.

Before taking her things Riley approached Ms Thrope behind her table (desk- apparently it was called a desk. It wasn't a table. It was different to a table in some as of yet unexplained way). 'Should I put my hat back on, fena?'

'If you wish, it is sunny outside. But I don't want to see you wearing it inside again, understand?'

'Yes, Ms Thrope.' Riley said with glee.

'And Riley, what is that word you use?'

'What word, fena?'

'That one, fena.'

Riley stared at Ms Thrope before replying, 'it is for female's stronger than me.'

'Well, the gemengs outside Astar may talk like that, but we don't here. It would be best if you don't use it. Understand?'

Riley nodded, her face blank and uninterested. Ms Thrope dismissed her and she practically skipped back to her bag, where her hair tie and hat were stowed away for all eternity. With her lunch in hand she then left with the other children.

They were to have lunch around the back of the school. It was a flat dirt rectangle, with straggly grass trying to make some sort of ground cover.

Riley chose a spot and sat. The other children were talking and laughing and running. Riley watched them, but she was hungry and it was the designated eating time.

As she started eating her lunch the big boy from before came and stood over her. 'Gimme your lunch!' he called, sticking his hand out.

Riley, surprised, asked, 'do you not have any, fa?'

Once again the boy was startled, though not as much as before. 'I do. And I want yours!'

'No, fa.' Now that that was settled Riley turned back to her meal.

The boy was still casting a shadow over her, but this was of no concern to Riley. He did not register as a possible threat to her, so what did she care where he stood? As long as he wasn't in danger himself; she was to protect the humans after all.

'Gimme your lunch NOW!'

The argument was in Riley's mind done with. There was no point in responding, so she didn't.

The boy opened his mouth for another roar, then stopped. 'Are you human?' he asked.

'I am a gemeng.' Riley replied promptly.

'Then gimme your lunch or I'll tell!'

'No.' she didn't know what 'tell' meant. She noted it, that was all.

The shadow disappeared and Riley calmly continued her lunch, watching the other children chatting and laughing.

Then the shadow reappeared, only this time it was longer. Riley looked up and smiled, for it was Ms Thrope who had freed her from the hat and tie. 'Hello Ms Thrope.' she said brightly, for Aerlid had told her it was polite to greet people in such a manner. Aerlid had also told her some things that could follow that, such as 'How are you today?' and so on, but she felt that that wasn't necessary here as Riley had been with her all day.

'Riley,' Ms Thrope said sternly. 'Did you hit Razra?'

The big boy was standing next to Ms Thrope looking delighted. He wasn't a devious enough boy to try and look scared.

'No.'

Riley replied so matter-of-factly Ms Thrope believed her at once. Still, this was a serious issue and you couldn't just believe a gemeng that said 'it wasn't me'. 'Really?' Ms Thrope pressed, 'Razra says you hit him. You'll get in more trouble if you lie.'

'I did not hit him.' then Riley added, 'He is a human. You have to be gentle with them.' Riley looked up at Ms Thrope earnestly, as if she was telling her something of great importance. To Riley, she was.

Ms Thrope turned to look at Razra. 'Did she really hit you?' She looked him over more carefully; he did not look like a boy just pounced on by a gemeng.

Riley was eating again, the conversation dealt with to her satisfaction.

Ms Thrope had been a teacher for some years and had learned that just as it was important to punish gemengs for hitting humans, it was just as important to make sure the human children didn't try and lie, or force a gemeng into a fight. Despite what the human parents thought, the gemeng children were rarely the ones to start trouble. They were all too aware of their difference, and how the humans viewed them.

Despite this, Ms Thrope did not think gemengs should go to school. The gemengs only ever joined the military, and while humans who joined the military might be able to think and reason and add more to the military than just their muscle, the gemengs could not. So, why not just send them to the military from the beginning and not waste valuable resources schooling them? But the leaders thought this was best, and were they not the most able of their society? If she was that intelligent she would be part of the Council of Astar, not a teacher. So while she firmly believed gemengs should not be schooled, she just as firmly believed that she should follow the policies of the council, in letter and spirit.

So it was that she looked at Razra sternly. 'Well?'

He sighed. 'No.'

She frowned severely at him. 'Razra Lesian, I'll let you off with a warning, but if you falsely accuse one of your colleagues again there will be consequences, understand?'

'Yes, Ms Thrope.' he sighed.

Ms Thrope left, to continue watching over her charges from afar.

Razra continued standing over Riley. 'Are you a very strong gemeng?' he asked shyly after a while.

Riley looked up at him. Razra had no idea what to make of her. One of his brothers or sisters would be screaming at him right now. Why wasn't she upset?

Riley had to think about this and finally said, 'I'm not much stronger than a human, fa.'

This was an answer Razra should have expected- if she was she wouldn't be in Astar after all, nonetheless, he was happy. 'Can you breathe fire?'

'No.'

'Have you ever fought any humans?' He was thinking of the shows he saw- the theatre and once on the screen. The current favourite was about a fighter pilot who crashed in the middle of the Plains and had to get back to Astar using only his wits and courage.

'No.' she frowned. 'I have to take care of you, fa.' By you, Riley meant humans in general, but Razra interpreted it as him specifically.

'Really? So you'll do what I say?'

'No, fa.' Riley replied, confused. Why did the big boy think she would do that?

'Why do you talk funny?' Razra suddenly said.

'What do you mean?'

'All those words. Fa, what's a fa?'

'It is a word for a male-'

'Are you going to be my bodyguard?' he interrupted.

'What..?'

'Is that what you call the person you guard?' Razra asked excitedly.

'No...' Riley replied, confused and wondering if she should perhaps stop using fa as well as fena.

'That's so cool!' Razra said, getting excited. He sat down with a plomp and stuck out his hand. 'I'm Razra!'

Riley, pleased this was back on familiar territory, shook his hand gravely. 'My name is Riley.'

'You can be my sidekick! We can fight gemengs together! Have you seen Jeitar and Molozor?'

'No...' Riley was the one flummoxed now, while Razra was blissfully unaware of it.

'Did you see that show where Molozor saved Jeitar from the evil gemeng who infiltrated Astar?'

'No...?'

'It was on last week at the CTA!' To Riley it sounded like 'ceta!'

Razra edged closer, 'well, this gemeng, Molzolzor, snuck into Astar and stole Zolcar's identity, that's Jeitar's friend from the other show, remember?'

Riley didn't know what to do so she gaped, dumbstruck.

'Anyway, Jeitar...'

By the time Ms Thrope called the children in for class Riley had heard about most of Jeitar and Molozor's most recent adventure. As they were heading in Razra whispered the end, 'So Molzolzor was really Molozor's _father_ , and that's why Molozor ran away to Astar, because his father was an _evil_ gemeng! He escaped, but Jeitar'll get him and save Astar.'

'Astar needs saving?' Riley asked weakly.

'Well Molzolzor's plotting to destroy it!'

When the day ended Riley was relieved to see Aerlid waiting for her at the fence. She ran to him, and Aerlid was struck with worry. When they walked home Riley told him they had to watch out for Molzolzor.

'Molzol...who?' Aerlid asked weakly.

Riley told him about how an evil gemeng was plotting to destroy Astar. He got the whole story out of her, and zoomed in on 'ceta'.

Aerlid quickly detoured back to the clinic to talk to Keila.

When he was finished he had to explain to Riley Molzolzor wasn't real. It was a serial play put on for children at the Children's Theatre of Astar.

She was very relieved to hear that.

Razra was friends with most of the children in their class, so even though Riley had made a friend, she often sat alone. Razra was not a mean boy, but he had a need to push the boundaries and find where he stood in the playground hierarchy. He already knew his position in his own family, and he needed to know the same for school. He often came across as pushy and mean and his friendships tended to seesaw between love and hate. This didn't concern him, for wasn't it the same with his siblings? One minute he could be fighting with Meila, the next they'd be ganging up against Fann.

Riley wasn't a brilliant student, however she was perhaps the most well behaved. The other children weren't sure how to treat her. She didn't behave like the other gemengs, who were always pathetically pleased when a human deigned to play with them.

Today all the children were gathered outside under Ms Thrope's watchful eye. This was to be the first day they'd have a physical lesson, and in mixed classes the first lesson could always be...problematic. Ms Thrope had just finished explaining to everyone how they had to be careful with each other, and not to play rough etc etc.

Riley listened attentively. There was a pause as Ms Thrope cast her eye once more over the assembled children. 'The rules are simple,' she announced, 'if you are touched by whoever is 'it' you must stop. You can only move again if someone circles you twice without being tagged themselves. I don't want to see any rough play! Jann, you will start as 'it'. GO!'

The children began running around and laughing. Riley, who had been instructed by Aerlid not to be faster, stronger, better than the strongest gemeng in the class, watched and ran carefully. She was silent and mostly ignored.

After some minutes of play Ms Thrope declared that Leili was it. Riley freed two people easily- perhaps moving quicker and more agilely than she should have. Then she allowed herself to be tagged.

'Razra, you're it!' Ms Thrope called.

Riley was freed finally and ran to free some more people.

'Riley, you're it!'

Riley stopped, startled. She looked at Ms Thrope who gestured at her to get on with it. She was the first gemeng to be chosen.

Riley looked around, spotted someone who she knew hadn't been tagged yet and chose him as her target. She ran after him. The boy was panting. Riley let the chase continue for some seconds then started building up speed. Ms Thrope watched in apprehension as she approached. Then Riley tapped the boy on the back, so lightly the boy didn't notice and kept running. Riley stopped in consternation. She didn't want to hurt him. She was meant to be gentle.

'Darni, stop, you were tagged!' Ms Thrope called, and nodded at Riley. 'You may tap a little harder than that. Not much harder, just a little bit.'

Just to be on the safe side Ms Thrope called another human as 'it' before Riley could experiment.

Aerlid frowned as Riley told him about her day. It was a routine they had. They sat in the living room, he on one chair she standing up, as it was her preference.

'And we've been learning to write.' she was saying.

'Riley.'

She fell silent.

'Why are you talking like that?'

Riley looked at him blankly.

He sighed as he tried to explain. 'The way you are talking, it is not how I taught you.' he said.

'That's how they talk at school. I'm fitting in.'

'It is poor language.' he said harshly. 'It is talking like a baby!'

He hadn't noticed how poorly the Astarians spoke until he had noticed Riley's speech changing, perhaps because he had been so tired when he first arrived that he had got used to it without noticing it. The Seiaan spoken in Astar was not the same as when he'd learnt it. Only a child would have been permitted to use it in the way the people of Astar did. Seiaan had never been a complicated language, and what complexity it _had_ possessed had been stripped from it. At best, Keila and Jania thought he spoke in a very formal way. At worst they had trouble understanding him. He didn't have trouble understanding them though. No more trouble than any adult had understanding a seven year old.

It was a tragedy to hear it spoken so but perhaps... 'Very well,' he choked out. 'Speak that way among the people of Astar, but with me, please speak properly.'

Riley nodded, her big green eyes watching him intently.

Oh, if someone had done to his language what the Astarians had done to theirs...

'You were saying they'd begun teaching you to read.' he said carefully, as a man expecting a mortal blow.

She nodded.

'Show me.'

They had no paper so for the next hour they went outside and Riley made shapes in the dirt.

It took him about that long to figure out what, exactly, he was looking at. Back when Seiaan had been spoken _properly_ it had never been a written language, they had used Akran instead for their writing. Sometimes they had also used Bedon- a language from a land which had been further north. This was... he rather thought it was a sloppy mix of poor Akran, misguided Bedon and an attempt to force Seiaan into written form.

He swallowed and choked. It wasn't likely that teaching her to read Akran or Bedon would be very useful, but allowing her to learn this... nonsense was the kindest word for it... that would take some getting used to.

For half an hour or an hour every day the children learnt to read. In the beginning Ms Thrope taught them on the blackboard but they had progressed enough now that in groups they were given simple books to try and read. Ms Thrope as usual kept a very close eye on her charges. The children had been informed that if a book was damaged the entire group would have to split the cost. They were also aware that if they were very, _very_ good they might earn the chance to take a book home for the night- once again if it was damaged or lost their family would be paying for it.

Because of the risk involved not all families wanted the honour of keeping a book for the night. Those that were interested gave their names to Ms Thrope. Riley was among the few gemengs that had their name on the list. Aerlid had been positively delighted at the thought of having a book to teach her to read with, after he had recovered from the shock of what was considered written language in Astar. Riley's lessons continued after school as well. At the moment they made do with writing with sticks in the dirt.

When Riley returned home that day Aerlid once again asked if she had a book with her.

'No.' she replied and put her backpack on the table. 'Are we going to train now?' Under the table her animal skin bed roll was carefully stowed. They did not have enough money to buy a second bed yet. Riley preferred to sleep on the floor herself rather than have Aerlid do it.

Aerlid fixed her with a hard look. 'No. You are going to sit down and tell me about your day.'

Riley sighed and took a seat, her short legs dangling far from the floor. 'We read and did numbers and geography and played and I had to do immersion with the other gemengs.'

Immersion was a time when gemengs were taught basic things about life in Astar that humans already knew. Despite the fact that most gemeng children had been born in Astar all gemengs were required to take part and were tested. For Riley however, it was very useful and this was a class she tended to share with Aerlid. During this time the humans learnt about gemengs. What they learnt Riley didn't know- she didn't believe Razra was a reliable source on this topic.

'What about history?'

'No.'

Aerlid frowned. 'When are you going to do that? Next year?'

Riley shrugged.

'I would like you to ask.'

Riley nodded.

Aerlid relented and asked her what she had learnt in immersion.

The next day Riley waited until the other children had left for lunch before approaching Ms Thrope with her question.

'Ms Thrope, I have a question.'

Ms Thrope fixed her with a steely gaze. 'Yes, Riley, what is it?'

'When do we learn about history?'

There was a pause. 'What?' she asked finally.

'When do we learn about history?' Riley repeated herself exactly.

'History.' Ms Thrope repeated.

'Yes.' Riley now thought Ms Thrope had not misheard her, but had not understood her, and started to explain what history was. 'Well...when was Astar colonized? Where did the humans live before? Where did they come from?' These were things she had gathered Aerlid wanted to know.

Ms Thrope frowned severely at her. 'School is for important matters. We don't waste our time with trivialities like that, that sort of thing is for the CTA. Now go and eat your lunch.'

Riley nodded, her task accomplished, and obeyed Ms Thrope's command.

When she repeated Ms Thrope's response to Aerlid he very nearly exploded.

Chapter 11

Food was important in most cultures, but in Astar it was treated quite differently to what Aerlid was used to.

His questions to Keila and Jania were always circumspect, Astar was supposed to be his home after all. He told them he had difficulty remembering much of his life from Astar, a combination of distance in time, a few too many blows to the head and the trauma associated with being stranded outside the human lands. Yet he couldn't quite believe what he was learning and his questions gradually became more direct.

Where food was concerned you could buy it in stores, but there were no little shops for eating out, though there were places where you brought your own food and could cook and share it with other customers. There was no dish or food native to Astar, yet surely, he thought, there must be _something_. Every place had something. Maybe they were fond of their cheese, or they grew the tastiest tomatoes. Perhaps they made a local soup that they were proud of. But in Astar food was not to be enjoyed, it was to be prepared and eaten efficiently. That was all.

This was something Aerlid could not quite grasp. He'd been looking forward to the food in Astar- the capital of the human civilization. Just as he failed to understand how the people of Astar viewed food, Keila and Jania were astonished at his views. They ended up thinking perhaps he had gone a bit strange in the head out in the wild.

Money in Astar also surprised him. It was made out of a very beautiful stone. Stone that he was sure other people would have adorned their temples, mansions and castles with. In Astar this pale, blue veined stone was used for money for two reasons. One, it had no other use to them. They had no temples, mansions or castles and if they had they certainly wouldn't have wasted valuable resources decorating them. Two, it was close and easy to cut.

When Aerlid and Riley first arrived in Astar he had wondered about their honour system when it came to buying food. When you bought little you paid little, when you bought a lot the price of every item increased substantially. This relied mostly on the honour system as there were no records of what people bought, so a person could easily shop in one store then go to another to avoid the price increase. People who did this were cheaters. Cheating was something Astarians were very passionate about. Aerlid had learnt that gemengs who abused the system were cast out of Astar and that was that, but for humans something entirely different happened.

Out of curiosity Aerlid visited the store for humans who cheated. He stayed on the opposite side of the street, though anyone was allowed to shop there, being seen to do so was nothing short of social suicide. It was a large building located far from the city centre and was only one story. The road in front of it was dirt.

He watched people come and go for some time.

The prices in that store were uniform. People who cheated were not allowed to shop anywhere else, and valuable paper was used to ensure all the stores in the city knew who was a cheater. So first of all, those who were caught cheating suddenly had their food expenses rise astronomically. Secondly, as shopping was a family affair, everyone in the family had to shop at this place, so not only was the cheater socially ostracized, the entire family was. The children too, the only way they could escape the shame was when they moved out or if they married into another family. If they stayed in their family's household they would shop at that store for the rest of their lives, as would their children.

Cheaters were universally reviled. Friends would cease all contact with them. Their career would progress no further than that of a gemeng. They would be lucky not to be beaten on their way home from work.

The obsession of the humans with resource use was based on their fear of the gemengs attacking. Every mine and farm had to be protected from attack. The city had to be protected. The transportation routes had to be protected. Indeed, this fear was behind the layout of Astar. In case of attack, there was a shield that could be deployed around the city. In the case of the farms, a low grade shield was always deployed. It would mean starvation if the farms were destroyed, so the energy cost was deemed worth it. The easiest and most efficient model was a dome, so that was why all the buildings uniformly rose towards the centre. Further, this also explained why gemengs lived on the outskirts. If to save power the shield had to be contracted, the areas on the edges of the city would be the first to be made defenceless. In the centre of the city there were many shelters for the humans. Adult gemengs weren't allowed in these shelters. If Astar was attacked, the gemengs were expected to stay outside and fight.

Aerlid wanted to know if Astar was attacked regularly. He thought it must be, for this was the number one concern and interest for all citizens of Astar. He had a surprising amount of trouble finding the answer. Keila looked at him blankly when he asked about the last time Astar was attacked. Jania smiled at him and patted his hand, 'Not to worry,' she said, 'the military was exceptional. We'll be quite safe if we're attacked.' To know there had been an attack in Jania's lifetime was _something,_ at least.

Whoever he asked, he always got the same response. Military personnel jogging in the park looked at him with hard faces and told him they were equipped to deal with any gemeng incursion. Children told him Jeitar would save them from Molzolzor.

He was astonished. In fact it was Riley who gave him the best answer. She looked around the city and informed him there were no signs of damage, so if there had been an attack it had either been unsuccessful or it had not been recent. Further, from the patterns of deployment of the soldiers it could be determined an attack was not expected in the _near_ future. Aerlid wanted to know what exactly she knew about patterns of deployment of soldiers.

'I thought about it.' was her response.

Chapter 12

Riley wasn't nervous. The other children were nervous as they stood in the line. The gemengs even more so. Riley was possessed of a remarkable amount of stillness. Stillness she had learnt from hunting. The other children fidgeted and asked their friends, 'are you nervous?', 'what do you think she'll ask?' and they said, 'yes' or 'no', depending on how they wanted to look to their peers, and they said, 'I don't know' or 'oh I think she'll really focus on numbers' or 'I don't think numbers are important' based mainly on what their hopes and fears were.

'Are you ready?' Razra leaned over and whispered in her ear. He was a bit too close to her ear for her liking so Riley edged away. When she spoke to him it was in a whisper (for she learnt to take her cues from the other children), but she didn't get close to his ear.

'Yes.' she said, then, 'are you?'

'Oh for sure! It'll be easy. What do you think will be on it?' he asked hopefully.

'What we studied in class.' she replied evenly.

'Oh yeah. What else?'

Riley frowned, a line appearing between her little brows.

Just then Ms Thrope called the first boy in. The line instantly became tense and quiet. One child put his ear to the door to listen to what was being said and was instantly yanked back by another. The other children hissed hushed admonishments at him, and he was duly chastised.

After maybe ten or fifteen minutes the boy came out and Ms Thrope called the next one. He grinned at his friends and walked quietly to the room where the children who had finished were to play quietly, without giving the questions to their friends.

So much of human interaction in Astar depended on the honour system, children were expected to obey it even at their age.

After almost two hours Riley was called in. The door was closed behind her. The blackboard was blank, if something had been written on it before it had been cleaned very well.

Ms Thrope looked at her levelly. She began by asking her to solve basic math problems in her head. After that she was to write some more complicated problems on the board and solve them. She only had half the board to use, if she wrote poorly or too big and couldn't fit all the problems in, well, that was part of the exam. Afterwards she was asked questions about geography and told to draw a map on the board. Then she was asked immersion questions.

Riley may not have gotten everything right, but she was calm and prompt and when Ms Thrope told her she was done and to clean the board she did so without worrying about her mark.

When the exams were finished everyone was called back into their classroom.

'Well, now you've got your first exam out of the way.' Ms Thrope said. 'I hope you've all learned something from this experience. Now I will call the marks out, understand?'

'Yes, Ms Thrope.'

Riley did quite well, in fact, Riley was the best gemeng in the class. Humans who came below her had still done well on their exams, but were upset anyhow- a gemeng had beaten them. Everyone knew gemengs were all brawn and no brain.

There was little time left in the year after exams ended. Though he had resisted, Aerlid's Seiaan had changed as Riley's had. At least, around others. They were trying to fit, and changing their language was preferable to constantly reminding people he and Riley were different. In some ways it crept into his speech even when he was with Riley- Seiaan was not his language after all, and he had no great love for those people or their culture.

Whenever Aerlid walked through the city he looked around for signs of festivals or celebrations. He had some little hope of it, even after all he had learned about the people of Astar, surely they had some celebrations? The weather grew colder and it was time for another visit to the clothes store- Riley could hardly go to school in her furs.

As the year drew to a close the only change that Aerlid noticed was that people became more fervent in their patriotism and frugality, and they talked even more of how they had come to Astar.

This was not a story taught in schools, it was just a story every human child knew. The story as told by the people of Astar was that humans had been forced to live in the caves due to the strength and violence of the gemengs. Then, 436 years ago, they had built their technology to such a level that they could come down out of the caves and win some land for themselves.

Aerlid had doubts about the date for emerging from the caves.

Though the calendar and hours of the day were accurate in Astar, for pure efficiency purposes, they didn't study history. If the people of Astar recorded their history, it was somewhere very obscure, so how could they be so sure about how long they had been out in the world?

There were no celebrations for the emerging from the caves or the brave settlers of centuries past. All that happened was that the Astarians worked even harder and for a few weeks there was a gleam in their eyes that wasn't there before. There _were_ speeches given by the leaders of Astar, though in Aerlid's mind these sombre and patriotic affairs did not count as celebrations.

Aerlid, annoyed and feeling somewhat thwarted- they recognized the need for days of rest, yet not celebrations- sat Riley down in their apartment. At least one good thing happened during this time of not-celebration- their apartment now contained a second bed. It sat in the bedroom, some distance away from the original bed. Aerlid had been concerned that Riley might not want it, but had bought it anyway- it was a matter of pride. His worries were all for naught; she took to it quite well.

Riley sat quietly in the stiff chair looking at him slightly askance. Aerlid seemed a bit...frazzled. Aerlid knelt down in front of her and looked up at her face.

He thought about it for a moment, then smiled. He would tell her of the customs of the Seiaan people. 'The people who lived here long ago worshipped a Lord and Lady,' he began, 'they called them Lord Asin and Lady Assah. Asin and Assah were married, but they were very unhappy with each other. Often they fought. In one of their fights Assah drew blood from Asin with her sword, which was named Cleysar. His blood spilt and formed the ocean. Asin, enraged, grabbed a fistful of Assah's hair and flung it down, and that formed the land. Assah's hair was very beautiful and it meant much to her. So she cried tears of rage and sorrow and this rained down on the land and ocean. It gave... it was...' he paused, struggling to explain, 'desire, anger, feeling. It gave the land and sea life. Now Asin grew sad to see his wife cry. And...' he glanced sidelong at Riley. 'Well, they made up. And... that created people and animals. Now, the world had been made out of Asin and Assah's anger, so the world was a violent place. But humans and animals had also been formed from love as well as anger. So only through them could some peace come to the world. They used to treat animals as people, you know, and if you didn't fight with your wife regularly you were considered a very bad husband...' he trailed off, realised he was getting off track and continued his story. 'Assah and Asin found this new world a marvel, and there was peace between them for some time...'

Aerlid stopped, watching Riley's face. Then he remembered how she'd thought Molzolzor was real. 'It's just a story, Riley, it's not real.'

Her eyes were very wide. She nodded.

'Well, they believed it. Some of them did. I don't think it's real.' he amended.

Her eyes widened.

He thought he might be confusing her more. 'People believe lots of different things, it's important because it affects how they behave, but you don't have to worry about Asin and Assah fighting.'

'So...they're like Molzolzor?' she asked weakly.

'Yes, exactly.'

Riley was silent for a long while. Then she asked something very surprising.

'You call the moon 'lady'. Is the moon like Lady Assah?'

Aerlid was stunned she'd noticed that.

'Well... not really, yes, in some ways. I suppose you could say I feel for the moon the way the Seiaan people used to feel for Lady Assah. And I show my... devotion by singing.'

Riley was quiet. This was something very difficult for her to think about. 'So where you come from, they all sing to the moon?' she could almost imagine a whole host of Aerlids gathered in a forest and singing to the moon. But this was not the type of thinking she was good at and it slipped from her mind quickly.

'No, not all...some...' he trailed off, it was so hard to think of his own people, in a way he did not wish to talk about them, yet she had asked, and she so rarely asked about these sorts of things. 'I have a friend, a woman who sings to the sun, there are others who revere the ground we walk on...No, I suppose only a few of my own people sing to the moon. What I do is a...personal experience, we do not often sing communally...' He almost mentioned what Riley's mother sung to, but if that didn't interest her? He didn't think he could bear it. 'Though there are others and sometimes we did sing together...' he trailed off again. 'The ancestor of the woman who sings to the sun visited the sun once and brought back songs that would please her. Those are the songs that are mostly sung now to the sun.' he was silent as he ruminated.

'So you sing... because you are devoted?' she frowned a little. This was hard for her to get her head around. She didn't understand. Aerlid could see this.

He blinked. Why did he sing? Because he couldn't _not_ sing. It was a part of him. When you looked at Aerlid you knew that he was a part of the moon, somehow, in some way. That was why he sung. And as he sung he became stronger, revitalized. A gift from the Lady. But even without that, he would have sung. Because she was the Lady. Aerlid looked at Riley, at her pale skin that was more like his own now than either of her parents. He suspected that was because she sung- or hummed- to the moon with him. She ought to have been summer. Her mother was summer. His people would have been fascinated by this change in her.

'Yes I... suppose you could put it that way.' was all he could say. It hurt him that she lacked the intuition to look and see why he might sing. She said the right words but she didn't understand, not in her heart. Not really. But he had raised her, so who could he blame for what she lacked except himself?

Recently it had become colder. Not very cold, but cold enough to wear a jacket. Cold enough that the produce in the stores had changed.

Aerlid made another round of the store. There were very few vegetables left, and they were prohibitively expensive. He came back to where he had started. Tubs of a greenish slime had appeared. He watched curiously as someone walked by and scooped some up into a container.

Aerlid walked over and had a look in the tub. Was it used to insulate houses against the cold? He'd ask Keila about it tomorrow.

The slime neatly filed away in his mind, Aerlid turned towards the man behind the counter to find out where all the food was.

The man gazed back at him dully. There was a pause. 'What?' he asked finally, his voice slow.

'Where's all the food?' Aerlid asked bluntly.

The man's eyes slowly drifted sideways. Aerlid followed his eyes. It was the tub of slime. He looked back at the man. He pointed just to make sure Aerlid knew. 'Cave mould.'

'Cave mould?' Aerlid asked, his voice a little high.

'Do you need a bucket?'

Riley poked at her mould with a spoon and then looked up at Aerlid.

'I'm told this is how it's eaten.' Aerlid said, looking down at the green mould on his own plate. He seriously wondered if the man had been joking.

'We should try it.' Aerlid said with more fervour than he felt.

Riley looked back down at her plate. She dug her spoon into the pile of green stuff and popped it into her mouth.

She looked like she was chewing then she stopped and just swallowed it.

'How is it?' Aerlid asked.

Riley was silent for a while. Finally, she said, 'it's ok.'

Aerlid looked down at his plate. With a sigh he scooped some mould up.

It was cold. Cold and wet and tasteless. Water had more taste than cave mould. He swallowed. It slid down his throat slowly like it didn't want to go down. He suddenly had a horrible picture of that unpleasant substance sick people coughed up. Phlegm. This was like phlegm before it was coughed up.

He looked over at Riley. She had finished half her plate, though her face was wearing a pained expression. Her mouth was twisted and there was a deep line between her eyebrows.

Aerlid swallowed. It was still there. 'I hear it's very nutritious.'

Riley gave him a look that spoke volumes.

After the year end passed the fervour of the Astarians began to return to normal levels, levels that could be sustained each day for the rest of the year. At school Riley was treated differently. The gemengs held her in high regard for her marks on the exams- clearly she was what they all aspired to be (as they could never be as good as a human). Some of the human children grudgingly admitted her into their friendship. Riley was somewhat perplexed by this. If they didn't like her why try and make friends with her? But human children were expected to understand gemengs- how better to know how to fight them? The best way to do this was to spend time with the gemengs made available to them through the school system. And as she was clearly the best of the gemengs she was the most appropriate choice as a new friend. Those that had done worse than her in the exams were particularly upset about making friends with her, something she found quite bewildering.

Razra though, treated her as usual.

Recently a sticky sort of snow had begun to fall. It was scarce and often melted on the ground but after many weeks it began to build up in an unpleasant, dirty slush.

Riley cleared some snow from a patch of dirt she intended to sit on with her foot. Razra had just plomped himself down on the ground by her. As he watched her his eyes widened. 'Oh!' he said. He half sidled half waddled over to her clean patch.

Riley frowned at him. She'd learnt that it was important to be forceful about things that she did not care particularly much about, otherwise he'd just keep pushing.

'Razra, clear your own patch.' Riley said.

He shot up in an instant and with a bashful smile on his face began clearing his own patch of ground. Good. Usually he responded well to 'no' but on occasion, usually without warning, he would become stubborn and entirely unreasonable.

Riley sat down on her clear patch and began the task of eating. Her social skills were progressing nicely. She was listening to and watching the other children carefully and saw that their style of conversation was very different to how she conversed. She was currently in the process of rectifying that situation. She was under instructions to fit in after all.

So when Razra began happily telling her about something that one of his siblings had done last night Riley listened in a more active way than just observing and noting. He was her friend, not only was she supposed to care about what his sister did last night, she had to act like it too.

'Hmmm.'

'Yes..'

'Oh!'

Razra was very pleased with her responses at key locations in his monologue.

Razra trailed off and plopped a huge lump of cave mould into his mouth. He swallowed without chewing. His eyes were roving over the field. A few groups of children had gathered together and were trying to pile up the dirty snow.

Without warning Razra was up again, the rest of his lunch having already disappeared and started off towards one of his groups. Then he remembered Riley and stopped, 'Hey, come on!' he called over his shoulder.

Riley didn't 'come on' until she had finished her lunch. By then Razra was already deep into one of the groups and his voice could easily be heard across the playground.

Riley approached the group and watched as was her way. Razra spotted her and grabbed her arm. 'Look, guess what it is!' Razra pointed at the waist high pile of slush.

Riley looked at it for a moment. 'Snow.' she said after a moment.

Razra burst out laughing. He thought she was joking. 'It's Jeitar!' he said. 'It's a snow Jeitar!'

Just then Ms Thrope summoned them all back inside with her piercing voice. The children abandoned the snow Jeitar and ran into the classroom. Razra was still grabbing her arm. 'Tomorrow we'll make a snow Molozor to go with Jeitar! Then an army of gemengs for them to fight!'

The next day the children ate quickly and set out in groups to make their snowmen. There really wasn't that much snow in the yard and Riley saw that the human children tended to exclude the gemengs from the play, and in some cases steal their snow.

Riley looked around the grounds. All the snow was taken. She thought for a moment about where the snow came from and its path from there to here. Then she moved away from the school building and looked up at it. The roof was flat. It wasn't that high...she quickly plotted a route to the roof. She checked to make sure no one was watching her and started her ascent. She was careful as this was a climb she had not done before and the snow and ice made it slippery.

Once she was at the top she crouched down and made sure no one was watching. She'd been unnoticed. She crept into the middle of the roof where she had less chance of being seen from the ground. Then she smiled.

The roof was covered in pure white snow.

She thought of building her own snow man and then thought of pushing the snow off the roof so the other children could play with it. But if she did that the humans would just steal it from the gemengs. No, wouldn't it be best if she could invite the gemengs up here?

She got down onto her belly and slid towards the edge and surveyed the playground. She didn't want the teachers or humans to know what she was doing, and she didn't want the gemengs to get hurt getting up here. There were many challenges to her goal. First of all, she thought, she should approach the gemengs and determine which ones had the ability to get up here without getting hurt and which ones were interested in getting up to the roof to play.

Riley crept back to the centre of the roof. She surveyed the snow again. If she brought other children up here she probably wouldn't get to play with the snow herself; she would be too busy managing the operation.

There was some time left before Ms Thrope would summon them back inside. Riley took that time to begin her career as a snow builder.

When Ms Thrope came to call everyone back inside Riley didn't hear her. She was looking at her snow Aerlid and snow Riley thoughtfully. She was beginning to think the only way the other children would get to play with this lovely snow was if she had Ms Thrope's cooperation. The climb could quite easily be dangerous for the other children, and it was highly unlikely no one would notice children climbing up and down the building.

Down below Ms Thrope was demanding to know where Riley Meilis was.

Her voice had risen by then and Riley heard her. She looked up in alarm. For a moment she was still. She was pretty sure she could get down without being seen, but she wanted Ms Thrope to allow the gemeng children up here. So if she would have to reveal she'd been climbing up here anyway, why not now?

Riley walked to the edge of the roof and waved down at the other children. Ms Thrope caught sight of her and made a sound much like some of the water birds Riley was familiar with. She was somewhat bewildered by this. She knew what Aerlid meant when he made bird calls, but what did Ms Thrope mean? Anxious now, because she didn't know what was going on, Riley quickly and lithely climbed down the side of the building.

She stood in front of Ms Thrope, who was just looking at her with big bug eyes. This made Riley slightly less anxious, that was a look Aerlid got on his face sometimes when he was going to be unreasonable about something perfectly reasonable.

There was silence for a few moments as Ms Thrope scrutinized Riley and she looked up at Ms Thrope and all the children gathered around behind Ms Thrope looked at her curiously.

'What were you _doing_?' Ms Thrope finally asked, her voice a tad strained.

'I was playing with the snow,' then with a great deal of eagerness Riley launched into an explanation of what she had been doing. 'There's lots of snow up there to play with, it's cleaner than the snow down here. I thought the gemengs would like to play with it because the human children don't let them play with the snow down here. Can they play with the snow up there, Ms Thrope?'

Riley was beaming at Ms Thrope. It had a startling effect on her appearance, as happens with all people when they are suddenly radiating happiness. The expressions on the faces of the human children ranged from startled to indignant that she would say such things about them. It wasn't meant as a judgement upon them, merely as a statement of what she saw as fact.

Ms Thrope raised her eyes to the top of the building. She could see some snow just over the lip of the building, and a shimmer where there was some ice.

She lowered her eyes to Riley, who was still beaming.

Somewhat weakly she said, 'I-I'll think about it.' And with that she herded everyone inside, her usual force somewhat lacking.

When Riley got home that day she was positively bouncing around. She shared with Aerlid all the details of her day and told him how she had made a snow Aerlid and a snow Riley and Ms Thrope said she would think about letting the gemeng children play with the snow.

Aerlid watched her calmly, a smile on his face.

'I need some of your clothes.' Riley said levelly when she was done.

Aerlid eyebrows raised slightly at this, 'you need some of my clothes?' he asked, his voice remaining calm with some effort.

'For the snow Aerlid.' Riley said with a smile.

'Ah...' Aerlid replied with some relief. That could have been a much stranger request, coming from Riley. 'So where did you find this snow?' he asked, changing the subject and hoping Riley wouldn't ask again- he didn't have so many clothes that he could donate them to snowmen.

'On the roof.' And Riley launched into another animated monologue about the snow.

Aerlid had rarely seen her so excited and was happy for her. He waited for her to take a breath and quickly got in, 'Riley.'

That stopped her in her tracks. She looked up at him with her big green eyes and a giant smile on her little face.

'You shouldn't climb the buildings here, you're very lucky you didn't get into any trouble.' he said gently, not wanting to ruin her happiness.

Her mood dampened, she nodded her understanding.

Riley didn't get an answer the next day or the day after but on the day before Restday Ms Thrope declared, that after consultation with the other teachers, gemengs could play on the roof.

Riley was delighted and the oddness of such a decision by teachers (or anyone in charge of looking after children) didn't really strike her. When lunchtime came Riley rushed outside. She was very excited. When she got outside she noticed a tall ladder set up next to the building.

That ladder clearly wasn't meant for her, though she was pleased thought had been given to those who couldn't climb like she could. The other gemeng children were not quite as thrilled as Riley was. When Riley saw them though she gathered them up and pointed towards the ladder, explaining if they liked they could play with the snow on the roof now.

When the children didn't follow, Riley climbed up the ladder to show them it was alright and then back down again. She wasn't aware of some of the human children giving her and the gemeng children dark looks. Despite this, when the gemeng children saw she could climb up and down easily, and saw that the teachers did not get upset with them they hesitantly, then with more feeling, climbed up the ladder to the rooftop.

Not all the gemeng children went, but this was ok too. Riley didn't think it was a good idea for the roof to get too crowded. It might not be safe for the others. Riley followed the last gemeng child up. She gazed over her rooftop with pleasure as the children began relaxing and playing with the snow.

Riley didn't play. She patrolled the roof to make sure no one fell. Every now and then she climbed down to see if anyone wanted to come up.

All was well on the roof that day and for the rest of the days after that, while the snow remained. Riley was happy during this time, though Aerlid wasn't so happy that the teachers had allowed children (any children, gemeng or human) up on the roof.

Eventually Riley suggested to Ms Thrope some human children could play on the roof too- Razra had been asking her for a while ('Why won't you let me come play, hmm?', 'Molozor always plays with Jeitar, how come I can't come too?'). Ms Thrope shot that suggestion down immediately, with something akin to horror on her face.

Chapter 13

It was a very big deal. Such a big deal Riley was aware of something building up in the schoolyard for many days. It wasn't until the end of the week that the tension reached its peak, and the thing they'd all been waiting for finally happened.

'I got the tickets!' Razra yelled at the top of his voice.

With screams and laughs most of the children rushed over to Razra. Riley watched in consternation. She was learning rapidly the moods of her colleagues, still, she wasn't sure if these were good screams or bad.

She made her way over to Razra to ensure he was ok.

'Take me, take me!'

'Oh please, let me come!'

'We're going together, right, Razra?'

Riley absorbed these things but they meant little to her. Razra was standing in the middle of a group of children looking triumphant. Seeing this, Riley stopped. Everything was fine.

'Shut up! Just tell us who you're going to take!' A boy even larger than Razra commanded.

The rabble died down and Razra looked around a bit sheepishly. 'Well...Marilia already gave my Mum money so she's coming.' Then he glanced towards a boy Riley knew he didn't like very much. Mainly because this particular boy was rather more accomplished than Razra and Razra's mother was rather taken with the idea that he would make an excellent playmate for Razra. Razra had told her these things. At length. 'Teztar, you get to come too, and Leina.'

Riley was rather impressed at Razra's mother, though she didn't know her. Clearly, none of the three he had picked had been his choice, yet even without this mysterious mother looking over his shoulder Razra was sticking by her commands. Very impressive indeed.

'Well, is that all?' the big boy asked belligerently.

'I haven't decided yet.' Razra said, his tone uncharacteristically meek. It seemed the bigger boy coupled with his mother's choices had cowed him.

At that the cries from the other children began with renewed vigour.

Seeing that all was well, though Razra didn't look particularly happy, Riley went back to her lunch spot.

As the day ended Riley strode, with legs swinging, over to Aerlid. She was happy. That swinging, impractical stride was a clear sign of joy.

As she approached Aerlid, Riley spotted a large group of children gathering around one woman. Riley slowed her pace. Razra had many brothers and sisters, and this woman had many small two legs that appeared to be her own. Riley had observed that at going home time the human children gathered around the large two legs that belonged to them, not their teachers. The gemeng children, on the other hand, gathered around each other. Perhaps this woman with the many small two legs was the formidable Razra's mother?

'What are you looking at?' Aerlid asked her curiously as Riley watched.

'Maybe Razra's mother.' Riley replied. Then she asked, 'how can you tell if someone is someone's mother?'

'Well, they might look similar.' Aerlid said, amused. 'Why?'

Riley observed the lady carefully and compared her to Razra. 'I think it's Razra's mother.' she said, though it would be useful for Razra to appear and walk towards one of the large two legs so she might know for certain.

Riley began walking towards her then stopped and looked back at Aerlid. 'Is it alright to watch how she manages the small ones?'

Aerlid's eyebrows rose. 'Perhaps it would be best not to.'

Disappointed, Riley deferred to his greater wisdom regarding all things except cats. They turned away.

As they were leaving Riley heard a wail from behind. She stopped in alarm and looked back. It was Razra, running towards them. This concerned her greatly as this was an unusual occurrence for going home time.

Perplexed, Riley waited until Razra reached them. He rested his hands on his knees, panting hard. 'Why are you leaving so early?'

'It's going home time.' Riley responded. She didn't know what 'so early' meant, so she noted and ignored it.

Just then Razra noticed Aerlid. Quickly he straightened and stopped panting. So quickly in fact, Riley became suspicious of how out of breath he had been.

'Hello, sir. I'm Razra Lesian. It's nice to meet you.' he stuck out his hand in a very polite manner.

'It's nice to meet you too, Razra. I'm Arntar, Riley's uncle.' Aerlid smiled.

Instantly Riley felt a moment of indignant jealousy, clearly Razra had been hiding his greeting skills from her. This was not how he behaved in school! And for Aerlid to be so impressed!

Riley turned to Aerlid, 'is that how I should greet people?' she asked, her tone clearly showing her feelings.

'I think your greeting is fine.'

Razra was used to Riley's strangeness by now and did not react to her question. 'I'm sorry for bothering you, sir, I just had a question.' he said in that manner Riley felt was clearly fraudulent.

'Of course, it's no bother at all.'

Razra turned to Riley, a grin on his face. 'Do you want to come to the CTA?'

Riley looked at him blankly. She had been blindsided, and it was not a question she was very familiar with. Yet it was not nearly as bad as 'What do you think of Astar?'

Razra beamed, as usual taking silence to mean whatever he wanted it to mean. 'Meet us outside tomorrow at two o'clock!'

Then he turned to Aerlid, suddenly a model child again, 'is that alright with you, sir?'

Aerlid was struggling to contain his pleasure, Riley, invited on a playdate! Still, he managed to ask in a calm and dignified manner, 'Where is the CTA?' He said it 'C', 'T', 'A', unlike Razra who called it 'ceta'.

'My Mother is just over there, sir, if you'd like to ask.' Razra pointed and Riley was satisfied to note that she had been right. The woman with the many small ones gathered around her was indeed Razra's mother.

'Thank you, I'll go speak to her, and yes, Riley can go.' With that Aerlid walked over, and Riley wondered for a moment if she should warn him of that woman's great formidableness. But Razra was talking to her and the moment was gone.

'It's the new Jeitar and Molozor show! They just changed it last week! I've been waiting for _ages_! Mum didn't take us to the last showing, I had to ask Fann's friend's older brother what happened!'

Before Razra could keep going, because Riley knew he would, she interjected, 'that's not how you behave at school!'

Razra, startled, said 'well he's old. You have to treat old people nice.'

Riley was silent as she processed this. After a moment she had interpreted it as you treat more powerful and potentially dangerous people with respect to ensure they don't attack you. Then, with this in mind she was instantly ashamed. 'Yes, I understand. Thank you very much for inviting me.' she said earnestly, hoping to make amends.

Razra beamed, 'well, you don't interrupt me all the time. And I know I can count on you if Jeila tries to steal my spot if I go to the toilets.'

Razra resumed his previously interrupted tale with gusto and they walked over to his family and Aerlid.

Riley realised he actually _wanted_ her to come to the theatre with him. She beamed, and her legs began swinging again.

The fact that it was called 'The Children's Theatre of Astar' might have led one to believe there was more than one theatre in Astar. Perhaps, for example, an adult's theatre. But this was not the case. There was a Screen, much more expensive than the theatre, but it was not a theatre. There was only one theatre in Astar, only for children- as it was a frivolous exercise after all, and it was referred to by all as 'ceta'.

Riley was very concerned about going to the theatre, what if Molzolzor was there? Aerlid had tried to explain he wasn't real, but this was something very difficult for her to grasp. So, Aerlid was coming with her. He was thrilled at the whole prospect.

The CTA was on the opposite edge of the city to their home. So it was a long walk to get there, though that was of no concern to them. If anything, the walk calmed Riley down. She was too busy gazing up at the giant buildings to think about Molzolzor. Aerlid, too, was impressed. As they went further into the city the streets were more often paved and the buildings increased monotonically in height. The only place he had ever seen anything like these towering monoliths was among his own people. How was it these humans could build such amazing structures yet still couldn't come up with anything better to eat than cave mould?

The centre of the city was filled with people. They all looked efficient and busy and took little notice of them. It was very bright, the sunlight striking off the reflective surfaces of the buildings. From further away, not right below, Aerlid could see many of the buildings had constructs on top of them. He couldn't tell what they were from this distance and as he got closer to the buildings the angles hid them. He would have to ask Keila.

Then they were in the centre and the buildings started to decrease in height. It was disappointing indeed to walk away from Astar. The CTA would have to be very impressive to top it.

Eventually they came to a neat, one story building. 'CTA' was painted along the top in big block letters. The entrance was a pair of double doors. Outside these doors two men stood, one on either side. Aerlid spotted Razra and his family and went and stood with them, on the left. How was it, he wondered, everyone knew what was playing here and when? Did they come and ask these men? The man whose line they were in was taking tickets and people were going inside. The tickets were bars of the lovely stone, which counted as money, marked with chalk. In the other line people were buying tickets. As he watched the man began turning people away.

'There's no more room in this viewing.' he called in a carrying voice above the queue, so he would not have to repeat himself. Then he began reiterating the schedule. Some people left, others stayed to buy tickets for other shows. Aerlid had already paid Razra's mother for his and Riley's ticket. Due to the distance the CTA was from where most of the people in their school lived some of the parents came and bought many tickets and shared them with the other children who wanted to go.

Their line moved forward a large jump as a sizable group of people in front of them went into the theatre all at once. Then it was their turn and they were past the ticket checker and through the double doors.

Inside was a single well lit room. A few chairs were in the front, though most people would be standing. In front of the row of chairs was a clear space. On either side of this space were barriers to hide what was behind. That was perhaps where actors might wait for their turn to perform.

The children, barring Riley, seemed to know the routine. She was whipped from his side and taken down near the front of the theatre. Some of the older children stayed near the back. Razra's mother gestured for Aerlid to follow her and he and the other parents joined her and headed to the back of the theatre.

The room was filling up quickly. Everyone did the same as Razra's group. There was some shuffling around of people already present, as everyone tried to ensure everyone else could see. Then it was done and the crowd stilled.

A man, the ticket checker in fact, walked out from one the wings and onto the centre of the performing area. He solemnly observed the crowd. Then he opened his mouth. 'Last time Jeitar and Molozor saved Astar from Molzolzor...' he went on for a short time.

Then he inclined his head and vacated the stage. A person came out from the other side dressed in military clothes. 'Hurry, Molozor, we have to get there before they do!'

'Coming, Jeitar!'

Aerlid started in surprise as a giant furry thing barrelled out of the wings, following Jeitar.

It took Aerlid a moment to realise it was in fact a human dressed in so many animal skins it looked more beast than man.

The story continued. From down the front Aerlid heard some of the children cheering. It looked like Razra managed to talk to Riley (talk at Riley) and watch the play at the same time. Aerlid didn't know any of the characters, but the story was quite simple so he could follow it. Jeitar ran around fighting gemengs and protecting Astar with his sidekick Molozor. Jeitar was human, so sometimes he couldn't beat the gemengs by himself, though he always came up with clever plans to escape. Molozor fought strongly, but most of the lines were Jeitars'. When Molozor did speak it was usually, 'yes, Jeitar!' or 'coming, Jeitar!'. At the end the gemengs were beaten back from Astar, for now. Of course they were coming back; otherwise what would they show next time?

When it was over Aerlid asked Razra's mother, 'where do they get the costumes?'

'Molozor's and the gemeng's costumes come from some of the things gemengs wear when they first arrive in Astar.' So, like his own clothes, Aerlid thought. 'Jeitar's outfit is an old military uniform. We don't use that type of armour anymore.'

It looked very similar to Aerlid, but he supposed it must be different. The other character's costumes weren't worth mentioning, they were just everyday clothes. 'Do they ever do plays about Astar's founding?' Aerlid asked curiously.

'Every so often.' She replied. 'Jas out front will tell you the schedule.' Then she turned around to yell at Razra who apparently needed yelling at.

Aerlid felt a sense of satisfaction at this. Now he knew why there was a theatre and where the stories of their history came from. It wasn't so different to how the Seiaan people had passed on their history. With no written language of their own, they'd passed on their history through their strong oral tradition. He would very much like to see a play about the founding of Astar.

Soon they were all trundling out of the theatre. Outside people gathered in groups to wait for others still inside. Aerlid spotted Riley, Razra with her. Riley looked quite relieved to spot him and immediately veered off in his direction.

'Why is the gemeng called Molzolzor?' Aerlid asked Razra, as the little boy approached. The name had stuck with him since he had heard Riley tell him to be wary of Molzolzor.

'Because he's a gemeng! All gemengs have names like Molozor and Molzolzor!'

Riley frowned. 'I don't understand.' she said finally, because no matter how she thought about it that sentence didn't make sense to her.

'Well, the gemengs outside are real gemengs, but the gemengs who live here are gemengvals. That's why they have names like Riley and not Rollvolzarizar.' Razra said cheerfully.

Riley accepted Razra's explanation, relieved. She didn't want to be called Rollvolzarizar. It was way worse than Rilodana, which Aerlid had originally tried to call her and which she had replaced with the far superior, 'Riley'.

'Razra!' Razra's mother was instantly on him.

'Oh, I mean, not gemengvals, fake gemengs.'

Aerlid kept his expression carefully calm. 'I haven't heard that expression here.' he said.

'It means fake gemeng!' Razra offered cheerfully.

'Am I fake?' Riley asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

'It means trash. Gemeng trash.' Razra's mother said sternly. 'It's not a word you should call your friends, Razra. Not if you want to keep them. Where have you heard that?'

'Fanie.' Razra looked shocked. 'He said it meant fake gemeng! Because the gemengs don't have claws and teeth, aren't as scary as the real ones outside..' he trailed off.

Razra's mother went off like a missile towards one of the older children.

Riley looked genuinely confused as she said 'but I'm not trash. Or fake.' She added after a moment.

'I'm sorry.' he looked like he was about to cry. 'Fann said Molozor was a gemeng and gemengs who live in Astar are gemeng....'

Once again, Riley accepted his explanation easily. She wasn't sure why Razra was so upset. 'It's alright, Razra,' she said easily, 'you can keep telling me about Rollvolzarizar.'

Razra, gratefully, launched off into his story.

Riley, again, was very pleased at her progression in the social arts. She wasn't sure why Razra had been so upset. It must be because his mother was a very fierce large two legs, she decided.

Chapter 14

If there was one thing Aerlid asked most about it was cave mould. The more he thought about it the more nonsensical it seemed to him.

Keila and Jania learned that this was a bone of contention with him and were well practiced in weathering his storms.

'Isn't any food saved from the harvest?' Aerlid asked finally.

Keila blinked, surprised, 'Well, yes, of course.'

Aerlid stopped. Usually he didn't get much of a response from his two coworkers. 'Well, where is it?' he asked.

'It's stored in case of a gemeng attack.'

'What if there isn't a gemeng attack?' he asked after a moment.

'Well the older stores are sold.'

'They're sold?' he asked, his voice getting high. Winter was almost past and not once had he heard about an escape from cave mould! 'Why do you eat cave mould then?' he demanded.

'Well cave mould needs to be eaten fresh. It only lasts about a week once it's harvested.'

'How come you didn't _tell_ me?!'

'I thought you knew.' Keila said. 'Didn't anyone tell you?'

'No! Perhaps they all thought I knew!' he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. It wouldn't do to yell at Keila. How did everyone think I knew? a little voice inside demanded. 'Where can you buy the old stores?' he asked.

Keila was happy enough to give him directions.

That evening after picking Riley up from school Aerlid headed straight to the address Keila had given him. It was in the middle of the city- stores were important after all.

The food from the old stores was...old. It had little taste, an objectionable texture and was more expensive than cave mould.

Still, cave mould became an unpleasant accompaniment to the meals which now featured predominantly real food.

The years slipped by. It never snowed again like it did in their first year in Astar. Snow was unusual in Astar and when it did snow it was in small amounts that quickly melted into a dirty slush. Riley found her school work less engaging as she got older. School was interesting- it was where she learned to socialize, but what was taught in the classroom and what was written on the board? Not interesting. Her marks slipped down to an average level and as a consequence the human children came to feel better about her. The fact that she had once done better than a human, any human, was clearly a fluke. Once this was settled in their minds they were happier to have her as their slightly slow gemeng friend.

Riley did not consider the other human children friends, only Razra, and Razra was happy to consider her a friend as well.

While Riley didn't go out of her way to make friends with the other human children- she already knew their feelings towards her and already had one human friend- she did try and make friends with the other gemengs. Originally they had been pleased to make friends with her, but as they got to know her they found her attitude towards the other humans unsettling. She didn't behave in a way they thought she should, and so it was difficult in a different way to make friends with the gemengs.

She tried very hard, as she had no gemeng friends. In a way, she had observed the human children enough to have a basic, unarticulated understanding of their feelings towards her. The gemengs, though, she didn't understand.

During lunchtime Riley sat with gemeng children mostly, sitting with Razra every now and then, or seeing him after school. She remained silent and watched and tried to understand. Her silence worked well with the humans, she could listen and learn. But not with the gemengs. She didn't have the right feel to her. If a human had come up and asked for her lunch, she would have said no, and that would have been the end of the conversation. If a human had asked any of the other children they would have said yes, thank you, can I do anything else for you?

But she wouldn't go away, and she was trying. So the gemengs eventually became used to having her follow them around.

This interest she had in the gemeng children surprised and cheered Aerlid. When he taught her, he still found she only had an interest in a subject if he could relate it back to fighting in some way. She didn't seem a violent child though Aerlid worried all the same that she only found weapons and fighting techniques of interest.

Aerlid also found that as Riley grew it became very hard to tire her out. He would be tired from spending all day healing people in a way that wasn't in any human manual. But even after school and training with Aerlid, Riley would bounce around and wouldn't want to go to sleep. Eventually he started taking her to the park at night. He told her to run around and not be seen, and not to come back to him til she was tired.

It was a solution. It surprised him how long she could run for. And it markedly improved her mood. It was boring and frustrating for her to chase humans around during exercise class, moving at a pace that was little more than walking for her. To stretch her legs after all that cramped movement was a wonderful relief.

Something had been brewing in Riley's mind for a while. She noticed things and tucked them away without interpreting them and in the back of her mind they came together, forming a thought. Riley did not try to wheedle it out before it was ready. It would come when it would come.

Riley watched the children leaving the school. Some no longer had to wait for their parents, so they left right away. She walked over to where the gemeng children were gathered. She'd noticed they tended to group together, in a way human children did not. Human siblings often left together. Sometimes human friends would leave together. Why, she and Razra had even gone over to each other's houses a few times. They had both agreed there was very little to do at her house and more often spent time at his. But this didn't happen every day, and not usually in such large groups. Why, every gemeng in her class was here!

'Where are you going?' she asked Jillia Melras, a serious gemeng girl the same age as Riley. Her severe demeanour stopped anyone from even thinking of calling her 'Jill'. She was the gemeng most comfortable around Riley. Like most, but not all of the gemengs, she had an Astarian last name. Riley had discovered that some of the gemeng children had no family name, only a first name. She had noted this fact, though had no idea why this was.

The girl, who could easily be mistaken for a human and yet never was, glanced at her. 'Home.' There was something more than the features of a face and the proportions of a body that marked one as gemeng or human. Nobody ever got mixed up, except perhaps, Riley.

Riley was silent. Then she spoke that which had been brewing for a while. 'Do you all live together?'

Jillia's eyes widened in surprise. 'Yes of course.'

'May I see?' Riley was aware this was a very personal thing to ask, but she was curious that all these gemengs who were not related lived together. That was not how the humans lived.

'Why?' Jillia asked. 'They're all the same.'

'What's all the same?'

'The dormitories.'

Riley was momentarily confused. She had never heard her apartment referred to as a dormitory, not that she knew what a dormitory was. She said, 'there is only room for me and Arntar in our home.'

Jillia looked at her in disbelief.

Riley returned the look.

Clearly neither one knew what to make of this.

'Can I see your home?' Riley asked again. 'I can show you mine.'

Jillia hesitated for a moment, 'will you be alright to go home alone?'

Aerlid didn't like Riley walking around alone, though she was now allowed to walk home from school alone, but Riley didn't want to pass up this opportunity. 'Yes, if I know the way.'

Jillia hesitated again. 'You might get lost.'

'I won't get lost.' Riley said, in uncharacteristic quickness, sensing Jillia's cooperation was slipping away. 'I have a good memory.'

Jillia nodded then. 'Ok...we'll go past your place and then to mine.'

When Riley agreed Jillia turned to one of her gemeng friends to tell her what was happening. He turned to look at Riley and didn't seem very happy. 'Will you be alright on your own?'

Riley noted his words, his tone, his face. Her brows furrowed, but she said nothing.

Jillia glanced back at Riley, then to the boy. 'Yes, we'll be quick.'

Once Jillia was done Riley led the way back to her apartment. Though Riley's social skills were much improved she was not very good at small talk. This wasn't a problem with Razra, who liked to fill any silence he found. Riley took her cues from Jillia. As Jillia did not seem to mind the silence neither did Riley.

When they reached the apartment Jillia looked up, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing and thought she was being tricked. Riley gestured and led her up the stairwell and unlocked the door to her apartment. Jillia looked around. 'You live here?!' she gaped.

'Yes.' Riley said. 'With Arntar, my uncle.' Aerlid had been very strong in telling her that they were in no way related, that this was just something to tell the people of Astar. He had been quite dissatisfied with her uninterested nod. 'He's human.' Riley added.

'Oh...are you part human then?' Jillia asked.

'I don't know.' Riley answered, and for the first time thought she should ask. 'Are you?'

'No, I'm a gemeng. I guess that explains it, if he's a human...' Jillia shrugged. It was a sharp shrug and she didn't seem happy.

Jillia exited the apartment, trotted quickly down the stairs and out the entry of the apartment complex to stand by the road. 'Can you take me back to the school?' she asked, 'I don't know the way home from here.'

Riley nodded and led Jillia back to the school. They were silent again as they walked, and Riley noticed that Jillia was not happy. This made her somewhat uncomfortable.

They reached the school and stood in front of the gate, facing away from the school buildings. Jillia pointed in the direction they were going and started explaining the route they'd take. She looked at Riley to make sure she was listening before heading off. Jillia stopped every now and then to explain the directions and make sure Riley knew where they were going.

Riley was surprised at how far they walked, more than twice as far as her own home. They came to the edge of Astar, to a long, unadorned block of a building. Behind the building was forest. Riley's eyes went to the trees above. She almost missed Jillia talking to her. She shook her head and turned her attention back to Jillia, aware of the forest so close.

The building was plain and unmarked, though in good repair. There were similar buildings nearby, but that didn't mean much. All the buildings in Astar were similar. Only then did Riley notice the wall that these buildings rested against. She didn't remember any walls or gates coming into Astar, but then she didn't remember very much after being shot.

They entered the building. It was long and low and dark with few windows to let light in. The building was entirely filled with rows of beds. Between some of the beds were curtains, but no walls. Riley noted possessions were kept under the beds. There were no trunks or bedside tables where things might be stored. The door closed behind them. There was no lock. Riley noticed a glimmer on the wall. She turned and saw behind a pane of glass a sheet of paper. On it were written rules. It was hard to read in this light, though the light was better here than anywhere else in the building.

Jillia pressed her lips together firmly as she noticed Riley reading. 'Come,' she gestured. 'I'll show you my home.'

Riley turned and followed. The writing was nothing new, it detailed the basic rules and principles of Astar they learned in immersion.

They went perhaps halfway down the room before Jillia stopped beside a curtained area filled with three beds. 'This is my home.' Jillia said. Riley looked around.

Then she turned on her heel and looked around the rest of the building. Curtains and beds and gemeng families gathered around, all minding their own business. 'This is different. When we arrived we got a loan and the apartment. Why do you live here?'

Jillia smiled a brittle smile, the sort of smile an eleven year old really shouldn't be smiling.

'Do all gemengs live here...?' Riley asked.

'Yes.' she paused. Then, 'Except ones like you.'

Riley hadn't understood what Jillia meant. She hadn't understood the smile. She left quickly after that, making her way home easily. The only difficulty had been staying away from the forest.

When Riley arrived home it was dark and Aerlid was very unimpressed. He withheld his scolding however as Riley had a pensive look on her face.

She sat down on the chair and looked around their home. Then she told him where the gemengs lived. 'I don't understand.' she said finally. 'Why would they give us this apartment? Jillia was born here.' she added.

Aerlid shrugged. 'Because they believe I'm human.'

'Is that all?' she asked.

He nodded.

Riley dropped her gaze to her lap.

She forgot to ask him Jillia's question.

After some time Riley came to the conclusion she needed to expand her circle of human contacts. She didn't understand why the other gemengs lived differently to her. Jillia did, she thought, from the way she'd smiled. But Riley didn't. Razra was a good friend but perhaps not a reliable source of information.

So she started spending more time with the human children, while still trying to improve her relationship with the gemengs. The gemengs looked at her differently now. Riley thought they must have learned from Jillia that she didn't live like them. That didn't bother her. At least they no longer treated her like an embarrassing, distant relative who they hoped they could pretend wasn't related to them.

Chapter 15

Riley sat with Jillia eating lunch. They sat somewhat apart from the larger group. Riley wasn't so much eating as watching and waiting for the right time to ask. It was the first time they'd been together since Jillia had shown Riley her home.

Jillia took a bite, chewed and then swallowed. She looked up at Riley, a hint of that brittle smile in her eyes.

Riley took that as her cue. 'Do you like living in the dormitories?' she asked.

Jillia was silent for a moment. 'I haven't lived anywhere else.' she sighed. 'Yes, I do. I have my family all around me.' She said as she looked towards the group of gemengs.

Riley followed her eyes. 'They are your family?' she asked.

Jillia's eyes flicked back to hers. 'Not by blood but yes, they are.' she sighed. 'I like it there I just...' she screwed up her face and gestured towards the human children. 'They don't live like us!' there was some temper in her voice though she was careful to keep it quiet.

'Can you move?' Riley asked, 'if you had enough money?'

That brittle smile. 'No.' That was all. That was all that was needed.

She looked down at her lunch. 'Do you have the rules hanging on your wall?' Jillia asked, her tone said she knew the answer already. 'They think because we're gemengs we'll run through the city killing everyone if they don't control us. You know my parents and their parents were born here but I still have to do immersion!'

'Did they shoot you?' she asked curiously.

Jillia's eyes widened. 'What?'

'When I came into Astar they shot me.' Riley explained. 'It was a test.'

'Oh-oh, no. No, they don't test gemengs born here. Not usually. Not unless there's a problem.' she said, her face ashen at the thought.

'Why not?' Riley asked carefully, noting Jillia's sickly expression.

'What? Well, I guess they don't think gemengs who have parents weak enough to come here would be a problem. My mum says it's wild out there... gemengs kill each other all the time. That's why they have to be careful about letting any in, because they're all violent. She says new gemengs are always causing trouble.' she eyed Riley somewhat carefully, 'and if they have a broken arm at least if they cause trouble they can be taken care of easy. Gemengs who are born here aren't like that. They aren't... they aren't violent like the ones outside. We're civilised. We have proper names, not like the gemengs from outside.'

Riley for her part, was not offended. She nodded to show she understood, noted it, and decided to tell Aerlid. This was something that would interest him.

'Is that why some gemengs don't have last names?' Riley asked.

Jillia nodded. 'Yeah, if they're from outside, or their parents are. Gemengs from outside don't name themselves properly. I guess you have a name from your human parent?'

'I guess so.' Riley replied carefully. She wasn't a good liar, and she remembered that Meilis wasn't her real name, no more than Arntar was Aerlid's real name.

Jillia fell silent. She watched Riley for some time before asking, 'What's it like out there?'

'Not many people.' Riley answered after a moment.

'Did you live in a village with other gemengs?' she asked.

Riley watched her, her mind working. She suspected that wasn't what Jillia was really asking. She had lived in a gemeng village, once, and Jillia's mother's description wasn't too far off.

'Once. Most of the time we didn't.' Riley stressed the last part, not wanting Jillia to get the wrong idea.

'How did they live?' she asked, and there was something in her voice...

Riley thought of that rundown village full of afraid and violent people. She thought of the yearning in Jillia's voice. Then she thought of Aerlid.

And so she lied. Not much, because she was uncertain of herself, and she wasn't a good liar (she lacked the imagination). She had noted that Aerlid lied, though she didn't know the rules of lying herself. She didn't know when or how or what might come. If Aerlid had been here she would have asked him and gone with his judgement, but he wasn't. So in the spur of the moment, with Jillia wanting something other than 'it was horrible, I wanted to leave.' Riley lied.

So she told her of a place where the gemengs ruled themselves and lived in houses if they wished. And that was it. Riley was known for her strangeness so when she stopped there and looked at Jillia with a hopeless look Jillia accepted it.

Jillia sighed, her eyes faraway. Then she shrugged and smiled at Riley. 'You better finish eating, it will be time to go in soon.' and the conversation was turned to safer waters.

After that Riley remembered what Jillia had asked, and so she asked Aerlid after lessons one day.

Aerlid had taken one of the chairs out onto the balcony. The shutter doors were tied open, the cool night breeze circling through their small apartment. He was looking out at the night sky and the skyline of Astar. It was a dark outline. Such a change from what he knew.

'Am I part human?' Riley asked, interrupting his reverie.

Aerlid started, then turned to look at her in surprise. 'Why do you ask?' he asked, bewildered, though not unpleasantly so.

'Jillia,' Aerlid had heard of her and remembered her name, 'asked if I was part human. I told her I had a human uncle.' Riley paused then added, 'she thought that was why we lived here.'

'Jillia...' Aerlid mused, 'she's a gemeng, yes?'

Riley nodded.

'And she thinks you might be part human because you don't live with the gemengs?' A slow smile was forming on his face.

Riley nodded again.

Aerlid turned back around in the chair to look back out at the sky.

Riley heard strange noises coming from him and grew suspicious. She stood and walked around to face him.

Aerlid was struggling to hide laughter. Riley was rather used to this response to some of her questions so she just waited.

'Well?' She asked after not waiting very long. She felt Aerlid could laugh _after_ he'd answered her question.

'You have as much human in you as any gemeng.' he replied. He beamed at her.

Riley was about to leave but then asked, 'is that what I tell her?'

'Ah, well...' he was silent for a moment. 'They didn't ask at the testing centre, so I think it's best to say you're a gemeng. You can tell her what I said.'

With an answer Riley was satisfied to leave Aerlid to his laughter and to get on with other things, like practicing her movements.

'Aren't you going to ask how much human is in a gemeng?' Aerlid asked, looking at her over the back of the chair, his eyes twinkling.

'How much?' she asked, her voice devoid of interest now that she had her answer.

'Oh if you're going to be like that I won't tell you!'

Aerlid watched her go fetch her sword. 'You're the most incurious creature I've ever met!' he called, his voice as bright as his laugh and the twinkle in his eye.

Riley, again used to such responses, pleasantly ignored him.

How they found out, Riley didn't know. It had been about a year since Riley had shown Jillia her home. All that time, they hadn't known, or perhaps hadn't cared, yet suddenly in her last year of primary school, that all changed.

Riley had been hearing whispers for days. Even so, she continued on as always. She heard Razra claim he didn't have a signature, that he was a poor writer, whenever he was approached by human children.

Then when she was walking past one of the whisper conventions, Lasann, a tall, accomplished human boy called her over.

She approached, her manner slightly wary.

'What do you think, Riley,' he said, 'we're planning on sending a letter to the government about your situation but Mitar here seems to think you'll do the right thing by yourself.' he raised his eyebrows archly.

Riley just waited, for they had explained nothing and how was she to answer?

Lasann did not know her well and sighed, perhaps taking it as a sign of slow wit, 'You live in what should be human accommodation. You should live with the gemengs. You are a gemeng, aren't you?'

Feeling better now she had something to answer she said, 'yes. Is there a human who needs my apartment?' she asked curiously. Visions of humans forced to live in the dormitories because she lived in her apartment paraded through her mind. They didn't trouble her overly much.

Lasann's face coloured, Riley couldn't see a reason for this, 'it's the principle.' he said.

'The principle?'

'You're a gemeng. The apartments are for humans.'

'So Arntar would stay there?' she asked.

'Is he a human?' he asked in exasperation.

'Yes.' pause. 'Then why should I move? He'll be there anyway, so why can't I stay there too?'

'That's not the point!'

'She's a gemeng,' a voice said, 'you can't expect her to understand!'

There was a chorus of agreement.

'It's not right for you to live there!' Lasann said, 'do you think you should?'

Riley paused, her eyes sliding over the group, noting. 'If it's wrong for me to live there, if gemengs may only live in the dormitories, then that's where I'll live.' she said. Her voice was calm, but not casual.

'So you'll move?' Lasann relaxed.

'If the government feels I should.'

Lasann stiffened, searching for an insult. Her green eyes met his calmly.

'You should get your things ready.' Lasann sniffed. 'We'll send the letter today.'

When Riley told Aerlid what had happened he was furious.

He raged through their tiny apartment. 'They want us to move?! Those ignorant, hateful little brats!'

Riley stood carefully out of the way as he stormed around, yelling all the while.

He stopped suddenly, his attention back on Riley, 'what's wrong with you?' he demanded. 'Why don't you care?'

'I should be treated no differently than the other gemengs.'

'And you think the gemengs should have to live on the edge of the city in giant shoeboxes?!'

'No.' she sniffed. 'But I don't think I should be treated differently.'

Aerlid eyed her carefully. 'I see. Well. And how was Razra about this?'

Razra had been upset.

He'd made all sorts of promises to come visit her and make sure she was ok. He'd told her he hadn't signed the petition.

When she'd asked what petition, she'd thought it had just been a letter, Razra told her Lasann had been collecting signatures from the rest of the school for the past week.

All the humans in their class had signed.

'He was upset.' Riley replied.

'Well,' Aerlid said in a calmer tone. 'We'll see what the response to that letter is, if they even get one.' he said, stressing the last part, telling Riley it was a false show of bravado, 'we'll fight it if they try to move us.'

Riley looked at him calmly. It was her, not us. But she wouldn't say that because that wasn't a distinction Aerlid would make. It wasn't really one she made.

Riley was perhaps the calmest during the time spent waiting for a response. That wasn't to say she was completely untroubled, a sliver of unease had worked its way into her heart.

Aerlid kept up a simmering rage and frequently flew into tirades. He had tried to explain to her that living in a dormitory would be harder for her than she thought. They had lived in the forest, where it was just the two of them and the wild, and afterwards they'd had their own apartment. How would she deal with the lack of privacy, the crowding? This was where her unease came from.

Razra was even more concerned on her behalf. Surprisingly, the gemeng children also expressed their desire to see her stay where she was. Previously she had been aware that some among them thought it unfair that she didn't live in the dormitories. It seemed this attack from the human children however had fortified them. They wanted _someone_ at least to have a little more than what the humans were willing to give.

Riley avoided the other human children during this time. She had tried and failed to make friends. They thought the dormitories a terrible place to live, and they wanted to send her there? A different kind of harm than that in the gemeng village, but they tried to harm her anyway. So she was careful around them.

'Do you know where you're going?' Razra asked her one lunch hour.

Riley just looked at Razra, wondering if this was a question about her possible eviction.

'I mean which field,' he amended.

Riley hadn't thought about it. 'No.'

'No?' He replied, surprised, 'but they've been telling us about the different options all term! You haven't chosen?'

Riley hadn't missed any classes. How could she have missed this? She said, 'I hadn't heard that.'

'Well they tell us during immersion.' Razra said, 'I thought they did the same with you guys.'

'No. Do you know where you're going?' Riley asked.

'I'm not sure...not the military, and not farming. I have some time though, military is the only path that splits off next year. I think Lasann wants to go into government, perhaps even get onto the Council of Astar one day.' He said glumly. 'That's why he organized the petition I think, no one else would have thought of it.'

Riley was silent.

'So where do you want to go?' he asked hopefully.

'Military.' she replied promptly.

'Space?' he asked excitedly.

'Space?' she repeated.

'You know, the moon! So we can all go live on the moon without any gemengs!'

'I don't think they'd want me in space then.' Riley replied.

Razra's face fell. 'Oh.'

Riley noticed a change in the human children today. Her feelings were proven correct when Lasann came over to her, his mouth set in a hard line for a twelve year old.

He shot a glance at Razra. He looked startled for a moment then scrambled to his feet and left, with a wave and goodbye to Riley.

Riley watched him go before turning her attention to Lasann. She didn't get up.

Lasann spoke quietly to her, 'you're to stay where you are.' he said stiffly.

'You got a response?' she asked after a moment.

'Yes.' the words barely made it past his lips.

'May I see it?' she asked.

Lasann frowned at her.

'I'd like to be sure.' Rather, she thought Aerlid might like to see it.

He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and held it out to her. 'Can you read?'

'As well as you I suppose.' she replied.

He frowned even further. 'Well read it here, I have to recycle it.'

'I can recycle it.'

'Hmph.'

Riley flowed smoothly to her feet. 'I'd like to show it to my uncle. He has been worried about this and it would put him at ease.'

Lasann looked surprised but didn't let go.

'Please give it to me. If you don't think I can recycle it on my own,' irritation simmered in her voice, 'I'll return it to you.'

Lasann paused, wavering.

Riley felt an uncharacteristic spark of anger. It was a reasonable request, was it not? They had tried to have her thrown out of her home, and they wouldn't let her have proof she was safe?

The spark showed in her eyes. Lasann took a step back. He swallowed. 'You're a gemeng, you can't touch me.'

His fear unsettled her. Riley took a step back. She could take it from him. Easily. 'Why won't you let me have it? I'll bring it back.' she said, trying to keep her anger from her voice.

Riley saw his eyes flick to something behind her. She turned and saw Ms Thrope approaching. Then she noticed most of the children in the yard were watching. She was startled. Had she been yelling? She didn't think so. Why were they all watching?

Unsettled, feeling she had behaved poorly without realizing it, Riley watched Ms Thrope approach.

'What's going on here?' Ms Thrope asked, giving Lasann and Riley hard looks each.

Lasann, relieved, said, 'She demanded I hand over my letter. She won't leave me alone.'

Ms Thrope then turned her gaze on Riley. 'Is this true?'

'It's about my home.' she tried to explain, 'I want to show it to my uncle, so he can stop worrying. I said I'd bring it back.'

'What letter is this, Lasann?' Ms Thrope's hard eyes were back on him.

He became a little uncomfortable. 'It's the response we got... about her going to live where she should. With the rest of the gemengs.'

'I see. That sounds rather important to her and her family, doesn't it, Lasann?'

'Y-yes.'

'I think considering the circumstances you should let her take it. You'll bring it back tomorrow, won't you, Riley?'

'Yes, Ms Thrope.'

Lasann handed it over to Riley, shooting her a glare at the same time. Without thinking, Riley shot him one right back.

'Enough of that!' Ms Thrope snapped. She gave them both another hard look and stalked back towards the school building. 'Everyone, lunch is over, come inside now!' she called. She waited by the door, surveying the yard like a hawk til everyone was safely inside.

After classes were done Riley asked Razra why everyone had been watching.

Razra was surprised, thinking the answer obvious. 'Well we wanted to see what would happen. Lasann was super secretive about the response.'

'Was I yelling?' she asked, concerned.

'No.' he said. 'Why? Do you want to practice yelling? I'm very good at it.'

Aerlid read the letter over carefully. It was, he thought, a fairly stock standard response.

'Thank you for your interest...'

'Appreciate your concern...'

The only section of interest was: 'The current policy regarding gemeng children in the care of humans is not to separate them. Your concern over this matter is appreciated, but it is the belief of the council that leaving children with their family members is the most appropriate response.' At this section Aerlid muttered, 'I wonder how many gemeng children there _are_ in the care of humans...Have you met any?' Aerlid asked.

Riley shook her head, 'no.'

Then, 'Policy unlikely to change in the near future...'

'Anymore concerns contact...'

Signed, so and so.

'Will we have to move?' Riley asked when she saw he was done reading.

'No.' he sighed. After a moment he asked, 'are you happy here, Riley?'

Riley just looked at him.

'I mean, do you want to leave Astar?'

'Because Lasann tried to get us kicked out?' the spark of anger was back.

'Any reason, not just that.'

'No.' she said firmly.

'Well, if you do, you'll tell me, won't you?'

She nodded.

It was in the last weeks of primary school that the gemengs were told what would happen to them.

The immersion teacher halted class early.

'At the start of next year you'll all enter military training. Some of your human classmates will go with you...'

He continued, telling them where and when they would meet, what they would need, what to expect. At the next split they would be joining the infantry. Most of the children in the class, including Riley, were twelve. She would be near thirteen though when she entered the military training program. They were told they could expect to enter service after about two years. The military training was very thorough in Astar, it was not a rushed operation by any definition.

As they filed out of the classroom Riley went to Jillia's side. 'Did you want to enter the military?' she asked.

Jillia shrugged. 'I always knew that's where I was going, so I didn't really think about it. Why, did you?'

'Will we still see each other after school ends?' Riley asked Razra one day at lunch. Tests were in a week. After that there would be a short break before she entered the military school.

'Yeah! All the time!'

'When?'

'Um...after classes? On Restday?'

'How will we know? You won't see me during the day.'

'Um...well, we can arrange somewhere to meet. Or you can come visit me. Or I can come visit you.' Razra beamed. 'We can go to the theatre! You can tell me if the weapons are really like the ones Jeitar and Molozor use!'

Feeling she wasn't going to get a clear idea of when and where they could meet Riley dropped the subject. She hoped his offer was genuine.

Chapter 16

The military school was located in the central district of Astar. It was smooth and shiny, with well-equipped classrooms and smartly dressed people trotting smartly around to do smart things. The roads in this section of the city were all paved.

On her first day, Aerlid dropped her off, as with her first day of school. He left, apprehensive.

All the new students were gathered in a long, rectangular hall. On the floor were cushioned mats. The students stood in rows along the long side of the hall facing a fierce looking man who liked to shout. Behind him stood a row of about ten people dressed in uniform. Riley didn't know the people around her.

He'd been shouting for some time now. They were to report at so and so time. They were to only talk when spoken to. They were to address their teachers as 'sir'. They were expected to continue their training in their own time. Each day when they reported in they would spend three hours exercising. Then they would learn theory of weapons and strategy. Then more exercise. Later they would be trained in the actual use of weapons. And so on and so forth...

He stopped, eyeing them as if he didn't like what he saw.

'Pair up! Gemengs with gemengs, humans with humans.' He roared, 'I don't care how you do it, I want to see you take your partner down! GO, GO, GO!'

Everyone scattered. Riley was more than a little overwhelmed. She was tousled this way and that. Somehow she ended up facing a gemeng boy.

'You're the one who doesn't live in the dormitories, right?' he said, looking at her from across the mat.

Riley nodded, wondering how he knew that.

'I see. So you haven't any training then?'

'I have...' she said slowly.

Surprised, he said, 'really? That's good, you don't want to start behind here. Are you ready?'

Riley nodded as her eyes flicked around the room to see what the other children were doing. She'd never fought anyone but Aerlid. She felt a spark of excitement.

The boy was coming at her. She sidestepped and tripped him. He hit the mat with an oomph.

Riley looked down at him curiously. 'Are you ok?' she asked.

He was already up and threw a punch at her jaw.

She caught his hand, twisted, and forced him to the ground. He tried to get out of her hold. Suddenly Riley let go. In his surprise he wasn't ready for the boot to the back she gave him.

He sprawled on the mat for a second before springing up again.

This time, he was more careful. He came towards her slowly, his hands in a guard position.

Riley watched him, waiting in guard. The only part of her that moved were her eyes.

In a move that would have received a scolding from Aerlid, as it would only work on one weaker and slower than her, she grabbed his arm and so fast he couldn't do anything about it and flung him to the mat again.

She beamed.

This time he stayed on the mat.

'Are you alright?' she asked.

He slowly got up til he was sitting on his knees. 'Yes. I think we can safely say you beat me.'

Riley just smiled in response.

'Who trained you?' he asked curiously.

'My uncle.' she said. Then, 'he's human.' she added.

One of the shouting man's assistant came over to them. 'You,' she said, pointing at Riley. 'You're in Fergus' group.' Then he looked at the boy. 'You're with Major Aniggs.'

Riley helped the boy get to his feet.

By the time he was up the assistant was already gone.

The boy looked around. A few pairs were still fighting. Most were standing around like they were.

Then it was over. The assistants went and stood at various places around the hall. The shouting man announced the names of the assistants and everyone scattered to get to their group.

Fergus was a muscular gemeng. His group consisted of seven humans and three gemengs. When everyone had arrived he asked everyone to tell him their names. 'You'll be working together all this year, so you should get to know each other well.' he said. 'Every morning you are expected to come here and exercise, we'll discuss the routine in a moment. In the afternoons we will practice hand to hand combat. Naturally this doesn't include Restday.' His eyes roved over the group. 'Any questions so far?'

A human boy, Jann Geggis, stuck his hand in the air and at Fergus' nod asked, 'why are we doing this stuff? If a gemeng attacked me no amount of hand to hand training in the world is going to save me.'

Fergus nodded. 'Fair question. First, physical fitness is important in the army. You need to move quickly, carry heavy equipment, you have to be able to use the energy weapons without dropping them. The exercise routine is for this reason. The hand to hand combat will also improve your fitness. For the gemengs in the military, a fight with gemengs from outside Astar doesn't mean certain death. So for them, I think you can see the benefit of learning how to fight without energy weapons. A second reason is that you need to know, deep inside, just how different gemengs are to humans. Even if they don't look any different, they are. They are much, much stronger than you. Some young men and women do foolish things sometimes... This training will prevent that, it will teach you to understand your enemy. And for this reason humans will be paired with gemengs during training. Does that answer your question?' he asked.

Jann nodded.

'Alright. Now during the middle of the day you won't be with me. You'll be learning theory with someone else. This is important, the weapons you'll be using are complicated. You need to know how they work before you'll be allowed to use them. You will also be taught the basics of team strategy, which you will put into practice in the second half of this year. Any questions?'

There were none so he continued.

'The exercise routine will follow hard-soft pattern, this is so you don't tire yourself out or injure yourselves...'

For the rest of the morning Fergus went through what the exercise routine would be. They started that day doing the soft pattern. When the time was up they all gathered at the entrance to the hall and were led by the shouting man out of that building and into another. Two exercise groups were grouped together for the theory lessons and were directed into their classrooms by the shouting man.

Riley filed into the room with her group. A sharp looking woman stood at the front of the room. It was similar to her classroom from primary school, except nicer. It didn't look like any of the desks were wobbly.

Everyone settled into a desk. It was a lot more orderly than her first day at primary school. Riley didn't particularly care where she sat, though she noticed the exercise groups tended to stick together.

'Hello everyone,' the woman at the front of the room said, her mouth pursed, 'I am Major Berdis. I will be teaching you theory this year.' her gaze raked over the class. 'I expect many of you will find this boring, and will want to skip straight to using weapons. I assure you, that attitude will get your hand blown off. I am not here to coddle you however, I am here to teach. If you choose to ignore what I'm trying to teach you, that is your problem, not mine. Are we clear?'

There was a mumbled, nervous, round of, 'yes, sir.' from the class.

'Very good. We will start with a discussion of the basic types and capabilities of gemengs. We will then move on to a discussion of body armour. Then we will talk about hand held weapons and weapons that require supports. After that we will talk briefly on mobile weapons, including ground and air units, very briefly ocean units and remotely activated weapons. After that we will discuss the defence system of Astar, including the resource routes and the importance of the Coastside supply line. From there we will discuss strategy and techniques, on a large scale, which includes unit deployment, and then move to the small scale: the five member unit. These are things you all must know, whether you go into infantry or air, or request transfer to Coastside. After one year you will split into your respective fields and go through a more detailed and specific training regimen. Are we clear?'

There was a mixture of nods and 'Yes, sir.'

'Very well. If you have a question, raise your hand. I tolerate no stupid questions, and contrary to what you may have heard, there _are_ stupid questions.'

Jann Geggis looked at her from across the mat. It was the second week of military school, and from now on gemengs would mostly be partnered with humans during training. Though not all the time; the gemengs still needed to get something out of it too.

Jann approached Riley carefully, his guard up.

Fighting a gemeng was one thing, but fighting a human was something else entirely.

Fergus had had some trouble with Riley. The style Aerlid had taught her was different to the style gemeng parents taught their children, which they had learnt from their own military training. She was perfectly willing to learn another style. She just liked to mix and match the two on occasion. If her way was a more efficient, cleaner way of winning, why should she use anything else?

As Jann approached Riley stood still as a hunter, her arms by her side.

Jann darted in close, punched and darted back out. Riley casually brushed his strike aside and was still again.

It was quite unnerving.

He came in again and released two quick punches in succession before darting away. Riley stepped back and again was so still that it was hard to say she had ever been in motion.

Jann tried to get around behind her and strike from there, but she turned, following him. He struck again. Again. A kick.

Riley merely sidestepped.

Jann was looking more than a little frustrated by this time.

His only training had come from this week. He wasn't even particularly fit, whereas Aerlid had been teaching Riley all her young life. Even had she been human, it wouldn't have been a fair competition.

'How long do I have to keep doing this?' Jann demanded.

'Until one of you wins or surrenders.' Fergus replied.

'Fine, I give up!' Jann cried.

'Very well. Krope, Geggis, you two switch.'

Jann walked away to spar with Batar Krope's opponent, a human girl.

Batar was bigger than Jann, but that didn't mean much to Riley.

Batar was more patient than Jann however, and was content to keep throwing himself at Riley, trying different moves and approaches without a hint of frustration showing on his face.

Batar was darting in low when a cry came from another mat. Surprised, Riley turned. Batar's fist caught her under her chin. Riley responded automatically by taking Batar's legs out from under him with a sweep of her leg.

He went down without a sound.

But he wasn't hurt. Everyone's attention had just turned to Maztar Lemnar and Gasann Hulin.

'Do you think that's appropriate, Maztar?' Fergus was asking. He had a soft and gentle way of talking compared to the other adults Riley had seen at the school.

'No, sir.' Maztar's eyes were downcast. 'I'm sorry, Gasann.'

'You're a gemeng, Maztar. You may be stronger, but your duty is to protect your weaker comrades. Never to hurt. I pair gemengs and humans up not so one may win, but so your human comrades may learn from the experience. Do you understand?'

'Yes, sir, I'm sorry, sir.'

Riley felt uneasy as Maztar helped Gasann to his feet. He had a red mark on his cheek.

Riley looked over at Batar. Would she be in trouble now?

Fergus instructed Gasann and Maztar to keep sparring together. Then he instructed everyone else to get back to what they were doing.

'Hey, you, Meilis, are you ready?' Batar was saying.

Riley didn't feel like sparring with humans anymore. 'Um...'

Fergus came over to them. 'Is something wrong here?' he asked.

Riley didn't say anything. She wasn't sure what to say.

'I landed a hit on her, sir.' Batar said.

'And how hard was that for you, Batar?'

He was silent for a few seconds. 'I think I got lucky, sir.'

Fergus nodded, satisfied. 'Good, you may continue.'

Batar asked her again, 'are you ready?'

'Y-yes, I'm ready.' Riley replied.

If Riley had been careful before, she was doubly so now.

The first few theory classes they didn't learn very much, they were all too busy being amazed by the Screen.

They began each class in the regular room with Major Berdis. They then departed to a small dark room located in a different building. On the opposite wall of the small room was a square section that, while slightly different from the rest of the wall, did not look very interesting on first examination.

That impression quickly changed.

'This is the Screen. Some of you may have come here to see shows for the public. It will show you recordings of gemengs from the Plains, these images were taken by Predators.' she said, referring to the standard fighter jet used by the air force.

Then the square lit up. Black and white images paraded across the small space. Fields and monstrous creatures. Clouds and mountains.

There were gasps and exclamations.

Riley remained silent, her eyes fixed on the strange moving creatures inside the square.

They didn't learn much that day.

Riley became suddenly more interested when they moved on to body armour. She had seen humans in full body armour before- though at the time she had thought they were something else entirely. She wanted to know how it worked and why, and more importantly, how she could get past such a defence.

Major Berdis began that lesson by bringing in a suit of armour on a stand, as well as a large case. The armour mainly consisted of padding with thin plates of that strange material over it. With a sour look on her face she handed a small sample of that material to a student in the front row. 'Pass that around.'

She watched as the first student examined it and passed it on hurriedly before turning and striding over to her armour display. 'You will see that body armour starts with padding, over which are plates of Reismal, which you are now examining. The Reismal provides protection against slashing attacks. You will be almost completely protected from any sharp object that strikes the Reismal. This is important, no armour affords absolute protection. The Reismal is less resistant to force than slashing, but it is still highly effective. However, you will notice from my display here that the Reismal plates cover flat areas. It has very little flexibility, and as a result joints are vulnerable. Is that clear?'

Everyone nodded.

She continued, 'The padding provides further protection, mainly against the Reismal itself, which can leave a very nasty bruise if that's the only protection you have. You will notice the helmet is made of a material that is only two parts Reismal, so that it may be manipulated more easily. Inside again, you will find padding. The visor is a flexible shield that will not shatter into your eyes if it breaks. Is that clear?'

Again, everyone nodded.

By now the Reismal plate was in Riley's hand. It was cool to the touch, and smooth. She turned it over and was tempted to try breaking it. But she resisted the urge and passed it on to the next person.

'This suit of armour does not provide complete protection, you will not be invulnerable if you wear it. Ideally, you should never be in a situation where you have to test the effectiveness of your Reismal. Our weapons are designed to eliminate any threat before they get close enough to launch an attack of their own. Keep this in mind.'

'Now, this example is white, which isn't very clandestine. You will find the suits used in the field are coloured to blend in with the area surrounding Astar. Are there any questions about body armour?'

There was the sound of twenty heads shaking.

'Very well...' she gave them all suspicious looks. 'Then we will discuss the charge used in weapons. There are three basic grades. High grade is the charge most often used. An energy weapon loaded with this may act as if it is loaded with low or medium grade, depending on the settings. Low grade should not cause death, though in some cases it does. Medium grade is designed to kill. Understand?'

There was excited nodding.

'Most weapons can be recharged here at a military office, without inserting a new load. In combat situations if the weapon powers down, it may be reloaded on the spot. Most combat units carry one or two extra high grade charge loads with them for each individual. The internal forces carry one low and medium load, and they don't carry extras.'

Then she grimaced, as if it was physically painful to tell them about weaponry. 'We will move on to the most basic personal weapon available then... This is what you will be using when you first start practicing. It is also the weapon the internal order forces use. For this reason it's called an Order-1, and sometimes the Student.' From a large case she pulled out a small weapon that Riley wouldn't have recognized as a weapon if she hadn't been told it was one. It was very clean and shiny and blocky. It looked like nothing so much as a rectangular prism with a handle stuck on at a right angle at the end. 'It is preferable to use two hands at all times while holding a weapon, particularly when using a medium grade charge, understood?' as the students nodded she continued, 'this is one of the few weapons that cannot use a high grade charge, which also makes it excellent for use in basic training, as it is unlikely you'll be able to accidentally kill each other.'

Her eyes swept the room. 'This weapon is unloaded. So I will pass it around. Once I have it back I will continue with a demonstration.'

Everyone was far more excited about handling the Order-1 than the Reismal. Yet they also wanted to see Major Berdis' demonstration, so the Order-1 was passed on quickly after a hurried examination. While this was going on Major Berdis pulled a scarred cube of metal out of her case. She set it up on a stand on one side of the room.

When Major Berdis received the Order-1 back she gave another scathing look at the class. 'Very well. I will begin by loading it with a low grade charge.' Everyone watched eagerly as she expertly loaded the Order-1. She then walked to the opposite end of the room and turned to face her little cube. It wasn't a large room, but from where Major Berdis was it looked like a small target.

She raised her hands, she held the weapon leisurely in one hand and fired. For an instant there was a stream of light stretched across the room. Then it faded. Major Berdis walked over to her cube and held it up to the class. 'You may observe the low grade left only a mark.' which she wiped away as she spoke. 'A charge should not be unloaded right after use, as it will be very hot. In a combat situation it may be necessary to do so, but not now.'

The class waited perhaps five minutes before the Major removed the charge, which was a tube that glowed faintly gold. She then loaded another charge, which looked the same to their untrained eyes. Then she moved back to her position on the other side of the room.

This time she held the Order-1 carefully with both hands. She fired. The weapon jerked back in her hands. The light was the same as in the previous demonstration.

There was silence. 'Did you notice my stance and grip?'

There was a chorus of 'Yes, sir.'

Major Berdis seemed marginally pleased. Casually she walked over to her cube and showed it to them. 'As you can see, the medium grade I used is far more powerful than the low grade.' There was an indent in the cube. The beginnings of a perfect hole burned through it.

Sweat broke out on Riley's skin as Major Berdis continued talking 'There are of course grades within the grade...' That thing, was that what was used on her in the testing centre?

She couldn't pay attention to the rest of the class.

Aerlid was interested in the form of fighting they used in Astar but Riley, curiously, wasn't particularly excited about having the chance to demonstrate.

'So this is what we're learning...' Riley said as she demonstrated the movements and routines Fergus had taught them in a rather casual manner.

'Do you not enjoy learning a new technique?' Aerlid asked as Riley almost rushed through the movements.

She shrugged. 'I don't like fighting the humans because I'm not supposed to fight them, and the other gemengs aren't very good.'

'Ah. Well I suppose that's why they're being taught, isn't it?'

She shrugged again. 'That's all he's showed us.'

'Well, what can you tell me about that style?' he prompted, trying to get a bit more out of her. He, for one, was quite interested. It wasn't based on the Akran technique, which had been a very popular unarmed fighting style. He wasn't particularly surprised however as he'd always considered that style far too flowery and impractical. It was very impressive to watch in a theatre however.

'Oh... I think it's supposed to be used with stronger opponents, but it doesn't work very well.'

'Well you're not exactly sparring with masters of that style, now are you?'

She shrugged again, then her face brightened. 'We saw this thing, it was like a play with Jeitar and Molozor except the people were really little and in this little square and they weren't coloured.'

He frowned. 'We could try practicing in the style they're teaching you. Perhaps you'd learn to appreciate it more. What do they call it?'

She went back to being uncommunicative at the change of topic. 'Just unarmed combat training. But I can beat them all really easily. I don't even have to use any of the moves.' she demonstrated with the chair by knocking it over. 'I can just do that. I don't want to practice that. I want to learn how to sword fight.'

Aerlid's face clouded. 'Do you keep your guard up? Do you pay attention to your opponent?'

'I don't need to, they're not very good.' she said, not paying much attention. 'I think we can just focus on sword fighting now.'

'Riley,' he barked.

Startled, she looked at him.

'That sort of arrogance will get you killed. I don't care what you think of your opponent, if you get in a fight, you fight properly. You stay focussed, no matter how weak you think your opponent is. If you can't do that, don't get into a fight in the first place.'

When she nodded he said, 'I want you to repeat that to me and you're not going to practice with your sword until I'm convinced you understand that.'

'But-!'

'No buts! If I have to come to your school and watch to make sure you're staying focussed I will. Now, repeat.'

Chapter 17

When Restday came around Riley was still piqued she wasn't allowed to practice her sword fighting. Aerlid had refused to budge. Her technique improved markedly during sparring sessions with Fergus, to the point that if Aerlid had been there he wouldn't have had anything to complain about. It made the sessions even more tediously boring for her, and she was reduced to giving tips to the unfortunate gemeng who was her opponent (humans didn't get tips). Her tips, which made perfect sense to her ('stop doing it wrong'), were not very helpful to the recipient.

She was thinking she'd have to ask Aerlid for advice on tip giving if things continued the way they were.

But it was Restday, and she could forget about that for now. She had something to do that would require the use of all the skills she'd learnt since coming to Astar.

It was with some trepidation that she walked alone through the city towards Razra's house. She was allowed to walk to certain places alone now; school, military school, the dormitories and Razra's home. Not the park though. Riley had determined that this restriction was not because the walk was much more difficult than any other walk, but that she wasn't allowed _in_ the park alone.

She didn't know where Razra studied or worked, but she knew where he lived. And they were friends, weren't they? He'd said they would see each other. So this was the appropriate response, wasn't it, to go see him?

But she didn't think about all that very much. She was just vaguely nervous.

Razra lived in a similar apartment to her. It was on the third floor of his building, was bigger and had more homey touches to it, as well as being further towards the centre of Astar, but it was more or less the same.

She climbed the stairs to his door and without any hesitation, though her stomach had knotted itself up, she knocked on his door.

It was a good knock. Firm, loud.

She waited. She'd never knocked on the door of someone who wasn't expecting her. She waited, wondering whether they were home, whether she should knock again or whether she should leave.

The seconds ticked by slowly. What if Razra wasn't happy to see her?

Before she could make any decision the door opened.

Fanie (or Fann, more formally), Razra's older brother, peered out at her.

Riley looked at him.

Fanie looked at her.

'Hello. Is Razra here?' she asked.

He disappeared from the door without a word. Riley managed to maintain her balance in the face of such inexplicable behaviour. She had been exposed to Fanie before. He did these sorts of things and it was nothing to get alarmed about.

She didn't have to wait too long however for the door to open again, and it couldn't have been more different.

'Riley!' Razra greeted her with a grin, flinging the door wide open.

She barely managed to say hello before he dragged her inside.

'What have you been learning? I haven't seen any gemengs in my classes. We've been doing really hard stuff, I don't think I want to be a researcher or go into medicine, they have to do even harder stuff. You know there's this library and we have to go and read all this stuff? But it's so small and they don't have many copies so we have to sign up with a schedule and we can't take things out of the library and...'

Riley was instantly put at ease as Razra chattered on and on, and her fears he wouldn't want to be her friend anymore vanished.

The next six months progressed smoothly. She saw Razra often on Restdays, sometimes they even met near the military complex. Razra always asked lots of questions about the military, though he rarely received any answers as he had a tendency to ask his next question while Riley was still trying to his answer his _first_ question. Although Jillia was in the military too, she was more difficult to stay in touch with. Riley was maybe a little hurt by this, but then, it wasn't unexpected. She didn't think it was because of a lack of time or difficulty scheduling, but because most gemengs did not feel comfortable around her, and Jillia's family and friends were of course, all gemengs. Riley hadn't really thought much about this, the thought had just bubbled up from somewhere, was noted, and then stored again.

Aerlid eventually restarted her sword training. With Aerlid's help, her tips to her fellow gemengs improved somewhat from 'don't do it wrong' but they still weren't crystal clear either.

She found the theory interesting, though she broke out in a cold sweat and had trouble focussing whenever Major Berdis demonstrated any of the energy weapons.

Halfway through the year the theory section was reduced by an hour and a half each day, during which time they began using some of the weapons they had learnt about.

Today was the first day.

The class was split into exercise groups, with one instructor per ten students, and sent to different rooms. They were gathered in a room in a different part of the building to where they learnt theory. The room was empty except for cupboards and a stand. The stand had a large metal cube set up on it. The cupboards were made of strong steel and were locked securely. There were scorch marks on the walls.

Another fiery military man was waiting for them. 'I am Major Malais. I will be teaching you to use the weapons you have been learning about for the past six months. You do exactly as I say here. No warnings. You disobey, you're out. Any questions?'

'No, sir!'

'Good. You're all familiar with the Order-1?'

'Yes, sir!'

'Today we'll start with loading, unloading and basic maintenance. We won't be firing any weapons today.'

'Yes, sir!'

Malais walked through their small group and unlocked one of the cupboards. 'These weapons are unloaded. Everyone, take one. There are drained charge canisters in the box in the bottom of the cupboard, again, everybody take one.'

Everyone obeyed in an orderly manner. Riley's hands were shaking. Her shoulder ached. There was nothing wrong with her shoulder but it ached all the same.

Malais locked the cupboard when they were done and returned to the front of the room. He had an Order-1 in his hands and a drained charge canister. He performed each task first, explaining what he was doing. Then he asked them to do it.

It wasn't that hard. But Riley's hands shook and she was clumsy.

Malais came over to her. 'Did you go through testing?'

She nodded, 'Yes, sir.'

He nodded, 'I see. This is a normal response. You'll either deal with it or you won't.' and without any other encouragement he moved onto the next student. He checked that all the students were loading and unloading the Order-1 properly. Then he told them to do it faster.

Riley swallowed. It was a weapon. Her sword was a weapon. Her sword hadn't sliced through her shoulder. She closed her eyes, ignoring the other students. It was a weapon. Aerlid had shown her many weapons. It wasn't as if she'd never been hurt before. But there'd been something different about the testing. This thing didn't call to her the way steel did. Still, it was a weapon. She gritted her teeth and looked down at the cold, ugly, blocky thing in her hands.

She loaded and unloaded. Her teeth clenched. She did it again. Again.

When Malais called for them to pack away the Order-1 and drained charge canisters Riley's jaw was aching and she had trouble unclenching her teeth.

Riley managed to control her shaking during practice but when she arrived home it started again. Aerlid watched in concern and tried to help, but while she continued to use the human weapons there was little he could do.

And then shooting practice began.

'Today we'll start shooting practice.' Major Malais said. 'You'll go one at time. Keep your weapon pointed down, only aim at that block over there. We'll be using the lowest of the low grades. If you _do_ manage to shoot one of your colleagues, you'll give them a bit of a sting and you won't be joining us again for a while.'

First he went through the movement of shooting, with unloaded weapons. Then they put all of the weapons away, except for one. They then took turns trying to shoot the block.

When it was her turn Riley's head felt strangely empty. She didn't know if she was shaking or not. She fired. Missed. Then it was over and that _thing_ was out of her hands. She moved to stand with the others who had already had their turn. The shakes were back- or perhaps they had always been there. She struggled to control them, not able to focus on anything else.

Major Malais was talking.

'This happens to be one of the more accurate weapons you'll ever be using.' Malais said with a rather evil smirk after everyone had tried. 'Ok, start again from the beginning. Three shots each time this round.'

As she waited in line she focussed on her breathing. By the time it was her turn again she had control of herself.

Then it was in her hands again and she was meant to _shoot_ it and her shoulder was burning and her head was empty and she was going to faint... Breathe. Breathe. She focussed on the block. She fired, missed.

Her stomach knotted up. How long would she have to do this? She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to see one of these things ever again.

They'll keep making me do this, a clear voice said in the back of her mind, they'll keep making me do it. Until I get it right.

Her mind cleared. A terrible clarity came to her. Different to when she held a sword. So different. There was that block. She had to shoot it for this to end.

Light arced across the room. It faded. Had she hit? She focussed so hard on that block, but it was so marked already. Had she hit?

'Very good.' a voice near her elbow said. 'That's a hit.'

Riley looked around. Major Malais was near her, but she had trouble recognizing him.

'I hit it?'

'Yes, you did.'

But she wasn't really talking to him. I hit it. That was all she needed. She shoved the Order-1 into the hands of the next person in line and left to stand with those already finished.

But it wasn't really over. They went round and round and round. But she hit it first time from then on, every time. So at least her contact with the weapon was minimized.

The shooting practice continued. Ten stands were set up so all the students could practice at the same time, denying Riley any escape in ability. After Malais was satisfied with the progress of the class, they began shooting moving targets.

The first time they all practiced at once, Riley was nearly reduced to tears. She hit and hit and hit and it didn't end. Her shoulder throbbed madly. She thought her arm might fall off.

Despite this she managed to control herself during those lessons and get through them. The effort drained her though, and every night she returned home too tired to go running in the park.

Once Malais was satisfied with their use of the Order-1 their lessons changed, and in a way it was easier for her, as the new weapon did not resemble the weapon used on her in the testing centre as much as the Order-1.

Malais seemed very happy with himself when they all filed into the room that day. He had something in his arms, hidden by heavy cloth.

'Have you children heard of the Breaker?' Malais asked.

'No, sir.'

His smile widened. 'Well, kids, that's what we'll be working with for the rest of the year. If you can use the breaker, you can use any handheld weapon we've got.'

He shifted whatever was in his hands into one hand and used the other to pull the cloth off.

Riley stared at the monstrosity in his arms. It was as long as his arm, and had all the grace and elegance of cave mould.

'Geggis, why don't you come up here and give it a try, hmm?'

Jann came forward apprehensively. When Malais handed him the Breaker he struggled to hold it.

'Ok, I want you to load it and fire it as you do with the Order-1. Mind you don't drop it, the recoil's vicious.'

Jann wasn't as strong as Major Malais and couldn't hold with one arm. He had to crouch down and struggle with it before he managed to load it. He stood up, dragging the Breaker with him.

He hefted it, aimed. A bright beam shot from the nozzle. But that wasn't what anyone was paying attention to. Jann swore as he nearly dropped it. The light arced towards the ceiling, leaving scorch marks. Riley noticed those weren't the only scorch marks up there. Jann caught it and then fell to the ground, just stopping it from crashing.

'We have to use this thing?!' Jann said, horrified, as he rubbed his arm.

'I thought heavier energy weapons generally had less recoil.' One of the human girls, Leili Fleras, said.

Malais was momentarily disconcerted. 'Who told you that?' He asked.

'Major Berdis.'

'Well, someone's been paying attention.' And he left it at that. 'We'll be using this weapon for the next few weeks, or until you are all proficient with it.'

By the end of the day everyone was aching and burnt from struggling with the Breaker. Not only was it heavy and lively, it became uncomfortably hot when used. They were advised not to touch the loading mechanism or barrel until a few hours after they were done. Even so, some people ended up with burnt fingers. Even if you managed not to bump the burning hot metal, just standing near it was torture. By the end of the day, the room was as hot as an oven.

Holding it did not have the same effect on Riley as holding the Order-1. It was when it fired and that oh so familiar beam of light appeared that she had a problem and nearly dropped the thing. Still, as far as Riley was concerned it was a vast improvement over the Order-1.

She was perhaps the only person in that class pleased with the day's work.

The next few weeks were hellish for most of the students in the class while for Riley they were like a pleasant holiday.

The other students were determined to master the monstrosity and then never use it again. Riley would have been happy to keep using it forever.

Two weeks later, Malais, looking a little bit put out, announced that they would no longer be using the Breaker. There was a round of cheering. Riley felt her stomach drop. Would it be the Order-1 again? She didn't want to go back to that. She didn't think she could.

'We will begin work with the weapon used by most patrols, the Standard Issue High-Grade Personal Energy Weapon, the SIGPEW. I assume you are all familiar with this weapon?'

There was a round of 'yes sir's. This had been covered extensively in theory some time ago.

The SIGPEW was like a dream. It had a cooling system, so you couldn't accidently burn yourself while handling it, and it was

light as a feather compared to the Breaker (though much heavier than the Order-1). But most importantly for Riley it was a large weapon that was closer to the Breaker in appearance than the Order-1, so she was able to use it with far more ease than the Order-1.

'Now, some of you have been asking some questions about the Breaker.' Major Malais said to the gathered group after all the weapons were packed away. He smiled. 'The Breaker is the original SIGPEW. It was taken out of active use around...' he frowned, 'three hundred years ago... It has... also been modified for training purposes.' he grinned evilly. 'I imagine the original Astar Home Defence Patrol didn't have as much trouble with this beast as you children did.'

'So it's not actually used?' Jann asked, 'ever?'

'Never ever. Just to break in new students.' he smirked. 'Don't go telling any new students that though.'

Over the next few weeks they worked with the SIGPEW. As it took high-grade charge, they also learnt how to set their weapons. The settings on the SIGPEW were located on the side of the weapon under a protective cover. There was a switch to change from low to medium response and a dial to change the settings within the response. However due to the possibility of accidentally using the wrong settings, the SIGPEWs they used had been modified, so the combat settings couldn't be used. After Malais was satisfied with their performance however, they began using the SIGPEWs with full capabilities. Having to reload an energy weapon wasn't likely to be a problem in combat very often, as the charges could last over two hours if used carefully. There hadn't been a drawn out battle with gemengs near Astar in a long time. Some of the students decided to test just _how_ long the high-grade charge could last by setting the SIGPEW to max and letting out a continuous stream of raw power at the practice room wall. After draining the SIGPEW in less than ten minutes and burning a hole most of the way through the very thick, heavily reinforced wall, those students were banned from practicing for a month. Despite the low likelihood of getting into a drawn out battle with gemengs, Malais had his students learn to reload and fire in under three seconds and they learnt to change the settings with their eyes closed.

Despite the SIGPEW being easier for Riley to use than the Order-1, she still returned home tired. It was a struggle at first but she did start her park runs again, which improved her mood markedly. Eventually, it got easier. Her shoulder still throbbed whenever she saw or touched a personal energy weapon, known as PEWs. They made her uneasy and she was never comfortable around them, but she no longer had to struggle to control her shaking.

Moving on to MEWs-mounted energy weapons and RAWs- remotely activated weapons, was not any easier than using the PEWs. They bore no resemblance to the weapon used in the testing centre, but the light was the same. And that was enough.

In fact, the MEWs terrified her. They did not use them, just saw demonstrations of them being handled by teams of three or more people. They saw weapons with barrels as wide as her forearm was long, that shot a beam of what looked like a river of molten gold. It terrified her to think of what that thing could do, knowing what a weapon she could hold in one hand could do to her.

The RAWs had heavy wheels and treads. They moved by themselves and had energy weapons as large as the MEWs fixed to them.

Chapter 18

At the end of the first year the group split further. Those who were staying in the infantry and wanted a chance of an early promotion, or wanted to get into the air force, were very stressed about their exams. There were very few who wanted to be transferred to Coastside, though you had to be exceptional for that, as Coastside trained their own submariners.

For Riley and the other gemengs the exams weren't as worrisome. They were staying in the infantry and weren't going to get promoted very far.

When the exams were over the units were rearranged into groups of five. Some people had left for other paths, others were moved into other groups for reasons of group cohesion and so on.

On the first day back Riley looked around at the group she was now a part of, Training Unit 4, or TU-4. Jann Geggis greeted her with a smile. Leili Fleras was also there as was Batar Krope. Maztar Lemnar was in another unit, Gasann Hulin had joined the air force. The only other gemeng in their group, Geilar Thres, had not been part of their exercise group but had been in their theory class.

Standing in front of the large hall of 2nd year infantry students, where last year they had been first broken up into exercise groups, was a hard-nosed man who introduced himself as Colonel Hamnar.

He told the students what to expect in the coming year. By now, he said, they should be familiar with weaponry and the theory of unit tactics. Now they would begin putting that into practice. The unit they were in would be the unit they stayed with when they graduated, unless there was a problem. They would also go on patrol with the Internal Defence and Internal Order Forces as part of their training, as well as with the Astar Home Defence Patrol. They would spend less scheduled time on exercise routines and unarmed combat training, however they were expected to keep that up in their spare time.

Today, he said, would be the first day of combat training.

'The rules are simple. Capture the opposing unit's base. One shot and you're out. You'll have twenty minutes to discuss the plan and then the game will begin.'

And as quick as that the units split up and headed in different directions. The unit Riley was in and Maztar's unit, TU-5, were paired against each other.

The combat training area was a large space with obstacles, barriers and fortifications. They were given SIGPEWs modified for training. They would sting, but they wouldn't be able to do any real damage.

To begin with they weren't really sure how to start. There was no real leader among them and no one had been put in charge.

Jann cleared his throat and looked around nervously, 'um, so how should we do this?' he looked at Leili.

'Uh...well I guess we need to leave some people to defend the base and some others should go capture their base.'

She looked around at their group expectantly. 'Who wants to go capture their base?'

There was silence.

Everyone looked at each other. Riley was looking at what she could see of the area from their position. No area was elevated above any other, so it was difficult to get a good idea of the space. Their base was located in a rather poor position. They were in a clear space, so an attack was possible from all sides. On the up side, at least sneaking up on them should be difficult.

'Ok, I'll close my eyes and point. Whoever I point to stays here, alright?' Leili said.

She closed her eyes and spun around. When she opened her eyes she was pointing at Jann.

'Ok, Jann will stay here.' she said.

'Alright. Who's staying with me?' he asked.

Riley looked up at this. 'Jann should capture the base. Batar and Leili should stay here.' she said. She rather thought putting Jann in charge of sitting still anywhere was a poor idea. He was more likely to get frustrated and bored and leave his post. Batar on the other hand was very patient, whereas Leili was good at following orders.

'Ummm?' Jann murmured.

'You're not likely to stay put.' she said, somewhat uncertainly.

He shrugged. 'I guess. Ok, we can go with that. What are you and Geilar going to do?'

'One of us should stay here, the other should go with you.'

'I'll go.' Geilar said.

That settled Jann and Geilar started talking about how they should go about capturing the other team's base. Riley walked around their area, noting the places the enemy could get through. She passed her conclusions on to Batar and Leili.

Then their time was up. Jann looked uncertain for a moment before saying, 'ok, we'll move out. You guys, make sure nobody gets through.'

For a long time it was quiet and boring. This was fine for Riley. Hunting wasn't always very exciting either. Batar also, was not bothered, and Leili was good at sitting quietly if that's what she had to do.

Batar and Leili stayed inside the base while Riley, every now and then, made a sweep around the barriers and walls closest to their base.

It was on one of these sweeps that she spotted a human and a gemeng sneaking up on the base. They stopped behind a wall and were debating how to get close without getting shot. Riley raised the SIGPEW to shoot and started shaking. It had been months since she'd had this much trouble.

The pair was just sitting there. She could get them both, as long as she could shoot. She clenched her jaw. Bile rose in her throat. They would spot her. They would shoot her.

And suddenly a stream of light burst from her SIGPEW, then another so fast it merged with the first.

She looked at the two in shock. They were as surprised as her. Riley barely noticed. She felt as though she might throw up.

'What happened-oh!' Leili was talking. She had come out of the base. 'Did you get them?'

Riley didn't answer, but the two were answering for her.

'That's good, hopefully Geilar and Jann are doing as well.'

Riley nodded slowly. Leili turned back towards the base and in a daze Riley followed her. The walk helped, though it wasn't very far at all. It was mainly the fear at what would happen if the rest of her unit saw her in such a state that made her regain control. She shook her head, clenched her jaw. By the time they were back at the base she seemed fine, if a bit stern looking.

'What happened?' Batar asked when they returned.

Leili explained and Batar calmly added that he'd shot someone who was approaching.

'That's three.' Leili said, 'so that's two for Geilar and Jann to take out.'

They waited some more.

They didn't know how the others were doing until a whistle blew.

That was the signal that the game was over.

Leili and Batar looked at each other.

'Do you think we won?' Leili asked.

Batar shrugged, 'let's go find out.'

The two groups gathered back at the entrance.

Colonel Hamnar looked them over sternly. 'Both of the attacking groups were taken out over half an hour ago. The defenders just sat there, doing nothing. So I'm going to call this as a loss for both groups. Now, I want you lot to figure out what went wrong, then we're doing this again and again. All day. At the end of the day, you're going to explain your results to me.'

When he was done the units reunited and explained what had happened to each other. Jann had been taken out by the defending team, as had Geilar, but Geilar had managed to take out one of the defenders before being shot.

'What's their base look like?' Riley asked after they had finished. She was looking away from the unit, still struggling to control herself. She didn't know if she could do this all day, so she tried to focus on the talk instead.

'Pretty much the same as ours.' Jann muttered. 'Uh, I can't believe we lost!'

'Well, at least we did better than they did.' Leili said. 'But we still lost.' she added quickly.

'We need a better plan.' Geilar said, 'we can't just charge into the base like we did last time.'

'Maybe if we had more people...' Jann was saying

'The defence worked well.' Batar said. 'But they sent three guys at us, we might not have been able to do it with just two.'

'Well they managed!' Jann said hotly.

'Do you think they'd go on the offence right away?' Riley asked thoughtfully.

'Um, yes!' Jann replied. 'What else are they going to do, sit there?'

'Was it easy to get to their base without being seen?' she asked.

'I guess.' Geilar said. 'We didn't get shot til we arrived at their base.'

'They might be more careful this time. You and Jann can go find out how many are defending their base...' she paused, 'Leili could go with you. Do you think you could try and lure one of the defenders away?' she asked.

'I could try...' Leili said.

'If they think just one person is out there they might send someone out to get you.' Riley said thoughtfully. 'If they do, it will be easier for us to attack whoever is remaining at the base.'

She nodded. 'I can try.' she shrugged. 'It's better than nothing.'

'If you don't come back then one of us will have to go.' Riley said.

They agreed to go with that plan. The game started again and then it was just Riley and Batar in the base.

Riley thought about it for a few moments and decided to check around the obstacles near the base again. That just left Batar defending, though it would be worse if Maztar's unit snuck up on them.

Riley wasn't surprised when she eventually spotted two people sneaking around near their base. The Astarians weren't really very stealthy when compared to mountain cats, or anything from the wild really. It was easier to shoot them this time, though her stomach still objected afterwards.

Before she could spend much time trying to get herself under control she saw light over the base. Around one wall and another and she was back. Batar was down, as was another enemy. Without thinking she raised her SIGPEW and shot the fourth who was just making it into their base.

In surprise she hurried to the base and scanned the area.

With a grumble Batar and the other four got up and left the area quickly. They weren't supposed to talk to each other once they were dead.

Riley prepared herself for a long wait. If Leili's team failed then they'd lose this round again, she could hardly leave the base now.

She didn't have to wait long before the whistle blew.

She left the area. When she arrived at the gathering place Jann, Geilar and Leili were looking very pleased with themselves.

'This round goes to Unit Four.' Colonel Hamnar looked marginally satisfied at this, but perhaps it was a trick of the light. 'Ok, discuss. Then we're going again. There's one more round on this set up and then we'll change the obstacles around.'

They continued like that for the rest of the day. Every day began early with a run, then they had theory, then practice. Sometimes it was weapons practice, sometimes it was combat training. They trained with different rules and against different units and in different situations. Eventually they started training outside the city walls in the forest near Astar. They set up league tables, so the combat training became very competitive.

Once they began training outside the walls of Astar, Riley discovered how much she missed the forest. The smell, the feel, the sights and sounds. The training in the forest was a time she treasured. It also eased the difficulty she had with the energy weapons.

Riley found she rather enjoyed coming up with different strategies, though not so much shooting people, even on low settings. If she had been using her sword, perhaps it would have been different.

Chapter 19

The Shield Tower was the most important building in all of Astar. There was more than one tower that held a shield in Astar, yet only one was known as the Shield Tower.

The Shield Tower was located in the centre of Astar and was the highest point in the city. It held the only shield that could cover all of Astar by itself. The military had a large presence within certain parts of the city as well as outside. Internal Defence Force personnel, equipped with SIGPEWs and Reismal body armour were always stationed around the Shield Tower. The power stations and food and weapon storage facilities also had a large contingent of armed guards around them at all times.

The constructs on top of the buildings in Astar that had so intrigued Aerlid, Riley now knew, were part of the power network of Astar. Astar used fuel of many different types, so that if one was cut off during an attack they could switch to another type without too much trouble. She knew much of the fuel used to power the energy weapons came from caves to the north, though the shields were primarily fuelled by the sun through the tower-top constructs.

During that year Riley spent a lot of time with the Internal Defence Force standing outside the Shield Tower counting the clouds in the sky.

Many of the resources used by Astar came through Coastside, a city on the coast connected to Astar by reinforced underground tunnels. There was a mine near Coastside, though many of the other resource extraction sites were flung further afield. It was the job of the submariners of Coastside to get those resources from the extraction sites safely to Coastside where they could then be taken to Astar.

While she was counting clouds that job sounded very exciting to her, but that wasn't one of the jobs her unit ever trained on.

Every morning began with a run, sometimes around the city, sometimes around the park and sometimes in the military school compound. Riley did not enjoy these runs very much. Geilar wasn't very fast, and she obeyed Aerlid's instruction to never be faster or better than the strongest gemeng. There were other units running with them, but Geilar was in her unit so she tied her performance to his. So she had to be slower than Geilar _all the time_.

At least she'd had practice with this in primary school. Still, she did not enjoy it.

Geilar was giving her a strange look when they finished their run that day. 'You don't look very tired.' he said reproachfully.

'I am.' she answered, glancing at him. He was sweating and panting. It occurred to her suddenly that she should start sweating and panting too. 'I just hide it.' she added.

'You're not losing on purpose, are you?' he asked, anger entering his voice.

'No.' she replied, surprised. Before this conversation it had never occurred to her that someone might guess she wasn't trying very hard.

Seeing the hard look he was giving her she added, 'I'm good at hiding it.'

He continued observing her. She returned his gaze, bewildered.

He sighed, 'you're good at hiding it?'

'Yes.' she stated simply.

'Ok, how and or why are you good at it? Because you are _really_ good at it.'

'Uh...I don't come from Astar.' she finally said.

'Really?' he replied, mildly amazed. 'So you learnt how to do that out there? Is it important?'

'Yes.' she said, a trifle uneasily.

'Do you think that's something we should learn? You know, hide our tiredness from the gemengs?'

She was saved from answering by Colonel Hamnar approaching. He often chatted with the people who finished the run early while they waited for the others.

'Colonel, sir,' Geilar said eagerly, 'do you know the gemengs learn how to hide their tiredness really well outside Astar?'

'Hmm? Do they?' he asked mildly, an eyebrow rising.

'Do you think that's something we should know? You know, for when we fight them?'

'Hmm... so you're from outside Astar.' he said to Riley. 'Yes, I remember. So you hide your tiredness well?' he asked.

Riley just nodded. She was rather wishing she could go back to running slowly behind Geilar.

'So you went through the testing.'

It wasn't a question. Riley nodded anyway.

'Do you have any difficulty moving your arm? I haven't noticed you struggling.'

'I healed well.' She replied.

'Hmm, when did you come through the testing?'

'Seven years ago.'

'I see, well, carry on.'

When Riley returned home that night she practiced her panting. Clearly she needed to work on looking tired when she wasn't if she didn't want to arouse suspicion. She was a little vague on what she was hiding and why, but she didn't think of that.

When Aerlid came in he gave her a I'm-not-sure-what's-going-on-here-and-I'm-not-sure-I-want-to-know kind of look. Gathering himself he asked, 'what are you doing?'

'Practicing looking tired.'

'Oh.'

'Do I look tired.'

'...No.' Then, 'why?'

'I did as you said and let the other gemengs beat me, but they think I lose on purpose.'

'I see, well... don't do that.' he said firmly and waited til she nodded before continuing. 'I think perhaps you should start running in the morning as well as the evening.'

She thought about it for a moment before nodding. 'All right.'

'And let me know if they say anything more about it.' Aerlid added.

Patrolling with the Internal Order Forces wasn't quite as bad as patrolling with the Internal Defence Force. The job of the order forces was not so much to defend important sites within Astar, but to make sure the citizens were behaving themselves. This mainly involved walking around Astar with an Order-1 loaded with a low grade charge and looking menacing when the situation required it.

'I think I should have joined the air force.' Jann grumbled as he joined the rest of his unit who were waiting for him outside the IOF station. It was a cool night, and their third in a row on duty.

'Don't tell Gasann that.' he added quickly as Geilar looked like he was going to say something.

'Wouldn't dream of it.' Geilar replied with a smirk. 'Here's your radio.' he added, and handed Jann the rectangular device.

'Is Jaff not coming tonight?' Jann asked as he looked around.

'No, it's just us tonight.' Leili replied. 'They think we're ready.'

'As long as you don't shoot any more trees.' Geilar added with an evil grin.

The other night while patrolling near the park, Jann had mistaken a tree for a gemeng attacking and shot it. Before they could get into an argument about the gemeng-like qualities of that particular species of tree, Riley cut them off.

'We're splitting into two groups. Geilar, Leili and you are going together around the east section.' she said to Jann, 'Batar and I will do the west. We're to meet back here in two hours.'

Jann stopped, his mouth open, then he got his mind in gear for the conversational switch. 'Alright. Then we do north and south?'

Riley nodded.

The IOF split the city up into sections and each command was responsible for its own section.

'TU-5 and another IOF unit are also in our section tonight, so don't mistake them for trees...' Geilar said, a smile in his voice.

As Jann began a spluttering defence Riley wondered whether she should switch Jann and Geilar for tonight. She caught Leili's eye. Leili shrugged. 'I think they'll be fine.'

With that Riley turned and with a word to Batar they set out on their patrol. They would be out here for four hours tonight. It didn't bother Riley so much because she usually spent the evening and early morning running in the park (and avoiding patrols like these). It was hard to tell with Batar whether he was tired or not, and Geilar would never let himself appear weaker than a human. Jann and Leili were getting used to it, but next week they'd be off again and next time they were on night duty they'd have to get used to it all over again.

Chapter 20

Often the members of the unit socialized outside of training, Riley with them.

Today they were visiting Gasann over where the pilots trained. This was always exciting because there was the chance of spotting a Predator. Or any aircraft. Any aircraft at all would have been great.

They hadn't spotted one yet.

'The infantry defends Astar, what does the air force do? I've never seen you do anything. Have you?' Jann looked at Geilar for support, who gave it.

Gasann rolled his eyes. 'First of all, you can't _see_ Predators. Second of all, the air force keeps gemengs from getting anywhere _near_ Astar, that's why it's always so quiet around here.'

Every time they visited Gasann they had this same argument.

Riley, feeling she rather knew what she was supposed to say now if anyone asked her which field was more important, infantry, air force or submariners, turned her attention to Leili, who was rather deep in conversation with a pilot in training Riley was given to understand was attractive to human females. It was a human thing, she noted, for the male and females to pair off. It involved lots of blushing. As it was a human thing, and not something Riley felt she would have to take part in- she was different after all- she turned her attention to Batar. He was calmly chatting with another boy.

'Ok, yeah, sure. At least you're more important than the submariners.' Jann was saying. Riley knew this meant the conversation was winding down.

'Agreed.' Gasann said, 'what do the submariners ever do? Nothing.'

'You know Aleitar transferred to Coastside?'

'Well he was always lazy.' Gasann shrugged. 'Maybe I should have transferred too.'

Batar, who noticed Riley taking mental notes of his conversation with the other boy invited her to join them. They were having a rather technical conversation about the weapons mounted on the Predators and comparing them to the MEWs. Riley found it fascinating.

Unnoticed to her, Gasann stood up stiffly. 'Hey, let's go.' he was saying to Jann. 'We've been sitting for too long.'

'What? I don't know about you but I spend all day running around.' Jann said without getting up.

'Let's go.' Gasann said with more force as he glanced towards one of the doors. A group of higher level pilots-in-training were coming in.

Jann looked too. 'O-oh. Fine, fine. Hey, you guys, we're going, you want to come?'

They didn't. Jann and Gasann left alone.

It was perhaps fifteen minutes later when someone joined them at their table. The conversation stopped and Batar and the other boy, Kenis, glanced at their new companion.

'Don't let me bother you boys,' the newcomer said, 'I'm not here for you.'

'Hi, Peitar.' Kenis said in a melancholy voice while Batar simply observed the newcomer quietly.

'Well hello to you too.' He turned his attention to Riley and held out his hand. 'Hi there, I'm Peitar, I don't think we've met.'

Riley was about to respond when she noticed Kenis shaking his head at her. Surprised, she looked back at Peitar, who was smiling widely at her and at Kenis. Then she looked at Batar.

'Don't mind him,' Peitar said and shook her hand. 'I haven't seen you around here before, what's your name?'

Kenis stopped shaking his head. As he wasn't offering any explanation Riley went ahead and replied, 'Riley Meilis.'

'Well, hello.' he laughed. 'What a lovely name. Are you in the air force?'

'No, the infantry.' Riley said with a smile.

'Oh, are you enjoying it?'

Riley was about to answer- she _could_ answer these questions now, when Peitar continued talking. She wasn't particularly bothered though as she was used to this sort of behaviour from Razra.

'Would you like to come see my plane?'

'A Predator?' she asked, a touch of eagerness in her voice.

'No, not yet.' he said modestly. 'I'm still in training after all. Come, I'll show you.' he stood and offered her his hand.

Riley, not realizing the hand was for her, stood and ignored it.

Peitar withdrew his hand discreetly and led her to the hangar.

Behind them Kenis gave a melancholy sigh.

Riley arrived at the opinion that Peitar and Razra shared some similar qualities. Like Razra, Peitar often kept talking without waiting for her response. When Razra whispered, he often got too close to her ear, and Peitar suffered from the same problem. Sometimes, not even in the context of whispering, he would start getting too close to her.

Riley dealt with this by calmly moving away, as she did with Razra.

After that first day he asked to see her again. She replied by telling him she often came to the air force training centre with her unit. So while Gasannn, Geilar and Jann disappeared whenever Peitar appeared, Leili and her attractive male chatted intimately and Batar and Kenis discussed various technical things, Peitar showed Riley around the base.

Riley also noted many of the females spent a good deal of time looking at Peitar. She determined then, that Peitar was likely an attractive male, like Leili's male. She did not consider whether she found him so, because that was clearly a human thing and important in whether the males and females paired up or not. It was not something that had anything to do with gemengs.

The sky was darkening.

Riley and Jillia leant against the dormitory Jillia called home, chatting amiably.

Jillia was difficult to track down during classes. Riley, wishing to continue her only gemeng friendship, had started visiting Jillia at the dormitories. As Razra had reacted well to her visiting him at home (though she'd had a weak invitation to continue the friendship from him) she'd decided to try with Jillia as well and had at first come to the dormitories uninvited.

'Do you know any other gemengs from outside?' Riley was asking. She faced away from the forest. If she looked at the forest, she couldn't talk. The forest became everything.

'Hmm? There are some, I'm not allowed to talk to them though.' Jillia replied.

'Can I talk to them?'

'Why?' she asked.

'I want to know if they have arms that can't move, and how they fight if they do.'

Jillia shrugged. 'I know where one is.' she stood straight, moving away from the wall. 'Yes, alright, let's go talk to an outsider.'

They walked three dormitories down. Inside it was dark. During the evening most of the gemengs gathered outside. The stars and moon made outside lighter than inside.

Jillia walked a little way into the dormitory, Riley following. Riley could see there were a few people in here, seemingly asleep.

Jillia padded softly down to the end of the room where a curtain was drawn.

'Mr Bogresh?' she called softly.

There was a slight tremor in her voice.

She didn't call again. There was no response. She began edging back.

Then, the curtain was drawn back suddenly and silently. A dark shape loomed before them.

Jillia froze.

'What?' he asked, whispering without needing to get too close to anyone's ear. His voice was gruff.

Seeing Jillia was having trouble speaking, Riley asked in a whisper, 'Are you from outside Astar?'

Riley's eyes had adjusted well to the dark and she saw a flash of white teeth bared in a grin that was more snarl. She resisted the urge to bare her teeth back. Aerlid had done too good a job at teaching her not to snarl.

'I am.'

'Can you move your arm?' she asked. She was a little surprised that an outsider had taken a family name. Perhaps he was trying to fit in.

'I move it well enough.' he bared his teeth again.

Again, Riley resisted the urge to snarl.

'What's it like?' Jillia suddenly asked. 'Out there?'

The man snorted and shifted on his mat.

Riley could make out one very muscular arm. The other she could not see.

'Sit.' he grunted suddenly.

Jillia immediately plopped to the ground. Riley might have thought she'd been hit if she hadn't known better. At a more reasonable pace, Riley also sat.

'You're a young one, aren't you? Family been here a few generations?' he asked in his gruff and growly voice.

Jillia nodded then said 'yes,' when she realised he might not be able to see.

He grunted. 'You young ones always complain about how the humans treat you here.' he grumbled. 'Then you sneak away from your parents and aunts and uncles and ask me, as if you expect me to tell you about a wonderful place where the gemengs are in charge and everything's all great.'

'Well you shouldn't have come. You're parents are right to keep you away from me. And you're wrong about outside, about here. You wouldn't last ten minutes in the outside. You'd be killed, or made a slave. Anyone who's stronger than you, and there's always someone, you're at their mercy. And they have none. And everyone's afraid. Afraid someone stronger will come around the corner, afraid someone they thought was weaker will turn out to be not so weak as they thought.'

'Astar's a paradise. And you don't even know it, you ungrateful little wretches.'

Jillia was silent. She swallowed. Trembled. Then she looked at Riley. 'Where would you go? If you could choose?' her voice was hoarse.

Riley, chagrined, thinking she'd done Jillia a disservice when she'd told her the tale about the gemeng village said, reluctantly, 'here. They pushed me out of a tree.'

'What?'

'The children. They pushed me out of a tree.'

Jillia's mouth was agape, a darker hole in the darkness.

'You're from outside?' almost not recognizing the voice, for it held nothing but curiosity now and none of the gruff growly snarliness, Riley realised Mr Bogresh was talking to her.

'Yes.' she said.

'You asked about my arm?'

'Yes. I've heard the gemengs who come from outside often can't use one of their arms. I wanted to know how you fight.'

'And your arm, you can move it?'

'Yes.' she trailed off, unsure if he would ask more.

He shifted again, another flash of teeth. Riley saw then he did have another arm, but it was small, tiny compared to the other.

'I manage.' he said, baring his teeth again.

Getting outside was a relief. Suddenly, they realised how tense they'd been in there.

'You didn't tell me that.' Jillia said, 'when I asked.'

Riley uneasy, didn't say anything.

'Tell me truly, what was it like?'

'I wasn't in the village long.' she said awkwardly. 'Most of the time we didn't see any gemengs or humans. That time was good.'

'So if you could go back to that...?'

Riley shrugged. She thought of the way the forest tugged at her. No, she never wanted to go back to a gemeng village. But the forest? She didn't want to think about that.

'He was scary.' Jillia said. 'If all the gemengs from outside are like that...'

'He broke the earth.' Riley said suddenly. 'Olef punched the earth and it broke, all the way to our pot.'

'What?'

Riley tried to explain.

When she had, Jillia asked about the village. So Riley tried to explain the look of the houses, the people. She even mentioned the ehlkrid deer.

Jillia was silent for a long time.

Riley looked at her earnestly, she didn't like this silence.

'Not much of a choice is it? I guess Astar really is the best place to be.'

Riley didn't like that tone. It worried her. It upset her.

'It was good,' she said uneasily. 'When we were alone. You can travel and not meet any gemengs. I was... I was happy then.'

There was silence for a long time.

'Good night, Riley.' Was all Jillia said when she finally spoke, before walking back to her dormitory. Riley upset, watched her go.

The next few days were difficult. Every gemeng she saw, she looked anxiously for any signs of what she'd heard in Jillia's tone. Geilar didn't seem to suffer in the same way as Jillia. Riley spent a long time watching him, more time than usual. He noticed and asked if he had something on his face. But he seemed fine. Mostly, everyone seemed fine.

But perhaps her lie was true for them. Perhaps they were good at hiding it.

It was only Maztar who looked like Jillia sounded. Riley watched him when their units trained together. When she saw him she felt sad. It was a gripping sadness that clenched the stomach, clouded the head, heavied the heart and made her eyes feel watery. But there was nothing she could do so she just noted. And that made her even sadder.

When Peitar took her to show her his plane again, Riley said to him, 'the gemengs aren't happy here.'

Surprise flashed across his face. 'Isn't that sweet, worried about the gemengs. You don't need to worry about them though.'

'I don't?' she asked, wondering if this human saw it too.

'Yeah,' he shrugged. 'They're fine.'

'No-' she shook her head.

'Come now.' he put his hands on her shoulders and she didn't notice. 'Don't worry about them.'

'But-'

Riley was too busy trying to talk to notice the moving closer, closer. Shocked, she froze.

When Peitar moved away she stood stock still.

'Come now, don't tell me you've never been kissed before, a pretty girl like you?'

Riley remained stunned.

He peered at her closely then laughed. 'Well I guess that's a yes, come on now, let me show you the view of the runway.'

Peitar walked and talked, but Riley paid no attention, she was busy thinking intently. No matter how she fit the pieces together they didn't make sense. That was a human thing he did. She was a gemeng, and that sort of thing wasn't for gemengs. She was different. Wondering if she was missing some fundamental piece of the puzzle, she rummaged through her vast stores of notes.

'Come now, what's wrong, you haven't listened to a word I've said.' Peitar stopped walking, his eyes on her.

Riley focussed back on him, her green eyes sharp. Best to ask him. 'Why did you do that?'

'Oh,' his eyebrows rose, 'well, because I wanted to. Why? Didn't you like it?'

Not seeing how that was relevant Riley blinked in surprise and tried to gather herself and make sense of this.

He put a hand under her chin and tilted her head up. 'Don't go over thinking this. I wanted to kiss you so I did. That's all you need to know.'

Riley frowned, she wasn't sure she agreed.

But he did it again, that thing that was only meant for humans.

'See? I wanted to so I did. What else do you need to know?'

'But-'

He did it again.

He seemed very sure of it.

Perhaps it wasn't just meant for humans?

Chapter 21

At first the only visible change in Riley was that on occasion there was a faint blush to her cheeks. She smiled more. She noted things around her less, as she was often day-dreaming.

Then, when Peitar's interest in her continued, for she'd thought he might have been mistaken, her symptoms only escalated.

If someone had asked her to describe Peitar she would have struggled. To her he blazed like the sun. But what colour are his eyes, Riley? Is he tall or short? Clean shaven or does he have a beard? She could have answered those questions. But if someone had asked, what does he like, Riley? What are his interests? Oh, he's in the air force, she might say. What else? They might have received an answer. More likely she would have just smiled dreamily.

'Where have you been?' Aerlid asked as Riley drifted in after dark.

He'd thought she might have had a patrol and forgotten to tell him, and that thought had been enough to quiet his worry. Mostly.

Riley smiled at him. 'Peitar.' she answered.

'Peitar?' he repeated, confused.

She nodded and launched into an excited description of Peitar. It wasn't a terribly enlightening description as far as Peitar was concerned, though that couldn't be said where Riley was concerned. It described quite nicely a fifteen year old girl's first brush with romance.

Aerlid stood up so violently the chair fell over. It hit the bare floor with a bang, startling Riley out of her daydream.

'How dare you!' he roared.

Riley took a startled step back.

'Get out, get out, you fool, you traitor, get out, out out OUT!'

Riley had already fled.

Riley, shocked and afraid hid in the park.

She didn't understand.

She sniffed, a strange tightness in her chest. She didn't understand, but she felt like bursting into tears and crying like a little girl.

Why was he upset? What was there to be upset about? Everything had been so wonderful.

But she could stay out here. Then, in the morning, she would go to the military school as usual. She didn't wonder if Aerlid would have turned back into Aerlid, and not a shouting monster, by then. Perhaps she hoped, but she didn't think about it.

That was the first day in some time that Riley was properly focussed. Aerlid's anger had knocked her out of her daydream.

She began noting things again. In surprise, she saw that the unit was treating her differently. Batar seemed the same, and Leili, though Jann frowned at her and Geilar was oddly cool.

It continued the entire morning, so during break she approached Leili to ask what was wrong.

It was more than a little surprising that Riley found herself with no idea. She looked through her stores and found them decidedly bare on everything since perhaps last Restday.

Leili shrugged and didn't meet her eyes. Suddenly Riley felt Leili was treating her differently too.

'Um, I guess it's about that guy, Peitar.'

When Riley didn't say anything Leili shrugged again, clearly uncomfortable. 'Uh, I guess, he's not... um, well we don't think he should be walking out with you.' Leili said and for once that day looked her straight in the eye.

'W-why?'

'Um,' the nervousness was back, 'well you know...uhm, ah, I guess he's not a very nice guy w-with girls.' Leili said, her eyes returned to her lap.

Riley was silent. She watched Leili. Noted.

'Thank you for telling me.' she said, standing.

Riley spotted Batar and made a beeline for him.

He glanced up as she sat down.

'Why is everyone treating me differently?' she asked.

'Because you're walking out with Peitar.' he said promptly, holding her gaze.

For the first time she realized he was not just patient and good at following orders, there was a solidness to him too. A strong core. A good core.

'Why?' she asked. She thought Peitar was wonderful. How could there be a problem? Why did everyone think there was a problem?

'Because you're a gemeng.'

Her hands came to the table and gripped it tightly. Everything else seemed so very distant. 'W-why...?'

Batar didn't say anything. That was probably for the best.

Riley suddenly shook her head. 'I don't understand.' she managed. 'How come he doesn't think it's a problem?'

Batar shrugged. He didn't know.

When Riley returned to the apartment that evening Aerlid had recovered.

He apologized, asked if she was ok.

She didn't notice. Unease had wormed its way into her heart.

Chapter 22

Riley didn't use the word, it felt like such a bad word now, yet she asked anyway.

'What are you upset about, there's nothing to be upset about.' Peitar was saying in that way he had, that way that almost made her feel like he wasn't listening. But he was wonderful and she was young.

'B-but I'm different... that doesn't bother you?'

'No, of course not, I mean it took a little getting used to, but it's fine now.'

'Are you sure?'

'Stop talking.'

And he reassured her and that wonderful day-dreamy state returned.

Yet not quite the same as before.

Her unit was important. It occurred to her she might not have been performing as well as she usually did. The lack of notes certainly pointed to that. So she tried to pay more attention and work harder and better.

It didn't seem to help.

'Jann.' Gasann said, 'Jann.'

'What?' Jann look back at him, irritated.

'Just calm down, alright.'

'Calm down, calm down?!'

Gasann cut him off, 'yes, just calm down. What are you going to do, just tell me, alright? You don't want to get into any trouble.'

Jann grumbled. He tapped the table top with his fingers. 'I'm going to talk to him.'

'And say what?'

'That he shouldn't be with her. And she's, she's...' he struggled then suddenly, 'remember when Leili and Lutis started walking out?'

'Um...sure...'

'Well, you know how she was all lovey dovey and stupid?'

'Kinda...' Gasann mostly remembered Lutis being lovey dovey and stupid and dropping a wrench on his foot. That was what _he_ remembered.

'Yeah, well, Riley's like that. And he's not. So he should think properly, for both of them, yeah?'

'Yeah?'

'And he's not! And I saw him with Elina yesterday too!'

'Elina? I thought he was with Keili and Talisa.'

'Would you let him walk out with your sister?'

'I did let him date my sister!' he said hotly. He hadn't known Peitar then. Or had much say in the matter. It still stung.

'Right! Well, hey, there he is.' Jann was up and across the room before Gasann could get another word in.

Peitar smiled easily as Jann glared at him. He was rather used to this.

'I'm guessing you want to chat somewhere private.'

Before Jann could reply Peitar said, 'come this way then, we'll go outside.'

Jann gritted his teeth and remained quiet until they were outside, his angry glare fixed on Peitar the entire time.

'What are you doing?' Jann demanded as soon as they were outside.

'Me?' Peitar raised his eyebrows. 'Talking to you.'

'You know she's a gemeng!' Jann almost shouted. 'What are you playing at? You want to get her in trouble? You know how people react, they'll blame her and- she's just being silly like Leili and doesn't know but you, you-'

'Wait, _what?!'_ All the colour drained from Peitar' face. 'What the hell? Is that a joke? A new tactic to get me to back off from your sister, cousin, sweetheart or _whatever_?!'

'What?' Jann asked, some of the anger fading from his voice. 'Riley's a gemeng.'

'Hah..hah.' Peitar felt around with his hand until he found a wall and leant against it. 'No, no way. I can tell a gemeng from a human. She's not a gemeng.'

Jann frowned. 'What, are you blind? She's a total gemeng. From outside Astar too.'

Peitar sagged. 'No, that can't be, what, she never mentioned it, I-I...' he trailed off.

'Um, she probably assumed you had more brains than a stone and _knew_!'

'Are you serious? She's a ....?'

'She's a gemeng.'

Peitar swallowed. Then he leapt away from the wall and ran.

Riley was confused and a trifle concerned. She hadn't seen Peitar in days. She went to the air force training centre, she went to the park. She waited outside the military school where he usually met her.

Nothing.

At least things were back to normal with her unit.

Riley was walking around the park on Restday, hoping but not expecting to find Peitar when she saw him.

He was with a few of his friends from the air force. He had his arm around a girl.

Pleased, Riley approached. She noted the girl, though surely that couldn't mean anything?

They didn't spot her til she was close.

'You!' Peitar pointed.

Riley stopped.

'You tricked me!' he shouted angrily. 'What's wrong with you?'

'I don't understand.' she said, Peitar's angry voice ringing in her ears.

'You don't understand? You don't understand? Hah!' he turned to his friends. 'That's a gemeng for you! How about pretending to be a human, hmm? What about that?'

'I never.' she said, stunned. She noted things. His angry face. The girl snuggling closer.

'You're sick. You should be thrown out of Astar. Stay away from me. STAY AWAY FROM ME!' he shouted.

She bolted.

She ran.

It wasn't til she saw the forest peering over the outer wall of Astar that she stopped.

She turned and looked back at the city.

Slowly, she started walking in the direction of her apartment. It was like walking through a dream.

She walked and paid no attention to what was around her. Her feet knew the way and they took her.

Aerlid was there.

If she said something to him she didn't remember.

The door to the bedroom closed.

A pillow clutched to her face.

She didn't want to hear herself crying.

Chapter 23

Eventually, when Aerlid asked, she told him.

He was the only one.

She didn't talk about it with her unit, Razra or Jillia. A mixture of hurt and humiliation swirled in her heart and she could not bear to reveal that to anyone else. It was bad enough to feel she had been a fool, to feel she had acted wrongly and ought to have known better. Bitterly, she thought that everything fit together quite nicely when you added, 'he thinks you're a human' to the picture. She didn't want to see her own feelings reflected in anyone else's eyes.

When the rest of the unit went to the air force base, she didn't. It was a struggle, but she refused to stop going to the park, though every time she dreaded seeing him.

Luckily, she never saw Peitar there again.

It was not long after this that Colonel Hamnar called her to meet with him. She dragged her feet going to his office. Was this about Peitar? Was she to be treated to a lecture on not deceiving young human men about her humanity?

The Colonel's office was small. Everything was neat and tidy. Just like Astar.

'Come in, sit down.' The Colonel said.

Riley responded with a 'yes, sir, thank you, sir.' and obeyed.

He observed her from under thick brows. His eyes were grey and steely. They were always steely. The military was full of people with a steely gaze.

'I understand you passed the test to enter Astar when you were a child, correct.'

It wasn't a question though Riley responded with a 'Yes, sir.'

Not as bad as she thought. Or was it? she wondered as soon as that thought had crossed her mind.

'Hmm, yet your arm, you move it as though you were never injured.'

She replied again, 'Yes, sir.'

'Such regenerative powers are not unknown among the gemengs. Around Coastside there are some sea creatures that will reform if you cut them in two.'

'It's also not unknown for some gemengs to develop late. You were just a child when you passed the test, I imagine you're quite different now.'

Riley didn't say anything.

'For these reasons, I believe you should be retested.'

Riley's heart felt like it stopped. They were going to shoot her. Her hand went to her shoulder. She didn't realize.

'No.' he replied calmly. 'I don't believe that's necessary at the moment.'

'Y-you won't shoot me?' her voice was very small. His reaction left her cold.

'No, we have no reason to go that far. But we will retest you. I'd like you to come to the testing centre next Restday before ten o'clock. You may bring your uncle if you wish.'

Riley found the walk to the testing centre surprisingly tiring. She barely registered Garrondin. Aerlid had been cranky since she told him. Now though, he was holding her hand gently.

When they arrived they didn't have to go through the forms again. Colonel Hamnar was already there when they arrived. He took them to one of the rooms where another man waited. It all felt so familiar to Riley as she looked around at the equipment that had been so alien and interesting during her first visit. Now the vials and measuring instruments were threatening.

Her shoulder ached.

The man explained what he'd do, just like last time. He started the tests, taking blood and so on. Riley stood silently while Aerlid and Colonel Hamnar talked.

'And if she doesn't pass?' Aerlid asked.

'Well, we'll have to consider an appropriate course of action.' Colonel Hamnar said calmly. 'She has performed well in the training and her unit has had no complaints. These things would be taken into consideration.'

'Well, thank you for your consideration.' Aerlid replied acidly.

'You're a human, correct?' Hamnar asked, ignoring Aerlid's tone.

'Yes, yes I am. Would you like to retest me too?'

'I don't think that will be necessary. And Riley's mother was human?'

'Yes.'

'Hmm, interesting.'

'The gemeng blood is strong.'

'Very true. Curious though. And how did it come about that her mother had a child with a gemeng?'

'She was kidnapped.' Aerlid lied, his voice vicious. 'It wasn't by choice I can assure you. She died soon after Riley was born.'

'I'm sorry for your loss. Kidnapped from where?'

'She was in the military. One of her patrols outside Astar was attacked. I don't know what happened to the rest of her unit.'

'Hmm, do you know what unit she was in?'

'I can't say, I'm sorry.'

'And what was her name?'

'Leili.' Aerlid said with another vicious smile. It was a common name in Astar. 'Her name was Leili.'

'Lovely name.'

'It is, isn't it?'

'And last name Meilis.'

Aerlid nodded, realizing he could have a serious problem if the colonel checked into the information. How many women had been kidnapped from Astar in the last twenty years?

The testing took a long time. When Aerlid asked, Colonel Hamnar said they were being thorough. He didn't mind too much; it gave him time to carefully confuse Hamnar's mind so he would think he'd already checked on the story. It was difficult and delicate work.

They were thorough, but they didn't shoot Riley and once again she passed.

After that, things more or less went back to normal. She kept her hurt at Peitar's rejection locked away. Perhaps when she was alone she let it show, but only then. In a way, it was a bit like learning to control her reaction to the energy weapons. She just clenched her teeth and got on with it.

So things were normal.

At least for a while.

Chapter 24

The trouble didn't start with Maztar, but it ended there.

When it came to a head nobody found out until after, after the body had been found.

Maztar was charged with the murder of another gemeng. Whether he would be exiled, executed or imprisoned was still up for debate.

Riley didn't believe it. She didn't know how one day Maztar could be training with his unit and the next could be charged with murder.

She remembered noticing he had been upset. Upset like Jillia, she'd thought, but she hadn't paid much attention after that. There had been Peitar, her retest. Then she had been busy trying not to draw attention to herself. She didn't want to be shot.

Had she been wrong in drawing a similarity between Maztar and Jillia?

'Did you hear?' Jann asked morosely. 'Geilar seems kinda down.'

'I didn't hear.' Riley lied. She'd heard something, but that something didn't make sense.

Jann sighed. 'I guess this is why we train so hard, so we can protect each other from this sort of thing.'

'What sort of thing?'

'Gemengs being... gemengs.' he shrugged. 'I guess Maztar was born here so everyone thought he'd kinda had that violence bred out of him. Do you ever feel like that?' Jann asked her, and for once he seemed serious as he looked into her eyes.

'Feel like what?' she asked uneasily.

'I don't know, letting your gemeng-ness out. Hurting people.'

Riley stared. 'What happened?' she demanded.

He dropped his eyes and sighed again. 'You know Alann from TU-7?'

'Yes.' Maztar's unit, TU-5, and Alann's unit had often traded places on the leader board. One day Maztar's unit would be ahead, than Alann's would take their place. They had an intense rivalry with each other. The leader of Maztar's unit had been put on cleaning duty for three months because he'd used the wrong setting during a training exercise with TU-7. Two members of TU-7 had ended up with bad burns. Things had only gone downhill from there.

'Well... he beat him up so bad... he just... died. They found his body in the park. Maztar turned himself in.'

Riley didn't understand. She felt like she'd been feeling that a lot lately. Was it really because of the violence inherent in all gemengs?

Riley decided to go _ask_ Maztar himself.

He was being held by the military. There were less than a dozen holding cells in Astar. Keeping people locked up where they had to be fed and couldn't contribute to the defence of Astar was not considered an efficient use of resources. People were rarely punished with lockup time for their crimes. There were other ways to punish a person.

There were specific visiting hours so the first time she tried to see him she was turned away. The next time she came at the right time.

She was only allowed to talk to him through the bars. As he was sitting on the ground, she sat too.

He glanced up at her then down. He looked terrible. His face was covered in cuts and bruises.

'Maztar.' she said by way of greeting.

'What do you want?' he asked, not looking up.

'What happened?'

In a tone that suggested he'd said this many times before and was well and truly sick of it, 'my unit and unit seven met at the park. They wanted me and Alann to fight, because last time the humans fought they got in trouble. So we fought. Then, I don't know, I won, Alann was down a-and I don't know! The unit seven guys left after some shouting. Then, then, Garis just told us to leave, so we left. Alann was on the ground when I left. Ok? Are you happy?'

Riley felt something ease within her. 'Where is your unit?'

He shrugged. 'Dunno. Celebrating?'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean they're not here! Why would they be here? I was the one who h-hit Alann.'

Riley didn't know what to say. As bad, or worse than the bruising on his face, was the pain in his eyes. 'Thank you for telling me.' was what she ended up saying, feeling that it was inadequate.

Maztar thought it was inadequate too.

Riley was satisfied to tell Jann it was not because of any violence inside gemengs that Alann had been killed.

She wanted to find out what had happened with the rest of Maztar's unit and TU-7. Clearly, Maztar had done something very bad. But the other members in the unit had some blame to share as well.

To say Riley was surprised when during the next combat training session they were paired against Maztar's unit, minus Maztar and plus a new human member, was an understatement to say the least.

'What are you doing here?' she demanded, interrupting Colonel Hamnar.

'Um, kicking your ass? What are you doing here?' one of the members of TU-5 answered.

'So Maztar is out of lockup?'

'No.' Garis said. 'He was executed last night.'

'W-what?'

Garis shrugged. 'They couldn't exile him from Astar, he knew too much about our defences, and he was too violent to stay in Astar. So execution was the only option. It's a bit of a shock, really, he was part of our unit for over a year and then he does something like this.'

Someone was dragging her away. She didn't know who.

'Let's discuss our plan, ok? Twenty minutes, remember?' someone was saying. She didn't know who was talking. Her eyes were on Garis.

Riley was a defender this round. So she defended.

She silently circled the base. She shot one human. He walked off quietly.

She defended the base.

Geilar was also a defender, and Batar. She'd had little part in today's planning. If she had she might have noticed the plan was more about keeping her and Geilar contained than winning the session. Geilar was sitting in the base, a moody look on his face. Batar was watching him like a hawk.

Riley defended the base.

She shot another human. That was two.

There was a sound behind her, she spun.

Garis.

His SIGPEW was raised. He was pointing it at her. It seemed to move so slowly. The SIGPEW was aimed at her, there was nothing she could do.

Wasn't there?

But he moved so slowly, so at odds with the light that came from the energy weapons so fast it seemed to be just _there_. Riley could not follow that light with her eyes, no more than a human could.

But Garis, he moved so damn slowly. She could see how he pointed, his finger on the trigger.

Who said she had to avoid the light? The light only came at the call of a human, and she could avoid a human so very easily.

It was a surprise for both of them when the light arced across the room and she wasn't there.

In that moment when the trigger was being pulled but not yet pulled, she moved.

He thought he'd missed.

Perhaps he had.

So she watched again, her eyes not on his weapon but on his hands.

And he missed.

A laugh was bubbling up inside her. She glided closer.

He missed.

She couldn't avoid the SIGPEW, but she could watch him and avoid him.

He was panicking. Somewhere she had let go of her weapon. It hung by a strap around her body.

Closer, closer.

So close he could no longer hit her with the large SIGPEW.

She grabbed his hands, his scrabbling hands.

They were such weak hands.

He was making blubbing sounds.

She was alive to his every movement, his every sound.

His wrists were so fragile beneath hers. She squeezed a bit harder. So very fragile.

Could she break them?

She was curious.

She didn't squeeze any harder.

But she was curious.

'H-help!' he'd been calling for some time now.

How strong was she?

People were coming.

Riley smiled at Garis.

He was afraid of her.

'Garis, you needn't be afraid.' she said.

He fell quiet.

'If I wanted to hurt you,' she smiled, 'you'd already be hurt.'

There was another discussion with Colonel Hamnar after that.

'That's very impressive. I've seen gemengs from outside Astar do that on occasion, very concerning when they're trying to kill you. Let me guess, you weren't focussing on the SIGPEW?'

Riley nodded.

'Hm, well, that's why we have RAWs, isn't it?'

Riley didn't respond.

'I understand you're upset about what happened to Maztar.' he said, scrutinizing her with those steely grey eyes, forcing her to meet his eyes with the force of his gaze.

'Yes.' she bit out, 'the other members of his unit were involved. TU-7 was also there. They watched him fight and then left Alann alone.' she closed her mouth and glared at him. 'What happens to them?'

'Do you expect humans to get in the way of two gemengs fighting?' he asked mildly.

'They started the fight. And watched. And left him there.'

'I see. Well I'm afraid those eight other people you think should be punished tell a different story. They say they met to talk and when Maztar and Alann started fighting they were afraid to get in the middle of it. In fact, they were so frightened, they ran. They'll be punished for cowardice, but that's all.'

Riley's glare did not subside.

'I imagine from your expression you don't believe that story.'

Riley said nothing.

'I hope your attitude changes, but if it doesn't well,' he shrugged. 'You wouldn't be the first gemeng to decide they're not happy here.' His eyes were cold, his voice colder. 'This is disturbing and recent news to you. You'll be given a little time to come to terms with it. Do you understand?'

Momentarily afraid, Riley nodded and said, 'I understand.'

Riley left as quickly as she could. She put on a calm face, while inside fear and anger and turmoil swirled.

When she had a chance, she talked to Fergus. She was careful though, lest he get the idea she was discontent. He told her that what made all this so troubling was that Maztar had been born in Astar. Maztar would serve as an important reminder, Fergus said, that even gemengs who had known only civilization could still fall prey to the violence that lived within them.

Upset and troubled by his stance, she asked Jillia, carefully. Jillia's response had been a reassuring tirade about Astar. As Riley was leaving she passed by Mr Bogresh, who stood outside watching the forest. As she passed he said with a grin that was more a snarl, 'the violence of a gemeng!'

Chapter 25

The rest of the final year of combat training drifted by.

Whenever Riley smiled at Garis he nearly wet his pants. It was a somewhat gratifying response, as long as she didn't think about Maztar.

The rest of her unit were carefully awed by how she had avoided Garis' SIGPEW. She told Geilar how she'd done it and eventually he was able to do it too if the distance was far enough. She didn't tell the rest of her unit the limitations to her trick. If someone tried to shoot her she wanted that ace up her sleeve, despite its flaws; it wouldn't work if her attacker got behind her (she needed to be able to see after all), or if there was more than one. Considering the limitations, she thought it best to avoid being shot at in the first place.

At the end of the year their unit was on top of the leader board by a good number of points. The prize? Respect and admiration.

And then it was over. The units gathered like they had on the first day. Colonel Hamnar said a few words and called out the new designations of the units and where they would be reporting.

TU-4 became U-16. They were assigned to the Astar Home Defence Patrol. The unit found this rather exciting. They'd be outside Astar. As far as the infantry was concerned, they'd be the first line of defence for Astar. Perhaps there was more to topping the leader board than respect and admiration.

Riley was concerned to find she had been given command of their unit, which as a gemeng was the highest position she would ever reach. The rest of the unit wasn't.

'You didn't know?' Jann asked an eyebrow raised. 'Wow, maybe I should lead then.'

'When did this happen?' she demanded.

'Um, like six months ago?'

She just gawked at him.

'Who's always telling us what to do in combat training?'

She didn't want to answer because it was usually her.

'Exactly.'

For the first two weeks their unit had two more experienced soldiers working with them.

Mazra- commonly known as Maz- and Lestar were a curious pair. Maz was good at telling them what to expect, common mistakes and so on. He was helpful. Lestar would, on occasion, jump at his own shadow. He wasn't so useful.

But Riley didn't mind, as they were in the forest. Outside the wall, not as far as Garrondin or the testing centre, but even so, they were outside. Most days the glimmer from the AgriShields could be seen. And if you cared to look, the Shield Tower might be visible, a lone point above Astar.

Something eased in her whenever she was in the forest. It was like letting out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. And so she was happy and determined to make a good impression so she could stay in the Astar Home Defence Patrol.

The routine for their unit was a morning run followed by reporting to their commanding officer at the Astar Home Defence Patrol offices. There they picked up the radios- which were returned when they checked back in, and were told which area they would be patrolling. Then it was outside. They'd split into two groups and meet regularly throughout the day. They didn't stop for lunch, which was eaten while patrolling.

Mostly it was boring work, unless you enjoyed walking around forests, then it was rather relaxing.

Chapter 26

It was over a year since graduation, Riley's sixteenth birthday had passed and nothing too stressful had occurred during her time with the Astar Home Defence Patrol. She hadn't seen much of Jillia, who'd been assigned to the Internal Defence Force. She still saw Razra every few weeks though.

Once while on patrol, Jann, Geilar and Leili had run into a gemeng who'd gotten lost. They escorted it to the camp outside the testing centre without incident and spent the next few weeks talking about it as it was the most exciting thing to happen on patrol since they'd started.

So when they received a new mission it was greeted with eager anticipation.

'Garrondin!' Jann said. 'Real gemengs.' he sounded nervous. 'Hey, maybe they can give you some tips?' he said to Geilar.

Geilar didn't rise to the bait. He had recovered much of his good humour since Maztar's execution, but not all. He was more reserved, more careful than he'd been before.

'I wonder why they're not sending someone who's been to Garrondin before.' Leili mused, 'I mean, if the gemengs there are upset about something it must be pretty serious.'

'I heard from Lestar they don't like talking to humans. Maybe because we have two gemengs in our unit.' Jann said with a shrug.

'Lestar said that?' Leili asked with a frown.

Jann just grinned. 'It wasn't firsthand knowledge, I can tell you that much!'

For whatever reason, the units who patrolled near Garrondin had noticed the gemengs had become very uneasy about something. Whatever it was, those units hadn't been able to get it out of them by talking. So U-16 was going to see if they could do any better.

Garrondin was closer to Astar than the testing centre, though not by much. Even so, it didn't take much walking to get there.

As usual when on patrol, they were kitted out in full Reismal body armour and SIGPEWs loaded with high grade charge on the medium setting. Even in her full armour, Riley didn't tie her black hair up. Most Astarian women wore their hair short, and if not, they tied it back. She'd received a few comments about it, but as it didn't interfere with her work, and she was a gemeng, no one really cared.

From what Riley knew, Astar provided the people of Garrondin with metals from which to make armour and weapons. In exchange they were expected to defend Astar from attack.

Approaching Garrondin, Riley saw it was quite different to the gemeng village she had briefly lived in. The buildings were wooden and one story, and they were all nicely maintained, much like Astar. It was also at least three times as big as the village from long ago. The roads were all dirt.

As they entered by the main road Riley saw people standing in doorways or peering at them from windows. Children were snatched from play and thrust firmly inside the safety of their homes.

Jann looked around, confused. 'What, are they afraid of us?'

'You seem surprised.' Riley noted.

'They're gemengs.' he stated, as if that was answer enough.

'And you have a SIGPEW.' that seemed enough reason to Riley to be afraid. _She'd_ be afraid if someone pointed a SIGPEW at her, or even an Order-1 (perhaps especially an Order-1).

They spread out. Riley let her SIGPEW hang from the strap and took her helmet off. It was the least threatening she could look considering how she was dressed.

Riley looked around. The gemengs peered at her, and did not approach.

Raising her voice so it would carry she called, 'I'd like to speak to whoever's in charge here.' She waited.

She heard the sounds of children playing. Apparently not all of the children had been rescued by their parents. She turned to look.

They were coming from a side street, little children chasing each other and shrieking, but not in the way they had cried in the gemeng village from her childhood. She smiled.

The children did not see them, or if they did they didn't pay attention.

Leili turned to look at them, then went back to surveying the village.

Riley did the same.

Still no movement from the gemengs. Perhaps they'd do no better than anyone else.

Suddenly from behind her came a feminine cry.

Riley turned around. In the space it took to turn she saw Leili on the ground, a little gemeng child crying and Jann-

Jann mistaking childish play for a threat!

Without thinking she raised and shot before he could pull the trigger.

There was a cry that made her stomach turn. She raced to him. She'd shot his hand with a SIGPEW set to medium.

Human body armour was not designed to withstand their _own_ weapons.

There was little blood. The energy weapons seared the flesh. There was rarely any bleeding. But oh- that didn't make it any better. She tore something, she didn't know what, and covered his hand. He cried out.

Keeping her feelings from her voice she said firmly, 'I want you to go see my uncle.' She told him where to find the clinic. 'Ask for Arntar Meilis. Tell him Riley sent you.' Batar approached and Riley was mainly speaking to him. 'Go see Arntar. _No one_ else, understand. Just Arntar.'

She waited until Batar nodded, his usual calm demeanour shaken. 'Tell me.' she insisted.

Batar repeated the address then, 'we ask for Arntar.' he hesitated. 'If he's not there?'

'Wait. See no one but Arntar.'

He nodded and led Jann away.

Riley, trying to hide her guilt- Jann!- turned. Leili and Geilar's eyes were fixed on her, their faces pale.

'He'll be fine.' she said.

Then she noticed.

The gemengs were coming out of their houses.

The gemengs formed a loose semicircle around them. The children who had knocked Leili down by accident had been whisked away. A woman, larger than any of the other gemengs, approached from the circle.

'You wished to speak with me.' she said. Her voice was gruff and calm, though it could easily turn into a roar that would shake the trees. Her eyes were as hard as Colonel Hamnar's. Harder even, as she had to hide her fear.

'We've heard something is upsetting you.' Riley began.

Leili, faced with their mission, got to her feet and stood behind Riley with Geilar.

The woman nodded curtly. 'There is a drakilis nearby. We cannot kill it.'

'A drakilis?' Riley asked carefully. 'How do you know this?'

'Can you not smell it? It reeks foully, day and night. It is a drakilis.'

'H-how would one of those get here?' Leili asked. They had been briefly mentioned during theory with Major Berdis. They were a stronger type of gemeng. Most were too weak to live on the Plains but some... some had been known to.

'We sent a troupe to find its lair, for it stinks so abominably that we cannot pinpoint its exact location from that alone. They smelt its trail, it came from the north, over the mountains. A drakilis.'

'Where is it?' Riley asked, her curiosity getting the better of her guilt.

'We can lead you to it. We cannot get rid of it.' Then, that nervousness came through, 'we can't do it. We can't kill it.'

'We won't ask you to try.' Riley said firmly. The woman was afraid they'd be forced to fight it. Perhaps that was why they had not mentioned it previously. 'Thank you for telling us. We'll report back to Astar.'

'Then what?'

'It's not my decision to make.' she hesitated. She was curious. Would it fight her? Would it be stronger than her? 'But I will tell you what the decision is.' even if that was not a task given to her, it would not be difficult for her to sneak into Garrondin to tell these people.

The woman nodded. 'We cannot fight it.' she added again.

'I understand.' Riley repeated soothingly.

Riley turned and the three of them headed back to Astar to report.

Aerlid spoke often of the gemeng languages, and Riley wondered what language the drakilis spoke.

When they returned to the military base they found Batar waiting for them.

'How is he?' Riley asked, trying to control her raging guilt. He would have killed the child. She'd blown off his hand.

Batar shrugged. 'He's fine. Not even a burn. I don't know what got into him. It's no worse than the injuries we got during training. The physician spent a long time with him, I guess because he was complaining so much he thought there was something wrong. He said not to come back unless he was actually hurt next time.'

Riley let out a sigh of relief.

'Oh I thought it was so much worse.' Leili said, sounding happier than she had all day. 'Why did you shoot him?' Leili asked Riley curiously.

Riley was taken aback for a moment. 'You didn't see?' she asked.

'Well, I was on the ground.' she said. 'I wasn't looking at him. I felt bad because the poor little girl was crying.'

'He was going to shoot the girl.' Riley said.

'What? Oh if he had-' Leili shook her head. 'He really needs to be more careful!'

'He mistook her for a tree.' Geilar said with a bleak smile.

The group fell silent and grimly considered what might have happened. While they were contemplating that their commanding officer, Major Lentar Eris, entered, breaking up the tableau.

He cast his eyes over the group then demanded, 'Report!'

Riley did the honours. She did not mention what had happened with Jann, only saying the gemengs of Garrondin had located a drakilis, though did not feel they could fight it.

'And they are sure?' Eris asked.

'Yes. They believe it came from the north over the mountains.'

'Very well. What makes them think they can't fight it?'

Instead of answering Riley said, 'Sir, I would like to volunteer to fight it.'

'Your unit?' he raised an eyebrow.

Riley hesitated. Her unit was shifting around her. 'No, sir-'

'Yes, our unit volunteers.' Batar cut in.

Riley turned her head to him, surprised.

'Have you seen combat?'

'No, sir, but we would like the experience. However if we prove unable...' Batar said.

'I'll discuss it with my superiors. You'll get your answer tomorrow. Dismissed.'

'I didn't mean to drag you into it.' Riley said after Lentar Eris was gone.

'You can't say you want to go fight a drakilis alone. How will that look?'

'That's my problem.'

He frowned at her darkly and Riley was surprised to see this from Batar.

'We're a unit. It will be a good experience for us. And next time, give us a heads up first.'

When Riley returned home Aerlid was already there. He was lying on the bed, his eyes closed.

'Riley.' he said when she came in. 'Next time you're going to blow someone's hand off, give me some warning first.'

'Will he be ok?'

'Oh yes, his hand is as good as new.' his voice was soft and gentle. 'But you must be more careful. What do you think would have happened if I hadn't been able to fix it?'

'He was going to shoot a child. I didn't have time to do anything else.'

Aerlid sighed, it was light sound.

'Was it bad?'

'His thumb and forefinger were gone, his middle finger was mostly there. The other two badly burned. I haven't been so tired since I healed your shoulder.'

'Can I get you anything?'

'Sleep, just sleep.'

Chapter 27

Jann's hand may have been healed, but he was very tired. He was unable to get out of bed the next day.

As they had all seen how perfectly fine his hand was, the rest of the unit assumed he had just come down with an unrelated illness.

Even though his hand was fine, Riley still felt bad about what had happened. She would have to talk to him when he was better. He needed to learn how to tell who was an enemy and who wasn't. Next time they might not be so lucky.

'You've been given the task of dealing with the drakilis.' Major Eris was saying to them. 'If at any time you feel your lives are in danger you are to abort and we'll send someone else.'

'Thank you, sir. I would request that we not start today.' Riley said, 'as one of our unit is ill. May we postpone to tomorrow?' It really had nothing to do with that. Riley had something to ask Aerlid before she wanted to get anywhere near the drakilis.

Eris gave them a hard look. 'Did you feel this was an urgent problem?' he asked finally.

'No, sir. The gemengs were reluctant to tell us. If it had been urgent, they would have told the first patrol to come by.'

'Very well. If you don't deal with it tomorrow however we will send someone else.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Then it's patrol as usual for today. Dismissed.'

Once outside Leili asked if she thought Jann would be better tomorrow.

Riley shrugged. 'Perhaps, if not we leave him here.'

'What's the plan?' Geilar asked. 'Fighting a drakilis. Do we know what its lair is like?'

Riley thought about this for a moment. 'We'll go by Garrondin after our patrol and ask.'

That night Aerlid was feeling better. He sat up in bed and allowed Riley to prepare some food.

Riley thought if he was well enough to examine his dinner that closely he was well enough to answer her questions.

'What language do drakilis' speak?' she asked.

He glanced up sharply. 'Why do you ask?'

With only a slight hesitation Riley told him what was going to happen tomorrow.

'Hmm.' he said curiously, which was a better reaction than Riley had hoped for. He'd been so unreasonable about the giant cats. 'I can't say.' he said finally. 'If it came from the north there's a good chance it would speak a version of Bedon, but you don't know that. I can't say if it would know anything else. Do you intend to talk to it?'

'Yes.'

'Why?'

'To avoid a fight.' If they could come to some agreement perhaps the drakilis would not have to be harmed.

'Well, unfortunately you don't know Bedon.'

'Could you teach me?'

'Could I teach you?' he spluttered. 'In one night?'

At her unrelenting gaze, he muttered under his breath. 'Oh I could force the words into your head.' he said grimly. 'But you wouldn't be able to do much else while you held on to them. You'd forget them very quickly.'

'I just need to talk to it.'

'If it attacks you'll have to let the words go to fight.'

'Then I'll let them go.'

Aerlid glared at her. 'Very well. Let's see what we can do.'

First Aerlid taught her a few simple words in ancient Bedon. It was a guttural language, but he had taught her a gemeng language with those sorts of sounds before so she could make them without too much difficulty.

The word he taught her was, 'yield.'

After that he put his hands on her brow. Whatever it was he did it made her eyes water and her head throb. But when he talked she could understand, though it was like listening through water. And then it just trickled away.

'You'll have to hold it. It'll be very difficult, but you should be able to hold it for a day. Once you let go though, it's gone.'

So she practiced. Once she learnt to grab hold of the words with her mind the difficulty changed. It was like gripping something that was constantly pushing her hands apart. He was right. She couldn't fight while holding on to it; it would be difficult enough for her to walk to the lair.

They practiced for only a few hours.

He told her she needed to sleep. If she intended to hold the words for any length of time, she had to be in top form.

When Riley approached her unit, minus Jann, she was not dressed in her military uniform.

They looked her over, wondering what this meant.

She wore her black clothes, gifts from Aerlid's people. She had outgrown them some years ago so the beautiful black fabric had been mended with dark blue Astarian cloth. It was a patch work of an outfit, but she had always intended to try and fight the drakilis as a gemeng, not an Astarian. And that required proper clothes. With her clothes and black hair, so different in colour and length than the Astarian's, she looked completely foreign.

In her arms, wrapped in furs and cloth, were her dagger and Aerlid's sword. The sword she'd had in childhood was too small for her now. Aerlid had gotten her a proper sized one from Garrondin some time ago, but he said if she was to fight a drakilis she needed a real weapon. This presented a different challenge, as she was not used to the balance and weight of his weapon. Despite knowing this, Aerlid had insisted that the switch was worth it.

'Why are you dressed like that?' Geilar asked.

It was a real struggle to answer. She almost lost her hold. She felt some words trickle away and hoped they weren't important. 'I intend to fight it as a gemeng. Alone. Please, lead me to the lair. I must remain silent to prepare.'

That was all she could say as she was losing her hold on the words fast.

Seeing the intent look on her face, and being aware this had likely been her intention all along, her unit did as she bid.

Riley remembered little of the trek to the lair. She didn't know where her unit waited, all she knew was that she was alone and that was good.

'Hello?' she said in Bedon, and hoped Aerlid had guessed right about the drakilis' language.

She could not become aware of her surroundings in this state. She was very vulnerable.

'What enters my lair uninvited?' the words came slowly to her, but she understood them.

'I wish to talk.'

'I'd rather not.'

'The people who live near here are frightened of you.'

'As they should be.'

She let more words trickle away as something tickled her senses. The world came into focus. The creature was silently approaching. Riley let the furs fall away from her weapons.

'They have sent me to fight you.' the words were coming slower now, 'but if they are not....' blank. Her mind went blank and she froze. She rifled through the words, trying to find one to fit. Anything. Something creeping closer.

She took a few swings with Aerlid's sword.

'We can come to an understanding. We don't need to fight.'

The sound of claws on stone.

The sound of rushing air.

The words dropped away, gone forever.

She rolled to the side as the drakilis lunged for her, barely missing.

The words were gone, her head ached and throbbed, but she could fight.

The cave was dark and musty. She glanced towards the entrance and was surprised to see night had fallen. Her eyes had adjusted while she had been holding on to the words, and she could make out the shape of the drakilis. Longer than her, and slender. It was crouched over in the cave and had two legs and two arms with a human shaped head above.

She stuck her dagger into her belt and again made a few practice swings with Aerlid's sword.

The creature crept around her. Riley followed it, turning so it could not get behind her.

Riley was not too disappointed her talk had failed, not really. She wanted to know how strong she was. She had passed the tests twice, but she didn't feel weak. She didn't feel like she was only a little stronger than a human. She would defeat it, and then they would talk again. She only knew one word now, it would have to be enough.

The drakilis darted forward, jaws snapping. Human shaped head, but not a human shaped _mouth_. Riley was forced to back away. The cave wall hit her back. She slashed with her sword and felt resistance as flesh was met. But not enough, the drakilis came on. She slashed again, ducked, stabbed with a dagger that was suddenly in her hand. Spun, she was free. She stood.

She was back in the centre of the cave. The drakilis was making sounds of pain. It turned slowly. They circled each other warily.

This time she went on the attack first. She feinted with her sword and while the drakilis was focussed on that she attacked with her dagger.

She struck home. It squealed and thrashed. A claw caught her side as she moved away.

Before she could recover the drakilis lunged at her. It spread out, taking up the entire space.

With no room to manoeuvre Riley was forced to attack.

She parried one claw with her dagger. In the same movement she thrust forward with the sword. It staggered. She slashed again and it retreated.

'Yield!' she called. Her hip was burning and her right arm was stinging from the un-parried claw.

The squeals turned into growls, growls that perhaps meant something, but not anymore.

Riley went into guard position as she called again, 'yield!'

It tried to rise, failed. Then with astonishing speed it lunged at her.

Riley was ready. She dodged and slashed, and found herself on the other side of the cave.

'Yield!'

On the opposite side of the cave the drakilis was still.

Cautiously, she said again, 'yield.'

'Yield.' it growled grudgingly.

Riley carefully began approaching, still keeping her weapons up. It was injured. If it had truly yielded, she could do something for its wounds before leaving.

In a fluid movement she stuck her dagger back into her belt and stretched out her hand to touch the drakilis.

Suddenly the drakilis lunged again, teeth gleaming. Riley sprung back. It came on, its claws scraping, caught flesh. She fell and slashed with Aerlid's sword.

A scream.

Riley breathing heavily, shuffled away, still on the ground. Her eyes remained on the drakilis.

It thrashed, claws sharper than knives and teeth even worse gnashing and scraping. Then it fell still.

Dead.

She stood and looked down at the creature. It was then that she felt regret. She had not come here intending to kill it.

The regret faded. She had fought. It had fought. She had won.

She left the cave to bring the news to her unit and the villagers of Garrondin.

And some far more important news to Aerlid.

As she walked down the trail that she didn't remember, the vision of the Plains from the cliff played through her mind. She wanted to know. The drakilis had not really tested her. She wanted to be tested. She wanted to know.

The Plains would tell her.

PART 2

Chapter 28

Cavachi was hard to miss.

'Don't be alarmed when you see them,' Messenger repeated for the umpteenth time. 'They don't look like us, but they are human.'

Mr Briggs grunted. 'So you've said. Just concentrate on flying. Do you think I can't remember that?'

Messenger had flown this way dozens of times since he had first become lost and stumbled across Cavachi. Today he was not flying a Predator. A Predator had room for only one person. Today he was finally taking one of the members of the Council of Astar to Cavachi. Mr Briggs was also the leader of the military. As a councilman outranked the Commander of the Astar Military, Briggs was known as Mr Briggs, not Commander Briggs. He was a grim, stern, forbidding man, just as all the other officers in the army were, so that didn't bother Messenger much.

They were approaching the mountains. The view still held the power to take his breath away.

What bothered Messenger was his reaction to the Vachi. Messenger had been stunned when he'd landed to investigate the towering elegance rising from the side of the mountain. It had been risky, but he'd never seen any building so beautiful. He'd taken the risk, and he thought it'd been well worth it, even if this meeting between the leaders of Astar and Cavachi went badly.

If Cavachi itself had stunned him, the people had shocked him even more. And then they'd told him humans had once come in many different shapes, sizes and colours, before the gemengs had fractured and nearly exterminated their race.

He had never known humans could be anything except pale-skinned, with mostly blonde or light brown hair. A human with black hair was unusual enough. A human with black skin?

'I'm sure you can, sorry, sir.'

When Cavachi came into view a smile lit Messenger's face. He waited a moment to allow Mr Briggs to appreciate the beauty of what was before them before asking what he thought.

The palace of Cavachi clung to the mountain side. Slender spires of pale grey stone rose vertically from the sheer face of the mountain. Every time he saw it Messenger marvelled that a structure built from stone could look so elegant, could tower so high above the mountain side without crumbling under its own weight. A few times he had been lucky enough to be delayed and arrive when the sun was setting. Then Cavachi looked as though it was afire as brilliant reds and yellows and oranges lit the pale stone.

Yet now he knew this was just the tip of the iceberg. Cavachi continued extensively below the ground, as well as into the valley behind the mountain. The city of Cavachi had an elegance and beauty Astar had never even dreamed of.

'What do you think?' Messenger eagerly asked Mr Briggs.

'Hmph. It doesn't look very practical.'

Messenger's heart dropped like a stone. 'It-it's very well defended, sir. Appearances can be deceiving, it has shields, just as Astar does. Oh, look!'

Messenger's eyes were drawn to what looked like a thin, snakelike cloud in the sky. It was an overcast day so it was hard to spot them, but there were several of the worms in the sky.

'Where? What are you looking at?' Mr Briggs demanded gruffly.

Messenger directed Mr Briggs to the worms which wriggled high up in the clouds above Cavachi. They were...well, they were creations of the Vachi. They were lines of capsules that were connected together that looked like nothing so much as worms, that happened to be flying. They also moved like worms. Wriggling and jerking apparently randomly. He was told they were very effective in a battle and were very difficult to hit. They could also break apart, as they were made of individual segments, and join up with others.

In the side of the mountain there were metallic hatches. At astonishing speed the worms would come and go from these hatches. Once inside Cavachi they served as a form of transportation through the tunnels.

Messenger thought they were brilliant. Even more importantly, they were a form of weaponry very different to that used in Astar. If Mr Briggs wasn't impressed by Cavachi's elegance, he would be impressed by Cavachi's military might.

'Ah, yes. I remember your report on them, Seiris, fascinating.'

Messenger sighed. His name seemed to slip from people's minds. They never _quite_ got it right. 'Messenger, sir, please just call me Messenger.'

From this angle it looked like they'd have to land at the bottom of the mountain and climb all the way up to reach Cavachi. That was what he'd done on his first visit. The mountain was nearly impossible to climb, and the Vachi, who had been watching him the entire time, had finally come to investigate what this pale little creature was doing on their mountain.

Now he knew he could land in the mountain valley behind the peak that rose above Cavachi. If the Vachi allowed it of course.

This meeting had been a long time in the arranging, so there wasn't likely to be any problem with that.

As the Carrier-2 rose above the mountain a lush green valley came into view. Mr Briggs craned his neck to get a better view. 'Ah, and do they farm down there?' he asked.

'Yes, sir.' It also served as a retreat for those able to afford it. He had visited one of the valley villas once. It made you want to earn money, just for the chance to visit again.

'I don't see any defences. Do their shields extend over the valley as well?'

'Yes, sir.' that had been in one of the many reports he had written.

'Mmhmm.' Mr Briggs fell silent.

Messenger suspected Mr Briggs knew all the reports on Cavachi by heart and was busy thinking about military matters.

There was a flat, empty expanse of rock just above the valley floor, on the side closest to the peak the towers clung to.

That was where Messenger landed the Carrier.

Standing a safe distance back from the platform was a richly dressed welcoming party. As Messenger hopped out of the Carrier he spotted the man who held a position much like his own and smiled. Recha had a good understanding of the difficulty of forging a friendship between their two peoples. Sometimes Messenger wondered if anyone else wanted this friendship as much as he did. Cavachi was so different to Astar. They could both only be the better by knowing each other.

When he was safely on the ground he turned to assist Mr Briggs and found he didn't need it.

It was windy on the platform. The robes of the welcoming party were being whipped around, but they didn't seem to notice. Behind them, Messenger knew, was a fiendishly well hidden trail up to a door that was hidden even better.

Right now though, he had to focus on getting through the introductions.

The Vachi had warm, dark skin. Messenger vividly remembered the first time he saw them on that windy mountainside.

When he'd seen those dark skinned creatures coming towards him he'd thought he'd walked right into a gemeng nest. He'd felt sickening terror as he realised he would likely die here. He remembered the weakness that had suddenly infected his limbs. He'd taken a step back and his legs, suddenly the consistency of cave mould, had been unable to hold him and he'd tumbled down the mountainside.

He'd awoken inside Cavachi to a dark face peering at him. He'd screamed like a little girl face to face with a gemeng about to eat her.

Then there had been a terrifying parade of dark skinned creatures. He realised now that they'd been trying to talk to him. But they had not understood each other's language and he'd been too terrified to realise they had bandaged his injuries.

Finally they had brought Vearla, pronounced Vee-arr-la, to him. She sat by his bed and observed him silently with big dark eyes. He had gabbled at her in his tongue, perhaps trying to beg for his life. He couldn't remember.

Then, out of the blue, she'd spoken to him.

'Don't be afraid.' she said.

That had been the beginning. She'd stayed with him often and helped teach him Ravki, the language of Cavachi. Not long after, he'd met Recha. At the time Recha hadn't meant much to him, he'd met so many different people in those days. But Recha had stayed more often than the others. Now he knew it was because Recha had been chosen to learn his language.

As Messenger became more fluent in Ravki, Vearla had spent less and less time with him. During the last three visits, Messenger had not seen her at all. The Vachi were very close mouthed about her.

The Vachi were different to the Astarians in many ways, but sometimes Messenger found their reticence about some subjects the strangest. They were happy to regale him with stories of a people called the valkar, who had apparently rescued the human race from extinction at the hands of some terrible foe by giving them gifts of shields and other technology. His own people put little store in examining the past, so realizing the Vachi studied it extensively was illuminating. He'd presumed the foe they'd spoken of were gemengs, and asked where the gemengs came from, as their stories suggested they hadn't always been around. Where had the valkar come from? Where were they now? What exactly had they given them? Could they help them now?

And suddenly, to his bewilderment, when he asked these questions, they clammed up and wouldn't say a word. Why regale him with stories of these people he had never heard of and then refuse to acknowledge his questions?

But he was here to make friends, so he had put his questions away for the most part. Every so often he still pressed Recha. At least he would acknowledge that Messenger had _asked_ a question.

Now he looked at the Vachi and the fear he'd first felt was gone. His only worry was that Mr Briggs would feel what he'd first felt, and their chance of friendship would be gone, like ashes in the wind.

Mr Briggs frowned dangerously. He put his mouth near Messenger's ear and whispered, 'those clothes don't look very practical.'

The welcoming party consisted of six people, including Recha. The Vachi had curious customs regarding who could know whose given name and in what situations they could use it. Out of the six people in front of them, Messenger only knew Recha's given name, though in this situation Recha would not personally be addressed. He would just be a translator, so in a way he didn't count.

The group was arrayed in an arrow, a man dressed in sky blue robes, the Speaker, at the point, flanked on either side by two people. Recha stood in an awkward position between the man in sky blue and the person on his right. They all wore flowing robes of vibrant colours and intricate designs. Rings, necklaces, bracelets and bands of gold and silver, studded with precious stones, adorned fingers, necks, arms and wrists. Even more complex than their attire were the rules _about_ the attire, about who could wear what and when and with whom.

Recha stood out for the plainness of his robes, but even he was better dressed than Messenger and Mr Briggs.

The man in sky blue stepped forward, Recha beside him.

Messenger smiled weakly at this man. His eyes darted to Recha and back again.

The man to the left of the man in sky blue began speaking. Recha translated, though at this point Messenger could understand what he was saying.

'The Speaker for the Master of the House of Corchanus welcomes you to Cavachi, people of the far away land of Astar.'

A wide belt of dark blue was wrapped around the waist of the Speaker. His dark hair was slicked back tightly against his scalp and bound in a perfect little knot. That was also a mark of importance. Less important people were not allowed to have their hair slicked back so tightly and perfectly. Recha's hair, also in a knot at the back of his head, had little waves in it. His robes were brown.

Messenger swallowed and smiled. 'Sir, they have different ways to ours.' he said softly, not moving any closer to speak more secretly with Mr Briggs. That would have been the height of rudeness. He fervently hoped Mr Briggs would _follow_ what he had told him about the etiquette here, because he had no doubt he remembered. Messenger thought Mr Briggs just didn't think it important. Messenger hadn't thought so at first either.

'What did he say his name was?' Mr Briggs asked.

'Sir, we'll address him as Speaker. They- they do not give out their given names here.'

Mr Briggs heavy brows lowered as he glared at Messenger.

Messenger bravely ignored him and said in his own language, 'The Master of the House of Briggs accepts your welcome with delight.' If they'd brought more people with them one of them would have said the introduction and Messenger would have translated it into Ravki. As it was, Recha translated for him. Messenger hoped introducing Mr Briggs as the 'Master' of his house had been the correct decision. It was a great honour to meet the Master of a house, but it also suggested the Briggs House was small, and had no Speakers to represent the House. The implications gave Messenger a headache, and he pushed his concerns away as the Speaker for the House of Corchanus began talking. His voice had a rich cadence that made it a delight to listen to. He spoke slowly, allowing each word to be savoured by his listeners. He, of course, knew he had a lovely voice and it was a sign of his magnanimity that he would allow those beneath him to hear its beauty.

The Speaker went on for some time, and Messenger knew from experience it would seem even longer to Mr Briggs, who couldn't understand a word of it.

While he was speaking Messenger translated briefly. 'He welcomes us to Cavachi and hopes our peoples will become friends.'

He had said a lot more than that, none of which Mr Briggs would appreciate. When the Speaker was finished, however, Recha began translating the entire speech for Mr Briggs. Mr Briggs nodded curtly once Recha was done.

Messenger froze. He had to say something. He had to at least open his mouth so Messenger could make something up!

Mr Briggs glanced at him. 'Astar holds the same hope. I'm sure this will be a very useful meeting for the both of us.'

Messenger smiled weakly at Recha as he began translating something a little more flowery and appropriate to the Vachi. Recha, of course, knew Messenger was making things up. His dark eyes widened in surprise. He knew Messenger, and Messenger had told him often that his people were very curt and practical, but he supposed seeing it from Mr Briggs was still a surprise.

Recha said nothing however, and Messenger relaxed.

As they started walking up the trail the Speaker resumed talking. Now that the introductions were finished Messenger would translate the words of the Vachi, and Recha would translate Mr Briggs' words. Over the course of the trip they would switch back again many times. The rules about who translated for who were very particular and convoluted.

'We will be staying in this man's home.' Messenger said to Mr Briggs. 'We'll be allowed to rest in our rooms until this evening, when we'll dine and enjoy a small performance. Tomorrow we'll have a tour of Cavachi.'

'Hmph. I see. And when will we discuss an alliance?'

Recha told the man in blue that Mr Briggs was delighted and humbled by his great generosity.

Chapter 29

Messenger watched Mr Briggs nervously as he slowly examined the room. His austere visage was slack and his eyes widened ever so slightly.

The House of Corchanus was inside the mountain. If anyone lived in the palace on the mountainside, Messenger was unaware of it.

Their room was cut out of the rock, and the walls were polished to a gleam. The floor was tiled in intricate and breathtaking designs, which were mostly covered by rich, dark carpets. Delicately painted screens separated sections of the room. The screens were mainly painted in floral designs, though some were geometric. The furniture was made out of a dark polished wood and decorated with vibrant cloths and pillows of colours Messenger had never known existed. Carved into the stone of the walls were even more visions of beauty. Some of the carvings were coloured with paint while others were simply polished to bring out the colours of the rock. The carvings were again mainly floral or geometric or some mix of the two. Tunnels in the mountainside allowed light and fresh air into the room. During the day the carefully placed openings looked like miniature suns, blazing away. They cast a warm, yellow light over the room which was reflected in the polished, gleaming rock. During the night the colour would change slightly, as it was no longer the sun, so far away, providing light, but some machine. Delicate little screens could be drawn over the light holes to dim, or darken, the room.

Messenger cleared his throat. 'You can put your clothes in there, sir, if you like.' Messenger said, gesturing at a wooden wardrobe that by itself had more beauty in it than the whole of Astar. 'This is the sleeping area.' Messenger moved aside a screen and gestured at a giant, man sized pillow. It was pink with a golden fringe. Other pillows, some just one colour, others with designs on them, were scattered around the pillow. 'I can assure you, it's quite comfortable. You'll get an excellent rest here.'

Mr Briggs goggled silently.

Messenger's pillow was behind another screen. It was smaller and less fluffy than the pink pillow, to reflect his lower status.

'Um,' he moved on hurriedly. 'This door leads to the household baths. I can show you if you like.'

Mr Briggs looked at the carved wooden door intently. If the door had been an Astarian soldier it would have been trembling in its Reismal body armour.

'Yes, yes, lead the way.'

Despite the heavy look to the door, it opened smoothly onto a long tunnel. The floor was tiled, the walls again polished and reflecting light that originated far away.

Mr Briggs stepped into the tunnel behind him and Messenger let the door swing shut. It closed without a sound. There was no doorknob on the door, on any doors, but neither were they locked, so opening them was no trouble.

As they walked down the tunnel Messenger noticed the tiles were not smooth. They had little knobs on them. He knew from his many visits to Cavachi that this was to provide purchase for wet and slippery feet.

As they walked the sound of water echoed through the tunnel and the air became damp. When they rounded a corner they found themselves in a large cavern.

The chamber contained a number of large pools, surrounded by those same non-slippery tiles. The rock, cleaned but otherwise left in its natural state rose above, so high the top of the cavern disappeared into darkness. Lights pinpointed that darkness like stars in the night sky.

Messenger loved the baths. They were perhaps the least decorated part of Cavachi, which was maybe why he felt more at home here. They usually contained nothing except tiles, natural rock walls and the smell and sounds of freshwater.

They had hardly been there a second when an attendant asked them if he could be of assistance.

'Would you like to bathe?' Messenger asked Mr Briggs, who had gone a little pale.

He gazed around the wide open cavern. A number of people were already in the baths. Some were sitting and chatting sedately in the heated water, while in other pools children were splashing and playing.

'There are private rooms, if that would suit you, sir.' Messenger offered.

Mr Briggs glanced at Messenger. 'Y-yes, that would be good.'

Messenger spoke to the assistant, who with a smile, began leading them to the private bathing areas.

In Astar there were no baths. There were showers. The showers were public, but not public in the sense that you showered with other people. Messenger thought Mr Briggs might well faint when he saw he would get an entire bath all to himself, or a select group of friends if that's what he wanted. Messenger rather doubted Mr Briggs would be inviting anyone to bathe with him.

The private baths were in separate, smaller caverns. When they entered one of the vacant baths Mr Briggs looked even more lost. The 'private' bath had room for ten people to bathe comfortably. On the wall opposite the door were shelves and hooks where clothes and other items might be stored.

When they arrived the assistant asked if it was suitable. Messenger assured him it was. The assistant asked if they would need any soaps, brushes or bath salts and so on and so forth. Messenger had learned there were many lotions, potions and implements necessary to bathe properly in Cavachi.

Messenger asked for the least he could without seeming to be an uncivilized, smelly, barbarian. He didn't translate the conversation for Mr Briggs.

While the assistant was gone Messenger soothingly told Mr Briggs how he was to go about bathing. Then came another troublesome question. It was a mark of the Speaker of the Master of the House of Corchanus' wealth and status that he had warming rocks for his guests, family and servants to dry themselves on. It was a sign of bad taste and poor planning to need to use a piece of cloth to dry oneself. The people of Cavachi much preferred to drape themselves over rocks and be dried by the light of the sun. Or whatever light they used to fake it down in the mountain.

Mr Briggs already looked alarmed enough. Being tired was not a good enough excuse to use a towel to dry oneself. One could always sleep on the rocks after all. Messenger thought about it a bit more and smiled.

When the assistant returned Messenger told him Mr Briggs was eager to get back to their rooms and continue his study on the Vachi code of conduct. While they of course had their own complicated code in Astar, it was different to the one in Cavachi and Mr Briggs didn't want to dishonour himself or his hosts because of his ignorance.

Nodding his understanding, the assistant was more than happy to bring them towels.

When they returned to their rooms Messenger suggested Mr Briggs take a nap before the dinner theatre. Mr Briggs, who looked nearly catatonic at this point, complied without a word.

Messenger watched Mr Briggs become increasingly frustrated. Once again Messenger leant in to remind him this was important to the Vachi, and that they were very different people and to please be patient.

They were sitting on colourful cushions. Across their laps were little tables of richly carved dark wood. Atop the tables were delicate trays with carefully arranged food. Already they had gone through three trays. The trays were made of very thin jewels or glass. They were translucent and beautiful and incredibly fragile. The current tray was pale green with little white flowers painted discreetly around the edge. Sapphire chips formed the centre of the flowers. Messenger loved these little trays. In Cavachi beauty could be found in the smallest detail or the largest cavern. Mr Briggs paid no attention to the little trays. He was getting frustrated with the little portions of food. To Messenger, it was a myriad of tastes and smells that always made the food in Astar taste like cardboard. He enjoyed a meal like this the most, as he got to try many dishes. Mr Briggs ate mechanically and glared at the finicky plates and bowls and unfulfilling portions of food.

Currently arrayed on Messenger's tray was a small bowl made of clear glass with blue swirled into it. It held a small salad of cheese, nuts, some green leafy vegetable and a delightfully refreshing sauce. It was in the upper left corner. On a square plate in the lower left was a crispy, red vegetable stuffed with a minty puree of something. In the upper right was a rectangular plate. A row of five small mushrooms of some variety draped with a thick tasty sauce adorned that plate. In the lower right was a cup in the shape of a rose bud. In it was rose flavoured water.

Messenger was enjoying this tray.

In front of them was a raised stage made out of that familiar dark wood. Streamers hung from the frame of the stage. On the stage elaborately painted and costumed Vachi acted out... something. Messenger didn't enjoy the plays much. They were always silent. They made him nostalgic for the Children's Theatre of Astar. There, he could understand what was going on. But the singing, he loved the singing.

In the background someone was playing a heavy drum. The deep, sonorous beats only seemed to make the time go slower.

The Speaker, still dressed predominantly in sky blue, though he had of course changed his clothes and jewellery, smiled over at Mr Briggs.

Mr Briggs nodded politely back, his lips pressed into a thin smile.

The night went on for hours.

Mr Briggs frustration finally eased as he accepted the fact they were going to be there a long time. The trays of food blurred into one another and Messenger felt himself becoming full. He was beginning to get tired, though he hid it well.

Finally it was done. Messenger was too tired to be relieved when he noticed Mr Briggs following his lead. The goodbyes and goodnights felt like they took a very long time before finally they were back in their rooms.

Chapter 30

The next day they were given a tour of Cavachi. Mr Briggs was not impressed. Messenger was not surprised but he had hoped...

But he could also understand. Cavachi and Astar were as different as night and day. For an Astarian, the elegance and jewels and unnecessary accoutrements of life displayed so proudly in Cavachi were mind-blowing. Messenger thought they added something, something Astar would be better for having.

Something even he had trouble understanding and Mr Briggs had no patience with was the Vachi's curious beliefs about their dead. Their knowledge of history fascinated Messenger. In Astar it wasn't thought important, but the Vachi knew all kinds of things about their past. But their habit of recording family trees and leaving offerings for their dead... he couldn't get his head around it. Mr Briggs thought an awful lot of what the Vachi did was an obscene waste of resources and time. His mood had darkened as the tour continued.

At the moment Messenger thought he might be about to have a heart attack. They were standing on a wooden walkway that wound its way through a dark forest of carvings. The carvings rose from the floor, which they could only make out by the light of the torches below, to hundreds of meters in height. The height did not bother Messenger. He had been in this place before.

What bothered him was that these poles were the history of the families. Each Master of the House added another segment to the top of his family's pole. The bottom segments were the oldest; the ancestors supported all that came after.

Somewhere ahead in the darkness the Speaker was talking, as he had been since they entered this place. Recha was translating. It was the history of the Speaker's family. Messenger thought it must sound very strange to Mr Briggs, hearing the Speakers rich but incomprehensible voice bouncing around in the darkness and then Recha's quieter voice underneath.

This was one of the most sacred places of the Vachi and it was a great honour to be here. If Mr Briggs made _any_ comment, if he gave one of those poles a sour look, it was all over.

It was very dark. The walkways spun across the vastness from side to side. Stairs were carved in the round walls of the chamber, which was lit only near the poles.

Far below, Messenger, could see the beginnings of the poles in those vivid and frightening animal carvings. And up and up throughout the blackness, the carvings appeared and disappeared into shadow. That was all that was visible.

When it was over and they were back outside the huge doors, which were flanked by not so ceremonial guards, the Speaker looked over at Messenger and Mr Briggs with a smile.

Messenger thought he probably looked like he'd been visited by the ancestors while in the vault and was still recovering from the terror. Messenger couldn't bring himself to look at Mr Briggs face.

After that it was onto a ground worm. Mr Briggs actually looked interested as they waited in a section of the tunnel separated from where the rest of the populace waited. They heard the ground worm before they saw it. A roar of wind. Loud, fast mechanical clicking. They saw the nose of the worm appear and then it was past. Messenger discreetly held onto Mr Briggs as the white body roared past, then slowed and finally stopped.

A door slid open and they entered.

Comfortable padded seats sat along the curved walls of the worm. There were no windows as there was nothing to see outside but rock. In their section there was an attendant, though there wouldn't be one in the other sections. The travellers in the other sections would make do with a map on the wall.

The doors slid closed.

A soft humming started up. That was the only sign the worm had begun moving. Mr Briggs looked around, his quick eyes noting everything.

'Do these things go all through the city?' He asked Messenger.

'Yes, sir. There are stations throughout the city.'

'Do they take long?'

'It depends where you're going, but they're much faster than walking.'

'Do they transport goods on these worms?'

'I believe so, though not on the same ones people travel on.'

'And if the mountain is attacked? Will these tunnels collapse?'

'The Vachi believe they're quite safe.'

'Hmm... and what does it take to run one of these things?'

And so on for the rest of the trip, though it lasted only about five minutes.

'We're getting off here, sir.' Messenger interrupted quickly as lights flashed along the sides of the worm.

They exited onto a platform much like the one they had entered from.

When they exited the station they found themselves in a huge cavern. They were near the top, looking down onto the buildings and roads and people below.

A railing ran along the edge of the path. Mr Briggs leant on this as he looked down at the glittering city below.

'What's down there?' he asked.

'That's the lower city, sir, most of the residents of Cavachi live down there.'

'Lower city?'

'Uh....' Messenger swallowed. This would be difficult to explain. It was still strange for him.

The Speaker for the Master of the House of Corchanus was not an ordinary Vachi, he was an important man. So was Mr Briggs. But whereas the Speaker dressed in the finest clothes and lived in an underground palace with private baths as big as some of the public baths, Mr Briggs lived pretty much like anyone else in Astar.

Recha, a translator for an important man, lived in a small, though lovely home with his young wife. It was only one cave, one small cave, separated into three sections by screens that Recha's wife had decorated herself.

Mr Briggs was a member of the Council of Astar, he was one of the most powerful men in Astar, but his home would not have been much different to Messengers'. It was perhaps slightly larger, and closer to the centre of Astar, but the furnishings, decoration, all would have been the same. It was perhaps the same size as Recha's home.

Recha's dress was completely different to the Speaker's. You needed merely to look at him to know his place in society. In Astar, no one wore jewellery and everyone wore clothes of a similar quality and style. With the gemengs being a constant threat wasting resources on jewels was unthinkable.

'Um, most people live in much smaller houses than the Speaker.'

'Why?' Mr Briggs eyes were on the city below, mapping out the roads, eyeing the buildings to determine their durability.

'The Speaker is very important.'

Mr Briggs frowned at Messenger. It was something that would take time to understand. Messenger hadn't really grasped the difference between the classes until he'd spent time in the lower city. He still didn't really understand the _reason,_ however.

Mr Briggs turned to the Speaker, who had been watching.

He began speaking, and Recha translated.

'The Speaker for the Master of the House of Corchanus apologizes for the view, you need not worry yourself, we will not be going down there. If you will follow me, we will take this path to our lunching area.'

Mr Briggs turned to follow. They began to walk up the path that wound along the wall of the cavern. High above the glittering city below, it was like walking into the night, above the stars.

Messenger smiled.

'Who is that man?' Mr Briggs suddenly demanded. Messenger turned. Mr Briggs was pointing at a pile of rags hovering near the station. Thin, bony arms extended from the rags. Then Messenger noticed a beard, and two little eyes peering out.

The Speaker made a sound of disgust and Recha translated. 'A beggar, a parasite in our glorious city, please, avert your eyes. The guards will deal with him.'

Mr Briggs turned to Messenger. 'A beggar.' His grey eyes flashed.

'Y-yes, sir.'

'They leave their fellow humans out in the streets in this condition.'

'I'm afraid so, sir.'

Mr Briggs stiffened, his mouth twisted. He said nothing. He could say nothing that would not be dangerously offensive with their hosts listening.

Messenger cringed. He hadn't put this in the report. He'd hoped they wouldn't see any. He hadn't for such a long time. Not that he'd been looking.

Astar didn't have beggars.

'I understand your disgust,' Recha was translating again. 'He will be removed at once. Come, let us move on from this place.' One of the Speaker's attendants had already scurried off, probably to fetch the guards.

Mr Briggs turned and silently followed, Messenger falling in behind.

They followed the path up to a dark opening in the wall. Inside there was darkness for a brief moment before the path turned a corner and opened up onto the 'park'.

A waterfall on the opposite side of the cavern led down into a wide river that crossed the cave. Three bridges spanned the river. It was on the banks of this river that the Speaker's servants set up their rugs, pillows and food. The park was made up of spires of stone and crystal. Precious metals and stones gleamed from the uncut rock. And yet it was not all stone and rock. Giant mushrooms that gave off a faint glow grew in abundance. Cave mould of varying colours clung to the walls.

It was a strange and magical place.

They sat and ate. Messenger enjoyed the quiet, the sound of water on stone, the soft sound of laughter and the rustle of robes.

The silence didn't last long. Recha was translating for the Speaker again.

'Now we have some peace. Let us hear your family story.'

The Speaker was settled back onto his cushion as if he would be there for a long time. His own story had taken near three hours to tell in the Vaults of the Ancestors. It had, Messenger knew, been a condensed version. A proper telling would involve music and actors and would go on for days.

'My mother and father were in the military.' Mr Briggs said, his voice toneless. Messenger suspected he was wondering why anyone would waste time talking about such a thing.

Messenger glanced over at Recha before he translated; 'His father was in the military.'

'Can he not share his story?' Recha asked softly.

Messenger squeezed his hands together tightly. It was more like he didn't know it. Messenger nodded, finally.

To the Speaker Recha said in Ravki, 'he is not a Teller for the House of Briggs, he may not share more than this, for it would dishonour his ancestors.'

The Speaker nodded knowingly.

As far as Messenger knew, many men within a family could be Tellers. All that meant was that they had been properly trained in the story of their House so they could tell it to people. Messenger had had some trouble unravelling the difference between the Master of the House and the Speaker. He'd thought the Master would have some important role, and he did, but not in a way Astarians would consider important. The Speaker, usually also a Teller, spoke on the behalf of the Master regarding everyday matters. The Master did not often leave the House and dealt with more important matters, such as honouring the ancestors. For all intents and purposes, that Astarians would understand anyway, the Speaker was in the charge of the House. The Vachi considered the Master's role far more important; he was the moral and spiritual guide of the House.

One of the servants began playing a small, stringed instrument and they lapsed into a relaxed silence.

Though Cavachi was a city predominantly inside a mountain, nowhere was it dark. Somehow the Vachi managed to keep the place bright all the time and often with natural light that came through carefully cut and planned tunnels.

The only place, really, that was dark, was the lower caverns. If this was Astar, the lower caverns would be the edge of the city, right up against the city wall.

But it wasn't Astar and there was no wall.

They were in a vast network of caverns that continued on for who knew how long. Messenger translated for Mr Briggs as they looked around. Messenger had been here before.

'This is where they harvest the cave mould.' Messenger was saying to Mr Briggs.

The only light here was from the pale green cave mould. Mostly, the cavern was a deep dark blue, fading to black.

In the lightest dark, shadows could be seen moving around. Like Astar, this was where the unwanted lived.

'We've seen plenty of cave mould.' Mr Briggs said. 'By that river, all over the place.'

'That's decoration.' Messenger said, inwardly cringing. Mr Briggs didn't say anything, but he didn't have to for Messenger to be able to imagine his stern, disapproving gaze.

'So they're collecting the cave mould.' Mr Briggs asked of the shadows. 'We haven't eaten any.'

'They don't eat cave mould in its raw form here.' Messenger said. 'Sir, not even the beggars will eat raw cave mould, please don't say anything about it.'

Mr Briggs complied, his silence ominous.

They passed increasing numbers of poor and homeless as they descended deeper into the mountain. The Speaker's attendants kept the poor far away from them.

In Astar, there were no beggars.

Every human life was valuable. How could it not be in a world full of gemengs? Even those who could or would not work were taken care of, partly with the hope that they could one day rejoin in the defense of Astar. But if not, they were still human. With the gemengs threatening to wipe them out at any time, how could any human in need not be helped? They'd be _helping_ the gemengs if they didn't take care of their fellow humans.

Soon after, they were back in their chambers to rest before dinner. Messenger dreaded what was coming.

'Are these creatures human, Messenger?' Mr Briggs said in a dangerous voice once the door was closed.

'Y-yes-'

'How do you know?' he demanded. 'They look wrong. Have you ever seen a human with such black skin? No. They behave like gemengs. They engage in wasteful nonsense and leave their fellow 'humans' on the street to die. So tell me, how do you _know_?'

'They say humans came in many colours once, before the gemengs.'

Mr Briggs face clouded angrily. 'There is no before! There is only now!'

Messenger remained silent as Mr Briggs glared him down.

'Even so, how can you trust their words or their knowledge?'

'Sir, when I came here I was hurt, they looked after me. If they were gemengs I would not be alive right now.'

'And, sir,' Messenger swallowed, 'I don't think they have as much trouble from the gemengs as we do. They say they haven't been attacked in a long time. Perhaps... perhaps that's why they-they can leave people living in such conditions as we never would. They aren't a people at war, not like us.'

Mr Briggs gazed at Messenger levelly. 'How is that so?'

'There aren't any gemengs near here. I think... I think they killed all the ones near them. Did you notice any near Cavachi? I never have.'

'How is that so?' He asked, grimly curious.

Messenger hoped this was an improvement. If Mr Briggs went back to Astar and told the council he thought the Vachi were gemengs, it was all over.

This was also something Messenger had thought about on his many trips to Cavachi. 'Well, we developed our weaponry enough to come out of the caves and fight the gemengs around four hundred years ago, sir, but the Vachi seem to have done that about two hundred years earlier. Also, they never really left their caves. Cavachi must have been here in some form much longer than that.'

'But why would that be so? They are a wasteful, foolish people. How is it they could have developed faster than us?'

His tone told Messenger that Mr Briggs was not yet convinced by his arguments. But it was better. It was better.

He didn't think Mr Briggs would appreciate their vague stories of the valkar that provided an answer. And he certainly wasn't going to suggest luck, or that perhaps the Vachi were just smarter than the Astarians.

'Well, they had help. From other people.'

Mr Briggs eyes locked onto Messenger. 'Other people. Are these humans too, Messenger?'

'N-no, sir, but not gemengs either. They believe a people called the valkar provided them with help when the gemengs attacked.'

'Who are these people? Where did they come from?'

'I'm not sure, sir.'

His eyes narrowed. 'And they provided help only to the Vachi? Not any of your multi-coloured humans? Why?'

'Well, sir, the Vachi say the other... humans were their enemies.'

'I see.'

'Sir,' Messenger said with a touch of desperation. Mr Briggs wasn't convinced. Not enough. Not really. 'Sir, we must look very strange to the Vachi, but they still took care of me. They have welcomed us into their home and shared their food with us. And even though they might be wasteful, what gemeng could build what they do? How could a gemeng make the things we have seen here? How?'

Something in Mr Briggs face changed and softened somehow. Messenger felt something unknot inside him. At least for now, Mr Briggs was willing to accept the Vachi as human.

That night at dinner cave mould was served. Or rather what was once, a long time ago, cave mould.

Mr Briggs eyed the wobbling mass suspiciously. Inside the clear jelly were fresh, sweet berries. The greenish colour was long gone, boiled away til only a gelatinous, sticky substance remained. This was mixed with clear juices and a variety of other things before being left in a cold place. What remained after this process was a refreshing, sweet dessert that went down as easily as a glass of water on a hot summer's day.

The table was laid with a variety of other desserts, some cold some hot, some sticky, some not. Messenger's favourite was the cave mould. Or what was once cave mould.

He sighed when he saw how Mr Briggs was looking at it.

'Cave mould is very nutritious.' Mr Briggs said.

Messenger saw the horrified look on Recha's face as he, thankfully, translated something entirely different.

He wondered what would happen when a Vachi representative came to Astar. The game would be up then. They'd see a plain, unadorned city, with people from the top to the bottom dressed the same and all eating cave mould.

Not even beggars in Cavachi ate cave mould.

They'd find their new 'friends' barbarians.

Messenger's mouth twisted in despair. Would they be willing to put aside their ideas about what was right for friendships sake? From what he knew of his own people and the Vachi, he didn't think so.

Who was to say which way was better? They were different, that was all! Why could neither the Vachi or Mr Briggs see that?!

Though perhaps, he hoped, Mr Briggs had been convinced for a while. If he could be, maybe the Vachi could...

He sighed.

If they were served cave mould in Astar they'd probably attack the city in recompense for the slander, he thought morosely.

He spent the rest of the dinner in despair.

'Friend, what is wrong?' Recha asked. He had dropped back from the Speaker's side to talk to Messenger.

Dinner was over. They were heading home for the night.

Messenger gave Recha a hard look and blurted, 'we eat cave mould. All through winter, every day, all day.'

Surprise flashed across Recha's face and he smiled. 'Ah, I knew you were a strange man, friend, and yet you still astonish me every time I see you.'

'Recha, you must think we're barbarians.'

'You are.' he said, blinking his big dark eyes owlishly. 'You are my barbarian friend.'

Messenger felt a tingle of hope. 'And what will the rest of your people think?'

'To us, you are children, savages. But to the valkar we are the savages. They were our friends. It is a sign of a civilized person to be kind to those less learned, less civilized than you. A sign of a civilized people.'

Messenger didn't really like his people being thought of as less though he smiled anyway. 'So you think an alliance can work?'

Recha smiled. 'It already is.'

Messenger smiled slyly. 'Will we be meeting Vearla this time?' He grinned as Recha looked back blankly. Perhaps, he thought, under the beautiful, sky blue robes of the Speaker was a man like Recha. And if there was, perhaps they would be ok after all.

Then Recha smiled and sighed. 'Yes.'

Messenger was taken aback. 'Really?'

Recha nodded. 'She would like to see who would become our friends.'

And if Vearla didn't like them, Messenger thought, that would end an alliance quicker than serving a Vachi cave mould.

Chapter 31

Even Mr Briggs stopped in awe.

The song wound down through the tunnels. Vearla's song.

Suddenly it cut off.

She knew they were there.

Disappointment rose in Messenger, then he saw the same look on Mr Briggs face, just for a second before it vanished. Maybe, just maybe, that would be enough for Mr Briggs to see... see that beauty was not a waste. That it added something indefinable and indescribable. Something Astar would be better with.

They resumed walking up the steep tunnel. The rock here was raw and the tunnel was narrow enough that it scraped. It was not so much a tunnel carved by the Vachi but an opening formed naturally by some prodigious movement in the rock.

Here, natural light washed down through the tunnel. They were very close to the surface.

Finally the tunnel opened into a small cave formed by an overhang in the rock above. It was wide, open and shallow and looked out onto the towers below.

Vearla was watching them, her back to the towers, to the sunlight.

This was a place an Astarian might feel at home. Any beauty here was not formed by human or valkar hands. It just was. There was no furniture or decoration. Just Vearla, sitting on a rock.

Her skin was even darker than that of the Vachi. It was as black as a starless night. Her hands were sitting limply in her lap. Her dress was simple and magnificent at the same time. She did not wear the robes of the Vachi.

Her eyes, dark as her skin, travelled slowly over the party arrayed before her. It was cramped, for they would not approach her. Messenger knew from experience Vearla was oddly skittish. Suddenly a thought occurred to him as he looked at those dark eyes. Perhaps it was the darkness of the deepest cave that coloured her, not the darkness of a moonless night.

'Recha, Skachi,' the Speaker stiffened at having her call his name, an injured look on his face, but she travelled on as if she hadn't noticed. That was another reason Messenger liked Vearla's place. She seemed oblivious to the Vachi's rules sometimes. Other times she seemed to know them better than they did. But when she didn't, it was easy for him to behave as an Astarian.

She stopped at Mr Briggs.

'Neiteis Briggs.' Mr Briggs offered.

'Neiteis, Saris.'

She stopped, having named everyone. Her eyes drifted back to Skachi, the Speaker.

He spoke in Ravki to her. He said, 'Please, honoured one, you know our customs, please do not use my given name. You dishonour myself and my House by doing so.'

Vearla didn't seem to hear. Her eyes drifted back to Mr Briggs. Her voice was soft and lovely. Somehow, everyone could understand her when she spoke. 'I am not a Judgement Master, or even a judge, nor can I call any of my people. Yet the dark ones of the mountain have asked me too, so I suppose I should...' she trailed off.

'Perhaps you could make this decision by yourselves.' she said. Her voice drifted like a cloud on a sleepy summer's day.

At the same time Recha and Skachi began begging her to take part in the decision.

Messenger was surprised. He had thought she insisted on taking part in decisions. It looked as if he had misunderstood her relationship with the Vachi completely.

'Mistress,' Recha translated, even though he didn't have to, that was how upset he was, 'we do not wish to make any alliance that might harm your people. These pale ones have harmed your kind in the past, we would never wish for that to happen again.'

Messenger's heart felt like it stopped. Then it began again, slowly. 'Are you a valkar?' he asked in awe. He'd thought they were _gone_ but surely, what else could she be?'

Recha and Skachi looked at him in horror, they both began speaking at once. 'Your people mustn't harm her.' Skachi said while Recha, translating for him at the same time said, 'please, Saris, you mustn't tell your people.'

Vearla gazed at them, her eyes trailing over them. 'We all speak the same language here.' she said, her voice a leaf drifting on the wind. 'How can we be friends if we do not understand each other? There is no need to translate.'

'Are you a representative of the valkar?' Mr Briggs asked firmly, resting his oddly soft eyes on Vearla.

'No... I'm not a representative of anything. Yes, Saris, I am of the valkar.'

Messenger felt curiously lightheaded, as if he was floating, as he tried to figure out what this meant. While he was doing that Mr Briggs was going on, undaunted, like a good Astarian.

'My people have never harmed the valkar. The gemengs are our enemies.' Mr Briggs said firmly, fixing a steely grimace on Skachi. 'You have no need to fear for the valkar on our account.'

Skachi looked shocked to find he could understand him. 'No, eminent one, are you completely unaware of your past? Your people violently attacked and enslaved our allies, the valkar. Only with our help did they find freedom and peace. We-'

He was about to launch into a long description of that time when Vearla interrupted him.

'Where are you from?' she asked Mr Briggs. 'I have tried to talk to Saris, but he is more interested in getting answers, than giving.'

Messenger blushed fiercely as Mr Briggs tried to describe the location of Astar.

'So you are descended from the Seiaans.' Vearla said and fell silent for a moment.

The name meant nothing to Messenger. He was mystified and intrigued and dying to ask more but after what Vearla had said about him he dared not.

'The Seiaans did not fight against us. But they did not help.' she said after a while. 'But what has that to do with the Raka?'

Messenger quietly told Mr Briggs that she always insisted on referring to the Vachi as the Raka. She didn't even notice their pleas to call them the Vachi.

'It is not the valkar you want an alliance with, and I am in no position to make that decision for my people.' she did not appear to be talking to them. Again, Messenger was used to this behaviour from her.

'Are there any valkar in Seisaa?' she asked suddenly, brightly, and Messenger was surprised and rattled to see hope in her eyes.

Mr Briggs looked at her in confusion. Messenger had an idea she was doing to them what she did to the Vachi and so could answer, 'no, lady, there are none.'

Her gaze fell to her lap. Her face was hidden by her hair, as dark as the rest of her, so dark the hair of the Vachi looked pale next to it. It was hard to pinpoint what it was exactly, but sometimes it was hard to tell what the difference could be between valkar and human, other times she amazed him. Yet he couldn't say why. The Vachi were different enough for him as it was.

'Are you sure?' she asked.

'I think we would notice someone who looked like you in Astar.' Messenger said.

'Why would the others look like me?'

Messenger didn't know what to say to that.

'Vearla stays with us because she looks like us.' Skachi said. 'Your people held great anger towards those who looked differently, so the valkar often visited only the lands with humans who shared their colouring.'

'Your people were the same.' Vearla added. For once, Messenger thought he heard a note of annoyance in her voice. 'Most left the land... I was one of the few who stayed.' Her head drooped again. 'I knew a valkar who travelled many places. Perhaps he came through your land?' she did not look up when she asked, perhaps to spare them her disappointment.

'Gemengs live in our city with us.' Mr Briggs said. 'Perhaps a valkar came in too.' he looked uneasy at the idea.

'He was a Moonsinger... I did not know him well, we had little in common. They always gaze at the sky...'

'What does he look like?' Mr Briggs asked.

'A Moonsinger.'

Mr Briggs looked over at Messenger, who shook his head.

'Lady, we do not know what a Moonsinger is.' Messenger said.

'One who sings to the Moon. I had heard he often travels with a young girl. Oh but they must be different, girls from the other people always change so fast.'

'What does a Moonsinger look like?' Messenger asked again.

'Oh, they look like the moon.'

'Well, we'll see if we have any... we'll look into it for you, Miss Vearla.' Mr Briggs said.

'About the alliance, Vearla,' Recha said delicately.

'Oh... the alliance... I have no objection to a friendship between the Seiaans and the Raka. The valkar have never wanted war. So please, if you would form an alliance, please let it be a force for peace in the world. Do not use it to make war.'

As they were leaving Messenger arranged to be the last one through the narrow tunnel.

'Vearla.' he said.

She contemplated him in a distant sort of way.

'Did the valkar really help the humans survive when the gemengs came?'

She nodded. 'Yes. We tried to give shields to all we could find. Even though we hated you....'

'So there was a time before the gemengs?'

She nodded and smiled. 'And a time before humans too. I never knew that time though.'

'Just one more thing,' he said hurriedly, glancing down the tunnel and seeing Recha looking back.

'Did you give more to the Vachi?'

'The Vachi were our friends. We did not mind helping them, though we couldn't trust them any longer. We hated helping the others.'

'Why couldn't you trust them?' Messenger asked.

Vearla smiled a smile that wasn't really a smile. 'Because the others used to be our friends too.'

Chapter 32

With the pleasantries out of the way it was time for the real reason for coming here. At least, that was how Mr Briggs thought of it.

They were led to a part of the city deep in the mountain, heavily guarded and far from any of the places they had visited previously.

Mr Briggs had renewed energy in his step as a thick metal door slid open and they were led into an undecorated room.

The group who walked with them was different now. The Speaker for the Master of the House of Corchanus was still the lead, with Recha, as well as one of the speaker's attendants, but the rest of the group had changed.

Along the opposite wall of the box was a rack of metal poles.

Recha translated for the Speaker, 'These are the Devlars, a highly effective shield. Do you have any of your weapons with you?'

Messenger translated for Mr Briggs, they had been asked to bring some of their own weapons.

A man dressed in loose trousers and a vest stepped forward. He picked up one of the Devlars and turned back to face them, taking a wide stance, the pole held in both hands.

'Will you fire at him?' Recha translated. 'You may shoot to kill.'

Mr Briggs stared at Messenger, then at Recha.

Messenger quickly asked if he had translated correctly.

'You may shoot just to wound if it makes you feel better.' Recha said to them in Astarian, 'though it is not necessary. The Devlars have never failed.'

'Very well.' replied Mr Briggs, 'Messenger, set your SIGPEW to low grade.'

Messenger stepped forward. As a pilot he didn't actually _use_ the PEWs anymore, though he was still expected to train with them regularly.

As he raised the SIGPEW the man began spinning the Devlar around himself in a complicated dance.

Messenger watched for a bit, perplexed. Then he fired. For a moment it looked as though a stream of liquid gold was suspended in the air.

What happened next was so quick Messenger almost didn't see it.

A blade sprung from the Devlar. The energy from the SIGPEW hit it and then... then there were gold sparkles for a moment. Then they were gone too.

'You may fire again.' Recha told him.

This time Messenger waited. There were holes in the dance. It was fast, but not _too_ fast, surely the muscular man could have gone faster. So there were gaps. Messenger waited, waited. When the pole was to the man's right, Messenger fired at his left.

A blade sprung out again. Sparkles. Nothing.

The man smiled and turned his back to them, the Devlar going round and round.

He fired again, this time at his back. The same thing happened.

Again. Fire, deflect, sparkle.

Fire, deflect, sparkle.

'Raise the setting.' Mr Briggs said, his eyes not leaving the spinning warrior. 'Don't fire at his body. We don't want to hurt the man.'

Messenger quickly changed the setting as fast as he would in battle. Then he fired slightly to the side of the man's leg.

Gold sparkles glimmered for a moment before dissipating.

Messenger lowered his SIGPEW, stunned.

'We didn't bring any of the heavier arms, sir, the SIGPEW is all we have.'

'May I see the Devlar for a moment?' Mr Briggs asked the Speaker.

The Speaker replied, Recha translated: 'certainly.'

The warrior slowed his dance and stopped. His face was dark and impassive. He held the Devlar out towards them on flat palms.

Messenger followed as Mr Briggs approached the strange contraption.

When he got closer Messenger saw the Devlar was not smooth. There were many grooves and lines in it, all over it, crisscrossing the entire surface in an uneven pattern.

Mr Briggs picked it up and turned it around. It did not appear to be damaged, but they could not see the blades.

'How do you make the blades come out?' Messenger asked Recha.

'They only come out in response to an attack.' he responded, having approached them as well.

'How do you clean it? How do you check it for damage?'

'It doesn't get damaged. They don't require any maintenance.'

Messenger stared at him, then back at the Devlar in Mr Briggs hands.

'Does it work on physical attacks, such as a punch?' Mr Briggs asked as he turned the Devlar slowly around in his hands, examining it closely.

'It works on any type of attack.' Recha said.

'What powers it?' Mr Briggs asked.

'It does not require any power. It just is.'

'And does it have any offensive capabilities?'

Recha hesitated. 'The Devlar? No. No it doesn't.'

A thought sprang quickly into Messenger's mind, but he said nothing, and instead just wondered what other gifts the valkar had given the Vachi.

'Hmm. How would one attack an enemy if a Devlar was nearby then? It blocks attacks from all sides, even those not directly aimed at the wieldier.'

'We have methods of fighting that work around that.'

'I see. And how is it operated?'

'It responds to an attack. The wielder does not control that aspect of it, though a trained warrior can defend more effectively than one who has never used it before.'

Mr Briggs handed the Devlar back to the warrior and turned to face them. He turned to the Speaker. 'Are you willing to trade these?'

The Speaker spoke and Recha translated.

'I am afraid the material we use to make them is no longer available to us. Because of this, we cannot trade the Devlars.'

Mr Briggs nodded curtly, he did not seem surprised or offended by this. 'I hope you find the weapons of Astar as interesting as I have found the Devlar.'

And then their time in the military section of Cavachi was over. It was, after all, the first time an official from Astar had come to visit. It would not do to share all their secrets so soon.

The next day Messenger and Mr Briggs flew home to Astar.

'What will you tell the council, sir?' Messenger asked Mr Briggs as Cavachi grew smaller behind them. The area around Cavachi may have been free of gemengs, but that was not true of the rest of the route. He would have to concentrate after this and would not be able to talk so easily.

'It was a fruitful meeting.' Mr Briggs said in his stern way.

'Will you speak in favour of an alliance, sir?'

'Hmph, well if I don't I'm sure you will.' Messenger thought he heard a smile in Mr Brigg's voice.

'Of course, but what about you?' Messenger asked, dropping the sir in his need to know.

'I believe an alliance will be of benefit to Astar, Messenger, now concentrate on flying if you don't mind.'

'Yes, sir, sorry, sir.' Messenger said, a wide grin spreading across his face.

'The Vachi are a wasteful and foolish people, but I believe an alliance would be of benefit to Astar.' Mr Briggs finished.

He stood at the head of the conference table before his peers, the Council of Astar. They were chosen solely due to their ability and skill in their field. The table was unadorned and practical and covered in notes both old and just written. He dreaded to think what the council chamber of Cavachi looked like. He suppressed a shudder.

The chamber was lit mainly by natural light from heavy, reinforced windows. There were also artificial lights, which at the moment were not in use, though soon they would be. They had arrived in Astar near the end of the day. Outside the window the sun was setting. The blue sky was turning pink. The clouds lit from below in golds and reds and oranges. They were on the second-highest floor of the building neighbouring the shield tower. The shield tower itself was filled with nothing but Internal Defence Force guards.

A thin man with receding brown hair and glasses leaned forward, an elbow on the table. 'I'm sorry, you think we should ally with _gemengs_?'

Mr Briggs silently fixed his steely eyes on the brown haired man, Metis Teilins. He knew this man. He was highly competent, and the Head of Governmental Affairs, otherwise known as the lumbering bureaucracy of Astar. He performed an important though often ignored function. Mr Briggs did not like him. He would not waste his words dealing with such nonsense, because from this man it was, and one look said that.

'Hmm, they don't sound like us, what makes you so sure they're human?' A woman leant forward, Ella Lesai, a scientist and the Head of Research and Development. Brilliant and absent minded. From her, the question was different.

Mr Briggs clasped his hands behind his back. 'They received us with hospitality, they shared their food with us and took care of the pilot who first made contact with them when he was injured. That is why.'

'I wonder what the tests would say, if they have been isolated from us for so long.' she mused, more to herself than them. 'It might tell us something interesting about the difference between us and the gemengs, would they agree to a test?' she said as she scribbled on her notepad.

'I think the difference is obvious.' said Metis Teilins.

'Oh no, some gemengs have no obvious abilities above those of humans, and can hardly be told apart by appearance, yet they are not human.' Ella Lesai replied, 'it's really very interesting. Are they coming here next time or should I go there?'

'Next time, we still haven't dealt with the issue of their humanity! Next time?!' Metis said in a scolding, insulting tone, though Ella didn't notice.

'Well if Mr Briggs is sure they're human, I'm willing to trust him.' The youngest member of the council leant forward, Garna Ulis, his bright eyes on Mr Briggs. He was the Head of the Agricultural Division. He bordered on skinny and always had a gleam to his eyes. The man was practically electric with energy.

Metis shot him a withering glare, which Garna ignored and said, 'should we vote? A raised hand for accepting the Vachi as human.' he put his hand up and smiled.

Ella Lesai's hand shot up, her eyes firmly on her notepad and not on the vote going on around her.

In fact, everyone in the council put their hand up except the bureaucrat. It was not surprising. Mr Briggs was the head of the military. Of them all, he had had the most contact with gemengs, aside from perhaps the Coastside representative.

Metis, a sour look on his face said, 'very well, I'll accept the outcome, though it seems rash. I suppose the idea of an alliance is straightforward from here. We may as well vote.'

Everyone voted in favour, even Metis. Garna looked at him curiously.

'Well if I accept the proposition that they're human, then an alliance is the obvious next step.'

'Oh, certainly,' Garna agreed. 'Now to proceed, Briggs, do you think they'll be insulted if we ask to give them a human test?'

Mr Briggs nodded. 'I believe so.' he glanced at the scientist, who was no longer paying attention, just scribbling pages and pages of notes.

Garna gently touched her shoulder. 'Did you hear, Miss Lesai?'

She looked up suddenly, 'hmm? Did you say something?'

Everyone was looking at her. Explaining to Ella Lesai that she wouldn't be able to do her experiments could, Mr Briggs thought, be the toughest part of this alliance.

PART 3

Chapter 33

Vann preferred to keep things simple.

He told the girls right from the start what they could and could not expect from him. He stayed away from the female relatives of his friends and he didn't date girls in the military.

It was for this reason he was standing outside a pretty girl's house debating whether or not to go in.

With his back to her house he had an amazing view of Coastside. The honey coloured stone of the buildings leant a warm glow to the city. With the sun setting, the stone seemed lit from within, as though it were alive. The ocean breeze stopped the city getting too hot in summer and too cool in winter. Right now, the clear, clean blue waves looked like they were dancing with the orange light of the setting sun. Further out past the bay was the wide expanse of the ocean. He spotted the slight rise, the dark bump above the waves that was Arling Island. Further out, though he couldn't see it, was Reezel Island.

He turned back to the house. Watching the ocean had calmed him. It usually did.

He'd told Teila he'd come. Nothing had changed between then and now. So, he would go in. He needed a better reason than the rising feeling of I-don't-want-to-be-here to back out now.

It was a three story house. Teila lived with four other girls, which was fairly common. The house had a small, fenced off garden, and a tiled roof. A small window was set into the door.

Stop stalling, he told himself firmly.

If anyone had been looking at him they would have seen his mouth set in a grim, determined line.

In fact, someone was watching him.

From within the house came a loud, feminine cry, 'VANN'S HERE!'

Vann's head snapped up at the sound and he saw a shadow dart away from the window. The whole block probably knew he was here now.

He looked back at the door. Someone was on the other side and by the sound of it, having a hard time opening it. Probably too excited or nervous to do it properly, judging by how long it was taking.

The door was flung open and a girl who was not Teila stood there beaming at him, her cheeks flushed.

'She'll be just a minute, would you like to come in?'

'No, thanks. I'll wait out here.'

'Oooh! You two make such a cute couple! I'm so glad you're back together!'

Vann closed his eyes. He didn't say anything. It was obvious, now, there was no point.

'Oh, Diann, no, darling, we're not a couple.'

Vann's eyes snapped open.

Teila, as lovely as ever in a new dress and with a large, red jewel hanging from her neck just _so_ , moved towards Diann whilst making hushing motions with her hands.

Vann gave her a suspicious look, ignoring where that jewel was hanging with a great deal of dignity. Diann looked from him to Teila and back.

'Oh, I'm sorry.' Diann smiled brightly again. 'Silly me. Well, have fun.' and she darted back inside.

Teila smiled tentatively and stepped outside, closing the door behind her. 'D-do I look alright?'

Looking at Teila was often enough to make a man forgive her for whatever she'd done. Vann managed to retain a residue of suspicion and kept his eyes on her blue ones. There was a reason, a _good_ reason, he had stopped seeing her. A reason she had stubbornly refused to acknowledge.

As he held out his hand to her he thought, _she's as bad as Azra_.

'You look fine.' He said somewhat absently as she took his hand.

He was here. There was no point in coming if he wasn't willing to give her another chance.

Teila, rather obviously, was a bit unsettled by that remark.

Vann liked women and he had enough experience with them to be able to give a better response to 'do I look alright' than 'you look fine'. He found women calming, though not like the ocean. After a turn on the subs, or even on a ship, he, like most of the submariners of Coastside, spent his shore time in the company of various beautiful women. But at least he was always very clear right at the beginning there would be various _other_ women and the relationship would be _casual_. So there was no call for Teila to behave how she had. He wasn't even _unusual_ , Coastside was full of submariners, and not all of them were men, but they pretty much all did the same thing when they got home.

Teila recovered quickly and clasped her hand around his arm as they began strolling towards the theatre.

'It's good to see you, Vann.'

He bit his tongue to keep from saying something like, 'I'm not sure if it's good to see you, Teila.' and instead just nodded.

'It's a new dress, I was sure you'd notice.' unsaid was, you usually notice.

The women of Coastside often remade and altered their existing clothes as buying a new dress often wasn't an option. Teila was particularly good at it. In fact, Vann couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her in a dress she'd already worn.

'It's fine.'

'Vann...'

He sighed. 'You said you understood.' he said, his voice getting frostier by the second, 'I wasn't kidding. I don't want a serious relationship with you, and I'm not going to see you exclusively.'

She swallowed. 'It's fine.' she patted his arm. 'It's fine, Vann, please, let's just have fun tonight.'

He gave her a hard stare, his grey eyes stormy.

Teila fluttered her long eyelashes nervously, 'please, it's fine, I'm sorry, Vann.'

Finally he dropped his gaze and looked away. 'Did you help with the costumes?' Vann asked, trying to make an effort.

'Oh, yes, of course. Me and the girls up at the Square all helped, it's a lot of fun. Oh, I've never invited you but did you want to come help....?'

She trailed off, her big blue eyes wide as she clasped his arm tightly.

'I don't think I'd be much help.' he said dryly.

'Oh, probably best you don't come then.' as she patted his arm Vann thought he heard relief in her voice. For the first time that night, he smiled.

As they settled into the padded seats in the quickly filling theatre Vann asked Teila, 'what show is this?'

'Oh, it's the continuation of 'Romance by the Sea'.' she said excitedly, clasping her hands together.

'Romance by the _what_?' he repeated in disbelief, wondering if they could have come up with a worse name.

'Have you seen it? It's a new serial play they started this summer. Next week is the finale!' At the shake of his head Teila went into a not very enlightening but excited description of what had happened in the previous plays.

Vann stopped trying to understand what she was going on about and instead tried to look interested and nod at regular intervals. He stopped her though when he heard the familiar word, 'gemeng.'

'Wait, there are gemengs in this play?' he asked.

She nodded.

Vann couldn't suppress a sigh. He could spend all night watching an overly sentimental romance serial and make his date feel he'd actually managed to follow and enjoy the plot, even if he'd never seen any other shows in the serial before. But he couldn't stand it when they included gemengs.

'Why, what's wrong?' she asked.

'You know what's going to happen.'

'No,' she shook her head, 'no, I don't, what's going to happen?'

'The gemeng did it.' he said as he closed his eyes. Whatever horrible thing 'it' was, the gemeng was _always_ responsible.

'Oh no, no! Jann is in _love_ with the good gemeng, Lissel from Reezel!'

He shook his head. However long they dragged it out, it was always the gemeng who was the bad guy. Something strange came over him when he came to a play now with a gemeng. Maybe it was a fog of disappointment that made it impossible for him to pretend he was enjoying himself. Maybe it was because he already knew the ending and it had been _done before_. Whatever it was, he couldn't summon a smile for Teila.

'No, no,' Teila said, trying to explain, 'she's a _good_ gemeng, and she opposed the Evil Queen of Reezel, and was exiled, and Jann rescued her, even though Adeia was in love with him before and they were almost a couple, but then he met Lissel-'

She would have kept going except that the curtains started drawing back, revealing the stage.

A hush fell over the audience. She grabbed his arm and got as close to him as possible without actually climbing onto his lap. Her eyes were glued to the stage, an avid expression on her face.

Vaan opened his eyes, but he didn't pay much attention. The play wasn't worth it.

Standing outside the theatre afterwards was a different kind of hell to being trapped in there watching that uninspired garbage.

Teila was gossiping with her friends. He heard snatches that made him want to grab the girl and explain in nice simple words that it was exactly the same ending as _every_ _other_ play with a gemeng in it.

'I didn't see that coming!'

'I know, it was so _shocking_!'

' _Vann, Vann!'_

Vann's eyes snapped open as he heard Teila calling him. She was gesturing sharply for him to come over. He approached the group of well-dressed girls warily.

Teila clasped his arm as soon as he was within reach. 'Can that really happen, Vann, can they do that?' she asked as she pulled him into the circle.

'Do what?' he asked carefully, his grey eyes flicking around the group.

'Can gemengs really use their gemeng powers to make you fall in love!' one of the other girls said at the same time as Teila said, 'can they do what Lissel did to Jann? It was so horrible!'

He sighed, debating whether he should answer. Then, carefully, 'The ones from Reezel can.' The submariners patrolled Reezel from a safe distance. Reezel was perhaps full of the most dangerous gemengs around, but they couldn't afford to let them go unnoticed in case they started heading for the coast.

Teila gasped in horror, as did most of the others.

They began talking again. All the while Teila kept an iron grip on his arm.

Vann waited for perhaps five minutes before he whispered in her ear that he needed to leave. He didn't try pulling away from Teila. He knew from experience she hung on tighter than a barnacle.

But he couldn't stay here, and he was no longer in any mood to spend the night with her.

She looked up at him, her blue eyes very big and wide.

Then she looked back at her group of friends and patted his arm reassuringly in a way that reminded him of nothing so much as how some women patted the cute animals they kept as pets. Irritation flashed across his face. But she was saying her goodbyes and so he said nothing.

Soon enough they were outside the theatre. It was cooler outside than inside. Night had fallen, though it was lit with street lights and strings of lanterns hanging from eaves or strung across the street. In this part of the city some of the lanterns were blue and orange. The night was full of couples and groups of friends leaving the theatre or heading somewhere to eat. There was laughing and talking and good natured jostling when the groups collided. It was a lovely night.

'Teila,' he said as she headed off towards her place, him in tow.

'Hmm?' she looked over her shoulder with those big eyes of hers. 'Yes, Vann?' she said in her sweet, pretty voice.

'Teila, I need to head back to the Blocks. I'm sorry.' he held his ground firmly enough that she was forced to either stop walking or release his arm. She chose to stop walking.

'Oh,' she fluttered her lashes at him rapidly. She was confused.

'I'm saying goodnight.' he said kindly. He kissed her cheek. 'I need to head home now, but it was a lovely evening.'

'So we're not spending the night together.' her lashes were still fluttering.

'No.'

Suddenly a great, beaming smile spread across her face and she leapt at him.

Vann stood, surprised, as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. 'Oh, Vann, I'm so happy!'

'Um.' he patted her back awkwardly. Not exactly the reaction he had expected... Not exactly the reaction he wanted either!

'W-why?' he asked cautiously.

She leant back, her eyes were glistening with tears. 'I'm so happy! I knew you'd see it eventually!'

Suspicion snapped into his eyes and he stepped back as far as he could with Teila still grabbing him. 'What are you talking about?'

'You want to wait. You're going to be serious with me. We're going to be a proper couple.' she said, gazing up at him with a blissful smile on her face.

'No, no that's not what I meant. I'm tired, that's all,' where did this woman get her ideas from? Vann wondered desperately as he tried to _explain_. It was like they were speaking different languages! 'Teila, that's not going to happen, ok, I'm sorr-'

He stopped dead. While he had been speaking her happy expression had been changing to one of broken-hearted horror. Now though, she had fallen to her knees and was sobbing.

Getting down on his knees he gently touched her shoulders. People were staring at them as they walked past.

'Teila,' he tried to say gently, alarmed at her sudden over-reaction, 'please don't cry. I'm sorry. Come on, I'll take you home.'

Sniffing, she nodded and let him help her to her feet. He put an arm around her shoulders and began what felt like a very _very_ long walk back to her home.

She didn't look at him the whole way home.

When they arrived slowly she turned to look at him. Teila was one of those rare women who could manage to cry and not look blotchy and horrible. Her eyes were still wet as she gazed at him but her back was straight, her head high. She almost looked regal.

Then she slapped him.

Shocked, Vann raised a hand to his flaming cheek. The door slammed shut. Teila had already fled back into the house.

When he reached the military base he flopped down onto his bed, face down.

'Hey, Vann, you're back early.' he heard from one of his friends, Gavann.

He groaned into the pillow. Then he pulled it out and over his head. 'I'm never seeing Teila again.' he mumbled.

'Oh, really? Can I see her then?'

'Sure, fair warning though, she doesn't listen to a word you say.' and with that he pulled the pillow tightly over his ears.

At that moment, the subs didn't seem so bad.

Vann spent the rest of his shore time with his male friends. He had female friends, he just couldn't bear female company at the moment. He spent most of his time going over conversations with Teila in his head wondering if he had been unclear. He wasn't the type of guy who made girls cry. He didn't _want_ to be that guy.

Then his week on shore duty was over and it was time for another month on the subs, and he was done with thinking about her. When you were in the subs, you focussed. It was hard to think about women who made no sense when you were too far under the surface of the ocean to swim should a gemeng cut the sub in half. That was how his mother had died. His father had died in a mining accident before he was born. He'd never known either of them, though he wondered. But he could handle fear, otherwise he wouldn't be a submariner.

He scarcely thought of Teila in the four weeks on the sub, and when he arrived back in Coastside he was perfectly happy not to get in another sub for a week.

His first stop back on land was uniforms.

'Hey, Vann.' The man at the shop greeted him. 'How'd it go?' he asked.

Vann placed his carry sack on the counter and slid it over to Jeris. Before answering he asked, 'why are you on uniform duty again?'

Jeris grinned. 'I electrocuted the Commander accidentally.'

Vann gaped, his jaw dropping as Jeris grinned inanely.

'How?!' he demanded finally.

'Well I thought my rod was broken so I was you know,' he made a shaking motion with his hand, 'shaking it around when the Commander came 'round the corner and I whacked him. And what do you know! It worked!'

Vann needed a few moments to regain control of his voice. 'And now you're in the uniform shop.' he said carefully.

Jeris nodded. 'Yup. I don't think they're gonna give me my lightning rod back.' his smile faltered. 'The Commander said I could just fight the gemengs without it.'

Vann closed his eyes and tried not to wonder how Jeris had made it through training.

'Anyway, how'd the tour go?' he asked again and started pulling things out of Vann's bag. 'Shit! What happened here?!'

Jeris held up what had once been Vann's uniform.

'A longtail slammed us. We sprung a leak in the locker room. Once it was drained we couldn't dry the clothes properly.' he shrugged. 'You're gonna get a lot of business, Jeri, the only clothes any of us have left are what we were wearing.'

'Damn.' Jeris' wide eyes were travelling up and down what looked more like a clump of mould than a uniform. 'Why didn't you just throw out the bag? How many do you need?'

'Radann always wants proof.' Vann said, referring to the man who usually worked here, with occasional help from disgraced submariners. 'Two sub and one shoreside.'

'Sure.' he put the thing carefully back in the bag and carried it over to the bin and dropped the whole thing in. 'Plus a bag.' Then he disappeared into the back. 'So what else happened? Did you get just one leak?'

'No, we had one other. It was pretty quiet.'

'Lucky! Davi just got back yesterday. They found the splitter's nest and ran out of the delay bombs! They had about five of the things on their tail for three days!'

'I know. We ran into them and finished the nest off. The nest wasn't supposed to be anywhere near there.'

'Ok, here you go.' Jeris said, returning from the back, 'New bag. New uniforms. New boots. Now go take a shower, you smell!'

Vann smiled. 'Thanks, Jeri. I wanted to get here before the rush. Good luck.'

Vann left just as a group of five of his submates entered, smelling just as bad as he did.

Vann had a few days to himself before his shore duty started and he intended to spend them alone. The usual routine for a submariner was a few weeks of sub time followed by a few free days and perhaps half the amount of time spent on a sub on shore duty. That meant either patrolling the bay and surrounding islands, or getting on one of the ships the subs protected. Vann preferred to take a month of sub duty followed by a week of shore time.

Vann didn't mind the company of others, if he did he would have gone crazy, spending his entire life living in small dorms stuffed with other boys in the military blocks or on cramped, suffocating submarines.

But he enjoyed his own company too.

Cleaned and thoroughly showered, Vann strolled along the side beach, a pleasant breeze ruffling his ash blonde hair.

The bay beach was safer than the side beach, but it was always crowded. The waters around Coastside had always been kept clear and clean so the bay beach was now popular for swimming. It was not for swimming that the bay had been kept clean though. It was hard enough fighting gemengs under water, it wasn't going to get any easier if the water was too dirty to see in. The bay was mostly clear of gemengs now, though the submariners patrolled there during shoretime and also trained there. Still, the Commander had told Vann when he was young, people didn't swim in the waters and the few men who fished in the bay were considered crazy.

These days a lot of people swam at the beach and the bay was full of enough fishing boats that cave mould was rarely seen in Coastside anymore.

The top scientist in Coastside, Dr Ralis, even had his own beach side villa and private section of the beach. He paid the submariners to keep it patrolled and gemeng free. Privately, Vann thought he was wasting his money. The submariners protected Coastside. The fact that Dr Ralis wouldn't let anyone else swim on his beach didn't mean they wouldn't protect it. Gemengs moved around after all. It's not as if they would take any notice of Dr Ralis' boundaries. Gemengs near his side of the beach posed a danger to all of Coastside, not just his little section.

But Vann wasn't by the bay. He was on the side beach, out past the city limits. He stayed a safe distance from the water and had his lightning rod with him.

The lightning rod was a dusky gold rod about the length of a grown man's forearm. The last hand width of it was a rubber handle. When you squeezed the handle electricity was released. On the handle there was also a dial to change the settings. The energy source, which was recharged back at the base, was inserted at the base of the handle. More advanced settings were located inside.

Like most submariners, Vann had ambivalent feelings towards the lightning rod. Whoever had invented it had probably thought, as gemengs lived in the water, it would be a good idea to stick it in the water and electrocute everything. However the effect of the lightning rod declined very fast in a short distance in the water, so it wasn't actually very effective if used that way. Further, just discharging it by squeezing the handle often sent electricity off in the opposite direction you wanted it to go. The submariners wore rubber boots and gloves, but during training they didn't. Vann had been shocked more than once by the guy standing next to him during training. Though come to think of it, he was probably lucky he hadn't been next to Jeris.

Vann had seen the mistakes the others made and had not made them himself.

So _he_ had never accidentally shocked his future sub mates.

He felt the lightening rod was most reliable and effective if you hit someone with it. Then the energy went directly into whatever you were hitting.

Despite the fickle nature of the lightning rod, it was a part of the submariners' image. So they still trained with them and still carried them everywhere.

Vann held the rod loosely in his hand as he walked along the beach. He'd met a leaper (so called because they leapt out of the water to attack) here more than once.

Even though the ocean posed a real danger, he found his walk relaxing. By the time he was heading back to the Blocks, he felt refreshed and lively.

That night the crew from Vann's sub, the _Bad Luck_ , celebrated at their favourite restaurant, _The Porpoise_. It was named after the big, friendly, fish shaped animals that were sometimes seen out in the ocean.

It was a two story building, though most of the bottom was open to the night. Lights were strung around the roof of the ground floor and long, wooden trestle tables were set up on the clay coloured tiles.

The sounds of happy young people drinking filled the night. A few people ate, but most were just drinking. It was cheaper to eat at the Blocks and come here after.

Vann was surrounded by a group of his friends when he heard someone call out over the noise, 'hey, Azra, over here!'

Gavann turned back to find Vann had disappeared. He looked around, the rest of the group were just as surprised.

Gavann turned around to have another look for Vann and came face to face with Azra.

'Azra, hi,' he gulped, nearly choking on his beer. 'How's it going?'

Azra was considered something of an exotic beauty in Coastside. Her hair was such a dark brown it could be mistaken for black. She kept it long and pinned it up while working. She had big blue eyes and dark lashes and a face that was riveting even in repose.

'Is Vann here?' she demanded.

'Uh, I'm not sure where he is.'

She frowned, her perfectly shaped brows lowering dangerously. 'If you see him, come tell me where he is.'

'Uh...'

Her brows narrowed even further.

He took another gulp of his beer. Then began choking. By the time he looked up Azra had thankfully left.

Vann had crept out the back way and fled as fast as he could without looking a fool down the street out to the side beach.

When he arrived he slowed and glanced back. No one was coming. It was darker out here and the lights of the city felt far away.

He could hear the crash of unseen waves. White foam caught the light and allowed him to imagine their shape.

But it was dark and no one knew he was here (hopefully). So he headed back into the city and down to the bay instead.

He walked past the public beaches, the eateries and throngs of people. Once the area near the bay had been filled only with temporary buildings, the area was destroyed by gemengs so often. Now people swam in the bay waters and ate dinner on the shore in lovely, well- constructed eateries.

Vann kept going til he came to the piers. It was quieter here. During the day it would be busy, full of fisher folk and submariners and the ships they guarded. At this time of night there were few people about. Further along were the Blocks. On the other side of the Blocks, up at the other end of the bay was Dr Ralis, his private villa and privately hired submariners.

Vann found a likely pier and wandered along it to the end, where he sat.

He could see the shapes of ships, big and small. There was the sound of water lapping against the pier and the sides of the boats, the creaking of the sails and ropes of the fishing boats. Further away, a hushed murmur was all that was left of the sounds of the people of Coastside. There was the smell of salt water.

Vann let the sounds and smells take him away. Here, he wasn't worried about anything.

He wondered about this city. And Astar. Over four hundred years ago, they'd come out of the caves and Astar, and later Coastside, had been born. Idly he wondered why that was. Surely it would have been easier to stay in the caves rather than venture out into gemeng infested forests to build a city. What had led those people to abandon the safety of the caves?

It wasn't the first time he'd thought this, and it wasn't a thought he found troubling. He just thought about things. This wasn't something he'd ever be able to find an answer to anyway.

But he wondered. Was it the same feeling he got after spending weeks under water in a metal tub that they called a submarine? Had they wanted to see the sun? See the sky above them and count the stars at night? Feel the breeze in their hair and breathe fresh air?

But then, how could you want these things if you'd never known them? Surely if you and everyone before you had spent all their lives in a cave you wouldn't want anything else, because how would you know there were such things as a sky and a sun? Perhaps if you had been out there, lived out there, and been forced into the caves...

Privately, Vann had always wondered if there had been a time before the caves. And then for who knew how long his ancestors had spent in the caves they'd been yearning for the wide open world.

But if there _had_ been a time before the caves, why had they gone into the caves in the first place? Was there a time when they weren't fighting the gemengs? Or perhaps there had been _no_ gemengs?

As he looked out on the waters of the bay he wondered these things.

But he didn't let them bother him, he just pondered them, because these were questions he would never find answers to. He just thought about them, from time to time, when he was alone.

Chapter 34

Vann checked the clock tower that rose above the Blocks again. He glanced back at the boat-filled bay and started heading towards the dorms.

He'd only waited five minutes past the hour, but submariners were _not_ late for patrol. As he walked through the mess of buildings he was mostly alone. Everyone who was on duty today was already gone. Everyone who was off wasn't going to be spending their free time in the Blocks, that was for sure.

He came to Adeis' dorm and opened the door, stepping inside. It was exactly the same as every other dorm, except for one thing. The room was filled with rows of neatly made beds, lockers at the foot of the bed and a table at the side. There were a few personal touches here and there. Some of the men who lived here had been here their whole lives, for others this place was new.

Vann wasn't the only orphaned submariner.

What was different about this room was that it wasn't empty.

On a bed halfway down the left hand row a half dressed person snored loudly.

Vann strode down the middle of the hall to his soundly sleeping partner. 'Adeis!' he called loudly, 'wake up!'

He didn't. Vann grabbed him and pulled him into a sitting position, 'wake up!'

Adeis just kept on snoring.

Vann slapped him, hard. 'WAKE UP!'

Nothing.

Vann stood, looking down at the sleeping submariner.

Vann had walked back to the Blocks with him last night. He'd made sure Adeis hadn't been drinking. He'd reminded him of the patrol. How and when had he managed to get into this state?

Even if he woke him up he wasn't likely to be much help. But that wasn't the point.

Vann strode to the bathroom at the end of the hall. He picked up a mug from someone's side table on the way.

No one else was willing to go on patrol with Adeis anymore, and for good reason.

The mug filled with cold water, Vann strode back to the blissfully unaware Adeis.

Vann poured the cold water on the sleeping man's face.

Adeis made some spluttering noises but that was it.

Vann set the mug down. He rolled Adeis onto his side and left.

They were supposed to take a boat out to Arling Island and back. The fact that his partner was sleeping like the dead didn't stop Vann.

Coastside grew smaller behind him. Wind played with his hair. The only sounds were ocean sounds, and the sound of the motor.

This wasn't exactly his first time coming out on patrol alone, though he was well aware it wasn't allowed.

Personally, he didn't think it would be any more dangerous than coming out with Adeis.

But he didn't think about that now. He was out on the ocean alone, the wind in his hair and a boat that could take him wherever he chose.

The trip out to Arling Island was a good two hours. It was mostly uneventful. He spotted some ships moving up and down the coast. He knew beneath the water would be submarines, making sure the ships got wherever they were going safely. A few sea birds were out flying. They were always very wary near the water.

Watching them, he supposed the skies must be safer than the water. Perhaps gemengs didn't fly, or at least not very well. Or perhaps fewer flew than swum.

As he approached Arling Island he narrowed his eyes. The waters looked rough today. Coming closer he was stunned to see it wasn't waves making the waters so foamy, but a gathering of fish people just off the island.

The fish people were common around Coastside, however the submariners usually ignored them. The ocean was full of enough gemengs that needed killing, no need to bother with the one type that _didn't_ want to kill you. Yet Vann had never seen so many fish people in one place before.

Vann, avoiding them carefully, landed on the island and hopped out. Arling Island only had one beach, the rest of the shoreline was cliffs. Vann pulled the boat up onto the beach, away from the water. Then he looked out at the swirling mass of fish people.

He pulled his radio from his jacket and contacted Coastside. This was strange enough he felt he should report it _now_ and not when he got back late in the afternoon. He wondered what the fish people were doing.

That done, he put the radio away.

He watched the fish people a little while longer before deciding to pull the boat further up the beach. The fish people never came on land, how could they? They had long, powerful fish tails and the upper body of a human. A slimy, mottled, greyish green human. They had rubbery lips and mouths filled with pointy teeth, their hands were webbed. Mostly they were bald, but some had what looked like seaweed for hair.

Still, while he knew they wouldn't come up the beach he felt it prudent to move the boat further out of their reach. He'd be gone from the beach for some time while he patrolled the island.

As he was pulling the boat up to the trees the fish people began approaching the shore.

Then they started climbing out of the waves and onto the wet sand.

Stunned, Vann watched for a few seconds before he pulled his radio out again.

More and more were coming ashore. They were pulling themselves up the beach with their arms, their long tails flip flopping on the sand.

Soon the water was empty of them. They were all on the island and moving further away from the water.

Vann put the radio away for a second time that day. His lightning rod was in his hand.

The beach was covered in fish people.

As he looked around he noticed they were all looking at the water.

'Molk, molk, molk!'

Vann, startled, looked to the fish person who was making that noise and pointing at the water. 'Molk!'

It was looking at him.

Then it dropped its arm, looked at the water once, and began crawling towards him.

Vann stood his ground. From the outside, he looked very calm. Inside he was thinking if he attacked this fish person the others would probably all come after him. His beliefs about the fish people had already been shown to be wrong today. He didn't want to test if they could climb trees too.

But he certainly wasn't going to become gemeng food either.

The fish person, who had green seaweed strips for hair stopped perhaps a meter away. It pointed at the ocean again. 'Molk.'

Vann glanced at the water. It was very calm now that it wasn't full of writhing fish people. He looked back at the fish person. 'Molk?'

The fish person nodded in a way that could only be described as excited. Its thick, rubbery lips spread in a smile. 'Molk. Eat us. Stay away. You fight.' it pointed at the water again. 'Molk.'

'You want me to fight... Molk?' Vann asked, confused.

It nodded. 'You friends. You fight things that eat us. Molk eat.'

'You think we're friends?' Vann asked in astonishment, his mind tumbling around as he tried to make sense of this.

It nodded again. 'Kill bad things. Zap zap, dead. Friends.'

Vann looked out at the still ocean. 'What is this... Molk?'

The fish person spread its arms out. 'Very big. Ocean lord. Goes round and round Molk's land. Was here long ago. Here now.'

'Do you know where it is now?'

The fish person pointed. 'Close.'

Vann looked again. The water was calm.

Still... he raised the radio. Before he could talk something suddenly erupted from the water. It was long, like a pillar, and shiny. Then it crashed down, down.

It took a second for Vann to realize it was crashing down onto the _beach._ Sand exploded. His vision was obscured but through the cloud of sand he could see fish people scattering. But they moved so slowly!

Then the terrifyingly, impossibly large shape within the cloud got bigger and bigger. Like a giant worm it was wriggling _up_ _the beach_.

And up and up and it was still _coming out of the water!_ He couldn't see the end.

It raised itself again, above the cloud. And down! Sand and fish people went everywhere.

He realised it was far too big for him to deal with alone.

He turned and ran into the forest- surely it couldn't come here! The radio was to his mouth and he was speaking. He glanced behind.

There was a crash. He didn't know what it was.

And then... In disbelief Vann saw that trees behind him were falling! Above the canopy was a blue arc. It came down, arched up again. It was the monster, undulating, wriggling like a worm.

He put the radio away- he needed to run!

He ran clear across the island. The whole time he was thinking it has to stop now it has to stop _now_! But the crashing sound didn't get further away. It kept coming.

Then he was at the cliff.

There was a dizzying drop before him and water beneath. Water was not his friend right now.

He looked back. He could see trees disappearing from the canopy. The sound was getting louder.

He looked to either side, this was the furthest point from the beach. Whichever way he went would lead him back to the beach. Back to that monster!

Then he looked down.

It was an easy decision, really. The only one.

Despite his racing heart he was calm and careful as he began climbing down the cliff face, clinging to the rock.

He hung on tightly, blocking the sounds of trees falling from his mind. He climbed down til he came to a small ledge. He looked up, he could no longer see the trees from where he was.

In one hand he had his lightning rod. It was set to maximum.

Then... then a blue, scaly tip appeared above the cliff.

His heart leapt to his mouth but he stayed calm. He pressed himself flat against the cliff face, the lightning rod in his hand.

Then it came over, over. It was falling past him, heading towards the water. The sandy, scale covered body was following. No limbs came off it, it was like a really, really big snake.

He would not have to reach his hand out far to touch it.

There was a crash and water arced all around. The thing had touched the water, yet it was still coming. Vann counted the seconds under his breath. Each second his eyes widened.

There was an unbroken line of monster from the ocean at the bottom of the cliff to the top. And it just kept _coming_.

A sick feeling in his stomach, Vann thought it must be as long as the island. He'd never seen anything this size.

And it kept coming.

For so long Vann began to think it would never end.

And then there was another tip. The same as the head of the beast. Blue sky was above instead of blue monster. He turned his head and watched it disappear under the waves.

He waited perhaps another minute. When there was no sign or sound he began climbing back up the cliff.

When he was up he fell, hands and knees on the ground. He was trembling.

He closed his eyes, swallowed. Then he stood up. He was a submariner.

He pulled the radio out once again. Then he looked at the forest.

There was a swathe of trees down, a corridor through the forest. He could see all the way to the other side of the island.

Gingerly he began walking through that corridor. He took note of the width.

About twenty meters wide and so terribly, terribly _long_.

How could anything be that big?!

When he reached the beach the first thing he noticed was his boat.

It was not so much a boat any longer but scraps of twisted metal.

His gaze lingered on it for a moment before roving over the rest of the beach. There was a deep furrow in the sand, from the ocean up to the corridor through the forest.

It was when he noticed the dark stains in the furrow that he remembered the fish people.

He looked around quickly, taking a step forward.

The beach was empty. If there had been bodies, and remembering how the creature, _Molk_ , had crashed down onto the beach above those slowly moving fish people, that that there must have been, they were gone now.

He wondered, feeling an unexpected moment of sorrow, what had happened to the talking fish person.

He pulled out his radio again and walked closer to the water's edge. He stayed out of the furrow and avoided the dark stains that could only be blood. He didn't get too close to the water.

He finished speaking, a patrol nearby would come pick him up. And come examine the island. He'd remained calm, his voice had not betrayed his feelings, still, the base did not quite believe his story.

The radio was once again put away.

There was a splash. Alarmed, Vann whirled, his lightning rod coming to his hand.

Green seaweed caught his eye first.

Calming only marginally Vann realized it was the talking fish person. It was approaching the shore. It looked like this one was the only fish person around.

'Friend, friend, not eaten, not eaten!'

'Why are you here?' Vann called, 'it's dangerous!'

'Friend's boat died! Zap zap take friend back! Friend fight Molk.'

'We'll fight it.' Vann acknowledged. They couldn't let something that huge and dangerous roam around Coastside. That thing could probably swallow a submarine whole!

The fish person flipped its tail and drifted closer to the shore. 'Zap Zap take you back.'

'Zap Zap?' Vann asked. 'Is that your name?'

The creature nodded. 'Zap Zap. Friend zap zaps creatures and kills them.'

'My name is Vann.' Vann replied. 'But...' he hesitated, the creature had warned him about Molk (and expected him to kill it), but there was no way he was getting in the water with it. It was a risk not worth taking. And there was no need anyway, a patrol would pick him up before nightfall.

'Another boat will come pick me up.' he said. 'Thank you, but I don't need your help.'

There was a flash of silver and a splash of water as Zap Zap flicked his tail.

'Zap Zap stay. Make sure Vann doesn't get eaten.'

'It's not safe here. I'll be fine.'

Another splash.

'Vann be safe?'

'I'll be safe.'

Vann felt a moment of relief as the tail splashed one last time and the fish person disappeared. Right now, he didn't feel like dealing with any gemengs, no matter how friendly they appeared.

The patrol arrived. They examined the island. They measured the corridor and the length of the cliff. Vann watched, not able to feel amused as the colour drained from their faces.

Vann helped them salvage the scrap metal that had once been his boat.

The ride home was uneventful. It was just past sunset when he stepped off the patrol boat and onto the piers at Coastside.

The night was his, tomorrow morning he had a meeting with the Commander.

Vann intended to spend his night in the company of a beautiful woman. He set off immediately after a quick shower to find one.

The next morning Vann was standing in front of the glowering Commander of the Coastside Submariners. The situation felt pleasantly familiar to Vann, who had known the Commander all his life. Today, Commander Lart Reista was looking less murderous than usual.

'Submariner Vann Hilyard, how are you? Enjoying your shore time?' Commander Reista asked from behind his desk.

Vann didn't respond.

'You realise, don't you, that patrols are done for the safety of Coastside, not so you can enjoy a solo pleasure cruise around the islands? Or did you miss that in basic training?'

Vann remained silent.

The Commander didn't say anything for a few moments as he fixed his hard gaze on Vann.

Then, 'so, why exactly did you decide to sail off on patrol alone, hmm?'

This time Vann replied, 'my partner was indisposed. The patrol needed to be done and no one else was available. So I went alone. If I hadn't-'

'I am aware of that.' Reista replied nastily. 'And don't change the subject. Submariner Adeis has been discharged. I'm told he didn't wake up til after noon.'

Despite himself Vann was momentarily surprised, though he really shouldn't have been. 'Y-yes, sir.' Adeis performance with Vann was not unusual, in fact it was what he did every day. No one would go on patrols with him anymore. Vann had thought the man would pull himself together for his one last shot. _I guess I was wrong_.

'Sit down,' Reista said testily, 'you're blocking my view.'

Vann obeyed, sitting down in the chair in front of the Commander's desk. Behind him was a window with a view of the bay.

'You know, if you behave like this you won't get any more promotions.' the Commander said, glaring at Vann.

'I don't want a promotion.' Vann said slowly. He'd been promoted to Second in Command of the _Bad Luck_ kicking and screaming, so to speak. The Commander had given him the option of taking the promotion or leaving the submariners. Vann still didn't think he was allowed to do that.

Reista's eyes narrowed. 'You'll take whatever job I damn well give you.' Then he relaxed slightly. He leant back and slapped his desk. 'It's uniforms for the rest of your shore time! Without pay. And consider yourself lucky.' the Commander eyed him, 'if you hadn't discovered this 'Molk' and started having conversations with fish you'd be on a mine ship for the next year.'

Very politely Vann said, 'yes, sir, thank you sir.'

The Commander grumbled something under his breath and leant back in his chair. 'Very well, what did the fish people say, hmm? And why did they grace you with their conversation and no one else? Or do they think you're as special as you think you are?'

'I'm not sure why they spoke to me.' He said honestly, 'I think they were afraid of Molk. They climbed onto the beach.'

'I see. What did they tell you about it?'

Vann narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember and make sense of what Zap Zap had told him. 'They called it an Ocean Lord and said it was going around Molk's territory. They said it had been here before and was here now.'

The Commander's eyes widened slightly, Vann didn't notice.

'Hmph. Did it look like this?'

Reista placed an open book before him. It was open to a hand drawn picture of Coastside.

Vann had seen pictures like this before. The Military Library was full of them. They had pictures and descriptions of the gemengs around Coastside and records of attacks. He'd seen many pictures of the bay area after it had been destroyed in a gemeng attack.

This picture showed a giant wave descending on a Coastside that looked a bit different to today's version. Then he noticed, out in the ocean, a pillar.

Cold descended on him.

Vann pointed at the thick black line rising from the ocean. 'That could be it.'

Reista nodded and put it away. 'Most of the gemengs in the records are bigger than what we deal with today. I wondered if they were exaggerations. Judging from Arling Island however, it would seem they are not.'

Vann raised his eyes to Commander Reista's. 'How are we going to kill it?'

'I imagine you have some ideas.'

'I think I should try talking to the fish people again, find out what they know.'

'Hmm...'

'Commander, the fish people think we're their friends.'

He raised an eyebrow at that. 'Really. Why?'

'Because we kill all the dangerous gemengs around Coastside. Those gemengs attack the fish people too.'

'Hmm...'

'I think we should try talking to them. The fish people have never bothered us before. Maybe we could be...' he hesitated, '...allies.'

The Commander's steely eyes bored into his. Then he shrugged. 'Well, no harm in trying. Find out what they know.'

Vann nodded. 'I think we should treat it like a giant splitter.'

'Probably best.' the Commander nodded his agreement. 'We wouldn't want to blow the thing in half and have it turn into two giant monsters instead. Judging from the size we'll have to alter the delay bombs. Very well. Anything else?'

'No, sir.'

'Dismissed then. Keep me posted.'

'Yes, sir.'

Once he was given the task of talking to the fish people Vann realized he didn't know how to find them.

He stopped and leant against the sidewalk railing. He looked out across the bay and towards the side beach. The bay was gemeng free. Peaceful or not, the citizens of Coastside weren't about to go swimming in fish people infested waters. Gemengs occasionally attacked him around the side beach. Vann thought perhaps the fish people might be there too.

With that in mind, he headed towards the side beach.

When he reached the beach Vann sat down a safe distance from the water's edge.

He hadn't been there more than ten minutes when a seaweed covered head broke through the surface of the waves.

Though he had been waiting for Zap Zap, Vann was still surprised.

Zap Zap swam close to the shore, riding the waves in. He kept his body submerged, only his head poking above the water, and occasionally, his tail.

'You are safe!' Zap Zap cried happily. 'You kill Molk?'

Vann approached the water, though not so close that he was in reach of Zap Zap, in case he did turn out to be dangerous.

'Do you come to this beach often?' Vann asked.

The fish person nodded. 'Yes. I watch. Go to other place too. Lots of friends. Learn language. Vann comes here lots.'

Vann was more than a little unsettled to learn Zap Zap had been watching him unnoticed all this time.

'Are you the only one that talks?'

'Zap Zap only one talk Vanns talk. Others think Zap Zap strange.'

'I see. What do you call yourselves?'

'Vann calls us fish people. We call us,' Zap Zap stopped speaking then and puffed up his face. It was a strange sight. Zap Zap fluttered his eyelids and opened and closed his mouth like a fish three times.

Vann stared. Was that how the fish people talked? No wonder they had never noticed before. 'Is it alright with you if we call you fish people?'

Zap Zap nodded.

'Zap Zap,' it felt strange to Vann, using that as a name. But that was what he wanted to be called. 'Do you know where Molk is?'

'Molk easy to find. Big. Zap Zap find for you?'

'Not right now. Does it have a lair?'

'Molk always moving.' Zap Zap said. 'No lair. Move move move. Staying away from friend's lair, but come later. Very bad.'

'I know. We're going to try and fight it. Whatever you know about it would help.'

Vann was surprised to see that he could read fear on Zap Zap's face.

'Molk big. Ocean Lord. Old. Older than Zap Zap.'

'What's an Ocean Lord?'

'This ocean is Molks. Molk Lord of this Ocean. Goes round and round his ocean. Takes long time.'

'Do you know what the splitters are?'

Zap Zap shook his or her head.

Vann explained what they were. When Zap Zap said it understood Vann asked, 'is Molk like the splitters?'

'Don't know.' Zap Zap shook its head. 'Haven't cut off Molks head. But can find for you. So you can kill.'

Vann nodded. This wasn't as helpful as he'd hoped, but on the other hand if the fish people could find Molk for them it would make things a lot quicker and simpler.

'Are there any other Ocean Lords?' Vann asked suddenly. If there were other things out there as big as Molk then they needed to know.

Zap Zap nodded. 'Other oceans have Lords. Molk only Lord this ocean.'

Vann wondered how far this ocean extended. 'Would they come here?'

Zap Zap hesitated. 'If Molk dead, new position. Someone take it. New Ocean Lord. Also, Molk's Lord, Lady Wal. Might come. Don't know.'

'I see. Thank you, Zap Zap. I need to go tell the Commander.'

'Vann going?'

Vann was surprised to hear regret in Zap Zap's voice.

'Yes, why?' he asked.

Zap Zap's silvery tail splashed against the water. 'Vann talk to Zap Zap. Others not talk. Zap Zap afraid to talk. But Vann talks. Zap Zap wants to know.'

'Know what?'

Zap Zap pointed then at Coastside. 'What's it like? Strange place. Different from Zap Zap's home. Zap Zap curious.'

Vann felt a pang of empathy for Zap Zap. He had so many questions that he knew could never be answered. But what if they could?

Then caution spoke up. He examined it. _I can tell it about Coastside without revealing any military secrets_. He would reveal nothing that would endanger his home should Zap Zap prove to be duplicitous. But he didn't think it was.

'I'll come back. You've watched me, I come here often. I need to tell my Commander about this so we can fight Molk.'

Zap Zap nodded. Its tail splashed. 'Molk bad. We talk again. Zap Zap help!' it said brightly, its mood improving.

It waved at Vann as he walked away.

Chapter 35

It was decided the fish people would lead the submariners to Molk.

The fish people led the _Leili_ to get a look at Molk and confirm what they had learned on Arling Island. No one else had seen Molk except Vann after all.

Vann had wanted to go but the Commander vetoed that decision to Vann's dismay and indignation. He was a submariner. He was supposed to be on a sub. The Commander reminded him he hadn't had his one week off yet and he was the only one who had talked to the fish people. Right now, he was more important as a go-between than a submariner.

Vann sat gracelessly on the side beach, glowering darkly at anything and everything.

Zap Zap, uncertainly, asked if this was a challenge.

'What?' Vann asked, snapping out of his gloom.

'Vann look scary. Is that how humans give challenge? When we look scary, we give challenge.' Its tail was making little splashes in the water.

'N-no! Of course not!'

A relieved smile spread across Zap Zap's green, slimy face. 'Good! Zap Zap not want to fight Vann. Vann friend.' it said this last a little uncertainly.

'Friend.' Vann agreed.

Zap Zap beamed.

'Do you often fight each other?' Vann asked curiously.

'Mm... sometimes. Want same female. Challenge each other so she can choose best. Mostly not. Sometimes.'

'Have you been challenged before?' Vann asked.

'N-no. Zap Zap too small. Not best hunter. Only average. Females don't like him. Spends too much time talking. But no challenges. Zap Zap doesn't want a challenge.'

Vann wasn't entirely sure how to respond. He had great success with human females, though he wasn't sure if that would carry over to fish people females. 'Well at least there's that.' he said. He was interested to note, however, that Zap Zap was male. He wondered what the difference between male and female fish people was. Aside from some having seaweed hair and others not, they all looked the same to him.

Zap Zap nodded. 'But Zap Zap and Zap Zap friends help Vann fight Molk.'

'You are. You're leading us to it.'

'No, we _fight_. Friends do all fighting for fish people. Fish people help. Not good friends otherwise. Zap Zap told them, he convinced them.'

Vann's eyes widened in surprise. 'Well, I'll tell the Commander.'

Zap Zap nodded, pleased.

'Zap Zap, you might get hurt.'

'We help. Friends. We help.' He replied, a determined set to his face that told Vann he wasn't going to be talked out of this. 'Tell Commander. Then tell Zap Zap what we need to do. We help. We can put exploders in Molk for friends, distract him, we do it.'

'Exploders?' Vann asked slowly.

'Vann asked about splitters. Zap Zap finds out. Vann puts exploders in splitters mouths and then they explode and they're dead. No splitting. We do for Molk.'

To be most effective, the delay bombs had to be swallowed by the splitters. In reality, that was _very_ difficult to accomplish. Mostly the submariners attached them to a harpoon and inserted them near the head of the beast. The string of bombs would then travel down the length of the beast. At intervals one bomb would detach from the string, staying where it was inside the beast. Then after enough time had passed for the bombs to be strung out along the length of the creature they exploded, blowing it into little tiny pieces. They couldn't split when you did that to them. If you only managed to halve or quarter them (or anything bigger than a pinky finger) they managed to form into new monsters very, _very_ quickly. Before the delay bombs were invented the submariners had dealt with the splitters by just blowing them into smaller and smaller monsters. Or a whole flotilla of submarines would drop bombs on the fast moving splitters and hoped they turned into fish food.

The delay bombs were far more effective.

'That would be... Zap Zap whoever did that would likely get eaten.'

Zap Zap nodded. 'Molk eats us anyway. Need to kill. Council talked about what we could do. Decided.'

Vann did not have enough authority to say anything to that, so instead he said. 'I'll tell the Commander.'

'No, I don't think so.' The Commander said sternly.

Vann hid his relief and said, 'Yes, sir.'

'Do you agree?'

'I do. I think it's best to keep their involvement to a minimum.'

'Agreed. They seem nice enough but there's no way I'm going to hand them a delay bomb. However... I think we can take them up on their offer of being a distraction.'

'Yes, sir. I'll tell them.'

That same afternoon the submariners were gathered for the announcement.

Crews were assembled and the mission plan was laid out. The submariners would lead the attack. On the surface the supply ships would be waiting in case anyone needed rescuing.

They'd be leaving to destroy Molk in the morning two days hence.

The bayside area was closed off. Restaurants were shut up. The ships and subs that weren't going out were tightly secured or beached.

And Coastside waited.

It was dim inside the submarine.

Outside the windows the underwater world was still. The other subs were hard to see, but they knew they were there. And they showed up on the sonar.

They expected to meet Molk in forty five minutes. The atmosphere was not yet tense inside the submarine. They'd done this before.

Vann turned to his captain, Captain Garis Endis. He was older than Vann, though still young by shore standards. He was, as always, standing in the centre of the command room. His feet apart, hands on his hips as he surveyed his domain with a hawk like gaze.

'Captain, I have something for you.'

'Hm? What is it?'

Vann grinned as he handed the object to the Captain.

'A helmet?' The Captain sounded surprised.

'Yes, sir, I had it made.' There were no sharp edges inside the sub. The crew members with positions that didn't require moving were belted to their chairs or attached near their post. The belts and ropes could be detached quickly and easily should the need arise. If the fastenings failed to open the submariners also carried knives. There were also a lot of submariners not attached to anything- the Captain and Second were just two of those. Vann knew from experience how difficult it was to hold onto one of the many hand holds when a long tail decided to play ball with your sub. Yet the Square had decided against helmets as it didn't fit with the submariners' image.

'Well, why don't you take it?' The Captain asked.

'Because if anything happened to you _I'd_ be in charge.'

'Well,' he donned the helmet, 'alright.'

There were some laughs from the crew at the sight of their captain in a padded leather helmet.

The minutes drifted by. Every now and then they'd see a fish person but other than that the ocean was surprisingly free of monsters.

Vann noticed it. The crew noticed it. They didn't mention it.

As they got closer to the forty five minute mark more fish people swam by them. They stopped, pointed in the direction of Molk and swam on.

Molk came into view slowly. Vann recognized it first as he knew what to look for. To the others, something that big couldn't be a gemeng. It had to be something else. A cliff face. A coral outcropping. A trick of the light.

Weapons Officer Davi had to stop himself from firing all weapons as that _thing_ came into view. His hands were trembling on his controls. His heart beat frantically. Sweat was sliding down his forehead.

They couldn't fight it, they couldn't fight it, they couldn't fight it-

Someone's hand was on his shoulder. 'Hmm, I thought it would be bigger.'

Davi couldn't help laughing at the absurdity of that. He looked up at Second Hilyard.

He was gazing out the porthole window, the picture of unruffled calm.

Vann was always calm. If the sub was leaking and you were surrounded by hungry splitters and out of delay bombs, Vann was calm.

Davi's breathing eased. He looked back out the window. 'Really, sir?'

'I'm afraid we'll have to exaggerate now when we're telling this story.'

'It doesn't have many claws either, sir. We should probably add some.'

In fact, it looked like nothing so much as a really, _really_ big snake. The thought calmed Davi.

'Are you ready to kill this thing, Officer Davi?'

'Yes, sir, ready to go.' Davi felt his confidence leaking back in.

Vann's hand disappeared.

Davi turned all his attention back to Molk. He was ready. It wasn't even that big.

'Are the others in position?' Davi heard Captain Endis ask.

'Yes, sir.' That was the communications officer. 'We're ready to move in.'

'Ok, now somebody please tell me which way this thing's head is.'

Orders were flying. They didn't involve Davi, not yet.

They got closer. Davi couldn't make out the other subs, even now. But he knew they would be there, and closer than they were. He considered the possibility one of the others would get this thing before they could.

Molk was undulating. Davi didn't know if that was how it moved or not. It was so big Davi couldn't actually tell if it was going anywhere.

'Sir, sir, the _Deathtrap_! It's gone into a roll. The _Widowmaker_ now too, and the _Last Breath!'_ The comm officer was crying, panic leaking into his voice.

'What happened, Officer? They weren't hit. They're still too far away!' the Captain demanded.

'It's its size, Captain.' That was Vann. Vann's voice seemed to cut through the rising tension and defuse it. 'It's so big it's making waves just by moving. It doesn't need to hit us.'

'You may be right, Second. Helmsman, try to keep us out of its wake.'

'Yes, sir!'

'We need to get closer. We're going to have a rough ride. Comm, alert the crew.'

Davi knew that speakers throughout the sub would be alerting the rest of the crew to the situation.

'Do the subs need assistance?' The Captain asked the communications officer after the message to the crew was delivered.

It took a moment for him to respond. ' _Deathtrap_ sprung a leak. It's heading back but they don't need assistance. _Widowmaker_ and _Last Breath_ are reapproaching Molk now sir.'

'Must be a big bloody leak to head back.' Somebody muttered.

'Perhaps Captain Belig lost his nerve.' Somebody else added.

' _Deathtrap's_ the new sub.' The Captain was saying conversationally, 'and I heard nothing but praise for it after its last outing.'

'It was out for repairs.' Vann replied. 'I didn't think it would come on this mission.'

'It can hold twice as many bombs as the older models.' Davi piped up.

'Yes but Masann can't hit anything.' Another man added, referring to the weapons officer on board the _Deathtrap_. 'That's why they _need_ all those bombs.'

There was some laughter at that.

They were getting closer. The sub shook and rumbled, but it didn't roll. Davi didn't wonder how close the _Widowmaker_ had been when it rolled.

Molk was so big, it was hard to tell how far they were.

Then Molk's movements changed. Suddenly a coil jerked towards them.

Captain Endis was yelling at the helm to _move_! Davi couldn't see what was happening. Then the whole world started shaking. His stomach was upside down. He couldn't make sense of what he was seeing, everything was chaos.

It took him a moment to realize what was happening. And he had a moment. He had quite a few of them as the sub rolled, tumbling through the ocean like a feather in a tornado.

He could see the Second and the Captain clinging to the handholds. They were getting bashed around as the sub turned, but it would be worse, so much _worse_ if they let go!

'Steady us, helm, STEADY US!' the Captain was screaming at the helmsman.

It seemed to go on _and on._ And then it slowed...stopped.

It took Davi a moment to realise they'd stopped rolling. But he'd felt that before. He was a submariner. He gathered himself and looked down at his control panel. It took him a few seconds to realize what it all meant.

'Comm, how's the rest of the crew?' Vann was asking.

'J-just getting reports now sir. So far nothing except bruises.'

'Everyone all right here?' Captain Endis asked.

There was a chorus of 'yes sir!'

'I want to know what just happened. And find out about the other subs.'

'A wave sir,' the helmsman said. 'I'm sorry sir, it changed direction.'

'Alright. Keep heading towards the head. Keep your distance.'

'Yes, sir.'

'Sir,' the comm said, his voice trembling, ' _Death Wish_ got hit.'

'And?'

'B-broke sir.'

'It broke?'

'Split near all the way round.' There was buzzing from his station. ' _Last Breath_ is leaking badly. It's heading back, _Widowmaker_ is giving assistance. And... I think everyone got rolled.'

'How far is _Death_ _Wish?'_

'On the other side of Molk, sir.'

Too far to help. They knew that. They all knew the positions the subs were to take.

'Very well.'

Broke.

'Get us to its mouth, helmsman.'

But subs went down all the time.

It was time to focus.

Minutes ticked by. Every now and then the sub would shake. The comm was silent.

Minutes ticked by.

And then the expanse that was Molk began rounding. It took Davi a moment to realize they'd come to the head.

'Ready the delay bombs.' The Captain said.

'Ready, sir.' Davi's hands were steady and sure as they moved across the control panel. Inside he was trembling with excitement.

The expanse began turning faster and faster. Davi was ready, he was _ready_ , when the sub shook and jerked.

'Hold it!'

'I can't sir, it's moving!'

Its head was looking at them. It didn't have claws but in that mouth were enough teeth to make up for it. They were like jagged rocks hanging from a cave mouth.

'Fire! Then move us away!'

It was coming closer. Davi fired. He did.

But it was so _fast_. The teeth were gone. There was a horrible tearing sound from somewhere within the sub. Davi was pushed back against his chair so hard he blacked out.

When he awoke it was only a few seconds later though it seemed like an eternity. The world had gone mad.

Lights were flashing, alarms were screaming.

He saw the Captain. He was clinging to the command room door. How had he got all the way back there?

Davi couldn't control his movements. He was at the mercy at whatever was spinning them so _badly._ He saw Vann, clinging to the railing near the Captain's usual post.

He felt a moment of surprise even as he was flung sideways. Vann was moving up the railing hand over hand, towards the helmsman.

What was the helmsman doing? He wondered. Flung sideways again.

The helmsman and the comm were lolling in their seats like lifeless dolls. What had happened there?

Flung another way.

Someone was screaming at him.

'Davi!'

How could he hear him above all this horrible noise?

'Davi, are you ready?!'

Flung another way.

What was Vann doing in the helmsman's seat? How had he gotten all the way over there?

The sub jerked. For a moment it felt like the sub steadied a bit.

Then Davi was flung forward. He saw Molk. Teeth. Mouth.

'DAVI!'

FIRE!

He didn't know how, but he did it. Everything gone, all at once, into that mouth.

The sub jerked sideways.

Those TEETH! Filling all the windows. Bigger, BIGGER!

He realized he was screaming at the helm!

He saw Vann, he was crumpled up to the side. What was he doing there? Who was at the helm?!

Another horrifying, stomach turning, jerk.

Those teeth were yanked away from the window.

Davi saw, the helmsman was moving again. The com was still out cold.

When the sub finally stopped jerking Davi almost didn't realise.

They were ascending at such a speed the whole world seemed to be on an angle.

'Helm, get us...out of here...'

That was the Captain, the Captain!

It was a struggle for Davi to turn towards the back. Everything ached.

The Captain was standing, supporting himself with the door.

He grabbed the railing and started pulling himself towards his post.

Davi turned again to watch. He spotted Vann again. He was wedged between the helmsman's chair and the railing.

The captain reached him, shook him.

Davi couldn't say how relieved he was to see Vann get groggily to his feet.

Blood stood out starkly in his ash blonde hair. His grey eyes were very wide.

'Did you get it?' Vann asked. His voice was surprisingly steady.

'Could hardly have missed now could I, it was right there _.'_ He hadn't seen. Couldn't have. But he couldn't have missed either.

'What about the first volley?'

'Not sure, sir.'

'How long til they go off?' Vann asked.

'Four hours.' The Captain groaned. 'We need to be outta here by then or that will seem like just a little bump. Helm, where are we?'

'Ah... not sure, Captain.' the little man reported. 'I was just getting us away.'

'How's your head?'

'Not as bad as yours, I'd wager.'

Captain Endis pushed the com officer aside and began speaking into the com.

Alarms were still blaring, Davi had tuned them out a while ago.

'What happened to them?' he asked.

It was Vann who answered. 'Heads banged into each other. They were both out like a light.'

'I think we're leaking, sir.'

Vann glanced up at the lights and alarms. 'Ah, just like every other mission then.'

'Yes, sir.'

Despite everything the Captain managed to gaze blackly at the head mechanic when she said they'd need to be towed back to shore.

'You sure, Officer?'

'I'm afraid so, sir.' The tech said in a way that made it seem like the worst thing that had happened that day.

'We couldn't just land somewhere and repair ourselves?'

'The way we're going, sir, we'll be lucky to make it to the surface.'

'Very well. I've contacted the supply ships. There'll be one waiting for us as soon as we surface. I don't feel like swimming today, Officer, do you?'

'No, sir. We'll get the _Bad Luck_ to the surface, sir.'

Vann leant against the supply ship's railing, looking out over the ocean. The sky was blue above him.

'Who did we lose, Second?' Garis asked as he joined him.

The crew that had made it off the _Bad Luck_ were busy being seen to by the supply ship's medical team. Vann and the Captain had yet to be seen. Vann's whole body ached. He ignored it.

'Six members unaccounted for, sir. Officer Andann's body was brought aboard.'

The Captain waited.

'When Molk hit us the lower levels flooded. Andann was thrown about during the roll. He cracked his head open.'

Neither of them looked towards the _Bad Luck,_ which was being towed behind the supply ship. Somewhere in flooded, locked and sealed chambers six bodies were floating.

When they reached Coastside the supply ship and its cargo were secured.

Garis and Vann waited with those left behind.

Vann wondered if any of the other subs had landed a hit. He wondered if it would be enough.

An hour and a half after reaching land the ocean exploded.

Vann watched in silent awe as water exploded from the ocean surface in a giant geyser. Watching so far away from where the explosion had to be, spray rained down on them.

'Your friends saved a lot of lives.'

Vann turned from the sickening view of the _Bad Luck_ to the Commander.

'What do you mean?'

'The fish people began bringing bodies to shore. I don't know if they just don't like our people crowding up their ocean or if they can't tell if a human is dead or alive, but they rescued a lot of people, and brought back a lot of bodies.'

Confirmations had been coming in for hours, from the fish people, from the back up subs.

Molk was gone. The ocean was very, _very_ dirty where he had been

'I'm afraid none from the _Bad Luck_.'

Vann wasn't surprised. Looking at the ragged, torn, _missing_ underbelly of his sub, he thought his crew members had been eaten, not drowned.

Molk had not so much rammed them as taken a chunk out of their sub.

'You're off til your injuries heal.'

Mostly Vann was just bruised. Everywhere. Though somehow he'd managed to break his arm.

Strange, it didn't feel any worse than the rest of him.

Chapter 36

Mr Fisley was busy doing important, very official, paperwork at his desk when his office door banged open.

Surprise and irritation warred across his face he looked up to berate the intruder.

Irritation melted into bewilderment at the sight of an irate submariner storming into his office.

Not just irate, Mr Fisley vaguely noticed, it was one of those tall, tanned, eye catching ones that the office girls all went nuts for. Oh, and he had his arm in a sling.

'Young man-' he began. This one would look good on a poster. This was what submariners were supposed to look like. Yes, he liked this one. Although, the number and... boisterousness... of the submariners made it very hard for a man in Coastside to find a nice young lady to settle down with. All the young ladies were busy courting the submariners. And the middle aged ladies. Any woman at all really, was more interested in a submariner than a shore sider...

Yes, it was practically impossible for a man in Coastside who hadn't served as a submariner to find a lady to settle down with.

'Have you an appointment?' He continued. He didn't have an appointment. Mr Fisley knew that, of course. If this one had had an appointment in the Square the girls would have been gossiping about it for days. And the boys would have been extremely miserable.

'Helmets.' The man said.

'Helmets?' Well, perhaps he should ok the helmets. Perhaps if he gave the submariners silly helmets he'd have more luck with Ms Abermith.

Mr Fisley was rocked out of his musing when the submariner shoved a lightning rod at him. His eyes went wide. What was this all about?!

'Helmets. We're getting helmets. With or without you.'

'Helmets?' He squeaked. Every other thought had been blown from his mind. Except helmets. 'Submariners don't wear helmets.'

If Mr Fisley's eyes had not been locked on the lightning rod they might have noticed grey eyes narrowing dangerously.

The lightning rod was withdrawn. Mr Fisley breathed a sigh of relief.

If he'd seen the eyes he wouldn't have been relieved.

Mr Fisley's eyes were closed so he didn't see the lightning rod raised.

He didn't see it arcing down.

But he heard the thwack! as it hit his paper covered desk.

And he noticed the flames erupting.

After that, he was too busy shrieking, 'fire, FIRE!' to notice the submariner had strode out of the room.

'Vann.' Lillia began carefully, 'you can't go setting the Head of Finance's desk on fire.'

Vann, who was sitting in her window seat, making himself as comfortable as he could given his present condition, snapped his eyes to hers.

'Lillia, our helmsman got knocked out. If he hadn't perhaps we would have gotten out of there sooner. Maybe the sub would have been stabilized quicker and Andann wouldn't have smashed his head open. That could have happened on any other sub out there.' He gestured wildly out the window. His grey eyes were afire. 'I don't know, but _helmets_ could have saved a lot of lives.'

'Yes, I know, I agree.' She said soothingly. 'But Vann, I don't think setting Mr Fisley's desk on fire is the way to go about it.'

'The Commander has been asking for better safety equipment for _years_. But that _fool_ up in the Square thinks it's not part of a submariner's image! We're not asking anymore!'

'Have you seen Azra recently?' Lillia changed the subject quickly. Azra was _sure_ to make him forget whatever else had riled him up. Vann had only gotten into poor Mr Fisley's office because she worked in the Square and of course, when asked, had helped him. Though really, Lillia didn't think she'd get into trouble for that. Vann knew nearly every girl at the Square. Anyone could have let him in.

Then Lillia wondered if Azra was alive. Her stomach dropped.

'No.' Then he added, 'I heard the _Widowmaker_ didn't suffer any losses.'

Lillia felt sickening relief. She and Azra didn't really get on but _still_. Watching Vann gaze moodily out her window Lillia wondered how he dealt with all the submariners that had been lost. He didn't show it. None of them did, really. But she wasn't really concerned about the others right now.

'Vann, surely you could get transferred shore side...'

Vann turned from the window, his eyes fixed on her.

'Submariner's don't live long, Vann, you know that. Surely you've done enough.'

'Lillia, every submariner in Coastside is probably having the same conversation with someone who cares about them. If I quit, why wouldn't they all quit? Somebody has to do it.'

_Yes,_ she thought, _but they're not_ you.

But she had known Vann long enough. He was a submariner. She could push it, but it would get them nowhere. And he would probably leave.

And the thing he didn't say, she knew, was that he didn't _want_ to do anything else. But, she thought, he probably thinks I don't want to hear that right now.

He was right.

'So what about Azra?' He asked, his grey eyes narrowed as if he was preparing for a blow.

Vann was looking out the window again. He was looking at a tree in Lillia's backyard. Not the ocean. Not today.

He looked back. Lillia had been something else, once, but they had both decided they preferred being friends rather than lovers. Her blonde hair was tied back from her face. As usual, some tendrils were escaping. They framed her face in a lovely manner. She had a spot of blue paint on her cheek.

Lillia worked up at the Square, at the government offices. It was called the Square because there was a square courtyard surrounded by ugly, square, grey buildings. It stood out like a sore.

Like many of the Coastsiders, Lillia had a hobby that occasionally earned her some extra money. She painted in her free time. Mostly, it was just for her own pleasure. Sometimes she helped with the scenery at the theatre. On occasion she would paint some rocks or shells and make jewellery. Recently she had begun painting murals in the homes of some of the people in the city.

'So what about Azra?' he asked.

'You know, I'm sure she would leave you alone if you just said yes. Azra's not used to men saying no to her.'

Azra wasn't used to _anybody_ saying no to her.

'No, Lillia, no. Never. She's a submariner. That's just asking for trouble.'

Lillia shrugged. She had that little smile on her face she sometimes got. Vann thought of it as her evil smile.

'Well, Azra only walks out with submariners. She doesn't like shore siders.' Lillia shrugged. 'Thinks they're too soft.'

Vann didn't add Lillia _also_ preferred the company of submariners.

'It never seems to cause her much trouble.' Lillia added.

Azra was very discreet with her liaisons. She wasn't the type of women men would claim to have been with if they hadn't, and she did a good job of keeping her lovers from telling everyone in Coastside. He knew a few men who had been with her.

They didn't say much.

'Besides,' Lillia was going on, 'you've got the same position. It's not like you can serve together again.'

Azra had been promoted to Second before he had. She was very good at keeping control on the subs. She was very good at keeping control _anywhere_. She would probably get promoted soon. Captain Azra Sarda. He suddenly had a horrible thought of Azra promoted to Captain of the _Bad Luck_. He suppressed a shudder.

'N-no...'

'Vann?' there was concern in Lillia's voice.

'No. Never. Not with her.'

Unlike some of the submariners (and Azra, he thought), he rather liked going out to dinner, having a conversation with a woman before sleeping with her. He couldn't imagine having a conversation with Azra. He could imagine her glaring at him, her giving him orders. Anything else made his head hurt. No, even if she hadn't been a submariner, Vann thought, he would never, ever have been with her. But silly him, he'd thought explaining he didn't go out with girls in the military would spare her feelings.

'Lillia, please, why are we talking about this?' he asked, a note of desperation creeping into his voice. _I'm going to have bad dreams now_.

Lillia shrugged. She had a tight smile on her face. Vann glared at her. She was trembling slightly, as if she was trying to hold back laughter.

'Nothing, just last time I saw her she pointed out she was better at making jewellery than I was.'

'She said that.' Vann said in disbelief.

Lillia shrugged, her blue eyes glittering. 'Well, it's true.'

Vann had trouble imagining the hard, sharp woman that was Azra making jewellery out of seashells and colourful stones from the mines. But she did and was in fact very good at it. Many Coastsiders approached her personally to buy some.

'I think she thinks I'm her competition.' Lillia added.

'She's probably right, darling.' Vann stood up and gave her a wicked smile. 'If I hadn't met you first I might have settled for her.'

As he left Vann was gratified to see Lillia flushing red.

His mood went from pleased to mildly irritated rather quickly.

Nearly getting run over by Dr Ralis' daughter would do that to you.

He watched the flash of blue that was her dress and the smoke that poured from the vehicle disappear down the hill. The spluttering noises died down as it drove further away. Once a week that girl went driving around Coastside in her smoke spewing machine, wreaking havoc wherever she went.

He turned away from it and his mood plummeted even further.

He stared in shock at _her._

'Vann.' Azra greeted him, her perfectly shaped brows lowered in a perpetual glare. 'Visiting Lillia?'

'What are you doing here?' he demanded, recovering some of his composure.

'I thought you might be here.'

'You followed me.' he stated incredulously.

She gazed at him with those astonishingly blue eyes of hers. Then after a laden pause she said, 'you keep avoiding me.' The way she said it Vann expected her to assign him uniform duty for a month for it.

He crossed his arms and glared right back at her. 'You have trouble understanding the word 'no'.'

'Laztar and Leili got married. Being a submariner should hardly matter.'

'I'm not Laztar. And I'm afraid it does. I don't go out with submariners. No exceptions.' He crossed his arms over his chest. He was very close to getting sick of this.

'And if I transferred to Astar?'

Vann hardly considered what it meant that she'd suggest that. He was angry. And he didn't consider for a moment she'd actually do it. 'I don't care if you join the air force, the answer is no. No, Azra, no.'

'So no military girls, then.' she said it as if she was collecting data, not as if it was of interest to her. Not as if it affected her at all.

'No military girls.' he agreed. 'Excuse me.' he said roughly as he strode past her. She hadn't been injured in the Molk attack, and would be leaving tomorrow for sub duty.

That was a month free of her.

He didn't look back once.

Chapter 37

'Hmm.' Mr Geiba mused as he tapped a pen against his clipboard. His eyes flicked over to Commander Reista. They did not look impressed. 'Will you require more recruits from Astar to fill the vacant positions?' Every word the man said was filled with contempt.

'No, that's not the issue.' the Commander said, struggling to keep his voice calm. 'We don't have enough submarines. Sending more recruits is not necessary, Mr Geiba.'

'I see.' It was amazing how much a person could say with two words. And a perpetual scowl, coupled with a dismissive gaze. 'I understood from the report sent to Astar, _late,'_ he hissed out that word, 'that the Coastside submariners would no longer be able to protect the supply routes.'

'Late was it? So sorry, Mr Geiba. The submariners can protect the supply routes. For the next two months the number of ships travelling those routes will decline. However the impact will be minimal on supplies. In two months the numbers will return to normal levels.'

' _Hmmm._ I see. And perhaps, Commander Reista, if Astar had been notified _prior_ to engagement with this... _Molk_ , the mission would not have been so disastrous.'

'Disastrous.' Commander Reista stated. _Bureaucrats!_ He thought. 'What _exactly_ do you think Astar could have done?'

Mr Geiba fixed the Commander with a sneer both condescending and contemptuous. He didn't bother answering. Clearly, he thought it was obvious.

'I will be conducting a review of the situation in Coastside for the Council of Astar, Commander. I suggest you don't interfere.'

'Certainly.' The Commander answered calmly. Representatives from Astar came every few years to have a look around Coastside and report back to Astar. Though it had been nearly ten years since the last one, it wasn't unusual. He remembered that man. He'd been more enamoured with the lovely, sun kissed beauties of Coastside than investigating Coastside. Well, perhaps that _was_ investigating Coastside. Thinking how long ago that had been made him feel old. 'Will you require a guide?'

Pity Azra hadn't incurred any shore-leave requiring injuries in the Molk attack, the Commander thought. He'd dearly like to set her on this pompous little fool.

Mr Geiba was doing it again.

Vann almost expected to see his nose wrinkle.

Vann gazed back without expression. His grey eyes showed his anger at this man's attitude, but the little man was too busy looking at him like he'd crawled out of a sewer to notice.

'What are they wearing?' the man demanded in outrage.

'What are who wearing, sir?' Vann asked pleasantly.

'Those women! Behind you!'

Vann turned to look. 'Clothes, sir. Do women in Astar not wear clothes?'

The man sucked in a breath, while Vann returned his look innocently.

'What?' his voice was so weak Vann hardly heard it.

'Clothes, sir, the women are wearing clothes.'

'Y-yes, but...'

Vann didn't help the man out.

'Ladies, you there, ladies!' the man called. 'Please, come here!'

The pair of young girls, a brunette and a blonde, glanced at Mr Geiba. When they saw Vann however they came over, blushing and giggling.

'That!' Mr Geiba pointed at the brunnette's chest. 'That!'

The girl covered her chest with her hands and glared at Mr Geiba. 'What's your problem?!' she demanded.

Vann, personally, couldn't see what the man could be upset about. The girls were dressed normally for a day out in the warm weather of Coastside. They couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen. The blonde had a knee length skirt and a sleeveless shirt. The brunette had shorts and a shirt with sleeves rolled up to her elbows.

'Mr Geiba.' Vann snapped. 'Control yourself!'

Mr Geiba stared at Vann. 'What? What? The thing around her neck! What's she _wearing_?!'

The girl, confused, lowered her hands and held out her necklace. It was a small cone shell on a piece of string. She'd probably found it herself on the beach.

'It's a necklace, sir.' Vann stated, his voice hard. 'I'm sorry,' he turned to the girls. 'He's from Astar.'

'Oh!' they said in understanding. The brunette smiled at him shyly as the blonde pulled her away.

'What do you mean? Of course I'm from Astar? Why is she wearing a shell? It's wasteful!'

Vann glared at Mr Geiba. 'It takes a while to teach Astarians manners. Apparently they don't have any in Astar.' He walked off, not waiting for a response.

Vann had been ordered to show Mr Geiba around Coastside, so he did. Mr Geiba had a list of places he wanted to see. Where to buy food, clothes. Housing. Records. And so on. He'd asked for clarification, what sort of clothes shop do you want to see? Do you want restaurants or do you want to see the marketplace? Mr Geiba had given him a funny look at that and finally said he'd better see everything. Vann had already shown him around the Blocks. At least Mr Geiba hadn't found too many problems there.

Vann didn't allow Mr Geiba to catch up to him. He only stopped once they reached a dress shop. There were many in this section of the city. Perhaps Mr Geiba would get his fill here.

The shop had wide open windows filled with displays. There was a sign over the door with the name of the shop. The floor was carpeted in red.

When Mr Geiba entered he looked at the carpet as if it was trying to eat him.

Not long after they entered an energetic old man hurried out of a back room.

'Oh! Welcome, welcome! How can I help you? Who are we shopping for today?' He looked from Vann to Mr Geiba with a beaming smile on his round face.

Mr Geiba looked up at the man in a way that made it seem as though he was looking down. 'What,' he demanded, 'is on your floor?'

'It's a carpet.' Vann said testily. 'And there's nothing wrong with it. I'm sorry, please ignore Mr Geiba, he's from Astar.'

'Ah.' The man said knowingly, his smile vanishing. 'Well, I should show you around, Mr Geiba. I think you'll find we have more options here than what you're used to.'

Mr Geiba followed the man around the shop. He was giving him the same look he had given Vann. At that moment, Vann hated him. The shopkeeper had done nothing wrong, nothing to deserve such disrespect and contempt.

'I can adjust any of the items you see here to fit you personally, sir. Fitted clothes look much better, you'll find. If you would like some extra alterations made, we can do that too.'

'Fitted.' Mr Geiba said. ' _Why_ would you do that?'

'You'll see once you've worn clothes that have been tailored to fit you, sir. You'll never go back, I can assure you.'

'Wasteful.'

'I think russet would suit you well, sir. I'll show you some of our more _simply_ cut items.'

They spent the rest of the day walking around clothing stores. Mr Geiba was no more polite to the people that worked there than he was to the first man.

Once it began getting dark Mr Geiba decided it was time to head back. The route back to the Blocks led them along the bay. Bureaucrats usually stayed in the Square though Mr Geiba had insisted, for whatever reason. Maybe he wanted to be close to the submariners?

'What's that?' he demanded, pointing at the lights shining across the bay.

'Dr Ralis' house.' Vann said stiffly, his gaze focussed on the water. It helped.

'Why does he live all the way over there?' Mr Geiba demanded.

'I don't know. The beach?'

'The beach?' Mr Geiba repeated. 'Submariner Vann, you aren't being very enlightening.'

Vann suppressed a sigh. 'Dr Ralis lives in his villa over there with his daughter. They have a private beach which he pays submariners to patrol. His daughter likes blue and running people over. I'm told Dr Ralis prefers light beer. I'm afraid if you want to know more you'll have to go over there and talk to Dr Ralis yourself.'

'P-p-private beach?!'

The next day Mr Geiba insisted on continuing their inspection of clothing stores in Coastside. It seemed he wanted to go to every store in the city.

Altogether, it took them two days to visit every store.

Not all the stores offered tailoring services, still, the variety and colours found in those stores reduced Mr Geiba to an apoplectic rage.

The Commander looked over at Mr Geiba in amusement.

He was practically frothing at the mouth.

The Commander could only pick out a few words but he heard, 'depraved', 'wasteful', 'rude', 'ignorant' and lots of inarticulate screaming.

'Are you having problems with Submariner Vann?' The Commander asked pleasantly.

For a blissful moment Mr Geiba fell quiet. 'He's a depraved, benighted lout, an embarrassment to Coastside. He has no respect for anything. Why did you call me here, Commander, he's supposed to be showing me around the market.'

'I'm afraid Vann Hilyard has been reassigned.'

Mr Geiba was momentarily surprised. 'Why?'

'Oh, I'm afraid he was needed elsewhere.' Mostly, the Commander thought Vann was going to take a lightning rod to Mr Geiba and throw him in the bay if he spent another second with him. Lart Reista had spent most of his life with the submariners, and knew many of them very well, particularly the orphans like Vann. Vann hadn't said anything about Mr Geiba, but one look at his face was enough.

'I hope you find Submariner Jeris more to your liking.'

'Well, does he walk as fast as Officer Vann?' Mr Geiba demanded. 'Does he know his way around the city?'

'Oh, I thought you didn't like him.'

Mr Geiba gave the Commander a level look. 'I can still appreciate competence, even if he has no other redeeming qualities.'

'I was unaware Coastside had so many fish.' Mr Geiba said, his mouth set in a thin line as he eyed the silvery mass on display at the market stall.

The fish markets were located near the docks. They were open stalls, with colourful banners erected above announcing wares and prices. Further back from the bay as you walked away from the fish stalls were other stalls. This was where many of the hobbyists sold their wares. You could find many of the items sold at the open air markets at regular, permanent shops, though the prices and quality were different.

'Oh, yes, sir.' Jeris said, his eyes wide. 'We have lots of fish. Would you like some, sir? _The Net_ is very good, sir, very affordable. If you're feeling a bit more spendy then _The Sea Captain_ or _Leili_ are other options.'

'No. Tell me, how are they priced?'

'Oh, quite reasonably sir.'

Mr Geiba turned his stony gaze on Jeris. 'I want numbers, Submariner. I want to know how the prices are staggered. I want to know how much fish come into Coastside.'

'Oh.' Jeris thought about that for a few moments. 'I don't know the numbers, sir. And the fish prices aren't staggered.'

'Aren't staggered?!' Mr Geiba's voice started getting higher. 'Aren't _staggered?!_ '

'No, sir. Same price, however many you buy. Though I think you can get a discount if you buy lots, hmm... I guess they are staggered then!'

Mr Geiba started making choking sounds.

'Is something wrong, sir?'

'Oh, very wrong.' he screeched. 'I can't tell you how wrong it is!'

'Oh! Well, follow me sir!' Jeris set off at a good clip, leading Mr Geiba through the labyrinth of stalls as easily as if he was following a map. 'Is it a headache sir?' he called back. 'Or your stomach? Something else?'

As he followed the fishy stink faded.

They entered a different section of the market. Herbs were tied from stall roofs while jars and bottles and packets of _stuff_ were arrayed on tables.

'Stop!' Mr Geiba commanded. 'Submariner Jeris, get back here!' He needed to know what all this merchandise was!

Jeris heeded Mr Geiba's call and trotted back.

'Yes, sir, what's wrong? And please, call me Jeri, everyone does.'

'I will _not_! Submariner _Jeris,_ I want to know what all these things are!'

'Oh, well, ok then.' He walked over to the nearest stall, apparently unoffended by Mr Geiba's reaction. He looked down at the mess on the counter. 'I dunno what this is, sir.'

'Surely the owner will know.'

'Yes, but I wouldn't trust him.'

Without waiting for a reply he continued onto the next stall. He zig-zagged from stall to stall, sometimes he'd point and say something. Mostly he'd just look and say, 'No idea, sir.'

Finally though, they came to a stall he knew. He had a big smile on his face.

He pointed at the table full of powders and liquids. 'I know what this is!'

'Well, what is it?!'

'You don't know?' Jeris asked, surprised.

'Of course I don't! What is it?' It looked no different from any other table to him.

'Well, it stops a girl getting pregnant!'

He pointed at one half of the table, 'girls take these,' he pointed to the other half, 'guys use these.'

'What?' Mr Geiba's face went slack.

Jeris gave him a funny look. 'You know, sir, so they don't have babies.'

'B-but...'

Jeris frowned at him.

'Why,' he finally managed, 'is it necessary?'

Jeris looked at him blankly. 'I don't understand, sir.'

'Why,' he said, clipping out each word sharply, 'would you engage in child producing activities if you didn't want a child?'

It was now Jeris's turn for his face to go slack.

Suddenly he turned to the table and gathered nearly everything on it into his arms. He held his contraceptive filled arms out to Mr Geiba.

'Please, sir, it's on me. I think you need it.'

Mr Geiba left for Astar that night.

Jeris was called to the Commander's office. Commander Reista wanted to know what he'd done to Mr Geiba.

When Jeris was done explaining he was very surprised and pleased to get his lightning rod back.

Sometime after Jeris left, laughter could be heard coming from the Commander's office.

Chapter 38

When Riley was called to Colonel Hamnar's office she was wary.

The drakilis had been dealt with two weeks ago. Though her injuries had felt like more at the time, they were nothing more than grazes. They hadn't even needed to be bandaged. Jann was back on duty- and getting special training to deal with his particular problem. Nearly everything was ready for Riley and Aerlid to leave Astar- secretly of course. She certainly didn't want something messing that up now.

'Sir, you asked for me.' she said as she entered his office.

A grey-eyed young man with brown hair and a square jaw was standing by the Colonel's desk. Riley spared him a glance before turning her attention back to the Colonel.

'Ah, Captain Riley Meilis, this is Captain Alann Turis.' The Colonel said.

He watched them shake hands. Riley was surprised at the sudden annoyance she felt at the use of her fake name. She was ready to leave Astar behind, and that meant all the fakery as well. She hid her feelings well though, she didn't want to make the Colonel suspicious.

'You'll be serving under him on his upcoming mission. I'm afraid the duration is uncertain, so you'll have to assign one of your unit members to lead in your absence.'

'S-sir?' her eyes widened. 'What mission, sir?'

He smiled. 'Coastside.'

'What?' _Coastside?!_ Riley calmed herself. Surely she could convince him to send someone else.

'The recent report on Coastside was very troubling. The representative sent there described them as depraved, wasteful and careless. A team is being sent to rectify the situation. Captain Turis' squad will be one part of that team. Captain Turis, why don't you tell her your part?'

Alann nodded curtly. 'Our mission will be to show the Coastsiders the proper behaviour for members of the military. As part of our squad, your duty will be to teach them to fear gemengs.'

'I'm... sir, I don't believe I'm suitable for such a mission.' She said, her gaze on Colonel Hamnar.

He smiled grimly. 'If the Coastsiders had a proper fear of gemengs then they would not be so wasteful or... depraved, so the thinking goes. You are one of the more... let us say, _fearsome_ gemengs in Astar at the moment. Further, you're from outside Astar. You were chosen.'

'Fearsome.' She said, stunned.

'You've proven yourself highly capable in combat situations. Your unit has had more combat experience than most. You've learnt how to evade the SIGPEWs.' he raised an eyebrow at her.

Riley swallowed thickly. Dread settled in. _Garis..._

'Not to mention some find your appearance quite troubling.'

'My appearance too, sir?' Though her voice was weak, there was a tinge of annoyance in it.

'On occasion I myself find you rather... disconcerting. Other times you seem human to me.'

'When does the mission start?' she asked. If they just had a few days maybe it would be enough...

'Tonight. You have two hours to get ready and be at the Coastside tunnel entrance. I'm afraid its short notice, however we only discovered the urgency of the situation when the representative returned last night.'

She closed her eyes in defeat.

Not enough time. Then she opened them.

'Yes, sir.' She replied.

She'd finish this mission as quickly as possible. Then she and Aerlid were leaving Astar.

Chapter 39

When they reached Coastside it was early morning. She met the two other members of the squad at the Coastside tunnel entrance. There was a woman, Leili Artis, from the Astar Internal Defence Forces and a man from the Internal Order Forces, Gepis Ugen. Captain Turis was from the Astar Home Defence Patrol, like Riley.

Other people were with them too. Some were coming to Coastside for routine reasons. A surprising number were there as part of the Coastside mission.

Riley was no longer a Captain. Unit 16 was now led by Batar Krope.

Coastside was spread out before her. The bay was covered in morning mist. The city was still asleep, only a few people were about.

The first stop was a place called the Square. Looking at it was rather jarring. It looked like a piece of Astar had been dropped on top of Coastside.

They went inside.

There were desks, mostly empty.

Riley spotted a vase full of flowers. Something within her lightened at that.

They were led upstairs to an office with a window.

Talking, talking, talking.

They were told they would be staying in the Blocks, but not in the submariners' dormitories. There were rooms at the Blocks for guests. Gepis and Alann would share a room, and Leili would share with Riley.

She felt a moment of curiosity. She wondered what the submariners did, what the subs were like. Then she dampened it. She didn't want to be here.

A surprising length of time had passed while they'd been in the office.

The desks on the lower levels were all filled. The mist burnt off the bay and the day looked like it was going to be beautiful and sunny. The wide, warm streets were filled with people. They were all very tanned.

The Square was at the top of the hill, everything went down from there towards the bay. She glanced around disinterestedly as they walked down the hill towards the Blocks. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the Plains.

Then something caught her eye. A flash, like light striking off something shiny. She turned.

A man, ash blonde hair. Golden tan. A sling. He was walking up the hill.

She studied him, not aware the rest of the squad had gone on.

He had a sure stride, like he knew who he was and was fine with that.

Before Peitar, Riley had never really noticed how human men looked. After though she had found herself bitterly, and against her will, noticing that sort of thing. She had thought of various men, ah, I see, he has nice eyes, smile, hair, whatever. But all together, she hadn't found them attractive. Perhaps that was Peitar's fault. She thought of him whenever those thoughts came.

The man's back was to her now. She turned to follow him with her eyes.

She didn't think of Peitar as she stared at the receding back of the blonde haired man.

' _Meilis!_ '

Startled, she turned. Captain Turis was giving her a hard look. Or perhaps all his looks were just like that.

Without a word, Riley caught up with the squad.

Food was available in the Blocks. There were set meal times, but as patrols went in and out at irregular times something was always available.

There was a long counter with food displayed on it. Servers stood behind in, refilling trays of food and chatting with the submariners. The hall was filled with long tables and backless seats that ran the length of the tables.

When they entered to get some breakfast the hall was mostly empty. Why that was, Riley didn't know or care. She didn't want to be here.

But at least cave mould wasn't offered. Mostly it was seafood.

Riley was actually enjoying the fish she was eating when a man came up to their table. Riley took no notice. She had discovered sharp little bones in the fish.

'Hey, there. I haven't seen you guys around before.'

'We're from Astar.' Captain Turis answered.

'Well, welcome to Coastside. I'm Ketar.'

Alann introduced himself and they shook hands. Then Leili, then Gepis.

Riley's turn.

She shook his hand. He held on to it for a moment.

'So, do all the girls in Astar look like you?'

There was something about the way he was holding her hand, something in his tone and the way he looked at her that made Riley feel suddenly ill.

Peitar.

'She's a gemeng.' Alann said in that hard way of his.

'Really! Wow, best looking gemeng I've ever seen! Hey, why don't I show you around Coastside? I know this great little place to eat, I know the food in the Blocks sucks-'

'No.' Riley nearly shouted. She backed away so fast she bumped into Gepis, who was sitting next to her.

Crestfallen, his smile vanished.

Before he could say anything Alann said to the squad. 'Depraved wasn't the half of it. We have a lot of work to do here.'

Lunch didn't go any better.

Riley watched in disbelieving shock as men came up and offered to show her around Coastside. Then when she said no, _another_ came up.

Gepis had a sick look to his face. Leili's expression changed between outrage and horror. Captain Turis merely looked determined.

'I'm a _gemeng_.' Riley said weakly for the umpteenth time. What was _wron_ g with these people? She couldn't eat. Peitar's face, sickened by her unintended deception, swam before her eyes.

'Do you have scales?' the current one asked levelly. 'Because if you have scales, you need to tell me now.'

Riley stared at him.

'Is that a yes? Ok, where are they? Are we talking big scales, little ones?'

'She's not going out with you.' Alann interrupted, his face dark.

'Wasn't asking you.'

'Go away.' Riley said, 'just go away.'

As soon as he turned to leave another man had jumped up, ready to come take his place.

That night Riley ate dinner in her room. She couldn't handle any more attention today. She just considered herself lucky she wasn't staying in the dormitories.

Alann brought her dinner. He thought it was a good idea she spend the night inside too.

'We have a lot of work to do here.' was all he said as he left.

Chapter 40

Vann heard about the arrivals from Astar from nearly everyone he ran into that day.

He hadn't met them, didn't want to.

So while those who were excused from the gemeng demonstration due to injuries still showed up to gawk at the new arrivals, Vann was busy by the bay. He didn't feel the need to see an Astarian gemeng fight the submariners. How stupid was that? As if they didn't know about gemengs in Coastside. It was a joke.

Right now he was leaning against the railing, his gaze locked on Dr Ralis' villa.

It didn't look any different.

The fact that the Astarians had gone in last night and evicted Dr Ralis and his daughter and confiscated all their possessions, well, you couldn't tell from here.

Chapter 41

'She shot me down.' Gavann said to Vann over a cool glass of beer. 'Well, I mean, she shot everyone down, so I don't feel so bad.'

Gavann had not been injured in the Molk attack but due to the lack of submarines he and most of Vann's submates were on shore duty.

'Hmm.'

'You should've come watch the demo.'

'You're not serious.'

'Yeah, it's stupid. But I've never seen a girl like her.'

'We're talking about the gemeng?'

'Yeah, no, the Astar girl just looks like all the other girls, pretty, but,' he shrugged, 'thinks we're all depraved, so not going near her. But this one has hair darker than Azra's! And these really green eyes! And a gemeng! Have you ever been with a gemeng? No! No one has!'

'Please, don't mention Azra. And uh, Gavi, I wouldn't want to go out with any of the gemengs around here.'

'Yeah, but she only has a few scales, Feilin said.'

They stopped talking and looked up at a commotion near the entrance.

'That's them!'

Vann saw a group of four. A big, brown haired guy with a face like a brick. And... that must be the gemeng he thought.

She was standing near the back of the group, glaring at everyone. That was a very vehement, stay away from me kind of glare.

The brick faced guy was talking. 'So this is what you do with your time.' his voice carried over the crowded patio of _The Porpoise_ and out into the night.

Vann wasn't paying a lot of attention. Hair as black as night. True black, not dark brown, swept back from her face. It was long, a wavy fall of blackness that reached past her shoulders. As he looked more closely his eyes widened. Black? Black was a pale word to describe that colour. It was... it was _alive_. There was no way to describe the strangeness, inhuman otherness that was that colour. It was something else masquerading as black. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, trying to clear them. What did that feel like? Would it feel like hair? Or would it be something else? Something as other in touch as it was in look? And then the colour seemed to shift and hide, become more human. He stared at it hard. Had he imagined that? As he looked the sense he was looking at something inhuman came back. He shook his head. He moved his eyes elsewhere. _Maybe it's just because I've never seen black hair before._ He moved his eyes to her face and had to hook his heels around the chair legs. What was hiding in her hair shone from her face. Her skin was white. You didn't see white skin in Coastside often. You had to be dedicated to _not_ get a tan in Coastside. But it was not white like Mr Geiba's or brickface's though. He felt a strange awe deep inside as he looked at her. If the essence of life could be forced into one colour or face it had been done here. She was not human. You could not for a second look at this woman and think she was human. Humans paled beside her. Humans looked like ghosts beside her. How could such perfectly white skin seem to shine with life? It made a strange contrast with such black hair. But not a contrast. They were the same. In all that mattered, her black hair and white skin were the same. That was how it was supposed to be.

'Vann.' Someone was talking but Vann didn't hear. There was something unsettling about her. But at the same time... something in him wanted to get closer. Would she feel the same as a human? Surely she couldn't. It would have to be something else.

She moved like nothing he'd ever seen. As different as the rest of her. As easy as liquid. Movement suited her. And then when she paused to glare a little longer at someone he realised stillness suited her as well. Whatever state she chose to take, when she took it he could not imagine her ever doing anything else. She was a part of the world in a way the other people in this room weren't. As if she lived here and they were just visiting.

And to see her _fight_.

Something in him flip-flopped.

It was almost a little scary to imagine this creature fighting.

' _Vann_!' Gavann hissed in his ear again.

Gavann was well aware Vann was ignoring him. His friend had his eyes glued to the gemeng girl.

Gavann kicked Vann under the table. He _had_ to hear this!

That was enough to snap him out of it. Vann was almost relieved, actually. He shook his head and gave Gavann his attention. 'What?' he asked.

'Listen!'

Brick face had been talking all along, Vann realised. As soon as he turned his attention back to the Astarians the gemeng had his attention.

And it was still there. All those thoughts were still there.

And then she looked at him.

He felt a jolt. He shivered.

Her eyes were green, he realised. Gavann had mentioned that. He was too far to see clearly.

What would he see in her eyes? The same as he'd seen in every other aspect of her?

Then she turned away.

Brick face had stopped talking.

And just like that she walked away.

Vann didn't move. He felt like all the air had been knocked out of him. He couldn't move.

'Can you believe those guys! Depraved? What the hell does that mean anyway? The gemeng was nice, though, right?'

'Right.' Vann answered, and he downed the rest of his beer. 'Right.'

The next morning Vann went to the demonstration.

All the submariners in Coastside at the moment were gathered in an open space in the Blocks. The ground was bricked and there were a few trees around, shading the buildings. They stopped the dorms from getting too hot in summer.

The submariners were gathered in a loose semicircle. Opposite them were the three human Astarians. In the middle was the gemeng, looking as pleased to be there as she had last night.

When Vann looked at her he realised he was much closer than last night. What he saw from afar last night hit him like a sledgehammer this morning.

'Everyone who is not injured will fight the gemeng. Every day. Until you learn proper fear.' Captain Turis announced. Not everyone had fought yesterday as the Astarians had arrived too late in the morning. Most of the submariners had already left by the time they arrived.

Vann jerked his eyes from the gemeng to Captain Turis. It took more effort than he cared to acknowledge. He felt a prick of intense dislike for the man. The submariners _did_ fear gemengs. They knew all too well what they were capable of. They just didn't let that control them. This Astarian fool had _no idea_.

And then his eyes belonged to her again. What was her name? She was travelling with them, surely they knew her name. Why not use it?

What did her voice sound like?

'I have a list of submariners here. This will go much slower if I have to call out names.'

'We're just waiting for you to shut up.' A submariner stepped forward, it was Vann's captain. He looked annoyed. 'Do you have a name, gemeng?'

She looked at Garis Endis. Vann held his breath. He needed to know this.

'Riley.' she said after a pause.

Her voice was curiously normal compared to the rest of her.

A swarm of butterflies had just taken flight inside of Vann.

Riley.

Garis' eyes were back on Captain Turis. 'Riley's a part of your squad, isn't she? You should treat her with more respect.'

How could Garis speak when she was near?

Captain Turis gazed back at Garis. 'All of my subordinates are treated with respect, not that you would know what that means.'

'Hmph.' Garis' mouth curved up in a grim, sarcastic smile. His eyes were hard with dislike. 'Alright, Riley, I have one request before you begin beating the shit out of me.'

Surprised, she asked, 'what is it?'

'Just stay away from my face.'

There was some laughter from the submariners. Some called out good naturedly, 'oh, she'd improve it, Captain!', and, 'can't get any worse!'

Captain Turis' eyes roved over the laughing submariners. His face was blank.

Riley didn't say a word. She just glided over to Garis. In a swift sweep of her leg she knocked his legs from under him. At the same time she grabbed him, controlling his fall so he didn't slam into the bricks.

Once he was on the ground Garis began counting loudly. 'One... two... three!' He jumped up spritely. 'pleasure fighting you, Riley.' he shook her hand.

She looked stunned.

Vann suddenly wanted to fight her, for the chance to shake her hand afterwards.

Would it feel human?

He didn't know what would affect him more, if it was a human hand or a hand as strange as it looked.

'Ok, boys, let's move this along!' He called as he disappeared into the throng of submariners. 'We've all got better things to be doing!'

The fights went quickly. Vann was riveted by her, but a part of him also managed to be concerned for his fellow submariners. That concern faded as he realised she wasn't hurting them. And that only made him want to get closer. She wasn't dangerous. She _looked_ so unsettling, _inhuman_ , but she didn't hurt them. Could something human live inside her? The more he saw the more he wanted to know. Needed to know.

There was no other way he wanted to spend his morning than watching her move. She was dizzyingly graceful. It was like he'd never seen anything move before. He didn't mind if she did this all day.

How was it that no one else was gazing at her like he was?

Then a submariner stepped forward with a lightning rod.

Riley glanced at it. From the look on her face she didn't know what it was.

Vann felt uneasy. He had an urge to warn her, but that was a submariner up there. He'd be using the low settings. And could she be hurt, anyway?

Riley approached this submariner carefully. She kept her eye on the dusky gold rod.

The submariner waited. He didn't do anything except watch.

Then suddenly Riley was moving quickly. She was keeping out of reach of the rod though as she moved in to finish the fight.

The submariner squeezed the handle.

Crackling white light tore across the open space.

It collided with her.

Shock crossed her face. She stood frozen.

Vann stared. Something chaotic and confused was twisting painfully inside him. She felt it. She felt the lightning rod. He needed to yell, stop it. However she looked, she could _feel_.

The _implications_.

Before he could demand the submariner turn the lightning rod off Riley moved. In two steps she was at the submariner. She knocked his wrist so hard he dropped the rod. The light disappeared.

She glared at him, her brows drawn down in anger, her green eyes fierce. But in the same way as all the rest, she beat him without hurting him.

When he was gone Riley shook her head, as if shaking off water.

As if nothing had happened, Captain Turis called for the next person to come forward.

And on and on. Until it was done.

'Be out here tomorrow, same time. We do this every day, until you learn. You are a disgrace to Coastside.' Captain Turis announced.

'Wait.' Vann snapped. He stepped forward, desire to touch her and anger at Captain Turis mingling in him.

'Do you have something to say, submariner?' Captain Turis demanded.

'No, she just hasn't beaten me up yet.'

Riley was looking at him. He felt her eyes like two coals. He couldn't look. If he looked he wouldn't be able to talk. Standing near her, stringing a sentence together _near_ _her._ That was enough.

'You have a broken arm.' Captain Turis said, as if this was a joke he was tired of. 'Injured submariners are excused.'

'Why does that matter? It's not any more ridiculous than anything else you have us doing.'

'I'll fight him.' a voice piped up.

It was her.

His heart skipped a beat. His stomach was doing acrobatics. What would she _feel_ like?

'He won't be any easier than the others.'

Captain Turis turned his gaze to the woman standing beside him.

Slowly, for it was so hard, Vann turned to look too.

Those green eyes were looking at him. All thought fled from him. _Green..._

'No. Clearly he's trying to make us look like fools.'

'Oh, you're doing that fine yourselves.' Vann snapped, his eyes yanked from Riley. He needed to look at those eyes longer. 'We know gemengs, Captain. We see them every day in the subs and on patrols. This fighting doesn't prove anything. We already fight them. I broke my arm fighting them and lost seven crew members. Fearing them doesn't mean letting that the fear rule you, _Captain_.'

The Captain's face twitched. 'And yet,' he said after a silence, 'you behave in such depraved ways. Wasteful behaviour that plays right into their hands. If you really understood them you would not behave as you do. Drinking, wasting resources, pointless copulation-'

Vann's eyes widened in surprise. Then he laughed.

There was nothing to do but laugh.

'Get on a sub, captain. Maybe then you'll open your eyes.'

There was nothing else to say. So he turned and walked away. All the time he was painfully aware of her presence.

Vann spent the next few hours by the side beach.

Zap Zap visited him here nearly every day. After Vann had found out about the fish people bringing dead bodies ashore he had asked Zap Zap if his people were bothered by dead humans in the ocean.

Zap Zap had said they hadn't really stopped to check if they were alive, they had just tried to get everyone. Perhaps the humans could fix them. They didn't know. So they'd collected everyone.

Vann had conveyed thanks on behalf of all of Coastside.

Zap Zap had beamed and smiled, his tail splashing. He'd thanked them in turn for killing Molk.

The ocean sparkled in the sun, and as he looked out over the blue green water his thoughts drifted.

He wondered briefly about his mother. She had gotten on a sub soon after he was born, after his father was already gone. What had possessed her to do that? Leave her baby son alone, with the other parent already dead?

This was a familiar thought. Today he moved on quicker than usual. Those thoughts would not help his mood.

When Zap Zap appeared Vann considered asking him what gemeng girls liked. But, his face turning red, he decided against it. She wasn't a fish person. He could try what usually worked first.

What usually worked? How would his usual approach work on someone like _that?_

He stopped that train of thought. Stopped it and stood up.

He couldn't sit here thinking about her. It was painful. He had to go talk to her.

He said his goodbyes to Zap Zap and headed back to the blocks to find her.

He wandered around the block for half an hour with no luck. Eventually he asked one of the dining hall staff.

'Eats in her room.' the man shrugged. 'Had a little trouble with the boys here.' and he grinned.

'What sort of trouble?' he demanded, his ire rising. Who had given her trouble?! _How_ could anything give her trouble?

'Ooh, all the boys were inviting her out to dinner.'

'Oh.' Yes, Gavi had mentioned that. She'd said no. To all of them. He felt a touch of unease. He stood frozen for an instant. To her, we must all seem the same, came unbidden to his mind. He killed that thought. He was a submariner. He would go talk to her.

'She might be in her room. The Astarians are staying in the guest quarters.'

'Thanks.' Vann replied.

He had to stop himself from running all the way there.

There weren't that many rooms in the guest quarters. As far as he knew, the Astarians were the only ones staying there at the moment. He knocked on two doors before one finally opened.

'Hello.' Riley said glaring at him suspiciously. She only opened the door halfway.

She was so close. Vann couldn't look away, his eyes travelling over her features. An explosion had just gone off in his head and blown all thought into next week.

Her eyes narrowed and her glare got even darker as he stood there not saying anything.

'Riley.' he managed. Later, he might berate himself for not saying anything better, but that required more thoughts than he had at the moment.

'Yes?'

'A-are you ok?' he finally managed.

Her frown became more confused than suspicious. 'Am I ok?'

'The lightning rod. I know they hurt.'

'Yes. Is that what it's called?' she seemed almost curious.

That was enough to send his senses reeling. She could be curious. _Her._

And he latched onto that. 'Yes. Here.' he pulled his lightning rod from his belt and held it out. Then remembering where he'd been he quickly retracted it and began changing the settings.

Riley watched him.

'Sorry,' he said, feeling like a bumbling idiot. 'I was on the side beach. It was set to maximum. Ok, here.'

'Hmm,' she picked it up carefully and held it up. Her eyes were on it, not him. 'How does it work?'

'By squeezing or hitting something with it.'

'Are they very effective?' she turned it round, examining it closely.

He shrugged. 'Depends against what. They work against leapers.'

'Leapers?' her eyes were on him. They were bright.

Tingling warmth was spreading through him. _Please let me know you_.

'You can see them around the side beach sometimes. They leap out of the water and attack you. You should stay away from there.' he added. His first impression that she couldn't possibly be harmed had been proven wrong by the lightning rod.

'What do they look like?'

'Not much bigger than a human, big legs though. Skinny. Slimy. Claws. There are pictures in the Blocks' library and up at records. I could show you...' he trailed off as dark suspicion filled her eyes.

'I could give you directions?' he tried again. That warmth was disappearing.

The suspicion lightened, but didn't disappear entirely. 'No, thank you.' she handed his lightning rod back. 'I'll find it myself.'

'Without directions?' he asked, bewildered.

'I'll find it.' she repeated, glaring at him before she began closing the door.

'Wait!' he grabbed the door.

She stopped, glaring at him from narrowed eyes.

'My name's Vann.'

He was surprised she shook his hand. It was so fast. Her skin was soft and smooth. So human. He didn't grab her hand, but allowed it to slip away. His hand seemed to pulse where it had touched her.

She began closing the door again.

'Wait!' he cried again.

She stopped, but the door was only open a slit now.

He stared at those green eyes peering from the darkness of the room beyond.

'There are other places to eat, where submariners don't hang out. You don't have to stay in there-'

'No.'

'I could just give you direc-'

'No.'

And the door was slammed in his face.

To say Vann was stunned was an understatement.

Someone was putting beer before him.

'Said no to you too, huh?' Gavann asked.

'She wouldn't even let me give her directions!' he cried in disbelief. Disbelief was easier than all the other feelings she awakened in him.

'Yeah... well, maybe she thinks you're depraved too. Like the rest of that lot.'

Vann took a sip, then set the beer back down on the table. 'I'll try again.' he was determined. He'd been rejected before. He'd accepted it and moved on. But not with her. Giving up did not cross his mind.

The need to know this creature had lodged in him.

'Um, ok. We'll all enjoy seeing you shot down again.' Gavann grinned. 'Can you do it somewhere public next time? You know, so we can watch?'

Vann just glared at him.

Two more rejections later Vann was stumped. He needed to know _why_ she was so fond of 'no'. More, he felt himself slipping dangerously into that unknown country called Panic.

Every time he saw her he was awed and unsettled and so many different things. And yet her voice was so normal. It was a lovely voice, with so many different inflections. But it was a normal voice. And her hand had felt so human. The mix captivated and entranced him.

The feelings didn't go away. If anything they became stronger and deeper every time he saw her.

He approached Riley in that moment after the fighting was over and before she cloistered herself in her rooms again. His chest felt painfully tight and it felt like there was a lead weight in his stomach. What would it take just to get a smile out of her? What did he have to say?

At least she waited for him. Her arms were crossed and she was glaring at him. But at least she waited.

'Hi.' he said.

People were scattering from the courtyard.

She didn't say anything. Her mouth was closed tightly.

At least she didn't say no as soon as she saw him.

'Are you enjoying Coastside?' he asked, building his courage up to ask.

Her eyes narrowed even further. It was a glare within a glare.

'You don't want to see any of it?'

'Not with you.' she finally said. 'How many times do I have to say it?'

'Why?' he asked.

'You do know I'm a gemeng, don't you?'

'Yes.' She mentioned that a lot. 'Why does that matter?'

Her expression didn't change. Perhaps there was only so much suspicion and leave-me-aloneness that could fit on one face. Even if that face was Riley's.

'Do you have someone, back in Astar?' he asked calmly, but he had to drag those words out of himself. It would make sense. He could understand that. He'd back off then. He didn't go after other guy's girls. Not that he'd had much luck with this one, a little voice (which he ignored) said.

Her expression changed to outright surprise.

Before she could say anything though, he realized he wouldn't back off. Whoever he was, he'd find himself with some competition.

'N-no.' she stuttered, too astounded to say anything but the truth. 'Of course not.'

Vann almost smiled. Then 'why 'of course'?' he asked.

She peered at him, as if she was trying to catch him out in a lie. 'What's wrong with you?' she said, though it wasn't angry, exasperated mainly.

'Riley, I don't understand why you're so against Coastside.'

Her eyes were on him. 'I'm a gemeng. You're a human. Besides...' she trailed off. 'I have to leave.'

'Listen, I know what it's like to be away from home, but maybe if you get out a bit more you won't find Coastside so bad. And I don't understand why it matters that you're a gemeng.'

She just stared at him. She was not smiling, but Vann found it a lovely change from her usual expression.

'Maybe it matters in Astar, but not in Coastside.'

'Do humans often go out with gemengs in Coastside?' she asked.

'No but... most gemengs around here try to kill you, so,' he shrugged.

She shook her head.

'Do you not like humans then?' he asked suddenly. Maybe she thought they were too soft, he thought, like what Azra thought of the shore siders.

Maybe she thought they were nothing but ghosts.

She looked stunned again. She gathered herself then and said, 'I'm not staying in Coastside. I'm sorry, I'm not going anywhere with you.' and she started walking away.

'Wait.' Vann walked quickly to catch her. 'Ok, how about we just be friends?'

Chapter 42

'Ok, how about we just be friends?' he asked her.

He was very close. No closer than was acceptable between two strangers, but to her it felt very close.

Riley was gazing at his grey eyes. Alann Turis had grey eyes too. But she had discovered there were so many differences between two pairs of grey eyes. Vann's eyes were captivating. She could lose herself in them for hours, taking note of the vagaries of them.

He had a distracting way of catching the eye. Riley would be minding her own business, glaring at everyone to forestall any more invitations to dinner. Then something would catch her eye and she would turn and it would be Vann.

She could have trained herself to stop looking, but in another place the shine that caught her eye could be a claw or a sword. So she accepted it and turned and looked.

He looked at her in an astonishing way, as if she was the only person alive. It was a way that twisted her up inside. It excited and frightened her.

You didn't look at your friends like that.

And she was pretty sure you didn't hope time might stop moving so you could gaze in your friend's eyes for hours with nobody noticing. And perhaps you might want to look elsewhere too, for there was more to a face than eyes. But anywhere else was far too dangerous. His eyes were bad enough.

No, that's not what friends did.

She could not imagine this man as 'just' a friend.

She woke up every day with a mixture of anticipation and dread. It was hard to turn him away. But she needed to. She wasn't staying in the human territories any longer. She needed to know. She needed to test herself. She couldn't stay here any longer. She didn't want to know Coastside. She wanted to _leave_!

And on occasion, when she felt herself slipping, that maybe it would be alright, she remembered Peitar. And that jolted her out of it faster than a shock with a lightning rod. Though at the same time a part of her would be saying Peitar didn't even _compare_ to this man...

Riley shook her head. 'No. I don't want to be friends.' she turned to leave again. She was surprised her voice didn't wobble.

But once again he called her back.

He was always doing that.

He looked so lost and confused. 'But why?' he asked.

'I don't owe you an explanation.' she snapped suddenly, unable to bear it any longer.

She turned and stalked away.

He didn't call her back.

Chapter 43

Captain Turis and his squad, minus the gemeng, sat down at Aleitar's table. They'd been looking for him for a while, though he'd only just returned to Coastside.

'I'm Alann.' Alann introduced himself.

Aleitar set down his mug and shook his hand, introducing himself. And so on for the entire squad.

'Do you know why we're here?' Alann asked him.

Aleitar nodded as he glanced at their faces in turn. 'Yeah, there's been a lot of talk. Hey, some friendly advice, you need to watch yourselves.'

'What do you mean?' Alann asked, narrowing his eyes. He noted the man was drinking alcohol.

'I mean Commander Reista ordered everyone to play nice, but the submariners are getting... they're not...' he hesitated. 'Look,' he started again. 'I'm from Astar too, I know how shocking this place is at first. But you guys need to calm down and stop insulting everything and everyone here. We lost a lot of people in the Molk attack. Let's just say if you guys all went home in boxes nobody here'd care.'

Alann observed him coolly for a few moments. 'So how long have you been in Coastside?'

'About three years.'

'I notice you're drinking.'

Aleitar sighed. 'Why does it matter- I know how it looks to you, but tell me, what does it matter?'

'It's wasteful. It wastes resources, time and is poor for the health.'

'Firstly, it's not a waste. If you'd spent weeks trapped on a sub with water up to your ankles all the time and fighting gemengs you'd want a drink when you got back. Secondly, I don't know any submariner who's died from drinking too much. Do you know the life expectancy for submariners who don't get transferred shoreside? Not long.'

'The military personnel located in Astar have always managed without drinking.' Alann said tightly.

'How many gemengs do you run into around Astar, hmm? Count them for me. Go on.'

Alann just narrowed his eyes further.

'Look, you guys need to open your eyes. This isn't Astar. It can't be Astar.'

'I see it's not Astar. But can't be?' Alann shook his head. 'As part of the Coastside mission alcohol consumption will be curtailed and cut off, Aleitar. You underestimate our determination.'

Aleitar met his eyes calmly. 'Go ask the submariners here what they'll do if Astarians do that.'

'I think you have an idea.'

'I think they'll tell _you_ to get on the damn subs and defend the coast.'

Alann said nothing. This job wasn't easy, on any level, but it was his mission. Really, that was all that mattered, not whether he liked it or not.

'By the way, don't _actually_ suggest that.' Aleitar added quickly.

'Why ever not, submariner?' Alann asked a touch sarcastically.

Aleitar gazed at him steadily. 'Because I think you guys have pushed too close to the limit. I don't know how much more the Coastsiders will put up with. Things could get ugly.'

Commander Reista had been getting a lot of unwelcome visitors lately. First, Mr Fisley, demanding to know which of the submariners had stormed into his office and brutally attacked him (his words). The Commander had replied pleasantly saying, 'I don't know, Mr Fisley, they all look the same to me. We'll have a look for him anyway.' Then Mr Geiba had showed up. At least he had provided a way to reprimand Vann for his pyrotechnics. He'd always paid close attention to Vann as he was growing up, the same as with all the other orphans. Still, that didn't mean the boy got any special treatment. Not that Mr Fisley was made aware of that. Vann was reprimanded the same as any other submariner when he screwed up, not that that happened often, he thought with a touch of pride.

Now it was this group of Astarian officials making noise about contraceptives, of all things!

'It's a waste of resources to produce such things. And such... promiscuousness spreads disease.' A stiff, expressionless man was saying. 'No more are to be produced.'

'Certainly, Mr...?'

'Rollis.'

'Mr Rollis. Alright then. Shall we cancel the classes then?'

'Classes?'

'Well, the submariners are taught how to use those resources in basic training. It wouldn't do for disease to spread among our forces. But I imagine you consider that a waste of time too?'

Mr Rollis said nothing.

'And what shall we do with all the parentless children then, Mr Rollis?'

Mr Rollis frowned. 'I don't understand, sir. Parentless?'

'Well, Mr Rollis. Many of the young men and women of Coastside have multiple partners. I imagine parentage will be hard to determine. Most of course, will be unwanted. Most likely they'll be abandoned. So what shall we do with them?'

'Control the submariners, Commander! Is that so hard to do? It is your job, isn't it?!' a small, fiery faced man yelled.

The Commander smiled pleasantly. 'I'm afraid the submariners will do what they always do, with or without those wasteful contraceptives. There's no getting around that, so,' he smiled, 'the children, gentlemen, what will we do with them? I imagine the birth rate will more than quadruple! I'm afraid Coastside may be unable to handle that. Will Astar take them? I suppose it won't be too bad, they can replace all the submariners we'll lose to disease.'

'Surely they wouldn't continue with such practices if they were ill!'

Commander Reista just smiled.

The man began to look a little sick himself.

'Let's move on. We'll come back to this later.' One of the others, Miss Dellas, said quickly, 'the amount of alcohol consumed is also of great concern. It is wasteful, unnecessary, time wasting and dangerous to the health. There will be no more of it.'

'None?' Commander Reista asked.

'None.'

'Ah, well.'

'Do you have a problem with that, Commander?' Mr Rolg asked primly.

'Well, you'll have to find some new submariners of course. Well there you go! That's what we'll do with all the children when they grow up! Good there'll be so many, I imagine they won't stay on the job long.'

'Why on earth would we have to do that?' Miss Dellas asked, ignoring the last part.

'Why, because they'll mutiny of course!'

'Nonsense.' Mr Rollis harrumphed. 'There may be some grumbling, but they'll get used to it.'

'I assure you, if you tell the submariners they aren't to drink they will not work.'

'Let me ask you people something.' Commander Reista leant back in his chair, his pleasant smile gone. 'Has Astar had any problems with the supplies coming in through Coastside?'

'No.' Mr Rollis replied, 'you would have received a complaint if there was.'

'Hmm, so you're telling me there is no problem with Coastside's performance?'

'Just your depraved behaviour!' the fiery man interjected. 'Wasteful!'

'I see. So until Mr Geiba came racing back whingeing about our... depravity, was it?'

'Yes, sir, quite depraved.' Mr Rolg said.

'So until Mr Geiba's review, you had no problem at all with Coastside.'

'That's correct.' they agreed slowly.

'Then let me make a suggestion. Don't mess with what has worked so far. I let you evict Dr Ralis, I've let you waste my submariners time fighting that gemeng of yours. I strongly suggest you content yourselves with that.' He smiled then, a threatening smile. 'I'm afraid we may have some problems otherwise.'

There was silence. Silence filled with fidgeting.

Commander Reista knew what the few Astarians among the submariners had been saying to the Astar team. Why, he'd given them suggestions after all. His threat wasn't quite so formless as it seemed.

Miss Dellas, her eyes wide and roaming around nervously, began, 'I'm sure you understand the nature of your submariners better than we do, Commander...'

Reista just smiled.

'I think to... to convince ourselves of what you say however...' her eyes flicked around the rest of her group, as if hoping for help. She coughed. 'Well, why don't we replace one of the submarine crews with an Astarian crew? They will of course not be so depraved.' she said that last part confidently, but it instantly withered away under the Commander's scowl. 'A-and, we'll decide how to t-treat Coastside... depending on the results of that-that crew.' she trailed off.

The Commander gazed at her for a long moment. 'And who is going to train these Astarians?' he asked.

'W-well, they would have to be trained here-'

'I see. So which submarine would you like to waste on your little experiment? And what will I do with the crew of highly trained submariners your Astarians will be replacing?'

'Astar will fund the experiment. Once it is proved to you all this is nonsense, there will be no more complaints from you about curtailing drink and...so on.' Mr Rollis cleared his throat. Quickly then he said, 'the fishing statistics, Commander, did you look at them?'

The Commander frowned darkly and pushed the relevant folder of information over to them. 'I can't imagine why you think I know anything about fishing. Why? Don't you trust your counters?'

Mr Rollis looked at him darkly. When Commander Reista returned the look he cleared his throat again and went on. 'Well then, we'll put the new pricing measures in place. We've decided against transporting the seafood to Astar. The necessary cooling measures are, I'm afraid, too costly.'

'Certainly.' Commander Reista had noticed that the fishermen had succeeded in hiding a fair amount of their equipment and catch from the Astarians. He certainly wasn't going to tell that to these presumptuous fools though.

'T-the... medicinal supplies aren't staggered.' Miss Dellas said.

'No. They have always been exempt.' Commander Reista held her eyes until she looked away.

'The staggering on the other goods and services is, while at least present, rather loose.'

'Unless our actions cause some calculable suffering to Astar, I suggest you not come bother us again.'

'The experimental sub, Commander,' Mr Rollis pressed.

'You'll have it. Astar will fund the building and maintenance of a new sub. Then you can do what you like with it.'

'Building? Surely we can 'rent' one of the operational subs-'

'And displace one of my crews? No, Mr Rollis, the submariners are too vital to be lost in your silly games. Send over your Astarians. I imagine you'll want to provide your own instructor, ours are all depraved after all.'

'But we don't have-'

'Really? Well, you can hire your own instructor from here then too.'

Mr Rollis glared at him darkly. 'Very well, make this as difficult as you want. We will prove your depravity is not understandable or acceptable, that it is not necessary to working in the submarines.'

'Hah!' The Commander laughed. 'Good luck!'

Chapter 44

'I don't know what to do.'

Lillia watched Vann, her eyes filled with concern. He was staring out of her window, a look on his face she had never seen before.

He turned to her. It hurt Lillia to see that look in his eyes.

'Why doesn't she want me?' he asked.

'Vann, shouldn't you move on from this girl?' she suggested gently.

He shook his head and went back to looking out the window.

'Maybe it's not you. Maybe she just doesn't want a relationship, who knows what's going on in her life.'

'She won't even talk to me...'

He spun away from the window, possessed by a sudden burst of energy. He walked over to her mirror and glared at himself.

'Maybe she doesn't like guys in the military.' For most girls, the submariner's uniform was like a magnet. But Riley was surrounded by military men all day, perhaps it worked the opposite way for her. At least, he hoped. It was something. He needed something.

'Vann, there's nothing wrong with how you look, I'm sure it's not that.' Lillia stressed. 'It's probably something else.'

'Maybe it's my cast.'

'How would that be a problem?' Lillia asked. 'Vann, don't you _dare_ take that thing off!'

He turned to her, 'she doesn't _want_ me. Lillia...' panic was entering his eyes, 'what if she thinks of me how I think of Azra?'

'Vann...'

He started pacing. 'But why- if she just told me what to do, Lillia, I can't, she _can't_ think of me like that!'

'Vann, stop,' Lillia grabbed his shoulder gently, 'Vann, how about I go talk to her ok?' she said soothingly. 'Offer to show her around. It will be different coming from me.'

'Lillia, I need to know her. I just want to get to know her.'

Riley didn't head to the Blocks library until after the morning demonstration was over. After the fighting the Blocks emptied quickly of submariners. Mostly, she wasn't bothered in the library.

Vann had been right. The library was very interesting. There were details of attacks on Coastside that just weren't available in Astar.

What she found was also frustrating. If the records were correct, there was no way she was going to be teaching any Coastsiders to fear gemengs. They already had enough gemengs around them that were a lot scarier than her.

She found pictures of the leapers. Just thinking about leapers was enough to bring Vann to her mind.

But the attraction was purely physical. She didn't know him. She didn't want to, couldn't. So it couldn't be anything more than physical. It was distracting, but it was manageable. If she had known him... she didn't allow her mind to go down that track. Though perhaps, she thought, if he turned out to be a creep knowing him would probably help.

She made sure to leave the library a few hours before the submariners usually arrived back. Mostly, they didn't approach her any more. Aside from Vann. But she didn't want to risk it, so she timed her departures from her room around the submariner's schedules.

She had not been safely ensconced in her room for long when a knock came at her door.

_Vann_.

A tumult of mixed feelings enveloped her. She pushed them away and prepared a glare as she opened the door.

It was not Vann. It was a tall, blue eyed blonde.

The glare vanished.

'Hello.' Riley said. The woman wasn't dressed like a submariner. What could she possibly want?

'Hi.' she smiled. She had a pleasant smile, her eyes twinkled when she smiled. 'I'm Lillia. You must be Riley.'

'I am.'

'I'm a friend of Vann's, I came to apologise.'

'O-oh.' Riley didn't want an apology.

'I understand the submariners haven't been very friendly.'

'No, that's not it-' More like _too_ friendly.

Lillia waved her objections away. 'Oh, don't worry about it. You're from Astar, but I'm sure things will change. In the meantime, why don't you let me rescue you from that stuffy little room?'

'I don't know...'

'Oh, don't worry. It'll be just us girls. Come on, let me show you around. You needn't be stuck in the Blocks the whole time.'

'No, it's ok, thank-'

'And we can have a little chat about Vann.'

Riley hesitated.

'Is there any reason not to come?' Lillia asked, her blue eyes fixed on Riley.

She was unsettled by the determination she saw there. She hesitated.

'I don't want to see any submariners...'

'That's fine.' Lillia smiled.

Cautiously, Riley stepped from the room. When the door shut behind her, her resolve firmed. Riley wasn't used to spending so much time locked up in one place. She was getting bored and fidgety. She practiced her movements during the day but she needed to stretch her legs. A good walk would help.

Lillia was nearly running to keep up with the dark haired girl. And the gemeng was just walking! Every now and then she'd glance behind, see Lillia was a ways behind and she'd slow for a few seconds. Then she'd start powering off again.

And they were going up the damn hill!

Lillia had thought somewhere by the bay would be nice but the gemeng had wanted to go up the hill!

Whenever she looked back Lillia made sure to smile brightly. As soon as she turned around again Lillia glared in annoyance at the girl's back. Astarians! No manners!

Riley glanced back again. Lillia smiled brightly. This time Riley turned back and came to walk beside her.

'Is there anything at the top of the hill?' she asked.

'You want to go to the top.' Lillia stated.

Riley nodded. Her eyes lit up eagerly. For a moment Lillia forgot how out of breath she was. For a moment, the gemeng's eyes were the green of new leaves. They held spring, the promise of new life. And then it faded.

Riley was beaming. 'Can we go to the top? And maybe you can show me something down here later.'

'Why don't we explore down here now then?' Lillia demanded.

'Do you live up the hill? Afterwards I can walk you home.'

'How many times do you want to go up and down this thing?!' Lillia snapped.

She shrugged. 'What's it like at night here? Are there lots of people around?'

'It depends what time.' Lillia huffed. They were still walking up the hill, at least the pace was more reasonable now. 'And what part. Near the theatre there are usually people out late. Why?'

Riley became oddly shy for a moment. Then she glanced at Lillia and confided, 'I'd like to go running.'

'Up the hill?'

Riley nodded. She was beaming again. And spring came back to her eyes. Once again Lillia forgot where she was as she got lost in those eyes.

'Ok,' she sighed as it faded. She took Riley's arm in hers. 'Ok, I see I should have come and rescued you earlier.' As long as she had a hold of the girl she couldn't run off. 'I guess you don't want to run into any submariners while you're running.'

Riley shook her head.

'And definitely not Vann.'

Riley nodded in agreement.

'Alright. Well, I'd stay away from the side beach. Vann goes there often, besides, it's dangerous. The shopping district is too crowded and submariners are always visiting the Square. Hmm, I suppose you could run near the residences. There are less people outside at night there.'

'Will you show me?' she asked eagerly.

'Certainly, I'll show you. But first, we'll go to _View_ and have something to eat, alright?'

Her face fell.

'Don't worry, it's the highest restaurant in Coastside. That's why it's called _View_.'

Her face lit up again.

Sitting down, having a refreshing drink and enjoying the view of Coastside from up high improved Lillia's mood. She looked over at Riley.

The girl was riveting in a strange kind of way, but Coastside was full of beautiful women. Vann's obsession was more than a little unsettling.

Lillia didn't bring up Vann until they'd finished eating. 'So, Vann.' Lillia began.

Riley's green eyes were instantly on her. She said nothing.

'You're not interested?'

Riley shook her head. Her eyes darkened. 'No.' she said firmly.

'I understand.' Lillia said. From that look Lillia suspected Vann didn't have a chance. 'Can you tell me why? If I can explain to Vann perhaps he'd leave you alone.'

Riley shrugged and looked away for a moment, out towards Coastside. 'I'm not staying here. I want to leave.'

Lillia didn't understand why she couldn't enjoy Coastside while she was here. Lillia herself enjoyed having swift and sweet affairs with the submariners. She couldn't quite see why the length of time she'd be in Coastside could be a problem.

'So it's not Vann?'

Riley shook her head.

'It's not his cast?' Lillia asked. She didn't think it could possibly be that, but she needed a 'no'. Vann was very good at ferreting out her lies. The man was impossible.

'What?' Riley replied, stunned.

When Lillia didn't respond Riley said, 'no.' and she gave Lillia a funny look.

Lillia smiled, a small knot unravelling inside. But there were so many. 'And is it how he looks?'

'What?!'

Lillia was quietly amused to see her turn red. 'You don't like how he looks?'

'N-no, that's not it. It's not him.' Riley visibly controlled herself. Her cheeks were still burning but she gave Lillia an unsettlingly unyielding look. 'It doesn't matter how he looks. I'm leaving this place, I'm not starting something now.'

Lillia had a feeling that wasn't all. Those words meant something different to Riley than to her, and she didn't seem about to elaborate. 'I see. So it's not Vann then, you just don't want a relationship right now.'

Riley nodded. 'Not with anyone.'

Lillia dearly hoped that would calm Vann. Then she asked 'And you couldn't be friends?'

She went red again. 'No.' it came out like a squeak.

Lillia smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. 'Riley, Vann and I used to be lovers, but we're friends now. He _is_ capable of being friends with a woman.'

Riley gave her an unreadable look. She turned away without responding.

'Just think about it.'

The server came over and gathered their plates. Lillia paid him for the meal.

When he was gone Riley looked back over at Lillia. There was an accusing look in her eyes. 'Is he with many girls?' she demanded.

'I think that's something you should ask Vann.' Lillia smiled. 'Shall I show you where you could run now?'

Riley nodded. She didn't smile.

When they were walking back down the hill Riley wordlessly handed her some money. She seemed moodily distracted.

Chapter 45

That night Riley crept out of the Blocks to go running where Lillia had showed her. It was the part of the city where most of the non-military personnel lived, although people often lived above their shops, so really the living and shopping spaces were not completely separate.

As she ran she thought moodily about Vann.

He was just like Peitar! She was angry and disgusted with herself for even _thinking_ he had nice eyes! She was angry with him too. How dare he pursue her like he had!

She was ambivalent towards Lillia. Getting out had been a good idea. She needed to move.

As predictable as the sun, Vann approached her the next morning after fighting.

She knew he was coming. This time she didn't wait. She stalked over to him.

'How dare you!' she shouted at him before he could get a word out. 'Stay away from me! Don't _ever_ talk to me again!' and she marched off.

When Lillia next went to visit Riley she was actually surprised at the ease with which Riley accepted her invitation.

She almost looked pleased to see her when she opened the door.

Lillia had been cautiously prepared for a fight. Vann had calmly asked her what she'd said to Riley. Lillia had explained, hoping Vann would move on. The gemeng girl just wasn't interested.

He'd listened quietly as she told him, nodding every now and then.

'Hm, alright then.' he'd said afterwards.

'Alright then?' she asked, hoping.

'Well, I thought you might have upset her. I guess it wasn't you though.'

'Why? What happened?' dread was settling in.

'Oh, she just screamed at me this morning.' he shrugged.

Lillia couldn't say a word. He seemed so calm. So unnaturally calm.

'Thanks, Lillia. I'll see you later.' He left.

It wasn't right. _He_ wasn't right. He just wasn't letting her see it.

So she'd waited for him to be gone and then hurried down to the Blocks.

And when Lillia had knocked Riley had opened the door.

'Lillia.' she didn't smile, but she didn't glare either. She stepped outside and closed the door behind her before Lillia could say anything. 'Where are we going today?' she asked.

'O-oh, you want to go somewhere?' Lillia hurried to catch up to her.

Riley nodded.

'I thought you didn't want to explore Coastside.'

Riley shrugged.

'W-well, we could go to V _iew_ again.'

Riley almost smiled at that.

Riley could tell Lillia was surprised. She didn't really care.

She wasn't going to stay inside and hide because of the submariners! She needed to stretch her legs and _move_! She wasn't going to put up with their behaviour anymore.

'Riley,' Lillia began cautiously. 'Did I say something to upset you yesterday?'

She was upset to find she'd been gazing at the eyes of a Peitar clone. That was upsetting.

'No.' Riley answered. Her green eyes were hard and distant.

'Ok, then, that's good... so, why did you get upset with Vann today?' she asked.

Riley's eyes sharped. 'Because he keeps bothering me.' she nearly shouted, an edge to her voice.

'But why today? I mean, he's been bothering you since you got here, you've never yelled at him before.'

Riley fixed Lillia with a hard stare. She was silent as she thought. Lillia was Vann's friend. 'That he pursues me is bad enough. That he does it while he already has other girls... no, it's enough. I won't have him following me around anymore.'

'Oh, no, oh no.' Lillia said hurriedly, her eyes wide. 'No, I never said that!'

'You did.' she said flatly.

'I said you should ask Vann about that!'

Riley gazed at her, the sharpness was gone from her eyes. Now they were just flat and hard. Everything about Lillia had said 'yes'. It didn't matter that she said something else with her words.

'Ok,' Lillia said desperately as Riley didn't respond. 'Ok, Vann usually has, yes, lots of... of, casual relationships. Darling, that's normal in Coastside, and if he was going to see other girls he'd _tell_ you, please, don't be upset.'

Riley said nothing.

'Ok.' Lillia grabbed Riley's arm and stood up. 'Ok. I'll introduce you to the girls. You'll see. They'll tell you. Let's go.'

Lillia dragged Riley all around Coastside collecting girls. She was more than a little upset to discover this was _her_ fault! Still, she felt Riley had made a few leaps of logic but _still._ She'd fix this and Vann... Vann was impossible!

Riley remained silent as Lillia rushed around setting up a get-together. Many of her friends had dated Vann, or knew girls who had, so it was easy to find a nice big group of his exes and invite them over. On another occasion, having her friends over for a party would have been a happy event, but with Vann behaving so oddly, she was too worried to really enjoy herself.

After that was done she took Riley back to her home. The girls wouldn't arrive for a few hours but Lillia wouldn't let Riley leave.

Mostly they waited in silence. Lillia did some distracted painting. She made a few abortive attempts at conversation. She fixed dinner for them. After that it wasn't long til the girls arrived.

Chapter 46

Lillia's couches and chairs were now filled with gossiping women.

Riley looked around at Vann's former lovers. The fact that they were all so beautiful didn't really help Riley much. What on earth was he doing chasing her around when he could be with these gorgeous women?

One in particular caught her eye. She had golden hair and the biggest eyes Riley had ever seen. They were enormous and blue, surrounded by long, fluttering lashes. At the moment her delicate hands were clasped around a tea cup. She smiled so brightly whenever anyone talked to her. She seemed so delicate and sweet. Riley felt small just looking at Teila. What was Vann doing even _glancing_ at her when he could have been with this woman?

The women were having a wonderful time gossiping about Vann. Lillia squeezed her hand hard and gave her a meaningful look at regular intervals.

The fact that they all seemed to be on good terms with Vann said a lot in and of itself.

Still, Riley didn't want to be just one woman in a room full of his lovers. And especially not when they were all so much better looking than her! She didn't belong among this glittering cast. Some wore dresses, some had pants or skirts, but they were all lovely and colourful. Most had some form of jewellery, whether it was colourful, knotted string or sea shells. Teila had a giant red gemstone hanging from her neck. Riley felt quite out of place in her uniform.

'Oh, I think you're quite wise.'

Riley looked up to see Teila looking at her earnestly and leaning forward. 'He'll break your heart. He'll say he wants to be with only you and he loves you then he'll-' Teila sniffed. A girl next to her put her arm around her. 'He'll say he wants to see other women!'

'He never said that!' Lillia interrupted. She glanced at Riley and repeated. 'He never said that to her.' She looked back to Teila. 'Teila, you know he never said that.'

Teila was crying into the other girl's shoulder now.

'Arella, you know he never said that.' Lillia insisted to the girl holding Teila.

'I know.' she said, 'but you know Teila, she lives in a romantic daydream. She doesn't pay a lot of attention to reality. Just don't upset her, Lillia.'

'But now she'll think he's a-a lying, womanizing cheater!' Lillia said, clearly referring to Riley.

'Oh, darling,' Arella was looking at Riley, 'Vann's a submariner. Anyone who expects one of _them_ to be tied down is a fool.' She patted Teila's shoulder. 'A very sweet one though. But at least Vann's _honest.'_

When Vann heard Lillia had been gathering up girls to have a we-hate-Vann fest he was more than a little frazzled.

It was the sort of thing that could only lead to trouble. It was something that he clearly had to put a stop to. Besides, it took his mind off Riley. He'd spent all day by the side beach. In less than ten seconds, Riley had gutted him.

The look in her eyes had been so much worse than her words.

She'd looked at him like she hated him.

But a we-hate-Vann fest sounded like a wonderful distraction. So when he heard about it from laughing submariners he headed straight to Lillia's. He tried not to wonder what Lillia was thinking!

When he knocked Lillia opened the door.

Whatever he was going to say fell out of his head. Through the open door he could see Arella, Mireila, Cas, Leina, oh damn, _Teila_.

'Vann.' Lillia smiled. 'How are you?'

'Lillia.' he said in a small voice. 'What are you doing?'

'Oh, just talking about you with some of my friends.'

He paled. ' _Why?_ ' Why would she want to do that?! And had he really been with this many of her friends?!

'Come in, Vann!' Arella called, an evil grin on her face. 'We're just comparing you to other men! I'm afraid it's not very favourable so far!'

Vann stepped in. Lillia closed the door behind him and sat down.

He felt weak at the knees. He wondered suddenly if gemengs had to put up with this. Had Molk ever swum in on a gathering of his exes all grinning at him like that?

He looked around the room, counting faces. There had to be at least ten of them here! And then... on a couch squeezed between Lillia and Belle...

Her eyes were on him. Every eye in the room was on him.

There were so many things he wanted to say he couldn't get them out. To her, he wanted so desperately to apologise, he couldn't bear for her to look at him like that again. And at Lillia, why is she here?! he wanted to scream.

But her eyes. The anger and hate was gone from them. Her expression was unreadable.

Lillia's eyes went between Vann and Riley and back again. He was just looking at her.

Oh, if she said something cruel to him _now._

Lillia patted Riley's hand, getting her attention. 'Be kind.' she mouthed.

Riley turned her eyes back to Vann. She looked uncomfortable.

Well, everyone was looking at them avidly, like they were watching a play.

'They're very pretty.' Riley finally said into the silence.

'O-oh,' Vann managed, 'um. I-I suppose, maybe, wh-what are you doing here?' he finished somewhat desperately.

Riley blushed. 'I'm not sure.'

'Lillia.' Vann turned to her. 'Lillia,' He spread his arms, 'what is this?'

'Well, Vann.' Lillia patted Riley's hand again. Riley glanced at her. 'I'm afraid this morning was my fault. I gave her the idea you snuck around with lots of different women and were generally an all-around no-good liar.' Lillia smiled sweetly.

The look on Vann's face was priceless.

She had never seen the calm and collected Vann so out of his depth. It was almost funny.

'But now she knows,' Lillia continued. 'That you don't sneak around with your lovers. You're very honest about your inability to commit.'

'In-in-in-' Vann squeaked, his eyes very wide. 'Inability to commit?!'

Lillia nodded, struggling not to laugh. 'I'm afraid Riley requires a more mature man.' she patted her hand again. 'Someone who doesn't run around with every woman in Coastside.'

'Someone who doesn't-? Riley, I don't want anyone but you.' His eyes were on her. The intensity there was too much, Lillia looked away.

Riley was going very red.

'I swear, there'd be no one else except you. Riley, I'll do whatever you want. I'll be whoever you want.'

Lillia suddenly felt very uncomfortable being in that room. They were intruding. The air was thick with tension.

Riley had said nothing.

Vann then looked around the room. He stepped forward and held his hand out to her. 'This isn't a good place to talk. Let's go outside.'

Riley took his hand almost instantly.

The night felt very cool outside. He still had her hand.

He let go and stepped back, giving her some space.

'I'm sorry.' He said. His voice sounded very loud to him. 'I don't need an answer from you now, Riley. I-I'll wait.'

Riley spared him a quick glance in the darkness. Then she ran down the hill.

Vann watched her go in surprise. Painful hope had taken flight within him. The sight of her _running_ away from him was almost enough to undo that.

When he got back to his dorm he laid down gingerly in his bed. He felt very fragile.

He'd just bared his heart to a woman who'd done nothing but reject him in a room full of his former lovers.

'I need to get back in a submarine.' he muttered. As far as he was concerned, he couldn't get his cast off soon enough.

Chapter 47

Vann hadn't seen her in a week. Well, he had, at the demonstrations. Somehow she managed to disappear so fast he couldn't catch her.

He didn't really try to find her though. He'd said he'd wait, so he would.

And waiting was better than rejection. If he found her and asked her what she thought... if he saw pity in her eyes as she turned him down again.

No. Waiting was better.

He was sitting on the side beach now. Every day he went to the military doctor and asked if he could get his cast off. He needed to get on a sub. He felt his only two options for feeling better were either a yes from Riley or a few years on a sub. But Riley wasn't saying yes and the doctor kept saying a few more weeks, a few more weeks.

'Zap Zap, what do gemeng girls like?' he asked as he laid back on the golden sand, more relaxed than he usually allowed himself to be on the side beach. With Zap Zap around he'd get an early warning if any leapers starting sniffing around.

'Girls?' Zap Zap said and Vann heard a splash of his tail. 'Uh... fish people girls?' Zap Zap asked.

'Yeah.'

'Proof of strength.'

'What's that?' Vann asked, sitting up.

'Teeth from leapers. Big, dangerous, gemengs. Give to girl, knows you're strong. Likes you.'

Vann had fought leapers here a few times, but he'd never thought to collect any teeth. He wondered if Riley would like that.

'Zap Zap has question.'

'What is it?'

'Can Zap Zap talk to female?'

'What do you mean?'

'Female human come down here night time. Tries to talk to Zap Zap. Looks for leapers.'

Vann sat bolt upright. 'Here? At the side beach?!' _Riley!_ He was so surprised he missed the fact that Zap Zap had called her a human. Well, she certainly looked more human than Zap Zap.

Zap Zap nodded.

'Zap Zap...yes, you can.' _It's dangerous here!_ And at night, no less!

'Zap Zap, if you see her, tell her it's dangerous here. Tell her if she has to come she should come in the day. I'll... I'll stay away if she wants me to.' It hurt. This was his place. He'd love to share it with her, but he didn't think she'd come if he was here.

'No!' Zap Zap splashed frantically. 'Vann _stay!_ '

'Zap Zap, it's the girl I told you about.'

Zap Zap calmed at that.

'Vann's female?'

Vann blushed.

Zap Zap began splashing excitedly. 'Vann's female! Yes, I talk. Vann's female!'

'Zap Zap, she doesn't like me.' he said hoarsely. He didn't want to imagine Riley's reaction if Zap Zap called her that.

'Zap Zap get Vann tooth. Vann give, she like! Vann's female!'

'Wait, Zap Zap!'

Zap Zap was already splashing off into the waves.

When Azra returned from her month of sub duty Vann, for once, set out to find her. Well, the next day he set out to find her. He figured she probably wanted to sleep and shower the first day back.

When he found her in the Blocks she looked the same as ever.

'Azra.' He greeted her. 'How was the tour?'

'Successful.' She did not look surprised or pleased to see him actually _seeking_ her out. She had the same dark look on her face as ever.

Vann didn't bother asking for more detail than that. The look on her face squashed thoughts like those before they could really begin. 'Azra-'

'I understand you lied to me.'

Vann, caught off guard, didn't know what to say.

'You've been chasing one of the Astarians around.'

'Riley.' he stated. 'Yes-'

'She's in the military.' Azra interrupted. 'I see you're making an exception for her.'

'Azra,' he cut in quickly, he didn't want to talk about Riley with her, 'I've been thinking, I wouldn't mind being your friend.' It was in fact Riley that had changed his mind about this.

Azra snorted and shook her head. Then she just turned and walked away.

Avoiding Vann had been easier than Riley had thought. He almost seemed to be staying away from her.

But if so that was good. She needed to stay away. After.... after what he'd said, Riley didn't think she could bear to say no to him. But she couldn't say yes either. She was _leaving_. Going somewhere he couldn't follow.

Then again, the way things were going in Coastside, she thought she might be stuck here for the rest of her life.

She'd noticed recently a dark haired woman glaring at her. She didn't know why. Didn't care.

She was from Astar after all. That was enough in Coastside.

When she went down to the side beach that night she wasn't surprised to find Zap Zap talking to her. The first time she'd come she'd quickly noticed the creature watching her. She'd tried talking, but it hadn't responded. It had just followed her around. Riley had wondered if it was a leaper, but if it was, why wasn't it doing any leaping? Then one night it had started talking to her. The first time he had slyly mentioned Vann. Thankfully, that was the only time.

But Riley knew Vann was the one who had started talking to the fish people. That was enough to make a part of her so very curious about him. She squashed that part.

'Zap Zap, how can I attract a leaper?' she asked again. She asked every time.

Zap Zap shook his head and wouldn't answer. 'Not safe. Dangerous.'

She sighed. But she went to sit down near the water's edge anyway. Though it was dark she could see Zap Zap's face clearly enough.

Zap Zap eagerly came forward. 'We practice more?'

In Zap Zap's language Riley replied. She puffed up her face, she held it for no more than a second.

That was a yes in fish person speech.

When she arrived back Leili was awake.

Riley noted it, but she did not think much of it.

'Where have you been?' Leili demanded, there was something ugly in her voice.

Riley turned warily and faced her. 'The side beach.' she said honestly.

'With a submariner.'

'No.' Riley replied, surprised. _Vann._

'I don't know why we let your kind into Astar. You lead all these submariners on and then act like it's not your fault. You disgust me!'

'You're right.' Riley agreed. She felt strangely unaffected by Leili's vitriol. There was nothing to say, nothing that wouldn't just anger the girl more. Riley didn't know where this came from and she didn't really care.

She was leaving this place and these people.

Chapter 48

Vann needed to find her. He knew she was avoiding him, but he needed to find her.

When she nearly bumped into him they were both surprised.

'Vann.' she said, her voice clearly saying she didn't expect to see him there. 'Your cast is off.'

Vann guessed that was why she hadn't recognized and avoided him.

'I got it off this morning.' He said. That was what he needed to talk to her about. He'd have an assignment by the afternoon and could be on a sub as soon as dawn tomorrow.

He wondered if she'd still be here when he came back.

'Riley,' he said suddenly, 'would you mind if I transferred to Astar?'

'Huh? Astar? I don't think you'd like it there.' she looked surprised.

'But would it bother you?'

She shrugged uncertainly, as if she wasn't quite sure what that had to do with her. 'If you wanted to.'

Vann suppressed a surge of hope. But he couldn't stop himself from grinning. Then he remembered. 'Here,' he pulled something from his pocket. 'I have something for you.'

As he spoke her expression changed to one of worry, but when he handed it to her she beamed.

'It's a leaper claw.' Vann explained.

She held it up and looking at it intently. 'It's long! Can I keep it?'

Vann nodded, warmth flooding his heart. 'I got it for you.' He didn't mention Zap Zap had found the claw. It wasn't as if he'd never fought a leaper, Vann thought.

'Do _you_ know how to attract leapers?' she asked, her eyes on him.

Vann didn't answer. Zap Zap told him everything they talked about.

She sighed but then she brightened up and said 'Thank you.' Her cheeks seemed a bit pinker than usual.

Then the happiness leached from her. 'Vann... I'm not staying here. I-it's not you, I just need to leave. I need to leave.'

He didn't know why she wanted to leave so bad, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that she wanted it.

Vann watched her. He felt strangely calm. She was upset, he knew that.

But he could do something about that now.

And he'd go to Astar with her.

'Alright.'

'Alright?' she asked, confused.

He smiled. 'I'm fit for a sub tour again. I'll talk to Commander Reista. We'll take the Astarians down on a sub. Show them that they don't need to teach us anything about gemengs.'

'A sub...' Her eyes were gleaming. 'What sort of gemengs will we see?' she asked eagerly. 'Splitters? Longtails? Big Jaw?'

'Riley...' This was a strange woman, he thought. But even though her eagerness was evident, he had to disappoint her. 'I can't take you on a sub.'

'What?' The light faded from her eyes. She was looking at him in a way that said why-would-you-offer-me-that-and-then-take-it-away?

'Riley, it's dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt.'

She looked at him. Then she said, 'but you're going.'

His cheeks flamed. He so wanted that to mean she cared. 'I'm a submariner.' he managed to say calmly.

'You're a human. You're soft and easily damaged. If I get hurt, Vann, you'd be... you'd be hurt.'

He couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed. He couldn't read the look in her eyes.

'I won't go.' she suddenly relented.

He was surprised but he wasn't about to argue.

He smiled. 'I'll go talk to the Commander.' He hesitated. He wanted to reach out and touch her.

But he didn't.

His first stop wasn't to the Commander's office, but to pick up a transfer request form.

The dark haired woman stepped from the crowd. Her thick, dark, glossy hair was pinned up. Her eyes were ice blue. They were astonishingly vivid. If she hadn't been scowling every time Riley saw her she might have wondered if she was another of Vann's beauties.

And once again Vann was inside her head.

She so wanted to go on a sub. She wanted to see the ocean-going gemengs. Perhaps she could learn to swim and go and try her luck with them. Though if Vann wasn't even going to help her fight leapers on a beach there was no way he was going to let her come on a sub. Riley knew a pointless fight when she saw one.

Besides. She might be a distraction to him.

The woman was close to her now. She didn't stop where most of them did. She kept coming.

That caught her attention. What did the woman want?

The woman stopped right in front of Riley.

'So you're the one Vann's so fascinated with.' The woman said as her eyes ran over Riley's face. Her voice had an unforgiving harshness to it. She was speaking quietly enough that the conversation would be private.

That was enough to make Riley feel a touch of unease.

Her words though were enough to make Riley's cheeks heat up.

She said nothing.

She didn't like the way this woman was looking at her.

It made Riley remember how she had felt in a room full of Vann's oh so pretty former lovers.

'A gemeng.' the woman said. 'How special. You know,' pause, 'the moment he has you he'll lose interest.'

This horrible woman was a master of the meaningful pause.

Riley felt her cheeks burning. It was probably true. He'd lost interest in all the others. She'd seen them, and all so lovely. But she wasn't going to find out. She was leaving. She wasn't going to think about that.

'I hear you're opposed to the idea.' Pause.

Riley hated her pauses as much as her words.

'But you should be honoured. A gemeng like you.'

A spark of anger ignited in her. Honoured? Because a human wanted her? She hadn't felt _honoured_ by Peitar's _affection_.

'Just let him have you. Then this embarrassment will be over.'

When Riley finally spoke her voice sounded strange to her ears, after being so focussed on the dark haired woman's words.

'Let him _have_ me?'

Another of those pauses that screamed with words.

'I don't really want to know the details.' Pause. 'Let him do what he likes to you.' Pause. 'You should be pleased a human would want to touch you.' Pause. 'Then this farce will be done with.'

Shock and outrage clashed inside her. Riley's mouth was clamped shut. Her eyes were afire with rage. She was choking on things she couldn't say or do. Things that weren't allowed out.

Her head was throbbing.

In this place, she could do nothing to this woman, say nothing, scream nothing. And what did it matter what she said or felt? She was a gemeng. She was supposed to let any human who wanted her _have_ her!

The image of the woman wavered before her eyes.

Riley did nothing.

Said nothing.

And then something changed within her.

What did it matter what the icy-eyed woman said, what she thought? She was a gemeng. No _human_ could touch her unless she allowed it. No human could control her unless she allowed it.

In fact, they couldn't do anything to her unless she let them.

So softly the other woman barely caught it Riley said, 'You can't hurt me unless I let you.' But she wasn't talking to the other woman. It was for herself.

Riley did not bother to note the other woman's reaction. It meant less than nothing.

Riley turned and began walking away from the courtyard.

People were calling to her.

She took no notice.

She walked out of the Blocks.

She wasn't going to wait on anyone else's say so any more.

She wasn't going to be here any longer.

Chapter 49

Coastside fell behind. Forest was ahead.

She ran. Trees whipped past. There was no sound of her passage.

Her heart sang!

She ran as fast as she could. Faster. Dodging trees, branches. She laughed.

She circled around Astar. Came in the other side.

No one saw her. Not one patrol.

No one.

And then there was a city to sneak through.

It was dark.

And she snuck through it.

She'd moved through the city unseen before, avoided patrols before.

Her night time running was supposed to be secret, after all.

And as easily as she'd run from Coastside to Astar, she crept through Astar to her no-longer home.

Riley had not stopped to gather her things in Coastside. There was nothing there she needed.

And so she found herself outside her door without a key.

The door was locked.

The ease with which she forced the door open only added to her elation.

She stood in an old, bare living room. The bedroom door was closed.

She waited, rocking. She wondered if Aerlid had noticed.

When Aerlid opened the bedroom door and glared at her she was happy.

When his glare changed to one of surprised pleasure she beamed back.

'Riley! I thought you were a robber. What are you doing here?'

'We're leaving.' was her answer. 'Right now.'

'The bags are ready.' he caught on quickly. 'Is the plan the same?'

'There's a slight change.' she grinned wickedly.

Two days passed before a search party was organized. The delay frustrated Aerlid to no end, but he supposed the Coastsiders hadn't realized Riley'd actually _left_ Coastside until the morning after.

He couldn't help a twinge of regret as he stood outside the walls of Astar, listening to Captain Batar Krope give his orders. He wondered if Riley knew how much her old unit cared about her.

'She hasn't contacted Coastside or Astar.' Batar said, 'and it's been two days. All we know is she left Coastside. We can only hope she was making for Astar. We've been given one week to find her, so we need to move quickly.'

'There's a lot of ground to cover, between here and Coastside.' Geilar, the only gemeng in the group, murmured.

'Yes... but you know, she defeated the drakilis on her own.' Leili said, 'I'm sure... I'm sure she can take care of herself.'

'We don't have time to wonder about that.' Jann said firmly. Aerlid remembered him as the young man Riley had shot. 'Come on, we gotta get going.'

'Mr Meilis, are you sure you want to come with us?' Batar said, his eyes fixed on Aerlid.

'Yes. I spent many years outside of Astar, I can take care of myself. Besides, if she's injured, I'll be able to help.'

'He took care of my hand pretty good.' Jann said.

'There was nothing _wrong_ with your hand.' Geilar muttered.

'Alright, let's move out. We'll move quickly to the testing centre, and focus our search on the area between the testing centre and Coastside. Let's move.'

Aerlid almost regretted what he'd have to do to them.

The next day, Aerlid met Riley at the border between the Astarian forest and the hills.

In two weeks, they stood atop a cliff looking down.

Below lay the Plains.

Chapter 50

When a particular sub returned to Coastside the news waiting for those aboard was not greeted well.

One submariner in particular demanded to go out searching.

He was told the Astarian Military would handle the search. What would a submariner know about a forest?

And so he was confined to his dorm. For some reason, the Commander of the submariners didn't trust him.

Astar learnt the fate of the gemeng first. Astar Home Defence Patrol Unit-16, accompanied by the uncle who had forcefully insisted on joining them on the search for his niece, had found the remains.

When the unit ran back to Astar with babbled tales of horrible, hungry, murderous gemengs all of Astar was put on alert.

A human, the poor old uncle, had been killed.

Or so they remembered.

And so the evidence left behind suggested.

Blood.

Claw marks.

Scraps of clothes.

And scraps of a uniform. A uniform that belonged to a missing gemeng.

The woman in charge of transfers looked up in surprise. This one had been here not long ago. He'd been beaming then.

Now though... beneath his tan he was pale. His grey eyes were red and wet.

His voice was wobbly as he asked whether it was too late to change his mind.

'Of course not, dear.' She replied, concerned. 'Are you alright?' He looked like he was about to start crying.

'T-thank you.' his voice was thick.

He turned and walked quickly out of her office, his shoulders hunched, his head bowed.

PART 4

Chapter 51

It was raining.

Raining was perhaps not the right word.

Aerlid was singing softly. As soon as he had left Astar he had changed and returned to the shining moonlight and night-dark eyes of long ago, when they were alone in the forest. Above them the shield was visible where the rain hit it. That was to say, it was always visible. It was white and sparkly. Rain rolled off it to either side.

Despite the shield Riley was as wet as if she'd been dumped in the ocean.

The world was dark.

The rain gave the darkness a particular thickness that made it impenetrable. But then thunder would boom and roll and lightning would strike. And for an instant the world would be lit by blinding white light.

And then in an instant it would be gone.

And somehow it was darker than before.

Riley wrapped her arms around herself. She was shivering. She was soaking.

Wet grass came up higher than her waist. It clung to her. Mud came up to her ankles. That was clinging to her too.

They stood on a hill. When lightning hit she could see an ocean of grass all around.

And right now it was an ocean.

An ocean that just happened to be filled with grass.

'I-is it l-like t-t-this oft-often?' she managed through chattering teeth.

Aerlid glanced at her. Even this close he was just a greyish shadow. He shook his head.

Gripped by a sudden energy, Riley started wading down the hill.

Startled, Aerlid followed. He managed to stay close enough to keep her under the shield.

Despite it not preventing them from getting wet, it was slightly more comfortable than actually feeling the pelting torrent pounding into her.

But gemengs lived on the plains. They had to have shelter.

She was going to find it.

And no matter how violent and grumpy they were, they couldn't be as violent and grumpy as her.

Off the hill it was dangerous.

Water was rushing and rising. Grass was everywhere. And under the water, sticky, sucking mud.

Aerlid's hand gripped hers.

Lightning flashed. All she could see was grass.

The noise of the rain filled her ears. The smell of rain and wet grass was overpowering.

She strove onwards, Aerlid behind her. All she knew was that she had his hand.

Her dark, patchwork outfit was sticking to her skin. She was soaked.

She didn't want to think what this was doing to her weapons or their supplies.

Later.

Later.

The rain went on and on.

Cold.

Then, out of the darkness a light. Red, like fire. It flickered and shuddered. But it kept burning.

It was so small, no larger than a candle.

They headed towards it.

For the light to survive this night there must be shelter.

And then another light.

And another, another.

A whole line of them.

The ground began rising.

It became suddenly much harder going. The water was rushing down towards them.

They kept going. Aerlid was beside her. Now, he was the one pulling her up.

She couldn't see the fire anymore. There was just grass and water.

And then the lights were back. The pressure from the water against her chest eased. Riley realised they were at the top. The water was flowing away from them, down the hill.

Riley observed the lights carefully.

They were not a line but a ring. The fires cast strange, fitful light over the gathering. There was a blowing sound, like giant bellows.

Above the noise of rain and grass there was the noise of rain hitting something that resisted it.

Like a roof.

But there were no poles or anything with which to hold a roof.

Riley approached carefully. Aerlid was close by, she still had his hand.

The white sparkles of the shield were suddenly gone. Rain was no longer hitting it. Startled, Riley looked up. A fall of water showered her. There was a flare of sparkly light as the water hit the shield. Then the rain was gone again. She moved forward quickly.

Something was moving above them, like a sheet in the wind.

Her eyes were adjusting to the smoky light of the fires. It _was_ like a sheet. And near the edges the cover was not so certain, it protected, and then the collected rain would spill from it. The fires were set a safe distance in from the edge.

And Riley could see a pink mound lying in the middle. Above it the sheet, or whatever it was, was rushing in, as if sucked, and then blown out.

Her attention was drawn to the shapes gathered around. A few stood between them and the fires.

Aerlid began speaking in one of the many languages he knew. It was one Riley knew as well, though not the same as that spoken in Astar.

This language was rougher.

'We don't come to fight. We only want to get out of the storm. May we stay here?'

A tall shape strode over to them. In the dark Riley could not make out much about it, except that it was taller than her and Aerlid.

He made a move as if to push them from the tent.

Riley moved out of the way, bringing Aerlid with her. 'If we have to fight to get some shelter we will.' Riley threatened. 'We'll stay on this side of the fires if it bothers you so much.'

'You'll probably have to fight it.' Aerlid spoke to her in the Astarian's version of Seiaan. He let go of her hand and stepped back.

'You may not use our shelter!' the creature growled. 'Get out or become our dinner. Your choice.'

Riley drew her sword. It sung as it arced from her scabbard. 'We choose neither.'

As they were sitting by the fires drying themselves, Riley pondered that she had basically forced herself into someone's home. At that moment, she didn't really care.

She realized once they settled by the fire that the mound was a big, fat gemeng. It was blowing out air to keep the sheet aloft. She was surprised it didn't blow away, or that he had enough air to do that.

Still, it kept them from getting wetter. The ground underneath the tent was only damp and the grass was flattened down.

At that moment, it was very pleasant with the storm raging mere meters away.

She glanced over at the wounded man on the other side of the fire. The other creatures were bandaging him. They watched her with dangerous scowls.

They were not safe here.

She and Aerlid would have to take turns sleeping.

Chapter 52

It was difficult to tell the passing of time with the sky so dark. Day seemed no brighter than night. The gemengs watched them. They watched the gemengs. But nothing happened while it rained.

Riley and Aerlid ate from their supplies. They got as dry as was possible under the tent.

The fat gemeng just kept blowing, keeping the tent aloft.

And then the rain lightened. A few spots of sky appeared in the cloud layer. As the day wore on the clouds disappeared.

Riley stared up at the blue sky and the shining sun.

It was so quiet without the rain.

How could it be so bright after so much darkness?

The fires were put out. The tent floated down slowly.

Aerlid and Riley quickly got out of the way as the tent was packed up.

The world felt strange and new. Riley looked around, she was surprised to find they were not on an island in the middle of an ocean.

Just the grass, blowing in a light breeze.

She turned back to the gemengs. They had come to the Plains so that she might fight and test herself. But these people had given them shelter, even if it had been unwillingly.

She studied the gemengs as they worked. They were a strange, motley group. Big, small, furry, skinned. A lot of sharp claws. Some had tails. Some didn't. But they were not the same as the gemengs from Astar, Garrondin or the gemeng village of her youth. They moved with a savage confidence and pride none of the others had had.

She didn't really want to fight them.

Besides, they were only on the edge of the Plains, and that creature she had fought had not been in the least bit challenging.

If she wanted to find some really dangerous gemengs she would have to go further in.

So while the gemengs were packing up, she and Aerlid quietly slipped away.

'I guess we shouldn't go too far in.' Riley reluctantly announced the next day. 'In case we run into trouble.'

'We won't.' Aerlid replied calmly.

Riley's eyes were instantly on him. She noted the arrangement of his features, the tone of his voice. All in all, it seemed a rather odd position to take when travelling through the Plains.

It was not something Riley could let lie unquestioned.

'Why do you say that?' she asked.

A slow smile spread across his face.

Riley was used to Aerlid responding strangely to her questions so she remained unbothered by his response and instead focussed on walking. The ground was muddy, though most of the water had soaked into the earth. It was much drier than yesterday, at least.

Riley had never travelled through the long grasses that made up the plains, so it took her some time to be able to travel silently. They hadn't been attacked by anything so perhaps she was doing alright. Perhaps they were being followed.

'So you want to know?' Aerlid prompted when she did not say anything for some time.

He sounded almost eager.

'Yes.' Riley replied.

'Well, the answer is long. Are you sure you want to hear it?'

'Have you been here before?' Riley asked instead.

'Why do you ask that?' Aerlid demanded.

'Well if you know this place well, then I'll trust your judgement.'

'No, no!' He protested. 'You wanted to know!'

Riley had already made the decision, however. 'It's alright. We'll head to the centre then.'

'Riley, I really think you should ask me why I'm not concerned about the plains people.'

'You can tell me if you like.'

Aerlid spent the rest of the day cursing her incurious nature and demanding she demand answers from him.

Riley spent the rest of the day ignoring him.

Chapter 53

Riley didn't know if this was the centre or not, but it was somewhere and she was willing to settle for that.

She and Aerlid (who was still sulking) approached the campsite slowly.

Riley's quick eyes flicked around, taking note of everything.

It was not a permanent settlement. There were tents, flattened down grass, and a crazy assortment of creatures. Some had fangs and claws, horns and other protuberances. Some had discolourations and marks on their skin, patches of scales or fur. Riley also noted that some parts didn't look quite right, as if they didn't work properly. There were stubby, useless claws and fingers that were too short or fused together. There was a certain odour to this place, suggesting the people here weren't overly conscious of bathing. They wore animal skins. Some had decorations, mostly consisting of parts of other gemengs. Claws were a popular feature, as were teeth. None of them carried weapons. _They_ were the weapons.

They stopped at the edge of the encampment.

Riley noted the surprise on the creatures' faces. Suddenly the camp was transformed. Menace filled the air. Gemengs spread out in a loose formation. Not all stayed near them, Riley noted some stayed to guard the rest of the camp. A few more disappeared into the grasses, perhaps to search for other interlopers.

And then it was done and activity ceased.

For a wild moment Riley wondered how she was to go about this. Should she just go up and say, 'hi, I'm Riley, nice to meet you, I'd very much like to beat some of you guys up, thanks.'

What was the procedure for this kind of thing?

Before she could wonder any more over it, Aerlid stepped forward. He spoke in Plains-speech, the same language he had spoken to the gemengs in the rain.

He said some things about challenge, test of strength. Riley noted curiously he specifically mentioned _not_ fighting the lord of this tribe. She would ask later. At the moment, she focussed on remembering what he said (so she might handle it herself next time) and visually taking stock of the gemengs of this tribe.

They all looked strong.

But she couldn't really tell just from looking. She didn't think what applied to humans and gemengvals applied to the gemengs of the Plains.

Some of the gemengs were laughing. It was loud and raucous, with an ugly edge to it.

A man with a long, thin face stepped forward from the crowd. He was not as thick as some of the others, or so tall. What he lacked in size Riley thought he made up with the length of his claws. There was one main one on each hand. It was not so much a claw but a small sword that had grown from the creature's hand. There were smaller claws on his other fingers, but they were small and misshapen.

'I am to fight it?' Riley asked Aerlid.

He nodded.

She smiled.

She was careful at first. The ease with which she defeated him was surprising and elating. And then another came forward. She didn't mind.

Nor when the third came forward. Or even the ninth.

When the first one came back again she began to get a little concerned. She'd already defeated him.

She shoved him away for the second time and turned to speak to Aerlid. But another was coming.

'Why don't they stop?' she called at Aerlid as she dodged and slashed around the next opponent.

'Hmm, I think you'll have to kill one of them.' he answered.

'Why?' she demanded. They just kept lining up. When their turn came they threw themselves at her. And then they got back in the line.

'I thought they'd stop when you defeated their leader.'

Riley wondered which one that had been.

'I guess they have no reason to stop. If they kill you, that will bring them glory. But they don't perceive you as dangerous. Why would they stop when they know you aren't going to hurt them?'

Riley didn't think leaving a person with cuts as deep as bone qualified as 'not hurting'.

She didn't think breaking bone or leaving a creature unconscious was particularly safe.

Apparently, the gemengs of the Plains didn't agree.

'What if I surrender?' This had gone on long enough. None here challenged her.

'That won't help. They'll chase us.'

'I think we can run faster!'

'Probably. But it's too easy to get lost here. We could easily end up running straight into another camp. No, I think you'll have to kill one of them.'

She was trembling.

The camp was littered with wounded gemengs. Children and those who hadn't fought skittered through the mess, bandaging here, giving water there.

Sweat was getting into her eyes.

The little children made faces at her.

Her sword felt so heavy.

And they just kept _coming_.

Even the children, she realised, even the children make fun of me.

What was wrong with them?

How was this not getting into trouble?

She'd defeated every fighting gemeng in this camp at least thrice over.

But they didn't fear her.

So there was no reason for them to stop.

She was tired. Was this the limit she had wanted to find? She was going to end up killing one of these creatures by mistake. A surge of frustration energized her.

Another was down, at least for a little while, and then the next was already charging at her.

She didn't particularly care. They'd certainly had enough chances to stop and accept defeat.

But she also didn't acknowledge them as a threat, so she could not make the choice to just kill them and make it stop.

Much the same way they didn't see her as a threat, she supposed.

But they would kill her.

If they could.

Maybe soon she would be tired enough that they could.

Her stinging green eyes locked onto the next one.

She had never been this tired.

She didn't know how much longer she could go on.

But she wasn't going to get into a position where they could kill her because she hadn't felt up to it.

The next was down.

She began speaking. The next one didn't wait. It kept coming. She felt as though she was moving through cave mould as she dodged the next attack.

'I will kill... the next person who lifts a hand against me.'

This one was down.

It didn't count. It hadn't waited for her warning.

Everything went curiously slowly. Another got up. A male. His face was twisted in contempt and disgust.

She moved it seemed by rote. She couldn't remember making the choices, she just moved.

Then it was down and blood was getting all over her shoes.

And then _another_ was coming!

'What's wrong with you?!' she screamed. 'Look, he's dying!'

But not _dead_.

A little child was approaching with bandages. She'd just shoved her sword through this man's chest and children were coming up to her, happy as you please. Coming to fix him up. So he could throw himself at her again.

'Get away!' She grabbed the child by its tunic and shoved it.

Suddenly, her arm felt like it had been set on fire. She turned, saw. Claws raised. Face a rictus of hate.

It had _hurt_ her.

She slashed with her dagger. She was blocked.

Enough.

She summoned energy and anger from somewhere. This one went down, his head nearly severed from his neck.

Another was coming.

Nearly severed.

Not quite.

What did she have to _do_ to get them to stop?!

Another child was coming!

Quickly she bent down and grabbed the man's head by the hair.

She growled and waved her dagger at the approaching child. 'Get away!'

The grisly nature of her quick work did not affect her.

She was too tired and too shocked.

She bounded up. The next was nearly there.

She thrust the last one's severed head before her. 'Look! Dead! _Dead_! Now go away! Go away!'

The next was female. She skidded to a halt.

She appraised the head sceptically, as if deciding on its deadness.

Then she turned and walked away. Limped away.

The children went too. Well, they were not so frightened by her that they didn't stop to gather up the wounded.

One even wanted the head.

'Mine!' she growled at it.

This was proof. Without the head they'd come at her again.

She felt curiously light headed, like she might float away.

Even more curious was that she could actually walk.

When she spotted Aerlid it took her a moment to remember what he was doing there. She was too tired to ask why he hadn't come to help her.

Riley stared at herself in the stream. She was covered in sweat and blood and dirt.

She had a severed head in her hand.

She knelt down by the stream. She more fell than knelt. But she was down. She dipped her hands in the stream. For a moment she let the water carry the mess away from them. Then she scrubbed them. She cupped her hands and washed her face.

After, she turned to Aerlid. 'Why did they keep coming?' she asked.

'They weren't afraid.' he shrugged. He almost seemed to glow compared to her.

'Why not?' she demanded. Her reflection hadn't filled her with thoughts of safety, that was for sure!

'Riley, here the winner of a challenge kills the loser. You didn't.' he shrugged. 'Not for a great many challenges. Riley, I'm afraid we'll have this problem everywhere in the Plains. If you aren't willing to kill the loser perhaps we should think about leaving.'

'What if I keep the head?' she asked. She gazed down at it. Her mind didn't seem to be making all the connections it should. Everything was moving so slowly.

It was hard to imagine this had once been attached to a body. Words had once come out of that mouth.

Aerlid shook his head. 'I don't think that will help.'

'Well I guess I'll give it back then.'

Riley turned to look at her arm. It was still burning. There was a new slice in her clothes. It was more a graze than a cut. A red line, but no blood.

Well, it didn't need attention, so she turned away from it.

Riley continued cleaning herself at the stream. She said no more to Aerlid.

She didn't feel like making any decisions at the moment.

Chapter 54

After some food and a good night's sleep Riley felt refreshed. They'd slept by the river. The gemeng's camp was less than ten meters away, yet the tall grass provided some privacy.

Over breakfast Riley thought about what Aerlid had said last night.

The Plains had proved to be more than a little disappointing. But the memory of her childhood in peopleless forests buoyed her. She had been happy then. She had done what she wanted to do here, albeit not in quite the way she'd imagined. The fighting had taxed her stamina, and nothing else.

'Do the strongest gemengs really live here?' Riley asked Aerlid.

'Well, I don't know any stronger, though I suppose there could be.'

Riley nodded absently. 'Alright.' She said. 'We'll leave.'

Aerlid hesitated for a moment before saying, 'we may not be able to yet.'

Riley glanced up at him.

'You've destroyed the fighting force of this tribe. When the other tribes find out they'll wipe these people out.'

Riley's eyes widened. 'You mean I have to stay and protect them til they feel better?' she demanded.

'Well, we could still leave.' he said, though his tone suggested otherwise.

'Couldn't you heal them?'

'There are too many. It would take me weeks to heal them all, by then I imagine they would have healed naturally anyway. Besides, if I fix some and not the others, who knows what the healthy ones would do to the weak.'

Riley sighed and looked away. 'Fine.' She stood. 'Let's go tell them.' she said grimly. 'We have to set some rules with these people. I won't have them attacking me while I'm here.'

Aerlid got to his feet and nodded in agreement.

As they headed back towards the main encampment Riley remembered something.

'Why didn't you want me to fight their leader?' she asked.

'Usually the gemengs will follow whoever defeats their leader. But I guess that won't be a problem with you.'

A week later Riley was warily striding through the camp. Hoots and insults followed her wherever she went. A swarm of children followed her. They tried to steal her weapons right off her belt and cheerily ignored her attempts to swat them away.

'Slave, come sweep my tent! How can I recover living in this mess?!'

'Come cook for us, slave!'

It was an unpleasantly hot and humid day. The smell of the grass and unwashed gemengs was overpowering. The cool water of the river called to her. But she was supposed to be protecting these people. She needed to check on them _sometime_ if she was to do that.

'Slave, go hunt for us! I'm hungry!'

There was the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

'The slave can't hunt! She's soft! Only warriors hunt!'

She was too tense. It was too hot. It was too crowded. There was a constant din of noise, of people talking and fighting and cooking. It was too damn smelly! How could a tribe of less than fifty people be so unpleasant?! It wasn't as if they didn't have access to the river! It was less than a minute away!

Her round of the campsite wasn't finished yet. So she kept going, around animal skin tents, clumps of gemengs, scattered belongings.

Riley wasn't paying attention. Disconnected images flicked past. She wanted to get this done as fast as possible.

Something hard hit her temple. She turned, startled. Her head throbbed painfully. She blinked back tears of startled pain.

Images rushed her. What had happened, where had it come from?

Something hard and painful collided with her forehead. She raised a hand to her head. Children came into focus, that swarm of thieving pests.

The swarm no longer surrounded her. They were gathered in a buzzing, cackling group not far away, pointing at her. She spotted a hand clutched around something. Another arm raised. Something grey and small flying through the air...

Pain exploded in her shoulder.

They were throwing rocks at her!

And cackling like... like horrible little gemeng children throwing _rocks_ at her!

Running away did not occur to her. Riley stalked over to them, her brows drawn down in anger.

'Stop that! Get away!' and she swatted at the swarm like she had so many times this week. All that did was send them scattering, laughing around her. And they kept throwing rocks. Stinging pain exploded all over her, it was a constant barrage.

Riley angrily grabbed one of the children and stole his rocks. He cursed and bit her and she shoved him away.

The adults were roaring with laughter.

She caught another child and unarmed it. The torrent of stones continued.

She spotted a child carrying a woven basket. It was full of dirt covered roots and bulbs. Soon that joined her collection too, and she dumped her rocks in it.

'Give it back!' the child demanded shrilly.

'Go get it from her, go get it from her!' the other children taunted.

The child threw herself at Riley. She bit and kicked and scratched. 'Give it back, slave! Give it back, slave!'

Riley shoved her away, but of course she just came back.

Riley angrily broke free of the grip of the child and stalked back towards the river camp. If she had hoped that would end the farce, she was wrong. The children followed. The rain of rocks continued.

It didn't take long to reach the river. Riley felt a rush of relief when the grasses parted to reveal the river.

But the children followed, their smelly, loud, rock throwing selves breaking the peace of the river.

Suddenly they fell silent. Riley, surprised, looked to see what had stopped them.

The only other thing besides grass and water was Aerlid.

His dark, moonlit eyes were locked on the children.

The tableau lasted only a second before the children suddenly turned and ran back to their own camp.

Riley's eyes narrowed. How come he could scare them off and yet she couldn't? He hadn't severed anyone's head. He hadn't rendered the entire tribe defenceless and gotten them into this mess.

'Here.' she said and handed the basket to Aerlid. 'There's food in the bottom.'

She moved past him and settled by the river.

Aerlid glanced down at the rock filled basket. Then he looked up. Riley was inspecting herself. She didn't have a single bruise. But she could feel every spot a rock had hit her.

'You know they'll find more rocks.'

Her only response was an annoyed grunt.

After that, Riley avoided being seen whenever she went into the tribe's camp. Mostly, that meant she went during the night instead of the day. The nights weren't much cooler than the days, though they were quieter.

The days drifted by, each much the same as the last. She watched and noted much as she always did. Mostly, she paid attention to how the adults treated the children. Clearly, she needed some tips.

She learnt the name of the tribe. It was known simply as Gakra's tribe. As Gakra happened to be the leader of the tribe it wasn't terribly creative. Aerlid explained that when a new person took over the tribe the name of the tribe would change accordingly. Everything about life here was bound up in whoever happened to be in command at that moment.

The adults were tough on the children, but when compared with how they treated each other, they positively spoiled them. Fighting was allowed, and even encouraged among the children, though she had seen on more than one occasion an adult break up a fight that was getting too serious. Even adults who weren't related to the children would break up a fight. Adults had names and titles, such as Gakra the Fierce. Children didn't have their own names. By their parents they were referred to by order of birth. Firstboy, Firstgirl and so on. Other adults referred to them by their parents, such as Gakra's boy. On occasion, they were called foolish one or strong one.

Hidden in tents, lived the other children, children who were too weak to chase her around and throw rocks at her. Riley only discovered them by careful spying. Why the gemengs, who only appeared to value strength, took care of the weak children, Riley didn't know.

There were a surprising number of hidden ones. There seemed as many, or more of them than healthy children. She also discovered that most of the gemengs didn't have any children at all. The healthy children belonged to only a handful of couples.

Riley was currently observing a family unit from the safety of the long grass. She was familiar with this family. Tonight the mother and three of the healthy children were sitting outside their tent. Inside, Riley knew, was the father and a sickly child that rarely left the tent.

When she heard a voice raised in derision and anger she immediately assumed it was directed at her. She felt a moment of alarm. How had they discovered her? But then she noticed where the group was looking. They glanced over their shoulders, in the direction of the central campfire. Noise and smells would rise from the central campfire long into the night. The adults gathered around, eating and telling stories or just insulting one another.

The family turned back to their own meal. The low murmur of their talk resumed.

Suddenly a scream shattered the peace. The group didn't even twitch. However they did pay attention when a dark shape suddenly erupted from the grass and darted through their dinner.

Riley merely needed to round this tent and another to find herself in the common area. There was the fire, carefully dug and prepared so it wouldn't set the grasslands alight. It cast flickering light into the darkness. A ring of gemengs sat around it, and further away other loose groups. Tents or merely cloaks (not everyone had a tent) were set up in a circle around the space. Above the red light of the fire, cold dark night loomed. Stars stood out starkly, like distant jewels.

A gemeng lay thrashing on the ground. Another loomed above. The smell of blood was thick in the air.

Riley observed all this. And then she turned and ran.

When she returned with Aerlid in tow the situation had changed so much she was momentarily disoriented. She thought for a moment she had gotten lost, as unlikely as that was. Then she spotted a large, dark wet stain in the dirt.

And yet nobody was paying any mind. The fire crackled and sizzled. There was a shout of laughter, the loud hum of many people talking at once.

'What happened?!' Riley demanded.

Suddenly heads turned. Contemptuous, cold, hard gazes were fixed on her. There was an ominous silence to them. No jokes or taunts this time.

She was all too aware of the change. Into the empty silence she called, 'what happened to the one who was lying here?' her voice echoed hollowly.

'Is the slave upset?' growled a gravelly voice.

'Did the slave want to bandage up the dead one?'

'Doesn't it know what _real_ warriors do to those who insult them?'

'How would that thing know? It doesn't know what a warrior is!'

Riley's head pounded. Sweat stood out on her skin, though it was cool tonight. She was keenly aware of the gemengs surrounding her, of the smell of blood still in the air.

One of the gemengs pointed off into the grasses, away from the camp. 'The dead one is out there! He's wolf food now.'

'He's dead.' she stated. It was not a question.

'Cowardly and dumb!'

'Why?' she demanded, anger creeping into her voice. 'Who?'

One of the many rolled to its feet. Riley watched as the large creature stalked over to her. It was tall. Taller than Riley. Even taller than Aerlid. It took Riley a moment to realize it was a woman.

' _I.'_ The woman ground out. 'Reklash the Strong! The dead one insulted me.' The woman's lips spread in a slow smile.

There was blood spattered across her animal skins. Some old.

Some new.

Riley stared at this huge, smelly, monster. There was a string of claws around her neck. Different shapes. Stained, chipped. Riley's eyes lingered on a curved claw, resting near the woman's shoulder. Fresh blood glistened in the fire light.

'Would you like to insult me too?' Hatred burned in the woman's little black eyes. Sharp, thin teeth protruded from her mouth.

_She's a murderer,_ Riley thought. And yet... did no one care?

The woman's eyes flicked to Aerlid. 'The dead one was once mine, then it became a warrior. You understand. If yours ever becomes a warrior, you would behave honourably.' And she nodded at Aerlid, as if recognizing him as worthy of respect.

Aerlid said nothing.

Riley gaped. 'What did he say to you?' she gasped. _Her child?!_

'He said I smelt funny.' and she wrinkled her nose.

'Funny.' Riley said flatly in disbelief. _Her child!_ 'You don't smell funny, you smell terrible.'

She didn't have time to react as the woman raked her claws across her face and throat. Riley's head snapped sideways. The left side of her face and neck felt like they were on fire. Shock and pain and everything made her respond very slowly. She turned her head and contemplated this woman who had just tried to kill her. Might have. Riley raised a hand to her face. There was no blood. _I could kill her_ , Riley thought. But what would that prove?

By the standards of the Plains, Reklash wasn't a murderer. What she had done was not even worth commenting upon.

There was nothing Riley could to her that would mean anything.

Riley turned. She walked away from the camp, Aerlid by her side.

He didn't say anything.

What was there to say?

Back by the river camp it was quieter, cooler.

'Why are we protecting them from another tribe,' Riley mumbled. 'They don't need another tribe to kill them. They do it themselves, over the slightest thing. I'm surprised there are any left.'

'I imagine there are certain rules about who you can kill and when,' Aerlid murmured.

'Yes, do whatever you like to whoever's weaker than you.' _He was her child._

She didn't _understand_. She had watched parents take care of their children, even the weak ones. Could Reklash just be a tragic anomaly? But then, why had no one reacted?

Aerlid continued talking, 'Well, I imagine the weaker members of the tribe are careful enough that the death rate doesn't get too high. But I agree, they are a brutal and unpleasant people.'

'Aerlid,' Riley interjected. 'I don't understand.' And she explained her confusion to him.

Aerlid fell silent for a moment. 'Perhaps that doesn't mean anything after they become warriors. Maybe she didn't think of him as her child anymore.' he guessed.

'They'd tear me to pieces if they could.' she mumbled. 'And leave me to the wolves.'

'Yes.' he agreed, 'But they can't. You needn't worry about that Riley, you're perfectly safe.'

Riley didn't respond. That didn't help. Idly, Riley wondered what part of her would make it to a necklace. There was a heavy, oppressive feel to this place. The fear was hidden, in a way. But it was there, under the snarls and taunts. Friends, family, none of that meant anything. A moment of weakness, a moment of truth, and it was all over. Your mother would rip you apart and leave you to the wolves. She wondered for a moment if they could be anything else. And then she remembered herself. If _she_ , who was stronger than all of them, couldn't be different and a part of their society, what hope did any of them have?

Since that night Riley was less discreet in her forays into the gemeng's camp. She didn't want to hide and cower from monsters like Reklash. So she began going into the camp during day time again. The children still bothered her, the adults were still disgusted by her. But it made living here easier for her. Rocks and taunts were easier for her to deal with than fear.

At the moment Riley was not quite in the camp. She was just past the edge, where the grasses had not been flattened down. Her back was to the camp. Her senses focussed on the world beyond- the sounds of bugs, animals, wind, the sound of blades of grass rubbing against one another. It wasn't quite as relaxing as looking into a forest, though it was much better than looking into the camp.

'You waste your time patrolling!'

Riley nearly jumped. Startled, she turned. It was Gakra. He was big and brawny and had an aura of command around him. Perhaps command wasn't the right word. Gemengs were very careful around him. No one questioned his authority. Riley could almost smell the fear, so carefully hidden, whenever he was around. Two gemengs stood behind him. All three of them wore a collection of dirty, blood-stained bandages. They still weren't entirely healed from their fight with Riley.

Gakra's lip was curled in disgust, his hard, scarred face a mask of contemptuous anger. He spat at her feet. 'What would you do if you came across a warrior?' he growled. 'You scare off nobody. You are useless.'

Riley gazed at him for a moment. Then she started to walk past him. He grabbed her shoulder. His claws were not long, but they were strong and sharp.

It hurt.

Riley stopped. Her eyes narrowed.

'You strong outside.' he sneered. 'But weak inside.' He jabbed her chest, hard. 'Weak where it counts.'

He spat on her.

Riley's eyes narrowed in anger. She clenched her teeth. She was very aware of him, of his hand painfully gripping her shoulder, of the spot where he had jabbed her, of his sweaty, unwashed stink. Anger flared. And then she swallowed it. And instead of doing all the things the anger demanded, she did the thing she had thought of. The thing she had seen adults do to children.

Riley slapped Gakra lightly on the cheek. And then she continued walking, breaking his grip on her shoulder.

There was a scream of rage from behind her.

Riley heard him coming. Fear thrummed within her. But she stood her ground. The charging gemeng tribe leader barrelled into her.

She didn't even tremble.

'No.' Riley said, using the same amused tone she sometimes heard from the adults. She turned to face him. Then she slapped him and shoved him lightly away. She fixed an amused mask in place. 'You think you're a warrior?' she smiled. 'You need a few more years yet, foolish one.'

Gakra was frothing with rage. Strangled sounds were coming from him, as if he was too angry to form words. The two gemengs behind him were trembling. Riley noted it. She wondered for a moment how she would have dealt with the tribe if they'd come at her in groups instead of one at a time. And she wondered how far she could push this.

She smiled again. It was no longer an amused smile. 'You'll wash my clothes today, foolish one. I expect you by the river before noon.'

And she turned and left.

Riley waited by the river, her arms crossed over her chest. Aerlid was sitting calmly on the ground behind her, doing Aerlid things.

Noon came. There was no sign of Gakra.

Riley waited some more. When the sun was no longer directly above, she stopped waiting. She left the river camp. Wherever she went, she went there unseen. Everything seemed normal. Right up until supper time.

It was when the sky started darkening that the outraged shrieks started. Aerlid looking up from the Aerlid things he was doing and glanced in the direction of the gemeng's camp. Then he looked back down.

Riley was back at the river camp by then, had been for some time.

Moments dragged by.

Aerlid began preparing dinner. Riley offered to help and was given a scolding.

The signs of her unease were small, but they were there. Her eyes, darting towards the gemeng's camp and back. An intermittent frown.

Aerlid served dinner. He was the picture of calm. His steady gaze as he handed her a bowl seemed to say, 'calm down.'

They began eating. It was soup made of a mix of gathered vegetables and a small animal unfortunate enough to run into Riley.

Riley paused suddenly, the spoon halfway to her mouth. She looked towards the grasses.

Aerlid looked too.

A rustling could be heard. A moment after, the grasses parted. A group of gemengs stood before them. Little children were gathered around the adult's feet. Gakra was not among them.

Why would he be? That would be a sign she might be worth something.

'Thief! What have you done with our stores?!' the leader of the group demanded. It was large and smelly and dressed in animal skins and trophies and of indeterminate sex. So just like any other gemeng from Gakra's tribe.

Riley's nervousness disappeared. A coolly amused expression snapped into place. 'I'm eating.' she scolded. 'You let your children bother you when you're eating?'

'Such poor manners.' Aerlid added.

A low growl came from the leader. Riley and Aerlid ignored it.

'Where did you put it, slave? I can see our food isn't here! You stay to protect us and yet steal our food!'

'They think we're here to look after them.' Riley said to Aerlid.

'Wherever did they get that idea from?' Aerlid asked.

The entire group began yelling and screaming and demanding to know where their food had gone. Finally, one of the children ran forward and tried to snatch Riley's bowl from her hand.

Without a word Riley stood and grabbed the child by the scruff of its tunic. She slapped it across the face, hard enough that it hurt. Then she shoved it back towards the gemengs and sat down to resume her dinner.

An adult stepped forward. It looked like a female, though Riley wouldn't have bet anything on it.

The woman growled, 'you can pretend all you like, but we know why you're here. You're weak. Soft.' she spat. 'You stay to protect us. Keep our stores. You'll return them before we come to harm.'

The woman turned and stalked off. The other gemengs followed her lead, but not without some parting insults.

The next day, just after the time the gemengs usually ate breakfast, Riley entered their campsite. As soon as she emerged from the grasses all eyes were on her. It did not take long til most of the tribe had gathered at the edge of the camp to glare at her. Gakra was not among them. Riley's eyes wandered over the gemengs. They were silent.

'A foolish child, the one you call Gakra, is the reason you were denied your evening meal. Due to your lack of manners last night, breakfast will also be denied.' As soon as Riley finished speaking angry yelling broke out. Riley ignored it and turned, heading back to the river camp.

During the rest of the morning they received more visits from angry gemengs. Most of the tribe stayed away though.

Not long before noon Aerlid returned the food they had stolen and hidden. After it was returned Riley carefully concealed herself and watched. She did not reveal herself until the gemengs began eating.

Then Riley strode purposefully from the grasses. She walked right up behind a certain female gemeng and yanked her to her feet. The woman squawked, her meal toppling to the dirt.

'Not you.' Riley said. 'You have chores to do, foolish one.'

'Grr! I am Adema Sharpteeth! I am a warrior of Gakra's tribe, slave!' She wriggled and fought violently, but she was not able to break out of Riley's grip. If she had been, Riley would not have been able to so easily defeat her entire tribe.

'You've chosen a name for yourself? A bit premature, don't you think?'

Adema Sharpteeth howled and clawed at Riley's face.

Riley frowned at her. 'Would you like to face me, _Adema Sharpteeth_?' she asked curiously. 'Prove yourself worthy of that name if you want to use it, until then, you are foolish-one.'

Riley let go of her. She shoved her ahead of her and said, 'Now you've gone and torn my clothes. We'll add fixing that to your list of chores, hmm?'

'I am not foolish one!' Adema screamed. 'I am Adema Sharpteeth!'

'Perhaps you shouldn't act so foolish then. But I have no time for your games.' Riley grabbed her again and proceeded to drag her bodily towards the river camp, as she'd seen adult gemengs treat misbehaving children.

'This might not have been a good idea.' Aerlid began that night, after foolish-one, formerly Adema Sharpteeth had gone home. 'You'll be fighting with them constantly now.'

Riley shook her head. 'Just because I'm staying here to protect them doesn't mean I have to let them treat me like that.'

Aerlid shrugged. 'Alright.'

Riley gazed into the fire, troubled. There seemed to be no place in the gemeng society to be anything other than a murderous beast. Even if there had been the desire among some to be something else, well... Riley had seen firsthand what would happen to them.

She could understand, almost, the fear the humans had for these creatures.

Chapter 55

When gemengs from another tribe were finally spotted heading towards Gakra's camp, it was a surprise- for Riley at least. It had been a few weeks since she and Aerlid had arrived at Gakra's tribe, and in all that time they had seen neither hide nor hair of any other tribe.

All that had changed.

'They're coming.' Riley said to Aerlid when she returned from her patrol. 'Do you think they'll line up and attack me one by one?' She didn't think she could deal with them if they all attacked her at once. Even if she _could_ , some would be able to sneak past her and attack the camp. Even if Aerlid helped, there were just too many of them.

Aerlid was silent for a moment as he thought. Then he said 'Perhaps. But only if you challenge their leader to a fight.'

Her gaze darkened. 'I don't want to end up protecting _two_ tribes.'

'No. You'll have to kill the leader. Then you should be able to order that tribe to protect this one. Then we can leave.'

Riley glanced towards Gakra's camp. She didn't know if she had it in her to kill a person when she didn't feel threatened. She turned back to Aerlid and began speaking.

When she finished outlining an alternate plan he mulled it over for a moment.

'I suppose it could work.' he said finally. 'Killing the leader would be less risky though.'

Once the plan was decided on there was nothing to do but go and _do it_. Riley quickly disappeared into the grass, heading in the direction of the attackers. She had not gone far when she suddenly heard wild yells and hoots. And they were not coming from the direction of Gakra's camp! Astounded- could the attackers really be announcing their presence like that?- Riley quickly headed towards the source of the noise.

Riley found the attacking gemengs by nearly running three of them over. It was difficult to see far in the tall grass. She was momentarily startled- and so were they- but she recovered quickly.

'You!' she cried quickly, 'take me to your leader! I challenge the leader of your tribe!'

The atmosphere changed instantly. The gemengs puffed up, cocky grins jumping onto their ugly faces.

'You fight Daklis? Huh! You soft! He rip you apart and use your head for a bowl!'

Riley stared for a moment. Then she said, 'are you going to take me to him or not?!'

'Huh! We take you to Daklis! See you killed! Then we take your tribe, use them as slaves or eat them!'

'Eat them! Too weak to be slaves!'

'Pah! I smell them from here! Taste bad! Just kill!'

'Hey!' Riley interrupted, 'you're wasting my time! Are you taking me to Daklis or not?!'

'Huh! Soft woman, wants to die quick!'

'I think I can oblige you, softie!'

Riley was in no mood for this. She only had three of the attackers here, and until they brought her to Daklis, who knew what the rest of their tribe would be doing to Gakra's tribe?

Riley solved the problem rather easily by punching the closest gemeng in the face.

He went down like a brick.

'Huh...' the other two stared down at their unconscious comrade.

'Take me to Daklis. Right. Now.'

One of the gemengs disappeared while the other started leading her somewhere. The third was left where he lay.

It did not take her long to realise she was being led back to Gakra's camp. When they arrived Riley was greeted by the sight of familiar tents and faces, mixed with a whole lot of unfamiliar faces. It seemed Daklis' entire tribe had descended on Gakra's tribe. It was crowded. But they weren't fighting. They were just waiting.

Riley spotted Aerlid. Their eyes met for a moment. And then a creature stepped out of the crowd. It was about her height and had green, scaly skin, like a snake. It had two muscular arms with short but very sharp claws on the end. Its face was human in shape and it had dry, yellow hair growing from its head.

'I am Daklis, Lord of my tribe, you challenge me?' Daklis' voice was surprisingly human. It did not hiss or slur its words. It was when it spoke Riley noticed small, white teeth in its mouth. Like the teeth of human babies.

'I do.' Riley said, while her eyes moved over him, noting everything. Then, remembering her manners, she added, 'I'm Riley, nice to meet you.' She had a strong urge to shake hands, but she managed to overcome it.

'It will be nice to kill you.' He agreed. Daklis lunged at her, not a moment after he had finished speaking.

Riley felt a moment of trepidation, but she stood her ground. This was not being careful at all. Daklis collided with her. Riley did not even tremble, though inside she was. She did not know this creature's strength. Perhaps he would tear her to pieces.

But the only other option was killing it.

Riley allowed Daklis to claw at her. It burned and stung and her clothes were getting ripped, but he did not draw blood. Then Riley shoved it away and turned her back on Daklis. He threw himself at her again, and bit her arm. Her skin burnt where Daklis gnawed at her, as if he was slathering poison over her arm. She roughly pushed Daklis away and turned her back on him again.

'I asked to fight the Master of this tribe! Why have you sent this child out to me?!' she demanded angrily.

Daklis' tribe erupted in angry muttering. Gakra's tribe remained silent. It sounded like a swarm of bees.

Daklis got to his feet. He didn't say a word, but his eyes glittered with rage. He began circling around her warily. Riley glanced at him once and then ignored him. Daklis attacked from behind. He came in, claws ready. Riley spun. She grabbed his hand and she slapped him lightly across the face.

'No. I do not have time to teach you how to fight, little one. Go fetch your master for me.' Then she threw Daklis towards his tribe. He sprawled on the ground at the feet of its subjects.

A few outraged screeches punctuated the angry drone. Daklis got to his feet. He watched her, and said nothing.

Riley gazed at the crowd imperiously. 'I do not have time for your games. Is your master so cowardly?! I will be waiting by the river.' and she pointed towards the river camp. 'Do not disappoint me!' and she turned and stalked from her audience.

Back by the river camp Riley inspected her stomach. She found herself trembling as she looked at the long grazes and rips in her clothing. If Aerlid had been wrong that thing could have killed her, and she would have allowed it. She shuddered. When she looked up she found Aerlid was watching her.

'You were not in any danger.' he said calmly.

'How do you know that?' she felt a little ill. Daklis may not have more than grazed her, but it _hurt_. And he had _wanted_ to hurt her.

For once Aerlid did not make a big fuss about her asking.

'It is a bigger question than you think.' he said slowly as he glanced off to the side. 'You are a gemeng, but you are of a different mix than the other gemengs.'

'I think I would like to know now.' she said. Perhaps knowing would ease her fears if she had to do this again.

Aerlid smiled a little smile, his dark eyes lighting up, but when he continued his voice was serious. 'Well,' he said as he made himself comfortable on the ground, 'do you know what gemeng means?'

She shook her head. Aerlid knew she didn't know, though perhaps this way made it easier for him to talk.

'It means 'mixed'.' he said, his intent gaze fixed on her. 'Most gemengs are a mix of human and ehlkrid. You are human and something else.'

Riley knew that word. 'Like those monsters that attacked us sometimes in the forest?'

Aerlid nodded. 'Yes. The ehlkrid were here long, long ago. They mixed with the humans and that's where the gemengs came from. There are no longer any pure ehlkrid here. They left. But I know no gemeng of ehlkrid and human blood could hurt you. You are from my own people, Riley, and the valkar are stronger than the ehlkrid. Of course there are always a few exceptions, but on average, the valkar are much stronger than the ehlkrid. A pure ehlkrid would endanger you, but not a human ehlkrid mix.'

'You should feel things as much as a human does, or more. What would kill them wouldn't you, it won't damage you the same. That is how it is with the valkar. You have nothing to fear from the gemengs here.'

'Hmm,' she mused. Then she frowned, 'why on earth wouldn't you let me play with the cats then?!'

Aerlid stared at her in disbelief, before exclaiming, 'you were a child!'

Riley considered that carefully for a moment, unbothered by his affronted stare. 'Alright.' That all seemed to make sense to her.

'So you are a valkar then?' she asked after another moment. 'You are not a gemeng?'

He nodded.

She was silent for some time. She was not thinking about herself.

'Why are you not with the valkar?' she asked

He blinked in surprise. 'Uh...'

'You don't need to tell me.' she said, seeing his expression. She wondered if they were all gone too, like the ehlkrid. And thinking that, she regretted asking. However she had another question, 'do the ehlkrid eat each other?'

Startled, he said, 'why do you ask?'

'I remember the gemengs in that village we went to wanted to eat the deer. You said they weren't strong enough.'

'Well, you certainly have a good memory.' he muttered. 'But you are right. Pure ehlkrid eat each other. But for most anything else, ehlkrid meat is like poison.'

'And the deer... that wouldn't have had human in it, would it?'

'No,' Aerlid confirmed, 'that was part ehlkrid, part deer... the ehlkrid weren't very discerning, when they were here. I imagine many of the ocean gemengs don't have any human in them either, and are a result of ehlkrid breeding with other animals.'

'Alright. When do you think I can go get that other tribe to protect this one?'

Aerlid stared at her. 'You are not troubled by what I have told you?'

Riley frowned. 'I don't understand.'

Aerlid observed her for a moment longer and sighed. 'Now you know what you are. Doesn't that... doesn't that affect you in any way?'

She didn't understand the question. 'I'm Riley.' she said. Human, ehlkrid, valkar, gemeng, the labels didn't matter to her own idea of herself. All it meant was that she could be slightly less worried about letting gemengs try and rip her to pieces.

Aerlid continued gazing at her. Finally he said, 'it would be better if they came to you. Do you have no questions about your family? Your mother and father?' he asked, his voice a mixture of shock and almost, a bit of accusation.

'Oh.' Startled, she thought for a moment. 'Are they alive?'

'Your mother is, I'm sorry your father... he died before you were born.'

'Ok.'

'Does this not upset you?'

Riley just looked at him.

And he could see the words meant nothing to her.

Chapter 56

Night descended. Daklis had not come to her. No one had. Aerlid briefly left the river to find out what was happening. Daklis' tribe was gone.

_It doesn't really matter._ Riley thought, still a little disappointed. Even if Daklis' tribe wouldn't follow her, at least they hadn't all thrown themselves at her. She was in the same position as this morning.

It hadn't gotten any worse.

Riley gazed up at the stars, her arms wrapped loosely around her knees. Aerlid was singing to the moon again.

She didn't like the feel of this place, yet it was so familiar. Fear and violence hung heavily in the air.

Like the gemeng village of her youth.

Like Astar.

It would be a relief to leave this place, to be somewhere people weren't afraid all the time, even if the only reason was because there _were_ no people.

Riley spent the rest of the night pondering that. Leaving would be a relief, but she couldn't help a heaviness in her chest at the thought of how these creatures lived.

Aerlid stared at her. To say he was shocked would have been an understatement of the highest order.

He could barely speak.

He managed weakly, 'could you repeat that?'

Riley had a grimly determined set to her face. 'I want to stay here.'

'And command this tribe and lead them to a brighter tomorrow?' Aerlid paraphrased. He felt ill.

'I want to try, Aerlid. Maybe we could change things here.'

He blinked, trying to clear his eyes. Surely his senses were failing him. 'How?' he demanded.

'I don't know.' Her determination wavered for a moment. 'I don't know how or if we can. But we have nowhere else to be. We don't lose anything by trying.'

Aerlid closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. 'Riley, these creatures are made of human and ehlkrid. If I had to, I don't think I could pick which species was more violent. You know, before the ehlkrid came the humans were always fighting each other. If they didn't have gemengs now they'd _still_ be fighting each other. Violence is in their blood.'

'Further, these people neither love nor fear you. They won't listen to you. You'll be constantly fighting with them. Whichever way you look at it, this is an impossible task. And it's not our problem, Riley. We're not responsible for how these creatures choose to live.'

'I see. Still, I would like to try. Do you have any suggestions?'

'But I don't think this is a good idea..' had she heard a word he'd said? She'd _looked_ like she was listening. Perhaps he'd been imagining that.

For a moment Riley looked confused. 'I understand your concerns, but I would still like to try. I don't think I would be happy if I left here without trying...' her voice trailed off. Then she said more matter-of-factly, 'So, do you have any suggestions?'

Aerlid paused. He heard the sadness in her voice. 'And what of my opinion?' he asked, his voice gentler. 'Shouldn't we make this decision together?'

'I thought we just did.' She looked at him as if he was being obtuse on purpose.

'That felt a lot like you deciding to me.'

They stared at each other for a few moments.

Aerlid sighed, 'I understand you feel bad for these people, I understand that. But it is impossible, and you aren't responsible for how they live. Please, explain why we should stay.'

Riley, puzzled, spent a few moments in thought. What more could she say, other than that she would regret not trying? 'This is a horrible place,' she began slowly, 'I don't want to live here. But...' she hesitated, 'I'm strong. I can leave if I want. Maybe... it's not so easy for them, maybe they don't like it here either. So I would like to try... and there is nothing else we would be doing if we didn't try. So if we stay a little longer, we don't lose anything. We can try. I would like to try. I need to try.'

Aerlid scrutinized her hard. 'Alright.' He said with a defeated sigh.

Chapter 57

That afternoon Riley and Aerlid made their way to the gemeng's campsite. Riley strode purposefully over to Gakra, who was holding court in the cleared, central area. She stood behind, looming over him. He ignored her and continued talking with the group of gemengs sitting around him. Riley waited for perhaps half a minute. And then she yanked him to his feet. The look of surprise on his face was priceless.

'Gather your _tribe_.' Riley ordered. 'Or is even that beyond you?'

Gakra glared at her. He didn't try and free himself from her grip though. Perhaps he knew he _couldn't_ , and it would just make him look more foolish. 'Why?' he growled.

'Because I _say_ so.'

'Gather them yourself!'

Riley lowered her voice to a whisper. 'Are those trophies important to you?'

'What?' he didn't whisper.

Riley tapped the string of claws and teeth wrapped around his body. 'Is this important to you?'

'Why?!'

'I let you pretend to be a warrior because it amuses me. Letting you disobey me, however, is something else.'

Gakra was silent.

'Do what I say or I will no longer let you pretend. And I'll take those trophies from you.'

Gakra glanced down at his trophies. Then he glanced up at her. He pulled himself roughly from her grip and she let him.

'Agra, Duka, go gather the tribe! The slave wants to talk!' he yelled at the gemengs, who were still sitting at his feet.

Riley slapped him. 'Don't call me slave, foolish one.'

It took some time to gather the tribe. Some were out hunting or foraging and had to be found. It was late afternoon by the time the tribe was gathered before her.

Riley gazed over the dirty, ugly, brutish faces and felt a moment of trepidation. How was she to do this? She pushed those thoughts away and focussed on what had to be done. There was only one thing these creatures respected, and she needed respect or fear or _something_ from them before she could change them. She arranged her features in a look she hoped was equal parts annoyance and superiority. Anyway, it was a look Aerlid often wore.

'This can't continue.' she said, contempt creeping into her voice. 'You have embarrassed me enough.'

The anger that always hung heavily over these people suddenly sharpened. It was hard to believe silence could be so full.

'You are a disgrace! How can an entire tribe not have a single warrior in it? I come looking for a tribe and find myself saddled with a pack of children!' she waited a moment for that to sink in. Then she continued: 'well, no more! It seems I have to train you myself.'

'We won't fight like you!' came an angry shout from the crowd.

'You can't even fight yourself! You use those tools!' someone else called.

Riley raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. She hadn't expected that. They had seen her defeat Daklis with her bare hands.

Well, so be it.

She drew her sword from her scabbard and held it out towards the crowd. 'Fine. Come use it then. See if it's as easy to use as you think. Come on! Or are you cowards as well as incompetent?'

A gemeng strode forward from the crowd and grabbed her sword. 'The knife too.' he demanded.

Without a word Riley handed over her parrying dagger.

The man looked from one weapon to the other. Then he lunged at her, swinging the sword and dagger around wildly.

To Riley, who was reasonably skilled with those weapons, it was an appallingly stupid sight. He had no idea what a fool he looked. But the rest of the tribe was egging him on. Watching, Riley thought he might manage to be dangerous, though only because he had no idea what he was doing. She figured it was a chance she could take.

With ease she slipped inside the reach of her sword. But the man didn't seem aware of that and kept trying to hit her with the sword. The dagger was unmoving in his other hand. He didn't seem able to focus on two weapons at once.

She slapped him lightly across the face. Then she leisurely disarmed him and rescued her weapons. 'Perhaps you'd like to try against one of the other children.' she said dryly. 'You can't do much worse.'

The man was stunned. Riley wondered that she had made sword fighting look so easy he'd thought he could just pick up some weapons and be an instant expert. She handed the weapons back.

'Go on. Who wants to fight him?' She had barely got the words out of her mouth when another gemeng came forward to try his luck.

Before the day was done she intended them all to fight using her weapons. At least that should help remove one problem they had with her.

While the two gemengs were fighting another one called out to her.

'I want to fight you unarmed. Let's see how good you are without your precious little toys! You have no fangs no claws, nothing!'

Riley calmly invited the new heckler to come forward.

Well, perhaps she'd have to fight the entire tribe again too.

It was going to be a long night.

When the next day dawned Riley was exhausted. Today was going to be much like yesterday. She wasn't looking forward to it, but what had that to do with anything?

Aerlid and Riley spent the morning at the river camp. They had chores to do- cooking, cleaning, foraging and so on, and so did the tribe. It wasn't until the afternoon that they strolled into the gemeng camp, much like they had yesterday. This time however she didn't need to threaten Gakra to gather the tribe. Looking around at the grim, glowering faces, it almost seemed like they had been waiting for her.

'Are you just going to stand there?' she said curiously, letting her voice carry over the crowd. 'You think you'll get less useless if you wait long enough? Go on, show me how you fight each other!'

The crowd shifted and grumbled. Then someone called, 'get outta here slave! Stop wasting our time!'

And the mood shifted. The crowd began yelling, 'slave, slave, you're soft and weak!'

'Go back to slave land, slave!'

'Go away!'

Riley was momentarily surprised. They had never asked her to leave before. She noticed Aerlid was watching her. She shook her head, 'not yet. We're not leaving yet.'

He sighed.

And then they began.

'Aerlid,' Riley said conversationally, 'What do you think would be an appropriate recompense for our wasted time?'

'They have nothing worth taking.' Aerlid said in disgust. 'I suppose we could take some of the children, perhaps they could be taught to do something useful.'

'Very well, we'll take five of them. Hopefully at least one of them will be worth keeping alive. Go choose some, I'd like to leave within the hour.'

And with that Riley turned and began striding away from the gemengs, back towards the river camp. She'd barely taken two steps before the gemengs started screaming angrily.

Gakra was the only one to actually follow her though. Was that an improvement? 'What do you think you're doing?!' he roared.

Riley raised an eyebrow at him. Despite the fact that he was taller than her, she managed to give the distinct impression she was looking down at him. (That was another look borrowed from Aerlid, though he was taller than most people so he didn't often have to use it). 'Leaving, as requested. You're tribe has wasted my time and I'm taking something to compensate. I hope your children prove more capable than their parents.'

Gakra's eyebrows twitched, as if he couldn't decide what expression to use- anger or disbelief. 'You can't take our children.'

Riley had counted on that. The only time she had seen anything other than violence in their eyes had been when they were with their children. At least, before the children took the Warrior's Trial. Her mood darkened. 'And how are you going to stop me?' she asked, giving him a dark frown. 'What are you going to do, foolish one? Your entire tribe cannot defeat me. Now stop wasting my time.'

She didn't wait for him to respond and resumed her walk towards the river.

In less than an hour Riley and Aerlid and five children were standing at the edge of the gemeng's camp. The children were sniffling quietly, but that was all. How Aerlid had gotten all five of them to behave Riley didn't know.

The gemengs were watching them. Well, watching wasn't quite the right word. It looked like they were trying to set them on fire with their eyes. Worry had started to worm its way into her heart. Would they really let them just walk away with the children?

Not quite believing what was happening, Riley turned. She began walking. Aerlid followed her lead, the children following him.

One step. Two steps. Grass enveloping them. Three steps.

A furious roar shattered the silence. Riley sighed in relief. She turned to see a raging beast charging at her.

One of the children cried, 'daddy!'

Riley let the beast approach. When he got close enough she hit him hard. Had to. The man went sprawling. He didn't get up. She hadn't wanted him to.

'You weren't given permission to talk.' Aerlid said coldly.

The child's eyes went wide. It started crying silently. It clamped its hands over its mouth. Seeing the child's tears, Riley had to remind herself why they were doing this. Was it worth it? Before she could come up with an answer there was another roar. It was so loud the world seemed to shake. It made the previous cry seem like a squeak. She looked- the entire tribe was coming at them! Inside, some part of her smiled. That could be _challenging._ Especially if she did it with no weapons. Aerlid calmly turned away from the spectacle and began walking into the grass. 'Come along.' he told the children. 'She won't take long.' In seconds he and the children had disappeared into the grasslands. Riley wasn't paying attention to them. Her eyes were on the tribe. Noting. Planning. Seconds had passed, yet it felt like much longer. The gemengs came straight at her, they didn't try to pursue Aerlid. Why... well, that didn't matter now. The gemengs launched themselves at her. They came from all sides with a raw ferocity unseen before. But some of them were still injured. And she was Riley. The gaps in the melee were clear to her. Moving into them and away from attacks was even easier. Mostly, she just moved and enjoyed the sheer pleasure of it. And when they came into her reach as she dodged and wove she hit them. Sharp, fast, she hit exactly where she wanted to. She intended to incapacitate with one hit and that is exactly what she did. But not kill. It was a shock when she realised only one was left. She looked around. Forms littered the ground. This time, children weren't running forward. She stared at the last one. Her breathing was slightly fast. But not much. The creature returned her gaze. It was Gakra. She had avoided him. It had been purposely done, and yet she had forgotten while she was moving. And yet some part of her had remembered.

'The children, please bring them back.' It was strange, hearing such a soft plea from Gakra, his face haggard and drained.

'I'm afraid I need some recompense for wasting my time with you.' she said coldly. So close. They were so close to ending it.

His eyelids fluttered in confusion. 'Perhaps there is something we can do.' he said hesitantly.

'I'm afraid you aren't much good to me as a tribe, as you can see.'

He hesitated.

Internally Riley was begging him, he was so _close_. If she had too she could point it out but it would work so much better if _he_ suggested it.

'We can be more useful. If you bring the children back.'

Chapter 58

Walking through the camp made Riley feel ill. The feeling towards her had changed.

Now _she_ was the one creating fear.

The name of the tribe had changed.

And this was the first step to eradicating that fear.

She wished she'd known another way.

Chapter 59

If Riley thought she knew the extent and type of violence that saturated gemeng society she was wrong. Her ignorance was exposed by a mixture of simply spending more time among them and the fact that she was no longer an object of derision, but now a part of their society.

Once again Riley found herself tearing apart a pair of gemengs that had decided the other needed to die. In the background she was vaguely aware of laughter from another group of gemengs. She heard: 'you make the pigs smell nice, Dulag!' and a roar of laughter.

'Why are you fighting?!' Riley demanded of the two gemengs she was currently focussing on.

'He gave me a look.' The one with more fangs growled.

Riley turned to the other.

He bared his teeth and growled in response.

Riley put on her stern face and looked down at both of them (even though both were taller and bigger than her). She was getting heartily sick of this. This was the fourth fight today, and she hadn't even had lunch yet!

She shoved the two gemengs away. 'Listen up!' She demanded. Everyone turned their attention to her. It did not give her any pleasure. 'There is to be no more fighting. If you want to fight, you'll have to ask me for permission.'

The silence was stunned.

'Do you understand?!' she demanded. 'No more fighting! I'm sick of it. Since you clearly can't be trusted to decide when to kill each other, you'll have to ask me first. Are we clear?!'

There was mumbled, growly, surrender. Gemeng leaders didn't need to add threats when they gave an order.

The threat was implicit.

Riley turned to leave. She had not gone more than three steps when another astonishing sight greeted her.

A large, female gemeng was dragging a smaller male along the ground by the leg.

Fighting, Riley was used to. This?

What _was_ this?

'What are you doing?' Riley demanded.

The woman stopped. She was large and muscular. Her teeth were relatively human, but her huge hands had claws erupting from them. Her animal skins were adorned with trophies; parts of gemengs she had killed.

'You finished.'

'Yes.' Riley said, bewildered. 'I finished. What are you doing?'

'You finish, I take him to tent.'

'Why are you taking him to your tent? Is he _alive_?'

The woman looked at her as if she was stupid. 'Of course. How he make children if he dead?'

Riley looked at her and then down at the limp man. 'But...'

The problems with this scene were too numerous and too screamingly obvious to point out.

'But he's unconscious.'

'Yes.'

' _Why_ is he unconscious?'

The woman's frown got even darker. 'Because I hit him.'

'But why did you hit him?' Riley felt like she was talking to a rock wall. Coincidentally, the woman did bear a striking resemblance...

'He not want to make children.'

'He didn't want to make children.' Riley repeated.

The woman glared at her. 'So I hit him, take him to tent, make children.'

'Ok.' Riley sighed. Closed her eyes. 'Come with me.' She felt a sudden urge to dump this in Aerlid's lap. And if not that, at least to share.

She took a few steps before realizing the woman was still dragging the man by the leg, his head bumping along the ground.

'Here, why don't I carry him?'

'Mine!' the woman growled, and stepped in front. 'He make _my_ children! You get your own mate!'

'I don't want-!' Riley exploded before snapping her mouth shut. She spun on her heel, turning her back on the woman. 'You there!' She pointed at the closest gemeng. 'Go get Aerlid for me.'

The day ended with another proclamation.

There was to be no child making without asking her permission first.

Riley rather thought knocking a person out to drag them to your tent counted under the no fighting rule.

However, the gemengs apparently didn't consider that fighting.

That was courtship.

While Riley gained little pleasure from her new tribe, the environment of the Plains was a different matter. The more time she spent in the Plains the more it began to take shape, gain depth and variety. The plains were not a homogenous sea of grass as had first appeared. Riley now saw the long grass that could grow up to three meters high, and the shorter grasses that added layers and colour to this background. She could tell them apart by length, by colour, by the type of seeds they had. She learnt to avoid the furry, green grass that stung when you touched it. And there were the flowers that added spots of colour to the yellows and greens of the grass. Some of the flowers were poisonous, some could be used for their medicinal properties. Some were just pretty to look at.

In some places the grass was short, no higher than her ankles. It was always a pleasure to escape from the all-encompassing jungle of the long grass into these meadows. They were formed by large beasts grazing, or by fire.

Among the grasses animal life was abundant. There were small, rat like creatures that ran along the ground and into burrows. Butterflies darted here and there and birds, called from hidden nests. There were foxes and wolves. And in the great big sky above, swift, sleek birds of prey. The plains were never completely silent. There was the susurrus of the grass, the chirping of birds, the buzzing of insects. And at night, the howls of wolves. And there were the large beasts, the great lumbering creatures that grazed throughout the plains. In the shoulder they were as tall as Riley. They had large, sharp horns that curved forward and could tear an unlucky gemeng apart. Strong legs, heavy hooves, swishing tails. And enough meat to last the tribe a week or more.

They were what the warriors hunted.

Riley had not hunted one yet.

What had once seemed an ocean of grass gained colour for her. It became an escape from the tribe. A place to explore. There were sadly, very few trees.

But it was enough.

When Riley returned from her daily trip to the grasslands, laden down with roots and bulbs, and an unlucky rabbit, she found an unfortunate scene.

It was not so much a scene, really, but the aftermath of a scene.

Riley stalked over to a bruised and bloody gemeng male. 'Who did this?' she demanded.

'I did.' Dulag announced. He was standing over the male, as if guarding his prize. 'I'll kill him now.'

'No!' she said curtly. 'I said no fighting without my permission. You disobeyed me.' She did not have to work at it to look angry. She glared at Dulag.

'I didn't kill him.' he said in surprise. 'You said no killing. I didn't kill. I wait. I ask, now I kill.'

Riley was momentarily taken aback. How had they come to that conclusion? 'Well you misunderstood.' she said coldly, recovering herself. 'There is to be no _fighting._ And I do _not_ give you permission to kill him.'

'He said I smell worse than a pig.' Dulag growled. His body tensed, ready for a fight. And as she watched he slapped the gemeng around the head.

'Control yourself. That makes it twice you've disobeyed me. And he says that every day.'

'So?'

Riley felt a chill inside her. There were no rules for these creatures. She had thought Dulag and the man he had just mauled were friends of a sort, believed his jokes had been allowed.

Had he believed that too?

_The only way I can control them and not be as bad as they are is if I am predictable with my violence._ She would give them rules. Clear, firm rules. And if they were followed, they would be safe.

And that would be better than this.

'Perhaps you should bathe more often. As this man won't be able to provide for himself because of you, you will have to do it for him until he is recovered.'

The slumped and bleeding gemeng looked stunned.

Dulag looked furious. 'What?' he grunted. 'He insulted me!'

Riley gave him another look borrowed from Aerlid until he subsided. 'Until he is well enough to hunt for himself, you will share half of your food with him.'

The moments stretched out. And finally, Dulag acquiesced.

And Riley repeated her announcement again.

She hoped this time it would be more successful.

Chapter 60

Mostly, the days were all the same. She learnt the routine of the gemengs, how they hunted and how they moved throughout the plains. While they screamed and yelled when attacking other tribes, they were silent as the night while hunting. The subtleties of family life became clearer to her. Mostly, the glue that held gemeng couples together was the children. Once all the children had taken the Warrior's Trial, the family disappeared, as if it had never existed. One of the parents, the physically weaker one, was almost like a ghost, ever present, soundlessly completing chores that needed to be done, but not actively participating in the family.

Incursions from other tribes were frequent. The power relations of the plains were constantly changing. Riley found it greatly frustrating, she was trying to teach her tribe to be less violent and yet every week another tribe would attack them and someone would die.

Hers or theirs, it didn't matter.

The tribe had moved on from their original location some time ago. Wherever they stopped, Riley and Aerlid always made their own camp some distance away from the main tribe. Living within the tribe would have been just too much.

It was night now. Their carefully guarded fire was crackling merrily and stars were shining brightly overhead.

'What can you do about the other tribes?' Aerlid was saying. 'The only way they'll stop attacking is if they become part of _your_ tribe.'

Riley blanched at that thought. She could hardly control the gemengs she _had._

'Well, we can be more successful defending ourselves then.' Riley said obstinately. 'They don't fight smart- if they would just work together and not announce themselves when they're going to attack.'

'But that's dishonourable. How are you going to convince them to do that? Even if you force them, they won't like it. They'll see it as a sign of your weakness. You'll lose respect.'

There was a very dark look to her eyes. She glanced at him but said nothing.

After a while, she said 'what they consider honourable has to change sometime. Why not now?'

Aerlid shrugged. 'It's up to you.'

'Also...'

'Yes?'

'I'd like you to teach some of the gemengs medicine.'

Aerlid stared.

Riley looked at him, as if this was a perfectly reasonable request. 'I'd like them to see that skills other than fighting are useful.'

'You want me to teach these barbaric monsters medicine?'

Riley frowned darkly.

Aerlid started, 'I'm sure they're capable of learning what the humans call 'medicine',' he said hurriedly, 'but what I do is a bit different.'

Riley shrugged. 'Teach them whatever kind you like. I'll let you choose your students.' Then she stood.

'I see you have the hang of delegating.' Aerlid muttered.

Riley raised an eyebrow at him and smiled. 'Well, I can't do everything.'

The next day Riley tried to teach her tribe how to fight together, and not separately in close proximity to other people. She quickly found respect wasn't the issue. The gemengs had no concept of working together. What might have looked like working together to an ignorant bystander was really just warriors going about their own business in the same space as other warriors. Even while hunting the giant grazing beasts- or _especially_ then, they worked alone. Even if they shared the meat from the giant grazing beasts afterwards, that was not a sign of working together, but was merely to say, 'hah! look, I am such a fabulous hunter I could not possibly eat everything I killed myself! You incompetent hunters may have my leavings!'

She spent no more than two days with the adults before narrowing her group down to just the couples. Perhaps they would have a better understanding of working together. But that was no better. Firstly, one couple would not work with another couple any more than a normal gemeng would work with any other. Secondly, one partner in the couple was less a partner and more a silent servant, hovering at their master's elbow.

Finally, Riley turned to the children. They were younger, perhaps they were less set in their ways, more willing to change. And hadn't they almost, _almost_ worked together to harass and tease her? Perhaps she could work with that.

So Riley gathered the children and told them that if they'd worked together they'd have been able to steal her weapons right off her belt. And wasn't that far more than any of the adults had accomplished? When she saw their eyes light up with devilish glee she knew she had a chance.

Chapter 61

Aerlid was somewhat dubious about Riley's plans to try and teach the children teamwork. She hadn't proved herself to be the best teacher after all. Riley spent most of her time away from the tribe out in the grasslands with the children. Her mood improved markedly after only a few days of this, and Aerlid quickly decided it was a good idea.

The downside was that he was put in charge of the tribe while she was away. Mostly, he just glared at any gemengs who approached him. It worked surprisingly well. But it also meant he actually had to spend time _with_ the tribe.

At the moment a large, ugly gemeng woman was approaching him. Well, he thought it was a woman. He was really only guessing at that; it could just as easily be male. That reminded him he needed to talk to Riley about the rules regarding courtship. She had given her permission to none of the couples that had come to her. Mainly that was because no pair had come to her where both wanted to be together.

Aerlid fixed the gemeng with a steely gaze. He was a tall man, Riley only came up to his shoulder, but this creature towered above him.

His glare did not deter the creature.

'Do you need something?' he asked coolly when it did not immediately turn tail and run.

She only smiled in response.

'Well, do you?' Riley asked.

' _Do I?!'_ He cried. How could she even ask that?!

The large ugly brute of a woman was standing next to him grinning an ugly, toothy smile. 'That a yes.'

Riley glanced at the woman. 'That is not a yes. _Yes_ is yes. Nothing else is a yes.'

The woman's smile didn't fade. 'That a yes.'

'It's a no!' Aerlid cried. 'No, no, a thousand times no! Are you mad?!'

Riley raised her eyebrows at him. Then she turned her attention to the woman. 'That's a no.'

The woman's smile faltered, became a growl. 'He mine.'

'No. He said no. Now leave.'

Aerlid drew his sword, it gleamed like moonlight. 'Can I kill her? This creature is a brute. The world can only be better with her gone.'

'No!' Riley cried, alarmed. 'No, _Aerlid_.' she scolded. The scathing look she gave him deflated him.

'That's a no to both of you. No mating, no killing. Now get out of my sight. I'm very disappointed.' and she shot a glare at Aerlid.

'Riley,' Aerlid began carefully, 'how could you possibly _ask_ if I wanted to-to... ugh, how could you even _ask_?'

Riley was gazing at a long, curved claw in her hands. She looked up at him. She shrugged. 'Well, how would I know what you want?'

Aerlid's only recourse was to hang his head. 'What is that?' he mumbled while his head was hanging between his knees. 'That claw?'

'It's from a leaper.' he heard a smile in her voice. 'They leap out and attack you! Do you think ocean gemengs would give me more trouble?'

'Well as you can't swim, yes.' Then he added quickly, 'you're not fighting in the ocean.'

There was silence. Knowing her well, that was a very scary silence to Aerlid.

'Riley.' he said.

'Yes?'

He knew that tone. It was the I'm-going-to-go-play-with-giant-man-eating-cats-without-telling- you tone. 'Where did you get the claw?' he asked desperately, 'was it a gift?'

'Yes.' her tone changed, the pleasure and excitement drained out of it.

He looked up and met her eyes.

Clearly, she wasn't going to elaborate of her own accord.

'From who?'

She looked away. Her lips were pressed together tightly in a frown.

'Do you miss whoever it was?'

'No.' her eyebrows shot up into her hair. 'No. Perhaps a little but...' she said in a softer tone. 'Not really, actually, it's almost a relief to be away...' she trailed off.

Aerlid knew he didn't know the whole story here. But if she felt being apart was a good thing, that was all that mattered. He didn't need the story.

'You know,' she suddenly said, 'I wonder why she asked you. Usually they all seem afraid of you.'

'Well,' Aerlid knew a good opportunity when he saw one. 'You've rejected all the other requests of courtship. Maybe I was the last one she hadn't asked about. Riley, I'm afraid your rules regarding courtship may be too stringent.'

Riley was startled for a moment, then she frowned.

'You've rejected all the couples that have come to you. If this continues the tribe will die out.'

Riley didn't say anything. Her expression of not quite understanding hadn't changed.

'Riley, what may be a horrible violation to you or I is a regular part of life here. It doesn't affect them the way it would you or me. Perhaps you should step back and allow them to continue as normal, at least with this.'

Her eyebrows crashed down. Her eyes darkened dangerously.

'No.' she said. 'No. Never.' She pressed her lips together tightly, as if struggling to keep her words in.

'And if you never give your permission to any couple?' he ventured on, calm in the face of her storm.

'Then the tribe dies out.'

Chapter 62

Her team of highly trained bullies, as Aerlid had so succinctly put it, were ready. It was time to put her plan into action.

Riley had nothing to do with the plan, not really. For it to be most effective she had to step back. And so she did.

While most of the tribe slept, Riley waited and watched. She spotted the small, dark shapes moving through the night. She heard muffled grunts and growls.

And she waited.

Suddenly the secrecy was discarded. Shapes sprung up from the darkness and began tearing the tents down. Fires were stoked and lit, sending wild sprays of light across the scene.

When Riley finally saw how effective they'd been she didn't feel pleasure or relief, just a kind of stunned emptiness. A team of children had just tied up and disabled every adult gemeng in the tribe. The tents were down and the fires were lit so those same adults could look and see what had befallen each other.

How could such people ever be a threat to the humans? They may be violent and have the advantage in sheer strength, but they fought entirely alone and had no sense of strategy or even plain simple discretion. The humans would have spotted them coming before they got anywhere near Astar, with their wild hoots and yells. With the humans teamwork and coordination and energy weapons they would surely have made quick work of any gemeng invasion.

And through her shock she could not share in the elation of her recruits.

The children danced and yelled and whooped. All of them had participated. Riley had made sure to include important roles for the weaker children, those who would not have survived the Warrior's Trial.

Finally, Riley snapped out of it. There was more to do.

Putting on a face appropriate to the accomplishment, Riley made her way over to the children.

They quickly fell quiet and got into a rough semicircle in front of her.

'Tonight you have bested the warriors of this tribe. You have proved yourself worthy of joining their ranks and taking your names. _Take_ them!'

And the children called out the names they had chosen for themselves.

'Dogra the Strong!'

'Egrash Quickfoot!'

'Mulag the Fierce!'

And so on, the savage, proud yells echoing out into the darkness of the plains.

'They didn't undergo the Warrior's Trial.' Gakra was complaining.

Morning had come and everyone was untied.

'They defeated warriors. Tell me, what is the Warrior's Trial about if that is not it?' Riley asked calmly.

'They didn't kill anyone! They have no trophies.' But he said this without much fervour. After all, she was right. The Warrior's Trial was a simple affair. Once the children reached a certain age they went out into the plains and killed the warrior of a neighbouring tribe. Either they came back with a trophy or they didn't come back at all.

At this moment Riley did not feel like reminding Gakra she was the leader now. If they felt comfortable voicing disagreement without calling her names or threatening to kill anyone, well, it was all to the good.

'Now,' she turned to the rest of the tribe, her voice carrying easily out to those at the edges of the crowd. 'You are all ashamed. So am I. Again and again you prove to me you are not warriors. I intend to train you like I have trained your children. They will be your example. If you learn to be half as good as them you'll be halfway to getting your honour back.'

And then... then they would deal with the other tribes.

Chapter 63

Months passed while Riley trained the tribe. The tribe didn't stay in one location. As leader it was her job to choose where they would go and how fast they would travel. Mostly, she asked Gakra and the other tribe members for their advice. She knew nothing about this after all. Gakra was pleasantly surprised to find she would listen and even follow his advice.

Considering what happened to most lords who were ousted, he was doing pretty well for himself.

Riley enjoyed moving around the plains. She missed her trees. And the giant cats (at least the plains had medium-sized giant cats). Other than that she found great pleasure in her new home. There was no concrete around her anymore, no walls. She didn't have to hide her strength- in fact she could flaunt it. She could race the other gemengs and leave them in the dust and that was a _good_ thing! She could run all night if she wanted, moving silently through the tall grass, the world lit only by the moon, her only company a sense of the aliveness of the world around her. There was a curious sense of being alone in the world here, a sense of timelessness. The tribes didn't talk to each other, so there was no news of the outside world. Of any world other than that of the tribe.

There was a freedom here she had missed.

It was not something she ever intended to lose.

And finally the day came when they were ready.

Her tribe's response the next time they were invaded left her with a glow inside. Pride, satisfaction.

It wasn't her plan, not really. She had merely given them the tools and the instruction- don't kill them, and make sure they don't come back. The details were left up to them.

Riley watched, hidden so well her tribe couldn't spot her. The attackers were stripped, their trophies stolen and distributed among the thieves. Then they were tied up and sent running back to their own tribe with laughter following in their footsteps.

It took a few more attacks and humiliations, but eventually the attacks stopped.

And they were alone.

Chapter 64

Despite the growls and threats flying through the air, Riley was pleased.

Finally, _finally_ , they had come to her first before tearing into each other.

'What's going on here?' she asked. Her hands were on her hips and she was trying to look serious, but she couldn't hide the smile from her face.

Three gemengs were the focus of the anger. Two males, one female.

One flung out a shaking finger at the other two, 'I raised _his_ child for _years_! And that cowardly, lying, ugly pig knew! Let me kill them!'

Riley's eyebrows rose. Recriminations were now flying from the other two. This was new. Considering the dynamic between gemeng partners she was a little curious how this had come about. But she didn't ask.

Instead she asked, cutting through the insults, 'is this true?'

She locked her eyes on the female gemeng, a serious look on her face.

The woman hesitated. Riley's eyes sharpened. The woman talked, 'y-yes, I believe so.'

'And you are both certain he,' she cocked her head towards the second male, 'is the father?'

She nodded.

'And did you both know?'

There was uncomfortable nodding.

'I've provided for her and her children for years! You _must_ let me kill them both! They made me their slave!' the deceived male demanded. He rounded on Riley, his eyes glowering and gleaming. 'Let me kill them.'

Riley shook her head. Then she looked the three over. Her gaze locked on the other male. 'You'll have to take over care of the child. Do you want anything more to do with it?' she said to the first male.

He looked at her as if she was crazy. When she didn't say anything he said, 'no.' as if he couldn't believe anyone would ask something so obvious.

She felt a pang of despair. Did these people feel anything? Did they care for anyone? Was there no one they could let down their guard with?

'Alright. You and you,' she said as she watched the parents. 'Will have to make recompense to this man for your deception. I believe if both of you share half your food with him for... how long did you look after the child?'

'Seven years.' the man said bitterly.

'Seven years then.'

All three gaped at her.

'I can live with that.' the first man said, startled, as if he couldn't quite believe it, as if he hadn't conceived of satisfaction without violence.

The other two just nodded dumbly.

But they didn't argue or complain. And the man they had deceived was happy. So the threat of violence was gone and a child had a new father.

The atmosphere had changed.

When Riley walked through the camp she heard insults flying, but the threats of violence- and requests to commit violence- had decreased rapidly. Why, the tribe went days without anyone asking to kill anyone else! She spent enough time hiding and spying on her tribe that she was sure they weren't just hiding their fighting from her. They had actually _changed_.

She stopped by a gemeng who had just been called a whole host of names by another gemeng and had _walked away._

'Why did you do that?' she asked curiously.

The gemeng gazed at her, he was her height (which made him on the short side for a Plain's gemeng). 'Well, you never let us kill anyone.' he sighed. 'You're pleased I didn't fight him?'

'Is that the only reason?' she asked, her mood plummeting.

He stared at her, his brows crinkled. 'You don't want fighting. I don't fight. You happy with me.' he scrunched up his face, as if thinking hard. 'What else is there?'

And despair came to her as she studied this confused gemeng. They _hadn't_ changed. Everything was _exactly_ the same. The lord of a tribe defined gemeng life. She was stronger than them. They feared her. So they would obey her, and even try to please her. But that was all. There was no more to it than that.

Riley and the gemeng went their separate ways. Riley barely noticed.

What more could she do? The moment she was gone everything would revert back to what it had been, for the change was purely superficial. But what else could she do?

Riley gathered herself. Her mouth set in a grim line. Well, nothing. All she could do was show them another way and hope this way of living would come to mean something to them. And then when she was gone... if this way of life meant anything to them, they'd have to protect and maintain it themselves.

Chapter 65

The days ran into each other. The last was the same as the next. But that was ok. Despite her realization that the tribe was really just the same as before, Riley was happy. Everything was going well. That was, until someone got the bright idea to challenge her for control of the tribe.

Not someone from _her_ tribe though. No, a stranger just wandered in one day from the grasslands and demanded to challenge the leader of the tribe. It was a surprise, but she defeated him easily. The gemeng then decided he would stay with the tribe. He'd gazed around, hackles raised, as if daring anyone to disagree. It had been unexpected, but she saw no reason to refuse him. She explained the rules and asked if there were any questions. The newcomer had looked at her as if she was crazy. Then he'd asked if he could find somewhere to sleep. When she said yes he proceeded to go get into six fights in the space of four minutes. That was how long it took before Riley realized what was happening and managed to stop him.

'What are you doing?!' she demanded. 'I told you no fighting!'

The gemeng looked at her as if she was crazy again. 'I was finding my place in the hierarchy.' he said as if she was slow. Riley had a sudden feeling he was used to being the toughest gemeng in the tribe. 'How else am I supposed to know where to sleep? You _gave_ me your permission.'

Riley gaped at him. How was she to know asking if he could find somewhere to sleep was the same as asking if he could get in a fight with every member of her tribe?

'Figure it out without fighting.' she said ominously.

And so her tribe grew by one.

And then another showed up. Riley was more careful explaining things. There were, of course, some problems. But the second newcomer settled in, as had the first.

And then another showed up.

And another.

The trickle turned into a flood. Every day gemengs, alone or in small groups, demanded to challenge her for control of the tribe.

'What's going on?!' Riley demanded of Aerlid, a panicked look on her face. 'Where are all these people coming from? Why are they attacking us? The tribe is already big enough! I don't want it to get any bigger!'

Aerlid gazed at her calmly. They were at their own camp some distance from the tribe, which gave them at least a little privacy.

'Well,' Aerlid said, 'my best guess would be you destroyed the structure of the tribes we ran into by humiliating their warriors. If the leader of the tribe was among those you stripped and tied up, they wouldn't have been able to get the rest of the tribe to obey them anymore. Daklis' tribe is probably out there somewhere too.'

'So you're saying by defending the tribe I've destroyed all the other tribes, which are now joining me.'

'Not joining you. They've found a cohesive, functional tribe and want to take it over. I don't imagine they demand to fight you thinking they're going to _lose_.'

'B-but... how am I going to get the other gemengs to leave us alone? If I defeat their leader, they join me. If I humiliate them, they join me. And then we'll just get bigger and run into more tribes and we'll have to defeat them and they'll join me too and... I don't _want_ them to join me! Gakra's tribe is _enough_ trouble!'

'Well, you could kill them.'

Riley's expression spoke volumes.

'I think the best bet would be to avoid the other tribes. Large groups will be easier to avoid than these remnants. And you know, they won't _all_ come and challenge you. I'm sure the other tribes in the area are getting challenges as well.' he paused. 'If there are any left.'

Riley looked at him helplessly, as if begging him to offer her a solution.

Aerlid merely shrugged. 'Well, now you know actions have consequences.'

'I already knew that.' she said in a small voice.

'Did you think through the effect on the social structure of the other tribes of humiliating their leaders?'

Riley didn't say anything.

'Well, there you go.'

Riley looked like she was about to cry.

'Well Riley,' Aerlid said sternly, 'perhaps you'll be more careful in future. Right now though, you have new recruits to integrate and,' he cocked his head as if listening to something.

Riley heard it too and paled.

'And a new challenger to deal with.'

'Go away.' Riley said flatly.

The gemeng hesitated. He was small for a gemeng from the Plains. He was slightly shorter than Riley and had a certain bird like delicacy to him. His face was very pale and his dark eyes big. Dark, feathery hair was swept back from his face. His clothes were loose and disguised his size, as if he didn't want anyone to know exactly how small he was. He wore a heavy cloak over his back. There was a curious roundness to it, as if he were hunchbacked.

Riley glared at him, her green eyes narrowed. 'We're not accepting any new members to the tribe. I'm sorry, you'll have to leave.'

'May I ask why?' he asked politely, but with a certain cautiousness, as if he were wary of her.

'It's too big.'

'Too big.'

'Much too big. Two weeks ago it was the right size. Now it's far too big.'

His eyes drifted to the side, as if he were thinking. Then he asked, 'why is it too big?'

Riley, startled, looked at him as if just noticing him. 'Why? Gemengs are difficult to handle. That's why. And I'm sick of being challenged every two minutes. I'm not going to fight you. You're going to turn around and leave me alone.'

'I wasn't going to challenge you.' he said, in that same cautious but brave tone.

Once again, surprise flashed across her face.

His eyes drifted back to her. He held her eyes. 'I don't want to challenge you. I accept your leadership.'

'That's... that's a very odd thing to say.' She frowned slightly. 'You don't want to lead the tribe?'

He shrugged slightly. 'No, just be a part of it.'

Riley's gaze moved past him to the four gemengs standing behind. Then they moved back to him. 'Who are they?' she asked.

'From my old tribe. We...' hesitation, 'we decided to stick together.'

Riley hesitated before asking, 'what's your name?'

'Karesh.' he said.

'Just Karesh?'

'Just Karesh.'

'Alright.' She sighed. Another four. 'Alright. There are rules I expect you to follow. No fighting without asking for my permission. No courting either. Is that clear?'

He started. His eyes wide, he said, 'really?'

'Yes.' she said firmly.

'And,' the caution was back, 'may I ask, when do you usually allow fighting?'

'So far? Never.'

'A-and courting?'

'Never.' she said grimly.

And he beamed.

Surprised and pleased, she smiled back.

Despite her reluctance, Riley did not refuse entry to the tribe for long. Those left outside were at the mercy of everyone _else_ outside.

What she hadn't anticipated, though got used to, was that those who first approached her making challenges and throwing their weight around often brought in others after they'd been accepted into the tribe. Mostly, those others were children. Once or twice, a pregnant woman was among the others.

The gemengs hid their children somewhere safe in the grass, and after they'd found a place in her tribe, the children just appeared. They never informed her they were joining. One day they were just _there_. And when she asked where on earth these children-or pregnant women- had come from the gemengs got very defensive. She didn't mind, really, despite her bewilderment. Any sign that the gemengs could care for something was precious. She certainly wasn't going to harm that.

Eventually, she had her warriors gather up the remnants. She felt it better to get it over and done with all at once. Rules were explained. Fights and challenges were dealt with.

She was sickened at the size of her tribe. It had gone from around fifty to closer to five hundred. Managing that many people was a completely different game. Everyone needed to be fed. Fights needed to be handled. She enlisted Gakra and some of the original fifty to help manage her new tribe. Once it was clear authority was given out not based on killing ability but on ability to please her, some of the tension eased.

Gemengs were used to adapting themselves to whoever was leading them after all.

And of course, scouting became extremely important. Riley intended to stay far, _far_ away from any other tribe at all times. Five hundred was _way_ more than enough for her.

Chapter 66

Karesh was a curious man. _Riley_ was curious about him. He seemed so _different_ from the other gemengs. But he was slippery, in a way. He was very good at blending into the background. Sometimes he was there and you wouldn't even notice. So it was curiously difficult to remember if he'd been somewhere or not.

He was just part of the background. Every attempt to bring him out slid right off him.

Riley didn't have the luxury to be too frustrated about this. She had plenty of other people to manage after all.

Aerlid spent most of his days making rounds of the gemengs with his 'students'. They weren't overly motivated to learn and he wasn't overly motivated to teach them. Riley, however, had an annoying habit of dropping by during his lessons, or asking for a demonstration of their skills, so he couldn't just _ignore_ them, which would have made everyone but Riley happy.

He had three students, one male, one female, and he wasn't quite sure what the third was supposed to be. He'd chosen the male because of his physical weakness. If he didn't learn a useful skill (not that the gemengs would consider medicine a useful skill), he wouldn't survive long. The female because she was less abrasive than most of the children, and she also looked to have the ability to affect things with her will. That was also why he'd chosen the it. Those two had the greatest chance of learning to heal a graze just by looking at it.

Not that they'd ever be able to do anything else. The power around them was too weak, their awareness of it too tentative.

Aerlid and his students were making the rounds. They spent a lot of time with the other children. There were all sorts of fantastic deformities and illnesses that would kill the children before they made it to adulthood. Riley had alerted him of it soon after taking control of the tribe. Not that he hadn't expected it, considering what they were. She'd gotten the idea into her head that if he could fix some of the children the gemengs would have more respect for what he did.

'What do you want?' a loud, angry voice demanded.

It snapped Aerlid out of his thoughts. They were standing in front of a tent. A large, snarling woman stood in front of the entrance.

Aerlid fixed his dark, star-studded eyes on her. 'We're here to inspect the children.'

'He's not ready for the Warrior's Trial.' she snarled defensively. Her body was tense, as if ready for a fight.

Aerlid did not feel much empathy for this snarling, ugly ball of a woman. As soon as the child passed the Warrior's Trial, she'd probably kill him with her bare hands if the opportunity came up.

'Lukash, they're not going to hurt him.'

Aerlid turned, Karesh was coming towards them.

There was a certain delicacy to him, a pleasing arrangement of features, and no apparent deformities. Aerlid didn't mind him. It didn't hurt his eyes to look at him.

The woman, Lukash, relaxed a bit. Her eyes darted from Karesh to Aerlid. 'He's just a child. Not a warrior. Too young.'

'Of course.' Aerlid said smoothly. 'May we enter?'

She shuffled out of the way. Aerlid brushed past her, his students following. Inside, the tent was dark. Aerlid had no trouble seeing in the dark.

Karesh and Lukash followed them in, making the small tent rather crowded.

Karesh often watched while Aerlid worked. Aerlid wondered if Karesh had an interest in learning medicine. As far as students went, he would probably be the best he could get here.

A slender form stood in the darkness.

'It's alright, little-one,' Lukash called. 'It's the shiny man.'

Aerlid bristled. _Shiny man_. Aerlid stepped forward smartly, so he was standing next to the child.

'Is there something wrong with your child?' he asked Lukash.

'No, nothing wrong, he's fine.' she said defensively.

Aerlid ignored her and began visually inspecting the boy. He was not wearing much. Why soon became clear- much of his skin was covered in blisters. Looking closer, Aerlid was surprised to see patches of almost translucent skin. The rest of his skin was very pale, would burn easily. But those patches- why, going into the sun would probably destroy them. And his eyes, Aerlid noted were red.

'Can you see well now?' Aerlid asked.

'Y-yes. I can see alright in the dark.'

'What about in sunlight?'

He hesitated.

'I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong.' he said sternly.

'He _fine_!' Lukash said again. 'Fine!'

'Clearly, he's _not_ fine, woman. Sunlight causes you pain, doesn't it?'

'Just a bit. N-not much...'

Aerlid sighed. He turned to his students. 'This is one of the main problems you'll face. Patients will lie and hide and try to pretend they're perfectly normal. Come and look at this boy and tell me what you think is wrong.'

The children came up.

'He looks like a fish!' the male said.

Aerlid sighed. He closed his eyes. 'Yes. Like a fish. Exactly.'

'Would covering up those ugly bits fix him?' the female asked.

'Ugly bits' was an excellent way to describe those translucent patches. Muscle and veins could be seen pulsing beneath the skin.

'Well,' Aerlid asked the boy, 'does covering them up help?'

The boy hesitated. Then, his voice teary, 'no, they tear and bruise easily, I'm going to _die_ , I'll never make it as a warrior!'

'And his eyes.' the it said. 'His eyes are broken too. Well, maybe he could just come out at night.'

The boy sniffed. 'Night is ok.' he mumbled.

'I'm afraid you children don't have the ability to fix this.' he waited. 'But I can. Boy, sit down.'

'What are you going to do to him?!' Lukash demanded.

'If you're going to bother me, leave now.' And Aerlid sat down too, across from the boy. 'You'll get a strange sensation, possibly some pain. It's important you tell me where all the patches are.'

Aerlid took the boy's hands in his. There was a large patch covering the back of his hand and two fingers. There was a slimy feel to it. A slimy, delicate feel, as if he pushed too hard he'd break it. He held the hand gently and closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes a few minutes later the hand was normal.

Aerlid realised everyone was leaning over his shoulders and trying to get a look at the hand.

'I need space!' he called.

They hurriedly moved away.

When they were gone, and his disgruntlement had faded, Aerlid moved on to the next patch.

It wasn't terribly difficult. The eyes were going to be harder, but nothing he couldn't handle.

Not five minutes after Riley left their camp, Karesh appeared out of the grasses. Aerlid's eyebrows rose in surprise. Karesh cautiously approached and crouched down opposite him. All the while Aerlid wondered what was going on.

'You healed that boy.' Karesh began in that hesitant way he had.

'I did.' Aerlid replied as a thought occurred to him. 'Is there something wrong with you?'

Karesh stiffened. He drew back. Then he sighed. His eyes averted, he nodded cautiously.

Aerlid began looking at him with new eyes. Quickly, he settled on his back. As always, Karesh wore a heavy cloak.

'I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong.' Aerlid said, his voice softer.

Karesh grimaced. But in one move he stood and swept the cloak off his back.

Aerlid rose too. Curiously he walked around behind Karesh.

It took him a moment to understand what he was seeing.

'Hmm... do you want me to remove it or fix it?'

Karesh started. 'You could fix it?'

'Well, I can't say. I'd have to look at it more closely. Even if it was physiologically sound, you might not be able to use it.'

Karesh hesitated.

'Let me examine it more closely, and I'll tell you whether it's possible. What about the second one? It appears to be alright.'

'I'll keep that.' Karesh said quickly, defensively.

Aerlid fell silent.

'I've used it to confuse my opponents before. It's been useful to me.'

'Alright. I'll leave the second one alone. Have you tried to have it removed?'

'No, not really. It... it's very sensitive. It bleeds a lot too. I was afraid to try in case...'

'That's probably for the best.' Aerlid said briskly. 'Will you let me examine it?'

'Y-yes... and... thank you.'

Chapter 67

Training and managing five hundred gemengs was tiring work. The fact that Aerlid had developed a habit of mysteriously disappearing didn't help either.

Today, as a young, strong, ferocious gemeng challenged her for control of the tribe again, Riley felt like she'd spent the last few months going in circles.

Riley observed him in irritation. Finally she said, 'why should I?'

He puffed up and scowled boldly at her. Then he spouted off a load of nonsense about how weak she was and so on. Mostly, it came down to her being back at square one.

She was not going to fight every damn gemeng in her tribe- or every _new_ gemeng (Gakra's tribe had already been thrashed by her enough times to know they had no chance)! And certainly not multiple times, for they had an annoying habit of thinking they'd gotten better (or she'd gotten worse) and coming back and demanding another fight. If anything, Riley felt like _she_ was the one getting better. Now that she no longer had to hide her strength, and with all the fighting and hunting she was doing, she felt her skills were only improving. Not that that stopped the gemengs from challenging her...

She was starting to see why gemeng leaders killed whoever challenged them.

She regarded him coolly. She needed another way to deal with this.

'When did you come up with this?' Aerlid demanded. 'How come whenever I talk to you you have another crazy idea?'

Startled, Riley replied, 'crazy? I thought it was a good idea.'

Aerlid just stared at her. Then he said, 'that's the problem. I can't leave you alone for five seconds without, without... this!'

'You left me alone for more than five seconds.' Riley said reproachfully.

And that just got her another stunned stare.

'Well, do you have any other ideas?'

'Yes, leaving and never, ever coming back to this place.'

Riley didn't think that was an idea.

And so the tournament was announced.

'And so,' Riley finished, 'whoever wins will get the opportunity to fight me. Further, I expect all challenges to go through my second. I will only waste my time fighting those who can defeat my second.'

Riley was getting very used to people staring at her blankly.

A clawed hand suddenly shot up into the air.

'Yes?' she asked.

'You said no killing.'

'That's right.'

The hand stayed up.

'Are you having trouble understanding that?'

There was feverish nodding from the crowd.

Riley, her hands on her hips, glared out at the crowd. 'How hard is it to understand?! No killing. It's very simple, and I won't explain it again!'

Aerlid made a few more marks in the dirt before turning back to Karesh. He was watching him intently with those big dark eyes of his.

Aerlid's eyes drifted to the things sticking out of his back. One was a wing, a dark, bat-like wing. It looked like it worked, but he couldn't tell just from looking. He needed to do calculations, examine it carefully to see how it would move. Karesh was a very light man. That was good. But really, that wasn't the most important thing. Whether Karesh could summon his power and manipulate it with his wings.... that was what would determine whether he would fly or not.

And of course, whether Aerlid could fix that other thing sticking out of his back. It was an ugly, twisted lump that didn't know whether it was an arm or a wing. Fixing that would be challenging, to say the least. It couldn't just _look_ right, Karesh needed to be able to control it.

'How is it you survived?' Aerlid asked as he leant back on his haunches.

'I don't get noticed.'

'But you must have had to fight sometime.'

Karesh nodded. 'I'm fast and smart, and I guess I cheat.'

Aerlid's eyebrows rose.

Karesh reached into his voluminous clothes and pulled out a thin, sharp shard of rock. He held it out to Aerlid, who took it.

'One of those in the right spot ends a fight pretty quick.'

Aerlid handed it back. 'And that's cheating?'

Karesh nodded.

'Your master uses weapons.'

Karesh's eyes widened and he tensed. 'Where I came from, it was cheating. But not here. The master can do whatever she likes.'

Aerlid nodded. 'Exactly.'

Karesh hesitated. 'She is a very dangerous woman.'

Aerlid couldn't help the surprised look that came to his face. It was necessary for the gemengs to think of her that way, but he couldn't help finding it strange.

'She doesn't _feel_ dangerous. But she must be, how else could she control a tribe? That's what makes her so dangerous.' He said seriously. 'You should be careful.'

'Ah. Well. Riley isn't dangerous if you follow the rules.' Aerlid went on cautiously. 'And she doesn't like being avoided.' Aerlid was well aware Karesh's avoidance of her had made Riley grumpy. Grumpy was the right word, though he didn't think that was the right word to use with a gemeng.

Karesh looked even more alarmed.

'I suggest you don't disappear next time she attempts to speak to you. Now, let's get back to your wings.'

Karesh hadn't survived this long by making himself known to his lord. The idea that he _should_ , well...

She was an odd creature. Everything was in the right place with her. He was pretty damn sure she didn't have arm wings growing out of _her_ back. She moved with grace and ease. Like she belonged. And then there was that strange hair of hers. Sometimes it reminded him of the grasses around him. Of fresh air and spring time. And then it faded, her hair returning to the colour of night. Such perfection was unknown to him. He didn't see her so much as beautiful, but _right_. Like the cats, and wolves and grazing beasts. All their pieces fit together. Everything belonged together, and they belonged here, in this place.

Maybe she didn't fit with the gemengs, but she fit with the _world_.

Despite the conflicting emotions he felt he stood his ground the next time he spotted her approaching him. Every fibre was screaming at him to _run_! It didn't matter if she _seemed_ safe, she was the lord of the tribe!

When Riley was finally standing before him he had a very strange look on his face. So Riley gave him an odd look in return.

'Are you alright?' she asked.

He nodded quickly.

She frowned slightly. 'Are you entering the tournament?' she asked.

He shook his head, his mouth tightly shut.

'Oh,' she actually looked pleased. 'So you're not planning on challenging me?'

He was so surprised by the idea he actually spoke. 'No.'

She beamed. 'That's excellent. Karesh, will you walk with me?'

He stared at her.

'I had hoped to speak with you.'

'Why?' he squeaked. This woman was crazy. Why couldn't she just behave like a normal master? This was just confusing him.

She frowned again. 'Well, you seem quite reasonable for a gemeng. You haven't tried to kill anyone. You haven't gotten into any fights. I wanted to know why.' she smiled, 'if everyone here was like you I'd be very happy!'

Crazy was the only possible explanation.

'I'm doing my rounds, will you come?'

He nodded. He felt... he didn't know how he felt. It wasn't a good feeling.

But she was the master after all.

As far as Riley was concerned, the tournament couldn't have turned out better.

It had taken five days, but she had a second. And it was one she knew, one who was familiar with her rules.

Gakra seemed pretty happy too.

Riley kept a very close eye on him of course. She didn't want him falling back into his old ways, didn't want the authority to go to his head. Not that it was _much_ authority. His sole job was to keep people from challenging _her_.

No, if she was going to give anyone real authority, it would be Karesh. She had noted that he didn't _like_ spending time with her. But he'd gotten used to it; he no longer looked like he was about to have a heart attack every time she looked at him at any rate. He was different. Even if he didn't enjoy it, he was a breath of fresh air for her. He was proof they could be different. Further, he wasn't a potential rival, so she wasn't always worrying about coming off as weak when she was with him.

Considering what she was trying to do for his people, she felt he could put up with her company.

Chapter 68

'I need some help, Karesh. Who would you rather ask?'

'Perhaps we shouldn't then.' Karesh replied seriously.

'No.' He stood.

Karesh scrambled to his feet.

'No! She's the master! If she sees-'

'Then what?' Aerlid replied sharply.

'It's a sign of weakness!' He cried, 'letting my _master_ see it, that's just asking for it!'

Aerlid made a dismissive noise. 'Karesh, you're acting like a fool. If you can't trust me with this, how can you trust me to tear your broken wing apart to fix it?'

'Now,' he said when Karesh didn't reply, 'I'm going to go get her.'

'Why don't you stop the pain?' Riley asked above the screaming.

'I need you to be quiet.' Aerlid panted. He was cutting into the arm-wing. It bled profusely, Riley couldn't make out anything beneath the blood.

She was holding Karesh down. He felt so fragile beneath her, she worried if she held too hard she'd break him. But she needed to keep him still. He was writhing and wriggling and trying to free himself. A thick stick was between his teeth but he moaned and screamed around it.

'I need to know what he's feeling.' Aerlid said, pausing for a moment. He looked very tired. They'd been working less than ten minutes. 'I need to know how he's feeling. I can't keep him unconscious, monitor his vitals, and do this all at once. Now, please, don't talk.'

And the screaming and bleeding went on.

It was over in less than an hour.

It felt like the longest hour of her life.

Karesh's arm-wing was carefully bandaged.

It didn't _look_ much different, but Aerlid said that this was just the beginning.

Karesh's skin was waxy and sallow, dark circles around his eyes. He gazed at her from his carefully made hammock, hung inside Riley's tent. They had to make sure he didn't lie on his wing.

'You're going to be fine.' Riley said briskly. He looked terrible. Aerlid didn't look much better. 'Karesh, you need to rest. Don't worry about what anyone thinks. I can keep you safe.'

He didn't reply.

Riley had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. He didn't believe her. He didn't _trust_ her.

There were no words to say to that. All she could do was _show_ him.

Three days later, Riley entered her tent to take her shift. She'd made the animal skin tent not long after coming to the Plains, but rarely used it. The nights were warm and it didn't often rain, so it was usually unnecessary. Riley had made the hammock for Karesh on Aerlid's request, the day before his first attempt at fixing Karesh's arm-wing. During the night, she and Aerlid slept in the tent with Karesh. During the day they took turns watching him. Frankly, Riley didn't trust her tribe not to hurt him. To Karesh's quiet displeasure, Aerlid's students also helped. This was a part of being a physician after all.

When she entered the tent she found Karesh sleeping fitfully. Aerlid was on a blanket on the floor, singing softly under his breath. Riley knelt down on the dirt floor. Aerlid's eyes were closed, a hand behind his head. He looked tired.

A sound came from behind. Before Riley could move Aerlid bolted upright.

' _Adila?!'_ he exclaimed in a surprised whisper. His jaw hung open, his eyes wide.

Riley stood and turned in one smooth movement. When she caught sight of the interloper she stopped. She opened her mouth. Closed it. She frowned slightly.

The woman smiled. Perhaps smile was not the right word. This woman, this creature... It was as if the sun and sky had been mixed together and poured into the shape of a woman. That would be this creature. And what did the sun look like when it smiled? What did the sky look like? And yet she reminded Riley so strongly of Aerlid, she wondered if they were related.

The woman spoke.

Again, Riley had to stop. She spoke the way Aerlid sung. Words and meaning Riley could understand, but not speak herself. Could not even describe.

Aerlid responded in the same way.

It was gone in a second, refused to stay in her memory. It left only a longing, a faint feeling. It wasn't something she could catch and keep.

Yet she could understand it.

Aerlid. Adila, what are you doing here? I came to visit, it has been a long time. Yes, a lifetime. A lifetime? This is her. She doesn't look as though she's lived a lifetime. Who can tell with one like that? Yesterday could have been a lifetime. Ten years ago. A minute could have been her lifetime. It hasn't been long. No, that's true. Not as a long as last time. Is it near? No, it will come around to pick me up. Does she want to see her?

Silence.

Aerlid turned his head to look at Riley. 'You can understand us?'

She nodded.

Aerlid was not surprised, but Adila was. 'Really?' she said in perfect Plains speech. 'Can you speak Valkar?' she asked Riley.

Aerlid answered for her, 'no, she can't speak Valkar. She can hum it though.'

'Really? Can you hum for me?'

Riley was taken aback. She didn't know what to hum. She only knew the moon songs.

'Not right now.' Aerlid rescued her. He stood and looked at Adila more closely. 'Adila, what are you wearing?!' he demanded. 'What happened?'

Adila smiled. She was barefoot. She wore an asymmetrical skirt the red of a setting sun. Orange cloth was wrapped around her waist like a belt. Two strings of necklaces of beads and things that sparkled were loosely tied around the orange wrap. Two small pouches also hung from her waist. Her chest was covered by white cloth wrapped around her, leaving her shoulders bare. She wore loose necklaces, not many. They were not crowded or fancy. On her right upper arm Riley noticed something like a tattoo, if a tattoo could have been made out of fire. It was a simple symbol. In her right hand she held a wooden staff. It was her height, reaching the top of her golden head.

'I am not the Judgement Master any longer.'

'What?! Adila, how, why, who?!'

She smiled wider. 'Rose is the new Judgement Master.'

'Rose?' Some of his indignation faded.

She nodded. 'She took a long time to find her soul.'

'By now it should be obvious.' he huffed. 'The Queen's Garden isn't enough. Someone should have brought her mother down here.'

'They try to avoid it.' she sighed. 'And it isn't- wasn't something I wanted to get involved in.'

'Adila, you're the-'

'I'm not.' she chided gently. 'But I was, and perhaps you're right.'

'Well,' he sighed. 'It's been a long time since someone other than a Sunsinger was the Judgement Master.'

'Yes.' her smiled faded. 'She's having her own unique difficulties with the other judges. I can't help her.'

'Well, why the switch?' he demanded.

'I'm not the Judgement Master. She is.'

Aerlid stared at her for a moment. Then he looked away. 'I don't think I can think of you as anything other than the Judgement Master.'

Adila's smile faded.

It was then they remembered they were not alone. Riley was watching them. The conversation made no sense to her, but it was noted and stored. She asked no questions. Karesh had awoken and his eyes were on them.

'Ah,' Aerlid cried, suddenly becoming energized. 'Adila, you can help me with this.'

He strode over to Karesh, Adila followed.

'He's a mixed?' Adila asked, after looking at him for no more than a few seconds.

Aerlid nodded. 'Yes. Deformed, like most of them are. I'm trying to fix him.'

'What's wrong?'

'His wings. One of them seems fine, the other is a mess. When is the city coming? Can you call some healers?'

'Healers? Aerlid, you need help fixing a wing?' he asked, her eyes alert and focussed entirely on him.

Aerlid stiffened.

'I remember when you could have done it alone without even touching him!'

'And I remember when you were the Judgement Master.'

'I suppose we're both getting old.' she smiled, though it faded after a moment. 'I don't know if any will leave the city. Or if I can even tell them about it.'

Aerlid sighed. 'Of course, you're right. I'm sorry, Adila.' he said sincerely. 'I shouldn't have asked. Would _you_ help?'

'If I can, of course.'

'You can keep him under and monitor his vitals, can't you?'

'I can still do that.' she smiled.

Aerlid turned to Karesh. 'Karesh, it's going to be a lot easier from here.' and he smiled.

Aerlid had spoken true. With Adila's help Karesh was safely rendered unconscious and felt no pain as Aerlid worked on his arm-wing. Riley was no longer required, however the first time she attended anyway. Karesh did not look as tired after the sessions anymore, and neither did Aerlid.

Still, Riley could not tell much difference, though Aerlid was happy with how they were going.

It was not even a day after Adila arrived however that Aerlid asked a curious thing of Riley.

'You don't eat meat.'

Riley paused. Then she said slowly, 'yes, I do.'

'No,' he said firmly, 'while Adila is here it is very important you do not eat meat. Don't let her know you _ever_ ate it. And it's best if you don't say anything about my eating habits.'

'I don't often talk about what you eat.' she said, cocking her head to one side. 'Why?' she finally asked.

For once, Aerlid was not ecstatic at hearing her ask a question. 'You don't need to know why. And you wouldn't understand. As far as Adila knows, you don't eat meat, and neither do I. I don't even kill vegetables.'

'Alright.' she agreed, nodding slowly. 'How long will she stay here?'

'As long as she likes.'

For whatever reason, the gemengs didn't bother Adila. It wasn't quite the same as with Aerlid. They ignored her and she ignored them. She spent very little time in the main tribe, mostly she was either with Aerlid or at their camp, or she was somewhere else entirely.

Perhaps it was because of the conversation with Aerlid, but Riley watched Adila very closely. Either she wasn't watching closely enough or Adila was very strange indeed, as Riley had not seen her eat. Not once.

Riley was enjoying a rare moment of peace as she ate her breakfast. The morning was quiet. No one was around.

Suddenly Aerlid came rushing out of the grasses and, looking around quickly, he grabbed her breakfast right out of her hand and stuffed it into his mouth.

Riley stared at him. Her hand was still halfway to her mouth.

Aerlid paid no mind. He just chewed and swallowed. Then he sighed. 'Do you have any more?'

Then, 'what on earth _was_ that?'

'That was my breakfast. Why did you steal my breakfast?'

'Breakfast? That was _food_?! I'm starving and I _still_ don't think that was food!'

Riley had been experimenting with her food. Aerlid never let her, but Adila was a good distraction. So she had experimented. And now her experiment was gone!

Riley glared at him. ' _I_ didn't have a problem with it! Not until you ate it!'

'Shh! Don't tell anyone!'

'Aerlid, what's wrong?' she demanded.

'I'm _starving_.' he hissed. 'Now don't tell anyone!'

'Sit down.' she commanded, keeping her eyes locked on him until he sat.

He seemed surprised.

But she certainly wasn't going to take breakfast theft lying down!

'Why are you starving?'

'You wouldn't understand.'

'Aerlid, you just stole my breakfast. I suggest you _make_ me understand.'

Aerlid looked at her in alarm. 'Surely you're not that possessive.'

'I had been planning that meal for days.' she said ominously. 'Gathering ingredients. Squishing it all together. You ate it.'

'Squishing is not a word I like to hear in conjunction with my meals, Riley. I don't think I want to know what was in that. Lady Moon, that was a mud pie, wasn't it?'

'It was not a pie.' she said coolly. 'And you're changing the subject.'

Aerlid, horrified, scrambled to his feet, 'I can assure you Riley, I may be dying of hunger but I won't be stealing any of your food again!' and with that he made a quick escape.

While Adila was visiting, Riley received an unexpected, though pleasant, surprise.

She surveyed the two gemengs before her carefully. They were frowning and glaring at her, but she wasn't getting a sense of violence. They seemed more uncomfortable than anything else.

'Both of you?' Riley asked carefully, trying to keep her rising elation from her voice.

The two glanced at each other and then back at Riley.

The woman said, 'you'll stop it if we ask, right?'

'If you decide you don't want to be together? Yes, I'll keep him away from you.'

'And her from me!' the man demanded hurriedly.

'Of course. I'll protect you from each other.'

The two glanced at each again warily.

'And if I can't come and tell you I don't want him?' the woman demanded.

'Do you want me to check up on you?'

The woman nodded firmly, as did the man.

Such intervention from her would not be possible with the entire tribe, not anymore. But this was the first couple who actually wanted to be together.

Riley beamed, 'yes, of course. I'll check up on you.'

The two glanced at each other again, then back to Riley.

'Alright.' The woman said. 'For now.'

The man nodded too, then said, 'and only until the children are warriors.'

'Yes, of course.' Riley replied.

'But maybe not that long.' the woman added.

'As long as you both like. Before, after, you have children. I don't care, as long as you're both happy. Alright?'

The woman smiled brightly, before it was quickly quashed. 'Alright. Thank you, Master.'

The woman reached out and took the man's hand.

Riley had to restrain herself from jumping with glee as she saw the two walk away, holding hands.

'Actually, there was something I needed to tell you.' Adila said to Aerlid one day, weeks after she had arrived.

Aerlid, surprised, asked, 'what is it?'

It did not take Adila long to explain.

When she had finished she said, 'you can always return to the city. And... you can bring her with you.'

Aerlid glowered. 'She would not be welcome there.'

'Perhaps not, but she could stay until the ehlkrid leave, and it would be safer there.' she hesitated.

Aerlid knew the reason. And it caused him a moment's pause too. But there was nothing to say. So he continued, 'they could be here for a year or a thousand, Adila. Her entire life. No, I don't think I'll take her to the city. We'll be fine down here. Besides, I can always find the city if I need to. When is it coming?'

'Before the ehlkrid return.' she said seriously.

'I will visit then, before it leaves.'

Chapter 69

If Aerlid had been hoping Riley would leave the Plains when he delivered his news he was sorely disappointed.

She listened quietly. Somewhere in his tale her interest sharpened and she became very businesslike, asking pointed questions, preparing plans. But she did not panic and she brushed aside his suggestion of leaving.

'Less than a year.' She mused. 'Where will they come from?'

'I don't know. Somewhere.'

At Riley's unimpressed look he added, 'I'm sorry. When the city returns I can ask the valkar there, I think they'd have a better idea, though I really can't say.'

'Alright. We'll prepare as if they'll turn up here then. Do you know their numbers?'

'Last time the ehlkrid were here they reduced civilizations to ashes. They sent the few humans that survived running to the caves. I imagine it would be the same this time.'

'Alright.' Riley responded, and thought briefly of the ruins they'd come across during their travels. Even with this extra knowledge, the ruins were of no more interest to her than before, and her thoughts moved on from them quickly. 'How much stronger are they than the gemengs?'

'Well, they aren't all the _same_ , but it's safe to say most would be stronger than any gemeng around here, except you.'

'Aerlid,' she began slowly, 'do you remember that man back in the first village we went too?'

'Yes, I think I do.'

'You remember how he broke the ground?'

'Yes.'

'I've never seen any other gemeng do that. Can the ehlkrid do things like that?'

'That... what he did requires the ability to affect things with your will. It's how I usually heal things. It's what Karesh will need to fly. Among gemengs it's very rare, and if it's present it's usually weak. Olef's ability ought to have made him powerful among the gemengs of his land... perhaps he was weaker in other ways...' Aerlid mused, before returning to the matter at hand, 'among ehlkrid... it's common enough to be unremarkable.'

'Alright.' She was silent for a moment as she mulled that over. 'Are they like the gemengs?'

'What do you mean?'

'Are they violent, refuse to work together, that sort of thing?'

'Oh, definitely, even more so I would say.'

Riley smiled grimly. 'Alright. That's something. Is there any chance we could talk to them-'

'No. If you try you'll get your head bitten off. These things eat each other, Riley.'

Riley looked more thoughtful than worried, and _that_ made Aerlid worried. 'Riley-'

'Wouldn't you have said the same thing about the gemengs?'

Aerlid gazed at her coldly. 'You've never met these creatures. I have.'

Riley nodded, but still, Aerlid felt she was keeping her options open- at least in her head.

'Do they have a leader?'

'Yes. You remember I said the valkar are stronger than the ehlkrid, with a few exceptions?'

'I do.'

'Well, the Ehlkrid King is the exception.' Aerlid did not say anything else, but he didn't need to.

Riley held his gaze. Her green eyes were sharp and determined. 'You mentioned another problem.'

'Yes... but it may not be a problem. We may all be dead a thousand years before that becomes a problem.'

Riley waited.

'But we might not be.' he sighed. 'Eventually the ehlkrid will be chased away, back to their home.'

Riley frowned. That didn't sound like a bad thing.

'The people who will do the chasing won't be very careful in how they do it. At least, they never have been before. It's entirely possibly they'll kill all of us in the process.'

'Who are they?' she asked.

Aerlid looked away. 'I'm not quite sure. Their leader is as different from his people as the Ehlkrid King is from his. If it weren't for those two, they would not be so dangerous.'

'Their leader, who is he?'

'His name is Andalla.' A dark look came to Aerlid's eyes. 'He and his kind were here before the valkar. He makes all sorts of claims about who he is, but I have no reason to believe them. The valkar have their own theories.'

'Which are?' Riley pressed.

Aerlid looked at her in surprise. 'You're interested?'

'Aerlid,' she said briskly, 'If we're going to be fighting these people, I need to know as much as I can about them.'

Aerlid paused, after a moment he shrugged. 'Alright. Let's see... the ehlkrid and Andalla's... people... are much weaker than their leaders. So one theory says they're not related. That is, the Ehlkrid King isn't an ehlkrid and just came and took them over. Another says that the King and Andalla are just the strongest representatives of their people. If this is the case it suggests the ehlkrid and Andalla's people are, or were once, the same. There are other things that support that... but... then there are others like Andalla and the King, which would mean that they are also part of that group...'

'Others?' Riley exclaimed, 'do I have to worry about them too?'

'No! Well, I wouldn't think so.' he glanced away. Then he said quickly. 'And don't even _think_ about asking for help. They're all as bad as each other.'

She sighed. 'Alright. This Andalla, can I talk to him?'

'No.'

At Riley's insistent look Aerlid continued, 'Riley, that man used to run around getting humans to build temples for him and claiming he created them. He's attacked my _own_ people for the sole reason that most humans think we look more... _strange,_ than he does.'

Riley didn't know what to make of this.

Aerlid saw her expression and tried to back track. 'Andalla looks like a human. When humans see him, they think he's human. When humans see valkar, mostly they can tell we're not human. That upsets him. And it's his own fault,' he muttered, 'he can _change_ how he looks.'

Aerlid looked like he was about to go on so Riley quickly interrupted.

'So you can't arrange a meeting?'

'Riley!'

'I understand.' Riley said, standing.

'I could.' Aerlid said bitterly. 'But I don't know that I will.'

'That's fine, Aerlid.' Riley calmed him. 'We'll discuss this more later.'

Later that day Riley made an announcement to her tribe. She told them a war was coming to them. She did not go into details, but she assigned tasks. First, she sent people out to scout the lay of the land. They needed to find somewhere with more cover to hide. Out on the plains they'd be sitting ducks against a more powerful foe. They'd need to store food, water and supplies. They also needed to train and improve their coordination- that might be the only advantage they had over the ehlkrid. And she needed to warn the other tribes- give them time to prepare.

And if they wouldn't listen, she needed to subjugate them and _make_ them listen.

Riley was very busy from then on. She was expanding her kingdom, setting up a command structure- since it was getting far, far too big for her to handle everything personally, integrating her new conquests into her tribe, having them trained, overseeing the exploration of the land around the Plains, keeping her growing tribe fed and so on.

So it was that she was the last person to see Karesh's new wings.

Riley surveyed the new additions to Karesh's back with interest. For once, he was not wearing a heavy cloak. Karesh was instead beaming and happily twirling around to show off his now un-deformed back.

He opened and closed his wings, flapping them and then pulling them close to his body. 'Look! I can move them! They both work!'

It had been a few days since the last operation, but he was still giddy with excitement.

'Can you fly?' Riley asked.

'I don't know yet.' Karesh looked over his shoulder at her (he had turned around again). 'Aerlid's going to try and teach me. He says I might be able to glide, he's not sure about flying. But even if I can't glide, it's fixed! I can still use it for other things!' and he beamed.

'So do you think you'll be able to work now?'

'Work?' his smile faltered.

'There are some things I'd like you to do, if you have the time.'

'O-of course.' he went still.

Riley frowned. She had worked hard to make the gemengs fear her, she could hardly complain about it when faced with her success. 'You would still have time to practice flying- or gliding.' Riley added, hoping that would ease him.

Karesh still did not reply.

'Karesh, if you don't want the job you can say no.' she said briskly.

In that cautious way he had he said, 'what job do you want me to do?'

'I need a second in command.'

His eyes wide he said, startled, 'you want me to find one?' then he added, 'I thought Gakra was your second.'

'Perhaps I should change his title,' Riley muttered. A more fitting title would be 'champion', but she didn't know if the gemengs would take that to mean she couldn't fight for herself. 'No, he's not in command of anything. He just fights people who challenge me so _I_ can get work done. And no, I don't want you to find one. I want _you_ to be my second in command. You're the only half reasonable gemeng I've met here.'

'Everyone else has challenged me to a fight, at least once.' She'd had some difficulty explaining to the newcomers that they had to go through Gakra if they wanted to fight her. 'Most have challenged me more than once. They won't work with me. I can't trust them, or even talk to them.'

'You trust me?' he replied, surprised, as if he was having trouble with the concept.

'I don't know if I do. I hope I can.' she corrected. 'I can't do this without trusting someone.'

Karesh stared at her, his face slack.

'Will you take the job?'

He frowned, 'what do you expect me to do?'

Riley beamed. 'Oh, come with me, I'll show you!'

Karesh spent about an hour each morning with Aerlid (and often, Adila) trying to fly. Then Riley gleefully (unfortunately, that was the most apt description...) assigned him a whole lot of things to do before rushing off to see to a whole lot of other things.

He was aware he was under close scrutiny, but he didn't really mind. Mostly, he didn't know what to make of his new position and just did as she bid him. He figured she'd grow tired of it soon and fire him.

The work ranged between boring and simple to challenging and death defying. Riley mostly spent her time training the gemengs to fight in groups and to respect the authority of their team leader- whether he or she was physically stronger than the rest of the team or not. Her work in that regard meant the gemengs mostly, if grudgingly, accepted his authority. And it wasn't as if he was the only person Riley had assigned authority to either. Still, the word was _mostly_ , not _always_. Too many of the new gemengs had seen her fight but never kill. They were held in line by the thin thread of she couldn't be lord of this many gemengs unless she was incredibly ferocious and dangerous. She was working on it, but...

Right now, that was hard to tell as a fiery, young, arrogant gemeng male was trying to stare him down.

'You expect me to take orders from you?' he drawled lazily.

Karesh eyed him cautiously, in that way he had. 'No, your master expects you to take orders from me.'

'Hah.' he scoffed, though some of his bravado had leached away. Was it enough?

It turned out, it wasn't.

When Riley stalked onto what had quickly become a battlefield, Karesh felt more than a quiver of unease. She had been very, _very_ specific about fighting.

He glanced down at the moaning and bleeding gemeng.

At least he'd had enough thought to stab him in the guts, not the neck. He wasn't used to trying _not_ to kill people.

Riley's green eyes were narrowed dangerously. She quickly scanned the scene and the quietly observing crowd.

It had not been a difficult fight for Karesh. He didn't even have a scratch on him. The man had charged at him, Karesh had quickly snapped his wings open. The man was distracted for one precious second. And then a spear of stone was stabbed into his stomach.

'You there!' she called to a random gemeng in the crowd. 'Go fetch Aerlid for me.' she turned from the gemeng, not waiting to see if she was obeyed. 'What happened?' she asked Karesh, her tone softer.

'He attacked me.' Karesh shrugged cautiously.

Riley didn't say anything to that. Instead she looked down at the wounded gemeng. In one smooth movement she reached down and snatched his trophies from him.

She threw the trophies on the ground. 'Worthless!' she cried, loud enough for everyone to hear. 'I am told only warriors wear these, and yet foolish children parade about in them! I will see no more of them!' She raked the crowd with a blistering gaze. The gemengs, uncertain, began removing their trophies.

She looked at Karesh. Her voice was cold. It carried above the crowd. 'Challenges do not go through you, they go through Gakra. If anyone attacks you it is not a challenge, it is a cowardly attempt at murder. I expect you to kill the next person who does.' Then she paused. 'Better yet, bring them to me, and I will kill them.'

The next day the trophies were gone from Riley's tribe and a ceremony was held.

She personally handed out knotted arm bands to those she considered warriors. Nothing else would signify being a warrior. Once again, the definition of 'warrior' was changing. It was just another small step towards changing how the gemengs viewed the world.

Karesh looked over at Riley cautiously. He was eating with her and Aerlid. They did not try and stay outside the tribe anymore. Riley had a separate tent- larger than all the others, in the middle of the camp. Aerlid had a smaller one next to it.

Riley was gazing moodily at the fire. In her hands she was quickly making another band. As he watched she added it to the growing pile and began work on another. She was not the only one making the bands. Aerlid's students, Aerlid and Karesh helped, and Adila had also participated. They were simple bands of woven grass, which were wrapped around the upper arms of those lucky enough to receive one. Some of the bands were dyed different colours to signify rank. Gakra had two- which he was very proud of- one to show he was a warrior, another to show he was Riley's second. There had not been enough bands to give to all who had been warriors. That had been dealt with by Riley simply declaring they would have to prove their worth to her. She handed the bands out personally- all authority, respect, power, came only from her.

'Why the change?' Aerlid asked, breaking the quiet.

'Hmm?' Riley responded.

'Why have you suddenly decided to start executing people?'

'It's getting too big to manage.' she murmured. 'The new ones don't fear me. I need to be able to control them. I can no longer be so lenient, not if I want the tribe to stay together.'

'May I ask,' Karesh began timidly, 'what actions would lead to execution?' it was strange, the effect her pronouncement had had on him. He hadn't realised it before, but despite his wariness of her, he had felt oddly safe. In a way, he had trusted her not to kill him. He had feared her, yet not feared she would kill him.

'Trying to kill, or killing someone else. There's a difference between a challenge and murder. Well, there should be...' she looked up in surprise. 'Why?' she asked, 'are you worried?'

'N-no!'

She sighed and looked down at the band. 'I would prefer not to kill anyone, Karesh. I don't know, I don't like killing things, not if my survival isn't at stake. You can question me and disagree with me, you can _refuse_ to carry out an order if you think it's wrong, you can even leave. I won't harm you for that. But I need to be able to assign people duties and have them be able to carry them out without every gemeng in earshot trying to start a fight about it. I need... more authority. And I need to make this place safe...' She looked up at him, the fire reflected in her eyes. 'I want to change this place, Karesh. I want to make a world where people don't have to be afraid all the time, afraid of someone hurting you or killing you just because they're stronger than you.' She dropped her gaze. 'But I don't know if this is the right way.' she mumbled. 'I don't know any other way.' she sighed again. Then she stood, as if shaking off her doubts.

She glanced at them, said her goodbyes, and walked briskly off to patrol her tribe, every step declaring her confidence in her own power.

'Soon?' Aerlid asked, pleased.

'Yes.' Adila confirmed.

'Soon for us or soon for them?'

'For you. I was quite clear.' Adila had been the Judgement Master a long time. When it was necessary, she could get a quick reaction. 'You have questions. I can't answer them, and it would be better if you got them sooner rather than later.'

They were of course, speaking in Valkar.

'I'll tell Riley.'

Riley was with her recently formed council. They were sitting in a circle, a large space between them and the rest of the tribe. Riley had asked for quiet, and the council was giving it to her.

Karesh and Gakra were with her, as were the seven other members of the council. It hadn't been too difficult to choose the other members- trying to train the gemengs quickly revealed those willing, or able, to change and think and those who weren't. The group was a mix of ages, genders, and strength.

'You understand?' Riley was asking.

'I see what you're saying.' A young man was saying, cautiously but also bravely- it was a manner reminiscent of Karesh. He had passed the Warrior's Trial a few years ago, but was one of the weaker members of the tribe. He was a circumspect, observant man, who chose the moments to show his strength carefully. 'But the warriors need a way to test their strength against each other. Perhaps other challenges could be allowed, aside from those directed at you.'

Currently, Riley was trying to set up a loose system of laws. There would be rules that would govern everyone, even her. Eventually, she hoped the council would become responsible for such things, without her. At the moment they really just gave her advice. She handled disputes and problems personally. That she was seen to consider and follow their advice was important though. It was a start.

'I will consider that.' Riley said seriously. 'Are you all agreed?'

There was a round of nodding. She gazed intently at Karesh. He seemed more nervous than usual. Despite that, he nodded.

She glanced up, about to say something else, when she spotted Aerlid hurrying over to the group.

She looked back at her council. 'Alright. Make the announcement.' She stood and walked over to Aerlid. 'What is it?' she asked.

He had a curious look on his face. It was hard to pin down- happy, concerned, excited, grim.

'The City of the Valkar.' he said. And then he looked up.

Riley looked up too. And she stayed looking up.

'Yes, that's it.'

'I see it. When did it get here?' she finally looked down. 'Surely we would have spotted it coming.'

'It hides well. But it came here by normal means.'

'Through the sky?'

'Yes.'

'That's a normal way to travel?'

Riley was vaguely aware of noise behind her:

'Challenges may only take place by permission of our lord. They will take place within the challenge square. Only those related to the challengers, or members of the council will witness the challenge. A challenge cannot take place without at least three witnesses.'

'Comparatively, yes.'

'Alright. Can you reach it?'

'Oh, easily. Yes. But... Riley, I would like you to visit the city, though I'm afraid I can't take you. You'd have to reach it alone.'

Surprised, Riley blinked. 'Why?'

'It's one of the protective measures on the city. No one can bring anyone else to the city, so humans can't capture and force any valkar to take them there.'

Riley gazed up at the thing above. It was hard to pick out details from here. It was a vaguely shoe shaped blob in the sky. It cast a shadow, like a cloud, on the ground. It was mainly green, as if it was covered in forest. But it was also brown, as if it was a piece of earth, forest and all, floating in the sky. Some parts of it caught the light and shone and flashed.

'How am I to get up there?' she asked, more than a little sceptical.

'It would be best if we did it at night. Even if you can't make it, you won't die.' he said seriously. 'If you fall you'll reach the ground safely. It won't be dangerous.'

'...any other fighting will be considered an attempt at murder. An attempt will be punished by servitude to the victim until...'

'And why is that?'

'Valkar... they do not easily kill.'

Riley frowned. She didn't think _she_ killed easily. 'And you're certain?'

'If I'm wrong about the stairs, Adila or I, or someone else in the city can catch you.'

'Are you certain about that?' she said with some emphasis.

'...a successful attempt will be punished by death...'

'I am.'

Riley looked down at him. Her frown was still there. Then she looked back up. 'How am I to get up there?'

'It will be easiest to show you at night.'

'Alright. Tonight then.'

The city was not right above the tribe, so Aerlid and Riley walked some way from the tribe until they were beneath the city.

Adila had already left. Riley hadn't seen her go.

The moon was shining brightly in the dark, star-dotted sky. The night was humid, but a cool breeze made it pleasant. Light and laughter and cooking smells drifted from the camp. The grasslands were quiet, except for the sound of the wind.

Aerlid was gazing at the sky. Whether at the moon or the city, Riley didn't know.

He looked down at her. He had a frown on his face, it bordered on sadness.

'Watch me.' he said softly. 'You can't sing, but your humming should be enough.'

He looked away.

And then he sang, one pure note. As he sang the moonlight shimmered and changed. It coalesced, and in front of him, gathered. Aerlid stepped onto the moonlight, as if it was a stair. And he sang again. And the moonlight gathered in front of him, a little higher. Again, he stepped up.

The notes came together, became a song. And he was singing and climbing through the night, up the glittering stairway.

Riley stared. He had ascended, far above her. Her eyes latched on to the first stair. It was still there.

And so she tried to step on it.

It was like stepping on air.

Perhaps the valkar could do that, but she couldn't. Her foot hit the ground.

_Alright then_ , she thought. Riley moved a little way away from Aerlid's staircase. He was still climbing above, in a straight path.

Riley began humming, one of the moon songs Aerlid sung. Nothing happened. The moonlight stayed where it was.

She gazed around, still humming.

Minutes dragged by. She did not look up at Aerlid. She just hummed and looked around for her staircase.

And slowly, slowly, she saw. Light was moving sluggishly, but... it was less moonlight, what was moving for her could easily have been mistaken for mist. Well, shiny mist, but certainly not light. Even so, she started in surprise, her humming catching. The mist-light quickly began falling apart, dissipating.

Quickly, Riley began humming again. And it came together, into a lumpy lump. It was not quite in front of her, as Aerlid's had been. Riley took two steps so she was in front of her lump. She was still humming.

She stepped up onto it. Her foot began to sink. Her heart joined it. But then it stopped. She stood, both feet off the ground, and sank a little more. Aerlid hadn't done that. But at least she was standing on her first step.

She kept humming. She couldn't describe it, but she had a better idea of what to hum now, of what tune the moon wanted. Though it wasn't just the moon. She had a sense of another presence, the city. It was part of this song too. The next step came quicker than the first. Again, it was not quite in front of her. She had to stretch to reach it. It was like the first, not quite solid.

Out of the corner of her eye she could still see Aerlid's staircase, solid and gleaming and formed out of light. But she did not think of that. She hummed. And climbed.

The steps came quicker, though not nearly as quickly as Aerlid's. It did not take long for her to realise she could not hold more than two steps at a time. As soon as she began humming the third the first began disappearing.

A tremor of unease passed through her. The city was _high_ , and her staircase didn't fill her with confidence.

But Aerlid had said he would catch her.

So she didn't wonder how far she would fall before that happened.

She hummed and climbed into the night.

Aerlid gazed down from the city, his heart in his mouth.

Riley took a flying leap through the sky. She landed on the next step. Stood, looked around.

'Is there something wrong with her?' a man standing next to him asked.

Aerlid was not in the mood for talking. Riley was still standing on her stair. It took her about a minute to form each step, and then they were too far apart, and even worse, weren't heading directly towards the city.

'Do you beat her around the head every night before bed, Aerlid?' the man continued curiously. 'Because it doesn't take Tagalid more than a seventy fifth to get up here, and he's a rock!'

'I know who Tagalid is!' Aerlid growled. A seventy fifth corresponded to about thirty minutes. It had taken Aerlid about twenty. Riley had been climbing for five hours. If she managed to keep the path straight she could be in the city in about... well, considering how long it took her to make a step... it would be under an hour. Considering the way her path was going, she'd be lucky if she _ever_ got here. 'Go away, Dearlid,' he pronounced it dee-ar-lid, 'I don't want to talk.'

Of course, the man ignored him. 'Have you lobotomized her?' he asked. 'You know, I'll go get Aela,' this was pronounced ay-ee-la, 'I'm sure she can tell you what's wrong with her.'

'There's nothing wrong with her! And who is Aela?' The fact that he didn't know her probably meant she'd been born in the city.

'A Moonsinger, she heals too.'

Aerlid snorted.

'Much better than you, I'm sure. Otherwise you'd know what was wrong with her.'

The night was fading, chased away by dawn. The horizon was glowing gold, the sky a lighter blue. But where they were, it was still dark. At least for a little while.

Aerlid supposed it could be worse, as he gazed _up_ at her. Riley had spent the last three hours circling the city. At least if she fell now, she'd be falling down onto the city. Though... considering the city's defences, he didn't know if that would end up with her being here or on the ground.

The situation appeared to be improving. The path was winding down, bringing her closer to the city. She was no more than ten meters above the ground.

Aerlid was tired. And hungry. And he'd spent the whole night being worried.

Finally, Riley jumped down off her last step, and she was in the city. She waved and smiled at him. He hurried over.

'Are you alright?'

She shrugged, tired. 'Do you have anything to drink?' she asked, her voice hoarse.

'Of, course.' he took her arm gently. 'Sit down.'

'Aerlid.'

'Yes?'

'I won't have to do that to get down, will I?'

'No, no, I can leave with you.'

She sagged in relief.

It was not long before a group of valkar came over to see them. Notably, Dearlid was with them and a young Moonsinger.

'I'm here.' the Moonsinger said, in Valkar. She hurried forward. 'Let me see what's wrong with her.'

'There's nothing wrong with her!' Aerlid growled, standing in her path.

'She took all night to get here, Moonsinger.' The woman said briskly. 'Clearly, she suffers from some severe, debilitating defect. Do you know what's wrong with you?' She leant around Aerlid to ask Riley.

Riley, who could understand Valkar but not speak it, just stared. She said in Plains speech, 'I'm very thirsty.'

'Oh! Why is she doing that? Can't she talk?'

'What were you doing up there?' another valkar was asking her. 'Why did you sing your way up there?'

'She can talk _fine!_ ' Aerlid said.

'I didn't have much control. But I also wanted to have a look. Please, can I have some water?'

'Ah, you wanted to look.' the man agreed. 'Aela, maybe she's not as broken as she looks.'

'Really, you wanted to look? Well, that's alright. But are you sure you can see? If you're a mute perhaps you're blind too. Are you blind?'

'She's not blind _or_ mute _!'_ Aerlid was exclaiming.

'I think she must be very old.' Dearlid was saying. 'Perhaps she's just aging.'

'Old! Really? I thought she was just ugly.' Aela said.

'You're right, Aela, it's not age. It's unattractiveness. I remember, she can't be more than a hundred and thirty two.'

'I'm seventeen. Please, I need some water.' Riley said.

'Seventeen!' The man exclaimed. 'Why! You can't possibly be seventeen!'

'She's using a lunar calendar, you damned ground lover!'

'Seventeen lunar cycles?'

'Noo!'

'You said lunar calendar!'

'Seventeen lunar years!'

'Well that's what I said, a hundred and thirty two!'

'Moonsinger, get out of the way-'

'And you know being a ground lover is better than having your head stuck in the clouds all day-'

And so on.

It took nearly half an hour for them to realize Riley had walked off.

Morning had come by the time Riley wandered away from the group. The city was unlike any place she'd ever seen. Astar was a city of grey blocky buildings and paved or dirt roads. Coastside was lovely and warm, but it was still stone and rock covering the earth beneath. This was more... it was more like walking down a mountain side. The ground was grassy and flowery. The few paths were more like game trails through a forest, they were not roads. And the city was slanted, as if it had once been part of a mountain side. Plants and trees grew in abundance. There were natural dips and hollows in the earth- it had not been smoothed and made into a nice, easily traversable path.

All this was not to say there weren't any buildings, though they did not seem like buildings people would live in, or shops or bakeries or... Riley couldn't really tell what function the buildings served. She saw a lovely fountain, small and delicate, no higher than her shoulder. Yet when she approached to try the water it faded into the sunlight, as if it was made of dust motes dancing in the light. She saw what looked like a giant sea shell made out of clouds sitting on a lovely, sunlit meadow. She saw a tree house and a spindly tower made entirely out of sticks no thicker than her finger. As she watched it swayed in the wind. The only thing in common between all the... things, was that most of them had a small light in front of them, like a firefly. Mostly the lights were green, but she saw a few yellow. She did not know what they signified.

Riley crossed a small stream. It was a very strange stream- it tumbled over the rocks and pebbles and looked so shallow she wouldn't have been able to scoop any into her hands to drink from it. And yet she saw large, brightly coloured fish swimming around in it. Riley gazed at the stream for some time. She could not make the two images reconcile, so instead she put her hand in the stream. She could feel the pebbles, only her fingertips were wet, and at the same time her arm was wet up to her elbow, deep in a cold ocean, the place the fish were. Her stomach ached at the conflicting information her senses were giving her.

Riley stood and shook her head. She didn't feel like trying to drink from that stream. So she turned from it and continued walking down the slope. Ahead she saw what look like a dome made out of mud with an opening in it, like a door, with a curtain made out of long grass. As she passed it she suddenly noticed a valkar climbing it. Riley stopped and watched as the man who looked like a cloud sat on top of the dome. He looked around a bit. And then he slid down the dome and started walking away.

'Hello!' Riley tried to catch his attention. 'Do you have anything to drink?'

The man looked at her, he blinked, as if trying to clear his eyes. Then he shook his head.

'Do you know where I can get some water?'

He pointed upwards, at the clouds.

Riley looked up too. When she looked back down, confused, he was gone.

Her mouth dry as dust, Riley looked around. He was nowhere to be seen.

The cloud man was not the only valkar Riley had seen. But they had all been too far away and been walking too fast- or perhaps ignoring her. It was easier to see them from far away. That was, you could almost pretend they were normal. You wouldn't have to try work out how a stream or wind or sun or a particular type of rock or plant could have gotten itself into a human shape. The only similarity between them was that they all went barefoot and had their hair unadorned and unbound.

Thirsty and annoyed, Riley continued down the slope. She had not gone very far when suddenly everything went crazy. The whole world flipped upside down, her stomach with it. Bewildered and disoriented, Riley suddenly realised she was staring at the ground far below. Her stomach lurched. Her eyes drifted over the scene, not quite understanding how this could be. She spotted her tribe- a conglomeration of tents spread out over the plains. She looked down at her feet- grass and dirt. She glanced to the side- the city, upside down. A valkar was walking towards her. The woman glanced at her as she passed.

The woman walked on and did not fall to the ground.

So Riley, gathering her courage, slid back a step. And the world flipped again. Dizzy, Riley plomped down on the ground. She looked around. Everything was how it should be; the sky above and the ground below.

It took a while, but eventually she stood up again. She decided to turn around and take a different path. Even if it was safe, it was extremely uncomfortable.

Every step she took from then on she took with some trepidation, prepared for the world to flip.

On the new path Riley passed a hollow stone cube. Cylindrical holes had been carved out of the inside walls and filled with dirt- flowers were growing out of them. A tree was growing out of about five of the cylinders and curling around the building. The floor was dirt. There was a light in front of this building as well. It was yellow. Most of the buildings she saw had had green lights in front of them.

As she watched, a woman who looked like a river walked up to the cube garden and knelt down. When she rose the dirt floor was a pool of sparkling water.

Riley hurried over to the woman. In Plains speech she said, 'can I drink that?'

The woman raised her eyebrows and said in perfect Plains speech, 'how would I know?' and turned to walk away.

'Wait!' Riley kept pace with her, 'would you mind?'

'I don't know that I would mind. You should ask the pond if it would mind.'

Riley paused only a moment, 'would the pond mind?'

'Why don't you ask?'

'I don't know how.'

The woman stopped. After observing Riley for what seemed an age her gaze drifted past her, to the pond. 'The pond doesn't mind.' she said. 'But the tree thinks you asked the wrong question.'

Riley frowned slightly, though she continued on as if this was a perfectly normal conversation. 'What's the right question?'

'Oh, I wouldn't know. I don't often talk to trees.' and she walked away.

Riley walked back towards the cube garden. She knelt down and looked sceptically at the water, then up at the tree.

Riley stayed there for a few moments, then she stood. Perhaps she should find something else to drink.

Riley continued walking. The ground was not so sloped anymore.

Eventually, she came to a place where the world shifted again. This was different than before, and yet in a way more unsettling. She did not feel as if she was upside down- she felt she was the right way up. But as she looked up, she saw the ground was above her. Looking out across the city, she could see the sky was below. Unsettled, Riley decided to continue forward. She slid one foot forward, and then another. When nothing catastrophic happened Riley went a bit quicker. Eventually, the world switched back. She shook her head. The sky and ground were in the right place once more. She kept walking.

Extremely thirsty, tired, and hungry, Riley did not feel particularly hopeful when she came upon another group of valkar.

There were three of them. They were all gathered around a buzzing purple moth about the size of Riley's hand. She noticed then a large, grey animal with a horn coming out of its face standing near them.

'Hello.' Riley said as she approached the group, she glanced at the animal and then at the moth. She saw that the moth's top side was green. Startled, Riley took a closer look at the moth. A tiny house was resting on the moth's back, and the green was starting to look more like grass than moth fur.

The valkar stopped talking and all looked at her.

'Hello.' one of them said in Valkar. This man looked like a rock.

'Don't do that!' one of the others said, one who looked like a river, 'she won't understand you!'

'How do you know?'

'Well she's not talking Valkar, is she?!'

'You're making an assumption that that means she can't. You there,' the man who looked like a rock said to Riley, 'do you understand me?'

'Yes.' Riley said. 'Please, I need something to drink. I'm very thirsty.'

They all stared at her.

'Well,' the river man said, in Valkar, 'what do you drink?'

'Water. Please.'

'What sort of water?'

'Fresh water.'

'Obviously she drinks the same water the humans do.' said the third, the first he had spoken. He looked like the wind.

'I don't know that that's obvious at all.' the rock said.

'I do.' Riley interjected. 'I drink what humans drink. Please.'

The river was staring at her intently. It was a bit unsettling.

Suddenly, Riley got a very strange feeling. She coughed and shook. It was as though she was filling up with water. She couldn't speak to say, 'not like that!'

Then the feeling was gone, and she was no longer thirsty.

'T-thank you.' Riley said, a bit uncertainly. Now that her thirst was gone her hunger pangs hit her hard. But she was afraid to ask about that, Aerlid had been very strange about food around Adila.

'Perhaps you can help us.' The wind said. 'We're having some problems.'

'What is it?' Riley asked.

'We're trying to get this rhinoceros into Caralid's garden.' the rock said.

Riley gaped at the large, grey, horned creature. She'd never seen anything like it. And then she looked at the buzzing, fluttering moth.

'You're right,' the river said apologetically, 'it's not much of a garden, but Caralid insists on calling it that.'

'It won't fit.' Riley stated, stunned.

'It will be dreadfully crowded.' the river agreed.

'I think it's more a matter of weight.' the wind said. 'Look how Caralid is struggling just with that little house! Why, he won't be able to fly at all once we get the hornosaur on his back!'

Riley looked again at the moth. Frankly, the idea that the moth was a valkar was no stranger than what they already looked like.

'The exercise will do him good! And we should use the human name, otherwise she'll be confused.'

'What do you prefer, hornosaur or rhinoceros?' the wind asked Riley expectantly.

'Well, that's where he wants it delivered.' the rock said obstinately, before Riley could answer. 'He wants it in his garden.'

Riley looked at the rhinoceros/hornosaur again, then at the house.

'He hasn't been very cooperative.' the river nodded at the rhino. 'We asked him nicely to get up there and he just ignored us. Even after Caralid got down nice and low so he could just step up.'

'Perhaps he doesn't like the garden.' Riley ventured.

'You know, maybe if we put a female rhino up there he'd be more cooperative.'

'How are we going to get a female hornosaur up there!' the wind demanded.

'And you're making an assumption.' the rock added. 'Maybe he doesn't like female rhinos. Maybe he wants to be a single rhino.'

The river frowned.

'Perhaps if he just thinks there's a female up there.' Riley said. 'You could trick him.'

The river beamed, 'that's brilliant!'

'You're still making an assumption!' the rock demanded.

'It's blatantly obvious,' a cool and familiar voice said, 'that that garden is far, far too small for a rhinoceros, or even a small cat.'

Riley beamed at Aerlid, who was busy glaring at the three other valkar.

'And _why_ ,' he said, 'are you trying to get a rhinoceros up there anyway?'

'That's where Caralid wanted it delivered.' the rock replied. 'And I don't think it's obvious at all!'

Aerlid's eyes locked on to the moth. 'Either grow yourself Caralid, or shrink the beast. And do I want to know where you got the beast from?'

'It used to be a fish.' the river said brightly. 'I asked around and this one said he wouldn't mind a change of pace.'

Aerlid sighed heavily.

'I know.' the wind said suddenly. 'We need a very pointy stick.'

'Oh, that would definitely work.' the river said. 'But where would we get a stick pointy enough?'

Suddenly the world went dark and Riley was buffeted by a strong wind. She looked up, bewildered, she saw the sky was covered by a giant purple moth.

'Come on!' Aerlid yelled over the sound of the flapping to Riley. He took her hand and dragged her away from the moth.

Once they were far enough away that light had returned, Aerlid muttered 'Never ask _why_ with these people.'

'Aerlid.' Riley interjected. 'I'm very hungry. And tired.'

Aerlid looked surprised for a moment, then he said, 'of course you are. But that presents a problem. Hmm, alright, we'll go to the Queen's Garden. I wanted to take you there anyway.'

'Is there food there?'

'Maybe. How did you get down here, anyway?'

'What do you mean?' she asked, suppressing her disappointment at Aerlid's answer.

Aerlid stared at her. 'You're on the underside.'

'What?'

'The bottom of the city.'

Riley confused, looked around. The sky was above, the ground was below. Everything looked normal.

'Don't trust that.' Aerlid sighed. 'They do all sorts of things with the perspective here. You know, this place was much more normal when it was on the ground. At least the sky was always above you. Come, I'll show you. The Garden is on the top of the top side.'

Confused, Riley followed Aerlid. They took a different path, and eventually, Riley realised what he meant by being on the bottom side.

They came to a place where the perspective _didn't_ switch. It was more as if their feet became glued to the ground and they were walking up the side of a wall. It was then that she realised they were walking from beneath the city, around the side (buildings and plants grew on the sides as they did the bottom and top) to above. The city had apparently been in the sky long enough that what had previously been within the earth had been built upon.

Aerlid held her arm tightly. 'Are you alright?'

'It's a bit strange.'

'That's one word for it, yes. Be careful when you walk around. There are places you don't stick to the ground.'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean you'll fall- not all the way, but partly.'

Riley's eyes widened.

'Look.' Aerlid pointed into the sky. Riley didn't know what at. And then sunlight sparkled off something in the air, like a spider web forming translucent netting in the sky. 'You'll fall into that, or something else. It depends.'

'But that's up.'

Aerlid just looked at her.

'Riley,' Aerlid began cautiously as they made their way through the city towards the Queen's Garden. 'If you could, would you want to meet your mother?'

Riley, surprised by the question, shrugged.

His mouth quirked down in mild irritation. The word 'mother' simply meant nothing to Riley. Logically, it should not have been surprising, considering her upbringing. Yet still, Aerlid wished she cared. And even more... her mother... _delicate_ , was perhaps the best word to describe her. Introducing her to a daughter who didn't care one way or the other about her... Aerlid could only see it ending in her getting upset. And so he wasn't certain what he should do...

He looked at Riley again and sighed. Well, she was never going to learn to care about her mother if she never _met_ her. And wasn't this partly, mostly, her mother's fault too? She _could_ have come and visited her if she'd wanted. Not that he was going to point that out to her.

'Do you see?' Aerlid said, coming out of his thoughts. He pointed to the Garden, rising into view before them. It was surrounded by a wavy fence made out of something white and iridescent, like pearl. The fence was low enough to hop over in some places, but taller than Aerlid in others. Over the top a lush garden and tall trees were visible. The sound of birds twittering came from all around, and especially from the garden.

Riley nodded. 'That's a big tree.' her eyes were instantly drawn to the tallest tree, its branches spread high above the rest of the garden.

Aerlid glanced at her. 'Yes,' he sighed. 'You can climb it.'

'I need to eat first.' she replied, tiredness coming into her voice.

'Yes, of course.' The fact that she would put off climbing up a giant tree told Aerlid how very tired she was, even more so than her tone. 'Wait a moment...' and he touched her arm. She stopped and looked at him. 'We must talk first.'

He looked at her, glanced at the garden and back again. 'Your mother... she is in there.'

Riley did not look surprised this time. She glanced at the garden. Her expression changed for a brief moment, too fast to catch.

'It's... her garden.'

Riley looked back to him. As what he'd said sunk in her eyes widened in alarm. Her mouth opened.

'Yes.' he said hurriedly. 'The Queen.'

Riley looked back at the garden, then at him. She closed her mouth. Her brow furrowed for a moment. Then she focussed on him again. 'Aerlid, what does this mean for me?' she said forcefully.

'Oh, nothing, nothing.' He said, surprised. Riley sighed in relief as he went on. 'No, Queen doesn't quite mean the same to the valkar as it does to humans. But besides that, Rilodana- that's her name- already has two other daughters. And you're not a valkar.'

Riley was relieved more than disappointed. She didn't seem aware of the uncomfortable silence that had settled over Aerlid.

'I mean,' he said, 'you're only half valkar.'

Riley's eyes flicked to his. 'They're not comfortable around humans.'

It was not a question.

'No.' Aerlid replied, somewhat stiffly.

'Even half humans?'

Aerlid shook his head. 'No, not even half humans.'

Riley gazed towards the garden critically. 'She didn't want me, did she.'

Startled, Aerlid replied, 'why do you say that?'

Her eyes were on his as she said, 'her other two children are here, aren't they?' he hadn't said it exactly, but the way he'd said it... she wasn't certain, but she thought she might be right.

'Yes, they are.' he sighed again. 'But maybe... maybe that's not the right way to put it.' he looked around and gently took her hand. They sat on some grass on the side of the path that was not really much of a path. 'Rilodana is... she's not always aware of what's happening. She... she's not all there. Being separated from the earth... what led to this... it was too much for her.' he looked at Riley meaningly, hoping she understood. Her green eyes were locked on his.

'Her other children are here, but she doesn't always remember them. It's not that she doesn't care for you... Riley,' his tone changed a bit, as if he was changing tactics, 'you know how many of the gemeng children turn out?'

She nodded.

'Yes, well, human-valkar children turn out like that, only much worse. You may have noticed... but valkar are very different to humans. We always try, healers always try very hard to make the children survive. But... if there isn't something physically wrong with them it's usually mental. Even with all our help, I think you are the only one who has lived past fourteen.'

She stared. She was only seventeen.

'But we tried even harder with you Riley. Rilodana would have been devastated if there had been something wrong with you, and she's already so... delicate. So we tried even harder. She may not always remember you, but she does love you.'

'Aerlid, am I going to die?' she demanded, alarmed.

Aerlid was momentarily caught off guard by the question, that wasn't what he had meant to tell her. He recovered quickly. 'I honestly don't know how long you're going to live. Frankly, I think you should worry more about being eaten by one of those damn cats you're so enamoured with.'

His attempt to lighten the mood did not help. 'Aerlid,' she pressed.

'You'll know.' he said grimly, 'it won't be sudden, Riley, you'll... experience the symptoms of aging, sort of what humans go through.'

She relaxed slightly. 'How long?'

'I'm not sure, but I would say you'll live to between thirty or forty years old.'

From the look on her face, he could tell it did not seem enough time.

'I'm sorry Riley, I should not have brought it up, it slipped out.' He reached out to touch her arm. 'You're only seventeen, you have plenty of time. And I'll be there, perhaps I, or one of the other valkar can make it better. We put a city in the air, extending your life should not be too difficult. Please, don't think about that now. You wanted something to eat?'

Riley let him help her to her feet. As they walked the rest of the way up to the garden he tried to take her mind off what he'd said. Perhaps it was what he was saying, or maybe the walk itself, but by the time they reached the garden she'd mostly recovered herself.

Riley had never thought about how old she would live. Thirty or forty. She had never thought of being that old. That was about half the expected life span of an Astarian. Suddenly she thought, _for a submariner, that's ancient_. And her thoughts went to Vann.

Suddenly thirty or forty seemed very old.

And she decided not to think about it anymore

Inside the garden it was a little cooler. Aerlid walked ahead of her, his eyes darting around.

He did not go very far before he stopped, Riley with him.

'She knows someone has entered her garden. She'll come now, we will go no further without her permission.'

And so they waited.

Riley was too hungry and tired to think of anything except eating. Time seemed to pass slowly.

And then... it was hard to explain, but Riley became aware of someone's presence before she heard or saw anything. It was as if the garden took a breath and held it. A woman, a valkar, came towards them from between the plants and greenery.

Riley stared. She had seen many valkar in the short time she had been in the city. Rivers and air and clouds and moons and plants and suns... but nothing like this creature.

It was as if the essence of life itself had formed itself into a woman's shape. It was impossible to describe. She understood then, what the Queen meant to the valkar. Love. Reverence. Awe.

Aerlid glanced at her and smiled when he saw her expression. He inclined his head imperceptibly, as if in agreement.

As the woman drew closer Riley noticed something else. There was a certain vagueness to her gaze, a dream like quality to her movement. Riley had a sense there was something missing, and she felt a moment of sorrow. The feeling was not dispelled when the woman spoke.

She spoke in Valkar, of course. She was difficult for Riley to understand, far more so than any of the other valkar.

Riley frowned slightly. She thought she must be hearing wrong.

'Mother, the birds do so well, but the trees are feeling cramped. Has something happened to the mountain?'

Riley glanced at Aerlid. Suddenly he looked so very tired.

He spoke softly to her, 'she thinks you're her mother. Ah, I suppose to the valkar you look old. Let me speak to her.' Louder he said, 'Rilodana, do you know me?'

The woman's attention drifted to Aerlid. 'Why, Moonsinger, yes!' She came forward and took his hands in hers and smiled. 'Yes, did you know I have had a daughter, finally? Mother is so pleased! Everyone can relax now!'

'That's wonderful news.' Aerlid managed.

Rilodana had already moved on to Riley. She grabbed her hands like she had grabbed Aerlid's. 'Come, Mother, you must meet her! I'm afraid she took such a long time to find her soul, I can't imagine why. Please don't be mad at me, Mother.' and she began dragging Riley deeper into the garden.

Riley looked back helplessly at Aerlid. He followed at a close distance and whispered, 'Don't upset her, just nod and smile, don't say anything.'

'Rilodana,' Aerlid said louder, 'your mother has been travelling a long time. Why don't you bring her something to eat?'

'Of course, you'll be so proud. But first let me show you? And then you can name her with me!'

Rilodana moved quickly through the garden. It was not long before they came to a clearing. Though judging from how tense Riley was it had been _far_ too long.

Ferns, trees and flowers surrounded and shaded a grassy space where a young valkar woman sat. Riley was stunned for a moment as she looked at her. She was like Rilodana. _Life._

In another second she realised this was one of Rilodana's other children.

The woman looked up as they approached. Her eyes almost immediately went to Riley. Surprise lit her features.

'Mother, this is her!' Rilodana finally let go of Riley's hands and rushed to her other daughter's side. A long suffering look came to her face. She said nothing as Rilodana continued, 'isn't she the most beautiful child you have ever seen? What shall we name her?'

Riley stared.

Aerlid felt far worse than Riley. He knew Rilodana and her daughters. The young woman sitting on the ground was Rilodana's eldest daughter. She was far, far older than Riley (though by valkar standards a young woman). She had been born and named long after Rilodana's mother's death. And yet where was the second child? But he knew- she had to stay away. Her presence, when Rilodana did not remember her, would have greatly upset her.

As Riley remained quiet Rilodana's smile faltered.

Aerlid quickly stepped in, 'we discussed this on the way, Rilodana, your mother feels you should name your daughter.'

'Oh, oh, really? May I?' she beamed, 'I have been thinking so hard! I think I shall name her Rilodana!'

The young woman on the ground closed her eyes.

'What about Ladana?' Aerlid suggested.

'Oh,' her face fell again. 'No, no, I don't like that name.'

'Well, let's think on it later.' Aerlid smiled sickly. 'You must be very tired, why don't you go rest?'

'Oh, yes. Having children is very hard work, Moonsinger. Yes, I'll go rest.' She made as if to try and pick Ladana- for that _was_ her eldest daughter's name- up.

A look of consternation passed across her face.

'Ah, why don't you leave your baby here? I'm sure your mother would like to spend some time with her.'

'Oh...oh, of course. Mother, do you know how to look after a baby?' Rilodana looked worried for a moment.

'Yes, of course she does.' Aerlid said, 'Please, you look so tired, go rest.'

'Oh, yes, alright...'

It took some time but eventually Aerlid convinced Rilodana to leave.

The young woman, Ladana, sighed. She stood and smoothed off her dress. 'You handle her well, Moonsinger. You're the man who took the mixed girl?' she spoke in Valkar. After Rilodana's mixed up voice, Riley found her very easy to understand.

Aerlid stiffened. 'Your half-sister, yes. And she understands Valkar well.'

The woman's eyes moved to Riley. They stayed there for some time.

'She appears ill.' she said after a long pause. 'Have you taken good care of her?'

'Of course I have. And she's not ill.'

'I see.' Ladana had a slow, meditative way of speaking that was soothing after Rilodana's mixed up flightiness. 'And why have you brought her here?'

'I wanted to introduce her to her mother and her sisters.' Aerlid said coolly.

Riley remained mute.

'Very well,' Ladana turned slightly. 'Ralana, you may come now. Mother is gone.'

It did not take long for another young woman to appear from the greenery. She was shorter than Ladana, but not as short as Rilodana- who was a small woman. There was a wide eyed curiosity to her that Ladana lacked.

Ladana turned to look back at Riley. 'This is the mixed girl. The Moonsinger who took her wishes her to meet us.'

Ralana's eyes widened. Riley was surprised to see fear flash there. Riley turned to look at Aerlid. 'I still haven't eaten.' she reminded him.

'Oh, of course. Mm, would either of you be able to get something for Riley to eat?'

Ralana nodded quickly. She darted away into the greenery.

Ladana looked at them as she said, 'so, you have met us.'

Aerlid could not entirely hide his anger.

Despite her gnawing hunger, Riley felt there were things she needed to ask. It seemed the valkar were as much a part of the world as gemengs and humans. She could not just ignore them.

'You have a problem with humans?' Riley asked.

Aerlid was surprised at the way in which she asked this, as if she were merely collecting data, it was not an accusation.

'Yes.' Ladana's eyes widened ever so slightly, as if surprised by the question. 'They are monsters.' she stated.

'All of them?'

Ladana nodded.

'And me?'

She nodded again.

Riley frowned. 'I've never done anything to you.'

'No.' Ladana agreed, though it almost sounded like _not yet_. 'Humans enslaved and killed many of my people. Even those we thought were our friends. Humans cannot be trusted. They are the reason I cannot, and have never, walked on the ground.'

Aerlid did not necessarily disagree with Ladana yet still he seethed on Riley's behalf.

'I see. And yet I'm half human. How did that happen?'

'Mother disappears.' Ladana shrugged. 'She wandered off one day and found a human. She gets confused easily. I don't know what she saw in him.'

'But she went to the ground.'

'Yes.'

'So couldn't you as well?'

Ladana suddenly glared at her. 'Yes, and you'll go walking around the ehlkrid land, will you?'

'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.'

Ladana's glare subsided. 'It's alright.'

'He calmed her down.' Aerlid interjected suddenly. 'Rilodana did care for your father, Riley. But you have seen how she is, she forgot about him. But perhaps that's for the best... he died not long after.'

'Ah. Is Ralana coming back soon?' Riley asked.

Ladana glanced behind her. 'You're very impatient.'

At the look Aerlid shot her, Riley managed to keep her mouth shut.

Luckily, Ralana returned not long after. To Riley's abject disappointment, she returned with one, round piece of fruit.

Ralana handed it to her, pleased and afraid at the same time.

In less than a minute, Riley had finished it. It was delicious- juicy and tangy, but not nearly enough.

Aerlid glanced at her. 'Well, this has been lovely. Riley, shall I take you back down now?'

'Please.'

The goodbyes were swift and clean.

Aerlid quickly took Riley to an edge of the city. It was still daylight, so the journey down would probably be very unsettling for Riley, but less so than starving up here.

He was just about to begin when he heard a commotion behind him. He turned, mildly irritated.

A group of valkar approached. But no, he realised. One woman was approaching them, the rest were just her entourage.

She had a sure stride and a ramrod straight back. She did not look as though she smiled often.

He already knew who, or what, she was.

Her hair and lips, the colour of rose petals. Her hair went just past her shoulders, it was unadorned, like all of the valkar. Her fringe was long enough that it looked like she almost didn't have one, it was parted and fell easily to either side of her face, leaving her features unhidden. She was lovely. And yet... her thorns were obviously displayed in her expression. She wore a long dress, her bare feet just visible beneath the hem. Her dress looked like it had been made out of the petals of a very large rose. It wrapped around her waist tightly, two pointed ends of the petals going over her shoulders, like straps. The skirt was looser, leaving her more freedom of movement.

Rose.

The woman's eyes swept critically over Riley, and then landed on Aerlid.

It was then that Aerlid realised what was missing. 'Where is the cape?' he demanded, startled and outraged at the same time.

Rose lifted her chin up and gazed down at him haughtily, though she was shorter than him. 'That is what Sunsingers wear. I am the Judgement Master, but I am not a Sunsinger. I will not wear it.'

Aerlid was about to argue when he spotted Adila, some way behind Rose. She shook her head ever so slightly at him.

'Very well.' he managed through gritted teeth. 'But consider,' he began, his tone relenting slightly, 'I only ask because I recognize you as the Judgement Master.'

She paused, somewhat mollified, though when she spoke again her tone was not gentle, 'why have you brought a mixed here?'

Aerlid had to fight down anger that was once again rising. He bit back the urge to ask how long, _exactly_ , had she been the Judgement Master? 'Is the Queen's daughter not welcome here?'

'Do your people not deserve a moment's consideration before bringing a girl with human blood into the city?'

'I am _so_ sorry.' He bit out acidly. But he said no more. He trembled with the effort, but he said no more.

Adila did not step forward to say anything. It was not out of cowardice or anything like that. Aerlid knew she would speak to Rose- or perhaps already had- in private.

'The city has been brought into sight, in a populated area, for you. That requires a _very_ good explanation.'

Aerlid wondered if Adila had arranged this for him behind the new Judgement Master's back.

'And I will give you one.' he bit out. 'But right now, I am leaving with the mixed girl. Is that to your liking?'

Rose looked at Aerlid in a way that would have made him cringe if he hadn't been so aware of Riley, so close and understanding everything that had been said. 'It is.' she replied.

Chapter 70

The next night Aerlid returned to the city. He had not nearly accomplished everything he wished to do there, and of course there was Rose.

First he made his way to a grassy meadow. There was a cool breeze. There was usually a breeze in the city now, even when it was still. Aerlid spotted the man he was looking for asleep on his back on a large, grey rock.

'Kaerlid!' he called out as he made his way up the hill towards the rock.

He received no answer in return, but when he finally reached the man his eyes were open and he had a smile on his face. He did not look very sleepy.

'Aerlid. Adila told me to expect you.'

'Did she say what for?' Aerlid asked as he made himself comfortable on the ground.

'Yes.' Kaerlid's smile faded. 'I don't know the answer yet. I think I could find out, but the King or Andalla might notice. But if it's important, Aerlid, I can find out.'

Aerlid sighed. He had feared that. 'No, it's not that important. If they spot you looking they will likely try and change the entry point anyway.'

'I am sorry.' Kaerlid said genuinely, 'the separation between here and there has gotten very delicate lately. Any change vibrates through the whole thing.'

'Riley is preparing as if they're going to appear right on top of her. Knowing would be nice, but it's not worth the risk. Please, think no more of it.'

'Alright.' and his smile returned. 'Tell me about your adventures!'

'Certainly, but first, are you comfortable like that, Kaerlid?'

'Of course! You should try it!'

'You're taking up the entire rock.'

'I could move.'

'I'm fine here.' and Aerlid smiled.

Aerlid spent the next few hours catching up with his old friend.

Aerlid did not go directly to Rose once he had finished with Kaerlid. An observer would have thought he was just randomly wandering around the entire city, perhaps avoiding the Judgement Master.

But that was not the case. As he walked Aerlid picked up bits and pieces, some he pulled off structures or tools. Once he picked up an entire tea set and took it with him. Valkar who saw him watched curiously. A few asked what he was doing. A few even helped.

Nobody seemed at all concerned at his thieving spree.

And then, when he was laden down with metal in all sorts of forms, he finally came to the rickety tower Riley had noticed yesterday.

'Fearlid!' Aerlid called from down below. He pronounced it Fe- _arr_ -lid.

A round head popped into view at the top of the tower. 'What?!' the man demanded.

'Help me up!'

'What's all that for?! Have you forgotten how to sing, Moonsinger? You can carry it up yourself!'

Grumbling, Aerlid carefully arranged his loot around him. Then he began singing. The objects slowly rose, they stopped around waist height.

Satisfied, Aerlid turned back to the swaying tower and began climbing, his loot following him up.

At the top it was very windy. Aerlid's hair whipped back and forth around his face, but did not obscure his vision. Fearlid was like all the valkar in that he did not cut or adorn his hair, though his hair was short.

Fearlid, who looked very much like a rock, observed him grouchily. There was a hard set to his mouth. This was normal for Fearlid, so Aerlid was not concerned.

'What do you want?' Fearlid demanded. 'What is all that stuff?'

'I need to use your tools.' Aerlid said.

'What? You want something made?' Fearlid glanced at the sword that hung from Aerlid's belt. 'Well, fine. I'll make it for you. You don't want to end up with something like that again.'

Aerlid, somewhat stiffly said, 'I enjoy forging. And I'm quite pleased with my sword.'

'It has no soul!'

'Well, maybe it doesn't need one. I'd like to do this myself, thank you. But there is something I need from you.'

Fearlid gazed at him, his arms crossed across his chest. 'Out with it!'

'It's something I can't make-'

'Well that's just about everything!'

Aerlid sighed in annoyance. 'But I want it quickly, within a few days. And I don't want it to have a soul.'

'You don't-?' Fearlid gaped. Then he snapped his mouth shut. His brows lowered like thunderclouds, 'very well! Tell me what it is and I'll make it once you give back my forge!'

Aerlid explained what he wanted. Fearlid nodded curtly once Aerlid was done. 'Moonsingers! I'll make it,' he repeated. 'But don't complain when it turns out a useless lump like that,' he made a sharp gesture towards Aerlid's sword, 'or what you're making now!' And with that Fearlid, grumbling all the while, began climbing down the swaying tower.

Once he was gone Aerlid turned to look at the small forge and sighed. The flimsy sticks holding it up did not seem nearly strong enough. Add that to the way the tower swayed and wobbled... He rather wished Fearlid didn't enjoy having the wind in his hair while he worked. Was it really so difficult for the valkar to build a blacksmith's workshop on the _ground_?!

By the time Aerlid was done for the day, he felt more than a little seasick.

Fearlid was very, _very_ unimpressed with the beginnings of his creation. Aerlid thought it was starting out quite well. And Riley would be thrilled.

But he had to go see Rose now. He could not leave without seeing her.

Finding her was not that hard. She was the Judgement Master, after all.

It was a bit jarring though, seeing her surrounded by so many Sunsingers- the other judges.

She spotted him quickly. She waited for him to approach her. There was some space around her- the other judges near but not intruding.

'Judgement Master.' Aerlid greeted her.

'Moonsinger. You have some things to tell me.'

'I do. Where shall I begin?'

'You may not bring the mixed girl here without warning, Moonsinger.'

'I was told she would be welcome here.'

'Welcome? If you believed that you would not have offered to take her when she was born. No, Moonsinger, she may enter the city. But we require warning first.'

'Very well.' he said stiffly.

Her tone cooled. 'And to me, Adila is not the Judgement Master any longer.'

Aerlid bit back an angry remark and smiled. 'Of course, Judgement Master. My apologies.'

She inclined her head gravely. 'Why did you request the city move here?'

'For one, I thought the Queen might wish to meet her daughter.' he answered very coolly, a thin smile on his face. 'Secondly, I have been informed the ehlkrid are coming. I had some questions about that that I thought important.'

'They are coming.' Her tone was as cool as his. She did not smile. 'The shields we gave the humans last time are still operational. There is no reason for us to interfere. At all.'

Aerlid knew a warning when he heard one.

'I won't be asking the valkar for help, Judgement Master.' He said, some of the ire leaching from his voice, leaving merely tiredness.

'And the girl?'

Aerlid looked surprised. 'How will she ask the valkar anything without my assistance?'

Rose's eyes narrowed. 'I don't know, Moonsinger. That does not mean it is impossible.'

'I will explain things to her. We don't expect any help, Judgement Master. No one is going to try and force the valkar to interact with humans. Or ehlkrid. Or anyone. Alright?'

Aerlid did not leave quite then- in fact he spent more than a day in the valkar city. He still hadn't quite finished with Fearlid's forge.

'They could come down here.' Riley was saying. 'There are no humans here, the gemengs are getting better.'

Aerlid stared, slack jawed, as Riley just turned him into a liar.

'Riley.'

'Aerlid, they don't need to be so afraid. They don't need to miss the ground.'

'It's an interesting proposition.' Adila added with a smile.

Aerlid glanced at her.

'I will suggest it. I think some will gladly come and visit if they know there are no humans.' she went on.

Riley looked pleased.

'Adila,' Aerlid hissed. He was wishing fervently Riley had brought this up when Adila _hadn't_ been present. 'Rose is going to get upset!'

'Rose is the Judgement Master, not the Queen, Aerlid. And I'll of course mention this to her as well. But if other valkar wish to walk upon the earth it has never been a judge's role to prevent them.'

'Adila, the gemengs are exceedingly violent. And there _are_ humans not far. Safety cannot be promised. And with the city leaving...'

'It can never be promised. I doubt many will come, but I know some will. We'll be careful. And you know the city's location is a minor issue. It's not going far besides, it will circle back before the ehlkrid return.'

'Well it's _easier_ when its close. Perhaps it doesn't bother you, Sunsinger, but I know some who would have great difficulty returning to the city when it's not right above.'

'I'll be here, Aerlid. I may not take them with me, but I _can_ lend them my strength. You know that.'

Aerlid sighed. He had not lied when he told Riley he could not help her reach the city. Even if he leant her strength, it would not have improved her humming or helped her reach the city, unlike with other valkar. He noticed Riley was looking at him curiously.

'Very well,' he said in a tone that suggested it was all talked about and decided upon. 'Go present this invitation to the valkar.'

Adila smiled and gracefully rose to her feet.

'Is something wrong?' Riley asked him once Adila left.

'Riley, please don't try and treat the valkar the way you do the gemengs.' his tone became deadly serious.

'What do you mean?'

'You're trying to make a world without fear so everyone can live happily ever after together. The valkar are not the same as humans or gemengs. They have different concerns. You can't understand them. You can't make it better.'

'Well. You could tell me.' she said, her eyes lighting up. An offer like that never failed to improve Aerlid's mood.

He shook his head, his expression grim. 'No. The valkar are too different. They can never, should never, have lived among the humans.'

'Adila didn't seem upset.' Riley said, confused.

Aerlid just shook his head again as he stood. 'Adila was the Judgement Master. By necessity, she can't ignore the rest of the world. And neither can Rose, now. But for the rest, it would be cruel to force them to engage with the rest of the world again.'

Riley, confused more than anything else, said 'Alright.' And then she changed the subject. 'Well, I have an idea of the land around the Plains now. Can you help me make a map?'

Surprised, Aerlid agreed. 'Do you know where you're going to move the tribe?'

'The best bet is the mountains.' Riley turned and pointed to the line of brown, jagged peaks that were just visible to the east. She had already sent people to investigate them of course, but seeing the land from high above had confirmed the importance of the mountains. 'There may be caves there. On the other side is a desert. If the mountains don't prove suitable there is a forest to the north. That would still be better than here.'

They talked for some time about the current plan. They had yet to hear back from the scouts sent to the mountains. It was not the distance that was a problem but the other tribes between here and there. The tribe was slowly moving in that direction anyway and enveloping the other tribes. If the scouts failed, they would be close enough soon that Riley would be able to go and investigate the mountains herself.

When they were finished Aerlid said, 'Riley, I have something for you.'

Riley waited expectantly.

Aerlid picked up the cloth wrapped package that had been lying next to him since they'd begun talking. Riley had not asked what it was. She hadn't changed _that_ much.

'Here.' he held it out to her and could not keep a smile from his face.

Riley unwrapped the present. When the silky black cloth fell away and she saw what was beneath she beamed. She leapt to her feet- Aerlid quickly rescued the cloth from getting trampled.

'A sword!' she cried. She made a few experimental swings with it.

It was an unadorned length of greyish-silver metal. The hilt was wrapped in black leather. Or something close to it anyway- it had come from the city. Riley's sword did not look nearly as impressive as his own- but he had spent much more time planning and making his own. Looks weren't the point anyway.

'You'll be able to use that sword against ehlkrid without it breaking.' Aerlid said.

'It's heavier than mine.' Riley noted.

'Yes, though that shouldn't be a problem for you. It may take you a while to get used to it though. Here, I got you something else as well.'

And he handed her what Fearlid had made for him, a short dagger that did not look much like a dagger. It had a wider guard than most daggers Aerlid had seen, as well as slots that would be able to catch and hold fast a sword or claw.

Riley beamed. 'Thank you! This is perfect!'

Aerlid smiled, gratified. 'And I got you one more thing.'

Riley looked up in surprise. Aerlid smiled and held up the black cloth that the sword and dagger had been wrapped in. He could not help feeling a moment of sadness at her pleasure at the dark cloth. It was a regular black, not the dark of the Nights, or the Mountain valkar. In the valkar city, black was a sign to all who saw it: not valkar, half human. Mixed. But Riley had grown fond of her dark clothes, and the colour looked good on her. Why spoil her pleasure in it by telling her what it stood for? 'I think your clothes are getting a bit tatty.'

Riley looked down at her outfit. It was a patchwork of faded blue and black, as well as the deep dark black of the original valkar cloth. There were rips and tears in it, much mended, and in a few places blood that hadn't quite come out. Yet compared to what the gemengs wore, it was a very nice outfit indeed.

'Yes,' he said, as he gazed at her clothes. 'Those will have to be burned.'

'Burned?'

'I'm afraid so.'

'But Aerlid, I'll just get the new clothes ripped as well.'

The look Aerlid gave her silenced her immediately.

Chapter 71

Not long after, the city of the valkar left the Plains. Aerlid told Riley it would return once more, just before the ehlkrid arrived, in case there was a problem or they decided to take Adila up on her offer of seeking safety in the city. After that it would leave- go somewhere far away from other people.

After the city left Riley began pressuring Aerlid again for a meeting with Andalla. She couldn't see the harm in _talking_ to him, and surely the potential benefit was worth the annoyance it was causing Aerlid.

Aerlid disagreed with every part of her argument. But she kept pushing and so finally he relented.

For five days Aerlid was gone. Where he went, Riley didn't know. He had, in a huff, finally agreed, stalked out of her tent and began singing to the moon. And then he was just gone.

When he finally returned he was in a worse mood than when he left. He announced that he'd spoken to Andalla. Whether he would come, or when, well... that was anyone's guess.

Riley listened with rising excitement as her returned scouts gave her their report.

'We didn't see how far the caves go, but there were a lot. Enough to store a lot of supplies, if not hold most of the tribe.' a young gemeng was saying.

'Thank you.' Riley said. 'You've done a great job, go get something to eat.'

The gemeng nodded and moved off.

Riley, pleased, turned to look at Aerlid and Karesh. 'Aerlid, I'd like you to come with me to look at those caves. We need to see what we can do with them. Karesh, do you think you can handle things here?'

'I... don't know.' he said in that way he had. Things had been going much better lately, but that didn't mean the gemengs wouldn't suddenly rebel if she disappeared for a few days.

Riley had, truthfully, expected that. 'Alright. I'd like you and Aerlid to go then. Take whoever you need. I want to know if we can move the tribe there and if we can defend the caves from the ehlkrid.'

'We can do that.' Aerlid replied calmly.

They began discussing how many people they'd need to take, what they'd need and how soon they could leave.

Aerlid's voice slowly trailed off. His eyes were getting very big, fixed on something behind Riley.

Suddenly he swore.

Startled, Riley turned. She looked around. Then up.

'He's coming right _now_!' Aerlid nearly shouted. Suddenly he ran off. He yelled to Riley as he sprinted away, 'this is a special occasion!'

Riley spun around to see Aerlid disappearing into the campsite. She turned to look at Karesh, whose eyes were also fixed on the vision in the sky. 'They can fly...' he whispered.

Riley looked back up at the procession, gliding towards them from the clouds. 'Yes. Karesh, I need to go change, can you handle things?'

He nodded.

And Riley sprinted off after Aerlid.

Riley quickly but calmly changed into the clothes Aerlid had finished for her less than a week ago. They were in the same style as her normal clothes- just not ripped or patched or blood stained. She did not have a mirror to look at herself, so she could not see that the deep, rich black looked very nice on her. It felt nice too. They were 'special occasion' clothes. Her ordinary clothes had not, in fact, been burnt by Aerlid. She needed everyday clothes too.

Finished, she quickly began re-arranging things in her tent. It was the biggest tent in the tribe, so it had been decided that if Andalla showed up they would greet him here. Why that mattered, Riley didn't know.

Aerlid had made arrangements in case Andalla arrived without warning, and he had told her how she must behave. So at least they weren't _completely_ unprepared.

She had barely finished dressing when Aerlid arrived. He hurried around, giving her instructions all the while. 'Get outside. Look humble, no that's not humble, Riley. Look... look, I don't know- not like that! And make sure you get all the way on the ground when he arrives. Don't look him in the eye unless he gives you permission, and compliment him lots.'

Riley, who remembered all this, did not comment. Instead she calmly left her tent which was being transformed from where she slept into a place fit to greet Andalla.

The procession was now nearly to the ground. Riley noted that her tribe was behaving as they should and turned her attention to the procession. It was hard to make out shapes yet, just that Andalla's people were coming through the sky in two columns and had a golden glow to them.

It took nearly an hour for the procession to reach the ground. By then the campsite had been rearranged so there was room for them to land. Aerlid had come out of Riley's tent some time ago and was standing by her side. He did not look happy.

Finally, the creatures landed on the ground. They formed two lines, a space in between. Immediately they began blowing on large, golden and silver horns. It was very loud.

Riley observed them carefully. They wore very little clothes. Mostly, they wore a short white skirt with gold or silver embroidery along the hem. A few wore robes that looked like sheets casually draped around themselves. The scanty clothing showed off their well-muscled and perfectly proportioned bodies. Riley noted they all appeared to be men. Their skin was golden brown and their faces as perfect as their bodies. On their backs were their... wings. It looked like a giant maple leaf had been attached to each man's back, maple leaves that were a reddish gold colour- like during fall. The flesh in between the veins of the leaf were a gold translucent colour and the veins a darker line against that background. If it wasn't for the wings they could easily have been mistaken for very good looking humans. They looked practically normal compared to the valkar.

Along the corridor made by the winged creatures a man strode towards them.

Riley remembered what she was to do and quickly knelt down on her knees, her forehead to the ground. Beside her, Aerlid was doing the same thing.

The horns fell silent. Riley could see a pair of fancy, gold-worked boots in front of her.

A voice spoke- an exceedingly lovely voice. 'You may rise and look upon my visage, children. Though I must caution you, my beauty may send you mad.'

Riley quickly got to her feet, Aerlid doing the same beside her. Riley doubted she'd be sent mad, but she kept her head bowed anyway. Aerlid had suggested this was the best thing to do.

Aerlid however was standing straight.

There was a pause.

Then, 'I said you could look at me.' Andalla prompted.

Riley did not quite know how to take that after his warning. She noticed Aerlid glancing at her out of the corner of an eye. 'Uh...' she began a bit uncertainly, 'Aerlid has told me so much about you, oh magnificent one, I fear looking at you would be too much. Why, even your feet are almost too much for my feeble mind to bear.'

'Well,' Andalla replied, sounding very happy, 'they are, aren't they? Very well, you have my permission to look at my feet. Would you like to kiss them?'

'Um-' Riley saw Aerlid making a face at her. 'I'm not worthy of that honour.' she said.

'That's true.' Andalla agreed. 'But I'll allow it.'

Without looking up, Riley glanced at Aerlid again. He was making little nodding motions.

Riley looked down at Andalla's boots. They were very nice boots, but she did not feel particularly like kissing them. And besides, it was impossible to have a conversation like this.

And so she straightened up. She got her first look at Andalla, whose eyes were now wide open, his eyebrows up somewhere in his hair. He looked very much like the trumpeting winged creatures, except his features were even more perfect. Not maddeningly so- Riley still felt quite sane.

'Hello.' Riley said. 'My name is Riley, it's very nice to meet you.'

'She's gone mad!' Aerlid suddenly cried. 'Oh curse you, how could you! You know the effect you have on people!'

'I'm very sorry.' Andalla said gravely, though he seemed pleased at the same time. 'I doubt there's anything you can do to fix her.'

'Yes.' Riley said, trying to keep her tone even. 'I'm quite mad. Can we talk about the ehlkrid...ah!' Riley stopped, her head buzzing painfully. Her mouth tasted coppery.

Aerlid merely grimaced.

'Wh-what was that?' she demanded.

'Oh,' Andalla merely raised his eyebrows. 'The ehlkrid-' the buzzing, vibrating pain came back, Riley clutched her head, 'have such an awful name,' Andalla continued, 'to even say it causes great pain.'

Riley stared. That had never happened before!

'You can say my name if you like. I give you permission.'

Riley wasn't sure she wanted to, but Aerlid was glaring at her, so, 'Andalla.' she said. She went stock still, heat flooding her face.

'Yes.' Andalla smiled. 'My name is so very beautiful, it has that effect on people.'

Riley almost preferred her reaction to ehlkrid. 'It's... it's... there are many things we should discuss.' she said, deciding she didn't want to think about his name any more.

'Andallites too.' he said.

Riley closed her eyes slowly as pleasure flooded her body.

'That's very beautiful. You were not aware, Aerlid, but that is what my people are now called.'

'You finally saw fit to name them, did you?' Aerlid shot back. Riley noted his cheeks were also a bit pink.

'Yes. They finally earned the right to a name.'

Aerlid said nothing.

Riley quickly sought to get the conversation back on track. 'I understand you... your people have fought the...' she paused, gathering her strength, 'the ehlkrid before?' the pain came back. At least it washed away the memory of what Andalla and Andallites had done to her.

Andalla's smile slowly faded.

'She's quite mad.' Aerlid reminded him. 'Would you do us the honour of coming and sitting?' Aerlid gestured to Riley's tent. 'It is the best we could do, I'm sorry it's not nearly good enough.'

'Oh, not at all.' Andalla's smile slowly returned. He followed Aerlid into the tent. Riley came after.

The furs that made up her bed, along with a dozen other furs borrowed from the rest of the tribe, had been scattered around the room. Furniture was somewhat lacking among the gemengs of the Plains, so Aerlid had done his best trying to make fur cushions on which they could lounge.

'I expect you'll want to throw yourself on your sword after this. Out of shame.' Andalla said, sounding very happy with the notion.

'Most likely.' Aerlid muttered. 'It was a struggle not to do it before you arrived, oh transcendent one.'

Andalla, satisfied, settled himself on a pile of furs.

Riley remained standing before him while Aerlid quickly ducked out of the tent. He returned with some bowls of food and drink.

'Ah, refreshments. You may both serve me.'

Riley managed to go about that task without saying anything. When Andalla had finished commenting on how awful everything was- and suggesting Riley should join Aerlid when he threw himself off a cliff, Riley again tried to turn the conversation to the ehlkrid.

'Yes, of course my people have fought and vanquished the monstrous ones many times.' Andalla said. 'And certainly, we will do so again.'

This was not necessarily a good thing. 'I understand...' Riley began carefully, 'in the past many.. non-ehlkrid,' pain flashed through her, 'died when your people fought them?'

'Yes. The unworthy died.'

'The unworthy?'

'Yes, of course my people would not have killed anyone worthy. Though the ehlkrid probably did. Why, I imagine those are the only ones they killed!'

'And what makes people unworthy?' she asked.

'Many things.' he shrugged nonchalantly. 'Mainly getting killed by my people, the Andallites.'

Riley could not respond for a moment. 'I-is,' she began shakily, 'is there a way to become worthy?'

'Many ways. The only way you'll know for certain is by who kills you, ehlkrid or Andallite.'

The combination of the two- pain and pleasure, was almost more than she could bear. It took what felt like an age to get control of her body again. 'Is there any way your people could kill _less_ people?'

'Certainly, if they become worthy the ehlkrid will kill them instead.'

When the pain faded she noticed Aerlid looking at her, as if to say 'I told you so'.

Riley wasn't quite sure what to say. Clearly, the Andallites were as deadly as the ehlkrid. Aerlid was right, she did _not_ want Andalla's help. 'I'm sorry, these questions must sound very stupid to you. I'm often told how slow I am.'

Andalla beamed, even happier about this than when she complimented him. 'Indeed, you are! Horribly so!'

'But I would like to prove myself worthy of kissing your feet.'

'Oh, I don't think you could do that.' he shook his head.

'I know, you're right. Of course, you're always right. But might you stay away for a while, so I may try and deal with the ehlkrid and prove myself to you?' It felt like her skull was going to shake itself apart. With great effort, she kept her expression blank.

'Oh,' Andalla seemed pleased. 'Well, that might work. I suspect you'll have to give me many gifts as well.'

'Nothing I have is worthy of you.'

'No. But you should give me things anyway.'

'A-alright... and you'll stay away?'

'And judge her?' Aerlid interjected. 'You could watch and judge like a... like the most wise and just of all Judgement Masters.'

A small smile curved up Andalla's lips. He leant back in the furs and looked them over as if already judging them. 'Yes. Yes I believe I shall.'

'By staying away,' Aerlid went on, 'judge by staying away and not interfering.'

'Yes...' Andalla's smile faded as he looked around, as if the novelty of the situation was wearing off. 'It's not very nice here. I expect you'll have a palace for me, next time I come and visit.'

'We'll work on that, though it wouldn't be good enough for you.'

'No, of course not.' Andalla said, still with that little frown on his face. Suddenly he stood. He strode from the tent, out in front of his people.

Alarmed, Aerlid and Riley followed.

'Very well, my children.' he intoned once they had arrived. Now that he was out of the tent he was smiling a bit. 'I shall watch you closely from above. Be warned, I shall be your judge, the ehlkrid, your trial!'

And as the pain was still buzzing in Riley's ears Andalla rose from the ground. The Andallites began blowing on the horns again, and after he was above them, followed behind.

And just like that, they were gone.

When he was gone Riley stormed into her tent, Aerlid watching.

'That man is dangerous?!' she demanded, gesturing wildly. 'He's a fool!' She had a throbbing headache from all the times ehlkrid had been said.

'Yes.' Aerlid agreed. 'That's a _very_ nice way of putting it. Unfortunately, he's also a very strong and powerful fool.'

'And what on earth was he doing?! Was he making the words hurt?'

Aerlid nodded. 'Yes. That was him. I'm glad you finally see why I didn't want to talk to him, Riley. I suppose it did not go too bad- if he does stay away. But don't underestimate him, he _is_ very powerful.'

Riley nodded curtly. The fact that he could hurt her without any apparent effort demonstrated that quite clearly. She did not feel like staying still right now.

'I'm going for a walk.' and with that she strode from the tent.

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 at 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.

Chapter 73

Aerlid was at the human's campsite the next night when a human soldier approached. He had a gemeng with him.

'The gemeng insisted he talk with you.' The helmeted soldier said.

Mr Briggs nodded. Only then did the soldier step back and allow the gemeng access to Aerlid.

The gemeng spoke in Plains speech. The humans did not understand.

The message was short: she's back.

Aerlid nodded and stood. 'Excuse me, gentlemen. There's something I must see to.'

He and the gemeng were escorted from the campsite by human soldiers. Once they were free of the humans Aerlid's pace increased. He went quickly to Riley's tent. He found her standing outside. She was sweating and breathing heavily.

She noticed him quickly but said nothing. She was too busy trying to breathe. He had never seen her so tired.

'Where were you?' he asked, momentarily distracted from the humans.

Riley pointed. 'Village... outside... Plains...'

He realised she must have been running nearly continuously to get here so fast.

'Once you've caught your breath you need to bathe and get changed Riley, humans are here.'

'What?!'

'They came with a small army. They think you've been uniting the tribes so you can attack Astar.'

Riley gaped at him in horrified disbelief.

'You have some time. We need to think about what you're going to do.'

Riley did not move very fast. Well, she couldn't really. So she had plenty of time to think while she cleaned herself up and had something to eat and drink. Aerlid stayed with her for some time. It did not take long for Riley to decide that the Astarian's arrival might not be a bad thing. She and Aerlid talked long about what she could say.

It was harder than with the gemengs. The wording was so much more important. And the danger if she could not convince them she wasn't a threat...

As they talked she suddenly realised she knew something that could, or should help.

_Gemengs are half human_. How could that not be important? They might not believe her, but this piece of information could be vital.

It was not something that was in itself interesting to her. It had nothing to do with fighting.

And yet, it was so important.

It hit her then, as if a light went on in her mind. Other things may not be interesting but they could be important. Knowing other things could help her. She _needed_ to know other things.

She looked at Aerlid, a look he had not seen before in her eyes. Aerlid knew so much. She needed to find out what he knew. Uninteresting little tidbits like gemengs are half human might help her as much as knowing how to climb a tree or wield a sword. Well perhaps not _quite_ that useful, but still...

She decided she would be more enthusiastic when Aerlid tried to tell her things. But right now she had some humans to meet.

The strange, dark-eyed, silvery haired man returned over an hour after he'd left.

'Riley has returned.' he said. 'I'm afraid she has travelled far and needs some time to rest, but she will meet with you shortly.'

'And what was she doing?' Mr Briggs demanded.

Mr Briggs reminded Vann very much of his own commander, though with an even smaller sense of humour.

They were gathered around a fire in the human encampment, sitting in camp chairs. Watches were set at all times; even if they seemed friendly enough, Mr Briggs was not going to take any chances this deep in the Plains. Close by was one of the large, loud military trucks. Right now it was quiet and still.

Messenger was also sitting with them. His manner had changed completely once he saw Aerlid. Vann quickly realised his guess had been right, Messenger had not told him everything he'd learned in Cavachi. Vann had never heard of the valkar before, but apparently Messenger thought they were wonderful.

Right now, though, it was hard to pay attention to the conversation. The sounds of the plains caught his attention- bugs chirping, the howls of wolves and cats, the sound of the grass rubbing against itself. The fire flickered and cast wild shadows around the campsite and the nearby truck. Up above, the moon glowed brightly. The stars glittered coldly against the night sky.

It was hard to sit still.

She was coming.

When she finally arrived it was with such little fanfare Vann nearly jumped out of his seat when he heard her voice.

'Hello.' came an achingly familiar voice from behind.

Vann turned, his eyes wide. She was _alive!_

The soldier who had escorted her through the camp looked very putout that she had spoken before he could introduce her. Well, it was hard to tell with that helmet. Not that Vann was paying attention to _him._

'I'm Riley.' she said with a smile. She seemed surprisingly at ease, considering she was surrounded by heavily armed humans. 'Thank you for coming to visit. I hope you've enjoyed your stay so far.'

Mr Briggs, caught off guard by her manner, didn't know what to say, and remained silent.

Her eyes flicked around the group. She paused on Vann and for a moment, her smile faded.

And then it came back even bigger. 'Vann!' she said, her eyes twinkling. 'What are you doing here?'

'I... I could ask you the same question.'

'Well, I live here.' she said, confused.

'The question is why.' Mr Briggs suddenly lurched to his feet, his eyes hard. 'Neiteis Briggs, Commander of the Astar Military, and member of the Council of Astar. Soldier, you abandoned your mission in Coastside. Explain yourself, Meilis.'

'Mei-? Oh, right. No, my name isn't Meilis, I don't have a family name. That was just made up.'

Mr Briggs eyes widened, but Riley continued unabated. 'Anyway, I apologise, Commander, but I couldn't stay in Coastside anymore. Have you been there?'

'I have.'

'A woman suggested to me that I let the submariners do what they wished with me. That's why I left Coastside.'

'Who said that?!' Vann exclaimed, rising to his feet.

'I don't know her name.' she said levelly, her eyes meeting his again. 'But why I came here and united the gemengs is something else. Commander, may I sit?'

The Commander narrowed his eyes. 'Please.' He gestured to one of the soldiers to bring another seat over.

When it arrived Riley sat next to Vann. He slowly sat down, his eyes on her.

'And who are you?' Riley asked, her eyes on Messenger.

'My name is Saris, but you can call me Messenger.'

'Alright.' she did not ask why. 'So,' her eyes were back on the Commander. 'You want me to explain myself.' she leant back in the chair and gazed at Mr Briggs thoughtfully. 'Mr Briggs, you may not have noticed, but the people of Astar, human and gemeng alike, are afraid. All the time.'

Mr Briggs said nothing.

'If you have lived in Astar all your life perhaps you haven't noticed. But I come from outside, and what I felt in Astar was new to me. Your people are afraid of the gemengs. It rules everything they do. It came to me that I could do nothing about this from inside Astar. The problem was what was outside. So I left. I'm sorry I left under false pretences, but there was no other way to do it. I would never have been allowed to leave Astar alive. What I am trying to do here, Mr Briggs,' and she leant forward, 'is change the gemengs' way of life. So humans no longer have to fear them.'

'An interesting story. But why unite the tribes, why make yourself lord over all the Plains?' his tone was hard, his eyes harder.

'Ah, well. Actually, it's good you're here. Do you know where gemengs came from, Mr Briggs?'

Messenger's eyes lit up. He leant forward.

'I do not.' Mr Briggs stated.

'A long time ago, another group of people were here. They were called the ehlkrid. Mr Briggs, they are the ones who attacked and destroyed the human cities. They are the ones who forced the humans into caves. And they are the ones who bred with humans and created the gemengs.'

'Are you saying,' Vann said suddenly, 'that gemengs are part human?'

Riley nodded. For a moment her eyes were on his. And he couldn't breathe.

'I am.'

'Do you have any proof?' Mr Briggs asked, his tone even harder than before.

'I have... a source I trust.' For just a moment her eyes were on Aerlid. And then she was focussed on Mr Briggs again.

'The valkar!' Messenger suddenly cried. 'The valkar told you!'

Riley was momentarily taken aback. 'How do you know of the valkar?'

'He met one in Cavachi.' Aerlid said.

'Cavachi?'

'It doesn't matter.' Aerlid waved her question off.

Mr Briggs mouth was turned down in a dark frown.

'I know this is hard.' Riley said to him. 'And you don't need to believe it. But there is something you need to know. The ehlkrid are coming back. Within a year they will be here. You need to prepare.'

Mr Briggs eyes widened at that. 'You make a lot of claims!'

'Mr Briggs, whether I am lying or not will be revealed in a year's time. The ehlkrid are much, much stronger than the gemengs. I'm giving you a chance to prepare. Don't waste it.' she stood. 'This has been a lot to take in. You are welcome to stay here as long as you like, but I have my own preparations to do. I have united the tribes, Mr Briggs, so that we might stand a chance against the ehlkrid. Not so I can attack Astar. Goodnight.' and with that she turned and left.

Aerlid stood as well. 'Goodnight, gentlemen. We will speak again tomorrow.'

When they were gone Mr Briggs spoke. 'She talks nonsense!'

'Why would she lie about ehlkrid?' Vann asked. The night felt empty with her gone. 'Mr Briggs, if it's true Astar and Coastside need to prepare.'

'It's curious.' Messenger added, his face thoughtful. 'It matches with some of the things I heard in Cavachi. It could be she's telling the truth. I would like to stay, Mr Briggs, and see what we could learn. It looks like she is on much better terms with the valkar than we are.'

'Astar will be warned.' Mr Briggs agreed. 'And we will stay. We need to know if she's a threat. I want you both to find out what you can. And this goes without saying,' and he looked at Messenger warningly, 'but don't believe everything you hear.'

Chapter 74

The next day after breakfast Riley went to the human campsite. A soldier escorted her to where Mr Briggs, Messenger and Vann were sitting discussing things. Her eyes lingered on the back of Vann's head for a moment.

After her initial surprise she had been relieved at his presence. Vann would listen to her, he would give her a chance to explain. She felt she could trust him. And of course, there was that familiar twist deep inside, the tingle of excitement whenever she saw him. But she ignored that. She needed to focus.

All three turned their attention to her and she forced herself back to the present.

'Good morning.' she said. 'I'm afraid only I and Aerlid can speak Astarian. I have some time, if you would like I can show you around my tribe.'

The three shared a quick glance. Then Messenger and Vann stood. 'Thank you.' Messenger said. 'We'd like that.'

Riley glanced up at the sky. All she saw was vast, blue sky and a few fluffy white clouds. Then she looked down at Mr Briggs. 'Mr Briggs, it's very impolite to keep the Predators camouflaged.' she said, her smile fading slowly.

'And what makes you think there are Predators with us?' he answered glibly.

'There are three.' she said, and her smile vanished. Mr Briggs paled. 'I'd like it very much if we could be honest with each other.' she said. She turned, 'if you're ready, we can go now.'

The camp of the gemengs looked organized and busy, Vann noticed. The gemengs were huge, tall and brawny and had a certain savage pride. Mostly, the gemengs ignored them, though Riley frequently stopped, switched to Plains speech easily, and spoke with some of them. Just as easily she switched back and would continue talking to him and Messenger.

It was not a lovely language, it was guttural and growly.

Messenger soon began asking Riley to tell him the names of things in this other language. Riley was surprised, and pleased, at his interest. Vann listened too and tried to remember everything she said.

In a way, Vann thought the whole situation was surreal. Here he was, walking around the Plains with a woman he had pursued relentlessly. And they were behaving as casual acquaintances. But what could he say with Messenger here? And what would he say even if they were alone?

So far they had talked about the gemengs and what life was like in the plains, but not about why they were here.

Noon came. They arrived before a large tent. They stopped, Riley suggested they eat.

As they sat her eyes met his for a moment. She glanced back to Messenger, who was saying something.

'You want to know about the valkar.' Riley replied. 'I'm sorry, I can't say much. They are... they are very private.'

Messenger nodded. 'I know, the Vachi were the same way about Vearla. But if these ehlkrid are really coming back, surely they could help us?'

Riley shook her head. 'I don't think so, Messenger.'

'Vearla told me they used to be friends with humans, and then they were attacked.'

'I've heard that too.'

'They don't seem comfortable around humans. Why does a valkar stay with you?' he asked.

'Aerlid? He raised me.' Riley replied.

'He what? Why?!'

'Mm. My mother is a valkar, my father human.' she answered.

'So you're not a gemeng!'

'No, I am. Gemeng just means mixed.'

'I see.' he looked at her with new eyes.

'Perhaps Aerlid would be willing to spend some time with you.' she said. 'He would be much better at teaching you Plains speech than I, even if he won't speak of the valkar.'

'Yes, please. I would like that.' Messenger smiled.

Riley's eyes met Vann's again. Then away.

Vann had said very little so far.

'Messenger, would you feel comfortable in the company of one of my gemengs?' she asked after a moment of silence.

'Hmm?'

'Karesh. I believe you've met him?'

'Ah, the man with the wings. Yes.'

'He is my second in command. I think if you want to understand what life is like here, you should follow him around. And I would like it if he could learn your language.'

Messenger was silent a moment. 'And you wouldn't be there?'

'No.'

There was a pause. Vann's eyes were on Messenger.

'Alright.' he said after a moment.

Vann was startled. Alone in the gemeng encampment? He suddenly felt a rush of respect for Messenger. He was a brave man.

Riley looked pleased. Vann wondered if he would be going with Karesh also.

They stayed by the large tent a while. Then the aforementioned gemeng arrived. He was tiny compared to the other gemengs, shorter even than Riley. He had a small, slight body. His features were surprisingly delicate, his hair feathery and dark. Dark wings were tucked in tight against his back.

He and Riley spoke for some time. Then he looked at Messenger.

'Hello.' he said in heavily accented Astarian. 'I am Karesh.'

Messenger replied in Plains speech. Vann was surprised how much he had picked up in just one morning. 'Hello, Karesh. I am Messenger.'

Karesh beamed. 'Master say I show you?'

Messenger looked at Riley. 'Master?'

Riley sighed. 'Do you call your commanding officer by their first name?'

'I guess not. Ok.' he looked back at Karesh and stood. 'I come.' he said in Plains speech again.

As they walked away Vann's heart fluttered. He was alone with her. It was a struggle to turn and look at her. He felt very warm.

Riley was watching him calmly. 'Vann.' she said.

'Riley.' it was a struggle to keep his voice calm.

She seemed very far away, on the other side of the fire pit. Just as he was thinking that she stood and walked over. Then she sat next to him. _Then_ she seemed very, very close.

'It's good to see you again.' she said.

Vann gave her a surprised look. For a moment he was tempted to ask, then why fake your death without telling me? But he rejected that question as soon as it arose. He wasn't sure he wanted to know her answer. And besides, now was what was important.

She was smiling at him. 'How's Zap Zap?'

'Oh, he's good.' Vann replied.

'Do you have any questions?'

'Questions?' His brain seemed to have stopped working.

She waved her hand, gesturing to her tribe. 'About this. Anything. You're here to talk to me, aren't you?'

'I am.' he nodded and swallowed. 'Alright. Was what you said true, did you really leave to help Astar?'

Riley sighed, her eyes lowered for a moment. 'Well, not quite. Not at that time. That came later.' she looked back up. 'I left Astar because... I don't know if you can understand Vann, what it's like to be a gemeng in Astar. But it's... limited. I wanted to know what I could do. How strong I was. I didn't want to pretend to be less than I was anymore. That's why I left.'

Vann realised she was sharing something personal with him. Something that maybe she didn't tell everyone. Didn't _want_ to tell just anyone. He suddenly felt very close to her. 'I think I can understand that.' he said.

She smiled again, relieved.

'So tell me again what you're doing here?'

The explanation she gave him was different to last night. It was more personal. There was a light in her eyes as she talked, almost timidly, about what she hoped to achieve. And then further- because at the moment she was really focussed on making life better for the gemengs. But perhaps more was possible? And then her doubts about how she was doing it. The problems she'd had.

Vann reached out and touched her hand. Just for a moment. She squeezed his hand briefly before letting go.

They smiled at each other.

Later that night, after Messenger and Vann were escorted back to their camp, Aerlid found Riley.

Riley turned and smiled at him, and then it faded to surprise as she saw the look on his face. 'Aerlid, what's wrong?'

'That human is infatuated with you.' he stated firmly.

The sudden colour in her cheeks told him she knew exactly what he was talking about.

'Riley, you need to stop it.'

'I-'

'It's because you're part valkar. I've seen it before.'

'What?'

'Some humans become obsessed with valkar on sight. Most don't, but enough do that it's not rare. He's obsessed with you because of how you look. It's not real.'

'I- I like how he looks too!' she said, taken aback and annoyed. 'If he looked like... like if he was ugly maybe I wouldn't feel the same way about him as I-'

'Riley!' he said, shocked, 'it's not the _same_! And you're not supposed to admit to being so shallow!' he gave her an exasperated look. 'It's not the same. He'll react to you in a way he won't to a beautiful human women. I need to make it so he sees you as human.'

'What! Why?!'

'Because that's the only thing that will cure his obsession with you. If he still feels anything for you after that, fine. But right now, what he feels is _wrong!_ '

Riley stared. 'No!' she said. 'I don't believe-'

'Riley!' he glared at her. 'I will _show_ you!'

Messenger spent much of the night and morning talking about Karesh. Vann asked how he managed to communicate with him.

'It wasn't that hard.' he replied, as they talked over breakfast. 'Well, it's difficult. But I had to do that in Cavachi in the beginning. So I guess I'm used to it. And I think someone gave him a crash course in Astarian.' he smiled, then continued talking.

Karesh seemed to share his admiration for the valkar, or at least, Aerlid. And that was enough to form a tentative friendship between the two. Or at least, the beginnings of one. And besides that, there was a different feel to Karesh than the other gemengs.

Vann was pleased to see that Messenger, upon meeting an intelligent, not unreasonably violent gemeng, had accepted it and quickly become Karesh's champion.

'He thinks highly of Riley too.' he was saying, now to Mr Briggs. 'I couldn't get the exact details, but I think he likes what she's doing. I think what she told us is true, Mr Briggs. She's trying to change things here.'

Mr Briggs grunted and asked Vann what he had found out. Vann struggled to keep the colour from his face. He told Mr Briggs a little of what Riley had said- mainly some of the difficulties she'd had. The details that made her story more believable. He wasn't going to share the personal things with him.

Mr Briggs looked from one to the other. Then he grunted and told them to get going, and try to be less in awe, if they could.

They were escorted to the gemeng campsite where Riley met them.

Vann's smile died as he looked at her. He squinted, then shook his head.

He couldn't tell what it was, but something was different. Riley saw the look on his face. Disappointment flared in her eyes. Then she turned to Messenger, began talking, pointing things out, teaching him more of the language as they walked.

Vann didn't pay much attention.

What was wrong?

He continued watching her and shaking his head. She walked ahead of him with Messenger, her dark hair swaying in time with her stride, reaching to the middle of her back. Why had he been so interested in her?

She was beautiful, and certainly unique with her black hair. But Coastside was full of beautiful women. He had never behaved around them the way he had around her...

It felt as if someone else had pursued her, someone who wasn't him.

He couldn't remember why. She was just... a woman. Why?

He wondered briefly if the blow to the head he'd suffered in the Molk attack had been worse than he'd thought.

The disjoint was troubling. Why? It wasn't him. He didn't act like that.

He looked up at her again at the same time as she looked back. Suddenly he felt uneasy.

He'd made all sorts of promises to her. He never did that to women- he never said things he didn't mean. But he didn't _feel_ that way anymore, he couldn't understand why he ever had.

He felt sick. He'd have to explain to her. He'd never had to do something like that before. How were you supposed to go about it? It wasn't her fault he had inexplicably gone mad. This was going to make his break up with Teila look positively wonderful!

As before, Riley sent Messenger off with Karesh. And then it was just her and Vann, standing by her tent.

Vann who was... who was...

He started to speak. Riley held up a hand. 'It's alright.' she said. _Aerlid was right_. 'I understand.'

She heard a sigh of relief. She thought she might cry.

'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I never meant to deceive you. I just... I don't know why I-'

'It's ok, Vann. Please, let's just leave it at that.'

'Riley, I still need to talk to you about what's going on here.'

'Yes. Of course. Ask away.'

The hardest thing, he thought, was that he still admired her.

If anything, he could respect her vision even more now. And he wanted to be a part of that. He thought of Zap Zap, of Coastside. He couldn't promise her more than friendship, though he would very much like to give her that. It was blatantly obvious she was upset, though she was being very dignified about it. He had to respect that as well.

So he hoped that maybe with a little time, she would be willing to be his friend.

Chapter 75

Vann and Messenger were gone and she was alone by her tent. The night was cool, but not cool enough for a fire.

She heard the crunch of grass beneath boots.

'You were right.' she said as Aerlid sat down beside her.

'I'm sorry, Riley. You couldn't have known, it's not your fault.'

She shook her head. 'Let's not talk about it anymore.'

'This isn't such a bad thing. If you two kept making goo goo eyes at each other, no one would have believed him if he'd said you weren't planning on invading.'

'Goo-goo...?'

'Yes.' he said firmly.

It was hard but she thought about what Aerlid said. And he was probably right. She sighed, let out a breath. 'Alright. You're right, it's better this way.' That didn't help how much it hurt inside though.

Aerlid was silent.

'Aerlid,' she said as she forced her mind from Vann. 'I don't want the valkar city to come here while the humans are here.'

'Why do you say that?' his voice was carefully neutral.

'There's too much going on right now. I don't want them to panic and do something stupid. I think it's safer if the city stays away.'

'So you admit then, that humans are violent and untrustworthy?'

Riley sighed in annoyance. 'I'm just being careful, Aerlid. Take it that way if you like. But I need you to behave politely around the Astarians.'

'Do you have some complaint about my behaviour?' he asked stiffly.

'No, Aerlid.' she relented. 'You have been good. I'd like it if you would keep that up.'

'Alright.'

He was offended, she could tell. She didn't know what to say to assuage him, and really she wasn't in the mood. So instead she just said goodnight and entered her tent.

The next morning while Aerlid was with the humans Riley was with her gemengs and Karesh.

They were looking at her intently, waiting for her command. They were being unusually cooperative.

'Karesh, Gakra, you are going to lead two groups towards the mountains and start preparing.' She wasn't sure Gakra would respond well to the authority of anyone but her, so she had given him command of his own group.

Gakra nodded curtly. 'We will.'

Riley looked at him. No complaints? No comments? 'You're being very helpful today, Gakra.' she cast her eyes over the assembled group. 'You all are.'

Gakra bared his teeth in a grin. 'Ah! I can be _difficult_ , as you put it, if you like!'

'Oh no, I'm not complaining.' she smiled. 'Just curious.'

Gakra's gaze went past her then, off in the direction of the humans. 'You are concerned with them. They are strong. But you will keep us safe from them.' he said seriously. He smiled. 'If we aren't difficult.'

Riley opened her mouth and then quickly smiled. They might have thought she was crazy, but they trusted her when it came to fighting. Finally. That they had picked up on her concern about the humans was not really that surprising. Gemengs were good at reading the moods of their masters. 'I'm glad you see it that way, Gakra.' she turned her attention back to the entire group. 'You all know what to do?'

When they agreed she dismissed them. Messenger might be upset Karesh was gone, but she did have other things to think about than the humans. She would stay with the humans with a smaller group of gemengs while Gakra and Karesh prepared and set up the caves.

Things would get much simpler when the humans finally left.

'Part of the tribe left this morning.' Mr Briggs was saying sternly.

'Yes.' Riley replied calmly. Once again she and the three humans were sitting in camp chairs near the trucks. 'It's easier to hunt when the tribe isn't all together. Rarely do I keep them all in one place.'

'I see.'

Riley could practically see the wheels in his head turning. If they weren't all here, how could they know how many she had under her control? Riley smiled reassuringly. 'It's nothing to concern yourself with, Commander. I need to feed my people, that's all.'

'Of course.'

'Soon I will have to move as well, the hunting is not so good when you stay in one place too long. But you are welcome to follow.'

'We might just do that.'

'I will give you warning then, before we go. So you can prepare.'

'Thank you.'

'I admit, I'm at a loss as to what to show you tomorrow. Do you have any suggestions?'

'I'd like to continue learning Plains speech with Aerlid.' Messenger said. 'I can learn a lot just by walking around a place and listening.'

'Certainly.' Riley replied with a smile. It was almost painful to turn to look at Vann. She turned and found his grey eyes locked on her. Why was it he was good enough for her but she wasn't enough for him? She struggled to keep her thoughts on business. Every moment near him was painful. 'I don't know what else I can tell you about my intentions. What would you like to do?'

'I have some questions.' he answered calmly.

'Alright. I'll see you all tomorrow.' and with that she stood and let herself be escorted from the camp.

When Messenger went with a grim looking Aerlid the next day, Vann went with Riley. They did not talk by her tent as before. He walked with her around the tribe as she did whatever it was she did. She spoke to the gemengs in Plains speech. Vann didn't know nearly enough yet to figure out what she was saying.

'Riley,' he finally said, after they'd been walking for hours. She answered his questions in a businesslike way. The ease with which they had talked before was gone. He stopped, forcing her to stop and look at him.

'I'm sorry I hurt you, but please, can we be friends?'

There was a flash of something in her eyes.

She looked at him for what felt like a long while.

'Yes, of course. We can be friends.'

It wasn't going to be that easy of course. You couldn't just ask to be someone's friend and magically fix everything that had gone before. But she had accepted. So it was a start.

He started walking again, at a slower pace. She followed and at least she matched her pace to his. 'Can you tell me what you've been doing this morning?'

'Oh. Just making sure everything's all right.'

He looked at her.

'It's not very interesting, Vann. It's got nothing to do with you or Astar.'

His gaze didn't waver.

'Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you when you get bored.'

Riley had set up a command structure, so what she was in essence doing was making sure it was working and smoothing out any problems that arose. He found it interesting however. Why this way, and not another? What problems had she had? In fact her success, the beginnings of making her vision a reality fascinated him. She was surprised at his interest. Slowly she started to relax. It wasn't like before, but it was something.

Later that afternoon they were walking back towards Riley's tent. He spotted Aerlid there talking to a woman.

Vann stopped.

Riley stopped too and looked at him curiously. Vann wasn't paying any attention to her.

That woman... she was like the sun. Glorious, blazing... suddenly he turned to Riley.

'It's like you!' he nearly shouted. 'This is how I felt about you!' Vann's eyes travelled over Riley's face. Human. She looked human. But this was _exactly_ how he'd felt when he saw her.

Aerlid and the woman were looking at them now. Aerlid began approaching.

Vann glanced back. Startled, he shook his head. The feeling was gone. The woman looked like any other woman he had seen in Coastside. But he could _remember_ what she was before.

'Why is Adila here?' Riley was saying to Aerlid.

'I told her about the city.' he fixed his eyes on Vann.

'What happened?' Vann demanded. Adila, that was her name, was walking away.

'Adila is used to humans obsessing over her. She knows how to handle it.' Aerlid gave Riley a meaningful look.

'I don't understand.'

'She's a valkar. You have an obsession with valkar women. She's changed herself now so she looks human.'

Vann looked from Riley to Aerlid and back again.

'I'm part valkar.' Riley said softly. 'Aerlid did something, so I look human to you.'

'But I don't remember,' Vann said, 'how come I can't remember what you look like?' Adila's magnificence had shrunk into that of a tanned, beautiful, blonde haired woman. What had Riley been before? What had that black hair looked like? What had been within those green eyes?

'I took the memory from you.' Aerlid said. 'Sometimes a memory alone is enough to unhinge a human.'

Vann glared at Aerlid but it faded quickly. It was difficult to be mad at him when he had in fact saved him from something close to madness. 'How come you didn't tell me?' he said to Riley.

'I- I didn't think of it.' she said.

He gazed back towards the direction Adila had taken. Aerlid was right, the memory was so tantalizing.

'Adila has no interest in humans.' Aerlid snapped. 'I suggest you stay away from her.'

Riley shot a glare at Aerlid. Then she took Vann's hand. 'Come, I think you need a rest.' He looked so confused and crushed and angry at the same time.

He followed her wordlessly.

Riley took him away from the tribe, out into the plains. The smells and sounds of the tribe faded behind. She stopped by a small stream.

'Sit down.' Riley said gently. Vann obeyed, sitting by the edge of the stream.

He sat and put his head in his hands. 'What's wrong with me?' he mumbled. 'I wasn't myself with you. Looking at her made me feel the same... I don't... I don't want to feel as if...'

'It's alright, Vann. It's going to be ok.'

He looked up suddenly, his grey eyes wide. 'I don't want to lose myself like that, Riley. I don't like it, it's scary. But at the same time I don't _care.'_

'Vann,' she had never considered how he would feel about the effect the valkar had on him. She was sorry then, very sorry. 'Vann, maybe now that you know, you can try and resist it.'

He sighed and nodded. 'Yeah. Yes. Everyone thought I'd gone crazy over you. No, you're right though. Now I know they're right... I just need to deal with it.'

'You're not likely to run into any other valkar anyway, so maybe this won't happen again.'

He breathed out heavily. 'She's so... _glorious_. Riley, what do you look like?' he gazed at her intently, a shadow of the way he had looked at her before.

'I don't know.' she shrugged. 'But you don't want to know.'

'You're right.' He closed his eyes and shook his head. 'You're right. I just have to deal with this.' He looked up then and around. 'Where are we?'

'In the plains. I like to come out here sometimes, where no one else is around. There are cats out here.' she smiled then. 'Not as big as the mountain cats though.'

He stood and brushed off his pants. It was peaceful, compared to the campsite. In a way, it reminded him of the side beach. 'I guess you know this place pretty well.'

She nodded. 'I do. At first it all seemed the same, I'd never been to a place like this before. But as I spent more time here I've gotten to know it.' she grinned, her eyes twinkling. 'I still prefer forests, but I like it here too.'

To Vann it _did_ all look the same. 'Well, if I'm going to be here long maybe you can point some things out.'

'Really? I can show you how to hunt!' she said suddenly. 'And to climb- but there are no trees. I could take you to the forest, climbing is a very important skill.'

Vann tried to say something but Riley kept going. She was very excited, telling him all the things he needed to know. 'You're very delicate, Vann.' she was saying, 'so I can't show you how to fight, but I really should show you how to hide, in case you get in trouble. And to not be so loud.'

'I'm not loud.'

'You're very loud. You leave a path as obvious as a... as something obvious wherever you go. It would be easy to track you.'

Her sudden pleasure relaxed Vann. So he let her continue, let her take his mind off the valkar. He didn't think he would mind letting Riley teach him to be sneakier.

The next day was blessedly normal. Messenger went with Aerlid to learn Plains speech and to get an idea of what the tribe was like without Riley looking over his shoulder. Vann went with Riley and learnt how she spent her days. She also took some time out of her schedule to lead him into the plains. And he got his first lesson in how to move properly through the grasses.

He didn't know how she did it, but Riley could move through the grasses without leaving broken stems or swaying grasses behind her. She left no sign she had passed.

Riley was not really the best teacher. An awful lot of her advice was, 'stop doing it that way and do it the way I showed you.'

And Vann would reply, 'I _am_ doing it the way you showed me!'

'No.' she would say with infuriating calm, 'if you were, you wouldn't have left such a big trail to follow.'

He would be reduced to incoherent cries. And Riley would, as if she wasn't the most unreasonable teacher in the entire universe, show him again how it was done.

At least after he got something wrong she would explain more slowly what he was to do.

'How on earth,' he said once they were heading back to the human camp, 'did you manage to teach the gemengs _anything_?!'

Riley glanced at him. 'What do you mean?'

'Riley, you're the worst teacher I've ever had!'

Riley stopped. Vann suddenly had a bad feeling he'd hurt her feelings.

She frowned at him. 'No.' she said finally. 'You're just not very good. Gemengs listen better than you do.'

His momentary concern over her feelings vanished. 'You can't blame the student!'

'But what if the student's bad? It's ok Vann, I'm very patient.' and she smiled. 'I won't give up!'

There was really no talking to this woman!

When they reached the campsite they ran into Messenger and Aerlid. Aerlid took one look at his face and asked, 'what did she do?'

'I was teaching him to move through the grasses without leaving a trail!' Riley said proudly.

Aerlid sighed and looked on Vann with pity. 'Riley, remember that discussion we had about teaching fighting?'

Riley nodded.

'Well, everything else is the same. You can't just tell someone to stop doing it wrong and do it properly.'

'But I showed him how.'

'Do you remember when we first got to the grasses?'

'Yes.' she said, almost indignantly, 'but I figured it out myself. I'm _helping_ Vann. It should be easier.'

'Yes, but not if he's too busy wishing he could strangle you.'

Riley was taken aback.

Vann said nothing. The thought had crossed his mind.

'And you remember when I taught you how to hunt, and at first you couldn't do it?'

'No.' she said flatly. 'I don't remember.'

Aerlid, who was about to say something, shut his mouth. Then he tried a different tactic. 'Ok, you remember how you taught the gemengs?'

'Yes.'

'Well, do that. Pretend he's very, very slow and stupid and has no idea what you're talking about and thinks what you're trying to teach him is pointless.'

Vann heard Riley mutter something under her breath that sounded very much like ' _that_ won't be hard.'

'What was that?' he said.

'Nothing.' Riley smiled at him.

'You're maddening!'

'No, I'm not.' Riley replied calmly and smiled. 'Come on, Messenger. Mr Briggs is waiting for you.' She started walking towards the campsite with Messenger.

'You get used to it. Eventually.' Aerlid said as he watched them walk off.

'You must have an amazing amount of patience, Aerlid.' Vann said, watching them.

'It's either that, or go crazy.'

Vann followed after them. Really, he didn't mind that much though. The back and forth without worrying about rejection was nice in a way. He felt like they were actually friends.

Aerlid spent the next morning with Vann and Messenger while Riley spent the morning helping with the gemeng's training. Around midday he led them back towards her tent.

As he approached her tent he heard something he hadn't expected; an angry valkar voice. The tent came into view. Rose was there, berating a disgruntled looking Riley. Berating was perhaps too soft a word. He thought he had a good idea what Rose was so upset about. It was likely a combination of him talking to Adila and not her as well as an 'I told you so' about having the valkar walk on the ground in a populated area. His gaze lingered on Rose. She was truly lovely. No one who looked at her could deny it. Who could honestly look at a rose and not acknowledge its beauty? But her beauty was softer than Adila's. Adila was a magnificent, glorious blaze. She was the sun. Adila would never be described as 'lovely'.

Aerlid then remembered Vann. He glanced at his face- the man was already enraptured with Rose.

Riley looked over at them. She caught sight of Vann. Then she turned to Rose. Whatever she said just enraged the Judgement Master further.

Rose spun on her heel and began stalking over to them. Riley chased after her, alarmed.

'She's lovely...' Messenger said. Aerlid glanced at him, worried. He saw admiration, but it wasn't the same as with Vann. Aerlid relaxed slightly.

'Rose, stop!' Riley was calling.

The Judgement Master ignored her. She stormed right up to them. Then she declared, her eyes on Riley, 'I will _not_ change myself for a human.' Then she looked at Vann. 'Why is he looking at me like that?' she demanded.

'You're beautiful.' he said.

Surprised, Rose said nothing.

'Rose.' Aerlid began as he gave Riley a warning look. 'Vann here has an obsession with valkar women. He says that to all of them.'

Riley moved around Rose and grabbed Vann's arm. 'I need to take him away from her, Aerlid, if she won't change.'

'Wait.' Vann said, as Riley made a move to start dragging him away. His eyes were on Rose.

'Yes.' Rose agreed. 'I think I'd like to talk to him.'

'What? Rose, he does this with all the valkar. It's not... not _real_!' she said, using Aerlid's words. 'I need to get him away.'

'Wait,' Vann said more forcefully. 'Let me talk with her, please, Riley.'

'Vann, you remember what you said to me? How you didn't want to feel this way? If I'm your friend, I can't leave you here with her.'

'She wants to talk to me.' he said, in awe.

'Let me explain things to Rose.' Aerlid said. 'Come,' he said to the Judgement Master and began walking some distance away. Rose gave him a cool look. She turned to Riley and said, 'I expect him to be here when I come back.'

Riley glared at her.

Rose ignored the look and turned and followed Aerlid.

'What's going on?' Messenger asked.

Riley had forgotten about him. 'Oh.' she wasn't sure what to say. But he had already heard enough that anything other than the truth might not be believable.

'Riley,' Vann was saying. 'It's ok. I'm ok. I have lots of... you've met all the women I've been with, this wouldn't be unusual for me.'

'Vann, go sit over there. If you move, I will be very upset. Alright?' Riley commanded, pointing away from Rose.

Vann hesitated. Then he obeyed.

Riley sighed and looked at Messenger. 'Aerlid says some humans get obsessed with the valkar. Vann is one of those.'

'Oh.' Messenger said, his eyebrows rising. 'I see.' he looked over to Vann.

'Valkar can change how they look, make themselves appear human. It's helped him before but Rose...'

'I understand. I don't think they enjoy changing their appearance. Hmm,' he looked over at Rose. 'She is very lovely... honestly if she wanted to talk to me I wouldn't say no.'

'Yes, but Vann gets... what Vann feels is a bit more, I think. He told me he doesn't like it so I... I feel I would let him down if I just let him go off with her.'

'I see that. But he is a Coastsider. So it wouldn't be all that unusual... '

'Can you keep an eye on Vann?' Riley asked. Her eyes were on Rose. She did not like the expression on her face.

'Of course.'

Riley quickly strode over to Rose and Aerlid. The unhappiness she had felt at Vann's disinterest in her was gone. She saw now his interest had never had anything to do with her. And the distress it caused him was enough that she felt she would have wronged him to hold it against him anymore. All she felt now was the lingering pain of caring for someone who had never cared for you. And she was going to explain that to Rose.

'Rose.' Riley said. 'Aerlid has explained everything?'

'He has. I can assure you, I will not harm him.'

'Not harm him? Letting this continue is harming him!'

'No. If I used his feelings to say... make him betray his home, that would harm him. But merely to enjoy his company? That won't harm him. In fact, I think he'd be very happy with it.'

'Enjoy his company?!' Riley demanded, her voice rising. 'You don't _like_ humans! And he told me he doesn't like this feeling, so it _would_ harm him!'

'It is not for you to say who I like or dislike!' Rose yelled back. 'And he does not need you to make his decisions for him!'

'Children, stop fighting.' Aerlid said calmly, stepping between the two, his hands held up.

Two sets of angry eyes were suddenly fixed on Aerlid.

'Clearly, you two are not going to agree. I suggest Adila judge Vann and determine what he wants.'

'Adila!' Rose exclaimed. ' _I_ am the Judgement Master!'

'Yes, and you are also involved in the problem. Do judges often judge problems involving themselves?'

Rose closed her mouth and frowned at Aerlid in a way that was quite disconcerting.

'Riley,' Aerlid said. 'Will you accept Adila's judgement?'

Riley glared at Rose and crossed her arms. 'Aerlid, why don't you just _make_ Vann see Rose as human. And then he can _tell_ us what he wants.'

Rose's eyes flared with anger. Riley responded in kind and Aerlid had to step between them again.

'I can't.' he said. 'It's very bad manners to change how someone sees a person without their permission.'

'Bad manners!' Riley exclaimed.

'Riley, Adila will be able to determine what he wants, just as well as me making Rose look human.'

Riley glared at Rose, who glared right back.

'Why not, Rose? Are you afraid he'll say no?' Riley bit out.

Rose drew herself up haughtily, her voice trembled in anger. 'I am the Judgement Master. I change myself for _no one_!'

Aerlid sighed. 'Riley, will you accept Adila's judgement?'

She glanced at Aerlid. 'Very well.' the look she shot Rose was venomous.

'Alright. Now if you two would just step back.' He waited til they complied. 'Excellent. Now I will summon Adila. And I'd like it if you two didn't get into another fight while I do.'

Adila arrived within half an hour. Riley and Rose spent that time glaring at each other from across the campsite.

When she arrived she first talked with Rose. Rose did not seem pleased, her back was stiff, her frown ever present. It did not take long though until Adila stood and approached Riley.

'Why don't we go somewhere more private?' Adila suggested.

Riley nodded and stood. They walked until they could no longer see Rose or Vann.

'Why is she interested in him?!' Riley exploded as soon as they were out of earshot.

Adila smiled. 'For a Judgement Master, there are few suitable partners among the valkar. Nor do valkar often call each other beautiful. In fact, this is probably the first time anyone has expressed any romantic interest in her.'

Riley couldn't keep her surprise from her face.

'I think you will have the same problem with the gemengs.'

Riley didn't reply.

'So it's not so strange. A valkar taking a human lover is uncommon, but not unheard of.'

'Lover?' Riley exclaimed. 'I thought she just wanted to spend some time with him!'

'Oh dear.' Adila sighed. 'Even that you don't want to allow?'

'Adila, I spent some time in his home. Even that was enough to make him... he told me his friends all thought he was crazy. And now that I seem human to him, he agrees. He told me he didn't like this feeling, that he needed to fight it. So how can I just let her.. I can't just let her take him away.'

'I understand. You're concerned about your friend. But I think you need to give Rose more credit. If I judge that this is what Vann wants, I can tell you Rose won't hurt him.'

Riley, morosely, nodded. 'I guess I need to trust you. I just.. I don't know what's right for him.' Riley wished then that Lillia was here. Riley really hadn't spent much time with Vann at all (time when he was obsessed with her didn't count)- she didn't know him that well. Lillia had known him for years. She would know whether to step back or to keep Rose away.

Adila smiled and touched her arm. 'Rose understands he feels this way for all valkar. Even myself. If I let this happen, she won't be taking Vann anywhere. He'll be ok.'

Riley sighed. 'Ok. Well, let's go find out what he wants.'

Adila and Riley walked over to Vann and Messenger.

Vann looked up when Adila approached. There was something in his eyes, similar to when he looked at Rose, even though Adila looked human to him.

'Vann.' Adila said. 'I have been asked to judge you to determine whether you want to be with Rose or not. Do I have your permission to continue?'

Vann nodded and stood, his eyes intent on Adila.

'Very well.' Adila said. And then she swung her staff. She whacked Vann on the side of the head. He crumpled. Adila kept the staff connected with his head as he fell.

'What did you do?!' Riley exclaimed.

'That's how Adila judges.' Aerlid explained. 'It's alright, Riley, he'll be fine.'

'By hitting people on the head?!'

'With her staff. Yes.'

Adila was silent, her eyes closed.

Minutes passed. Then she sighed and withdrew her staff. She turned and faced Riley. Behind her Vann was slowly stirring. Messenger helped him up.

'I have judged Vann. Let me explain to you what I have found before I give my decision.'

Riley nodded. With a sick feeling, she felt she already knew.

'Casual relationships are not at all unusual for him, Riley. I believe a relationship with Rose would not be anything new to him. The feelings may be stronger, but the actions the same. You should step back, and let them do as they will.'

Riley sighed and bowed her head. 'Alright.'

Rose approached then. She stopped in front of Riley. 'I will not hurt him.' she said. 'I merely want his company.'

'Do as you will.'

Riley turned her head away as Rose took Vann's hand. Vann halted. 'Riley, I'm going to be fine. Please, look at me.'

She slowly raised her eyes.

'Thank you for trying to protect me.' he touched her arm. 'It's good to know I can trust you.'

Riley said nothing. He squeezed her arm lightly and let go.

She did not watch him walk away with Rose.

'That was very interesting.' Messenger said, breaking the silence. 'So what does judging do, exactly?'

Adila turned her eyes to him. 'I see a person's soul. Having the ability to see a soul, and being able to understand it are two different things. It takes many years to be an effective judge.'

'Soul?' he asked, confused.

Adila nodded. She touched her hand to her chest, then her head. 'Heart and mind. I see who a person is. I know things about them even they might not know.'

'That's... that must be a big responsibility.'

'It is.'

Then, in a surprisingly calm way, he said 'I have met other valkar before. But they have always been uncomfortable answering my questions. Would it be ok if I ask you some things?'

'Certainly, you may I ask. I don't promise that I'll answer.'

At that Messenger grinned, his eyes lighting up. 'Really! Oh, where should I begin?'

'Riley,' Adila said and turned her gaze to her, 'do you have questions?'

Riley shook her head.

'I think perhaps later, when you are feeling better, you will. So I will talk to both of you then.'

'Oh.' Messenger's smile faded. 'Oh, alright.'

Adila smiled. 'Do not worry, Aerlid can call me. I will come. You know,' she said with a small smile, 'I don't often get called to judge romantic disputes.'

Goodbyes were said. They moved off. Aerlid came and touched her elbow. 'Are you alright?'

'I don't want to think about it.' she looked up at him. 'Aerlid, can I go chase some cats?'

Aerlid took a deep breath.

'You can come with me.'

He sighed. 'Well, you're not a child anymore, so the chances of you getting killed by a cat are rather small. Alright, Riley, let's go chase some giant predators. I'll just change into something that doesn't matter if it gets shredded.'

Chapter 76

When Riley went to the human camp next morning she saw Vann was happy.

She did not comment on it. Inside though a little voice was saying, _why not me? why not me? Why will he risk those feelings he tells me he doesn't like for her and not me...?_ She wasn't angry though, just disappointed. And perhaps a part of her understood; he hadn't made a fool of himself for Rose, he hadn't made any promises to her, he wasn't supposed to be finding out if she was planning an invasion.

The day proceeded as usual; Messenger with Aerlid, Vann with her.

It was some time in the afternoon when Vann said with a grin, 'so, are you going to try and teach me again?'

'Oh, you want to?'

'Sure. I need to show you how to teach properly, after all.'

'I'm an excellent teacher!' she cried indignantly.

'You're terrible. You just need to stop doing it that way and start doing it properly.'

Riley narrowed her eyes and frowned at him.

'Annoying, isn't it?' he said with a smile.

'Well you haven't shown me the proper way, Vann.' she said primly, but a smile was curling her lips. 'And I _have_ shown you how to move through the grass.'

'Let's go then, and we'll see who's the better teacher.'

'What are you going to teach me?'

'I'll show you how to use a lightning rod.'

At that Riley's eyes immediately lit up.

'So now who's the better teacher?' Vann asked late that afternoon. They were relaxing by the stream, the light of day fading.

'No.' Riley said. 'I'm just a better student.'

'Riley.'

'And I'm teaching something much more difficult than you are.'

'Riley.'

She grinned at him. 'Ok, I see I could improve my technique.'

'Did you get the urge to beat your head against a rock?'

'No.'

'Well, darling, that's how I feel when you try and teach me.'

Riley said nothing.

'I'm sorry,' Vann said, embarrassed. 'Just when Lillia and I talk like this...'

'Oh!' her smile came back. 'When you're insulting her painting you call her darling?'

'Something like that, yes, though Lillia's a much better painter than you are teacher.'

Vann was relieved that Riley's mood was better than yesterday. He understood her concern. But at the same time he felt.. he felt Rose didn't affect him as badly as Riley had. And he thought that was probably because he _knew_ now, that it wasn't quite right. Vann liked talking to women and going out with them before sleeping with them. Rose had made it very clear she didn't want to talk to him. Well, that wasn't quite true. She _did_ like being complimented. The quiet pleasure she took in being complimented would almost have been charming if she hadn't made it so clear any other conversation was unnecessary and unwanted. The fact that he was able to be annoyed with her relieved Vann to no end.

'It's not so bad.' he began, breaking the comfortable silence. 'I haven't had the urge to start making any promises to Rose.'

Riley said nothing.

'I think it's because I know there are others like her. When I met you I thought you were.. I'd never met anyone like you before.'

Slowly Riley smiled. 'So you're saying you're just as fickle with valkar women as human women?'

'Fickle?' he said, his smile fading. 'I'm not fickle.'

'And now you know there are more of them out there, you're inability to commit extends to valkar as well?'

'Riley! Now you sound like Lillia!'

She laughed.

'You know, considering my job, I really can't commit- I'm gone four weeks out of every five! You try having a serious relationship like that!'

She laughed even harder.

As usual, Riley spent some time that evening at the human campsite with Vann, Messenger and Mr Briggs.

'Yes,' she was saying, 'I've been trying to teach Vann to be more stealthy. You know, he complains more than the gemengs did!'

'The gemengs?' Mr Briggs asked warily.

'Well when I taught them what I learnt in Astar. You know, how to fight as a team.'

'You... you taught the gemengs that?' the colour drained from Mr Briggs face.

'For the ehlkrid.' Riley explained. 'That's the only way we'll stand a chance. And they learnt much faster than Vann.'

Vann, who had been glaring at Riley, stopped. Clearly, she had not brought him up to make fun of him.

'For the ehlkrid. Really.'

'Mr Briggs.' Riley said, fixing her clear gaze on him. 'The only reason I would ever attack Astar was if they attacked me first. Unless you're planning on doing that, you have nothing to fear from me.'

When Riley left that night the atmosphere was tense.

'The one advantage we had over the gemengs is gone.' Mr Briggs said quietly. 'Thanks to that woman.'

'It's not good.' Messenger agreed. 'She might have an ulterior motive, but I believe what she has told us is also true.'

'Well, it better be, Messenger, because I don't think we can protect Astar against her and her tribe. We'll be leaving very soon. We have what we came for.'

Leaving very soon meant leaving in about a week.

Arrangements had to be made to keep communication between Astar and the gemengs open. Vann knew Mr Briggs had given Riley a radio, and some preliminary plans had been made about further visits.

During that week his relationship with Rose continued. But he quickly realised he wouldn't really miss her; Riley, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. The worst part was, he didn't know when he would see her again.

Before they left Messenger insisted on talking to Adila, he wasn't going to let a chance to have some questions answered get away.

And so Aerlid contacted her, and she came.

They were not in either camp, but in the land in-between. Adila would have been uncomfortable going into the human camp, and Mr Briggs wanted to be present, and having the Commander of the Astar Military directly inside the tribe, far from his soldiers, was deemed too great a risk.

'So,' she began, looking over the group. 'What questions do you have?'

'Is it true humans and valkar used to be allies?' Messenger asked quickly, his eyes bright, barely able to contain himself.

Adila nodded. 'It is.' her smile faded. 'We lived side by side, as neighbours, for hundreds of years. Then they attacked us.'

Vann saw Riley was listening intently.

'Why?' Messenger asked. 'And does that mean we can never be allies again?'

'Why? I don't know, Messenger. But yes, it does. We will not take that risk again.'

Aerlid fixed Messenger and Mr Briggs with a cold look that silenced any further questions on that topic. Mr Briggs gave Aerlid a hard look in return.

'My people have never harmed yours.' Mr Briggs said.

'That is true,' Adila agreed. 'But you are still human, and human nature has not changed in all this time. So were we to be allies, one day you would attack us again.'

'I don't see how we could.' he said stubbornly. 'This man sang and the moon changed!'

Adila smiled softly. 'I'm not going to tell you how they hurt us last time, Mr Briggs.' she said gently. 'Better the way is never known.'

Messenger glanced at Mr Briggs, who had a stubborn set to his jaw. But he was silent, so Messenger hesitantly asked his next question. 'The valkar helped the humans last time the ehlkrid came, right? So couldn't you do that again?'

'We did. But there is no need, Saris. The shields we gave you still work. They will protect you. We will do no more, and please do not ask.'

Another cold glare from Aerlid.

'Alright. But why help people who attacked your kind?'

'Because we are different from you.'

Messenger looked at her, waiting for her to go on. She did not.

'And was there ever a time without gemengs?' he went on. Most of these questions had already been answered by Vearla in Cavachi, though Messenger wanted to see if Adila would answer any differently.

'There was. And a time without humans too.'

Messenger nodded, her answers had so far matched with Vearla's. 'Vearla mentioned she stayed when the other valkar left. Where did they go?'

'That I will not tell you.'

'Ok, I understand.' he sighed and leant back. He exchanged a glance with Mr Briggs. Matters of state were now dealt with. Anything else he asked would just be to assuage his own curiosity. He wanted to understand the valkar, but it was difficult- and perhaps impossible- to do it without spending time among them. And that obviously wasn't going to happen. 'Adila,' he began, 'what role do judges play in valkar society? Do they rule?'

'That's a complicated question. It depends on whether we have... an active Queen. If we do, then the Queen makes the decisions. If we don't, then the Judgement Master will hear what the valkar want and make a decision, which the other valkar will generally follow. But the role is still not quite the same.'

'What do you mean by an active Queen?'

Adila just smiled.

Messenger smiled back. 'Alright. How old are you?'

Adila raised her eyebrows. 'How old am I?'

Messenger flushed. 'I gather that valkar live much longer than humans.'

'We do.' she smiled.

She said no more. Adila turned to look at Riley. 'Do you have any questions?'

Riley shook her head. She did, but she felt it would be better to ask Aerlid. Her questions might reveal something Aerlid didn't want Adila to know.

Adila gracefully rose to her feet. 'I understand you are concerned about Riley's intentions.'

Three surprised human eyes were now fixed firmly on Adila.

'The valkar have only ever wanted peace. If Riley agrees, I can judge her for you.'

Aerlid cleared his throat, 'Adila.'

'Yes?'

'Perhaps Rose should do that.'

'Mm, you may be right.' Adila looked at Riley. 'Would you accept Rose's judgement?'

Riley pressed her lips together as she thought. She would _much_ prefer any judging of her be done by Adila. But at the same time annoying the Judgement Master further probably wasn't a good idea.

'Excuse me,' Mr Briggs was standing too, his face stony. 'What exactly is a judgement and why should I trust it?'

Messenger hurriedly began explaining.

'Mr Briggs,' Adila said slowly, 'you yourself have noted the unusual abilities of my kind. Is this so hard to believe?'

'When the safety of my people are concerned? Yes.'

'Well, I or Rose can give you our judgement of her. Whether you choose to believe it is up to you.'

'I will accept.' Riley said reluctantly, 'You or Rose may judge me. If Mr Briggs thinks it's worthwhile.'

'I see no harm.' He crossed his arms across his broad chest. 'Proceed.'

'I will get Rose. I doubt she's far.' and she shot Vann a smile.

Adila wandered off to find Rose. The others stood in silence.

'Perhaps Mr Briggs should also be judged.' Aerlid said suddenly. 'If Rose gives you her assessment of you, perhaps you will be able to trust her judgement of Riley.'

Mr Briggs eyes' narrowed. 'I'm not sure that's necessary.'

Messenger, alarmed, softly began making an argument in favour of it.

Riley sighed. 'If you don't want to, Mr Briggs, then fine. I will still let Rose judge me.'

True to her word, Adila soon returned with Rose. Rose strode towards them, her back straight, her face as grim as ever.

Mr Briggs' expression noticeably softened when the Judgement Master approached. Messenger's eyes lit up. Vann turned to look at her. Any change in him was minor, maybe he straightened a fraction, perhaps his attention was slightly more focussed. Even the soldiers around them seemed to be paying far too much attention to Rose.

'You wish to be judged?' Rose asked, her attention on Riley.

'Wish? No.' she had to force herself to stop there. 'But I will allow it.'

Rose nodded curtly. 'Very well. Hold out your hand.'

Riley, confused, did so. She had been preparing herself for Rose to hit her with something. But instead Rose just placed something in her hand. Riley looked and saw it was a seed.

The seed wobbled, cracked. A green shoot appeared. Riley gazed in wonder as the shoot began growing. It grew leaves, grew longer. Soon she held a small plant in her hand, vines and leaves spilling over her hand. The vines were soon dangling near her knees. Little white rose buds began to sprout from the plant. The petals unfurled. The thorns grew. Rose frowned. She made a noise that was almost irritated. And then she reached out again. Riley felt her place something on her head.

Whatever it was it grew heavier. Soon green leaves and orange roses were swaying in front of her eyes. She felt leaves brushing against her back. Her skin was being pricked and stung by thorns, but the pain was mild.

'Hold out your other hand.' Rose commanded. Riley did so. Another seed was placed. This one grew differently. Instead of spilling over her hand the vines curled along her arm and grew up towards her shoulder. They spread, winding around her body, neck, face.

She heard Vann say behind her, 'Is she alright?'

'Yes,' Aerlid's voice came, 'she'll be fine.'

The roses that sprouted from this seed were fantastical, multi-coloured. The smell was strong and sweet. The other roses had little odour.

Rose sighed. Her frown was deeper than ever.

'I have judged her.'

Riley could not see the faces of anyone but Rose, and even she was hard to see. Leaves and roses were hanging from her head, obscuring her vision.

She heard someone say, awe in their voice, 'and?' it sounded like Mr Briggs.

'She genuinely wishes for peace.'

'You seem upset.' Messenger was saying carefully.

'She's part human.'

'And?' Messenger prompted.

'Humans are violent.'

Mr Briggs grunted. 'I assure you, Astar also wants peace.'

'No. Astar wants to eradicate gemengs from the Earth.' Rose replied, her eyes flashing, her back straighter than ever. 'I do not have to judge you to see that.'

'Gemengs are violent. Peace with the gemengs has never been possible, it will come only when they are gone.'

'Now that,' she said, the corners of her mouth curling up, 'is a very human thing to say.'

'Mr Briggs.' Vann said coolly. 'I think we know now that isn't true. The fish people have never harmed us, they are our allies. We have a chance we've never had before, to make peace with gemengs. We can't throw that away because of what happened in the past.'

Mr Briggs grunted again.

'Um, excuse me.' Riley said. She felt six sets of eyes on her. 'Mr Briggs, I don't ask you to trust me. I'm not asking you to do anything except prepare Astar for the ehlkrid and to not attack me. Let me show you I mean Astar no harm, that I have not lied to you. And Rose, can you get these roses off me now?'

'I think they look very nice.' she replied.

'Of course you do.' Aerlid muttered. 'Take them off Rose, go plant them somewhere.'

'I don't need your advice, Moonsinger.' But she stepped forward anyway and gently began untangling the plants from Riley. Well, she was gentle with the plants, not so with Riley.

When she was done Vann came up to Riley and touched her elbow. 'Are you alright?'

'Yes. I think I would have preferred it if she'd just hit me.'

He smiled. 'It feels kind of strange, doesn't it?'

She shrugged and wriggled her shoulders. 'Kinda.'

Vann looked back to where Messenger was waiting for him. Mr Briggs had already left.

'Goodnight, Vann.' Riley said. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'

'Right. Goodnight.'

They parted ways.

As he walked back to the camp with Messenger Vann had a pensive expression on his face.

'What are you thinking about?' Messenger asked. 'What Mr Briggs said?'

'No. His views don't surprise me. As long as he doesn't actually attack her, I think in time he'll be able to see she's not an enemy.'

Messenger sighed. 'I hope so. I think it's a chance we can take, have to take. With this ehlkrid story we have a reason to fortify Astar and Coastside anyway, even if she's lying.'

Vann nodded. 'If she was planning on attacking, why would she be telling us to improve our defences?'

'Exactly.'

There was silence.

'Messenger,' Vann began. 'What do you think of Riley?'

'What do I think of her? What do you mean?'

'I mean, you think Rose is lovely.'

'She is. Even Mr Briggs thinks she's lovely.' This had not been Mr Briggs first meeting with Rose. She had, a few times, come to get Vann right from the human campsite. She had stalked in, head held high, back straight. Vann had thought Mr Briggs might invite her to stay for dinner. But he hadn't, and had given Vann permission to leave with her. 'It figures a Coastsider could seduce a valkar.' and Messenger sighed. 'You lucky ass.'

Vann bit back a smile. 'Come to Coastside some time, Messenger. I'll introduce you to women nearly as lovely as Rose.'

'Hah, I don't think there's any such thing! But I think I might take you up on that offer.'

'But Riley, what about her?'

'Hm, I don't actually know. Sometimes I look at her and she seems human. Other times I don't know what she is... I don't quite know what to think of her.'

Vann sighed. 'I don't know what she looks like.'

Messenger shrugged. 'Maybe it's better that way. Could you be her friend if you did?'

Then the day to say goodbye came.

Riley and Aerlid stood watching the convoy as it got ready to head back to Astar.

Mr Briggs and Messenger had already said their official goodbyes. Riley had extended a personal invitation to Messenger to return whenever he chose. He'd seemed pleased.

Last night Rose had already said a terse farewell to Vann. He wouldn't miss her, and he didn't think she would miss him either. But now it was time to say goodbye to Riley, and Vann didn't know what to say.

Aerlid walked out of earshot, giving them some privacy.

'Riley.' he began.

'Vann.' Riley said with a smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

'I... I don't know when I'll be able to see you again.'

'We'll see each other again.' she said confidently. 'And until then, we can still talk.' and her smile widened.

'The radio is supposed to be for official business only.' he said, smiling back.

'Well, Mr Briggs agreed it would be better if I could talk to you or Messenger, any other Astarian might not listen so well.'

'So I'll hear from you.' he said with relief. He realised then he did not want to leave. He wanted to be a part of what she was doing here. But not just a part of it, he wanted to be able to listen to her and help her and know what she was thinking. And maybe share something of himself too. He thought then of Zap Zap. Well, it wasn't as if he'd be doing _nothing_ in Coastside. _I'll be able to talk to her. It won't be so bad._ 'Maybe you should come and visit Coastside. You really missed out last time you came.'

'Would you show me the leapers?' she asked, her eyes lighting up.

He gaped for a moment before recovering, he'd been thinking more _restaurants_ , not dangerous, leaping monsters! 'Well, maybe. I guess if you can hold your own out here you can handle a leaper.'

She nodded seriously. She pulled something out of her pocket then. It was the leaper claw he'd given her, Vann couldn't help a small smile that she'd kept it. 'I look forward to it.'

'Maybe I can show you some other things as well.'

'Can I go on a sub?'

'Um, maybe we'll talk about that when you get there.'

'Ok.' her eyes were glittering, as if it was already promised.

'Goodbye, Riley.' he said. He reached out and touched her arm. 'Good luck.'

She placed her hand on top of his for a moment. 'Goodbye Vann. Say hi to Zap Zap.'

'I will.'

'And... be safe.'

'You too.'

She withdrew her hand and he let go of her arm. He walked back to the truck. He turned. She waved, he waved back. He got into the truck and she was hidden from view.

He sat next to Messenger, the door was shut behind him. Inside it was closed and dark- but very safe. Or so he was told.

'You know, I'd like to spend more time here.'

'Really? Why?'

'I like getting to know other people.' he smiled. 'There's so much to learn Vann, so much more than what's in Astar.'

'Well, while you're waiting, Coastside is always available.'

'Hah! I've already made up a few excuses for why I need to get transferred there!'

Soon after the humans left Riley's tribe was also on the move, heading quickly towards the mountains. Gakra and Karesh were waiting.

Chapter 77

The night was dark. Only low and weary sounds were made by the tribe; the sound of someone rolling over, a snore, a low whisper. It had been a hard day's march. Riley was feeling the passing days heavily. She wanted to get back to the rest of her tribe. She wanted to prepare the caves. Everything needed to be ready before the ehlkrid came.

She sat outside her tent. The night was warm and she thought she might sleep outside. She looked up as Aerlid approached. As usual, his tent was set up near hers.

'Aerlid.' she said softly. He looked up at the sound of her voice. 'Can we talk?'

'About what?' he asked as he sat down beside her.

'I have some questions about the valkar.'

'Go on.' he replied.

'Aerlid, what do they eat?'

'Ah,' he sighed. 'Thank you for not asking Adila. Well,' his tone changed as he went into answering questions mode, 'it depends. Rarely do they eat. Adila can get all the energy she needs just by sunbaking. If she's very tired, she'll eat, but not what humans eat... Valkar do not kill. Plants or animals.'

'By sunbaking?' Riley repeated in whispered awe.

He nodded. 'Rose should be able to get what she needs by walking upon the earth. With the city in the air it's harder for her and those like her. The Queen's Garden helps.'

'What do they eat then, when they do eat?'

'What Ralana gave you. She asked a tree for it. That is how the valkar get all of their materials, by asking the earth and the trees and the animals. Some valkar can also make things from what is around them, they can rearrange what's there, what's in the air and the dirt and make something. That's very difficult though. Adila usually does that, she's not so good at talking to plants.'

'They're very different.' she said pensively.

'More so than you can know.' he sighed. 'I think I must explain something to you, Riley. I don't think you'll understand, but I should say it anyway. Also, you must never tell anyone.' his voice hardened. 'Not Karesh, not Vann, not anyone.'

Riley let that sink in before she nodded. 'Alright, Aerlid.'

He paused. 'I- I need your promise. It's not that I don't trust you but...'

'I promise.'

'No. I can make it so you _can't_ say these words. Will you allow me to?'

She hesitated. Then she nodded. 'Ok, Aerlid.'

He sighed, relieved. 'Alright. Valkar cannot kill, Riley. It's not that they don't want to, or think it's wrong. It's just that they can't. Not plants. Not animals, not anything. When a valkar says a human is violent it is not the same as a human saying a gemeng is violent. Humans can choose whether or not to kill. Valkar can't.'

In the darkness, Riley watched him intently.

'I doubt you can understand. It took the humans hundreds of years of living side by side with us to understand. To even be near a human who kills something to eat, merely so they can survive, is very upsetting for a valkar. The valkar created food for the humans who lived with us to eat. I think even Rose does not understand. That's why her judgement upset her. It did not occur to her that a human could wish for peace and still be capable of murder. But that's probably good, she has never lived with humans, never been forced into a situation where killing would make things so much easier. If she never understands the violence, or the reasons behind the violence, of humans, I will be happy.'

Aerlid was right. She did not understand. The words made sense but... she did not understand. And the screaming contradiction that was Aerlid did not help.

'Riley, a valkar can no more kill than you can breathe water or fly. It's not a choice. To even have the choice makes humans, even those who don't kill, very violent to the valkar.'

'And other animals?' she asked slowly.

'Other animals?'

'Wild animals kill each other for food, does that bother the valkar?'

'Ah... yes, but not nearly so much as humans. Animals do not have the same ability to make choices as humans, and even if a valkar were to go give a salad to a mountain lion, it could not eat it. Further, the whole world is so connected, if the valkar were to stop one animal from eating and keep it alive, what it would have killed may go on to kill something else. So it bothers them, but not nearly so much as with humans. Mostly, they do not try to unravel the web of connections, they accept it and ignore it.'

Riley nodded. There was silence. Then, 'Aerlid,' she began, 'I have seen you hunt.'

He said nothing.

'If you tell me this isn't important, I will accept that. But what you say does not seem true for you.'

'It is not important.' his voice was a whispered sigh, hard to catch.

'Alright.'

Riley fell silent, her mind turning.

After long minutes she said, 'is that why the valkar helped the humans who had attacked them?'

He nodded. Sadly he said, 'to be aware of someone else killing is nearly as bad as doing it themselves, for a valkar.'

'So they can-'

'No. But valkar will go to great lengths- ridiculous lengths to stop killing once they learn of it. Lengths a human couldn't understand. That's why being apart from humans is so important. If death happens and they don't know, it can't hurt them.'

Riley thought about this for a moment before saying, 'that's how humans defeated the valkar, isn't it?'

Aerlid nodded. 'Yes.' he said bitterly. 'The valkar did what the humans demanded in order to prevent them from killing. The humans never quite believed it was actually working until they had the valkar in chains. Riley, if you ever hope for the valkar to live anywhere _near_ humans again, you'll have to make it so they _can't_ give the humans _anything_.' The tone he used said it was impossible. Once humans realised the valkar's weakness, they could force them to do anything they wanted.

'Those must have been strong chains.' Riley mused. Everything he'd said was going round and round in her mind.

'They captured a young Sunsinger first and forced her to make them.' he sighed bitterly, his eyes closed. 'And then they forced the other valkar to put them on themselves.'

'But they are free now.'

Aerlid nodded. 'Yes. They are free now.' He did not elaborate, and she did not ask for details.

She reached out and touched his arm. It seemed a poor comfort. She did not know what to say; there wasn't anything to say.

Chapter 78

The mountains were bare, rocky brown peaks. They were not very high, Riley had never seen snow on their heights.

At the base of the mountains was a large camp. Gakra and Karesh approached her from the camp.

Riley waited.

'You're back.' Karesh stated once he reached her. 'We've begun exploring and preparing the caves. The tribes within the area have been dealt with, they've joined you.'

Gakra grinned, baring his teeth. 'I organized the attack. It went well. There are some people I think are worthy of being named warriors. The new members haven't caused many problems.'

'Good.' Riley said, barely controlling a wide smile. The tension she'd been holding all this time eased from her. For the tribe to stay together in her absence was all she had hoped for. This, well, this was excellent! 'I'll deal with your potential warriors, today, Gakra, but right now I want to see the caves.'

Karesh gave Riley and Aerlid a tour of the caves. Or, part of the caves. The network was extensive and could not nearly all be seen in one afternoon.

'Aerlid, can you tell if the caves are safe?'

'I believe they are structurally sound.' his voice echoed around the dark caverns. 'I may get someone else to come check.'

That meant a valkar. Riley did not press it.

They came to a section of the caves with cave mould. The cave mould glowed softly, making it much easier to see.

'Can we get the mould to grow in the other sections?' she asked. 'We need to do something about visibility.

'I'll see.'

'Karesh, I'd like to move some people in here now. We won't know all the problems we'll have here until we've actually lived here.'

'How many?' he asked.

After that was discussed Riley quickly moved on to something else, 'we'll need to be able to secure the caves to make sure no ehlkrid get in. We'll need to know all the entrances and maybe even block some tunnels off. At the very least, we'll need guards placed throughout the caves.'

As they talked their voices bounced around the cold, empty darkness.

After they'd made some decisions Riley asked how exploration of the surrounding land was going. Supplies were to be stored at carefully chosen locations outside of the caves. If something happened that forced them to leave the caves, or if someone was stuck outside, Riley wanted to be prepared.

'I think you're going to have another problem.' Aerlid said to Riley once they were outside the caves. Karesh was heading back down to the campsite. They were alone.

'What's that?'

'You're not allowing fighting. The gemengs are going to get... edgy. Being cooped up in the caves will just make it worse.'

'Do you have any suggestions?'

He nodded. 'In other places, people used to have mock battles, or horse races in place of actually beating each other up.'

'Horse races?'

'But we don't have any horses. And you don't know how to ride. I know a few games though, that used to be popular. I could teach them to some of the children. It might help.'

'Is there space in the caves where these games could be played?'

Aerlid nodded. 'There are some large caverns that would be more than big enough.'

'Alright.' they started walking down the steep, bare rock. 'What sort of games?'

'Mostly they're played in teams. I'll have to make a ball. Hmm, it'll be better just to show you.'

'You are still teaching the children medicine, aren't you?'

Aerlid sighed. 'Yes, Riley, I'm still wasting my time with that.'

Aerlid heard her mutter something under her breath.

'What was that?' he demanded.

'Well, maybe you're not a good teacher either.' she replied with a slow smile.

'Excuse me?'

'Well-'

'I taught _you_!'

'I'm a very good student.'

'Hah! Hah hah!' Aerlid started laughing.

'Vann said you're not allowed to blame the student if they're learning slowly.'

'You certainly _are_!'

'Go tell Vann that next time he accuses me of being a bad teacher.' Riley said with a smile.

A few days later, a valkar came to inspect the caves for Aerlid.

'So you're thinking of moving into the mountain?' Maelid asked, a big smile on his face. There was little difference between this man and the caves they were now exploring. How could a man look like a cave? The same way a man could look like the moon. 'I'm so proud of you, Moonsinger!'

'Yes, well you know, mountains are... are very nice.'

'Oh, I can't think of anything nicer than a mountain.'

'Neither can I.' Aerlid sighed. He had not mentioned anything about ehlkrid or wars. The valkar would have come, but it would have been forced and cruel, making him feel if he didn't any deaths would be solely on his hands. By phrasing it in this other way Maelid had jumped at the occasion, and he was _happy._ And he'd had a choice. That was the most important thing. 'But I'm concerned about safety. I don't want the mountain to fall on my head.'

'No, you wouldn't want that. Mountains are very heavy.'

'Y-yes... so, what can you tell me?'

Aerlid and Maelid walked through the caves as they talked. Maelid had no trouble making his way among the tunnels and quickly outpaced Aerlid, his footsteps echoing back from somewhere ahead. 'The rock is strong.' he called back to Aerlid.

'Are there any places that are unsafe?'

'Oh, don't worry, Moonsinger. I'll make the tunnels safe for you and your friends.'

Aerlid slowed and stopped. Maelid was far in front, heading somewhere Aerlid wasn't familiar with. 'Alright!' Aerlid yelled. 'Come and see me before you go then!'

'I will!' the other's voice echoed back from far away.

Aerlid sighed and began walking back towards the surface. Now he had lighting to think about. Adila could easily make sunlight come into the tunnels, as if the mountain wasn't there, but that would kill the cave mould. No, Riley was right. It would be better if they could get the cave mould to grow in more areas. If Maelid ever came back, he might be able to give him some more ideas as well.

Riley watched the children race across the field, chasing a small ball. Aerlid had chosen a perfect game. Winning did not depend much on strength, but on teamwork, speed and quick thinking. In fact, touching another player was forbidden, only the ball could be touched.

Her purpose, however, was not to check up on the success of the ball game. No, she had been invited here by one of the council members. In fact, this particular game had been organized by the council member.

'You see, it's a way for the children to compete without violence.' he said as he looked at her earnestly.

Riley schooled her expression and let the man convince her. The game was nearing the end. He'd been talking for the duration of the game, presenting arguments carefully. 'Yes, I see that, Adlak.'

'It encourages teamwork and skills other than just fighting. The gemengs need a way to compete. My suggestion, Master, is that this be it. I want to create a tournament, with different teams competing. I think a children's and a warrior's league would work. And then if you could award a prize to the winning team...'

'Hmm, what sort of prize?'

'I think your congratulations would suffice. Perhaps some sort of armband, like the warrior bands, which the other teams could win back next time.'

'I see. Well, Adlak, you've made some good points.' she mused. 'You understand that you would have to be in charge of organizing this.'

'Yes!' he eyes brightened.

'Very well, you have my permission.'

'Thank you, Master.'

Riley grinned as the gemeng eagerly hurried off. Maybe, finally, things were starting to change.

Chapter 79

Vann stepped off the submarine onto the stone wharf with a sigh. He quickly moved out of the way as other submariners spilled onto the wharf. The fresh air, thick with the smells of the sea and sweaty miners was wonderfully fresh and clean after being inside the submarine for over a week.

Vann didn't dawdle; he didn't have much time shoreside before he had to be back. Their mission had been to escort a supply ship safely to the mines and back. Right now, the supply ship was being loaded, once it was done they'd begin heading back to Coastside. Even while the ship was in port, the submarine needed to keep it safe, so while the ship was docked the submariners would take turns shoreside, with near half the crew on board at all times. The water close to the ports was mostly safe, and there were other submarines about, but you could never be too careful.

Vann quickly strode up the sloping rock roadway. It switched back and forth along the face of the cliff. He passed many doors and entrances into the cliff. The miners lived and worked here. At the top was a wonderful view over the ocean and an entrance into the mines. It was not a busy entrance, mainly it was used by those inside the cliff to get to the top during a moment of free time.

As he walked Vann smiled. It felt good to be back on the submarines. It also felt good to not have everyone in Coastside think he had gone stark raving mad. Once he had returned he had quickly, and perhaps with more intent than usual, taken up with the usual Coastside beauties. That, more than anything, had convinced everyone his sanity had returned. Lillia had still expressed some concern- especially as he mentioned Riley fairly often (how could he not?) when he talked about his visit to the Plains. He'd told her the Molk mission had affected him more than he'd thought, but seeing Riley again had restored his senses.

He'd had a tense confrontation with Azra. It did not take much digging to find out she had been the last person to speak to Riley in Coastside before she'd left. In fact, he would have found out earlier had he not been so distraught at her supposed death. Even if she had always been planning on leaving, Azra's words to her could not be left unremarked.

Azra had not bothered him since.

Vann reached the top of the cliff. He turned slowly towards the ocean and let the view creep into his sight. He sighed. The ocean stretched out as far as the eye could see. The waves, the clouds above, the golden sun. The wind, ruffling his hair. The smell, cleaner now, coming off the ocean without any human stench.

Vann stayed that way, absorbing the moment.

Then a rough hand clamped down on his shoulder. 'Hey.'

Vann turned.

It was one of the miners, Vann knew quite a few of them. Some, the older ones, had known his father, though many of them had now retired, or moved on to less physically demanding work and no longer lived here.

He didn't know this one, though it soon became apparent why the man had approached him.

'Can I interest you in any stones? The ladies love them.' the man looked at him expectantly. In his hands he held a tray with a few glittering gems and stones found from the mines. The miners were not supposed to actively search for the stones, but if they happened to find them in the course of what they were supposed to be doing they were allowed to sell them and keep the money. This man had probably not found all the stones himself. The miners did not in fact have enough time to stand outside the mines trying to sell things to submariners. Usually they'd form something of a cooperative. They'd pool the gems they found and whoever was on break would try and sell them. The money would be split between the members.

Vann didn't buy gifts for the women he saw. Friends, yes, women he was casually seeing? No.

Vann shook his head. Then something caught his eye.

'Wait.'

The man, who had been about to move away, stopped. 'Something interest you?'

Vann paused a moment. Then he nodded.

Lillia opened her mouth, about to say something along the lines of, 'I don't want to hear another word about Riley!', when she stopped. Vann was talking.

'Can you hold onto this for me, Lillia?' he asked, his grey eyes on her blue ones. He held something in his hand.

Lillia stared. 'Vann.' she said slowly. Then she started laughing. She tried to hold it back and it came out like a muffled giggle.

His grey eyes narrowed dangerously. 'What?' he snapped.

She stopped trying to resist and let her laughter out.

Vann watched her silently, an injured look on his face.

'Oh, I'm sorry Vann!' she gasped. 'I just can't help remembering all those rants you made me listen to about giving gifts to your lovers! Oh, and how you got so high and mighty about _me_ accepting gifts!'

Vann glared at her. 'She's my friend Lillia. I buy my friends gifts.' and he crossed his arms over his chest. The necklace dangled from a closed hand. 'I bought that paint for you that you couldn't find anywhere. Do you know how hard I had to look for that colour? I had to ask someone to make it specially.'

'Yes, yes of course.' she sobered. 'Thank you, it was very nice.'

He continued to glare at her, though it softened somewhat.

'So she's a friend then.' her smile faded quickly then. 'Vann, perhaps she shouldn't even be that. She rules the gemengs of the Plains, I expect her to put them first, not you. Shouldn't you put Coastside before her?'

Vann frowned, exasperated. 'Lillia, I'm not putting her before Coastside. Do you think my friendship with Zap Zap is endangering Coastside too?'

'Zap Zap isn't the leader of the fish people. And you haven't bought him any necklaces.'

'Well if he wanted one I'd get him one too.' he said stiffly. 'Are you going to look after it or not?'

Lillia held back a sigh and nodded. Nearly all of their conversations since Vann's return had been about Riley and how good an alliance would be and how she wasn't going to attack Astar or Coastside. Lillia knew it annoyed Vann that she wasn't so eager about a possible alliance with the gemengs. She was more wary. There was a reason they'd been fighting the gemengs so long, and it certainly wasn't because they were a peace loving people. Besides, an awful lot of his talk lingered too much on Riley personally. He was too involved with her, Lillia felt. His judgement could not necessarily be trusted where she was concerned.

Vann handed the necklace over, giving Lillia a hard look in the process.

'I'll take care of it.' Lillia said matter of factly and stood. She walked into her bedroom and opened a bedside drawer. She placed Vann's necklace there, among many others. Some were from men, others from friends, and some she had bought for herself. She looked at it for a moment, lying among so many others. The stone was green, the chain was plain. He must have had that put on it in Coastside, she thought. Lillia had no jewellery from the mines. She shut the drawer hard.

A girl had to aim for that sort of jewellery. If a man offered her gifts in an attempt to get her attention Lillia did not refuse. To her it was no different than allowing a man to take her to a play or out to dinner. Vann of course, considered it a matter of pride he could get a women's attention without showering her with presents. Besides, he thought a woman should spend time with him because he was enjoyable company, not because of his wages, which, as all submariners, he was not in the habit of saving.

Lillia walked back into the main room of her apartments, shutting her bedroom door behind her.

Vann had a thoughtful look on his face.

'You know,' he said, 'I don't mind if you wear it.'

'Hm? Wear it? Vann, that would give people all sorts of ideas!'

'I know.' he smiled. It was a rather devious smile.

'How many people know you bought that?' obviously a lot, she knew, if he was making such a suggestion, 'the other submariners won't come near me if they think we're together again!'

'Don't worry about that, Lillia, I'll let them know it's casual this time.'

Lillia frowned and crossed her arms. 'I don't think it suits me. Besides, I'm not sure I want to be a part of this.'

'What? Buying presents for the lord of a possibly hostile land? If it bothers you so much,' he shrugged, 'don't wear it.'

Then that devious smirk came back. 'But darling,' he said, 'you know everything looks good on you.'

Lillia sighed and resisted the strong urge to throw something at him. 'I'll see what I can do.'

He smiled.

At the assigned time Vann made his way to the Blocks. There, under the watchful eye of a disapproving secretary he made contact with Riley via the radio.

He turned the knobs, hearing the familiar crackle.

'Vann?' came her voice. It was distorted, wavy and crackly, but it was still unmistakably her.

'Riley.' he smiled. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the woman's eyes narrow and her expression sour. He tried to sound less happy as he said, 'do you have any news?'

Once a week he made these calls. They lasted less than ten minutes, and all that time he was watched by this pursed-mouth woman.

'Yes.' there was a pause. 'The valkar visited. They're gone now... the ehlkrid are coming. Soon.'

His heart started beating faster. 'How soon?'

'A few days. Less than a week.'

Chapter 80

When the ehlkrid arrived in their world from wherever they'd been there was no sign. The sky did not darken, the earth did not shake. Each day was as lazily pleasant as the last, with bright, clear skies and the warm sun shining down from above. But in the caves, the air crackled with tension. Everyone was inside now. Food was stored, caves blocked off, guards set, and cave mould encouraged to grow in more of the tunnels with the help of the valkar. Riley stayed with her own tribe. Even after reaching the caves, she'd made quick trips to the surrounding tribes to warn them, until she'd seen the valkar city drifting above the mountains. Then, she'd returned to the caves and stayed; she had to focus on her own people now.

Riley stood in the mouth of a tunnel, her hands on her hips. Her gaze travelled across the land below, across the rolling plains and the dark line that marked the start of the forest.

A dark shape swooped down from above. It glided down the slope, then rose and circled back.

Karesh landed in front of Riley, a wide grin on his pale face.

'You're getting very good, Karesh.' she replied, smiling in return.

'Yes. But I need more control if I'm to do this in a fight.'

'Well, you can hold your own without flying until then.' She said before returning her attention to the land stretching out before her. Then she turned and entered the caves. Some hours later, Aerlid found her doing her rounds.

'You should get some rest.' he said. 'When they come it will likely be at night. They'll need time to get used to daylight.'

Riley nodded. She knew this, the tribe knew this. Aerlid had been over it before. The place the ehlkrid lived was dark all the time. There was no need for it to be so, Aerlid said. The Ehlkrid King had created that place, he could have made it a paradise if he wished. Instead he had made it dark and barren.

Riley followed Aerlid's advice and made her way to her own personal little cave. A large pile of furs and animal skins on the floor constituted her bed. Her few belongings were carefully organized around the room. As on the plains, she had little furniture. It was difficult, but she rested. There were guards on duty at all times. If something happened, she would be warned.

Riley slept fitfully. When she awoke she did not know the time, it was always dark down in the caves after all. She prepared herself and quickly made her way to the surface.

When she reached the outside she sighed. The sun was setting, only a tiny half circle of liquid gold visible above the horizon. Streamers of fading light highlighted the waving grasses of the plains. The sky above was a dark blue. A few stars were starting to appear.

Riley found a piece of rock that was not too uncomfortable and sat down. She watched as the sun completely disappeared. Stars popped into the night sky above. The air cooled.

And she waited, as she had every night for the last two weeks.

The ehlkrid were in the world now, Aerlid had told her. They just weren't _here_ yet.

When the moon was high above Aerlid came out and joined her.

They waited silently, together.

Riley's eyes dropped from the dark horizon to the even darker plains. Even with the moon, she could make out nothing. Looking at the plains in the dark was an odd experience. The grass moved with the wind, so sometimes you could see waves of darker patches of darkness moving against the backdrop of night. Or perhaps it was an illusion, her eyes playing tricks on her.

Riley frowned. The movement of the grasses was more obvious tonight. The wind was mild.

Riley stared, her heart beating faster. She stood.

Aerlid glanced at her in surprise and also stood, his gaze focussed on the plains. 'What is it?'

'I don't know.'

It was slow. They stood watching the plains for a long time. And then the darker wave reached the base of the mountains. And it kept coming, climbing up the slopes.

Aerlid quickly ducked inside the tunnel entrance. Riley knew he was sounding the alert.

Riley drew her sword.

The soft whisper of metal sounded loud in the night.

The wave of darkness paused, as if it had noticed.

Aerlid was beside her again. He whispered a soft song under his breath.

The moon flared with light, revealing a reptilian shape. The soft white light was not enough to blind Riley, but it startled the creature. It hissed, recoiled.

Riley leapt at the dark, flat, lizard shaped thing.

It recovered quickly and moved out of her way, faster than any gemeng she had ever seen.

It lunged, Riley barely dodged. She was surprised and elated at the same time.

Something else shot from the grasses. It was somewhere above her, she heard the sounds of fighting. She noted it somewhere in the back of her mind, but could not respond. The creature in front of her demanded all her attention.

She wove and dodged, striking out at it. It moved around her with far more speed and grace than any gemeng. It was a terrible, violent grace that bespoke great strength. Yet it could not touch her. Her sword connected with its neck. A diamond shaped head went flying. The body fell limp to the ground and slid down the slope.

Her heart beating fast, hyper aware of everything around her, Riley turned and looked. She took in the shadowy shapes of more people fighting. Easily she could tell which were gemeng and which ehlkrid.

She moved quickly. She snuck up on ehlkrid engaged in other battles, ending them in one unseen stab.

And then another engaged her, she could not catch it unawares.

And she fought.

When daybreak came Riley was surprised. The sky had been lightening for hours, though she had only been vaguely aware of it. The ehlkrid creatures suddenly broke off the fighting. They scattered, some trying to get into the caves. Riley and the other warriors quickly dealt with them. The rest disappeared somewhere unseen.

Her heart racing, Riley finally took a good look at the battlefield. She was not tired, she was too excited. She had not been challenged like that in so long. She realized there were many gemengs on the slopes around her. The ones standing were all wounded, and she was not yet ready to count the dead that littered the slopes. Riley's body ached terribly in some places, though she knew now that that pain signified nothing more than scrapes and bruises.

The twisted creatures scattered across the mountain slopes made the gemengs look beautiful. They bore not even a passing resemblance to humans. There were large, lizard like creatures. Giant birds, things that looked more like cats, big blobs with too many legs and mouths with far, far too many teeth.

Quickly Riley shook off thoughts of the battle. The wounded needed to be treated. The bodies of the ehlkrid needed to be burnt. She needed a report from the battle, how many had been killed? How well had their tactics worked? The caves needed to be checked to make sure no ehlkrid had gotten in and on and on and on.

Chapter 81

'This is all I could get, Riley, and I will ask for no more. Really, you need no more than this.' Aerlid said. Before him were three items. The first was a stylized sun that looked like it was made from beaten gold. It looked like it could be hung on a hook. The other two items were similar to each other, they looked like small spheres, or perhaps small sculptures of the moon.

Riley gazed at them. 'They will stop the ehlkrid but not us?' she asked.

His mouth formed a thin line. 'These are just shields. They'll stop everything. Making them to stop some but not all is much more complicated, I would not be able to do it myself. But it's also unnecessary. This,' he pointed to the sun, 'can keep the ehlkrid away from the mountain even during the night. This draws on the power of the sun, not sunlight. Even if the sun is not visible, it is still there. These,' he pointed to the orbs, 'will be able to block off some tunnels, but they won't be able to protect the entire area.'

'And you can't turn the shields on and off?' So far it was still safe to venture outside the caves during the day. Of course, only warriors were allowed out at this point, and even they only in groups.

'It did not take the Queen's daughter so long to get one piece of fruit from a tree because she's incompetent, Riley. It does not work like that. For myself to even get the sun shield working will be very difficult. I certainly can't turn it on and off at your command. The moon toys... will be easier.'

'Toys?' She frowned slightly.

'They weren't made to be shields. But they'll function that way once I get them working, though they can't block off anything more than a tunnel.'

'Riley,' he began again with a sigh after looking at her face, 'what you want is a door. The humans were never given things like that last time the ehlkrid came. They were given walls. Shields. They could no more pass through them than the ehlkrid. But they had a choice whether or not to use them. There aren't any doors lying around the city. Only walls. Nor are there any shields like what we gave the humans. Those weren't like these,' he gestured to the items, 'we made them specifically so the humans could use them. But I don't have the knowledge to make shields like that myself.'

Riley frowned darkly. Then she nodded. Perhaps she could force him to find something better, make something better, but that wasn't really what she wanted to do. And it wasn't really fair, considering what he had brought her would protect them from the ehlkrid. But staying locked inside the mountain wasn't something she wanted to do either. She could fight the ehlkrid. She could survive out there in that changed world. Perhaps even thrive.

But she also couldn't think just of herself.

Riley nodded curtly. 'Alright. The gemengs will choose for themselves whether they want to use those shields or not.'

Surprised murmuring filled the cavern. Surprise at the artefacts they were shown. Surprise that they were all asked to make a choice. Surprise at what the choice was.

The cavern was filled with most of the gemengs of Riley's tribe. All of the warriors were there, and some of the older children that were not yet warriors.

Riley explained the situation to the gemengs. They could use the valkar shields to protect themselves from the ehlkrid and stay locked inside the caves. Or they could not use them, and continue fighting the ehlkrid every night, as they had for the last two weeks.

The procedure for voting was somewhat involved. The gemengs would never vote to use the shields if anyone else knew what they were voting. And so a system with stones, blindfolds and another large cave was concocted.

The meeting was adjourned, the gemengs filed out of the cavern in a disorderly manner. When they were gone only the council was left.

Voices were quickly raised and answers demanded as confusion abounded.

Riley silenced them. 'This is not a choice I can make alone, for all of you. The ehlkrid are not a threat to me in the same way they are to you. I will not be voting, or giving you my opinion. You need to decide how you want to live. The voting will begin tomorrow morning. It will continue until everyone has voted, however long that takes. I will require your assistance organizing it.'

The voting lasted three days. When it was done, Riley entered the cavern. It was a cave that split off into two parts. Voting had involved a gemeng entering alone and throwing or placing a rock in one of the two offshoots of the cave. The gemengs were blindfolded, and no one else was allowed in the cavern with them. They were allowed less than a minute to make their vote, in case any attempted to move the rocks around.

When she entered she was not that surprised at the outcome, the support of it however... She rubbed her forehead. She glanced from one side to the other. She had thought at least a few would vote for a shield. But one side was brimming with stones, while the other was completely empty.

Riley exited the cavern and walked the short distance to the cavern where the gemengs were gathered and waiting.

Her voice carrying easily around the echoing space she said, 'the shields will not be used.' She was quiet as a roar filled the air. The gemengs whistled and hooted and clapped and pounded their feet. It took some time for the noise to die down. 'The shields will be kept in case of an emergency. Another vote will be carried out in the future.' She did not know when, but perhaps the situation would change.

The address was soon over. Riley quickly found Aerlid. 'Aerlid, those two moon shields, can you set them up in the upper and lower secondary entrances?'

Aerlid nodded. His agreement obtained, Riley's attention was instantly drawn back to the preparation for the nightly fight.

She didn't mind. A part of her enjoyed it. Her concern was for the gemengs. Every night many were injured, and deaths were unavoidable. There were a number of couples now, and that number was growing. Even so, gemengs did not breed so quickly that this could be sustained forever.

Chapter 82

Riley watched Aerlid work, fascinated.

They were in a side tunnel that led to the surface. If the ehlkrid managed to get into the caves, it was a good chance it would be through here. The tunnel was already guarded, but Riley had decided one of the moon toys would also be used to block it off.

Aerlid had spent the last half hour fiddling with the toy where the wall joined the floor. He sung all the while. It was daylight outside. During the night Aerlid was too busy healing to do this.

By the time Riley arrived to see how it worked Aerlid was stepping back from the toy, still singing.

His song was cyclic, Riley could recognize it repeating itself. And it was fast.

The pale orb wobbled, then it rose. It moved along the side of the wall, not quite touching it. As it rose it changed. It started as a full orb, and then got smaller, like the waning moon. As it approached the top of the tunnel it was a tiny sliver. And then it disappeared, before reappearing again as a small sliver. As it travelled down towards the floor it waxed. It reached the bottom of the opposite wall. Riley watched, amazed. It was still. And then it started rising again, going back the way it had come. It got smaller til it reached the top, then it started getting bigger again until it was back where it started. Then it began rising again, but this time it did not go all the way. It stopped at about half moon.

Aerlid's song slowed down and became more relaxed, until he was just singing one note of the whole. Then he stopped.

He sighed and stepped back. He glanced over at Riley. 'There. That's done. No one will be able to pass this way. You wanted the next one over on the other side?'

Riley nodded. She turned her attention back to the little moon. It did not look like it would stop anyone from passing.

Aerlid waved at the tunnel. 'This is its plane of movement. Its night sky. If someone passed through it the movement would break. It wasn't strictly designed as a shield, though it's quite strong. It will stop ehlkrid coming through here.'

'Alright.' Riley said. 'Is the next one like this?'

Aerlid shook his head. Then paused. 'A bit. It will cycle in the same way as this, but it will take up the entire tunnel. It won't move around.'

Riley was very tired. She had not yet slept today. Neither had Aerlid. 'Make sure you get some sleep after this.' She said. Aerlid looked tired, and Riley felt a twinge of worry for him. She knew how healing people tired him out.

He nodded his agreement.

Riley, satisfied, departed and headed back to her cave. She did not stay long. She picked up the radio and made her way to the surface. She blinked in the bright morning light. The mountainside was not quiet. The bodies of the ehlkrid had to be burned. The mountain had to be checked for any cracks or weaknesses created by the fighting. Some of the ehlkrid had the concerning ability to slice up rock a bit too easily for her liking. A few gemengs were just out here to enjoy the daylight and fresh air.

Riley stayed near the entrance and turned the radio on. She felt the familiar mix of dread and anticipation. The excited tingle, the worried heaviness. In some ways, it would have been easier to ignore him. But it wasn't his fault she felt this way. And she needed him to convince the humans she could be trusted.

She did not have to wait long before she heard Vann's voice crackle over the radio.

As always, she felt a rush of relief. He was still alive.

'Riley?' he began.

'Vann. I'm here.'

'Are you alright?'

'Yes. Nothing has changed. The ehlkrid still attack every night.'

Even through the radio she could hear concern in his voice. 'Coastside and Astar haven't been attacked. But some... things have been seen. Flying.'

'During daylight?'

'No. Night time.'

'They still won't attack during the day. Aerlid doesn't think the ehlkrid will start hunting humans until the gemengs are gone. But you still need to be careful. If an opportunity comes up, they'll attack.'

They had talked about this before. Gemengs made better prey, they were... a more nutritious food source to the ehlkrid due to their ehlkrid blood, and they probably weren't that much more difficult to catch than humans.

'Aerlid also said the valkar shields might be keeping them away. They might be confusing Astar for a valkar city.'

'We have people working on improving the shields at Coastside. Have you heard anything from the valkar?'

'Not recently.'

'I have to go soon. There's been talk of sending a delegation to the caves. They're thinking if they can see the ehlkrid close up it will help us when we need to fight them.'

'As long as they know the danger, humans may come any time, Vann.' Quietly, she hoped the ehlkrid did not attack the humans any time soon. The hope was borne more out of fear of what that would mean for her tribe than anything else.

'Alright. I'll pass it on.'

Goodbyes were said. The conversations with Vann were always very formal and business like. They could be no other way, she was aware he did not make these calls in private. But really, what else was there to say?

The radio went silent. Riley, tired, turned it off and headed back to her cave. The radio could be recharged by a solar charger, so running out of energy for it was not likely to be a problem.

Riley stored it in its place among her other meagre possessions. Gratefully, she fell into bed. She had plenty to think about, but straight away she was asleep.

Riley awoke as the sun was setting. She was used to this now. Quickly she checked her weapons and headed towards the surface. It might have seemed a better idea to stay in the caves and merely defend them, instead of fighting the ehlkrid on the surface, but the ehlkrid could attack from a distance, slashing with a tail, spitting acid and breathing fire while the gemengs could only fight at close quarters. It would have been too easy for the ehlkrid to kill the gemengs guarding the cave entrances without being in danger themselves, before rushing into the caves.

The warriors who would take the first shift were already here. Riley could fight all night, the other gemengs could not. The gemengs fought in groups of about five. If one group could take down three ehlkrid before needing to head back to safety, it was considered they'd had a _very_ good night. Riley only interfered in what her gemengs were doing if it looked like the situation was getting out of control. They were ready. She was ready.

The sky darkened, the last glimmers of light faded away.

Every night the ehlkrid came sooner after the sunset and left closer to sunrise. They did not yet arrive as soon as dark fell, they still had to travel to the caves from wherever they hid during the day. Wherever that was; the scouts Riley sent out to find their hiding places had so far been unsuccessful.

They did not have to wait long. The monstrous creatures that bore more resemblance to beasts and nightmares than humans or gemengs were soon upon them. Snarls, grunts, the crunch of rock beneath claws, paws, hooves, became the new sounds of the night. The insects and birdlife were long since quiet.

Her people fought. Riley waited. She looked over what was now a battlefield, shadowy shapes clashed against one another. Her eyes had adjusted quickly to the night. She saw three gemengs distracting an ehlkrid and trying not to get killed. The other two members of the group were trying to hack at the creature from behind. Her gaze moved on. She needed to choose her opponent carefully.

Her eyes latched on a giant centipede with legs that were nearly as long as her, its body suspended on those spindly structures high above her head.

Riley watched. It got into a fight with another ehlkrid. She saw how its legs moved, how sharp and fast they were. And the other creature was falling. The centipede started to feed. Riley moved in.

The centipede sensed her approach, it turned, its meal forgotten. Its legs whirred, slicing the air. She moved through them, untouched. She had seen the pattern.

For tense minutes she stabbed at the tough carapace above her head. She dodged the knife like legs, the bug like head bent down as it tried to reach her. Perhaps she could have killed it quicker, but she couldn't afford to get injured. While the gemengs changed shifts, Riley stayed out on the mountainside. Every night she fought, all night. Besides, Aerlid had enough people to tend to without healing her as well.

Then it was done. The creature crashed to the ground with a squeal. Riley quickly escaped, just avoiding being squashed.

She chose her next target. And on she went. The shift changed. New, fresh gemengs were fighting. And it changed again. Still she stayed.

And then the black of the sky began changing to dark blue, grey. The ehlkrid broke off, scattered. Some hauled the carcasses of other ehlkrid with them. Riley quickly chased after- she did not want these creatures getting any stronger! But she did not venture into the Plains. Alone, it could quickly become dangerous for her if the ehlkrid ganged up on her.

And so for now her job was mostly done. She still had reports to listen to and decisions to make. Only after could she bathe and rest. And start again tomorrow night.

The decisions were not as easy today as usual, and thus Riley's rest was delayed.

Riley crossed her arms over her chest, her eyebrows narrowing. Karesh's speech did not falter, though perhaps he paled a little.

Riley could smell the burning of the ehlkrid flesh. It was a sickly, oily scent that made her feel ill. Everything needed to be burnt before the next night, still, it was unusual for smoke to get into the caves; great care was taken to avoid that.

She held up a hand for Karesh to pause and called to a nearby gemeng. 'Go check on the burning.' She ordered, in a tone she had been gradually perfecting. The gemeng hurried off without a word. She turned her attention back to Karesh.

'And... Gatak killed the other gemeng, Master. It was nearly instant, there wasn't enough time for Aerlid to be found.'

Riley frowned. Karesh was silent, but his big, dark eyes and cautious gaze seemed to say... something.

'So he's a murderer.' Riley stated.

Karesh hesitated and nodded.

'The punishment is clear, Karesh. If he is a murderer he must be executed.' Riley did not allow her voice to waver, did not allow her stare to be anything other than forbidding. This was the first case since her announcement, this would be the first time she would have to execute someone. It felt surreal.

'Call the council together.' She could not show mercy. The gemengs knew she was stronger than them, but her experience with Gakra's tribe had all too clearly shown her that merely being stronger was not enough. They needed to respect and fear her strength, not just know it existed.

In that cautious way he had, Karesh nodded and quickly moved off. He moved with more confidence now though, his back straighter, his wings no longer hidden by a heavy cloak.

A moment later the gemeng she had sent to check on the smoke returned, 'it was a gust of wind, Master. The burners send their apologies.'

What Karesh had told her was not the outcome of a formal trial, just what he had heard from witnesses. And so a proper trial needed to be held. The council would determine whether a crime had been committed and if so, what punishment would be meted out.

The gemengs who formed the council stood before Gatak in a loose semi-circle. There was Riley herself, Karesh, Gakra, Adlak and a number of others. Behind Gatak were also a number of other gemengs, those related to Gatak and the victim. Some witnesses were also present.

Explanations had been given. Gatak did not deny what he had done, and even if he had, he had killed the other gemeng in public.

Gatak stood waiting. He did not look too concerned. There was an easy confidence about him. Riley knew he was considered a great warrior. On his arm, she noted, was one of her armbands.

'Do you have a decision?' Riley asked of her council as the cave fell silent.

There was a round of nodding. They were all looking at her as if they weren't quite sure what she would do. Gakra spoke first. 'He is a murderer.' He growled. The other council members agreed with nods or voices.

'So you are all agreed?' she asked.

The nodding was more assertive this time.

'Very well.' She turned her eyes to Gatak. Every other eye was on her. She felt as if this wasn't real. If she faltered she would lose control of the gemengs. The only way to maintain her command of them was to carry out her own laws. She could back down. Leave this place, leave the tribe.

'You will be executed.' She stated in a tone of finality. Her face was a cold mask.

He smirked. 'We will fight. It will be honourable.'

'No. This is not a fight or a challenge. There is no honour in it. Aerlid,' she turned to him, 'restrain him.'

He sung. Gatak's eyes widened.

Riley strode over to him. She ripped the armband from his unmoving body. Her eyes moved to those standing behind, his family. Or what passed for a family among gemengs. 'Do you wish to have a moment alone with him?'

They shook their heads.

'Do you want to leave?'

Again, they shook their heads.

Inside, Riley felt ill. None of that showed on her face. It could not. Her weapons were gone, she had to do this with her bare hands.

And so without further ado, her body moving as if in a dream, she broke his neck. His body stayed upright for a moment. And then it crumpled to the ground. All was quiet.

'Have the body burned. And the armband. The ashes are to be scattered to the wind.'

Riley did not look at anyone. She strode from the cave, her back straight. She felt dirty, sick. Her head was throbbing. She did not want to think, did not want to wonder if there had been any other option, did not want to worry if it was enough to sustain the fear that kept the gemengs obeying her.

And so she bathed and slept. And when night came she fought. And then, after hacking ehlkrid apart all night, then she worried and doubted and regretted not so much her action, but that it had been her only real choice.

Chapter 83

It was not long after the execution that the humans visited. Vann was not among them, Riley had not really expected him to be allowed on this mission, though she was surprised Messenger was absent.

The visitors were curt, stone faced Astarian soldiers. They were led by a woman who was only slightly more talkative than her subordinates. They were not so much interested in forging an alliance as having a chance to examine the ehlkrid up close.

'You cannot catch one?' the woman was asking Riley.

'No.' Riley replied, her tone brooking no argument. 'I will not risk the lives of my people for that. If you can follow instructions, you may observe the fighting from inside the caves.'

The woman nodded sharply. 'Very well. We wish to test the energy weapons on them. Will that be acceptable?'

Riley was silent for a moment. She was not thinking about whether it was possible, but what the implications might be. What if they didn't work? What if they did? If they did that would imply they would be even more effective on her gemengs. Would that knowledge encourage the humans to start a fight with her? She needed time, time to let the humans see the gemengs as something other than enemies, before she could allow them to know how easily they could defeat the gemengs. Thinking in such a way was new to her, but she was starting to see how very necessary it was; had started to see ever since the humans had visited the Plains.

But the humans also had to fight the ehlkrid.

'Very well.' She struggled to keep reluctance from her voice. 'I'll set something up.'

'Is it possible to be shown around the caves?'

Again, Riley paused. If she wanted them to trust her, she also needed to trust them. 'Yes. I'll show you myself.'

The next evening the humans set up at the cave entrance, their energy weapons ready. Riley saw they were using a mounted energy weapon, a MEW. They were much more powerful than the personal energy weapons carried by the Astarian infantry. Riley made sure they weren't getting in the way of her warriors or blocking the entrance to where Aerlid worked, in a cave close to the entrance.

The sky was quickly darkening.

She turned to the humans. 'While you are here you will need to follow the same rules as the gemengs. Be careful where you aim.'

'We're always careful.' The woman stated.

Riley turned her attention back to the Plains.

It was not long before the ehlkrid were upon them. While the first few were slithering and flying and racing up the mountain slopes Riley stayed out of the way.

Now the humans would have a chance to experiment, while the fighting was lightest.

A flash of brilliant light lit the night. A horrible scream came from one of the ehlkrid. The smell of burning meat. But the ehlkrid was not down, the humans had only hit one of its legs. Riley blinked, trying to clear her eyes. The flash had ruined her night vision.

The creature turned its head in the direction of the attack. It bounded up the slope, the humans fired again. Again, the creature was struck. But it kept coming, once again they had missed any vital spots. This time Riley was more careful about where she was looking.

And they fired again.

This time the creature flung itself out of the way. It recovered quickly. The humans fired again. Riley could not get close to the advancing ehlkrid without endangering herself.

'Stop!' Riley called to them.

The ehlkrid was almost upon them.

There was another flash of light. The ehlkrid reared up, less than an arm's length from the humans. And the caves.

There was no time to be cautious. The gemeng warriors were fighting all around her. Riley moved behind the ehlkrid. It was reaching for the humans. She slashed. The creature roared. She stabbed again, again. The cry trailed off. It crashed to the ground. The humans jumped back, their equipment crushed beneath the creature.

'Get back inside!' Riley commanded. She turned back to the fighting, the humans now gone from her mind.

When next she looked that way, they were gone.

When she finally left the surface, the sun rising above the horizon, they approached her again.

'We would like to take the ehlkrid back to Astar.' Said the woman in charge of the mission.

Riley, tired, stared at her. She could think of no reason to say no. 'Fine. Just make sure you burn the body when you're done with it. Ehlkrid eat each other and get stronger by doing so.'

The tour she gave the humans was short. She was tired. She had other things to do.

Still, Riley chose the route through the caves carefully. Should the humans attack, she didn't want to regret this tour.

The humans looked around very carefully, but silently. Riley had the distinct feeling they were going to compare their mental notes in private. She didn't like that one bit.

The next day the humans left the same way they had arrived, by Predators and Carriers carefully hidden within the Plains.

Chapter 84

The night was overcast. There were no stars or moon to lighten the blackness. Riley was accustomed to the darkness, and it did not bother her.

The night proceeded as usual. Despite the threat the ehlkrid posed to the humans and gemengs, despite the wounds and deaths done to her people, a part of Riley enjoyed these nights. A big part.

Where the creature came from, and how it hid its light, Riley didn't know. One moment the night was dark and then something that emitted an eerie blue light was floating up the mountainside.

Riley observed it intently, an uneasy feeling growing. All the other ehlkrid were darkly coloured, camouflaged for fighting in the night.

If this thing wasn't...

It looked very much like a jellyfish. A jellyfish with a body as wide across as Riley was tall. Tentacles hung down from the edge of the body, on the ends were dangerous looking hooks. They moved around in a wild, savage dance. It jiggled and wobbled as it floated up the mountain, the end of its tentacles perhaps a hands width above the ground. The light seemed to come from inside the body, as if a candle was inside, lighting the creature from within.

The other ehlkrid avoided it. She had not seen them behave that way before. It merely confirmed what its glow had already told her.

It was extremely dangerous.

Riley called out to her gemengs in a voice that carried across the cool mountain slope, 'stay away from the glowing ehlkrid! I will deal with it!'

For a time Riley just watched it move. She watched the way it killed and began eating an ehlkrid that didn't get out of the way fast enough. The body was likely too high for her to reach easily, especially with those tentacles. But from inside?

Riley watched. It kept moving as it ate. The pieces of the other ehlkrid floated in the body and began dissolving.

Riley moved. She had seen enough. The creature was distracted. What better time would there be?

She moved fast, faster than she ever had before. She sliced the tentacles, moving and dodging between them.

The gooey appendages dropped to the ground. Quickly, new ones began growing. But she was already within the curtain of tentacles.

Above was the now unprotected centre. She stabbed and dragged her sword raggedly through the creature.

Goo poured from the wound. Riley was already moving away. The tentacles flailed wildly.

Karesh saw the jellyfish monster the same time everyone else did. It filled him with a sense of unease none of the other ehlkrid ever had. Inside something whispered, _run_ as another part said, _you cannot run fast enough._

When he heard Riley say to stay away from it, when he saw her sizing it up, he was sickly relieved.

The other ehlkrid were not fighting as much now, they were trying to get away. The gemengs did not really try and stop them, unless they headed for the caves. And so it was not so hard for Karesh to watch. He did not want to leave the jellyfish monster at his back.

With astonishing ease Riley was past the tentacles. In rising awe he saw her stab the creature. It began shaking and jiggling wildly. The pattern of the tentacles changed. The pattern was gone, the creature was dying, the tentacles flailed madly.

As Riley was making her escape one of those jagged hooks caught her. She was outside the curtain of tentacles, on the opposite side of the creature to him. Karesh stared in rising horror and disbelief as she crumpled face first to the ground, the creature behind her.

It was dying, yet not dead. He could almost feel its intent.

He did not remember making the decision. He flew, over the monstrous creature. It was not high. She was below. He landed, made to pick her up.

Pain so intense that everything went white smashed into him. Somewhere, someone was screaming.

Aerlid looked up as another two people were rushed into his cave which functioned as a hospital.

He saw Riley first, unconscious and carried by three gemengs. She was bleeding heavily, a ragged rip in the clothes of her stomach.

'Aerlid,' the gemengs were saying, 'quickly!'

But his eyes were not on her. He pushed past the gemengs roughly. Karesh was supported by three gemengs. His back...

'No.' Aerlid shouted brusquely. 'No, take her to the back. The others can deal with her. Bring Karesh to me. Now.'

The sight of Karesh's back was enough to make him sick, but he had no time to think about that. Precious seconds were being wasted as the acid ate away at his skin, muscle and bone.

Riley stirred. She opened her eyes to Aerlid's haggard face above her.

Her body felt thick and numb. The memory of pain was almost too much for her. She wanted to vomit.

'You're alright.' Aerlid sighed. 'It was an uncomplicated wound, though in a bad area. My apprentices did a decent job.'

Riley did not feel alright. She felt like she ought to be dead. But she wasn't, so she forced herself to sit up. Her head cleared as she looked around. As she looked down at her stomach she was surprised to find it was still there, and that she had stitches.

'I had to fix it a bit of course, but they were able to keep you with us while I dealt with Karesh.'

'Karesh?'

Aerlid nodded. 'Yes.' He sighed and rubbed his eyes. 'Yes. He's alive. I don't know if he'll ever fly again... I'm too tired to do more than I have. But he'll live.'

Riley was about to ask what happened and then she stopped. 'Aerlid, go get some sleep.'

For once, he did not argue. Instead he just nodded and stood. Riley watched him shuffle away. Seeing his bent form, Riley, not for the first time, wondered how long he could keep it up. It was an unpleasant thought, without Aerlid, so many more of the injured would die, and the ones that survived would have to spend more time too hurt to fight, recovering naturally from their wounds. Even with his apprentices' help, he was tiring. It occurred to her she would need to have him use his power less; focusing mostly on keeping people from death, and let nature do the rest of the work. She wondered if they could survive allowing the gemengs time to heal naturally from their wounds. It was not, she concluded, something she could decide on her own. She would have to discuss the issue with Aerlid.

She looked down at her stomach again. She could not really remember what happened. The pain had been too much, everything had gone blank when it hit her. She shuddered then at the thought of what could do this to her. For a moment that thought hung in her mind. Never before had she suffered more than a superficial cut.

But she seemed alright now, so she shook those thoughts from her mind and stood. She found she could stand without much difficulty. The tiredness and feeling of heaviness was still there. Her stomach ached a bit, that was all. She'd never had actual _stitches_ before, though the wound looked old and mostly healed now, and the stitches mostly superficial at this point.

She walked over to where she saw Karesh. He was asleep on his stomach. His back was heavily bandaged.

The people in the medicine cave were all very busy. She let them be and walked the few steps to the surface.

She spotted a guard and walked over. 'What happened last night?' she asked.

When he saw her he looked relieved. She was a bit surprised at that. 'You killed the monster.' He stated, his eyes wide. 'But it got you as it was dying. Karesh came and saved you and... I didn't see. But I was told he was disappearing.'

'Disappearing?' she frowned.

The man nodded. Then he pointed. Gemengs dotted the slopes, cleaning up after last night. Riley spotted Gakra and walked down to him.

'Gakra.' She called.

He looked up at her and pointed at something on the ground. Riley walked over and looked. The rock was porous, like a sponge. Gakra jabbed at it with a rock and Riley saw it crumple away. It left a sharp-edged hole in the ground. That would be very dangerous- it would be easy to break an ankle in a hole like that. The holes would have to be filled in with dirt or small pebbles.

'The monster did this.' He growled. 'Where it fell, the ground gives way. Its body disappeared quickly. There was nothing to burn. Just all this...' he spat, 'mess. It has stopped now, but it was eating away at the rock all morning.'

Riley remembered avoiding the tentacles, avoiding the goo that rushed from the creature when she stabbed it. Whatever had done that to the rock had been on Karesh's back. She looked up at the cave entrance.

Lucky to be alive didn't cover the half of it.

There was still something else she needed to know. 'Gakra, if I was unconscious and injured, would you finish me off or help me?'

Gakra's truculent face stilled, became thoughtful. 'I don't know.' he said in his growly voice. 'But whatever I did, I would expect the warriors I command to follow my lead.'

Riley nodded, expecting as much. It seemed Karesh had been an excellent choice of second in command for more than one reason.

Chapter 85

'There are ehlkrid out there much stronger than the ones we've been fighting.' Riley was saying to Aerlid. It was a few days since the jellyfish had attacked. Aerlid spent most of his time trying to heal Karesh. But he still had to take care of the other wounded. Riley herself had not yet fought, on Aerlid's instructions. The tired, aching feeling was better, but not entirely gone.

'We can't do this forever Aerlid.' She continued. 'I want to talk to the Ehlkrid King.'

'No, Riley, I will not help you with that.' Aerlid snapped. 'You talked to Andalla, I assure you the Ehlkrid King is no better!'

'You may be right. But I need to try. We can't do this forever. Besides, if we don't deal with the ehlkrid, Andalla will come and do it for us.'

'Why don't you try talking to the ehlkrid who attack us?' Aerlid jabbed snidely, anger and irritation shining through his tiredness.

'If it was just myself fighting them, I would, Aerlid. But I can't try and have a conversation while my gemengs are fighting. Please, I must try.'

'No. No I will not. I fetched Andalla for you. If you had any brains that should have told you how hopeless this is! No, and I will hear no more about it!' and Aerlid spun on his heel and stalked off.

Riley was frustrated, but not surprised. There was nothing she could do. She didn't know how to contact the Ehlkrid King herself, and pushing Aerlid wouldn't have achieved anything.

And so everything continued as normal. They fought, the gemengs died. The numbers that died each night were small, but most nights, they lost a few. The numbers were building up, even though Aerlid was such a good healer that deaths only occurred if an ehlkrid did something like decapitate a gemeng. Still, if this went on as long as Aerlid thought it might, for years, eventually, they would lose. Aerlid had reduced his healing with little encouragement from Riley; fixing her and Karesh had drained him. The effect on the number of wounded was obvious, only giving Riley more incentive to find a way to end the fighting sooner rather than later.

The scouts sent out to find where the ehlkrid hid during the day were still unsuccessful. The scouts were not supposed to fight the ehlkrid, just find them. About five gemengs were in each group. If they did stumble upon the ehlkrid, there was no reason to think they wouldn't attack during the day.

Karesh slowly healed. Aerlid could not focus as much on him as he would have liked, and so the process was much slower than it could have been. But he was alive, and he could walk and do other work, besides fighting. His wings no longer worked and his back and shoulders, and by extension his arms, were weak. Aerlid thought he would be able to fix his wings eventually. One day.

The humans visited one more time.

'Do you want to see the ehlkrid?' Riley asked as the group was getting set up in one of the caves. A few of the people were the same as last time, some were different. There were more than last time too.

The leader nodded. 'Yes, we won't attack them, but we wish to observe the fighting.'

'Fine. But make sure you stay out of the way.'

'Of course. Is it alright to have another tour of the caves?'

'Why?' Riley asked, her eyes narrowing.

'We'd like to see how you managed,' he replied politely. This man was friendlier than the other woman had been. 'If things go badly in Astar, we may need to move back into the caves. Unfortunately, we have forgotten how to live there.'

'Alright.' Riley said slowly, thinking of what she could show them without putting her own people in danger. 'I'll show you.'

'You have the time?' he asked, surprised.

'I'll make the time, there aren't many here that can speak your language.'

'Thank you, we appreciate it.' he replied pleasantly.

True to her word, Riley found the time to show them around. She also posted 'guides' around the cave the humans were staying in. The excuse was to prevent them getting lost within the caves, but really Riley didn't want them wandering off and mapping the tunnels.

After the tour and a night looking at the fighting Riley went to speak to them again, expecting to say her goodbyes.

'Is there anything else I can do for you?' Riley asked.

'Everything you are doing is excellent. You're being very helpful.' The man smiled.

Riley observed him a moment longer.

The man just smiled in response. 'Will you be able to give us another tour?' he asked.

'I've already shown you everything.' she smiled.

'Yes, I know. But it's nice to wander around instead of staying cooped up here. I'm afraid we haven't finished observing the fighting.'

'Hm, alright. I'm afraid I don't have the time to do that myself. I can send some gemengs with you, are you alright with that?'

The man nodded.

Again, she was surprised. Surely they should be more nervous than that?

But she said, 'I'll organize it then.'

She left and went to find some guides. She was very clear in her instructions to the chosen gemengs; the humans weren't to see any more than she'd already shown them.

'And tell me if they do anything strange.' Riley added.

Turak watched the humans closely, his arms crossed across his broad chest. To him, everything the humans did was strange. So he was going to tell the Master everything they did.

Not all of them were with him, worse, they all looked the same, so he counted and made sure none snuck off.

He didn't understand their words. They talked a lot, quietly and in groups together. As if they didn't believe that he really didn't understand them.

Seeing them all bundled up in a group again he suddenly walked towards them very quickly.

'What are doing?!' he demanded. Of course, they couldn't understand.

Still, they spread apart, looking at him in fright.

He grinned, bearing his teeth. It was then that he realized one was missing.

Quickly he looked around. 'A human is missing!' he called loudly, alerting all the gemengs nearby. He wasn't the only one watching them after all.

The other gemengs sprang into action. The humans were looking a little haggard.

A few long, tense moments later Turak heard a growl.

He turned and saw another gemeng holding the missing human.

'Bring him here!' Turak declared, one eye on the other group.

The man was very pale. In his hands he was holding a good sized rock. Turak frowned at it.

The man smiled and carefully put it on the ground.

Turak glared at him a moment longer than shrugged. He pushed the man back to the rest of the group. The whole lot of them were scared.

Turak smiled at that. No matter how strange they were, it was good to know they could recognize strength when they saw it.

That evening, Turak made his report to the Master.

'He disappeared and was holding a rock?' Riley asked in surprise.

Turak nodded. 'Perhaps he was going to try attacking me with it.'

'That would be a very stupid thing to do.' Riley frowned.

Turak nodded and smiled.

'Hmm...' Riley could not figure out what that meant. Maybe it meant nothing.

Either way, Riley made time later that day to go examine the place the humans had been. She saw nothing out of the ordinary, and she looked carefully. Just caves and rocks. She even picked up the rocks, checking them for any strangeness which was beyond her ability to imagine.

But the rocks looked and felt like rocks.

And so maybe it all meant nothing.

The humans stayed perhaps a week after that. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, and Riley was pleased to see them go.

Chapter 86

When the Sunsinger arrived a ripple went through the gemengs of the caves. Even with news of Adila's arrival travelling fast, Riley did not hear of it until Adila was leaving the caves.

Riley arrived at the surface just as Adila did.

The Sunsinger turned to look at her and smiled. 'Hello, Riley.' She said in Plains speech.

'Adila.' Riley greeted her. 'What are you doing here?'

'Aerlid took some things from the city. I had not felt them used so I worried he hadn't been able to activate them.'

Aerlid had brought the shields to the caves some time ago, but with Adila's sense of time, she probably thought she had responded quite promptly.

'We decided not to use them.' Riley replied.

'Aerlid said as much.'

'Adila,' Riley began after a moment's thought, 'would you be able to contact the Ehlkrid King for me?'

Adila's eyebrows rose. 'Why would you want to speak to him?'

'Perhaps we can come to an agreement, stop this fighting. I don't know. I won't know until I try.'

Adila was silent for a moment, a thoughtful look on her face. 'Have you asked Aerlid?' she asked eventually.

Riley nodded. 'He won't. He doesn't think it will help.'

'He's probably right.' Adila said as she observed her intently.

Riley shrugged. 'The humans think the gemengs are monsters and that they can never be anything but enemies. Aerlid thinks the humans and gemengs are monsters. I cannot trust another's judgement on this. I need to try and make peace for myself.'

'Very well. I will speak with the Ehlkrid King for you. I don't know if he will agree to a meeting. But I will try.'

Riley smiled, satisfied. She was not yet relieved, nothing had been achieved yet, though at least there was a chance now. 'There's something I'm curious about.' Riley began slowly. Aerlid would be angry for asking this, angry for even asking to speak to the King.

'Yes?'

'The sun shield Aerlid brought. Is it very hard to turn it on and off?'

'For a Moonsinger? Very few would be able to use it at all. For myself?' she shrugged. 'It would be... disrespectful to turn it on and off like a switch. I could not do it too often.'

'I see. Aerlid mentioned something about making shields that some people could pass through?'

'Well, I could pass through a sunshield. Aerlid could pass through a moonshield. But you mean the gemengs?'

Riley nodded.

'I suppose it could be done. I don't know how, it's not something I've ever tried. You want to know if the valkar will try.'

'Yes. Aerlid would not be happy with me for asking.'

'No, he wouldn't be. Alright. I will tell you what I'll do. I will suggest it as a challenge to some of the valkar. If some are interested, they can try it of their own accord. I will not tell them why.'

'Thank you. That's more than I expected.'

'You ask a lot.' Adila said, it did not sound like a criticism, merely a comment.

'I won't know the answer if I don't ask. My intention is not to hurt your people though.'

'I can see that. If I thought you would hurt the valkar, I would not even come here myself. Goodbye, Riley, and good luck.'

Chapter 87

Sometime after Adila's visit, Aerlid came to Riley's cave to speak with her.

'Riley, I've been thinking.' He began. 'I see that you want to find a way to end the fighting. The scouts have still not found the ehlkrid?'

Riley shook her head. 'No.'

'They may be hiding themselves during the day. I might be able to find them.'

Riley thought about it for a moment. He would be gone and return within one day. It was far too dangerous to be outside the caves during the night. 'Alright. When would you like to go?'

'Two days should give me enough time to prepare.'

'Fine. But don't try and fight them, Aerlid. Finding them is enough.'

In amused irritation Aerlid said, 'Yes, Riley, I know that.'

When Karesh arrived not long after and asked permission to go with Aerlid Riley had to think a bit harder.

Riley frowned. She glanced at him. At his wings. He had not fought since he had rescued her, though his strength was returning. If he had not come and tried to move her away from the jellyfish, the acid would have hit her instead.

'Very well.' She said, hiding her reluctance. 'You understand there should be no fighting, don't you, Karesh?'

'Yes, Master, I know. But I would like to assist Aerlid.'

'Yes, I know.' It was a bit more than that, she knew. But he ought to be in no danger. And besides, even if the ehlkrid attacked, Aerlid could likely deal with them better than she could.

Two days later, Karesh, Aerlid and nine other gemengs left the caves. The scouting party was bigger than usual, perhaps because it was more likely to be successful. Perhaps because Riley didn't want to have to find a new second in command. They started out across the Plains, moving at an easy pace. Aerlid was humming all the while. The day was warm. The sounds of insects and the movement of the grasses were loud.

It was pleasant, relaxing in a way. Every now and then Aerlid would gesture in a certain direction and they'd change course.

Around noon they stopped by a stream. They had not been moving so fast that a rest was necessary, but they did drink and pause for a moment.

Karesh turned back towards the caves. It was good to be outside again. It was good to be doing something useful again. He had rescued the master, yes. Despite that, the gemengs he commanded looked at him differently now that he couldn't fight.

_It won't be forever,_ he thought. _I don't need my wings to fight. I can be useful even without them_. He had lived so long without his wings, it wasn't so hard to go back to them being useless. He didn't think of the freedom, the bliss of flying. He did not think about that at all.

He turned back to the group. Aerlid had a slight frown on his face. His singing stopped.

'I'm not familiar with their feel any more. I don't think they are too far. They're hiding themselves with the same power that allows you to fly.' He said to Karesh.

Karesh said nothing.

Suddenly a dull boom rolled across the Plains. Startled, Karesh looked at the sky. Was it thunder? The sky was blue and clear.

A horrendous, booming, cracking sound screamed through the caves. Riley had time for one startled look around before the whole world collapsed to the tune of rock breaking and shattering.

Sometime later, she awoke to darkness and pain. The pain of having her stomach ripped open by the jellyfish ehlkrid was nothing compared to this. She couldn't move. A gasp escaped her and the crushing intensified, she couldn't breathe in. All around was a rumbling sound, and beneath that, cries, gasps and screams for help. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. She gasped again, scared, confused, _hurt._ She was pressed tighter, her breath whistling out. She couldn't help herself. She couldn't help them. Time had no meaning in the darkness. She didn't understand, couldn't comprehend what was happening. Her mind recoiled from what was happening to her body. This couldn't be real, this couldn't be happening. Her face was wet, blood, tears or both she didn't know. It hurt so much. The sounds of her people diminished, until they were gone. It was quiet, and she was alone. Her brief, painful, panicked awareness was fading quickly, but it felt so slow.

Let me help you

She couldn't move, couldn't breathe, it hurt so much...

Let me help you

The other gemengs looked around in confusion. Karesh's eyes flicked from them to Aerlid.

'What was that?' he demanded.

Aerlid was looking towards the cave. His face was very pale. Karesh looked too. Dust was rising from the mountain.

He stared, not quite understanding.

Aerlid took a few hesitant steps towards the mountains. Karesh noticed. That was enough.

'Back to the caves!' he ordered, the cautiousness gone from his voice. The gemengs obeyed immediately.

They ran towards the mountains.

Karesh kept one eye on Aerlid the entire time. They moved much faster than they had going out. Soon they were halfway back. Then Aerlid started slowing, stopped.

Karesh halted next to him. 'What's wrong?'

He shook his head. 'It's too late.'

'What do you mean?'

'I can tell.' His voice was hoarse. 'It's too late. There's nothing... nothing there...'

Karesh kept his eyes on him for a second. Then he grabbed his arm and began dragging him on.

He resisted at first but then let Karesh pull him.

Soon they were at the mountains.

Karesh stared up at the slopes. He was starting to feel ill. He couldn't understand, but he was starting to. And he wished he wasn't.

The gemengs around him looked how he felt, their worry and fear plain on their faces.

Karesh resolutely started up the slope. The gemengs trailed behind.

The air was very dusty. The slope was covered in gravel and boulders. Karesh stopped. He looked around. There was supposed to be an entrance here. He was sure there was supposed to be an entrance here. He _knew_ there was supposed to be an entrance here.

He felt numb.

The entrance was completely gone, covered in rocks and gravel.

He was vaguely aware of the gemengs behind him. _Nine_.

Nothing there. Aerlid had said nothing there.

As if gripped by a sudden energy, Karesh started ripping the boulders away. The gemengs joined him. There couldn't be _nothing._

More rocks were below. The rocks shifted, burying what they'd uncovered. Karesh didn't know how long they worked, but they never seemed to get anywhere.

Only when a shadow passed overhead did he suddenly pause. He looked up. The sky was still bright and blue. The shadow had been that of another gemeng. He looked over at the nine.

He swallowed. 'We need to find shelter before night comes.'

Nothing.

He glanced back at what had been an entrance.

He looked over at Aerlid. 'Are you sure?' he asked, his voice a hoarse whisper.

Aerlid nodded. He was pale and trembling. How he was still standing, Karesh didn't know.

He didn't know how he did it, but he turned and walked away, down the slope. He heard the other gemengs stop what they were doing and follow. As he passed Aerlid Karesh heard him say something under his breath, 'Seta...seta...' he kept repeating it.

Karesh didn't know what it meant. He needed to think. Where could they go? He took Aerlid's arm again. He followed, did not seem aware.

Where could they go?

How could there be nothing?

