David’s intent gaze didn’t leave Awel’s face when she jerked around toward the woods. Something was wrong. His attention didn’t waver, his vision tracked hers. He arose, assuming a defensive position. Awel glanced up at him and smiled. His shoulders relaxed, but he remained alert, staring toward the foliage.
“I could say the same to you, my petulant brother. They needed to see we are as real as they are. Until I did, Kyla’s friends wouldn’t believe her. Getting across the river was simple—I floated across on a farmer’s wagon.”
David now stood with his feet planted wide, hands clenched, as he peered around. Who or what did she talk to? What was she saying? He glanced at Troy and saw his agitation.
Awel smirked. “You weren’t smart enough to realize these people would be hungry, were you? Please materialize. Troy and David cannot see you.”
Jaws dropped, David watched as the two men evolved into solid forms before his eyes. They walked forward, watching him with caution.
Awel smiled at the two and motioned to the newcomers. “Meet my brothers, Eiddyl and Cymry.” She turned to her brothers and said, “You’ve met Kyla, but please meet David and Troy.”
“Kyla, what the hell is going on? What is she saying and who are these men?”
“These are the three people I saw yesterday, after which you accused me of having a hallucination when I spoke about them. They’re speaking their own language.”
He felt a wrinkle forming between his eyes. This didn’t make sense. “What about at first when she talked and they made no sound?”
“Please sit down, David. You are making everyone uncomfortable. Take it easy, you’ll soon understand they can speak mind-to-mind.”
He cautiously dropped beside Troy. Both princes bent slightly from the waists to the visitors. Cymry sat next to his sister and glanced at Eiddyl as he seated himself on her other side. Everyone sat on a blanket around the feast Awel had brought.
Eiddyl grinned at his sister. “Ol’ Cym was so anxious to see this beautiful woman, nothing else mattered but we get here.”
David tensed when Kyla made a strangled sound and covered her face with her hands. He stared at her with raised brows. “What’s wrong?”
Troy said, “Although I cannot understand a word they are saying, it is clear Kyla does. The fellow must have indicated a certain delight in our lovely comrade, causing her face to blaze.”
“Be quiet, Troy.” Kyla glowered at him.
A huge smile split Troy’s face as he said, “Do not be concerned, Kyla. David, also, is quite enthralled by the beauty of this angel.”
Awel’s pale skin only became pink compared to Kyla’s bright red face.
David couldn’t remember being so uncomfortable in his life. He whispered in Troy’s ear, “Watch it. Think they might understand your words. Could take offense.”
Cymry and Eiddyl laughed aloud.
Kyla’s face lit up after Awel touched her wrist, and then she grinned. “David, no need to whisper, they can read your thoughts. She said to tell you she is honored.”
“Yeah, great. But, take a look at those long, tall lads. Seriously do not want them pulling out those big knives and having a go at me.”
Cymry leaned over the blanket, gripped David’s wrist and looked into his face. David gasped as he felt a gentle tingle in his head. He pulled back. “For the love of Creation! I felt it. He tried to tell me something through my mind. What did he say, Kyla?”
Kyla chuckled. “Couldn’t you hear him, David?”
“Thought I did, but that’s impossible. He didn’t even speak.”
“You are such a blockhead.” Kyla turned to Awel, “What did he say?”
Awel turned to her brothers and communicated soundlessly. As she talked, David and Troy darted looks from face to face.
David looked at Kyla. “I’ve never been so confused as I am with this communication.”
Kyla smiled at David’s confusion. “Cymry’s turned the full intent of his senses upon you to assure your understanding.
She gave David’s hand a pat. “Awel speaks to my mind like Cymry just did with you. Touching seems to make it easier. If, by chance, we understand them, it’ll be in this psychic way. Maybe, if we have the time, as they speak aloud, we can learn their language. I feel them pushing understanding into my mind, whether they are vocal or not.”
Awel smiled and turned to her friends, placing her fingers on Kyla’s wrist for a second, as Cymry monitored. Kyla, in turn, said, “They’re in deep trouble for bringing us here and think perhaps they can help move the ‘star chariot’ from the trees so we can leave.”
David looked at Cymry and spoke distinctly. “It is broken. All we can do is contact our people to send for us.”
Cymry lifted his brows and sent his thoughts to Kyla, after which she interpreted. “Then, by Omega, contact them. You must leave.”
“Damn, he understood me.”
“Why can I not understand them, Kyla?” Troy slapped his hands on his knees. “If you can comprehend what these people say, why not us? Worse, they can read our minds.” He took a deep breath and said, “Tell them a force field around their planet obstructs our messages.”
Cymry blinked in understanding, glanced at his brother, and said, “We must inform the Council. Only they can order the priests to lift the veil.”
“If we do, they’ll know we have contacted these people again, and all the fire of hyden will be on us.” Eiddyl looked to his sister. “You must ask them about contagion. The elders fear they bring disease here.”
David shot to his feet. “I understood! Wow!”
Kyla laughed and tugged at his sleeve for him to sit.
“Anyway, the understanding came through my mind.” He spread his hands and smiled. “We go to many different stars—this is a star— occupied by different kinds of people, and we do not contaminate them. Medics inoculate us to guard us against all diseases. To make us germ-free before we leave the ship, we go through a cleansing. You have nothing to fear from us.”
Awel’s eyes opened wide. “Germs?”
David smiled. “Diseases.”
After a moment of the strange language coming from the worried people, David smiled and said, “Yes, medics are healers, but not priests. And yes, the cleansing eliminates all possible sickness.”
Again, the three Argelians entered into rapid conversation. Troy watched them and fidgeted. “Don’t worry, Troy, they want to help us,” Kyla explained.
Cymry nodded to the rover after catching Eiddyl’s attention. “Odd looking thing. I wonder how it came through those branches without tearing apart. How could a thing without wings possibly fly through the air?”
“It’s lodged so tight within those trees, they’ll never get out.” Eiddyl stared at the rover, following the contours of the vessel. “Those trees are six to eight feet in diameter and parts of the thing are bent around them.”
Through Kyla’s and Awel’s translations, the men understood what had been said.
David turned to Troy. “Let’s show the guys the rover. Seem interested in it.”
They walked to the rover, that had dropped lower and straighter during the storm, and David motioned for Cymry and Eiddyl. Eiddyl looked at his brother in hesitation, but Cymry moved toward the vehicle with confidence. Before stepping through the hatch, he looked back toward Awel, who watched, her face twisted in worry.
After inspecting the vehicle, front to back, Cymry nodded. David smiled and led them outside. Reaching the girls, Kyla’s voice trailed off “—scared us almost to death.”
Awel turned to her brothers and explained how the sky people had been frightened by a frydraco the night before.
With a grin, Cymry turned to his visitors. “Clearly, the beast saw your chariot flying and thought it might make a good wife. All living things exposed to the rhosen pollen last night were hunting for mates.”
Awel placed her h
and on Kyla’s wrist and translated.
Kyla repeated the message in Standard, and everyone laughed except Troy, who shook his head. “It did not look too damn sexy to me.” Troy frowned. “Why did it try to attack us?”
Awel grinned. “I imagine their interest was only the egg shaped chariot. Weren’t you affected by the red pollen?”
David, quiet for a moment before speaking, shrugged. “Well, I have to admit Kyla started to look damn good last night.”
Cymry’s jaw bunched and his hand went to his sword.
Troy and Kyla remained quiet.
Awel patted Kyla’s hand and giggled.
Cymry looked at the three visitors and turned to Eiddyl. “I think if we bring them to Crisiant, the Council will see there is nothing to fear.”
“Do you realize what trouble it will cause us?” Eiddyl asked. “Popet hasn’t had a chance to digest what we did yesterday and consider what to do. I don’t think the results of taking them to the castle will be to our liking.”
Awel turned to her brothers, her brow wrinkled. “If they can’t understand these sky people are harmless, the guards may be sent to kill them.” She spoke rapidly so Kyla could not follow, but she learned enough to report it to David.
He stood. “Troy, Kyla, come over by the rover. We need to talk.”
They turned their backs on their visitors and Troy said, “I knew it. I knew it. We are going to die here.”
David glared at him. “Maybe. Certainly if we stay here. Perhaps, if we go with them, we can influence whoever governs that no harm will come from us.”
Kyla’s freckles stood in stark contrast to her pale skin. “Troy, David’s right. We don’t want to be sitting here if their soldiers come.”
Awel brought them to a decision by walking over, taking David’s hand, and leading him from the clear area. He looked back, possibly, for the last view of his rover. Troy and Kyla followed with Eiddyl and Cymry bringing up the rear. Upon leaving the trees, the three planetary visitors stopped and stared at the two mounts leisurely grazing in the meadow.
“Oh, by all the dust of Orion! What are those things?” David moved forward, his face alight with excitement. The fear and nausea tormenting his belly subsided.
Troy grabbed his arm. “Be careful. Look at those horns!”
Cymry whistled a high, clear note. As the horned creatures trotted up, David stepped back. Awel pulled David forward and her touch soothed his agitation. She placed his hand on Llyr’s forehead, and David cautiously stroked the mount.
Kyla’s laughter filled with delight. “I’ve read about these creatures in ancient fables. I thought they were mythic beings. I believe they’re called unicorns.”
“They are the most beautiful things I have ever seen,” Troy said, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Llyr and Eres flung their heads up and whistled in appreciation of the compliment.
“Un-ni-corn?” It was Cymry’s the first attempt at the star people’s language.
“Yes,” Kyla said, clapping her hands in delight. “Unicorn. Awel, am I correct in assuming they understood Troy’s compliment?”
Awel smiled, her eyes bright, and nodded. “Yh-ee-s.”
Breathless, David walked around Llyr, giving a great deal of space to its hindquarters. He inspected the saddle and bridle. “This is Eiddyl’s animal?”
Llyr snorted in disapproval and disappeared.
Cymry reached for the invisible reins. “Stop that, Llyr.”
Eiddyl answered David in the visitor’s language, his pronunciation clear, “No.” After gripping the sky man’s wrist, in his own language, he said, “He is Cym’s companion. No one owns these proud beings. What did you call Llyr?”
David’s eyes lit up and he looked at Kyla and Troy. “I understood the intent of Eiddyl’s words if not all the words themselves.” He turned to the young man. “I called it an animal.” Llyr and Eres both moved back and again snorted in disapproval.
Awel touched David’s arm. You insulted them. They consider themselves our equal. They understood ‘unicorn’ and accepted it as right. We call them goldenhorns.
Beginning to accept her touch could transmit understanding, David nodded and bowed to the unicorns. “I’m pleased to meet such beautiful goldenhorns.”
“All of you are making me crazy. Why can I not understand what is being said?” Troy looked around with a frown. “Even these beautiful creatures understand better than I do.”
Awel walked over to Troy, looked into his face, and grasped both his wrists. He looked startled and turned to Kyla. “I believe she told me in time I would understand.”
Awel smiled. “Yh ee s.” She turned to Kyla and said, “This being’s mind is hard to penetrate. His mind is stiff.”
Kyla repeated to the men what Awel said. She and David laughed, but Troy growled, “It’s because my mind holds more than that of these two imbeciles.”
The three visitors followed their new friends and the unicorns across the meadow toward the river. Now the pleasantries were over, David considered their position and didn’t see much of a future for him and his friends. He hoped if they were killed, it would be done quickly. However, Cymry was blown away with Kyla, and the girl really seemed to like him. Maybe some hope would come from that quarter. He could only hope their new friends continued wanting them alive and were powerfully persuasive.
Kyla looked around, frowning. “Where did all the flowers go?”
“Thank goodness, they were blown away by the storm,” Awel answered “and I’m glad you and your friends found refuge in the sky chariot.”
“Why are you glad?”
“The flowers affect people strangely and sometime violently—and frydracos. It only happens when the Tristen stirs the pollen.” She smiled with a sparkle in her eyes.
David asked, “Where’re we going?”
Awel pointed to the towering crystal palace.
“What is it?”
Cymry answered with pride in his voice. “Crisiant. It is the meeting place of the Council and is our home.” He swung his arm around, indicating all before them, east to west. “The Elfin kingdom.”
Swinging his arm in a larger circle, David indicated the planet.
Eiddyl smiled and said, “Argel. It is the old word for refuge.”
David turned to Kyla. “Did you understand what he said?”
She answered, “I think so. The planet is Argel, which means a place of safe harbor and this part is Elfin country. Crisiant apparently means crystal palace.”
At the river’s edge, Cymry nodded. “The River Nairne.”
David’s brows lifted as he looked at the water so obviously deep and wide.
Troy started backing away. “How will we get across? We will drown.”
After Awel mounted Llyr, Cymry motioned for Kyla to get on Eres. Her face turned so white it looked as if her freckles would leap from her face, but she moved toward the unicorn.
David laughed. “It’s okay, Kyla. You can do it. It’s just a big horse.”
“Are you ziggy? I’ve never moved about anywhere on anything but my own feet.”
“Ha! What is space travel, moving faster than thought? This wonderful ah . . . friend to Eiddyl certainly can’t move that fast.”
Without a word, Cymry took her hand and led her to Eres. He cupped his hands and Kyla swung around and stared at David.
He said, “He made a cradle for your foot. Step up on it.”
Cymry lifted his brow and nodded; she took a deep breath, stepped onto his hands, and he lifted her up in one smooth, swift movement.
She gripped the saddle horn, huddling over the unicorn’s neck, and Eres moved toward the river. Within seconds, Kyla sat up smiling. “I’m floating.” Her jaw dropped as they entered the water, but she turned and called back, “This is wonderful, I love it.”
David observed Cymry standing immobile, watching Ky
la, his fists against his heart. He worried the man was a fellow womanizer, but maybe he had never seen a red-haired woman. Funny thing, through another man’s eyes, he recognized his old friend, Kyla, as beautiful. Amazing, he’d never noticed before.
After the young women reached the far shore and dismounted, Awel waved to her brothers. They, in turn, whistled for the goldenhorns, who swam back across. Troy balked, but Cymry indicated he would ride beside him, so he mounted with caution. Or tried. He vaulted and cleared Eres’ body, slamming into the earth. Then he rolled onto his back. He jumped up and reached for the saddle, preparing to mount.
David chuckled and then said, “Not that side, come back around.”
Troy stomped around the unicorn and glared at David. “You sniggering hyena—that hurt. Laugh again, and I will kick your adorable posterior.”
Cymry held his hand over his mouth. Eiddyl cleared his throat.
Holding the reins until Troy reached the stirrup, David whispered, “Happened to me more than once on a horse, and these things are much taller. If you relax, it’ll go easy.”
Like Kyla, within minutes, his face beamed as he rode toward the river.
The goldenhorns made it back and David swung into the saddle, shifted his weight, and grinned. “Eiddyl, it feels good to be on a horse again–like being home. Have to remember he’s a unicorn, not a horse.” But, the difference became obvious as Llyr walked forward. No, not walked—glided.
After he and Eiddyl made it across the river, they all continued toward the crystal tower. They walked and happily exchanged words for everything they saw. Awel, in mind-merge with Kyla, explained what to expect on arrival—that their presence would upset the elders, but to stay calm until things righted themselves. By now, Eiddyl and Cymry indicated they could reach through to Troy’s reluctant mind in small bursts.
The way became smooth from thousands of previous travelers. As they reached the top of a knoll, the visitors from space stopped and stared. David nodded and said, “Reminds me of Wyoming’s small towns on my home planet.”
“Athol.” Awel pointed toward the town.
They passed many small cottages of stone with various outbuildings and rock-formed fences for animals and birds. Behind the cottages were neatly furrowed fields of corn, wheat, and vegetables. People waved from the fields and yards, calling out cheerful remarks to the group. The goldenhorns, sedately leading the way, regally nodded their heads in acknowledgement.
Kyla and Troy had never seen a congregation of individual buildings as those lying below them at the foot of the towering crystal palace. They had spent all their lives on ships or in enclosed oxygenated domes of industrial buildings on far-flung planets. Wide-eyed, Kyla said, “So much wasted space.”
Troy said, “I wonder if the buildings house individual families. Children seem to be at almost every place.”
Awel reached for his wrist. Of course they do. Didn’t you live with your parents as a child?
Kyla’s brows rose. “Most, destined for space travel, are raised with groups of children for specific jobs. We leave for space training and rarely ever see our parents again. The space program believes early separation from families eases the pain and facilitates the adjustment to interstellar travel.”
Awel told her brothers what Kyla said. Their faces went from shock, to outrage, to pity.
David noticing the reaction became concerned. “What’s the matter, Awel?”
Awel gripped his wrist, and the tone of her message was serious. Here, we value children highly and would never give them up to be raised like animals in a kennel. We bond closely with our parents. The attachment of parent and child is never broken except through death.
He wondered about that. It was contrary to all he had learned on the subject. Children were a nuisance and parents were glad the Union took over the responsibility. Creation knew, he never wanted to be burdened by one. In fact, he intended to never sign a contract for legally coupling with another person.
They mounted gentle, sloped hills, and the simple stone cottages gave way to grander homes and lush gardens. The gabled roofs, some reaching as high as four stories, sported an assortment of chimneys. Flowers cascaded from rustic balconies above their heads. Carts, carriages, and men on the backs of strange animals met the walking group.
David thought he could stay years just to study all the animals. As they moved on, shops lined the streets, their open fronts showing a multitude of merchandise, from trinkets to leather goods and food.
Kyla laughed. “Swiveling my neck to see everything makes me dizzy. There are so many strange sights—things I’ve never seen before.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” David said, “and the scent of cooking meat and baking bread makes my mouth water. I wonder if it’s as good as it smells.”
Troy looked at him with raised brow. “You smell food? I wondered what it could be.”
“Yep, real food. Something you’ve never tasted.”
Almost all the people appeared ordinary, by the space people’s standards, and were dressed from elegant clothing to that of peasants. They looked like healthy people busy in employment or shopping. Their complexions and hair color were unlike their new friends.
David mentioned the difference to Kyla.
Awel overheard the conversation. “We are all Elfin; however, my brothers and I are of the Elfinista, who are of pure blood having varied, useful talents. All of our ruling class are Elfinistas, with a few exceptions.”
He ducked his head and growled, “Pulling down rover’s being one of the talents, no doubt.”
Near the crystal edifice, the details of its towers, turrets, and intricately carved lintels became visible. Like a part of nature, it rose, an architectural wonder, and seemed to expand forever, upward and outward, sloping into the mountainside like a bridal cake. The newcomers stood in awe, struck speechless by the beauty, and intimidated by its sheer enormity. Coming closer, they could see its construction of clear stone, imbued with a rainbow of pastel colors, similar to glaciers seen on colder planets.
Troy clutched David’s arm. “You realize, these people might kill us, don’t you?”
“Yeah, the thought hasn’t left my mind, but what else can we do but cooperate. They could have overcome us with troops. Maybe this way, we’ve a chance.”
At the massive front portal, armored men, dressed in blue tunics with embroidered emblems on their chests, came to attention, crossing swords over their chests.
David nudged Troy. “Look. They have dragon emblems on their tunics.”
“As if the situation doesn’t scare me enough.”
The man in charge stepped forward, and asked, “Who are these foreign people, Prince Cymry? By whose authorization are they here?”
“By mine, soldier. They are friends.” He looked directly into the guard’s face and spoke with authority.
Eiddyl and Cymry handed the reins of their goldenhorns to soldiers and escorted the star people inside.
David leaned down to Kyla and whispered, “Prince?” She nodded.
Chapter Six
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