Kenya screamed. “Get your filthy hands off him, you idiot.” She turned, appealing to Chloe. “Help him.” Chloe slowly approached the raving Elias.
Scotty stepped forward. “Stay out of this, babe.”
“Look here, there’s no need to fight about this. Enough harm . . .”
“Shut up, bitch.” And before anyone could stop him, Elias lashed out with the back of his hand, sending Chloe reeling to the ground. With an earth-moving roar, Caesar leaped at Elias and bit him on the side of the neck, knocking them both to the ground.
“Caesar, no!” Scotty ran to Chloe, picking her up as her face began to swell. Assuring himself she was okay, he rushed over to Kenya and pulled her to her feet. “Get the kids out of here. Ask Wil to find Cobby and get here fast.” He ran to Elias where Kane stood gazing in shock. “We need help now, Kenya. Bonnie, can you rip off the skirt of your smock?” Scotty pulled his tunic over his wings as Bonnie skirted gingerly around Caesar, who sat there shaking blood from his muzzle and swiping at himself with his paw.
“Jesus Christ, Kane. Can you give me a hand here?” Scotty knelt at Elias’ head, blood spurting from his gravely punctured neck with every feeble breath. Scotty wadded up the remnants of cloth as they were handed to him, blood drenching them as soon as he applied pressure to Elias’s wound. Kane knelt down to help apply pressure.
“Oh shit.” Kane looked up at Scotty, terror in his eyes. “I don’t think we can stop the blood. Echo . . . can you help us?” Echo turned to Baby and the two of them rose into the air, their tender wings beating so fast that in an instant they were gone. Scotty and Kane soon found themselves surrounded by the posse, silent and intuitively respectful as the lifeblood drained from the wound at Elias’ neck.
His eyes flickered madly. “I’m not gunna make it. It’s bad isn’t it?” Elias’s eyes flickered to Kane for the last time, his voice only whispers. “Why . . . why couldn’t you leave her alone? I loved her . . .”
In the next instant, Wil and Netty, Abby and Jose appeared; their wings enclosed over their strumming bodies, tails whipping in the air, and followed by Baby and Echo. As they folded their wings in place, and approached the three men on the hard blood-soaked ground, no words were necessary as Scotty lowered Elias’ eyelids over his fixed eyes, hanging his head in despair.
*
It was a grim atmosphere at dinner. A service had been hastily held for Elias, comforting words provided haltingly by a reeling Johno in Swahili. The other survivors wondered how Johno would recover from the additional shock of losing one of his keepers, all of whom were like sons to him.
Needless to say, Kenya had now had Kane’s philandering thrown publicly in her face. Storm clouds and feminine tears laced the dinner Salina served apathetically to the survivors. Hushed whispers and covert glances made the rounds at the dinner tables. Peter sat by himself, feeling ostracized once more as the memory of the accusations that he’d eaten Chance came back to devil him.
One of Johno’s keepers stood after dinner, turning to address the crowd. “It is time. We must kill the giant tiger now. He sits outside this very door and still lives. In my homeland, a cat that has killed a man will kill another. We make sure the cat does not live to enjoy another victim. It is the law of the land.” African voices broke out in agreement, shiny black faces accepting their duty to their dead countryman.
“We can poison him.”
“Yeah.”
Before any more could be said, Wil rose from his seat. ‘There will be no killing.”
The keepers rose one by one to stand toe to toe with Wil, Johno among them. “We must avenge the death of our brother. The cat must go.”
Wil whirled on them all, eyes flashing, words cutting like a stiletto. “There will be no killing. Do you not see? Caesar was doing the bidding of the Womb. He is here to guard The One. It is not the providence of the Womb to explain intentions to you. It is for your own good.”
The keepers shouted back at Wil. Johno silenced them with a raised hand. “With all due respect my friend, the giant tiger did not protect Scotty. He was in no danger. The young lady got in the way. She should have left men’s work to the men. She had no call to interfere. Her life is not worth that of my best man. The cat made a mistake and must pay.”
A hush settled over the crowd as the meaning of Johno’s words sank in.
Abby stepped forward. “Johno, I am sorely disappointed in you tonight. There is not one life here that is worth more than another. Your culture is different from ours. Women are just as valuable as a man. But you need to understand something.” She scanned the room, making sure she had their attention. “You all need to understand something. Wil is trying to tell you that our rules and our cultures are meaningless here. We don’t matter. We are here for the animals. You know that, Johno. You are here for the elephants. That has always been your life. Why change now?”
Wil held up a hand to the protesting crowd, still calling for the death of Caesar. “Let me make this perfectly clear. There will be no more reason to fear Caesar unless there is an attack on The One.”
As loud voices tried to point out the fact that Scotty was never in danger, Wil interrupted. “Ut, ut, ut, ut . . . I’m not finished. Caesar is protected. All of the animals are protected. They are not expendable. Have I not made that clear? Or shall I ask the Womb for a show of support? I can assure you, some of you would not survive it.” His glowing eyes traveled around the room, judging the agitation of some, the silence of others. Peter felt eyes rest on him. “Now, let us sit and talk like reasonable men.”
Johno and the keepers took their seats, sullen faces forced to accept the law of the Hive, some even showing relief at not having to challenge the big cat.
“Is it safe to say we are all on the same page here? There will be no more trouble?”
“What about the monstrosity in the cavern? How come no one has brought that up?” The accusatory voice came from Cobby. “I need to worry about my son and everyone else in here. Why did you keep such a thing from us? What other secrets do you harbor here?”
Wil remained silent, exchanging quick glances with Netty, who reached for his hand. The exchange did not go unnoticed. Distrust and resentment swirled among the men as the women remained silent. Gloria muttered under her breath.
“What’s that you say, Gloria?” Tucker the trucker speared her with his attention.
“I said . . . things could be worse. We could still be above ground and probably dead. I say shut up and don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”
“Just like a woman, always the pacifist.” Tucker pounded on the table. “Well, I want to know what is going on around here. We have a right to know.”
“You have no rights here. And no one is hiding secrets.” Wil’s eyes shifted to Netty again. “There is nothing you need to know right now. As long as you do your duty to the wildlife, the Womb will be satisfied and you will be taken care of. What happened to all the harmony in this place? One man brings evil into our midst and we fall apart? Yes, the death of a loved one . . .”
“Murder . . . you mean murder.” Salina interrupted, her emotions hanging by a thread.
“Yes . . . the murder.” Wil nodded to Salina, his voice softening. “As I was saying, the . . . murder . . . of a loved one is a tragedy . . . as is an accidental death such as that of Elias. But the murderer has been punished by the Womb. You all know the rules here. The wildlife is sacrosanct. If anyone touches them with anything but kindness and respect, the Womb will not hesitate to take appropriate action. You have been given your last chance. Do not bring retribution down on the last of your species. As to secrets, I will decide if there is anything else you need to know.”
As everyone absorbed the finality of Wil’s words, a lone voice rose above the tension of the crowd. “What about the secrets you don’t know about?” They all turned to gaze upon Peter, pale and shaky, perspiration dotting his forehead; intense, round eyes staring unblinkingly toward Wil who stood nonplussed.
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br /> Recovering, Wil gave Peter a tight smile. “What in the Hive might you be talking about, Peter? As I told you before . . . there are no secrets we are keeping from you. There is nothing in the Hive that we are unaware of.” He cast his eyes down, pensively. “Unless, of course the Womb does not wish us to know.” He raised his face to Peter. “Why don’t you come to the point, Peter? What is it that you are implying?”
Peter peered through the crowd trying to get a gauge on Bonnie. She was his only champion and a source of strength. He had flourished since they’d become friends. He felt like he had a sense of purpose now that she’d awakened a buried empathy for the wildlife in their care.
He still felt a hole in his heart from the absence of the wise and resplendent Tobi. Never again would he climb on her back or wash her in the warmth of their bathing pool. Never again would the glorious goliath fasten him with her eyes of deep wisdom to look into his soul and find him redeemed. Peter squeezed shut his eyes, blocking the gut-wrenching tears that threatened to overwhelm him. Tobi had asked for nothing from him but respect. Yet she’d helped give him back a life. Now it was time for him to go out on a limb and step up. If they were to live without fear all he had learned from his solitary wanderings must be examined. Taking a deep breath, amassing courage from the somber face of his young friend, Bonnie, he plunged on.
“Perhaps you do not know all that Echo and Baby have been up to.”
All eyes fastened on the two golden creatures that lounged in their customary spot near the fireplace, each with one arm sunk deep into the membrane of the wall, recharging the energy they called sustenance. They slowly retrieved their limbs as they became aware they were now the center of attention.
Scotty’s voice rang loud and clear. “Peter, you are out of your mind if you think Echo is up to something. She’s with me all the time and she wouldn’t do a damn thing to harm a single one of us. And Baby,” he turned to glance back at the docile Baby, “Baby is just . . . well . . . Baby—an innocent. How could you even think about accusing Baby of anything? Echo, come here, girl.”
Oddly, Echo remained at the wall with Baby. She turned to her birth minion to cock her head at him, reaching out to touch the little creature’s face, tracing slowly down his furry forehead to the golden leather of his mouth. The survivors watched mesmerized as Echo and Baby absorbed themselves in their own world.
“Echo?” Scotty stood up to claim his creature, lifting her off the wall and returning to his seat as Echo’s head swiveled all the way around, eyes remaining fixed on Baby. “I don’t know why you’d suggest such a thing, Peter. Is the grief and stress of the last few days getting to you?”
Peter scanned the faces of his fellow survivors and the troubled ones of the Elders. Something didn’t add up to him. He watched as his old love wrapped her arms around her daughter Daisy as little Kimir sat nearby, a quiet boy who never gave a lick of trouble. What of their futures? His eyes rested on the pregnant loveliness of Kenya with her dependence on Kane and concern for her unborn baby overcoming the revelations of his unfaithfulness. What of the future for the budding family? He turned to the strong yacht captain, knowing full well Cobby’s heart still rested with the unrequited longing he had for the courageous Abby, even as he tried to forget her in the arms of Karen, the willing navigator of the plane that had flown them to New Jersey.
Moving on he spied a somber and devastated Johno, an unlikely match for the redneck and vocal Crystal, a loving mom to their resident oinking and over-indulged porker, Tulip, and her beloved litter of juvenile piglets. He observed Dezi in the background, trying to entice Chance to eat a morsel off his plate.
Dezi had come far, no longer looking for validation through his supposed prowess with women. Red-headed Billy and the dark-skinned, newly svelte Gloria, the survivors’ mixed-race lovebirds, looked fearfully up at him, their fingers entwined, wondering at his revelation. He glanced over the table of sullen keepers who sat with trucker Tucker, realizing he knew little of them except for their penchant to love their elephant charges and the easy way they had with wide smiles for everyone. The careworn Salina sat with young Bonnie, a table away from Clyde and the newest member of their collective family, Jennifer . . . still damaged but with a good prognosis if the tendrils of the Womb could continue to work their magic.
As Peter observed the still-mourning Salina glance over to the pair, he wondered if the Diaz and Preston matriarch would every find the happiness she so richly deserved.
And what of me and my happiness? He glanced back at Ginger Mae, remembering the exquisite joy he’d felt as he fell in love for the first time in his life. He loved his elderly parents that had no doubt perished in the aftermath of the bombs, but he didn’t recall seeing signs of passion in their steady affection for one another. Little did he know such passion existed. To be offered a taste, and have it so brutally yanked away by the revelations of a disgusting and sick man such as Armoni, had damaged him irreparably. He had doubted he would ever heal from the deep injury. But now he had his perspective back. He understood one could live with other types of passion if denied the love of a good woman. How much did he owe this motley group of people who were still learning how to be a family? What challenges faced them as they waited for the Earth to be ready for them? Peter still smarted from the quickness of those who had turned on him and accused him of consuming the lovable Chance. And what of Scotty? He kept his affection for the boy to himself, but he was always aware of the designation of The One anointed on him by the unusual attention of the great Caesar, whom just a few moments ago some wanted to kill. What was the meaning of The One? Was Scotty portended to change their lives in some meaningful way? Peter’s emotions warred, flickering across his bland, yet more confident face, as the survivors shuffled with their restlessness.
“Peter?” Scotty tried again to get his attention.
As Peter warred with his decision to challenge the Elders, he gave them one more dispassionate reflection. Is that a look of fear on the faces of Wil and Netty? Why is that? Do they have something to hide? What’s going on behind the large, heavy door with the robed figure and the shrieks that follow as Wil and Netty continue their constant trek with the food wagon? Peter weighed how much information and how much more stress the survivors could handle, seeing the glimmers of strength in their faces that had taken them all this far. Deciding that they couldn’t fall any farther, he decided that the best medicine would be to exorcise anything that threatened their safety.
“I would like to ask a direct question to Echo and Baby. I will trust that, as Elders, you will convey the truth of their answer to us?”
The crowd rustled uneasily with the weighty significance of Peter’s words.
“Of course,” answered Netty. ”We would not do otherwise.”
Peter took a deep breath and prayed for the correct words. Glancing into the worried eyes of Bonnie, he found the strength to be blunt. “Echo and Baby have someone or something caged up in another cavern far from here, and they are periodically torturing it. I would like them to explain.”
“What?” The crowd erupted in fearful astonishment.
*
Tentative auras assailed the Elders simultaneously as their faces revealed communication with the creatures. “My Brothers and Sisters. You know a minion has not the capability to harm life. We are about the furtherance of all that is good and balanced. But we do have the ability to intervene when there is no balance. You know that also.” The ominous suggestion of Echo’s words was not lost on the Elders.
Netty cried out to Baby with her aura. “Baby? Do you know anything about what this man speaks of?” Baby fluttered down from the wall to stand as though cornered. “Baby?”
Without warning, Baby took to the air, wings beating swiftly. He hung in the air over Wil and Netty, poised for flight.
The moment was hushed as Netty slowly raised her hand to her mouth. “Baby? What is going on? Please . . . you know I love you. What is this man speaking of?”
Then Baby was gone. Netty reached out to grasp Wil’s arm for support. It was clear there must be some merit in Peter’s words. She forced her attention back to the survivors as they peppered Peter with questions and demands.
Netty watched as Peter stood as if he was a creature frozen in front of a hunter not knowing where to run for cover. The sound of a chair scraping over the stone floor drew her attention as Bonnie rose and made her way to Peter’s side. She slid her hand over his, her quiet courage all he needed to gather his own strength.
“Well, Netty . . . Baby’s behavior appears incriminating. I suggest we get to the bottom of this, don’t you agree?” Peter’s unwavering focus sent a premonition down her spine.
“I do not know what Baby’s behavior portends, but I can assure you it is nothing untoward. Perhaps you can show us what exactly you are referring to, Peter?” Netty regarded the survivors. “Who cares to accompany us on this journey? You did say it was a distance away, did you not, Peter?” Again she exchanged worried glances with Wil.
As the survivors sorted themselves out, Wil spoke in low whispers. “Do not worry, Netty. No one could know about Father. This is not the time to visit them with another shock. I do not know what this could possibly be about, but Baby’s behavior is odd.” Wil turned to Scotty. “Do you know anything about this, young man?”
Bristling at the tone of Wil’s voice, Netty examined his expression as Scotty defended Echo, believing she knew nothing. Echo herself remained silent, all the more incriminating. With a heavy heart, she made her way to the door of the kitchen. “If you are coming, Scotty, I would like all of the dogs and Caesar to stay behind. If Caesar refuses to leave your side, we will be forced to go without you. I do not want any more creatures put in jeopardy in the event we encounter any . . . danger.”
It was decided all the women would stay behind with Kenya, Daisy and Kimir and the creatures. Unbidden, Caesar crept quietly inside to take a place near the posse. No one said a word as the giant cat made himself comfortable near Teddy, the tiny dog no bigger that the tiger’s front paws. Netty laughed to herself as she observed Teddy eyeing the big cat, then making his way up the cat’s back to introduce himself to its fluffy ear. The levity of the moment lightened her spirits as she set off with the men, Peter in the lead, with Jose and Scotty bringing up the rear and Echo riding on Scotty’s hip.