Abalim

Chapter Nine

Aslight pinch on his cheek yanked Abalim out of a sound sleep.

“What the…?”

“Mister Abalim, sir.”

He stilled at the anxious tone in JR15’s voice.

“You and Ms. Lisa need to get up and put your suits back on. There are several Lumarians headed this way. And I don’t think they’re very happy.”

The small droid shivered as he trotted off the side of Abalim’s face and rested on the bed of leaves next to his head.

Abalim blinked, trying to focus on his companion. “Is it still night?” He pushed himself up on his hands and looked over his shoulder at the draping vines at the opening to the hut. It was still pitch black outside.

“What’s going on?”

Lisa’s groggy voice made him smile. He sat up and watched her do the same.

She scratched the side of her head, making her short blonde hair stick up.

“I’m not sure, but JR15 says a group of Lumarians are on their way here.” He got off the nest, putting his hand on his lower back, and stretched. It was amazing how comfortable that bed was. “We’ve got to put our suits back on before they get here.”

She yawned and stretched her hands over her head.

He stopped and stared as her naked breasts rose and fell with her movements. Images of their lovemaking mere hours ago made his breath catch and his blood pool south. He dropped his suit he’d picked up off the floor reached out to grab her.

“Oh, no you don’t, mister.” She gave him a mischievous chuckle. “You touch me, and we’ll forget all about those aliens headed this way. Then they’d find themselves watching something I’m sure will make them lose their shizzle.”

He groaned when she bent and picked up her own suit. Damn woman would test the patience of the gods themselves.

He sat on the nest and put his foot into the leg of the suit. “Can you tell what they want, JR15?”

“I’m not sure, Mister Abalim, sir. It’s hard to tell ‘cause they’re all talking together. But I can tell you they don’t look very happy.”

After putting his other foot in the suit, Abalim stood and finished dressing. With the flat of his hand, he sealed the garment closed at the nape of his neck.

Once the droid settled he glanced at Lisa and frowned.

The woman struggled with closing the suit to activate it. She tugged at the top, but nothing happened.

Now he heard the angry murmurs from outside getting closer.

JR15 squealed and scuttled up the nape of his neck.

He rushed to Lisa’s side. “Here, let me.” With a flat palm, he pressed the side of the opening to make it close.

Just as the binds morphed together, the hanging vines over the door were shoved apart.

“Are they here?” Nyvira stomped in with Tharion right next to her. “Have you seen them?”

Abalim faced the Lumarians with his arms crossed. “Is who here? And why would you think they were?” He stood in front of Lisa in an automatic protective move.

“What’s happened?”

His female was no simpering youngling who hid behind him.

She walked around him with ease, stood next to him, and clasped her hands in front of her.

“We have traitors in our village that threaten the lives of everyone at Aroonshire.” Tharion stomped a foot and waved his hands. “If we don’t stop them, all will be lost!”

Wow, drama queen much?

For the first time, Abalim heard Lisa’s telepathic thoughts. He coughed into his fist to hide his bark of laughter. He didn’t need to startle her, so he avoided responding to her in kind. It’d be better if they practiced her newfound abilities in private. He cleared his throat. “What do you mean, traitors?” He glanced at Lisa, who raised an eyebrow at him.

Nyvira held an illuminating pole and waved it around the small room as if she was looking for someone hiding in the dark. “Maelani and Dravik have gathered a small group of like-minded allies we suspect are trying to take the elders away. To prevent us from offering them in the Ritual of Renewal tonight.”

“Council Leader.” It was the guard Xalun who had stood sentry at the eldest tree earlier. “The elders’ hut is secure.”

“Are they all safely inside?” Tharion demanded.

Xalun gave a slight bow. “Yes, Council Leader. All are accounted for.”

Nyvira closed her bright eyes and breathed a sigh. “Thank the god Echovara.” She put a hand over her heart. “We are saved by his mercy.” She flicked a thumb up the illumination pole and it dimmed. “We apologize for the intrusion. But I’m sure you can understand our fear of letting anything happen that would disrupt the ritual.”

Lisa stepped closer to the female Lumarian. “Wait, I don’t understand something. Why would you think they were in here with us?” She flicked a hand at the small room. “It’s not like we can hide anyone here. Not to mention we hardly know them.”

“That’s because I overheard them say they had help from visitors from the outside.” Xalun offered. His hand gripped the javelin he held and lowered his eyes. “And you are the last foreigners we needed to check on.”

“Captain Xalun, make sure all of your troops are guarding the elders. This is no time to relax.”

The guard gave a slight bow and left.

Nyvira put a hand over heart and addressed Abalim. “It is hours before sunrise. Please take this time to continue your rest so you can be fresh for the celebration later.” She crooked a finger at Tharion. “Come, my bonded one. We need to prepare so we don’t incur Echovara’s wrath.”

Tharion nodded. “Just so.”

With that last statement, he left, following his female through the hanging vines.

“Well.” Lisa snorted. “That was fun.”

“JR15, are they out of earshot?” Abalim murmured in a low voice.

“Yes, Mister Abalim, sir.”

Abalim nodded. He gave Lisa a mischievous smirk. “Ready to sneak around and find out what Maelani and Dravik are up to?”

“Ha!” She bumped him with her shoulder and grinned. “Who says you have to be a psychic to read my mind!”

Lisa couldn’t believe how wide-awake she was despite so little sleep. Her face heated. Not to mention the sensual gymnastics she and Abalim had shared before she fell into blissful oblivion. But look at her now, sneaking around an alien village as if she were a heroine in one of her romance novels. Adrenaline rushed through her. Yeah, following the drop-dead handsome, muscular hero into the darkest night to uncover the vilest villain”s plot…

“Stop here.”

Abalim’s deep masculine voice jerked her out of her daydream. Damn, she was doing it again. She tended to blank out at the worst moments as part of a plot revealed itself. Most of the time it didn’t matter because she was in her office at home, immersed in her creations. Too bad over the years it gotten so bad it started to take over her life. That was one of the main reasons she’d joined the alien exchange to live the kind of life she’d only written or read about.

“We’re here.”

Abalim squatted and put out his arm as if she was dumb enough to keep on walking. Okay, maybe with her head in the clouds, she was. But still. She hunkered down next to him.

“JR15,” he whispered to the bot on his shoulder. “Can you tell me how many are guarding the hut?”

“Oh yes, Mister Abalim, sir.” His spider shaped robot quivered his bulbous butt. “There are ten guards surrounding the domicile.”

Abalim looked over his shoulder at her. “Open your senses and tell me what you feel.”

What? It was time for psychic lessons? Lisa gave him a narrow-eyed stare before giving in and closing her eyes. A wave of emotional sensations wrapped around her. There was excitement, fear, and a huge heaping of giddy lust from the guard, Xalun, as he daydreamed of Maelani. Ewww, she could’ve done without that last part. She mentally shook herself and put a block on her spidey-sense so she didn’t get overwhelmed by everyone’s emotions.

“I’m not sure how helpful that was.” She gripped his firm upper arm to keep herself steady. “All I got was a jumble of emotions that I have no idea who they’re from.” She nodded toward Xalun. “Except for that one. All he can think about is Maelani.”

Abalim’s smile lit up his dark eyes as he searched her face. “That’s very good. First chance we get, I’ll teach you how to separate the emotions so you can pinpoint which ones you want to focus on. That way you’ll have the ability to determine who’s friend or foe.”

Friend or foe. Sometimes he talked like an old codger. Lisa giggled. “Well…” she intoned. “Spill. Tell me what you know.” Tit for tat. Time for the man to share the good stuff.

Abalim pointed to the guards wandering around the hut. “The guards you see are determined to keep the elders inside safe. What’s important to us is they’re not militarily trained in any way. Most of them are farmers or merchants.” He stood and pulled her with him behind the nearest large tree. He peeked around it and pointed to the hut. “But I’m sensing something completely different inside.” He frowned. “Those people are terrified.”

“I don’t blame them.” Lisa studied the hut in the dim light of the full moon and the lit poles placed around the small one-story building. “I mean, even though these people grew up believing they might end up as part of the Ritual of Renewal, I doubt they thought for a minute they’d be in a group instead of doing this alone.”

Abalim humphed. “JR15, would you do another sweep to make sure there isn’t anyone else around?”

“Analyzing, Mister Abalim, sir.”

“Why are you making him do that?” Lisa tugged on her ear and studied his intense expression. “You’re not going to do what I think you are, are you?” Who said she needed psychic powers?

He grinned at her. “Probably.” He turned and studied the small building. “We’ve got to get inside. Something just doesn’t feel right.”

“Mister Abalim, sir, no change in who is inside or outside the building.”

“Thank you, JR15.”

“What doesn’t feel right? Do you mean in there or just everything in general?” Lisa let her senses go free. There… he was right. Something was off. Like an underlying plot percolating she wasn’t aware of until she focused on it.

Abalim glanced at her and shrugged. “If I’m honest, everything.” He circled the air with his forefinger. “Not just in the village and the ritual they’re planning on performing later, but the whole situation the Xeltrians put us in. Why are we really here in the small village getting ready to watch them terminate their elders? Are we supposed to stop them or encourage them? And have you noticed the surrounding landscape? How every hour we’re here, the plants appear to be dying?” He gestured to the leaves and bark of the tree they hid behind.

For the first time, Lisa studied the bark she stood next to. It had black patches that matched the ends of the leaves. She was no botanist, but it didn’t look very healthy.

“And what about Saphira and her crew? Was it necessary to freeze them in stasis on their ship while we gallivant around here? Why not put them in a holding cell on Qorath?” He turned to study the hut and guards again. “There is definitely something else going on in there and here.” He clenched his hands into fists. “When I think I’ve figured some of it out, something else happens.”

Well, soaring space dung.The man was right. The last time she felt like this was when she’d walked in on the middle of a movie and never saw the trailer. She scrutinized her surroundings. Now the taste of unease she experienced was stronger. “What do you think we should do?”

His sigh rumbled from deep within his chest. “First, let’s see what’s happening inside that hut. I want to know how those elders feel about going through the ritual. Are they there willingly, or were they forced? If they’re eager to do this, then why is everyone afraid? And why guard people who want to be a part it? I’m convinced someone or something changed how things are done here.”

“Like what?”

Abalim scratched the side of his square jaw. “Like why are there some Lumarians going against the norms and insisting on seeing their mother before the ritual when they were never denied before? If everyone is happy about the ritual, why are they now going against generational traditions? I’d like to get close to Maelani and Dravik and find out what they’re really afraid of.”

“Ah, you’re going to read their minds.” Hmm, yep, sounded like a plan. “Okay, I’m with you. Read the folks in the hut first. Then we’ll go and look for Maelani and her brother.” She eyed the guards circulating the small hut before glancing at Abalim.

Abalim’s eyes narrowed on the small structure. “Yes, that’s the plan.”

“Okay, so how do we get in without alerting the whole village?”

Abalim turned to her with a radiant smile. “Why, through the front door.”

Oh sure. Through the front door. Why didn’t she think of that?

Biting her lower lip, Lisa followed Abalim out of the dense foliage and headed straight to the guarded elders’ hut.

He had his hands clasped behind his back and strolled as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

She was about to warn him one of the guards was headed their way when the male turned around and went back the way he came. Her mouth fell open as she watched the guard from the opposite direction do the same thing.

Her neck heated. Idiot. She was with a powerful psychic. No need to sneak around. All he had to do was block everybody else’s vision with a flick of his finger. She eyed his clasped hands. Not that he did anything as dramatic as waving his hand around like Obi-Wan Kenobi using the Force.

“Mister Abalim, sir…” The little robot JR15 spoke in a low voice. “I think I should warn you…”

Abalim pushed open the hanging vines and entered the small building.

Lisa was right behind him and almost plowed into his backside when he stopped.

“… the others I sensed in here weren’t just the elders.” With a high-pitched squeal, the spider-shaped robot scurried back to his hiding place under Abalim’s dreadlocks.

Lisa would’ve given anything if she could hide next to the little guy. Tharion’s and Nyvira’s smirks made her nervous as hell. Pinching at the base of her neck had to be the tip of one of the spears the guard behind her carried. She didn’t move as a warm line of blood rolled down her back. Taking a deep breath, she put her trust in Abalim. If, for one minute, he thought their lives were in danger, he’d sic his psychic mojo on them. He had to be stalling to get info. Yeah, that’s what he was doing.

“Ah, yes. Why am I not surprised you’re one of the traitors?” Tharion crowed. He snapped his fingers and glanced at Nyvira. “I told you these foreigners were part of this. Let’s sacrifice them with the rest. This will make this year’s Ritual of Renewal the best in generations! It’ll be sung about for centuries.”

Lisa peeked at Abalim.

The guard leaned into the spear to the back of Abalim’s neck with a gleeful grimace.

But with that long thick hair, she couldn’t tell if blood was drawn or not.

“Yes, yes.” Nyvira waved away her companion’s excitement. “Take them…”

“May I ask a question first?”

Lisa admired Abalim’s relaxed stance. With that nonchalant attitude, she loosened up and did her best to mimic him. Even with crossed arms.

Nyvira put her hands on her trim hips. “What?” She tapped a foot. “I don’t have all day, you know.”

“Why are you forcing the elders to participate?”

Tharion’s mouth dropped open. “How dare you question us!”

Lisa winced at the high-pitched squeal from the guy’s mouth.

“We would all die if the elders didn’t join with the god Echovara!”

“Aren’t you being a little dramatic?” Lisa rolled her eyes. “All would die.” She snorted. “Really?”

“Look around you!” Nyvira gestured with both arms around her. “Everything around us is dying because skeptics like them refuse to give the holy one his due.” She pointed to the roof of the hut.

Lisa squinted and took a closer look. The same black goo on the twigs and leaves in the hut matched the outside plants. Her nose twitched at the rancid smell coming from it.

“But with this offering of younger accolades, our merciful god will halt the spread of death from stalking us. We will save our village for years to come!” Nyvira’s eyes gleamed with fanatical intent.

“I…”

Lisa never heard what Abalim was going to say. Something sizzled at the base of her neck and she passed out.

Head pounding, Abalim groaned and rolled onto his back. He put his arm over his eyes. By the God An, why did he let his brother talk him into trying some new type of liquor again? He swore the last time he did that he’d never let Arakiba manipulate him into doing something he’d regret in the morning. But when they found themselves seven thousand years into Earth’s future as free men, some of the temptations of the modern world were hard to pass up.

But anything that robbed him of his senses’ ability to protect himself went beyond trying new things. A feminine moan next to him jerked him out of his musings and brought him back to reality. “Lisa!”

Ignoring the thundering in his temples, he scooted to where she lay on the hard dirt floor. Her face was paler than normal, and her luscious mouth twisted in a grimace.

He pushed a lock of her hair out of her eyes with a light touch of his fingertips. He searched for her pulse at the side of her neck and breathed a sigh of relief when it was strong and steady. “Lisa, my inkheart. Are you all right?”

She moaned again, her eyes fluttering open.

Her shoulders relaxed, and he found himself the focus of her mesmerizing blue eyes.

“Did you get the license plate of the truck that hit us?” With the heel of her hands, she rubbed her eyes. “Holy God, I haven’t felt like this since my college days.”

Abalim wasn’t sure what college had to do with the pain in her head, but now wasn’t the time to discover what she meant. “Never mind that.” He helped her to sit up. “How do you feel?”

She snorted. “I’ll live.” Her clear sapphire eyes focused on him again. “I may regret it, but I’ll live.” She looked over his shoulder. “Where are we?”

In his hunched position, Abalim rested his elbow on his bent knee and studied their surroundings. It was then he noticed they weren’t alone. Several younger Lumarians were sitting with some elders he’d never seen before. The only ones he recognized were Maelani and Dravik, who sat with an older Lumarian female. She embraced them under her arms and murmured soothing clicks and whistles while petting the tops of their heads.

“I believe we’re prisoners in the elders’ hut,” he replied.

“What do you think they’re going to do to us?” Lisa scratched the side of her head.

“Well, that’s obvious.” Dravik moved away from the female who had to be his mother and sneered. “They’re going to sacrifice all of us tonight at the ritual.”

His mother tweaked the tip of his pointed ear. “Dravik! There is no reason to think that’s what will happen.” She tried to pull him back to sit with her, but her son shrugged away and jumped up with his hands on his hips.

“Yes, we do, ma-mere. Nyvira made it clear she and Tharion believe our youth will give the village an advantage.”

One of the young female Lumarians cried with gurgling sobs.

The elder female frowned. “They can’t do that.”

“Dravik’s right!” Maelani joined her brother to face their mother. “We’re all going to be sacrificed to Echovara tonight!” She flicked her wrist at the group, staring at her mother with wide, terrified eyes.

“Dravik, sit down!” Their mother’s stern tone was firm. “I need you to calmly tell me what’s going on.”

The younger male Lumarian’s mouth opened and closed as he narrowed his eyes at Maelani.

“Don’t look at me!” His sister raised her palm in defense. “I think we owe it to ma-mere and the other elders to explain what happened after they were selected.”

“Yeah,” Lisa whispered to Abalim. “I can’t wait to hear this.”

He led her to one of the walls and sat. He leaned back and positioned her to sit in front of him, her back resting on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist, savoring her warmth as it seeped into him.

“Yes, please tell Alaria and the rest of us what happened once Council Leader Tharion confined us in here.” An elderly Lumarian male spoke up. He had his arm around the sobbing young female next to him.

Maelani gave a respectful nod to him. “Yes, Elder Zylar.” She started her narrative. “From what I understand from the past, it was common for family members to deliver food and comfort to the elders while they were in the elders’ hut. Is that correct?”

The male gave a clipped nod. “Just so.” He glanced around the room. “We’ve wondered why no one in our family came to visit.”

“It’s not that we didn’t want to.” Dravik picked up the story. “Whenever we tried, the guards kept us out and told us we weren’t allowed to see or speak to you.”

“Yeah, they chased us off with threats.”

This came from one of the young female Lumarians snuggling under Zylar’s arm.

“Chased off? Like criminals?” Zylar whistled and clicked with his bright eyes wide.

The male’s disbelief and horror came through loud and clear to Abalim’s psychic sense.

“For what reason did they give for that?”

Maelani’s laugh was devoid of humor. “They told us it was treason to see or speak to you. And every time, we were threatened with exile.”

A collective gasp went around the room.

“Exile?” Maelani’s mother frowned with a sharp whistle. “They threatened you with exile?”

“That, and worse.” Dravik put a hand on his mother’s shoulder. “But Maelani and I found others who agreed with us that things with the Ritual have to change.” The brightness in his eyes dimmed. “Too bad everyone who did that is stuck here with us now.”

“Why do you think they don’t want you to see or speak to the elders? Did you threaten to keep them from attending the ritual?” Abalim had to ask. It was a question that had bothered him for quite some time now.

“No, not at first. It wasn’t until they told us we had to stay away did Dravik and I plan to take away ma-mere and anyone else who didn’t want to be a part of the ritual.” Maelani sat next to her mother and put her arm through her mother’s, leaning her head against Alaria’s shoulder. “That’s what we were trying to do when the guards captured us.”

Alaria snorted with a whistle. “Ever since Tharion and Nyvira took over the council, they have refused to let the selection process of the ritual happen as it had for generations. They were the ones who declared all elders had to take part, no exceptions. And I can only think of one explanation for this change.” Her lips flattened with a flat whistle. “Power.” She glanced at the other elders in the room. “Tharion and Nyvira have always acted like they were better than anyone else. It got worse when the council leaders perished in the last Ritual of Renewal. Since then, those two seized power and changed so many things in Aroonshire.”

“If you could stop the ritual, would you?” Abalim twined his fingers through Lisa’s. He wanted to hear how the group felt about the ancient tradition in their small village. It would be fruitless to intervene if these Lumarians weren’t open to stopping it. As the old saying went, it didn’t take a majority to make rebellion, it only took a few determined leaders.

Dravik snorted with loud clicks. “Anyone with half a brain would know the ritual hasn’t been working lately.” He pointed to the blackened and gray roof of the small hut. “Everything around us is disintegrating faster than ever before. It used to be we only conducted the ritual every other generation. But ever since that last ritual provided no relief, those two declared we have no choice but to sacrifice as many as we can.” He glanced at his sister and the other younger ones in the room. “Even those of us in childbearing years.”

“That is so,” Maelani chimed in. “And who knows if it’ll work or not? The rot is spreading faster and deeper. Everyone is terrified it won’t help, no matter what we do.”

“That is so. Our village is dying.” The elder Zylar’s announcement caused more in the small crowd to weep. “We don’t know if our sacrifice will help at all. If all the plants and animals die, so will we.” He gave a deep garbled whistle. “We tried to convince Tharion and Nyvira to search for a different way, but they refuse to even consider it.” He swung his hand in the air as if to emphasize his point. “There has to be a different way to appease Echovara!”

Alaria’s bright eyes dimmed with a tinge of yellow.

Abalim’s mouth soured when a sense of her sorrow swamped through him.

“To answer your question”—she stated—“yes, we should do everything in our power to stop the ritual. It may be the only way to save our people.”