Chapter 16
"No!" Midori cried out, stepping in front of Cael, but the villagers' weapons remained trained on him. She opened her mouth to say more, but Zephryn's voice rose above the tribe, clear and full of authority.
"This four-armer saved me, and I owe him a life debt. No harm will come to him. He and his female have volunteered to help us retrieve our stolen women from the city. I trust him, and we will share with him our Zebran hospitality."
As Zephryn's words echoed through the village, the tension in the air dissipated slightly. The villagers lowered their weapons, but their gazes remained wary and uncertain as they whispered to each other. Midori felt a mix of relief and unease at their cautious acceptance.
"I can sense their fear," Pugly said. "They've seen people like Cael before. Your people stole their women, and they hate you for it."
Midori took Cael's hand in her own. "He had nothing to do with that."
Cael squeezed her fingers reassuringly, but the look on his face was troubled. "I don't blame them. I might feel the same way if the situation was reversed. These people have been through a lot. No wonder they're so angry."
A brave Zebran child, her black and white skin striped with the same patterns as her elders, stepped forward. Her long white hair hung in intricate braids down her back, save for a few escaped wisps caught by a breeze. She looked like she'd still be in grade school, if they had that sort of thing here. She was perhaps eight or nine years old.
The girl crooked her finger, begging to Midori to bend down. The girl's black eyes widened as she took in Midori's strange coloring and features, and she reached out tentatively, stroking her fingers along Midori's cheek. She looked down at her hand, her brow puzzled.
"I thought it might rub off like mud. I've never seen such a strange flesh color before," she explained.
Midori laughed, and the girl's eyes widened even further as she studied her teeth.
"They're so blunt! How do you eat?" Her lips curled, showing off her own sharp canines.
"I promise, I can eat." Midori's stomach grumbled at the talk of food. The tribesmen had shared their rations with her and Cael, but it was just enough to keep them going. How long had it been since she'd had a full meal? She couldn't remember.
"Come with me. There will be a feast for my father's return." The girl took Midori's hand in her small calloused one and tugged.
"Who is your father?"
"Zephryn, the tribal chief. I'm Zana. I'll be chief someday too, because of how brave I am."
Midori smiled at the girl's chatter, but she couldn't deny the child was brave. No one else from the village had shown the courage to step forward like she had.
Midori glanced back at Cael. He gave her a reassuring nod, urging her to follow the child. Zana led them down the hill into the heart of the village.
Midori studied the buildings as they walked past. The dwellings were round huts built from wood and woven materials, each with its own unique design. Some were decorated with colorful beads or feathers, while others had intricate carvings on their wooden frames. They were beautiful in their simplicity.
Zana led her to a large central hut where most of the village was gathered. They welcomed her and Cael, but their eyes held a hint of suspicion. They respected Zephran's decision to trust them, however. For now, at least.
"Come inside. We'll eat," Zana said, leading the way.
Midori followed with Cael and Pugly trailing right after. Tribesmen and women backed away but nodded politely as they passed. Midori gave them a tentative smile as she walked by. She was grateful for their hospitality, but just as wary of them as they were of her and Cael.
"Your pet will have to wait outside," Zana said, nodding at Pugly.
"My pet?"
"Oh, that you would someday give me such a glorious title! I long for the day," Pugly sang and sat obediently outside the hut.
Midori’s eyes adjusted to the darkened room as she walked through the door. It was larger than she'd assumed from the outside. The building was round, with a low circular table in the middle taking up most of the room. Curved wooden stairs on one side led up to a balcony running along the top, creating a second floor looking down over the middle of the room. Members of the village stood shoulder to shoulder along the ledge, while Zephryn and the other tribesmen who were with him sat on the floor around the table.
Zana pointed to where Midori and Cael were to sit. By this time, other curious youngsters were following them as well and sat on the floor behind them, giggling and whispering behind their hands. The table held a feast of food. Midori nearly wept at the sight of it. A blessing of thankfulness and a prayer of sorrow for the fallen was said, and then the feast began.
Zana began piling up Midori's plate, and some of the other children joined in to serve Cael. Midori took a grateful bite of some kind of meat, so happy to have it hot and freshly cooked. She'd happily never eat another piece of dried jerky again.
She was so busy eating her fill, she hadn't been paying attention to the conversation between Zephryn and the other tribesmen sitting around the table. But when she turned to see how Cael was enjoying his fare, she noticed his full attention was on their discussion.
"They're discussing the best way to free the women in the city," he explained.
The discussion was becoming heated. Evidently, some villagers didn't want Cael and Midori involved at all.
"Some of them blame us for the vyrmm's attack and the death of their tribesmen," Cael whispered in her ear.
Midori noticed the sour stares from a few young warriors sitting to Zephryn's right side. One in particular, a young man with a stony glare and unblinking black eyes, made shivers run up her spine. She didn't need Pugly's telepathy to know what he was thinking. That man hated them.
"Zana," she asked when the child handed her more food, "who is that man staring at us? He looks upset."
"Ah, that's Jessa." Her smile disappeared, and her eyes grew moist. "His woman, Ananika, was taken by the four-armers. I like Ananika. She tells the best stories. I hope they bring her back."
"I hope so too."
Midori returned her gaze to the young man. Although he had stopped staring at her and Cael with fire in his eyes, his face remained hard.
"They don't look like they want our help," Midori said.
Cael nodded and took a bite from a piece of green and yellow fleshed fruit.
"But you and I both know the two of us have the best shot of getting to the slave quarters. If you pretend to be a guard, and I'm your prisoner?—"
"That's too risky. I can't guarantee your safety. No, it's better if I simply come clean about who I am. If I turn myself in to the guards as the prince, I might convince them to release the tribe's women."
"And what if your uncle has issued an order to have you captured or worse—executed? You've been gone for weeks. There's no telling what they've been told to do. At least with my plan, you'll have a way out. Plus, you'll have the help of the tribe."
"I don't like it. Too many things can go wrong."
"It didn't stop you from standing up to a bunch of guards the first day we met. Or throwing me into an escape pod to rescue me from an exploding ship. Or scaling a cave wall so I wouldn't fall. You've protected me from the moment we met, even when something could go wrong. I know you'll do it again, even though we're walking right into danger. I trust you, Cael. You need to trust yourself, too."
Cael gave her a grim, studied look for a moment and nodded. "You're right."
Midori gave him a thin-lipped smile and stood up from the table with her hands on her hips.
"Chief Zephryn," she raised her voice over the din of the heated conversations.
Jessa turned his gaze to her, his jaw clenched so hard Midori could see the muscles pulsing beneath his skin. She forced herself to look away.
"Chief Zephryn!" she yelled above the conversation. This time, the crowd quieted as Midori spoke. "We have a plan."
It was late afternoon by the time the details were set. They planned to leave in the morning before dawn. A few tribesmen had already done some reconnaissance, though it was dangerous for them to stay too long in the city. They were jungle people, and it would draw too much attention to stay there for any real period of time, especially close to the slave quarters.
Midori's back and legs ached from sitting so long by the time they finished, and she was grateful to stretch and move about when the meeting was over. She offered to help put away the leftover food or clean dishes, but the villagers waved her away with a smile.
"Please, please, relax," they told her.
Zana tugged at her hand again. The children had lost interest in the conversation earlier and had left the hut. Now they were back, and Midori could swear their numbers had doubled.
"Come! Play with us. Bring your pet."
Midori smiled at Zana's invitation and glanced over at Pugly, who was still sitting outside the hut. Someone had brought him some food, and now he watched the villagers bustling around him while he reclined on the ground.
"Come on, Pugly. Let's go play with the kids."
Pugly's ears perked up. "Oh joyous day! A chance to bask in the radiance of your smile and laughter while you allow the young pups to experience the delight of your presence."
The children giggled at Pugly's exaggerated language as he waddled over. Zana led them outside, where the other children were already starting a game involving a woven ball.
"We take turns throwing and catching," Zana explained, tossing the ball to Midori.
Midori caught it, the motions familiar from her childhood games of playing catch with her sister back on Earth. She tossed it to a young boy who missed, fumbling it with his hands. The ball bounced away and Pugly scampered after it, scooping it up with his mouth.
"No fair, Pugly!" the boy cried out with a laugh. "You don't have hands."
Pugly dropped the ball at Midori's feet. "My deepest apologies. I only wished to be of assistance to the radiant one."
The children burst into a new fit of giggles at Pugly's fawning words. Midori scooped up the ball, her cheeks flushing a little at his over-the-top compliments.
"You know, Pugly, you can just call me Midori."
"I wouldn't dare!"
He looked so stricken and hurt by the very idea, she almost felt bad suggesting it.
She tossed the ball to a child. At that moment, the hairs on the back of her neck raised, and a tingling sensation crawled up her spine. Midori turned around to see Jessa's black eyes staring at her, his arms crossed across his muscled chest. She raised her hand in greeting, but the young warrior did not respond. His glare flashed over to Cael for a moment, then he turned and walked away.
Midori glanced to where Cael leaned against a hut. Their eyes met, and her heart jumped nervously. Even surrounded by laughter and play, she couldn't forget the danger they were heading into tomorrow.
Danger she had insisted they walk into. If they weren't careful, they might never walk back out.
And it would be all her fault.