RJ without a plan. It was quite possibly the most frightening thing David had ever heard in his life.
Taheed felt better today than he had yesterday. He knew it had little to do with the intervention of the gods. It was all do to the medicine the Reliance men who had escaped from his dungeons had given him and removing the tainted gold from his body.
He looked at Ziphed, who looked worse today than he had the day before even with the Reliance medicine, and waited to hear what the "gods" had told him concerning his son, the gold, and the Reliance. Ziphed stood silently as if waiting for something.
"Well?" the King asked. "Did you talk to the gods as I asked you to?"
"Yes, Sire."
"And what did they tell you?" Taheed was growing impatient.
"Concerning the matter of your son, the Chosen One, they have said that it was indeed the Reliance which kidnapped him and who brought this plague on your house. Then they sent those men to try to steal the gold back. The fact that they escaped from your dungeon last night proves their guilt."
"And where is my son?" Taheed asked. "Where is the Chosen One?"
"The gods say he is being held between two moons. We have been pondering the meaning of this all morning and hope to soon have a revelation concerning what it could mean," Ziphed said.
Taheed inwardly stewed. How many years had he heeded this man's council? He felt like an idiot to realize that he had been fooled – that his whole life had been a farce. "Is the gold tainted?" he asked.
"Of course not," Ziphed assured him. "Metal can carry no curse, no disease. That is why it is holy above all other things."
Liar! You and I are the proving grounds, brother. I grow stronger each day as you grow weaker
.
Taheed bit his tongue. The priests were powerful. If he told them what he knew was the truth they would only argue with him. They might even rise up against him. However if he withheld his knowledge from them, their own lies would kill them. A fitting end for treacherous men.
"Then my decision is this." He took in a deep breath as much to calm his angry soul as to contemplate his words. "We will cease to trade with the Reliance until they lift this curse from our bodies, apologize for their treachery, and return the Prince to the palace."
Ziphed was obviously unhappy with the King's decision. "But, Sire
. . .
We rely on the Reliance for so many things. From the implements we use to till the ground to the pots we use to cook our meals. The bulbs that light our homes and our streets. We
. . .
"
"Ziphed
. . .
We cannot trade and hold simple commerce with a people who steals away the Chosen, puts a curse on our heads, and tries to steal back that for which they have already been paid." Taheed felt quite happy with himself. He had let the priest hang himself with his own lies. Perhaps the charlatan should have argued with the gods over their findings. "Since they have the Chosen One, it is in their power to return him. Since they have caused this disease, they can cure it, and certainly it is in their power to apologize for their attempted act of thievery. When these things have come to pass, we will once again trade with them. Having proven that we are not the fools they have taken us for, they will perhaps treat us with greater respect. We have to force their hand, my brother. Don't you see? This is the only way to force them to give us the cure to this disease and return Taleed. My will has been spoken. You may go."
Ziphed nodded and left the throne room mumbling.
Taheed picked up the reed chains at his throat with one of his stumps and looked at them. "Ah, my brother, we shall see who has the last laugh. For my burden is lighter than yours, and I know what you will not see. The gold is indeed tainted, and the men whom we imprisoned are our friends, not our enemies. My son has not been captured by the Reliance, but has gone off on yet another of his adventures. Yet still you would fool us all saying that you have spoken to the gods. You fool yourselves most of all because the gods have failed to tell you the one thing that could save your life."
Yashi grunted and he looked at him. He pointed in the direction that the priest had gone and then at the chains around the King's neck.
"No
. . .
I'm not going to tell them. Why should I?" Taheed asked. "If they truly have the gods' ears, then everything he says is true and it is only a coincidence that I am healing. If, on the other hand, the priests are only pretending to talk to the gods, then everything they have ever told us has been a lie, and I was blind. Willfully so, because until now everything has gone my way. It was only when my luck went bad that I began to see the truth. As long as the priests' ways worked for me I was happy with them. Now I see that my son Taleed has spoken the truth. That our whole way of life, all our beliefs, are nothing but a system set up to serve selfish priests. And spoiled kings who wanted to believe that they were gods have allowed it to go on for centuries." He drew a deep breath. "If all of this is true, then perhaps the Reliance has, through their treachery, done us a great service."
Topaz looked at the prosthesis. It wasn't complete yet, but he thought he had most of the kinks worked out of the basic design.
RJ had called in yesterday just before dark to say that they had stopped for the night and would continue their ascent today. He wished she was here so that he could gloat over his handy work. The two youngsters were in awe with everything, and Poley was no fun at all.
The apparatus wasn't the most handsome thing he had ever created. He had cut down the gangly arms of the droid to the length of the young prince's arms. Velcro straps would hold the arms in place along the prince's own arms, putting the hands in just the right position to be useful. Sensors at the elbows would indicate when the prince had moved the elbow. The hand would close when the elbow was flexed and open in degrees as it was relaxed. The power pack was small, and would ride on his back right between his shoulder blades. Hydraulics would allow the boy to stretch to reach for something without shifting the entire apparatus or tearing it free. Fortunately the droid had been constructed of a lightweight – but very durable – titanium alloy. The whole apparatus didn't weigh more than five pounds, yet it would be strong enough for the prince to crush a rock, and it would survive most impacts.
Poley was wearing it.
"Try to close the right hand again," Topaz said after making an adjustment.
Poley moved his elbow, and the hand slammed shut crushing the rock he was supposed to be picking up.
"Damn," Topaz sighed. "Hold your arm like this." Topaz held his arm up so that it was even with his shoulder with his forearm hanging down. Poley complied and Topaz started making adjustments again.
"If you would just slide that one hydraulic
. . .
"
"Poley! Who is doing this, me or you?" Topaz asked hotly.
"I thought we were doing it together," Poley said.
"Well we aren't. I'm doing it, and you're helping. If I need your advice I'll ask for it," Topaz snapped. He looked at the elbow link again. "I think I'll just slide this one hydraulic back a little bit to pull off the tension."
Poley made a noise that sounded a whole lot like a disgusted sigh.
"What did you just say, Tin Pants?" Topaz asked.
"I didn't say anything," Poley answered.
Topaz laughed and rubbed Poley's head. "Ah, my little wooden head, you'll be real boy some day."
"I am too intelligent to be humored," Poley objected.
Topaz just laughed louder and then focused on his work.
"How's it going?" Taleed asked from behind him.
"Great, I'm almost finished," Topaz answered. "Of course it could take weeks to get all the kinks worked out so that it works right for you."
"I am very excited," Taleed said. "You don't know what it's like to have to rely on another person for everything. I love Haldeed, he is my friend, better than any brother. It distresses me to have to ask for his help for everything. It upsets me that he can't have a life because he has to be my hands."
Topaz nodded silently and continued to work.
"This is like a dream come true for me. To think that I will be able to pick up sticks, throw a ball. It's amazing!"
"Yeah, well, don't expect too much right away. It will take awhile for you to figure out how they work. I wouldn't try anything too difficult at first. The one thing I can't simulate is a sense of touch, so jacking off probably wouldn't be a good idea," Topaz explained.
"What's that?" Taleed asked.
Topaz laughed. "Don't worry about it, kid, it was just a joke. Why don't you get your buddy up and you and he can go gather up some wood and get the fire going. Maybe catch us a lizard or two for breakfast."
"We are close to a river. We will bring you something better than lizards," Taleed said excitedly. He ran off to get Haldeed. He went into the ship and shook him until he woke up. Haldeed yawned and looked up at him sleepily.
"The old one has ordered us to get some wood for the fire and to get breakfast. I was thinking we could fish some
colima
ç
on
from the river," Taleed said excitedly.
Couldn't it wait? I'm tired?
Haldeed signed.
"How can I ask him to wait when he makes me
hands
, Haldeed? I shall have hands, and you my friend shall have your freedom," Taleed said.
Haldeed nodded, resigned and got up. He pulled his shirt on, tightened his loin-cloth, grabbed his boots from the floor and followed Taleed outside. He sat on the ramp of the space ship, pulled his boots on and started lacing them. He looked to where the two aliens were busily working on Taleed's hands. Then he looked back at Taleed's face, which was filled with a joy that he had never seen there before. He automatically started to adjust Taleed's clothes.
"Hurry, Haldeed! I want to show my appreciation," Taleed said.
Haldeed stood up and started following Taleed to the river. "We can make some traps and put them out while we are looking for wood, and when we come back they will be full."
Haldeed sat on the bank and carefully wove the reeds into a trap. "Can't you go any faster?" Taleed asked.
It takes time, Taleed
, Haldeed signed back.
"Haldeed
. . .
Is something wrong?" Taleed asked.
Haldeed shrugged and started to say nothing, but then he put down the work he was doing and started signing faster than he had ever signed before.
"Whoa! Slow down, Haldeed. I cannot understand you."
Haldeed slowed down.
I am very happy for you, Taleed. I know this is all that you have ever wanted, but as you say they cannot give me my tongue back. You talk of my freedom as if it is a good thing, and I know that you believe that it is, but what will happen to me? I can talk to no one but you. Only you understand me. All I know how to do is to take care of you. I don't even know the warfare skills that even the smallest child knows. I have no other skills. No other friends. You are my life; I have nothing else
.
Taleed laughed then and placed his stump against Haldeed's shoulder. "My dear friend, do you truly think I would abandon you? I would not; I could not. We will teach you to read, there is no one to stop us now, and then you will be able to talk to anyone. Or perhaps these people can find some way to give you speech. Surely if they can build something as complicated as hands, a simple thing like restoring speech should be easy for them. But no matter what happens, you and I shall never be separated. We will always be together. If I had ten arms and as many legs I would still need you, Haldeed. You are not just my hands; you are my friend."
Haldeed smiled then, all worry seeming to vanish from his face. He worked quickly at making the traps and dropped them into the water, securing the strings to tree limbs. Then they went off in search of wood. Haldeed broke down a
feu bu'che
plant. Taleed held out his arms and Haldeed loaded him up then grabbed an armload for himself.
"Soon I will be stacking wood on you, Haldeed," Taleed said. They started back for camp.
Haldeed grunted loudly and dropped the wood he was carrying. He pointed into the sky and Taleed saw it, too. A ship just like theirs was coming in fast.
"We must warn them, Haldeed!" Taleed dropped his load of firewood as well, and together they ran towards the camp. The ship landed long before they could reach the others. Taleed and Haldeed jumped into some bushes for cover, hoping that Poley and Topaz had heard Taleed's screams of warning. Neither Topaz nor Poley were in sight. Haldeed took hold of Taleed's collar and pointed towards a lump of brush closer to the craft. One that would offer more coverage while giving them a better vantage point. Taleed nodded and followed where Haldeed pulled him.
"Can you see Topaz or Poley?" Taleed asked Haldeed in a whisper. Haldeed shook his head quickly and pointed at their ship's door, which was now closed. Taleed nodded; it made sense. The old man and the robot had taken refuge in the ship.