Orna’s voice continued, still a fluttery echo, though strangely her mouth did not move to form the words. “
We come to you now at this most crucial time, with one who is worthy of that which you protect
.”
Elora was completely unaware of what Orna’s voice meant, but somehow the word’s made her feel surprisingly calm. As the others, along with their stalky gray attackers, were now standing with their combined attention on Orna, all with similar looks of confusion that probably matched her own, she guessed she wasn’t alone in that feeling.
* * *
They were watching him.
The Toguai, as Orna had called them, had monitored Jarred and the others closely while leading them through the heavily forested mountain valley, even more so now as they neared what he took to be their village.
Comprised of multiple cliffside dwellings, their entire habitat looked to be little more than a series of burrowed out holes in the mountain wall. As primitive as the village looked, Jarred could understand why they would be apprehensive about bringing in a group of outsiders, but it was more than apprehension that he was sensing from them now. They were watching him with an interest beyond that of the others and their curious glances were beginning to put him on edge.
It didn’t help that he couldn’t shake the strange feelings of familiarity he had been having since nearing the landing site. Upon landing, the hairs on the back of his neck had been standing on end and the feeling hadn’t diminished any. Something about this place was making him feel uneasy, though intuitively he didn’t feel as if they were in any danger. In a strange way, he almost felt drawn to the place, which only served to trouble him more. He tried to ignore the feeling and focused on the village they were being led into.
More of the Toguai were beginning to come out of their dwellings as they approached, word of their arrival having apparently spread quickly. Judging from their constant sniffing and raised snouts, Jarred guessed the creatures probably had a very keen sense of smell and most likely picked up on their scents long before they had entered the village. Though they seemed wary of their arrival, the aggression Jarred had at first seen and experienced was now gone, replaced by what he took to be a sort of cautious interest.
Jarred considered Orna’s words, the ones he had somehow heard in his head along with the rest of the group and the Toguai, apparently. It was another mystery added to the pile of growing questions he would have to ask her about. Apart from the strange, telepathic delivery of her words, their intended meaning had him even more curious.
Crucial time
?
One who is worthy of that which you protect
? What did it mean? Clearly they were in some rather immediate danger, having just barely escaped another Sect ambush, but what did that have to do with this race of apparent primitives? What could these creatures possibly be protecting and what, if anything, did it have to do with them? It was obvious that Orna had her own agenda, though he hadn’t a clue what it was or how it involved him. He only knew, somehow instinctively, that it did.
They were being led towards the center of the village, a growing number of Toguai approaching from the dwellings. He had not yet heard one of the creatures speak any kind of audible language, to either anyone in his group or to one another, apart from the occasional grunt. Seeming a bit more like animals than sentient beings, their evolution may not yet have advanced to the point where their vocal cords had developed to allow for speech.
Some of the creatures had remained behind in the rock burrows and Jarred spotted a few small, curious faces poking out alongside them. Children. Looking over the group gathering around them, he began to see the various age defining differences in the creatures; size, skin tone and age lines, posture. He quickly noted the handful of mature, elder Toguai approaching, watching them with the knowing, weathered eyes that all old timers seemed to have. Their gray skin was darkened in areas, much like age spots in humans, their posture more hunched than the younger observers, though they looked no less powerful for it.
“Is anyone else starting to feel like the main course at a buffet?” Kern asked, quietly, over Jarred’s shoulder.
“I’m just waiting for the skewers to come out,” Sierra answered, her hand resting on her sidearm, as it had been since leaving their landing site.
“I don’t know about any of you,” Kern continued, “but I would rather not wait around for them to start ringing the dinner bell.”
“Calm down,” Jarred interrupted. “I don’t think we have anything to worry about here.”
Sierra turned to give him a curious look. “What makes you so confident?”
In truth, he wasn’t all that confident, but the creatures
had
halted their attack after Orna had
spoken
to them and they now seemed to be subdued enough. His instincts had served him well over the years and right now they were telling him he didn’t have to worry about the Toguai. It wasn’t much to go on, but it was all he had at the moment.
“Well, for starters, “ he began, “they didn’t take our weapons.”
“Nobody’s accusing them of being intelligent,” Kern said, sarcastically. “Just hungry. They did attack us, remember?”
“They were defending themselves,” Jarred argued. “We barged into their territory. To them, we were the aggressors. They had the jump on us back at the ship and could have finished us off there if they’d wanted to.”
Kern snorted, indignantly. “Speak for yourself. I had the situation well in hand.”
“Oh really?” Sierra responded. “No one would have ever guessed it from all your girlish screaming.”
“Why do you always have to belittle me?” Kern complained.
Jarred shook his head, stifling a laugh. “I just don’t feel that they’re a threat.”
“Neither do I.”
Jarred, Sierra and Kern collectively glanced back at Elora, who hadn’t uttered a word since the Toguai’s initial assault. She hadn’t really spoken at all since their escape from the roof of the hover tram, when they had been forced to leave her brother behind. There had been no other options at the time, though that fact had done little to lessen the guilt and frustration Jarred felt himself. He couldn’t imagine what Elora would be going through, though from her reclusive behavior, he guessed she was still in a state of shock. He could tell from the looks of both Kern and Sierra, they had assumed as much also. Her sudden entry into the conversation was a positive sign that she was coming out of it. He gave her a reassuring grin and nodded in appreciation.
“Well, I’m glad you’re both on the same page,” Kern said, after a moment. “But, I’m not convinced.”
“Orna trusts them,” Elora stated, simply. “She led us here. Maybe we should trust
her
.”
This seemed to catch Kern and Sierra’s attention and Jarred joined them in glancing over to where Orna had been quietly pacing the group, no doubt absorbing the entirety of their quiet conversation. It was true she had led them here and had some kind of familiarity with these Toguai. Though he wasn’t yet prepared to put his trust in her, he also didn’t believe she meant them any malice, which hopefully meant the Toguai didn’t either.
They were finally brought to a halt by their guides in an open spot at the base of the cliff wall in front of the waiting group of elder Toguai. Completely surrounded on all sides by the primitive and dangerous looking tribe of gray beings, they stood in silence. Jarred could almost feel the tension coming from Kern and Sierra, and noticed the latter’s hand grip the handle of the holstered sidearm strapped to her hip. He eased his hand over to rest on top of hers, her eyes darting up to meet his. Seeming surprised by the contact at first, she froze in place, a moment passing before she appeared to understand his intent and moved her hand away from the weapon.
He was unsure if the Toguai would even register the weapon as a threat, but thought it best not to take any chances. As good of a shot Sierra might actually be, it was more than unlikely that she and Kern would be able to take out an onslaught of the agile creatures. The efficient manner in which they had surrounded and taken them by complete surprise at the landing site was proof of their predatory ability. More than that though, Jarred truly did not sense any hostile intent from the creatures. It was unnerving, but they somehow felt as strangely familiar to him as these mountains did. Whatever the feeling was, it seemed to be telling him that they did not need to fear them . . . and something more. Something he couldn’t quite place. The way that they watched him. It was as if . . .
Feeling another set of familiar eyes on him, Jarred glanced over to where Orna stood between their group and the Toguai elders, her expressionless eyes locked on his. Was she actually reading his thoughts? After her bizarre performance at the landing site, he wouldn’t have doubted it. There was obviously much more to the strange being than her frail appearance would suggest. He suspected he had hardly brushed the surface of the mystery that was Orna.
She blinked then, causing a sudden chill to run up his spine, a subtle gesture that only bolstered his suspicions about her telepathic abilities. She broke eye contact with him and let her gaze pass over the rest of the group.
“The Toguai,” she began, “have allowed us into their territory so that I may meet with their elders to discuss whether or not they will give us their aid.”
“When exactly did they tell her that?” Kern asked, quietly, out one side of his mouth.
“Stow it, Kern,” Sierra replied, just as quietly, though her voice carried no less of its usual authority for it.
“You must all remain here,” Orna continued. “The elders have given their word you will not be harmed. But please, do not wander. The Toguai are a protective people. Though they have allowed us into their village, until they understand our true intent, such acts would be seen as . . . hostile.”
Jarred caught both Sierra and Kern’s weary looks.
“Well, that’s comforting,” Kern commented under his breath. “Nobody moves, nobody gets eaten.”
As Orna was led away by the elders, disappearing into one of the ground level dwellings, the remaining younger Toguai began to disperse, not leaving himself and the others alone entirely, but falling back to a greater distance where they could still keep an eye on them.
After a moment, Jarred decided to take a seat on a nearby tree stump, the others eventually following suit, finding spots where they would all be nearby. No one spoke for some time. Jarred wasn’t surprised when it turned out to be Kern who finally broke the silence.
“This isn’t so bad,” he said. “It kind of feels like we’re camping.”
Sierra just shook her head at him.
“It
is
getting cold out here though,” he continued, not noticing. “Maybe we should start a fire or something.”
“Just a guess,” Sierra replied, “but setting a fire in the middle of their village might be one of the things they would consider to be
hostile
.”
Kern slumped a bit, blowing into his hands as he rubbed them together. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. They’ve probably never even
seen
fire before.”
Jarred joined Serra in shaking her head at Kern this time. He knew that the man’s quips were his way of dealing with his own stress and an attempt at dampening the tension for everyone. In a way, it actually worked, though it didn’t keep them all from growing collectively silent. Though all of their minds would be racing from the day’s events and their uncertain futures, nobody seemed willing to vocalize those thoughts in conversation. They didn’t need to. Each of them knew what the others were thinking about. Their lives were hanging precariously over the edge of a cliff and it felt as though, at any moment, the ground would give out from beneath them. Voicing those anxieties would only serve to intensify them. So none of them spoke.
Jarred was actually taken by surprise when it was Elora who finally broke the silence.
“What do you think they’re talking about in there?” she asked, with a shiver, wrapping her arms around herself in an apparent effort to stay warm.
Jarred removed his overcoat and leaned over to drape it around her shoulders.
“I don’t know,” he answered her, honestly, quite interested in knowing for himself.
“From what we’ve seen,” Sierra commented, “I don’t know that the Toguai are capable of
talking
at all.”
“Not that they would need to,” Kern added. “With Orna’s . . .
voice
in the
head
thing
.” He made a waving gesture around his head with his hand as he described the incident they had all experienced.
“Did
you
know she could do that?” he asked Sierra.
She shook her head.
“No wonder Jessup placed so much importance on brining her in,” he continued. “If she can do that, who knows what else-”
“Kern!” Sierra said, sharply, cutting him off with a stern glare. “Enough.”