Captured (19 page)
She held up a hand, and he stopped.
“I think it just hit me, Ekkatt.
I think everything just hit me at once.
Being here, with you.
The fact that I can never go home again.”
She pressed a hand to her abdomen.
“A child.”
Both glanced up as a shadow flew over them. “What is that?
Is that a hawk?
That looks like a red-shouldered hawk.”
Mari shaded her eyes as she stared up into the deep blue sky.
An
ekk
ekk
ekk
sound floated to them on the wind.
The first bird was joined by a second.
“Ekkatt, you have hawks here?”
“For two hundred years.
The first of my people to visit your world found this creature to be impressive.
They captured hundreds of breeding pairs from several of the large flying species and released them here.
The hawks, as you call them, have thrived on my world.
We have many such as these.”
“What do they eat here?”
“Small mammals, similar to your rodents, and the flying creatures we call tzipurim.”
“Birds.
You use the Hebrew word?”
“Yes.
It is a good word and it describes their song.
Like the birds of prey, they are not native to my world.”
“What do you call the hawks?”
Mari pointed upward.
“
Ekkatt
means hawk, but each species has its own name.”
“You are named for an animal from another planet?”
“My mother was fond of the large birds.”
“Ekkatt?”
“Yes, little human?”
“If I faint, will you catch me?”
“Yes, little human, I will catch you.”
He scooped her up in his arms and held her.
“Mari?”
“Hmmm?”
“What was the name of your child…your son?”
“Ari.
His name was Ari.”
Ekkatt kissed the top of her head.
“Ah,” he said, “
Lion
.
It is a strong name.”
Chapter 15
“In less than one of your hours, we will be there,” Ekkatt said.
Mari had been uncharacteristically quiet during the flight.
He could read her thoughts. They flitted across her face like tiny Earther butterflies.
She wondered if she would lose another child.
It wasn’t hard to guess what worried her.
It would not happen.
He would find a way to keep her safe and to keep their child safe.
“When we arrive, remain in the craft while I make certain there are no visitors present.
If it is safe, I will come to retrieve you, but you must cover your hair with the blanket until we are inside.”
“We’ve gone over this, Ekkatt.
I’m very clear on what I’m supposed to do.”
She sat in silence for a moment.
“Ekkatt, how do I greet your father?
What on earth…” Mari suddenly grinned, and her pensive look fell away, “What on Attun-Ra do I say to him?”
Ekkatt grinned back.
Her sense of humor had returned and that encouraged him.
“You greet him.
You say,
Peace be upon your house, Baerkah Vom Pes Rena, son of Pes, son of Rena
.”
“Do I shake his hand?
Do I bow?
Do I look at his face?
Do I look at the floor?
What do I do?”
“He will offer you his right hand.
You will take it and press the palm to your left cheek.
You will say, Betak kar sa benot, Baerkah Vom Pes Rena, sik Pes, sik Rena.”
He heard Mari repeat the words, committing them to memory.
Betak…peace?”
“Yes.”
“Kar sa benot…upon your house?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, got it.
Will he be offended?
You know, offended that an insentient being is befouling your language?
Perhaps he won’t even want me to take his hand.
I’m sort of, um, human.”
“I believe he will be surprised, curious, of course,
but I don’t believe my father will be offended.
I can explain everything to him before I introduce you. If he wishes us to leave, then we leave.”
“And if he does?”
“We vanish into the wilderness.”
“Ekkatt?”
“Yes, little human?”
“What does a giant durra normally eat?”
“Herd beasts.
We have many.”
“I haven’t seen any.”
“They are very shy, but in truth, they are plentiful.
The giant durra has no shortage of prey.”
“Do you have other large carnivores in your wilderness?”
“Some, but they rarely attack an Attun.
There is a lesser durra and several smaller species of what you consider felines.
In my lifetime, I have only heard of the giant durra attacking an Attun.”
“How big is the lesser durra?”
“The size of your tiger.”
Mari appeared to consider about this.
“Our tigers attack people on occasion.”
“Ours do not.
Aside from the one.”
“The cat was magnificent, Ekkatt.
The most majestic creature I’ve ever seen.”
“You looked at it?”
“Yes, when it failed to drag me from the crevice and Pana made noise, it turned and sort of leapt down the rocks.
I’m curious.
I really wanted to see what it looked like so I stuck my head out and watched it disappear into the trees.
Its paws were huge.”
Ekkatt shook his head.
“You astound me,” he said.
Mari crossed her arms and looked at him.
“Why?”
“Very few inhabitants on my planet would ever want to see a giant durra in its natural environment.”
“But it’s an amazing animal.
So big, so powerful.
If it hadn’t been for…”
“For Pana?”
Ekkatt asked her.
“Yes.
If it hadn’t been for that, the experience would have been sublime.”
Ekkatt scrolled through his language chip.
“
Sublime
is a word you would use to describe a beast that brings death with a single swipe of its paw?”
“Yes, Ekkatt.
I can admire the beast without wanting to be eaten by it.”
Ekkatt thought about her statement for a time.
Finally, he asked, “You were not afraid?”
“Oh,” she replied, “I was afraid, but not the way you think.
I knew he couldn’t get me in that small space.
The mere size of a giant durra is overwhelming.
I respect his power and understand the danger a creature like this poses, but the natural world has never frightened me like humans have.
Humans are capable of great evil, Ekkatt.
Even when they believe in their hearts that they are doing the right thing, sometimes that’s when their actions can be the most evil.
My only fear was that Pana would manage to kill the poor thing. The giant durra was all that stood between me and Pana’s intentions.
Does that make sense to you?”
Ekkatt snorted.
“
Poor thing?
”
“Yes, poor thing.
I wouldn’t want the giant durra to become collateral damage just because Pana wanted me.”
“What is
collateral damage
?”
“It’s kind of a military term.
It means that in order to get your target, to kill a very bad person, you snuff out the lives of innocent people too.
The giant durra was innocent of any wrongdoing.
I’m sorry for Pana, but I’m glad the cat lived.”
“I am glad the cat lived too.
I owe the cat a debt of gratitude.
Mari, are you truly sorry for Pana?”
“I’m sorry he made the decision he did.
It’s sad his decision led to his death.
Are you sorry he’s dead?”
“No.”
Ekkatt made a sharp right turn and descended through the clouds.
“My family compound,” he said.
Mari looked over the vast open plain. It was so much like an African veldt.
Golden grasses waved in the wind and enormous herds of hoofed animals scattered at the sound of Ekkatt’s craft.
“Magnificent,” she breathed. “Simply magnificent.”
Chapter 16
“Peace be with you, father.”
“And with you my son.
It’s good to see you.
Have you just returned from off world?”
“Yes.
I’ve been back a month or so.
You look well, father.
How is Tirrit?”
“Better than you might think.
His symptoms always seem to improve in the autumn.
He’s in the outbuildings.
You are just in time to help with the weaning.”
Ekkatt’s father clapped him on the back.
“It’s very good to see you, son.
You’ve been gone a long time.”
“Did you hire herdsmen this season?
To bring in the bulls?”
“I hired several men from Reyne, but they won’t be arriving until the new moon.
It’s a good group of weanlings.
Your brother and I are very pleased.
The market price of milk has been holding steady, and the price for wool has increased.
I expect to do well this year.”
Ekkatt’s father steered him towards the outbuildings.
“Come, Tirrit will be glad to see you.”
Ekkatt slowed his pace.
“Father, is there anyone in the compound aside from you and Tirrit?”
Ekkatt’s father raised his eyebrows.
“No.
Tirrit has been doing so well that we’ve sent Seppa home to his mother for a time.
She has need of him.
Why do you ask?”
“I must speak with you and my brother, and I do not wish for the presence of any prying ears.”
Ekkatt’s father stopped.
“This is important, then?”
Ekkatt nodded.
“It is a matter of life and death.”
“Then we will fetch Tirrit and discuss the matter inside.”