Tigra Read online

  "I'm grown now."

  She cocked her head at him and smiled. “Yes, you are."

  "Please, don't go with them."

  "Samson, I don't want to, but if you heard then you know I don't have a choice. I have to go, but I'll be back as soon as I can."

  "Will you?” he asked. His eyes had grown red-rimmed and moist.

  "Of course, I will. Why would you ask me that?"

  "I don't know. You haven't been with other humans in a long time. You've been stuck out here all alone with me. Maybe when you get to their city you'll like it. Maybe you won't want to leave. Or maybe if you do come back, you won't like tigras, either.” He laid his head in her lap and closed his eyes.

  Jeena stroked him gently, and felt him trembling under her fingers.

  "That could never happen. I will come back, I promise,” she said, and was surprised that her own voice was tight.

  "I'm scared."

  "I know, but you don't have to be. I even think that once I learn more about them I could break the news about you. They're bound to change their minds about tigras once they meet you."

  He lifted his head from her lap. The fur under his eyes was damp.

  "Do you think so? Maybe I should talk to them now."

  "I don't think that would be wise. Seeing you coming out of the ship would just frighten them."

  "I would scare them?"

  Jeena smiled. “Yes, you would. Hey, you're the big ferocious tigra, remember? Claws like steel, fangs like sharpened knives.” She growled.

  Samson laughed in spite of himself.

  "Yeah, right,” he said, and then became serious again. “Do you think, Jeena, that when they learn about me they'll stop hunting the other tigras?"

  "Of course, they will."

  "That's good, ‘cause there could be more like me, couldn't there?"

  "It's possible."

  "Yeah.” He took a deep breath. “Well, I guess you better go. They'll be wondering what's keeping you."

  She had little in the way of clothes but gathered her few T-shirts and a spare pair of moccasins and threw them in the duffel bag along with a wide-brimmed hat she had woven from the fronds of a fruit tree. She picked up the MAAD and held it for a moment before stuffing it into the bag as well.

  "I'll leave you the shotgun,” she said. “You're no good with the MAAD anyway. Not that I think you'll need to do any hunting. There's plenty of meat left over from the last wolla."

  "I'll be okay. You don't think you'll need that, do you?” he asked, pointing to the duffel, a hint of worry in his voice.

  "No, of course not. I just like being prepared. I'm a soldier, remember?” She slung the bag over her shoulder. “Stay inside till we've left. I'll close the hatch, but once we're out of sight, you can open it and come out.” She turned just inside the hatchway. “I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. It has to be at least ten days’ travel to their city and another ten back. Better figure on three weeks, at least."

  Samson only nodded, but his eyes grew wide.

  Jeena set the duffel down and knelt next to him, taking his head in her hands.

  "I'll be back. You can't get rid of me this easily. You and I are stuck together, pal.” She stroked his fur one last time then rose and grabbed the pack, closing the hatch as she descended the ramp.

  "All is ready?” asked Serug.

  "Yes.” She tossed her duffel over the horn of the spare kytar's saddle.

  "Excellent. Allow me to help thee onto thy mount. It can be quite tricky to one who is unaccustomed to these creatures."

  Jeena grasped the saddle horn and threw her leg over, mounting the animal in a single fluid motion.

  "Thou hast ridden before,” Serug observed.

  "Yes. Earth horses. Very similar to these animals."

  "Good. This will make for a speedy journey. I would like to present thee to the k'laq before the Festival of Martyrs."

  "K'laq?"

  "Leader of the Rosh-dan and head of the council,” said Esau, riding up next to her. “Come, the time for talk is at night by the fire. The day slips away. Let us make haste."

  They rode in relative silence, heading as near to due west as Jeena could reckon. Although the worst of the summer heat was over, the three men pulled the hoods of their cloaks over their heads to protect them from the sun's rays. Jeena soon followed suit, removing her hat carefully from the duffel bag so as not to expose the MAAD.

  They traveled through the day without a pause. Serug and Ibrahim rode ahead, speaking seldom and then in muffled tones she couldn't hear. Behind her rode Esau, and though she seldom looked back, she could feel his eyes on her.

  Not until the last rays of daylight dropped below the horizon did they stop and make camp.

  Jeena squatted beside the crackling fire, holding the cup between her hands and sipping the hot coffee. Her three companions sat on the sandy ground near her, staring silently into the flames. The evening meal had consisted of a kind of gruel prepared by Ibrahim, tasteless but filling. They had spoken little to her but were polite and respectful when they broke their silence.

  All except Esau. While he made no hostile gestures toward her, his lips twisted into an unpleasant smile when he spoke, and his eyes gleamed. She had seen that gleam in men's eyes before, and made it a point to speak to him as little as possible.

  Serug slurped the last of the strong, bitter coffee in his cup noisily.

  "Now, then, Captain,” he said, placing the cup before him, “as thou knowest it has been many years since we Afridi last had contact with our brethren. We hunger for any information thou can give us."

  "I would be pleased to tell you what I can,” Jeena replied. “Let's see ... the Union now consists of thirty-eight inhabited worlds; the Coalition Empire twenty-two. These numbers have been fairly stable for the last thirty years, as have the front lines. In spite of that fact, the battles continue.

  "The Union center of government remains in The Hague, on Earth. Nothing much really has changed there. The Central Progressives still hold on to power, although they seem little different today than the Reform Conservatives they replaced. Exploration has all but halted due to the war, but there have been significant technological advancements, if you are interested in such things."

  Ibrahim frowned. “I believe thou mayhap misunderstood brother Serug's question. We have no interest in the politics of the Union or in the conceit of their science. Rather, we were wondering if thou perhaps had knowledge of our Judaslamic brothers on other worlds, in particular Earth. Is the church strong? Are the temples filled with the faithful?"

  Jeena was taken aback. They don't care about the war or the government. A hundred years of isolation, and all they are interested in is their precious church.

  "I'm sorry, but I can't say that I know much about the Judaslam religion, other than historically. I do know they suffered some setbacks over the years. I don't think they play much of a part in people's lives anymore. You hear very little about them these days. I would say the Arian Christians are the dominant religion of most worlds."

  "But thou art from the Union,” Esau argued. “Perhaps we are more influential in this Coalition."

  "Doubtful. The Coalition has all but outlawed religion on their worlds. They have a long and bloody history of religious persecution."

  The three men grew silent, and Jeena wished now she had not been so forthcoming. Tact had never been her strong suit.

  "Thy words are troublesome but not entirely unexpected. It was foreseen long ago that God's great works were ours to complete,” said Ibrahim. “If mankind has fallen so far from the true path, then so much greater will be his redemption."

  "And our glory,” added Esau.

  "It is not for glory we do this, Esau, remember that. The Rosh-dan are but the tools of God,” Serug said.

  Esau turned a hard stare to him.

  "I do not need to be reminded of the purpose of the Rosh-dan,” he said.

  Serug returned the stare. Jeena sensed the
tension between them. Although Serug was obviously the leader of this group, Esau appeared to hold a power unrelated to his age or position, a power neither Serug nor Ibrahim seemed willing to contest directly.

  "It is late,” Ibrahim said after the silence had grown uncomfortable. “We have many days’ ride left. Let us retire to our sleep now that we may begin the morning that much earlier."

  Jeena was asked few questions for the remainder of their journey. It was as though they had decided that since she could tell them nothing of Judaslam in the Union she had nothing of importance to tell them. The men still engaged in small talk as they made their way through the desert, and on the third day they met another traveling party; but Jeena was not included in their conversations.

  The arrangement was fine by her. She had grown accustomed to long periods of solitude and the comfort of her own thoughts, and was still uneasy in the company of others. As the days wore on she found she enjoyed the peaceful, unchanging scenery of the desert and the rhythmic rocking of the kytar.

  They had ridden for nine days and, according to Serug, were now only a day's ride from their principal city of New Jerusalem. Jeena sat by herself near the fire with Esau on the other side of the flames, his eyes unseen under his dark brows. But she felt his stare. Serug and Ibrahim were lost in the shadows, engaged in an animated debate over some issue of local importance. She would be glad when this visit was over.

  In spite of what she had told Samson, she was less than certain she would divulge his true nature to these people. So far, she had seen little to convince her their reaction would be positive. Yet, she could not hide him forever.

  So, what the hell am I going to do with him? Sooner or later, I have to return to Earth. Do I take him with me? What would life be for him then, the only alien sentient being ever discovered? But what other choice do I have except to leave him here alone, and I can't do that to him. Dammit, when did I start getting so maternal?

  "Thy thoughts are pleasant?” Esau asked. He was leaning far toward the fire, as though to keep his words from the ears of the others.

  Jeena looked up, startled from her musings. She could detect a faint scent of bitter coffee and half-digested gruel.

  "What?"

  "Thou dost smile. Thou remembers another? An old friend, perhaps?"

  "Yes."

  "A lover?” he leered.

  "A friend,” Jeena repeated curtly.

  "Ahh ... but friend can be interpreted in so many ways. In my culture it is hard for a man to befriend a woman not his wife. I have no wife, yet I would welcome a woman as ... friend.” He smiled, revealing rows of uneven yellow teeth.

  "Then I hope you find one,” she replied, and threw the last of her coffee in the sputtering flames.

  She left the fire and removed the bedroll from her kytar. Esau hesitated for a moment then turned away, but not before Jeena caught a glimpse of the searing anger that flashed across his face.

  Chapter 9

  The greatest challenge for any soldier is to survive capture. In this, speed is of the essence. Remember that your odds of escape are inversely proportional to the amount of time you are held. These are the four cardinal rules of survival, should you find yourself in the hands of the enemy:

  1) Memorize the terrain

  2) Stay alert for opportunity

  3) Avoid contention

  4) Act swiftly

  Excerpt from SAG Survival Manual

  It was late in the afternoon on the tenth day of their journey when Jeena first caught sight of New Jerusalem. They were riding through a valley lying between the feet of two mountains. A pair of dark towers appeared on the horizon, rising to the sky like twin spears guarding the hills beyond.

  "Prayer towers,” said Serug, noticing the direction of her gaze. “From their balconies the priests call the people to service."

  A wall now came into view, stretching across the plain. As they neared, she saw that it was formed of large stones, black as obsidian and expertly fitted. The wall crossed the entire pass, a distance, she guessed, of not less than a mile.

  "Thou didst not expect so large a city, yes?” asked Serug, the pride evident in his voice.

  Jeena shook her head. “What is the population?"

  "In New Jerusalem, almost one million. But to the west lie many more communities of the faithful, though none so large. The total population of all our cities nears ten million."

  Ten million. Jeena had never heard of an agrarian colony reaching such numbers. As a rule, they tended to stabilize at less than one million—assuming they survived at all.

  But these aren't just simple farmers. Vicki described them as religious zealots, and I haven't seen or heard anything to contradict that opinion. And the power of religion can move people in ways other enticements cannot.

  They rode to the center of the wall, to a large iron gate with a raised portcullis, its iron spikes just visible in the archway.

  "Your fortifications are impressive,” she observed. “And yet the need—"

  "As I have said,” Serug interrupted, “we live among infidels."

  Above the wall stood two men wearing the black-and-green livery of the Rosh-dan. Esau called out to one of them.

  "Open the gates, Ezechial."

  "We have long watched thy coming, Esau,” the guard shouted down. “Thou dost bring a stranger oddly dressed. Surely, she is an Apostate?"

  "Nay,” answered Esau with a warning hiss. “Speak not of this. She comes from a place strange entire. Open, for the k'laq himself will wish to have speech with her."

  The guard disappeared from view, and Jeena heard him call down to the other side of the wall. A moment later, the iron gate creaked open. Steadying her kytar, she passed through the meters-thick stone walls into the city of New Jerusalem and into the heart of the Afridi realm.

  They entered an open plaza paved with smooth sandstone. At the far end was a large open-air amphitheater; the many tiers of seats formed a half-circle, before which was a round dais, elevated about two meters and ringed by steps. In the center of the dais stood a slab of grey stone about a meter high—an altar, Jeena assumed. The stone was engraved with the sign of the crescent moon.

  A rider approached them. He was young—she guessed early twenties—with curly brown hair and a thin beard. He wore no sword, and although his robes were dark, no crescent moon adorned his chest. There was something familiar in the twinkle of his hazel eyes she couldn't place.

  He spoke to Serug, but his eyes were on her.

  "Welcome home, Serug. The scouts reported thy approach two days ago, but they gave no mention of a stranger."

  "No doubt they saved that information for the k'laq, as should be,” Serug answered gruffly. “He will wish to speak with this woman at once, so if thou wouldst excuse me..."

  "The k'laq has not yet returned from his visit to the west,” the young man answered. “He is not expected back until the morning."

  Serug frowned, turning his attention to Jeena.

  "Well, Captain, I had hoped to present thee to the k'laq today, but it appears that must wait till morning."

  "I understand. A day or two will make no difference, provided I return to my ship before long."

  "Of course. We will need to find quarters for thee, and perhaps a guide, if thou wouldst like a tour of the city."

  Esau rode next to her.

  "I would be most happy to show Captain Garza the sights of New Jerusalem,” he volunteered.

  "We have duties to attend, Esau, or hast thou forgotten? Nay, Daniel will escort her.” He spoke to the young man. “Thou art free from thy religious duties for the day?"

  "Uh ... yes. I mean, I believe so."

  "It is a simple question, Daniel,” Serug said with forced patience. “Yes or no."

  "Yes, I am free for the day,” Daniel answered, his face reddening.

  "Good.” He pointed to Jeena. “This is Captain Garza. She has recently come to Ararat on a ship from the Union. Yes,” he said, seeing the won
der in the young man's eyes, “from off-world. Do not bother her with undue questions. Jacob will undoubtedly have more than enough of his own."

  He turned to her. “Daniel will find quarters for thee, and anything else that thou requires."

  He looked questioningly at Daniel.

  "Uh ... yes. Of course. The Maudrian have a small apartment that is unoccupied. It is in the northern quarter, across from the linen shop on Jun-amar Street."

  Serug nodded. “I know of the place. Good. Thou willst take her there.” He turned back to Jeena. “I will come tomorrow and escort thee to the k'laq."

  With a curt bow to Daniel, he nudged his mount and led Ibrahim and Esau out of the plaza, Esau's gaze lingering on Jeena as they passed from view.

  Daniel coughed nervously. “Well, then ... thou art no doubt tired, Captain Garza. Perhaps thou wouldst like me to take thee to thy quarters first?"

  "That's not necessary, and please, call me Jeena. I'm not tired and I'd be interested in seeing the city, if you would care to show me around."

  Daniel beamed. “I would be most pleased to do so. And perhaps thou couldst tell me of Earth, and of the other planets thou hast seen as we ride."

  "I'm afraid I don't know much about Judaslamics elsewhere."

  "Oh, it is no matter,” said Daniel, turning his kytar and leading the way around the amphitheater and into the city. “I wouldst love to hear of other worlds and the people who inhabit them, whatever their beliefs."

  "Really? It's a deal, then. You show me the city and answer my questions, and I'll fill you in on the rest of the galaxy. If you like, you can start with this amphitheater here."

  "Ah, yes. It is called the Nolstradium,” he explained. “It was built in the early days of our colony. We use it for public meetings and as a temple on high holy days."

  "And the altar? Is it ... for sacrifice?"

  "Of course,” he said, and saw the unpleasant look on her face. “Thou dost not approve of sacrifice?"

  "I guess I don't understand why any God would want a dead animal,” she said. She reproached herself immediately. Dammit, watch what you say! This man doesn't have to justify his beliefs to you.