Pilgrims Page 8

  “Rushing seldom scored a cut, but it kept an opponent unsettled,” Master Bruniego had said.

  Shaking his head, Utz stepped to the center of the floor. Jake kept his distance, and they circled each other. Suddenly, Utz charged. The roar of the crowd ebbed; Jake saw only Utz’s dagger. He didn’t retreat, but held his ground and parried a jab with his own knife.

  The clash of iron-on-iron echoed.

  But Jake hadn’t watched Utz’s left hand, which held a T-shape handled knife. Best for stabbing, Utz jabbed the knife into Jake’s leg before Jake shoved him away. Looking down at the pain in his leg, blood spilled from a tear. This wasn’t a fight to the death, but Jake realized he needed to finish it soon or he’d lose.

  Utz gave him no time to think, charging again. This time, Jake met the charge by grabbing onto Utz’s shoulders, falling and throwing him over his head. They both landed on the floor. Stealthily, Jake sheathed his left-handed knife, and dug into the dirt floor. Gripping a handful of dirt in his hands, he rose and turned, waiting for Utz’s next charge.

  Still wobbly after the fall, Jake was barely ready when Utz barreled toward him. At the last minute, he threw the handful of dirt into Utz’s face and spun right, away from Utz’s knife. Utz’s forward momentum carried him a step past Jake, who brought his fists down onto the back of Utz’s shoulders.

  Utz fell heavily and Jake leapt onto his back.

  Victory! He could feel it. Jake looked up to grin at Swann, when Utz heaved and somehow Jake found his nose ground into the dirt and Utz sitting on his back.

  “Yield!” Utz said.

  Jake experimentally heaved, but realized that Utz’s thick frame was too much for him to move. He dropped his knives and called. “Yield!”

  Utz climbed off his back and held out a hand to let Jake up.

  “Well fought,” Utz said quietly. “You almost had me, if you hadn’t stopped to gloat.”

  Ruefully, Jake smiled. “Thank you. Well fought to you, too.”

  Inside, he was smiling, too, as relief flooded through him. The fight had gone as he and Swann had expected. They had hoped to use the fight to gain an ally. Only time would tell if they had accomplished their purpose in losing.

  Walking out of the fight building, Prime Minister Swann Quad-de stopped to speak to King Pharomond Seehafer.

  “Congratulations to your son. Utz is a skilled fighter,” Swann murmured.

  They walked side by side for a moment, their robes a study in contrast, black for Swann versus white for Pharomond.

  Pharomond leaned toward Swann and murmured back. “No. You can’t come south. The Bo-See stand as a solid front and always will. But I understand the Jewel Islands are lovely this time of year.”

  Swann nodded companionably. “We thank you for recommending Master Bru for Jake’s studies. A noble warrior.”

  Pharomond smiled, nodded, and walked away.

  Untangling Threads

  Jake paced back and forth in front of the stairs leading into the watery depths of the Quad-de’s home. The rest of the Earth crew drooped on chairs, emotionally exhausted. They had started the day hopeful. After all, ships streamed out of the Cadee Spaceport all day, and more would follow. Thousands of Risonians were en route for Earth. That should have meant more cooperation from the Risonian Council.

  Instead, as the day developed, petty regional politics still ruled.

  Dr. Mangot held a bowl of golden wolkevs in her lap but hadn’t taken a bite of any. “What do we do now?” Her hopes were shattered, her voice empty, as if emotion was forbidden.

  Captain Bulmer sat beside her chaise lounge on a chair. He reached over and took a wolkev and popped into his mouth. When he was finished chewing, he said. “Lovely fruit. Sort of like a raspberry-banana, except not.” When no one answered, he said, “There’s always hope. We’ll think of something.”

  “No!” Dr. Mangot said angrily. “Here, eat these.” She shoved the bowl at Captain Bulmer and then stood to pace behind Jake. “We’ve failed. What can we do? We have swum in the ocean, but not in the oceans where there are umjaadi. We don’t have infections, and we need them!”

  “You want to get sick?” Jake raised an eyebrow.

  “What if we snuck in anyway?” Captain Bulmer said.

  Blake crossed his arms over this chest and growled, “They’d shoot us on the spot.”

  Jake said hopefully, “We could pretend to go back to the Moon and instead, go south.”

  “Those Fallstar women would shoot us down,” Blake said.

  Jake nodded ruefully. “And they wouldn’t regret it at all.”

  Despair made Dr. Mangot look old. “Do we just go back to Earth?” The question was half-whine and half-resignation.

  Jake thought about the fight with Utz. He’d won until Utz threw him off. Battles weren’t over till they were over. This was politics, the behind-the-scenes events that really ran a nation or world. The council’s “No!” meant nothing.

  Cheerfully, Jake said, “There’s an old saying on Rison: Sometimes, strings untangle in the night.”

  Dr. Mangot wrinkled her forehead. “What does that mean?”

  Blake shrugged. He’d been around Risonians long enough to answer this one. “It’s based on an old children’s game of untangling threads.”

  “A children’s game!” Dr. Mangot was outraged. “That’s all you have to offer right now? A children’s game!”

  Jake said, “It’s either that or politics.”

  Angrily, Dr. Mangot grabbed the fruit bowl from Captain Bulmer and pitched all the wolkevs into the water. She said, “Then, we’re lost for sure.”

  Shaking woke up Jake. Instantly, he popped up, sure that the world was quaking again. He waited, trying to see in his dark room. Rison wasn’t moving, no quake. So, what had awakened him?

  “Jake,” a voice said.

  “Who’s there?”

  “Utz Seehafer.”

  When his sleep was disturbed, it could take Jake a long time to wake-up. He shook his head, trying to think. “You? Why are you here?”

  Jake sucked in a sudden breath. Am I about to be assassinated?

  “I’m here to take you to the Jewel Islands. Several colonies of umjaadi live near there,” Utz said. “There’s a spacecraft waiting outside for your team.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because my King commanded me to give you respect for your show on the fight floor today.”

  Jake grinned to himself. Their plan worked. This was a big concession.

  But then, he groaned inwardly. So, they could go, but only if they took a spy with them, someone who could report back to the king.

  What did that matter? They could do the medical research and go home!

  “Get the others. Meet me on the rooftop. The spacecraft will be landing in fifteen minutes. Leave what luggage you can because it’s a tiny craft.”

  The South Seas

  January 16

  The sunrise was swift.

  Nearing the equator, Utz thought. In those latitudes, sunrise and sunset happened within minutes.

  He reveled in the feel of the Tokyo, the spacecraft he’d named after the sound of Godzilla’s roar. It was the smallest of the Bo-See fleet of ships, just a four-passenger, including the pilot. Ancel Fallstar handled most of the fleet, but this one was reserved for the king. Utz loved how well she handled. They were over water, not surprising since Rison was 80% water. On the horizon, a black plume spewed ash into the air, probably a new uncharted volcano.

  Utz glanced back at his passengers. The three crew’s seats reclined, allowing the adults to sleep while he flew. Jake was the odd man out, sleeping curled up on the floor. Not the best accommodations, but it worked.

  Utz was excited about this mission. He believed it was important for the Earthlings to get what they needed. Since he planned to evacuate to Earth, this was an amazing opportunity to gain favor with important people. He didn’t plan to go to Earth as a nobody. He might not become the King of the Bo-See, b
ut he could be an important person among his people on Earth. If everything went well, it could change his future. If.

  But it was going to be hard to ignore his natural dislike of them.

  Jake had slept fitfully on the floor, and now he rubbed his eyes and scratched his scalp with both hands, as if that would clear his head. A few moments later, Jake stumbled forward to slump on the floor beside the pilot’s chair.

  Utz eyed him, and wondered again if they were doing the right thing. Would it give them any advantage on Earth like Dr. Mangot claimed?

  “We’re almost to the Jewel Islands,” he said politely. “We’ll land on Onyx Island, the largest. The islanders run a private resort, and right now, there’s no one there. They’ll welcome us. It’s remote enough that no one will find us.”

  Suddenly, the communicator whistled. “Hello, Tokyo. Why are you flying south in this area?”

  Jake leapt to his feet and peered out the windows, scanning for vessels.

  Utz gulped. Fallstar’s men. But he was ready.

  “Hello. This is Utz Seehafer, Prince of the Bo-See. Who’s speaking?”

  Jake gripped the back of pilot’s seat and watched Utz suspiciously. But Utz was confident he could take care of this.

  “Alonso.”

  “Ah, skinny Alonso? Well, I’m just here to see about a woman.”

  A loud guffaw came from the speakers. “See about a woman? She’s just a girl.”

  “Still,” Utz said. His voice turned steely, and he said. “As is my right.”

  “Yeah, yeah. We just had to hail you and ask,” Alonso said. “Give her a kiss for us!”

  “Tokyo out,” Utz said.

  After a minute of silence, Jake released one hand and gestured. “What was that about?”

  “The smugglers rule these waters. We chose this island because I have reasons to be here.”

  “A woman?” Jake was skeptical. “How old are you? 16?”

  “17. Almost 18,” Utz said.

  “What? Are you getting married or something?”

  But Utz refused to say any more, keeping his own counsel. He wasn’t even sure that Mitzi Adams was still on Onyx Island. It was just a convenient excuse.

  Jake went to the tiny galley, moving quietly to let the others sleep. He found a bottle of wolkev juice, and settled back beside the pilot’s chair. Once he leaned forward and said, “What happened to our ship, the Eagle 10?”

  “She’s under the Prime Minister’s control.”

  Jake frowned. “I’d be happier in the Earth ship.”

  “We’ll be providing all the transportation you need.”

  Jake shook his head. “Including getting all of us up to the moon? How will you do that?”

  “The Tokyo can take a big load.”

  After the initial shock, Jake calmed slightly. Utz smiled grimly. The Earth crew didn’t like relying on the Bo-See for their safety. He didn’t blame him, but it was the only way his father had been able to convince his leaders to allow this. The Bo-See had to be in control, always.

  “This does seem to be a powerful ship,” Jake conceded. “What kind of motor?”

  Utz was glad for the change of topic. He shrugged and said, “Father and I like to tinker with motors. We always double the power on any auto or ship or craft we own. It’s a good ship.”

  Jake nodded, but didn’t push for more information.

  Utz was grateful that he wasn’t full of arguments or even just idle chatter. When there was a landmark, Utz pointed it out, Jake rose to his knees to peer out the window, and that was it. The Koloman Volcano. Danot Island.

  Finally, he spotted the first of the Jewels. “Anjus,” he said. “Next will be Berry-Berry. All the islands are named for precious gems.”

  One thing that Earth and Rison had in common was an identical periodic table. The elements and periodic table was the same on both planets, even if the names were different. Even the particular arrangement of elements that created gem stones was like Earth’s stones. Anjus was amber in English. Berry-berry was beryllium. And so on. The largest island and their target was Oralee, or Onyx in English.

  Waking the others, Jake told them they’d be landing soon on Onyx Island. He handed around more wolkev juice, and the Earthlings more or less woke up.

  Utz paid them little attention, focusing now on landing his craft. Because the island had served for many years as a royal retreat, it had a helipad on the north side. The spacecraft was larger than most helis, but the landing pad would work well enough.

  Finally, he powered down the Tokyo and turned to the Earthlings. He let Jake translate for him.

  “Welcome to Onyx Island.”

  Onyx Island

  January 16

  When they stepped out of the spaceship, Jake was amazed by the tropical foliage. He knew the names of a few from his childhood studies, but he hadn’t realized that most grew huge here. Plants comparable to Earth’s ferns might grow two or three feet tall in Tizzalura, but here, they were ten or twelve feet. The scale of everything dwarfed him.

  Once off the spacecraft, Dr. Mangot stretched her arms high, reaching for the sun. “Ah, this is so much better than the Tizzalura climate.”

  Jake, though, turned to study the dark metal craft, which looked exactly like the Fewtrell Fighter’s ship. This was a smuggler’s ship, not a Quad-de ship. Apparently, it had been modified and had an extremely powerful engine. There might come a time when they were grateful for that.

  The Jewel Islands were hot and humid. Jake let Utz take the lead, climbing the forest path to the top of a hill where they found a wide, shady trail. Behind them came Blake, Captain Bulmer, and Dr. Mangot.

  “This goes to the Crown Jewel resort,” Utz said. “The owner, Hideaki Adams, has known our family for years.”

  Jake understood. This resort was a getaway for Bo-See politicians, which meant the owner would be very discreet. If he was prone to gossip, he wouldn’t have remained a favorite for them.

  But the resort was empty. There were three large buildings with thatched roofs. The first was obviously the dining area and business offices. The others would be guest rooms. Nothing was boarded up or locked—what was the point on an island like this when the planet was about to blow up? No one was around, either.

  “I’ll have to visit the village and find Hi,” Utz said. “See what’s up.”

  Jake considered going with him, but thought that Utz knew the islanders, and they’d be more helpful when talking to him without Earthlings.

  After Utz disappeared down a jungle path, Jake explored the resort, leaving the adults on lounge chairs on the shaded porch. At times like this, he longed for his friends David or Jillian, who would be excited to explore with him. The interior was cool, and the decor was restful—subdued, but tasteful colors, cool tile floors, and comfortable couches. It was designed to make you want to sit and rest. Jake could see why the Seehafers liked this place.

  Beyond the spacious gathering room was a dining room with scattered tables. He peeked into the kitchen, and then went to another building to check out the guest rooms. Jake was surprised that the rooms were unlocked, but again, what was the point here on the island?

  Each room held a king size bed and had a luxurious bathroom. This was a world-class resort. And it was empty.

  Jake stopped at the window of one room and gazed out. They were at the top of a hill, so below spread a magnificent view of the ocean. The fact that this resort was forgotten brought home to Jake the coming disaster. No one had time right now for a vacation, a place to zone out and get away from the hectic pace of life. That was a joke. Right now, everyone was fighting for any kind of life.

  He thought of the days when he told his teachers or parents, “I’m bored.”

  He realized now that was like throwing gold coins into a sewer. It was good that he had this wake-up call; he only hoped that he’d remember this years from now. He didn’t want to become an old man, and wake up one day, and realize that he’d wasted half his l
ife by complaining. He vowed he’d never complain again about an odd moment of idleness. Instead, he’d take joy in the possibilities of the moment. He’d live that moment fully.

  Jake went back to the porches and murmured to dad, “Empty. No one.”

  Dad nodded. “Business has probably been pretty light for a couple years.”

  “So, they’ll want our business—” Jake broke off, shaking his head. When the planet imploded, money would mean nothing.

  From the path, they heard a girl’s laughter. Utz came into view first, and the girl behind him was dressed in a turquoise sarong tied at her waist and a bikini top. Utz waved, and a moment later, Utz and the girl joined them on the porch.

  The Villagers

  Reluctantly, Utz left the Earthlings at the resort and took the familiar path through the jungle to the village. He and his twin brother Fritz had taken the path so many times before that he could’ve done it in his sleep. They vacationed here in the Jewel Islands as often as possible. Father was always busy with visiting politicians, so the boys had been free to run and play as they wanted. They often went to the village to find other kids. This time, though, he had to find Hideaki Adams, the owner of the island and resort.

  Suddenly, he stopped short. A bush beside the path was blooming, a profusion of white blossoms giving off a sweet and spicy smell. He bent to a blossom and inhaled deeply. The beche bloomed year around on the island, and its smell brought back so many memories, some good and some painful. He forced himself to move on and soon came out of the trees just east of the village and abruptly stopped short. The white beach was so familiar, and so was the young woman building a sand castle. Mitzi Adams was only three the first time he watched her tiny hands pat sand onto a castle. He’d known her all his life and had held those small hands several times. She was as lovely as ever. His fiancée.

  The first time Utz saw Mitzi Adams was when they were three-years-old. The Seehafers were staying at the Crown Jewel resort for a couple weeks. Her father owned the resort, and her sun-kissed golden hair set her apart from all the other dark-haired island girls. She and Fritz built a sand castle together. Mitzi refused to let Utz help; she only wanted Fritz.