Chapter 11
“This is it.” Turk pulled his short curved blade out of his tunic. Chris pulled out a blade, too, and Faruk charged his reciprocator. “This is Avitras Territory.”
Emily gazed down the rocky precipice into a lush garden of flowering trees dripping with vines. The screech of animal calls echoed through the canopy, but nothing else moved down there. Rocks dotted the landscape.
Emily didn’t want to enter Avitras territory on a hostile footing, but she copied the others and took out her reciprocator. She still didn’t know how to use it, but at least she would have it out and in her hand in case something happened. Turk started down the slope. He jumped from boulder to boulder with light springs. He and Chris waited at the bottom for Faruk and Emily to climb down, which took much longer.
At the bottom, Turk paused and fixed Emily with a hard glare. “Listen to me. When we get into those trees, the Avitras border guards will surround us. When they demand to know what we’re doing here, it’s all up to you. You have to step forward and convince them you’re here looking for your sisters. Understand?”
Emily nodded, too surprised to say anything.
“When they see a Lycaon and an Ursidrean on their side of the border,” he went on, “they’ll assume the worst. You have to take the lead and start talking fast before they kill us all.”
Emily stared at him, but Chris put out her hand to him. “You’re scaring her.”
“She should be scared,” Turk shot back. “I only hope she’s as scared as I am. What you said back at the stream was right, Emily. You human women can negotiate with different factions in a way no Angondran can. The border guards will listen to you. They won’t listen to us. All our lives are in your hands.”
Emily swallowed. “I understand. I’ll convince them.”
“Good. I think you better lead the way.” He pointed into the trees. “Go straight on. Those trees are in Avitras territory. You can’t go wrong, and the border guards won’t let us pass very far into their territory before they show themselves and try to stop us.”
Emily nodded in mute reply and turned. Chris murmured in her ear. “We’ll be right behind you.”
Emily kept her eyes fixed on the trees. The Avitras waited for her there. From her experience of Angondra so far, they were probably watching the strangers approaching right now.
“One more thing.” Turk kept his voice to a husky whisper. “The Avitras don’t have any weapons as advanced as yours. They use spears and staffs with blades on the ends. If it comes to a fight, we’ll be fighting hand to hand.”
“I won’t be.” Faruk hefted his reciprocator.
Turk chopped the air with his hand. “If they attack us, fall back to our border. They won’t cross into Lycaon territory. Don’t be a hero. Save your lives and fall back. Do you hear me?”
Emily and Chris nodded. Not even the reciprocator in Emily’s hand gave her any comfort. Even Faruk nodded. “We’ll fall back.”
Emily cleared her parched throat. “It won’t come to a fight because I’ll convince them. If we intended to invade, we wouldn’t have brought one Lycaon, one Ursidrean, and two human females. The Avitras are intelligent, just like the rest of the Angondran people. They’ll listen to me.”
She set off for the trees. She kept her attention ahead of her and blocked out the sound of footsteps behind her. Turk’s words rang in her ears. Her friends were depending on her. She strode through the trees, but before she got there, she had an idea. She tucked her reciprocator into her shirt where it couldn’t be seen. When she faced the Avitras, they would see she was unarmed.
The trees closed over her head, and the leaves blocked the sun. Her skin crawled from the cold, and she walked faster. Any moment now......She expected to hear a snap of branches or a rustle of leaves, but when the confrontation came, the Avitras appeared out of nowhere without a sound. They materialized out of thin air, and in a fraction of an instant, they surrounded the party. Their staffs formed a ring around them so they couldn’t move.
The travelers instinctively formed another ring facing out to confront their captors, and Turk and Chris brandished their weapons. Faruk alone kept his composure and held his reciprocator down next to his leg. Emily recovered from her surprise and held up both her empty hands with the palms exposed for the Avitras to see. She didn’t dare step forward.
Large wreaths of feathers encircled the Avitras’ heads instead of hair. Some had brightly colored feathers, while others had more muted colors of grey, brown and tan. Feathers ran down the sides of their arms and legs, and every member of the group stood taller even than Faruk. They menaced the group with their spears. “You invaded our territory. Prepare to pay the penalty.”
Emily raised her voice. “I’m Emily Allen. I was on the Romarie transport that crashed in Lycaon territory. My sisters Frieda and Anna came to your faction, and I’m trying to find them. Please listen to me. We come in peace. We never intended to invade your territory. I only want to find my sisters.”
The Avitras with the brightest feathers swung his staff, and the blades on both ends whistled through the air. Something about his demeanor told Emily he was the leader of this group. Could this be Aquilla, the Avitras Alpha? She had to tread lightly here and keep his attention diverted away from Faruk.
“How dare you enter our territory without permission?” he thundered. “The penalty for invading our territory is death.” Emily opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off with a slice of his staff. “If you wanted to find your sisters, you could have sent word.”
Emily held her hands up in open submission. The position made her feel like a criminal under arrest. She had to change this conversation. “Are you Aquilla? Could you take me to my sisters? You must know which females entered your faction from the Lycaon. Do you know any females named Frieda and Anna Evans?”
He frowned, but he didn’t attack. “I am not Aquilla. I am Piwaka, Captain of the Guard. Aquilla is patrolling the other side of our territory at the moment. But his mate Penelope Ann knows every human female who entered our territory. If your sisters are here, she will know where they are.”
Emily’s spirits soared. “Can you take me to her? My friends and I come in peace. We will leave our weapons behind to prove it if you want us to.”
Turk shot her a terrible glance, but Emily stood her ground. She had to offer this man some assurance of their intentions. He would never listen to her with weapons drawn for battle. Piwaka scanned the group, but he didn’t move. Emily read the thoughts running through his mind. She touched Chris on the elbow. “Lower your weapons.”
Turk let out a vicious growl, and one of the guards jabbed at him with a spear. Emily raised her voice and roared at Turk. “Lower your weapons!”
He obeyed her instantly. His blade hung at his side, and the hair on the back of his neck laid down. The growl died on his lips. Chris lowered her blade, too. Emily surveyed the group. Then she nudged Faruk with her elbow. “Put your reciprocator away, Faruk. We have to show them our intentions are peaceful.”
He hesitated. “We’ll be at their mercy.”
Emily nodded. “That’s the only way they’re going to trust us.”
Faruk fixed his eyes on Piwaka. Then he stuck his reciprocator inside his clothes. Emily turned to the Captain of the Guard. “We won’t fight you or any other Avitras. We only came to find my sisters, and once I see they’re all right, we’ll leave. I swear it.”
Piwaka cocked his head and blinked his brilliant eyes at her. The sun sparkled on his feathers. “Very well. I will take you to Penelope Ann, but you will have to walk in our circle as our prisoners. I will allow you to keep your weapons, but we can’t take any chance you might decide to use them.”
Emily nodded again. “We’ll accept any condition you give us, as long as we find my sisters None of us will use a weapon, and you can take any precautions you need to be certain of that.”
He waved his hand and stepped aside to make a hole in the circle. Emily stepped forward, and the circle moved with them through the trees. Faruk came to her side. He didn’t say anything, and she slipped her hand into his. The familiar comfort of his presence gave her confidence. She was on her way to see her sisters.