Chapter Seventeen
“So we’re actually going to sail to this continent place on a boat?” Kat eyed the green wooden boat with the pale pink sail doubtfully. It looked very picturesque rocking on the golden water—but not very safe. And despite living in Florida all her life, Kat had never learned to like sailing—she was always afraid she’d fall off whatever boat she was on, into shark-infested waters. “Why can’t we take the shuttle?” she asked Lock. “We could just fly there, find the fi-fi flower, and be back in a couple of hours.”
“It isn’t permitted to take advanced technology to the continent, my lady,” he said, shaking his head. “The natives who live there are very superstitious. They might take it for black magic and want to kill us for offending their gods.”
“Wait a minute—there are natives?” Kat’s heart skipped a beat.
“Angry, hostile natives.” Deep, who had been loading their gear spoke up.
“Not if you don’t antagonize them,” Lock said quickly. “And honestly, there aren’t that many of them. Hopefully we’ll be able to avoid them all together.”
Kat shook her head. “I don’t understand. Twin Moons seems like such a civilized place. How can you have a whole continent of superstitious savages?”
“It has to do with the genetic trade,” Lock explained. “When the Kindred first came to Twin Moons, hundreds of cycles ago, they introduced themselves to the inhabitants of the islands. There are over three hundred islands of different sizes and shapes in the archipelago, you know. Anyway, the Kindred made their trade with the islanders. Being fishermen, traders, and explorers, they were more open to new ideas and to change.”
“I get it.” Kat nodded. “So the islanders got all the technology and advances…”
“Not to mention the genetic advantages of the Kindred,” Lock said. “While those who still lived on the continent—”
“Remained ignorant savages.” Deep smirked at her. “Ignorant and depraved if you can believe the rumors. It’s said they have the most barbaric sexual habits.”
Kat raised an eyebrow. “More barbaric than never having sex unless you have at least three people involved?”
Deep grinned. “Point taken. But no, they still have two males to one female—that’s normal. For our world, of course. I’m well aware it’s considered immoral and disgusting on yours.” He laughed, as though making a joke, but Kat could feel a wave of bitterness coming from him that belied his apparent good humor. It settled harshly on her tongue like a bad tasting medicine she couldn’t spit out.
“Over the years attempts were made to bring the natives into the trade, but they were put off by the change in our physical appearance,” Lock explained. “The Kindred genes make us much larger and more intimidating. And they changed our skin and hair color too, making us resemble the natives less and less each passing generation. Until at last, we are an entirely different race of people.”
“That’s kind of sad,” Kat said thoughtfully. “To lose contact with your roots that way.”
“Believe me, if you saw them, you wouldn’t think so,” Deep said. “They still live in grass huts and perform sacrifices to their gods on full moon nights. Some even say they practice cannibalism.”
“Ugh.” Kat made a face. “I really hope we can find the fi-fi flower and get back without running in to any of those guys.”
“That’s what we all hope, my lady,” Lock said soberly. “But the sooner we get to the continent, the sooner we can find the Moons blossom and come home.” He looked at Deep. “Are we ready?”
The dark twin nodded. “Everything’s loaded.” He stepped from the pier and over the side of the rocking boat. Looking at Lock and Kat he said, “Come on. Time’s wasting.”
“Very well—come, my lady.” Lock climbed aboard also and then held out a hand to Kat.
Kat looked at the swaying golden water uneasily. It was very beautiful, certainly. But who knew what it hid in its depths? Just watching the way the waves swelled and slapped against the wooden side of the boat made her stomach roll. Still, she had to get aboard. Taking a deep breath, she reached for Lock’s hand. But just as she was leaning over the narrow gap between the pier and the side of the boat, a wave of dizziness hit her.
“God!” She put a hand to her head, swaying and would have fallen if Lock hadn’t quickly grabbed her hand.
“My lady?” he asked, looking at her with concern. “Are you all right?”
“Fine, I’m fine.” Kat blinked, trying to clear the bright spots that were dancing in front of her eyes. “Weak you will be,” whispered the voice of Mother L’rin in her head. “The pain…return it will.” But that couldn’t be happening yet, could it? She was probably just weak because she hadn’t eaten much today and her blood sugar was low. That must be it, Kat told herself. Please God, that has to be it. I can’t deal with this right now. I just need to be strong enough to go get this damn flower and get back again.
“Are you sure you’re all right?” Deep was frowning down at her, his bottomless black eyes filled with some emotion she couldn’t read—it roiled inside him like a cloud of smoke, nebulous and confusing. “What happened, anyway?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Kat lied. “I just started to trip but Lock saved me. No big deal.”
“It had better not be. If I find out there’s something you’re not telling us…”
“Leave her alone, Deep.” Lock frowned at his brother. “Go make sure the boat’s ready to sail. We need to go if we’re going to catch the crosswind.”
“Yes, Captain.” Performing a mock salute, Deep turned to go. But not before he pierced Kat with another impenetrable look.
“So how long is this, uh, voyage going to take, anyway?” she asked, ignoring him as they got under way. “Not too long, I hope. This isn’t a very big boat.”
“It’s the sailing vessel our fathers left us,” Lock explained, doing something to one of the many ropes that were all around the boat. “We used to come out in it often before they died.”
“I’m so sorry,” Kat said. “I didn’t mean to offend you.”
“You didn’t,” Lock assured her. “It was a long time ago. And to answer your question, the trip to the continent is only a few hours with a good headwind. We’ll be there before you know it.”
“Oh good.” Kat felt relieved. “I was afraid we were going to be gone for weeks.”
“We might be,” Deep said. “The flower Mother L’rin is sending us to find is rare—some say it exists only in legends and fairy tales.”
“What?” Kat frowned. “Then how are we supposed to find it?”
“We’ll start in the hill region,” Lock said. “That’s where the legends that talk of it come from. And it’s only a day’s hike from where we’ll be landing.”
“Hiking?” Kat raised her eyebrows. “Nobody said anything about hiking. I know you guys have on boots but I’m still wearing these.” She nodded down at the dainty, strappy sandals Lock had gotten for her at the local bazaar. She had to admit he had good taste and was excellent at judging her size, but the sandals were hardly suited to days of rugged mountain climbing.
“Don’t worry,” Deep told her. “The continent is covered in belsh. It’s a soft, velvety moss that cushions your feet at every step.”
“It’s so comfortable to walk on barefoot that the natives have never worn shoes,” Lock explained. “The whole concept of footwear is entirely foreign to them.”
“Well…all right.” She nodded. “But if we’re going to be there awhile, where are we going to stay the night? I’m assuming there aren’t any Hiltons or Holiday Inns on the continent.”
“We’ll sleep under the stars,” Deep said. “And there’s a tent if it rains.” He raised an eyebrow at Kat. “Though it might be a tight fit for three.”
“Guess we’ll be hoping for clear skies then,” she said dryly. Although a night snuggled up between the two of them was probably exactly what she needed to keep from getting too weak to function. What I want and what I need are two different things, Kat told herself firmly. Besides, there’s no point in being worried over nothing. We’ll find the flower and come back in no time. I’ll be fine.
She hoped.
* * * * *
Kat thought later in her life that the trip in the little wooden boat over the golden sea was one of the things about Twin Moons she would never forget.
Because Twin Moons’ sun was a red dwarf, the sunlight had a golden-pink glow that sparkled on the water. It was so clear she could see fathoms and fathoms down to the ocean floor where rainbow colored fish flitted playfully among spiny corals and waving anemone-type creatures. There were larger creatures too, moving in the depths. Some longer than their boat and about twice as wide, with round, glassy eyes and rough purple skin. Lock told her not to worry about them, though. He said they were peaceful plant eaters that wouldn’t harm her even if she fell overboard. Kat planned to stay firmly in the boat anyway—she had no interest in finding out how “tame” and “harmless” the huge creatures were firsthand.
At last they landed on the sandy shore of a vast tract of land—the continent. Deep and Lock anchored their boat firmly in a natural cove they knew of and the three of them took off their shoes and boots and Kat hiked up her dark blue toga dress before they splashed ashore.
The pink, sugar-fine sand of the beach soon gave way to rolling hills covered in a soft green velvety moss that felt wonderful under Kat’s toes. It was sprinkled with yellow and periwinkle blue flowers which she gathered as they walked and wove into a crown to wear in her hair. It was a game she and Liv and Sophie had used to play—queen of the castle—and she wished they could be there to see her now and admire the scenic beauty of the land she found herself in.
To her surprise, Kat was actually enjoying herself. She was more at peace than she could remember feeling since before Liv’s wedding. Before I met Deep and Lock, that is, she told herself. But even the twins seemed to be feeling peaceful. Or at least, Kat wasn’t filled to overflowing with their angst and hunger for once. Everything was quiet here on the continent—even their usually overwhelming emotions. It was very pleasant, though she knew it could change in an instant.
The sky was a vast lavender-blue bowl above her head without a single scrap of cloud. Looks like our sleeping arrangements won’t be too crowded tonight then, Kat thought, gazing up at it. Good thing I’m still feeling fine. It was true she was a little tired, but a lot had already happened that day—it was to be expected that she would get somewhat fatigued, she told herself. Lifting her chin, she ignored the ominous beginnings of a headache behind her right eye, and kept walking.
“So what are we looking for, anyway?” she said after they’d been hiking for about an hour in silence. “I mean, what does this fi-fi blossom look like?”
“The Moons blossom has two flowers on a single stem,” Lock said. “One light and one dark, like the moons that fill our sky at night.”
“One moon—Dakir is always in the shadow of the other—Lanare,” Deep explained. “So Dakir shows up as a black disk in the sky rather than a white or light one like Lanare. “When both are fully visible at once, then it’s said the Moons blossom will bloom.”
“Is it a full moon night tonight then?” Kat asked, shading her eyes to look up at the sky. The large pinkish sun was already descending, dropping behind the purple peaks brooding in the distance.
“The moons are coming to their zenith tomorrow night,” Lock said. But they should be close enough to full tonight for our purposes. Legend says that the Moons blossom hides in plain sight—its stem blends into the belsh and the flowers don’t unfurl until the light of the moons touches their petals.”
“So…they could be anywhere and we’d never see them?” Kat asked.
“Not until the moons come out.” Deep frowned. “Actually, we should probably be finding a place to camp. There’s a likely looking copse of trees over there about a hundred yards away.” He nodded at the small area of dense vegetation which reminded Kat of the bushes and trees in the Healing Gardens. “We might as well get comfortable and find a place to rest since we’re going to be up half the night hunting for fi-fi flowers, as Kat calls them.”
“Very funny.” Kat put a hand on her hip. “But that’s as close to pronouncing that weird long name that Mother L’rin said. Come to think of it, my convo-pillar wouldn’t even translate it. Why is that?”
Deep raised an eyebrow at her. “Possibly because it’s the biological equivalent of a shoddy piece of technological equipment? I believe in Earth vernacular you would call it a ‘piece of crap.’”
“Nice try,” Kat said. “But I’m not giving it up. I don’t like being dependant on anyone else to communicate for me.”
Deep put a hand to his chest. “It touches my heart, little Kat, that you’re so very trusting.”
Kat knew she shouldn’t let him get to her, but her head was really beginning to throb. “Maybe if you’d talk to me instead of keeping secrets,” she said furiously. “If you’d give me a reason to trust you—”
“Stop!” Lock frowned at both of them. “Kat’s convo-pillar couldn’t translate Mother L’rin’s name for the Moons blossom because it comes from the Elder Tongue.”
“The what?” Kat asked.
“The Elder Tongue,” Lock repeated. “It’s the root of all languages on Twin Moons and impossible to translate by biological or technical means. You have to study it for years to understand even a tenth of it.”
“And have you?” she asked. “Studied it?”
“Unsolvable riddles and obtuse, unlearnable languages are my dear brother’s passion,” Deep answered for him. “It’s one of the reasons he puts up with me so well.”
“Exactly,” Lock replied, smiling. “Because no one else in the universe speaks Deep’s language but me. Not really.”
Kat could well believe that was true, but it was interesting to hear them admit it out loud. So they know what they are to each other and how they appear to other people. Deep knows that he makes it hard for Lock and Lock forgives him and loves him anyway. Fascinating.
“Come here, Brother.” Deep grabbed for his twin and threw an arm over Lock’s shoulders, pulling him close for a brief embrace. “What would I do without you to translate for me?”
“You’d have died long ago. Most likely at the hands of an angry mob.” Lock grinned and hugged his twin back.
For a moment Kat forgot her growing headache in the pleasure of their positive emotions for each other. The love that flowed between the brothers spilled through their three-way link and flowed over her skin like the warm glow of a fire on a chilly night. Wow, she found herself thinking. See, if they felt like this all the time, I wouldn’t mind sharing their emotions at all. It’s really kind of nice.
It was so nice, in fact, that she didn’t notice the large green bush with vivid pink flowers that was creeping up behind her. Nor did she see the hand holding a knife with a strange, clear blade until it was at her throat.
By the time she felt the sharp prick on the side of her neck, it was too late. “So still—not moving. A frightened creature ensnared. Lovely prisoner,” whispered a throaty voice in her ear.
“What?” Kat started to look around in panic but the sharp point dug deeper into her neck.
“Goddess of full curves. I do not wish to harm you. Be still in my arms,” the voice commanded as a hard arm encircled her waist.
“Deep?” she gasped, holding perfectly still. “Lock? Guys, I think we have company.”
The twins turned in unison and she saw their faces change from happiness to worry and rage. “You dare…” Deep took a step toward her and her unseen captor, his eyes turning red and his huge hands balled into fists. “You dare touch our female? Take your hands off her now or suffer the consequences!”
“Deep, no!” Lock put a restraining hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Going into rage won’t help.”
“It can’t hurt, either.” Deep took another step forward. He was looking over Kat’s shoulder, clearly addressing the male who was holding her captive. “Let her go now and I might let you live.”
“This elite beauty. Sunfire hair, throat so white. One wrong step kills her,” hissed Kat’s captor.
Despite her terror, Kat couldn’t help wondering about his speech. Is my convo-pillar acting up again or is this guy actually speaking in haikus? If she hadn’t been so afraid it would have been funny. Oh well, better haiku than iambic pentameter, she thought, feeling slightly hysterical. I always sucked at that whenever we did Shakespeare in class.
Deep advanced on her captor, a low growl rising in his throat.
“Deep, stop!” Lock sounded desperate now. “He has a crystal knife—they dip them in shagra venom. One scratch could be fatal to the lady Kat.”
Deep’s eyes narrowed and he took a step backward with obvious effort. “All right, fine.” His voice still sounded rough with barely suppressed fury. “Tell us what you want and then leave us alone.”
“This holy meadow. You trespass here un-asking. Death is your reward.” The knife at Kat’s throat poked a little harder but somehow it still didn’t break the skin. From the corner of her eye she could see a strange sight—the bushes they had seen in the small copse of trees where Deep had wanted to camp for the night were all moving toward them. As they came closer, people emerged from behind them—strange looking people with mottled pinkish skin and large, golden-pink eyes. Their hair was black with a purple tinge and they had thin lips and delicate, pointed ears that made her think of elves or fairies. They were all wearing leaf loincloths and every single one was short—none of them was even as tall as Kat’s own five foot six.
With their diminutive stature and strange, jewel-like eyes, Kat thought they looked an awful lot like Mother L’rin. And their leaf couture reminded her of the wise woman’s huge and silent attendant, Doby. But their appearance didn’t worry her nearly as much as the fact that there appeared to be about fifty of them and all of them were armed with long, clear knives.
Oh my God… She felt faint and queasy. Is this how it ends? Killed by angry alien natives who speak in haikus? I never should have left Earth…
But then Lock began speaking rapidly, saying something that her convo-pillar couldn’t even begin to translate. He gestured at Kat and then made a pleading motion with both hands, his palms outstretched. Kat didn’t know what he was saying but slowly, the male holding the knife at her throat relaxed and finally he withdrew the sharp point all together.
Kat nearly cried in relief but from the look on Lock’s face, they weren’t out of trouble yet. He was still talking for all he was worth, gesturing eloquently, as though trying to make a point. The male behind Kat, who was holding her arm, replied but she got the feeling that Lock wasn’t convincing him to let them go.
Her feeling proved to be justified when her captor came around in front of her and looped a thick strand of rough rope around her wrists.
“Lock,” she asked, careful to keep her voice low and nonthreatening. “What’s going on?”
“I’d like to know as well,” Deep growled. He was eyeing the short, stocky male who had captured Kat in a most unfriendly way and the pupils of his eyes were still more red than black.
“They’re taking us to meet their chief,” Lock said in a low voice. “Apparently we stumbled into their holy meadow and the usual penalty is death. But I told him the lady Kat was a lost sun goddess looking for Moons blossoms to cure her illness.”
“Very poetic of you, Brother,” Deep said, frowning. “But a sun goddess?”
“She has sunfire red hair and she’s an elite,” Lock shot back. “It was the best thing I could think of at the time.”
“So that’s it?” Kat asked as the natives bound both Lock and Deep’s wrists with the same rough, faded pink rope. “We’re just going to go with them?”
“I’m afraid we have little choice, my lady,” Lock said ruefully. “They all have poisoned knives. One scratch will introduce a neuro-toxin into our systems so deadly we would never get home alive.”
“All right.” She nodded and swallowed hard, trying not to think of how close the knife point had come to cutting into her throat. “But what will they do to us when we get to their chief?”
“I think I’ll be able to talk to their chief,” Lock said. “They seem impressed that I know the Elder Tongue. Hopefully I’ll be able to make some kind of bargain.”
“Hopefully,” Kat echoed faintly. When I get out of this, I’m going to have some story for Liv and Sophie.
She just hoped she lived to tell it.