For One Nen (10 page)

“It’s in old books from the library. You must’ve read it before Tanik, since it is in
your
library.”

“This is a teaching I’ve never heard. I’ve only been taught the truth all of my life, just as you have. Who is leading you astray?” Tanik demanded.

Teltel knew all eyes were on him. Being a giant had made him come to terms with people staring at him, but in that particular moment he felt condemned for his beliefs, and the stares began to hurt. He also felt embarrassed to pursue this dialogue with his life-long teacher any further. For the first time as a student, he felt his questions would not be answered truthfully by his teacher. She was no longer trustworthy.

“Where’d you hear that stuff?” Benai asked Teltel in a whisper.

Teltel simply looked in Benai’s direction when Tanik scolded, “And don’t be spreading your lies to anyone else. Do you hear me?”

She stretched out her arms and took a deep cleansing breath.

“Now join me in song about the beautiful Goweli named Hrilla who sacrificed her life when she helped to banish the infidels and save the Empire.”

Between the quiet scuffling of students climbing to their feet and the noises swirling from the bustle of the corridor Teltel whispered to Benai, “Follow me after class.”

Benai gave a sly smile. He was always up for an adventure.

The rest of the class went on without incident and when Tanik dismissed them for the day Teltel raced away.

Benai hung back a moment so as not to raise suspicion from Tanik. He even said loudly enough for Tanik to hear, “Hey Beau, I’m going to get something to eat. Wanna come? We could play Battle Con Extreme after. I have the newest version.”

The boys walked out together without Tanik suspecting a thing.

As the boys came to the great dining hall Benai spotted Teltel through the crowd. “You wanna find out what that was all about in class today?” Benai whispered to Beau.

“What was that?” Beau questioned. “Tanik went sparse if you ask me.”

“Follow me,” Benai said. “And act casual.”

Beau followed Benai as he slung his school pack over his shoulder and smacked an elderly Het in the side of the head.

“Watch it, boy,” the older man grumbled.

“Oops,” Beau said quickly. “Sorry.”

They bumped several shoulders as the boys maneuvered their way through the crowd.

Teltel saw his friends coming his way and he turned back to the hallway. He slipped between several engineers just getting off of the elevator for their midday meal.

He didn’t let the boys catch up to him until he was standing in front of the large shiny door of the gardens. He leaned down and pulled the handle.

“You sure it’s okay?” Beau asked with uncertainty.

“They said we could come after class,” said Teltel.

Beau peeked in behind Teltel before stepping entirely into the large room filled with the rows and rows of table-gardens.

“Hello boys,” Deni called out from down a long row.

Beau was mesmerized by the ceiling of metal scaffolding but Benai elbowed him in the ribs; directing his attention to the beauty coming towards them.

“What?” Beau said as he rubbed his side.

Benai only had to give a slight nod to show Beau what had him so mesmerized.

Deni walked their way and the boys watched the beautiful Tala follow behind her.

As Deni drew close she noticed their eyes on Tala.

“Don’t worry boys. She won’t bite,” Deni joked.

She then turned enough toward Tala to where the boys couldn’t see as she mouthed the word, “Much.”

“She’s the one I told you about,” Teltel whispered to Benai.

Benai whispered back, “Where has she been all my life?”

“No doubt,” Beau said.

“Teltel, who are your friends?” Tala asked.

Teltel looked at Tala a moment but when he spoke he addressed Deni.

He laid his large hand on each boy as he introduced them.

“This is my best friend, Benai.”

Benai smiled and thanked Deni for letting them come to the gardens. He then turned to Tala. He only gave a half laugh then partially disappeared as Neph often did in times of pleasure. Then out of embarrassment he dropped his eyes to the floor.

“And this is our friend, Beau,” Teltel said.

“I also am Goweli,” Beau addressed Tala with a puffed out chest.

“Really?” Tala questioned with a hint of humor.

Beau motioned to himself and said, “Can’t you tell.”

Teltel tapped his friend on top of the head as he said, “Behave. She’s the reader.”

“Well boys we have
a great deal of work today. I hope you don’t mind getting muddy,” Deni said.

“What’s that?” Benai asked.

Beau gave him a punch in the arm and said softly, “Don’t make us look like idiots?”

“Then you tell me what ‘muddy’ is,” Benai demanded.

Beau only shrugged.

In the nearest table garden Deni poured water into the dirt. She then scooped a gloopy mess and slapped it into Beau’s hands.

“Welcome to mud, boys,” Deni said.

Tala held a book over her mouth as she laughed.

“The automated watering system has been shut down; re-routing the system…or something like that, which means we have to water the gardens by hand today.”

“And she’ll read?” Teltel asked Deni.

“That’s the deal,” Deni smiled.

“But I was thinking, since we’re each going to be in different places in the gardens maybe you could help me with something,” she instructed Teltel. “If you could bring that long board here
, we could lay it across that scaffolding up there. If Tala sits there we could all hear her better as she reads.”

Teltel quickly did as he was told and Deni instructed the boys where they would get the water and how much to pour onto the plants.

Deni helped Tala up the ladder to sit comfortably on the platform in the sky.

“What is she reading about today?” Teltel asked Deni softly.

As they stood together, looking up at the beautiful Goweli holding a brown covered book, Deni answered, “Guess we’ll soon find out.”

“Makes me feel good with her sitting up there. Like she’s got a protective eye on us,” Teltel said
, gazing upward with a satisfied smile.

“But you’re a Het. The giants have always been the protectors,” Deni said.

“Even a giant likes to know he can rest in another’s protection at times.”

Benai and Beau walked up behind Teltel and Deni as they were looking up at Tala.

“Great gods of our ancestors, she’s beautiful,” Benai said.

“She’s with me, boys,” Deni smiled with pride. “Let’s get to it,” she directed her workers.

Benai and Beau went to work while Teltel continued to gaze upward.

“She’s very special, you know,” Teltel said softly.

Deni smiled.

“There was trouble today,” he said with his eyes still turned upward.

Deni faced the giant.

“A story I’ve heard a
ll my life just didn’t make sense when I heard it today,” Teltel said. He watched the beautiful Tala as she turned pages in the book, searching for her place.

“I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. I just thought I was offering part of the story that I had just learned. I didn’t think I was doing anything wrong.”

“What happened?” Deni asked.

“Tanik asked who had been leading me astray,” Teltel said.

“What did you say?” Deni asked with concern.

“Nothing. I would never hurt her,” he said
looking up at Tala. Then turning to face Deni he added, “Or you.”

Deni smiled and her golden eyes showed she was pleased with the giant.

“You and Tala have given me reason to question my beliefs. But I feel we are in this together. Aren’t we?”

“And your friends?” Deni asked.

“They’ve come because they are curious. They’ve stayed because of her beauty. They’ll become one of us because of what she can teach us – about ourselves.”

“Whoever said that giants couldn’t think for themselves didn’t know a true Het. You
, my young giant friend, are a true Het.”

Teltel smiled at Deni then looked back upward to Tala.

“Everyone ready?” Tala called down.

Looking straight into Tala’s eyes
, Teltel was finally able to speak to the beautiful Goweli, “Yes, Miss.”

She began with a strong clear voice for all to hear.

1200 BE

Far below the surface of the planet REEN

Atenilek was gone. Tinnen had followed the group until Kent came back. He passed Tinnen with two Het guards as he called back over his shoulder, “He’s gone boy. You come back to the sparsing.”

Tinnen didn’t move.

“Bring him,” Kent ordered his guards. “He must sparse.”

Swiftly Tinnen plunged forward between one of the guard’s legs and dashed down the tunnel where Emperor Kent had just come.

“Leave him,” Kent said. “He’ll be dead soon without food.”

However Kent was unaware that Tinnen was quiet as well as swift. He crept back into the empire’s storehouses without being detected. He went about scavenging for provisions. It was his intention to follow the one he loved most; the one who gave his life for one Nen, the one that loved him. He planned to go to the surface to search for Atenilek.

He silently felt his way through the darkness until he saw a light. Drawing nearer, he saw a second light. The lights were about four feet apart and sitting on a kind of shelf on either side of the door to the food cache. Tinnen snuck into the unguarded food cache near the palace while the rest of the kingdom was still at the sparsing. He felt wrong taking from the empire
, but the empire had taken the one he loved. It had also taken so many young lives by forcing them to sparse. And yet, this is not why he stole food from the empire. He simply did it to survive. He knew the trip to the surface would last longer than his strength would hold. He needed provisions, and the empire had what he needed. He was determined to follow whatever fate had befallen his friend.

He filled a sack and threw it over his back and headed out the door. Only a few steps past the lights and he turned back. He returned to the room and rolled out a small barrel to the doorway. He righted it and climbed up
on it. Taking the glow stones from the shelves on either side of the door he stuffed them into his pack also. He rolled the barrel back inside the store cache and shut the door. Opening the door once more, he took a small blade sitting on a nearby table. With it he sliced a string holding a long piece of smoked lizard meat. Now he felt prepared for the journey.

He headed toward the tunnels where Atenilek had been
forced to travel. He followed the path for nearly a day. He came to a dead end at one point. He stopped there to eat before trying to find his way out again. He put one end of the smoked lizard meat in his mouth and leaned his head back on a smooth rock.

When he woke he knew several hours had passed because he was slightly weak. The piece of meat lay beside him. He stuffed it into his mouth and rummaged through his bag for a piece of bread. He waited only long enough to have eaten a few bites, which stopped the spinning of his head. When he was back on his feet he continued his journey to find his friend.

He walked until his feet ached. Never had he walked so far and yet he continued moving as he kept the hope alive of seeing his friend again. He begged the Giver of Life for Atenilek to be alive.

As the tunnels began to get warmer he started to see drawings on the walls of the caves. He saw a sparsing scene and the room of the dead and a picture of a woman leading many people through tunnels toward the surface.

He wondered if there were others on the surface. He had so many questions that simply climbing out of the depths of his planet would answer. He kept walking. He knew he was ascending and his heart almost jumped from his chest as he saw a bright light ahead.

The tunnels became very wide with continuous writings that made Tinnen walk very slowly in order to see them all. His mouth dropped open many times in fascination. He followed the drawings and writing with his hand as well as a keen eye.

He wanted to examine the walls more closely but he urged himself on with each step. He had to learn the fate of his friend. On he went, moving his little legs as he watched the wall’s scenes unfold.

“I wonder what that is?” he said aloud. His voice bounced off the walls several times before fading. He realized it was the first voice he’d heard in many hours and it seemed foreign to him.

“Atenilek,” he called. Again the echoes repeated the name back to him many times before the sounds drifted down the tunnel and around the bend, where they faded away in the distance.

He searched the ground a moment before finding the perfect utensil. Clutching a sharp rock he reached upward and drew a giant form representing his friend, Atenilek. Beside it he drew himself. A few steps away and below all the drawings that were higher up he drew the two friends at the water’s edge; how Tinnen teased his friend, how Atenilek raced toward Ot, how his friend came from the water without an arm. On and on he scraped the rock against the walls of the very dim cave that was growing brighter as he went. He drew the sparsing line where Atenilek stood in his place.