For One Nen (43 page)

“When the light comes we will help you build,” an old Hoth said.

“What light is coming?” Dhobin asked.

“He speaks of morning,” Fbathin explained. “This world i
s Reen and there are two suns. They wake with the suns light and sleep when the suns go away and darkness comes.”

“Does Ot not live here?” Dhobin asked.

“The old white haired Hoth answered, “There is no Ot here that you speak of.”

Dhobin held out his hand with one last small, stone of light. “This is part of Ot. He flows slowly into the water and we take the stones of light for heat, for cooking, for light and protection when danger comes.”

“There is no Ot here,” the old Hoth said again.

“There are lights in the city. We make fires in stoves for cooking and for warmth. When danger comes we drive it away.”

“What dangers do you have here?” Hrilla asked.

“The city often has wild dogs that invade the trash heap looking for food. Sometimes they come close to the houses. We have black bears that do also the same. Never feed a wild thing unless it traps you, then you should only hope you have food enough to satisfy because you will fill its belly one way or the other.”

The old Hoth clapped his hands to the sides of his legs and gave a slight bow. “I am Regal,” he said. “You have been only a fable until now.”

“What do you mean?” Hrilla asked.

“Some of the deep divers of the past have told stories of seeing other Hoth in the deep near a tremendous light where the water is warm and clear,” Regal explained.

“That’s Ot,” Fbathin said. “So you know where this place is? We must get back. Many are in need of rescue. The water is the only way. They will have the tunnels guarded. We must go.”

“It is very dangerous to go that deep and only a few Hoth ever have. Until now I had not believed their stories,” Regal admitted.

“You must take me to see those who know of this place,” Fbathin said.

“Tomorrow,” Regal said. “For tonight many of us have come to help stand guard over you, and tomorrow we will help build.”

“Do you have poison lizards?” Hrilla asked
nervously pulling at her ear.

“I do not know what you mean,” Regal answered.

“Small dangerous creatures,” Hrilla said as she showed the size with her hands.

“Our dangers are much larger,” Regan said.

“Well at least there aren’t poison lizards,” Fbathin said to Hrilla. Turning back to Regal she added, “But tomorrow you must tell me of the ones who know of Ot, so I can swim to the deep and rescue my people.”

Hrilla grabbed her friend’s arm and whispered with concern, “You heard him say how dangerous diving in the deep can be. I don’t want you to go.”

Fbathin took Hrilla’s hand and said, “You saved many of your people this day. Now it’s my turn.”

“But L
ove,” Hrilla began her complaint. “If anything should happen to you,” she held Fbathin’s arm even tighter. “You affect the rhythmic beating of my heart. You are the ebb and flow of my very soul finding its balance. This danger is too great.”

Fbathin gave no verbal response. She only reached up to her taller friend and pulled her close for only a moment before letting her go.

Hrilla wanted with all her heart to protest even more. Instead, she squeezed Fbathin’s hand and understood her plan.

“I will help you,” Hrilla said.

Patting her hand and stroking Hrilla’s braids, Fbathin said, “No my lovely one. You can only use your gills for a short time before you need to resurface. This is a job for Hoth. I must go.”

“Come,” Regal said as he led his Hoth toward
the direction of Hrilla’s band of refugees.

The Hoth sat among the group, guarding these scared, overwhelmed and displaced people.

“Regal,” Dhobin whispered as the sky birthed a gentle light. “What is that?”

Regal
, who had watched over Dhobin and Hrilla through the night, faced the direction Dhobin was staring.

“Mountains,” Regal said like a teacher. “They hide most of the sunsrise. When we are far out into the water we can see the many colors that the first sun brings.”

“What’s the sunsrise again?” asked Dhobin trying to shake the sleep from his head.

“Our planet revolves around two suns. It grows very bright and hot when they rise over those mountains. You will need protection. We will help build,” Regal said as a good teacher would give encouragement and guidance.

A tiny point of light broke through a small space between the peaks of the mountains and fell in front of Dhobin. Quickly he jumped to his feet and moved back in fear.

“It’s coming at me,” he whispered to Regal.

“It will not harm you,” Regal said. “But if it touches your skin for a long time, it will burn you. We must build soon.”

The stream of light steadily moved toward Dhobin who had maintained his place as he watched the light come to him.

The small stream of light was swallowed by one glorious wave of light like Dhobin had never seen. In fact no former underground dweller had ever seen light like this before. There were screams among the people just waking. The screams were caused by the near blinding light, by the birds flying overhead, by Nen growing faint, and by the large creatures grazing in the fields beyond their camp in the lush meadow.

“We must build and gather food,” Regal said.

“We should organize the people,” Hrilla said to Dhobin just waking up and hearing Regal’s concern.

Dhobin stood, held up one hand and called out orders.

“We must build shelter. The Hoth of the surface have come to help us. All those who are strong enough to build, come gather with me. Those who need food, just stay where you are and the Hoth will gather for you and disperse adequately.”

The tiny Hoth who had been sitting among the people for all the night
, began to move quickly as if they knew what their job was. Some Hoth carried a satchel hanging at their waist. They walked in the direction of the mountains before them, where they came to a nearby stream. They filled their satchels with water and cut down tall leafy plants in great numbers before returning to the hungry crowd.

One young Hoth drew his bow and placed an arrow on the arrow rest, took his draw, and anchored his right thumb on the side of his chin, then let the arrow fly.

A grunt was heard from the large creature, which now held the arrow in his heart. Its wide mouth opened before its body plopped to the ground in a heap.

“What is that thing?” Dhobin asked Regal.

“It’s a varan,” Regal said walking away from the crowd to a heavy wooded area. As the Hoth cut through the thick brush and chopped down small trees Regal continued to teach Dhobin, who was hungry to learn.

“Rarely do we eat the varan,” he said. “They are kind to us and never disturb us or our gardens. They graze in the meadow and our children play with them.”

“You let the children close to those large beasts?” Dhobin asked in dismay.

“They often ride them. Children find it great fun,” Regal said with a laugh.

Before the suns were high overhead everyone had been fed and even the Nen were now helping to build shelters for all the people.

Before the suns
’ last sliver of brightness fell off the horizon, Fbathin, once again, went to Regal and petitioned him to take her to the ones who had seen Ot.

When the Hoth left the band of new arrivals
, Fbathin went with them; back to the valley, through the meadow and into the water.

Swimming to a rocky outcrop
, Regal showed her where the Hoth lived. Their houses were made of stone, which had been hewn from giant boulders. Their tools were not primitive like what they had used for building shelters for the new arrivals.

“Why didn’t you use these instruments to build the shelters?” Fbathin asked.

“They are for rock, not for wood,” was his only explanation. She didn’t question him any further on the subject because she was staying single-focused. Her determination was to save her people from the tyrant from whom they had escaped.

Regal stepped into a home of rock
, with Fbathin following close behind. Inside, she found the sights breathtaking. There was a sink with a shiny tube over it where water came in a steady stream. A woman filled a large pitcher and brought it to a long table.

There she filled cups and gave to those gathering around.

Regal offered Fbathin a chair.

“This is Festus, and this is Sdakan,” Regal said. “They have seen the light you speak of.”

“Tell me,” said Fbathin. “How do I get there? I must save them.”

“It is too far,” Festus said slowly.

“But tell me. I must go there.” Fbathin stood up with her last words.

“Show her, Sdakan.”

The tiny middle aged man took a scarf from his neck and revealed his deep purple scars where his gills once had been.

“He almost didn’t make it back to us when he got curious about the light in the deep. He swam so close to the clear warm water that his gills couldn’t find air,” explained Festus. “He was fortunate that I saw him bobbing at the surface and pulled him out. He will never dive again. Can’t you go another way to rescue the others?”

“Emperor Tapsin has guards in the tunnels, but not at the water’s edge. I must dive to the deep. Please tell me where the path is to get there. I am fast and strong and I know my gills can survive the warm clear water.”

“How do you plan to rescue your people?” asked Regal. “You are only one Hoth.”

“Yes,” Fbathin said as if she hadn’t thought about that important point.

“I will find more,” she answered.

“I will go,” Festus said. “I just wanted you to know the risk is great.”

“I will ask the Hoth of my people and we will dive in two days’ time,” Fbathin said.

Their fourth evening on the surface Fbathin gathered on the shore with 120 Hoth, both from her tribe and the surface Hoth.

Fbathin and Festus led the way as they dove into the shallow water and swam out to the surface of the deep. They tread the surface of the water a moment
.

Hrilla gave her best friend one final wave.

Fbathin ducked her head back into the water and came up with her hair slicked back. Her lovely smile could easily been seen but her expression grew serious and focused when Festus’ short gathering call was heard.

He
gave one strong leap that shot him out of the water. Then falling back to the wet surface he dove as if the water itself had opened for his tiny body to slide through.

The others followed suit and the group dove fast into the depths of the clear water; racing past sea creatures both big and small. Schools of fish split formation and darted away.

A large squid appeared quickly then shot like lightening out of their way. Down, down they went, until Fbathin thought her gills would burst from being over worked but then she saw it. The light of Ot was brilliant and inviting. She swam harder and faster, cutting her body through the water like a sharp blade.

She pointed out in front of her to show Festus where to surface in the large underground lake. There was a place along the edge of the water where they could hide easily.

Tiny heads sprang from the depths with their gills flailing open as well as their mouths sucking in the much needed air.

With half of her body out of the water she called softly to some of her friends who knew the tunnels of Tapsin’s Empire.

She whispered to those she had made leaders. “You,” she pointed, “Go to the Hoth tunnel and take twenty with you. Get all of the Hoth here and show them the way of escape. And make sure you bring my sister.”

“Y
ou, Shan,” she pointed to a boy. “Go on the planting trails and bring back the children of the Goweli, Tsila and Anthro.”

“But I thought we were here for the Hoth,” Festus quickly asked.

Shan remained motionless.

“I’m taking all the children,” she said with focus. “If we leave them they will be slaughtered by that tyrant. Now go, Sha
n,” she demanded to the Hoth to whom she had just given instruction. “And take twenty with you as well. When you return here, take them to the surface.”

“But only those that can use their gills can come that far in the water. The others will be lost,” Festus argued.

“We will give them our air,” Fbathin said as if she had already thought it through.

“You will not survive,” Festus said.

“Maybe not,” she said in a hiss. “But I will not allow them to be sacrificed.”

Shan still remained in his place as his eyes dashed from Fbathin to Festus.

Festus grew exasperated by Fbathin’s change in plans.

“I didn’t agree to this. I don’t want to die,” he said almost as a plea.

Fbathin took a long breath and said, “Who’s with Festus?”

Festus and Fbathin looked around the group that still surrounded them. Not one Hoth moved from their position.