The Power of Gnaris (12 page)

Elena snivelled.

“At sunset I will take
you from the ship and find a place to kill you. You will be
sacrificed in the same way that the Karavec embryos were killed

butchered. Do you understand?”

Elena tried to be
brave. “Yes, Lord Barrow,” she said. “I understand.”

“In the meantime your
hands will be tied, and you are not permitted to leave this room,
or to communicate with the others.”

When evening came,
Barrow led Elena from the ship, using a back entrance so that no
one else would know what was happening, or ask any difficult
questions. He needed to deal with Elena swiftly and
efficiently.

He took her to
the seclusion of the rocks, close to where Forster had met with
Jesse and the others the day before. She lay down on a flat rock,
and awaited her fate. Barrow removed a knife from a sheaf on his
belt, and held it poised above her prostrate body; then he began
chanting the familiar prayer to the gods. He entered into a trance,
a semi-conscious state that temporarily interrupted his ability to
use his gnaris to observe his surroundings. “Oh, mighty gods,” he
said, “hear us from across the great darkness. You dwell far away
in another galaxy

”

At that
moment, Barrow felt a searing pain when something cracked into his
skull. He tottered forwards, and landed in a heap on top of
Elena.

“What
the

” Elena didn’t finish her sentence.
She felt something being placed over her head. It felt quite soft,
but was heavy and smelt vile

a mixture
of stale lanolin and rotting animal flesh. She had difficulty
breathing, and the stench almost made her vomit. She felt a pair of
hands lift her up, and then she had the sensation of being carried
on the bony shoulder of someone, or some two-legged animal.

The creature
that had captured her walked for what seemed like an hour, but was
probably much less, before tossing her body to the ground. She lay
still for several minutes, not daring to move, every part of her
body aching and bruised. When she finally found the courage to
investigate where she was, she tossed the heavy smelly animal skin
to one side. She could not see a thing. She used gnaris to feel her
way around her prison. It seemed that its walls consisted of solid
rock, and she could detect no way out except for one small crack
that served as an entrance to her prison.

She felt
another presence in the darkness. From her sitting position, she
edged her way over to the unconscious form of the Great Savant. She
heard his shallow breathing, and thanked the gods that he was not
dead. Just a few minutes earlier he had been prepared to kill her,
but she could not have borne the burden of knowing that he might
die instead of her. He was the Great Savant. He could not die.

She shook him.
“Lord Barrow, wake up,” she whispered. He groaned, but did not
stir.

She searched
his belt to try to locate the knife that he had intended to use
against her, but to no avail. She grappled on the rocky floor, and
gathered together a few small stones that she might use as
projectiles when her captors returned. She lay awake for several
hours before fatigue took over, and she sunk into a restless
sleep.

Many hours
later, her captors returned. They brought with them flaming torches
that cast an eerie shadow on the rock walls of the cave. The light
stung Elena’s sensitive eyes, and she wondered what had happened to
her goggles.

There were
three creatures, all male, unshaven and with long dishevelled hair.
Their bodies were clothed in skins of animals, and they wore
nothing on their feet.

By the light
of the torches, Elena noticed that one wall of the cave was covered
with a series of simple paintings depicting what appeared to be a
group of primitive beings hunting some kind of animal. She resolved
to take a closer look later.

She grabbed a
stone and hurled it towards the nearest of the hairy creatures, but
her eyes were blurred, and the stone missed its target. Before she
could throw another, two of the men had grabbed her by the
arms.

The third man
kicked Barrow. When he didn’t move, the man kicked Elena instead,
making her howl out in pain. He grunted at her in some
undecipherable language, a primitive means of communication. She
cowered into a corner, and whimpered.

The man
grabbed her with his large strong hands. and dragged her limp body
towards the exit.

Outside,
darkness prevailed. Elena surmised that a full night and day must
have passed since her capture. A large group of creatures sat
around an open fire, some eating meat from bones; others smoked a
pipe, which they each dragged on before passing it to their
neighbour. Elena felt several emotions at once. She felt scared,
but she also suffered pangs of hunger. It was the Karavec way not
to eat meals at regular times, but every so often they would gorge
themselves with food and this would sate them for several days, if
not weeks. She had not eaten since they had left Hikon, and the
sight and smell of the food made her feel very hungry.

Then she found
herself surrounded by a group of eight women dressed in skins and
feathered headdresses. They prodded her and made grunting noises.
She tried to push them away, but this made them draw closer and
more excited.

Then, from the
darkness, a drum began beating and others in the crowd started
blowing whistles and flutes made from bone and wood. The women drew
back a little, but kept close to Elena. The tall graceful women
held their hands above their heads and began to dance. To the beat
of the drum, they jumped and pranced around Elena, at the same time
chanting in a low hum. Then the beat slowed, and they began swaying
sensually. This continued for several minutes before the rhythm
quickened again. The pace of the dance and the women’s chanting
also increased while they worked themselves up into a frenzy. They
seemed to be in a state of trance, and oblivious to their
surroundings.

Then the drum
stopped abruptly, and the women collapsed exhausted in a heap
surrounding Elena. She screamed.

A burly man
approached her. She saw the glint of a knife in his hand, and she
cowered. She prepared herself for death once again. Then she
noticed that the knife carried a chunk of meat. The man held the
knife in front of her face, and said something in his guttural
language.

Elena
hesitated.

The greasy
aroma of roast pork teased her nostrils. Saliva welled up in her
mouth.

The man
repeated his invitation.

She reached
out and grabbed the meat. She accepted this offering, not so much
because it would satisfy her hunger, but more because the act
showed signs that these creatures meant her no further harm.

She started
gnawing on the meat and then, realising that everyone had their
eyes set firmly on her, encouraging her to eat, she sunk her teeth
into the flesh and started eating ravenously. When she had
finished, they brought her more, which she gladly accepted.

Then they led
her to the group sitting around the fire and prodded her, urging
her to sit. They passed her the pipe, which she interpreted as a
sign of acceptance. She placed it between her lips and drew on the
smoke. When she spluttered a little but did not choke, the crowd
broke out into a cheer.

Next they
passed around cups of liquor. The cups they used were made from
some kind of shell. When the woman on her right offered her the
cup, Elena sniffed at the contents. It smelt of alcohol, but also
had a pungent smell which reminded her of the odour of a
vile-smelling plant that grows on Hikon. She shook her head, and
passed the cup on to the next woman.

Elena thanked
them, but knew that they would not understand. Then she pointed
towards the mouth of the cave, indicating that her companion lay
inside.

A tall
imposing man, who wore a spotted skin from some animal that must
have been highly prized, snapped his fingers. Two others stood and
marched inside. They returned a few moments later with Barrow. The
Great Savant was conscious, but very weak, so the two men supported
him, one on either side. They sat him down next to Elena.

The chief
snapped his fingers again, and a young man brought meat to Barrow.
The Great Savant looked suspiciously at the strange creatures, and
hesitated. Elena nodded in his direction, smiling faintly. Barrow
accepted the meat, and devoured it.

When he had
finished eating, a girl came up behind him and began massaging some
kind of balm into the wound on his hairless head. He turned
abruptly when he felt the cool ointment, then surrendered when he
sensed the pain subsiding.

When they sat
alone together in the cave later in the night, Barrow and Elena
talked.

The cave was
in darkness, but a torch placed by one of the Primitives in the
entrance passage cast a dim glow across the wall of paintings.

“Who are these
creatures?” Barrow asked.

“These must be
the Prehistorics that Jesse spoke of to Forster,” she replied.

“Why have they
brought us here, and what do they want?”

“I don’t know.
They were very hostile when they first took us prisoner, but now
they appear to be friendly.”

“Is it
possible that they mistook us for someone or something else?”

“Yes, I
believe they thought we were from the city. They must be afraid of
the city people who probably do not understand them, and wish them
harm. Then, when they examined me closely and discovered that I am
different, their mood towards me changed.”

Barrow was
more sceptical. “I am not comfortable being held by these
creatures, even if they mean us no harm. We must get away from them
as quickly as possible.”

“But how? We
are still their prisoners.”

“I have the
goggles,” he said.

“Mine
too?”

“Yes, when I
began the ritual of sacrifice, I took your goggles and secured them
with mine under my tunic.”

“The goggles
will certainly help us to survive in the daylight, but how can they
help us escape?”

“Mine are
different,” he said. “They are the goggles I wore during the
meeting of the Council. They have stored in them the combined
gnaris from the members of the Council. This gives me great power
that I can use against any hostiles that we might meet on
Ziemia.”

Elena
nodded.

“But, how did
the Primitives manage to overcome you, when we were at the
rocks?”

“I was
careless. My gnaris is disabled when I enter into a trance. In the
safety of my chapel, that does not present a problem. At other
times, I usually take guards with me to warn of any danger. On this
occasion, I was so preoccupied with the need to keep your sacrifice
secret that I neglected to call the guards.”

“I see, but
surely you do not mean to use the power of the goggles against
these creatures. They are being friendly towards us.”

“I will use
them against whomever I wish,” he said with a hint of anger.

“But

”

“Elena, you
should be grateful that you are still alive. Do not question my
authority. When we get the chance, we’re getting out of here.
Understand?”

“Yes, Lord
Barrow.”

He continued
in a more conciliatory tone. “Remember why we are here, Elena. We
are not here to help these people, or to be sympathetic towards
them. Our mission is to find the murderer and his accomplices.
Anyone who stands in our way must be dealt with.”

“Yes,” she
said with a nod. Then after a pause, she added, “What is to become
of me?”

“By these
circumstances that have delivered you from death, the gods have
indicated that you are not to be sacrificed. But be warned, if you
make another mistake, they will not be so tolerant next time. Now
you have a job to do, and that is to support me.”

“Thank you,
Great Savant,” she said.

When Barrow
sunk into a restless sleep, Elena stood in order to take a closer
look at the paintings she had noticed earlier on the cave wall.

There were six
paintings in all that appeared to illustrate a series of events in
the Prehistorics’ hunt.

The first
painting showed a herd of large four-legged animals, each with a
pair of sharp horns protruding from their heads. They were depicted
running across an area of flat land and, by the clouds of dust
swirling around, seemed to be charging across the plain towards
some goal.

The second
painting showed a group of eleven hunters who were hiding behind
piles of rocks near the top of a near-vertical cliff. They had
arranged the rocks in lines on either side of a track that made a
kind of funnel, wide apart at the end of the plain, but getting
closer together towards the cliff.

The third
painting showed the animals inside the funnel, now charging
headlong towards the cliff. The Prehistorics had appeared from
behind the piles of rock and were waving animal skins to frighten
the animals in order to keep them inside the funnel.

The fourth
painting showed the animals, some teetering on the brink of the
cliff, some careering from the cliff down towards their death, and
piles of dead animals at the base of the cliff.

The fifth
painting showed the group of Prehistorics at the top of the cliff,
some with their arms held high, cheering the success of the
hunt.

The final
painting showed the Prehistorics at the base of the cliff,
butchering some of the animals, and dragging large pieces of meat
away on travoises.

Elena lay down
and thought about the paintings and the rituals she had witnessed
earlier. She marvelled at the ingenuity of the Prehistorics, and
speculated about their potential to learn and become more developed
as a race. She regretted that Barrow was planning to harm these
creatures. She drifted into a restless sleep.