you’re confused. Everybody knows what happened. They caused the Catastrophe.” The corners of her eyes crinkled as she said, “Whenever my clan comes across one of those abominations, we put them down.”
“Whether or not the aliens destroyed our world, it wasn’t this particular one. The Ancient Teachings still apply.”
“What would the Ancient Teachings have you do?”
“Should help the Joey.” This time he intentionally kept his statement short. In his opinion, they both should help, but in any case, Dalan had to. The Teachings compelled his actions.
“Nothing in there about mercy killings?”
Dalan stared at her. “The Ancients didn’t believe in killing, except under two conditions—”
“So you’ve said.” She held up a hand. “Let me try to put this another way. The Joey wouldn’t try to help you, if the situation were reversed.”
He spread his hands and broke into a jog. “Can’t know that. Can’t assume he would try to kill us, since as far as we know he’s innocent—”
“Innocent? What insane tribe do you belong to? No one is innocent, you fool. Except perhaps you!”
Nyr stopped in her tracks, and Dalan paused despite himself.
“You must have thought…” Her head tilted to the side as she regarded him. “You idiot. Do you want to know why those men chased me in the first place? They weren’t marauders.”
Without waiting for a response, she said, “ I burned down their homes, injured their leader, and killed a few of them.”
Dalan turned away, trying to hide his shock. He ran a hand through his hair, and dust puffed out. Saquey hovered nearby, as though sensing his distress.
He heard her boot scratch across sand. “Out here, nobody else follows your Ancient Teachings, so get over it. It’s time to put that Joey out of its misery. Besides, I hear the tail meat is delicious.”
She brushed past him. Almost out of hearing distance, she muttered, “I don’t care what you have to say about him.” She spoke to the wind again.
“What have I done?”
Saquey’s huge compound eyes seemed to accuse him.
The Teachings condoned killing in defense of life or to avenge life taken. Those men were well within their rights to take vengeance on Nyr. But Dalan had gotten involved and murdered one of them himself. They’d died because Dalan believed he had all the answers—that blindly following the Teachings was enough. What a fool he’d been.
He squeezed his eyes closed. Nyr was right. He was too naïve to be out in the world. He’d assumed saving Nyr was his chance to solve a problem as the trials demanded. Dalan went cold at the thought.
He hadn’t completed the trials.
Not only that, but he’d actually prevented the Ancient Teachings from being carried out. He couldn’t imagine what the elders would command in reparation, but he had to atone for his ignorant crimes somehow.
Saquey suddenly fell silent, and Dalan opened his eyes to find the dragonfly resting on the ground in front of him. It shot up into the sky, drilled past Dalan, and headed back toward the Joey. “Yes, Saquey. Must do what I know is right.”
Dalan watched Nyr slink toward the ravine. She would kill the Joey, harvest his belongings like she’d been doing all along, and add another innocent to Dalan’s tally. She should be dead.
Would killing her make up for what he’d done?
Heart pounding, Dalan began to transmeld.
Chapter 4
Caetl pressed his open palm against the shimmering green force field separating the front room of the hut from the back. He marveled that the technology continued to function, but he’d learned not to underestimate the Wizard’s proficiency in applying Ancient knowledge.
The force field’s quiet hum sometimes helped Caetl focus, silencing the thoughts of those nearer to him, allowing him to concentrate on the network formed by the artifacts. He gripped the purple artifact hanging from his neck, hiding the pair of glowing dots in the
“Whether or not the aliens destroyed our world, it wasn’t this particular one. The Ancient Teachings still apply.”
“What would the Ancient Teachings have you do?”
“Should help the Joey.” This time he intentionally kept his statement short. In his opinion, they both should help, but in any case, Dalan had to. The Teachings compelled his actions.
“Nothing in there about mercy killings?”
Dalan stared at her. “The Ancients didn’t believe in killing, except under two conditions—”
“So you’ve said.” She held up a hand. “Let me try to put this another way. The Joey wouldn’t try to help you, if the situation were reversed.”
He spread his hands and broke into a jog. “Can’t know that. Can’t assume he would try to kill us, since as far as we know he’s innocent—”
“Innocent? What insane tribe do you belong to? No one is innocent, you fool. Except perhaps you!”
Nyr stopped in her tracks, and Dalan paused despite himself.
“You must have thought…” Her head tilted to the side as she regarded him. “You idiot. Do you want to know why those men chased me in the first place? They weren’t marauders.”
Without waiting for a response, she said, “ I burned down their homes, injured their leader, and killed a few of them.”
Dalan turned away, trying to hide his shock. He ran a hand through his hair, and dust puffed out. Saquey hovered nearby, as though sensing his distress.
He heard her boot scratch across sand. “Out here, nobody else follows your Ancient Teachings, so get over it. It’s time to put that Joey out of its misery. Besides, I hear the tail meat is delicious.”
She brushed past him. Almost out of hearing distance, she muttered, “I don’t care what you have to say about him.” She spoke to the wind again.
“What have I done?”
Saquey’s huge compound eyes seemed to accuse him.
The Teachings condoned killing in defense of life or to avenge life taken. Those men were well within their rights to take vengeance on Nyr. But Dalan had gotten involved and murdered one of them himself. They’d died because Dalan believed he had all the answers—that blindly following the Teachings was enough. What a fool he’d been.
He squeezed his eyes closed. Nyr was right. He was too naïve to be out in the world. He’d assumed saving Nyr was his chance to solve a problem as the trials demanded. Dalan went cold at the thought.
He hadn’t completed the trials.
Not only that, but he’d actually prevented the Ancient Teachings from being carried out. He couldn’t imagine what the elders would command in reparation, but he had to atone for his ignorant crimes somehow.
Saquey suddenly fell silent, and Dalan opened his eyes to find the dragonfly resting on the ground in front of him. It shot up into the sky, drilled past Dalan, and headed back toward the Joey. “Yes, Saquey. Must do what I know is right.”
Dalan watched Nyr slink toward the ravine. She would kill the Joey, harvest his belongings like she’d been doing all along, and add another innocent to Dalan’s tally. She should be dead.
Would killing her make up for what he’d done?
Heart pounding, Dalan began to transmeld.
Chapter 4
Caetl pressed his open palm against the shimmering green force field separating the front room of the hut from the back. He marveled that the technology continued to function, but he’d learned not to underestimate the Wizard’s proficiency in applying Ancient knowledge.
The force field’s quiet hum sometimes helped Caetl focus, silencing the thoughts of those nearer to him, allowing him to concentrate on the network formed by the artifacts. He gripped the purple artifact hanging from his neck, hiding the pair of glowing dots in the
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