On Another World Ch. 08

"Why not?"

"I cannot say...I do not know, my Lord." Then Lot-tah knelt next to my bedroll, put a hand gently on my cheek and pulled me toward her. Briefly, I was worried that she was going to kiss me. Despite her age, she was quite attractive, having the body of a fit fifty-year-old on Earth, but I knew her to be well over 600 years of age.

Instead, she brought my forehead in contact with hers. As with the others, I could feel her emotions clearly...along with something else. A few of her thoughts came through as well. An idea started forming in my head. "Can it be done?" I whispered to Lot-tah.

"Yes, my Lord...it can." She replied

"Will there not be difficulties?

"Maybe some in the beginning, but...." Lot-ah smiled a knowing smile. "...are you not The One?"

I nodded and then returned her smile. "Then, so be it."

Then Lot-tah did kiss me. It wasn't an intimate kiss, but more than friends would usually share. She stood, turned and casually strolled to the river, shaking her hips a little more than normal.

Seq-qah giggled. "I think that maybe she wants thee, Master."

I looked at her sharply.

Immediately, she lowered her head to the ground, but her eyes did not leave mine. Please, Master. Forgive this silly unworthy slave. I meant no disresp.... She was unable to continue because I reached out snatched her from the ground and kissed her deeply. Oh, Master....

We made love and fell asleep in each other's arms.

********************

I awoke to find Seq-qah's naked body snuggled tightly against mine. A blissful smile covered her face as she smiled at me. She appeared to have awoken just minutes before me.

She hugged me, and then kissed my chest. Good morning, my sweet Master.

And to you, dearest Seq-qah. I was in an exceptionally good mood. Even with my mood though, I was still deeply concern with Verella's predicament. I had to do something, but what?

The near by stream was not wide nor deep enough to bathe properly, but I noticed, as Seq-qah and I crawled out of the bedroll that Qaj-jah and Qij-jah had filled two tubs of water from it. One was heated for shaving. The 'Q-girls' would give me my bath while Seq-qah shaved me.

Just as she finished, soft voice entered my head as if from far away. Master? It is I, Noj-jah. Her voice, while clear, had a distant echo like quality to it.

Yes Noj-jah, I can hear you.

Good Master, Ayl-lah and I are well

I got straight to business. Report.

All thou hast been told about Kahn is true, Master. Especially concerning his treatment of thy first wife. Worse yet, the guards mistreat her terribly. They force her to serve their pleasure after he is done with her. Kahn knows this and says nothing to them.

Seq-qah spoke. By Kriegor's love, something must be done, Master. For Seq-qah to invoke Kriegor's name, she must have been truly upset.

Something shall be done! I said. I just didn't know what...yet.

The slave wagon she is kept in, is well separated from the others and is at the edge of the camp. That is all for now, Master. I shall report more to thee as I learn it. Noj-jah said then broke the connection.

As we broke down the campsite, I sought out Kôjar and said to him. "Take your time, Major. We need to get some distance between Kahn and ourselves." I unrolled a map, laid it out, and pointed. "See the fork in the road here?" He nodded. "Kahn will go west here...we shall take the right fork and head north."

"Then you're going after her?" He asked.

"I must. I just cannot leave her in that situation. Was she not taken from me in the first place?" I said, warming to my still growing anger. "Kidnapped! Taken against her will!"

"What is your plan, M'lord?"

I chuckled. "Still working on that. I'll let you know."

About an hour after resuming our travels, we came to the fork in the road that Kôjar and I had discussed before starting out that morning. Kahn, as I knew he would, went to the left, following the main road leading him back to Zoqeland. We turned right on the lesser traveled path to the north. It went on north for a league or so, and then turned west, running parallel the main road for 20 leagues before turning back north to the coast, several weeks away.

We decided to take a short break to enjoy the noonday meal, when a slightly panicked voice echoed in my head. Master! Master! 'Tis I, Noj-jah. Something just must be done....

What? Tell me what's going on there.

Master, Kahn no longer has any interest in thy first wife. He told her this much. He has now decided to keep her locked away until we reach Zoqeland, where he plans to execute her. He told her that he is going to burn her alive.

He's no longer raping her?

No, Master...he has me now. Disgust was evident in her voice.

I sighed. You had to know what you were getting yourself into. I wish there was something I could do, nonetheless.

No matter, Master...I am serving thee.

It's too much....

Nay Master. Satisfying his buffoonish carnal desires is a small price to pay to be of service to thee.

I must find a way to rescue her.

Be careful, Master.

The connection between Noj-jah and me was broken again.

"Kôjar.... I yelled. "...We will have a meeting when we stop for the night...let everyone know."

He appeared before me an instant later. "It shall be as you say M'lord. May I ask you what the meeting is for?"

"I'm going after my wife."

Travel resumed after while. I was formulating a plan in my mind as to how to get Verella out of there and away from Kahn.

Seq-qah rode at my side. Will it be this night, Master?

I looked at her.

Will it be this night we fetch thy first wife?

Not we! You will remain behind at the camp.

No Master, I shall be accompanying thee. The law is clear. It is my right.

She was right, of course. The law was on her side. Much to my chagrin, the laws heavily favored expectant mothers. "Very well." I sighed.

I spoke to Kôjar and even got some input from Zeq-qoh. I would need as many Qoo-jans as I could get. Few are better at close-in silent killing.

Late in the afternoon, we camped. I concentrated. Noj-ah?

I am here, Master. Her response was immediate.

Have you set up camp yet?

Just now...Verella's wagon will be on the north side. And Master? I beg thee to be careful.

I shall do so. I said, ending contact.

********************

That night, I assembled my rescue party. Qaj-jah, Qij-jah and Seq-qah would be coming. I tried without success to exclude Seq-qah due to her pregnancy. I silently curse her extensive knowledge of Terranian law, which stated that she was in fact, within her rights to come along, even as dangerous as it would be. Zeq-qoh, Zeq-qah and Zog-gah would also be accompanying me. All were dressed for combat...and armed. I had decided to discard my slavers garb and go back to my chain mail and the black and gold tunic.

Of course, Kôjar would also be coming along and Garinn, the quiet young corporal. I checked everyone's weapons and equipment. I had put a shoulder holster on Seq-qah so she was also armed with a .45 along with her kattari. I pulled the Colt from its holster to ensure that the silencer had been screwed onto the end of the barrel. I replaced it and while still holding it, I patted mine. Only as a last resort. I told her. She nodded her understanding.

All the others would also dress for battle, but would remain behind to guard the camp.

It was about an hour before full dark, but we were all ready to go. Then, Lot-tah was there. "My Lord, thou must needs reconsider this plan!" It wasn't a shout, but she spoke forcefully.

"I must do this... surely you can see that."

"I understand that, but I have seen death. I know not yet whose."

"Mine?" I asked her.

"Nay, my Lord, but someone close to thee."

"Are you sure?"

"My Lord, a seer sees what will most likely come to pass, not what will come to pass. I cannot be positively certain. Remember too, my Lord, these events I see can change over time."

I looked at her a long moment. "I cannot leave her there like that! It's just too..." I stopped, not sure what to say. Cruel didn't even close to describing what Kahn was doing to Verella.

Lot-tah nodded sadly. "I understand...and with reluctance, I agree to a point. I felt that it was necessary to warn thee of the dangers though, my Lord." She looked at me, opened her mouth to speak, but did not. She started to speak again, and again she said nothing.

"What is it, Lot-tah?" I said a bit gruffer than I meant to.

She looked up at me almost timidly, which was a bit of a surprise, as I knew there wasn't a timid bone in her little body. "My lord," she started. "Given all that has passed and Kahn's plans for her. I cannot help but wonder that if rescue is not possible...." She hesitated. "...perhaps death would be preferable to thy first wife."

"Let her die? Or worse yet, kill Verella?" I almost shouted. "Murder her?" This time I did shout. All those gathered around stopped and starred at Lot-tah and I, not knowing what we were talking about.

"My Lord! I..." She paused. "...forgive me, my Lord. I should not presume to speak for another."

I lowered my voice so that only she could hear me. "Lot-ah, you know I am from another world. Your ways are not mine. You're suggesting that I kill... murder an unarmed woman in cold blood."

"It would not be murder, my Lord. It would be a mercy... a..."

"The word on my world is euthanasia... and I'm not sure I can do that to her."

"I cannot speak for her, my Lord, but I know that I would rather die than go through what is being forced upon thy first wife." She went on. "I am saying this should be considered only if her rescue is not possible. Her sanity cannot last much longer."

"No, I cannot!" I snarled through clenched teeth. What pissed me off the most was that Lot-tah's suggestion made sense... to a point. Still, I did not think I could ever bring myself to kill her.

"I will be accompanying you on this mission, my Lord."

"Like hell..." I said, and then fell silent. The look on her face told me it would be useless to argue. I sighed. "You'll remain in the rear of our group and, you will take no risks... understand?

"Yes, my Lord."

We headed out to the north into the forest when it became fully dark. I left another of Kôjar's men in charge of the camp. Tomahn, a large and powerful looking young man. He was not the proverbial 'sharpest tool in the drawer' but was completely loyal. During the attempt on my life, he had killed two of the assassins simply by breaking their necks. His comrades joked that he was too dumb to ever be afraid of anything.

I estimated that it would take nearly two hours to reach the edge of Kahn's camp. We traveled in our initial northern direction for about two leagues at a slow run, the turned to the southwest without slowing our pace. It was a beautiful cloudless night. Dark, because none of Terrania's three moons had risen yet. The stars were too numerous to count. I could not help noticing a certain dim yellow star, around which the planet of my birth orbited. It lay near the center of a large constellation that resembled a peacock. The eastern sky was a tiny bit brighter than the rest. I knew that Qoo-jah, the nearest, largest and brightest of the moons would be rising in just over an hour. The brightest body in the sky now, Kyllajahr, a huge blue-green gas giant. The next planet out orbiting Sirius, Terrania's sun, was sinking in the western sky.

There were insects, similar to crickets on Earth chirping just as they do there. There were other kinds of night flora and fauna as well. Qo-chahks, small reptilian chicken-like creatures, which are actually native to Qoo-jah, but flourish here and are quite good to eat, would fly from tree to tree in search of food.

An hour after we departed our camp, we come to a wide rapidly moving river. Fortunately, it was shallow enough to wade across. Upon reaching the other side, my party and I continued westward. Despite Lot-tah's warning, this mission was unavoidable. It had to be done. I thought about what she'd told me. I was sure that I would not be able to take Verella's life. So, what would I do if the rescue proved impossible to accomplish? Regrettably, I had no answer for that question. Time seemed frozen. When would we get there?

Just as Qoo-jah began to peak over the horizon, we arrived at the northern edge of Kahn's camp. As Noj-jah had informed me, the slave wagon with the cage that contained Verella was there. An unlikely distance from everything else. This, I assumed, served to further isolate her. There were only two guards that I could see; each was 50 or 60 yards away from the wagon. With an almost imperceptible nod from me, the 'Q-girls' slipped quickly and quietly away to my left...Zeq-qah and Zog-gah to my right.

Unlike normal slave wagons, this one supported what looked more like a large metal strong box than a cage. It had louvered windows so anyone inside could see little or nothing outside. The sooner we eliminated the guards and got her out of there, the better.

A few minutes later, both guards were down, dead before they knew anyone was even close to them. The only sound, a barely audible 'zing' as the 'Q-girls' kattari made contact as the passed through the guard's neck from opposite sides. Then, my beautiful Qoo-jan warriors set up a loose defensive perimeter as the rest of us moved in.

We approached the wagon silently. I stopped less than ten feet away. With a short wave from me, Kôjar and Garinn snuck in the rest of the way. After a moment, they managed to untie the knots and opened the cage door.

What happened next, none of us could have anticipated. A naked, blonde haired woman flew out and attacked them. She hissed and spit at them like a mad alley cat, but was otherwise quiet. It was, as I expected, Verella. She bowled into Garinn, knocking him off his feet. She clawed his face and bit his left wrist. As Kôjar was attempting to get his arms around to subdue her, she snatched the dagger from his waist and jumped back. The look on Verella's face was wild...almost like an untamed animal, her eyes savage. She looked at Kôjar and then Garinn, not knowing either of them.

"No more!" She said in a harsh whisper. "No more!" Then before anyone could react, she turned the dagger in her hand and stabbed herself through the breast.

I ran to her as she slipped to the ground, seemingly in slow motion. I checked where the dagger protruded from her chest first. In her haste, she missed the heart, yet I could tell that her wound was still mortal. Nothing could save her now. "Verella!" I said, grief threatening to close all the air to my lungs.

She recognized me immediately. "My husband...." Her voice was scarcely more than a whisper. "...I thank all the deities than I was able to see you...to be with you one more time before my death." A tender smile. Kiss me once more, my husband." I kissed her gently. And then she raised a hand to caress my cheek, smiling. Then, her eyes went vacant, her hand fell to the ground and I knew she was gone.

For the next few moments, I could see or hear nothing. Profound grief consumed my every thought. I blamed myself for Verella's death. Even more than I blamed Kahn. If I had moved to rescue her sooner.... If I had loved her more. If...if.... "Ah, hell." I muttered and started crying in earnest.

The mission was a failure. Lot-tah appeared at my side. "I grieve with thee, my Lord." I felt her sadness mingle with my own. She had, as I expected, the good sense not to say 'I told you so'.

I sarcastically muttered. "It can't get any worse, can it?" Little did I know.

I looked about. It was time to head back. First, I checked my lovely black Valkyries...Zog-gah to the far right. All seemed well with her. Then Zeq-qah and Qij-jah...and finally Qaj-jah. She was the only one who'd actually witnessed Verella dying. She looked at me sadly. Then, the expression on her face changed. The sadness was replaced by confusion, followed by intense pain. I stared in shock as a bloody sword blade emerged in the center of her chest from behind. She looked down at the blade and then back at me. "Master, forgive me. I love th...." She fell face down on the forest floor and died. When she fell, her attacker was exposed. A young man with a self-satisfied grin on his face. "Stupid slave," he said.

Without thinking, I pulled out my Colt and shot the bastard right between the eyes and even before he fell; Seq-qah, Qij-jah and I were at Qaj-jah's side. Fortunately, for all of us, the sound of the silenced gunshot did not travel far.

This was absolutely devastating. First Verella and now Qaj-jah. I'd lost them both on a mission that probably was a mistake from the start. Verella took her own life, a terrible, unforgivable sin on this world. And Qaj-jah died asking my forgiveness for something that was not even her fault. A cold murderous rage enveloped me. I jumped to my feet... and then, inexplicably blacked out.

********************

I regained consciousness some time later. I was being carried on an improvised litter, and was crossing the river we had come across earlier. As I started to sit up, a firm gentle, hand stopped me. Lot-tah spoke in a hushed tone. "You will be fine, my Lord. It seems you temporarily lost your senses." She looked across the litter at Seq-qah. "You were going to attack Kahn and try to kill him."

Seq-qah gave me a weak smile and said, trepidation filling her voice. "We had to stop thee, Master. We were only nine...going after more than a hundred would have been foolish."

Lot-tah continued. "She bit thee... used her venom to stop thee from getting thyself killed... and the rest of us with thee. The effort would have been noble, but there was no chance of success."

Please...please forgive me, Master. Seq-qah said. My only thought was for thy safety. I cannot bear the thought of losing thee.

I was both angry and pleased with her. I did want to kill Kahn, but such an attack certainly would have been suicide. And Lot-tah was more of a Godsend than I ever imagined. She was easily as smart as I was and probably a whole lot wiser.

"The bodies...?" I managed to croak out.

"We brought them this far. The river here is swift and the southern coast is not far. It is our hope that by the time Kahn notices that anything is amiss, the bodies will have washed out to sea." Lot-tah said. "It is also our hope that he will think those guards stole Verella for their own use and ran away, taking her with them."

Seq-qah picked it up here. "Kôjar and Garinn cleaned up as best they could. There is no sign that we were ever there.

We reached the far riverbank. I watched as Kôjar, Garinn and Zeq-qoh released the bundled bodies and let the current take them downstream. The so-called 'empty husk' theory about the dead still bothered me a little. Although dead, Verella and Qaj-jah's bodies were still that...their bodies. On Terrania, the dead were processed and became fertilizer. Cemeteries and graveyards were virtually unknown. According to their beliefs, once Verella was dead, everything that was actually Verella went to the afterlife. I was and still am unclear if they believe it to be a physical place.

"They are with their gods." Lot-tah said quietly. I watched til I could no longer see them and then, we resumed our trek back to camp.

It was not yet midnight when we got back to camp. I was mildly surprised to see three bodies laid out at the edge. Tomahn approached and saluted me. "Bandits M'lord. I figure they saw you leave and assumed the camp would be unguarded. Well, I guess they assumed wrong, didn't they?" He was obviously quite pleased with himself.