Antarians Shed Tears Too


"Michael Gets An Answer"

Chapter 25

XXV

Hosk yowled and climbed over the bed trying to hide on the other side. He didn't know what hurt worse, the swelling Kathleen had given him or the smoking patch of singed hide on his side, where Michael's power bolt had hit.

"I swear, Mike-eel, I don't know this Jasp-Ard or anything about Alyendis."

A bolt of energy brushed across Hosk's chest, setting the patch of odd hairs on his otherwise lizardskin-like chest afire. Hosk howled and slapped at the small fire to extinguish it, turning his back to Michael to protect himself from further injury. As he turned, a bolt of green flame struck him squarely across the butt, leaving it smoking from one side to the other. Hosk leapt to the ceiling where he held on with the unusual suction palms and foot pads that Ghors have. Younger Ghors were apt to jump like this, but those Hosk's age rarely did it. Today proved to be an exception.

"I want answers, Hosk! I want answers now!" Michael said. Hosk could see that Michael was in no mood for any argument and wasn't going to just go away.

Another bolt struck, knocking Hosk off the ceiling. Fortunately for him, he fell into the bed.

"Okay! Okay!" Hosk yowled. "I'll tell you anything you want to know. Please, just don't do that again!" Hosk took a glass of water from the counter beside the bed and poured it over some of his wounds. They sizzled, and an acrid smoke rose into the air. Hosk whimpered. Fortunately for Hosk, Ghors have several full layers of skin, so the burns would not be serious from a real health standpoint. Unfortunately for Hosk, the outer layer of skin, particularly, is endowed with an abundance of sensory nerves. They give the Ghors an exceptional sense of feel. They also provide excruciating pain under the right circumstances.

"What is Grorjish?" Michael asked. What is Alyendis? And who is Jasp-Ard?"

Hosk whimpered. "Grorjish is an old Ghor name for Alyendis."

"I should have known," Michael said. "Sounds like your growling. What is Alyendis?"

Hosk was silent for a moment. Michael raised his hand…

"Okay! Okay! Alyendis… is… There is no such place…"

"What?" Michael exclaimed. "What do you mean no such place?"

"Well, not yet…" Hosk clarified. "Alyendis… is the name of a planet, but it's not called that yet."

Michael was losing his patience. "Hosk, make sense or I swear I'll fry you up and feed you to the Dragons!"

Hosk sensed that Michael was not bluffing…

"Jasp-Ard is a time traveler… from the future. The planet Alyendis is where he lives… in the future."

Michael found himself unexpectedly at a loss for words. Finally regaining his train of thought he asked,

"Where is Alyendis, Hosk?"

"You should know!" Hosk said. "You call it 'Earth.'"

-------------------------End of Chapter 25