The King Returns
Chapter 49
XLIX
Max stood on the bridge of the New Granolith, both arms around Liz, and together they stared at the golden orb below. They had no idea what to expect. They knew no one there. And yet… it was magical… mysterious… even alluring in some strange way. It promised hope, joy, love… and mortal danger. But whatever the future held for Max and Liz, whatever their fate was to be, it would happen here… because this was Antar…
And its king had returned.
Kyle watched the planet slowly rotate below the ship then prodded Max jokingly, "Do you think they'll have a welcoming committee for us, Max?"
Max shook his head but managed a slight smile… "I hope not. It probably wouldn't be the kind we would want."
Rahn nodded his agreement. "At least Kivar won't be there, though."
"That is a good thing," Varec agreed, addressing himself to the younger group who would become the rightful leaders of the planet in this dimension, "But a planet that is struggling with warring factions can be dangerous, too. You must not become complacent or let your guard down."
Rahn closed his eyes for a moment, searching his thoughts. "We should turn Nasedo over to the high A'Dak of my people. Perhaps we should go there first. My people are very independent and are not likely to have designs on the king's throne, so they will not be affected by other fighting on the planet. It will be safer among them."
"Safer sounds good to me," Alex agreed, smiling.
"I thought your people were reclusive, though," Maria countered. "I thought they didn't like outsiders."
Rahn nodded. "That's true. They don't. But they will not kill you until after I have explained who you are and why you are here."
"Oh, well, I feel a lot better knowing that, Rahn," Alex said, arching his eyebrows noticeably. "I would hate to get killed anonymously."
Rahn shook his head with calm reassurance. "They will not harm you."
"I hope you're right," Kyle retorted in an ominous tone but with a grin on his face, feigning more concern than he actually felt.
"I am."
Rahn looked out the large window from the New Granolith's bridge and pointed at a valley that they were passing over…
"There. That is my home… between those two mountain ranges."
"It looks beautiful," Liz said, "and peaceful."
Rahn nodded, actually exhibiting a rather unusual amount of human-like emotion as he watched his valley pass beneath the ship.
"That mountain range on the north side is called Tybar-Ly'an. The one on the south is Cy'lax-To'a. The valley between them is called Ke'cje-ka-Ly'a… the 'beautiful home.' It is peaceful and calm. A clear, swift river runs through it, and the high east winds above it are considered a special treasure by our people."
"The wind is considered a national treasure?" Alex asked, somewhat incredulous.
Rahn nodded. "By the Ke'cje… my people, who are shape-shifters, yes, the high east winds are a treasure. They are not just any winds. They are always there… they are always smooth… they are always dependable… they are always warm and strong… and enjoyable."
"The winds?" Alex asked.
"Yes."
"Why?"
Rahn smiled. "Perhaps I will tell you sometime… if the high A'Dak allows it… and if the time seems right."
Max noticed that they were once again approaching the valley, having made a complete orbit of the planet already. He looked at Liz then at the others… then at his double from Antar in the other dimension. Everyone nodded.
"Okay, then… we put the ship down in the valley," agreed the older Max, who was, of course, the actual captain of the ship. "Any place particular, Rahn?"
Rahn pointed. "That area is the most remote, and there is room for the ship there. We can walk from there to the main population center. We will only have to walk over two small mountains."
"Or we can use the sphere," Liz reminded him."
Rahn nodded. "That is also possible, yes."
Max of Antar motioned to Michael, and each took his respective place in one of the two pilots' seats. Max, then Michael, passed his hand over several sensors, causing them to glow, and the ship began to descend toward the valley below. Slightly less than thirty seconds later, the ship was momentarily lifted into the high east wind and swept along with it, but the ship corrected itself automatically and was almost immediately back on track. Moments later, it came to a stop just above the ground. Max looked at Michael, and Michael nodded…
"I think you're home, Rahn."
Rahn swallowed and looked outside, his face now unmistakably betraying something strongly akin to human emotions…
"Over fifty of your earth years… almost the same number in our years… I have not seen my home. Most of that time, I was a prisoner in a dark, isolated cell below your army base, and only a few people knew that I was there. There was no one to help me. I thought that I would spend the rest of my life there… being prodded… being examined… sometimes being tortured… until you came and found me." Rahn smiled and looked at the younger Max and Michael then at Liz, Maria, and Isabel. "I owe all of you my life." Maria noticed that there were actually tears in Rahn's eyes. It was something she had never seen before. She doubted that any amount of torture ever would have brought a tear to his eyes, but this was something else… not sadness or pain. Rahn was home.
Max put one hand on Rahn's shoulder and smiled, and Rahn smiled back through misty eyes…
"We should go! We need to find my people."
Max nodded then turned to Michael… "Do you have the cage… and Nasedo?"
Michael held up the cage with the hawk in it. Max nodded then looked back, as something came up from behind him and rubbed against his hand. It was Jung-Jo.
"Yeah, you're right, boy, I guess you should go with us, too. We can't leave you here all alone, can we?" Max looked at Liz, and she smiled and raised the sphere in her hand…
"Please take everyone here… and Jung-Jo… and the hawk in its cage… to…" Liz hesitated.
"T'an-Ke'cj," Rahn said.
"T'an-Ke'cj."
The portal appeared, and everyone stepped through it, some singly, others in pairs. They stepped out into what appeared to be a town square, and Liz looked around. Immediately, she knew that she was going to like this place. It had all the pleasant atmosphere of a mountain resort. It was shady, it was clean, it was visually appealing in every way… even the temperature was mild and pleasant. There were many people around, but everyone seemed to be relaxed and unconcerned… even about the sudden arrival of a fairly large group of outsiders in their reclusive society… and even about the presence in their midst of Jung-Jo, a pawgor, a predatory species the very name of which brought heart palpitations to nearly everyone on their planet… everyone, it would seem, but the Ke'cje.
Max turned to Michael, Rahn, Varec, Maria, and the others present… "We need to make some plans, guys… about where we go from here… and what we tell anyone about what we're doing here… or who we are. We need to be in agreement on all the details until we know what we're facing."
As the rest of the group talked, the younger Liz walked down the clean, well-manicured walkway away from what was probably the center of the square, a large sort of kiosk near which she and the others had materialized. She stopped at the edge of a clear pond that appeared to be stocked with some kind of ornamental fish that reminded her of the Japanese koi fish that she had occasionally seen back on earth. But these were not koi fish; that was plain to see. They were… well… alien. The pond seemed to go all the way around the large two or three-acre park in a complete circle, like a mote. One could cross over it at any of several locations by walking over a quaint footbridge. Liz looked up and noticed the tree beside her. It was covered profusely with small pinkish-white flowers that were not at all unlike the blossoms she had seen on cherry trees in Washington D.C. in the springtime. There appeared to be a fair number of these trees lining many of the walks, in fact. Liz took a deep breath and her whole body seemed to relax, bringing a smile to her face.
"It's the fragrance of the flowers on the trees…"
Liz turned around to see who had spoken.
"It's the flowers… They have a relaxing fragrance," the lady said.
Liz nodded. "Yes… they do, don't they!" She smiled at the lady. "I'm Liz! Hi!"
"Liz? You're not Ke'cje. Where are you from?"
"I'm from… well, far away… another planet actually."
"I guessed that," the lady said. "Antarians never come here."
"I can't imagine why not," Liz said, spinning around two or three times, enjoying the purest air she had ever breathed and the subtle, sweet fragrance of the tree flowers. She breathed in deeply. I would never want to leave here."
The lady smiled. "That is how we feel. And others would, too. Fortunately for us, we are isolated… protected… by some very, very steep terrain on the other sides of those mountains. The mountains are beautiful and peaceful on the valley side, but on the outside, they are dangerous and impassable."
"How do you get out, then… or back in," Liz asked.
The lady smiled and held out her arms. For just a moment, they extended outward and became wings. Then just as quickly, they returned to normal… that is, Liz assumed that arms were normal for these people anyway.
"So you fly! That's the only way to get in and out of here, isn't it?"
The lady nodded. "The only way. Can you fly, Liz?"
Liz shook her head and smiled at the question.
"Actually, I just began to walk again recently. I'm afraid flying is far beyond my abilities."
"You could not walk?"
"No. I was paralyzed."
The lady seemed to be confused. "So you could not walk?"
"It was because of an injury. I couldn't move my legs… or even my arms at first."
"How did you… Oh! You must know an Antarian healer."
"Well… yeah, I do," Liz agreed, "But he couldn't heal me. He did try. I don't think I got your name."
"I'm sorry. I am Ta'lan-Nya-Shxhida. But you can just call me Ta'lan."
"Ta'lan-Nya-Shxhida," Liz repeated with surprising accuracy. "I'm really glad to know you. Omigod! I just realized… you're speaking English! You should be speaking… well… something alien… shouldn't you?"
The lady smiled. "I'm not speaking English, Liz… if you heard the words as they are, you would not recognize them."
"But I AM hearing English… when you speak."
"Yes. But the actual sounds would be alien to you. I made a mental connection between us. Don't worry. It won't harm you. It merely allows you to understand me. I am speaking in my language, but your mind can understand my words in yours."
"Like mental telepathy?"
"Sort of… only with words. We just understand each other."
"Cool. I mean… that's really great!"
The lady smiled. "I understood the meaning. Why are you here, Liz? Why are your friends here? They are your friends, aren't they?"
Liz nodded. "Actually, one of them is my husband. That would be Max. We just got married. It's a long story, Ta'lan. Max came from Antar… in a way… well, sort of…"
The lady smiled, and Liz realized that she wasn't making much sense.
"I'm sorry! I meant that Max…"
Liz stopped for a moment, realizing that perhaps she should not be telling anyone whom she had just met and knew so little about too much about them, but something made her feel that she should tell Ta'lan everything. For the briefest moment, Liz realized that this compulsion to tell all might have been brought on by the mind power of Ta'lan-Nya-Shxhida herself, but that idea seemed to melt away, and she forgot why she had been concerned.
"Max was born on Antar, but he was murdered. His DNA was taken to earth -that's my planet- and combined with human DNA. On Antar, his name was Zan."
This name had a definite impact on Ta'lan, who gasped softly.
"King Zan?"
Liz nodded. It wasn't precisely that she was unable to keep secrets anymore. It was simply that she had forgotten that she should keep them… or even that they were secrets.
"Max has returned to take back his throne."
"I see," the lady said. "Well! That is… unexpected."
"I heard that your people govern themselves and are not interested in Antarian royalty and government affairs."
"Yes, well… that is partly true, Liz. We are isolated and self-sufficient, but it's not true that we do not care about Antarian government affairs. We are Antarian, too, though we do not generally refer to ourselves as such. We prefer Ke'cje. It defines us… and it allows us to define all others on this planet, the non-Ke'cje, by calling them Antarians. But in a real sense, of course, we are Antarians, too."
Liz nodded. "But would a Ke'cje try to take over the throne?"
Ta'lan laughed. "Not likely! We are loyal subjects of the king, but the Ke'cje are fiercely independent, too. We are happy where we are."
"Well, I know one Ke'cje who has other ambitions and a desire for the throne," Liz said… "Nasedo."
Ta'lan shook her head thoughtfully. "I know no Ke'cje named Nasedo."
Liz pointed at Michael, who was standing far up the walk, holding the hawk's cage, as he and Max discussed what to do next. Ta'lan looked at the hawk in the cage and knew instantly that it was J'Shalo.
"What did he do?"
"What didn't he do?" Liz asked. "That would be the question. He did some kind of thing to our minds while we slept. If Rahn had not saved us, we would all have died. Nasedo wanted to take over the throne of Antar now that Kivar is dead, and he needed us out of the way."
Ta'lan nodded and sighed. "J'Shalo is not like most Ke'cje. He is… different. I know. He is my husband."
Liz gasped. "He's your… You mean… you're married to him? I'm so sorry! Oh, God! That didn't come out right, did it? I'm so sorry, Ta'lan! Omigod, and we've got him in a cage!"
Ta'lan shook her head and held up one hand to stop Liz from apologizing. "It's okay. I kind of like him there. I may decide to keep him there… at least for a while. And as for marriage… well… that is the understanding of the word that your mind gives it, Liz. Marriage, as you know it, is not exactly right. But we are… well, WERE… together, yes."
"Were?"
Ta'lan nodded. "J'Shalo ran off and left this valley… left Antar… and left me… to find something for himself out there somewhere. But J'Shalo could never find contentment anywhere. I doubt that he found it out there either."
Liz shook her head.
Ta'lan nodded. "Perhaps he will be content as an alien bird. How are you keeping him like that?"
"A little poison from a Xiangar viper every day… just enough…"
Ta'lan raised her eyebrows then nodded. "Yes, that would work. I don't know why I never thought of it."
Liz winced but smiled to herself. "Come on, Ta'lan! I'll introduce you to my husband and the others… and we can give you your husband back."
Ta'lan smiled and nodded. Liz took Ta'lan by the hand and led her toward the others. Max saw them coming and stopped talking. Then Michael looked, too. Then the rest of the group looked up and noticed that they were about to have company; and the conversation came to an abrupt end, as Liz walked up with Ta'lan by the hand.
"Ta'lan-Nya-Shxhida… this is Max, my husband… and this is Michael and Maria…"
Liz continued through the group, introducing each one until she got to Rahn.
Ta'lan smiled. "Welcome home, Rahn. We have missed you."
Rahn nodded and smiled, too. "I've missed my home and my people, too. Thank you."
"That's right!" Liz said, "You probably know each other already, don't you!"
Ta'lan nodded.
"Liz was telling me that you have returned to reclaim your throne, Zan. Welcome back."
Max looked at Liz, and for a moment his eyes reflected a mixture of bewilderment, disbelief, hurt… and, Liz thought, anger. But mostly bewilderment. Max shook his head but gave Ta'lan no immediate answer.
"Do not blame Liz," Ta'lan said, accurately assessing Max's feelings. "It is the flowers on the trees. Their fragrance gives everyone a feeling of well-being. We, the Ke'cje, are accustomed to it and can tolerate it, but outsiders become somewhat giddy and talkative. They forget that danger even exists. It is not their fault… It is not Liz's fault. Once they have breathed the fragrance, everyone talks."
"That is true," Rahn said, vouching for Ta'lan's word. "The flowers are a wonderful thing… for the Ke'cje. "The Ke'cje have no natural enemies, but if we did… and they came here… they would tell us everything and give themselves up happily." He motioned toward Jung-Jo, who was licking Ta'lan's hand adoringly.
Max instantly put his hand over his nose without thinking about it. Michael closed his mouth, which had been open, and began taking smaller breaths. Kyle practically stopped breathing… but had to breathe again, as his face began to turn red. Alex, for some reason, seemed to take the whole thing in stride. It might have seemed that he was more resigned to whatever fate held for them, but it wasn't that. The fact is, deep down inside, Alex trusted Liz more than he could explain why. He understood that the flowers had made her talkative and that they had made her say some things that she would not otherwise have said, but he felt strongly that Liz still would not have betrayed them… even after breathing the narcotic-like fragrance of the flowers. Liz had to have trusted this person very deeply for some reason that even she probably did not yet understand. Perhaps she never would. But if Liz trusted her, even while under the influence of the flowers, Alex was certain that they could all trust her. He just didn't know why. In some way, Max seemed to realize this, too, but his face still had a bewildered look.
Trying to help defuse the situation and also to limit any information that this Ta'lan-Nya-Shxhida might be able to get from them, Kyle tapped Max on the shoulder and said, loudly enough for Ta'lan to hear… "We still have to keep our appointment with the high A'Dak, Max. Perhaps we should be going." Then he turned and smiled at Ta'lan. "It was nice meeting you, Miss Sh… Shh… uh…"
"Shxhida," Ta'lan offered with a smile. But call me Ta'lan. It will be easier for you."
"Ta'lan," Kyle agreed, nodding. "Anyway… Ta'lan… as I was saying, we are very happy to meet you, and we'd love to stay and talk, but we're on our way to see the high A'Dak, and we don't want to keep him waiting. He's a very important guy."
Ta'lan smiled. "I'm afraid the high A'Dak is over-rated in your mind, Kyle. The high A'Dak is only another Ke'cje. We are all equal here."
Rahn tapped on Kyle's shoulder and smiled. "Kyle… Ta'lan-N'ya-Shxhida is the high A'Dak."
For a very long moment, Kyle stood motionless… and oddly speechless.
"You can breathe now, Kyle," Angie Lee said, noticing that his face was turning red again.
"I am breathing, Angie Lee. I'm just trying to dislodge my toes from my tonsils without causing major injury."
Angie Lee laughed.
"I'm so sorry, Ta'lan," Kyle whispered abashedly. "I didn't know… I guess I made a fool of myself, huh?"
Ta'lan shook her head. "I will forgive you… if you will tell me why there are two Zans… and two of some of the others with you. Did the plan to recreate you result in twins, Zan?"
Max shook his head. "The other 'me' that you see here is from another dimension. He already took the throne back in his dimension. The other 'doubles' are from his dimension. They came to help us out, because we were in a bit of trouble on our planet with the FBI and the army… well, with some secret units within those agencies anyway."
"I see," Ta'lan said. "And how did you get back to Antar?"
"With them… with our doubles… in their ship." Max looked at Ta'lan searchingly. "So you're the high A'Dak… Then you're sort of the queen of this valley?"
Ta'lan laughed. "Not exactly! I am more like what you would call a governor… or perhaps a mayor. I am only the leader of my people, the Ke'cje. And even that can change. The others only need to convene a council to change the high A'Dak at any time. As long as they are happy, I will probably be their A'Dak."
"That has been for many years already," Rahn noted… "and it will be for many more years yet to come, I am sure."
"Rahn is one of my biggest supporters," Ta'lan said with a smile. "So you are here to retake your throne, Zan? You never answered."
Max nodded cautiously. "That would be the plan. We came here first to return J'Shalo to the high… that is, to you… and to bring Rahn home."
Ta'lan smiled. "Thank you for bringing Rahn back to us. He has been gone for too long."
"Not by my choice, though, I assure you," Rahn noted.
"Well, you are here now, Rahn," Ta'lan said, taking the cage with J'Shalo in it from Michael, "That is what is important."
Ta'lan looked at the large hawk in its cage and smiled, but J'Shalo did not appear to be as happy. Even in his hawk's face, the frustration was plainly evident. Unfortunately for J'Shalo, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.
"Come," Ta'lan said, motioning to Max and to the others. "We can go to my house… to discuss your return to Antar… and how the Ke'cje can help. It will be a good thing for our people to have the real king on the throne again. Our valley is isolated and safe, but the rest of Antar needs stability. You must provide that for them again, Zan."
Max nodded. "So Antar has become a dangerous place, Ta'lan?"
Ta'lan smiled. "It was dangerous enough for you when you were killed, Zan. It was dangerous for Antarians when Kivar was on the throne. And it is dangerous now that Kivar is gone, because there is fighting for control."
Max nodded.
Ta'lan looked at Michael and smiled. "I see you have brought Rath back with you. That is good. You will need him. It is even better that you have brought two Raths." Ta'lan looked at the others in the group, especially Jim Valenti from the other dimension, and she nodded. "They are not all Antarians… but it is a good army. Not very large… but obviously devoted. I think you will have a chance… with a little help."
tbc
Coming: A throne for the taking, an old enemy… and a sad good-bye, as the other group leaves for home in their own dimension
Quick Note: ParkerEvanss - Thanks ever so much for the wondeful feedbacks! I really look forward to them! As you can see, your idea about Vera's fiance being rescued came true. I had planned for that to happen from way back when he was first mentioned in the story but had almost forgotten about it until you reminded me. Whew! Right in time, too! I have a page of notes to myself on the computer about things I want to work into the story as the time comes, but I had not written that one down. The lecture Jim Valenti gave to the city council was completely written almost from the beginning of the story, and there is still one little matter that has been planned and partly written since before the very first chapter and is coming very soon. :)