Jibo-E'yya and A'yako
Chapter 18
XVIII
Michael savored the over-sized Jibo-E'yya chops on his plate, as a smiling Rath shoved a large pot full of something that smelled divine in his direction.
"Try this, Michael! It's a specialty reserved only for the greatest warriors of our kingdom. You'll like it. Ava invented it for Zan, and the recipe is a closely-guarded palace secret."
Michael put some onto his plate then tasted it. As he let it swirl around his tongue, he smiled appreciatively.
"Pretty good, huh," Zan said.
Michael nodded. "More like great, I'd say! What is it?"
"We call it A'yako," Zan replied. "It's shredded yegg and jibo fixed in a stew with several secret ingredients. Ava won't tell even me what her special ingredients are."
Zan and Rath both laughed.
"This is the first thing I've ever tasted that doesn't need any Tabasco," Michael said.
"What's Tabasco," Rath asked.
"It's a special ingredient that was created on the planet Eluymer in the seventh galaxy.
"I've heard of Eluymer," Rath said. "Some of our exploration scientists went there a couple of years back. They reported that the inhabitants look remarkably like us… more than most of the distant species we know of. But I never heard of this Tabasco."
"I guess the Eluymerians kept it a secret," Michael said with a grin. Zan and Rath both laughed.
"Well, I'll have to have our scientists bring me some of this Tabasco if they ever go to Eluymer again," Zan said. "I, for one, would like to see what is so good that it can compare with Ava's A'yako."
"Well, I didn't say Tabasco was as good as this," Michael laughed. "If I'd had A'yako, I would have eaten nothing else at every meal. It's just that Tabasco is the closest thing Eluymer has to the 'special ingredients' in Ava's A'yako."
At the other end of the table, Ava smiled.
"Rath," Zan said, "These shape-shifters that attacked you today… are you sure that Kivar sent them?"
"I can't prove it, Zan… not yet anyway… but I am certain of it."
Zan sighed. "It's just that Vilandra is convinced of Kivar's benign character. She's after me day and night to talk to him… let him into the city."
"Don't do it, Zan! Kivar may have deceived Vilandra…"
"Or?" Zan asked, looking at Rath's face. "Rath, I know you. The way you say that Kivar may have deceived Vilandra leaves unsaid, 'Or something.' There is something else that you suspect. What is it?"
"I don't suspect Vilandra, Zan… but… there are sufficient reasons for caution with her. I am not accusing her of any disloyalty, only saying that she should be watched… for her own safety as much as for ours. Kivar is a treacherous man, and Vilandra was once close to him."
"Now she is betrothed to you, Rath."
Rath nodded and put another spoonful of A'yako into his mouth.
"But look, Rath," Zan said, "We shouldn't be boring our guest with our problems."
"I'm not bored," Michael insisted. "In a way, your future and mine are connected… since I'm Rath's descendent…"
Zan smiled. "So you're a time traveler… You're obviously also a great soldier. What are you… in your own time?"
"General of the Armies of Antar."
Rath grinned broadly.
"I knew it," Zan said, "A great warrior like Rath… his descendent was bound to be a great warrior and a loyal defender of the kingdom!"
Michael smiled. "I guess we are alike in some ways."
"How do you travel through time, Michael," Zan asked. "I've never known of anyone who could do this."
Michael thought a moment then decided to answer. "There is a device that I use… a sphere from a very distant planet. It will take me to any place I ask… in this time or any other."
"That's incredible," Zan replied.
"Yes… it is," Rath agreed. "But shouldn't you keep such information to yourself, Michael? Are you not afraid that someone might steal your sphere?"
Michael smiled. "I thought about that… but the truth is, I wouldn't be able to use it myself except for a good and trusted friend who authorized me to use it. I don't have the sphere with me, and no one else here can command it, so no one would be able to steal it."
"Logical," Zan said. "He's a thinker, Rath… I'll have to give him that."
Rath nodded. "Are you also betrothed or married, Michael?"
"Married… yes, and I have three children. I believe you've seen my wife, Rath."
Rath looked surprised. "I don't remember meeting any other time travelers. I would remember that."
"No," Michael said, shaking his head. "When my wife kissed me earlier today, she was repelled by some unknown force acting through me. When she tried to kiss me a second time, the words…" Michael stopped and glanced at Ava… "Well, some words that I had not said came from my mouth. You mentioned seeing a different face when you kissed Vilandra. I believe the problem we were discussing… of time being out of balance, overlapping… caused us, you and me, to become one for a few moments. That's actually why I came here… to find out what happened and how we can fix it."
Zan looked concerned. "This happened again, Rath?"
Rath nodded. "I think I must owe you and your wife an apology then, Michael. I hope you will convey that message to her for me. You must understand that we've had problems with the shape-shifters here for some time now. They're loyal to Kivar almost to the last one. We do not know why. But when unusual things are seen in the kingdom, we always suspect the shape-shifters."
"For very good reasons, though," Ava said from the other end of the table.
Zan and Rath both nodded.
Rath smiled and offered a conciliatory observation…
"I should have known she was no shape-shifter, I guess, Michael. The transcendental shape-shifters –that's the ones who are able to move a small section of time aside for a moment and replace a person with a copy that is actually themselves- have little artistry in their craft. They are as likely as not to create a face that would look more attractive to a yegg."
Zan and Ava laughed.
"But your lady, Michael, is far more beautiful than any transcendental shape-shifter can replicate… that I have seen."
"I'll tell Maria you said that," Michael said. "She'll be pleased to know that she's more attractive than a yegg."
"I meant that she is more attractive than any shape-shifter is able to master… that I have seen. That is a compliment, Michael."
"I took it as such… and on Maria's behalf… [b]and mine[/b], thank you."
Again there was laughter from the others, this time including Rath.
"That does bring up a question that I had, though," Michael said. "You said something about the shape-shifters not being able to replicate your form or Zan's. I was wondering why that is."
Zan nodded and answered for Rath. "The shape-shifters are a different species than we are, Michael. They –the non-transcendental ones at least- are quite talented at changing their forms, but they have some limitations… and we have out secrets, too."
Michael nodded. "I understand. If you can't tell me, that's okay."
Zan and Rath looked at each other, then Zan looked back at Michael. "I see no reason not to tell you, Michael, the broader aspects anyway. The shape-shifters are, as I said, a different species than we are. We discovered that their vision is also different. They have a different range of vision. They can see far more than we can overall, but within a portion of the spectrum, a very tiny portion, there is a range within which they are basically blind. We see it but they don't. Because of this discovery, we were able to have our scientists create a masking feature –a cream that is applied to one part of our faces. It shifts that portion of our faces to within that range of the spectrum that the shape-shifters can't see. We see ourselves as we are… you see us as we are… but they see our faces distorted, and they recreate what they see. They do not know that we have this ability, and they do not understand how we can always spot their copies. You can understand why we limit this masking feature to just Rath and myself. If it were widely used, it would not be long before the shape-shifters would find out our secret and make corrections for it."
"That is a wise decision," Michael agreed. "I have to admit that I know very little about shape-shifters. I know they exist… I knew at least one myself. But I never heard of a transcendental shape-shifter. I don't think I've ever seen one of them."
"They aren't very common, Michael," Zan said, "But if you ever saw one, you probably didn't know it. There are only about ten thousand shape-shifters, that we know of, in our galaxy, and of those, only perhaps a thousand are in this section of the galaxy."
"And I think all of those have been recruited by Kivar," Ava said.
Zan nodded. "It would seem so. Of the one thousand shape-shifters that we try to keep track of, only about thirty are transcendental shape-shifters… a very small percentage overall."
"But a troublesome bunch for their small numbers," Rath added, lifting another spoonful of A'yako toward his mouth.
[center]----------[/center]
Far away from Antar, somewhere in the distant cosmos, Kryys and the Drax-ta-kiya walked together along the edge of the river of time.
"Master, the river is still rising, and some areas in time already have merged together. How will I know which waters to leave there and which waters to take out? The waters that I remove will become a part of the past."
"Yes, Kryys. That is correct. But I cannot help you. Only you can make this choice. You are the one who must decide. Are you prepared to do that?"
"I must study the river for a time, Master Drax. I do not wish to make a mistake."
"You are very wise, little sun drop. Study the river. Then you must decide."
tbc
Coming Next: "Night Of Terror"