8
See part one for explanation and disclaimers. I don't own 'Dinotopia', James Gurney does. Hallmark still owns the characters and I'm still not profiting from this. Hope you're enjoying this. Still recommended for teens and up for action/violence and mild language.
3
It was a strategy David had heard once on an old t.v. show: People hunting for something, or someone, never looked in places right under their noses. Of course, at the moment, David couldn't remember how well that plan had worked for the guys on that old t.v. show, but a nagging voice in the back of his mind said, Not too well. Still, it made a certain amount of sense that the best place to hide from, for instance, a flying dino-scout, was the last place Karl Scott would expect Barrett to show up---the tavern belonging to Scott's father. The skybax rider would be flying all over the place looking for David until at least sunset, so he shouldn't turn up at his father's place for a few hours yet. At least, that's what David was counting on.
Scott's Tavern was one of the few places Doris Le Sage had given her blessing to as fulfilling the less 'topian kinds of entertainment that the outsiders favored---in other words, a place where one could enjoy a real drink, a game of cards, and other recreations (except perhaps, David thought wistfully, a non-vegetarian meal, which simply wasn't too be had on this rotten island). The place was as close to an off-world tavern as you could get on Dinotopia. But, the ambiance was of secondary importance to David at the moment---the main thing was that he knew the tavern's owner to be a man of discretion. The unspoken agreement was that, so long as their activities posed no danger to him or his sons, Frank Scott was content to live and let live where the outsiders were concerned. They were, after all, some of his best customers, and he was adamant that they be welcome in his establishment. If they got too rowdy, which could happen, especially on days were there was no real alcohol available, they learned quickly that the salt-and-pepper haired owner could toss a man twice his size and half his age out the door without breaking a sweat.
It was early afternoon now, and the tavern hummed with activity as the 'topians who worked the nearby farms reluctantly mingled with whatever outsiders were in the area that day. There wasn't much of a 'night life' on the island, at least not out here, in the forests at the edge of the sunstones' reach. Dangerous things---human and reptilian alike---lurked in the dark, so the islanders tended to stay close to home after sunset. As he walked into the tavern, David did a quick survey of the patrons. There were a few outsiders---and more than a few 'topians---he'd rather not run into. A single glance told him all he needed to know: There was no one present who was trying to kill or arrest him at the moment…and Alano was late.
David cursed under his breath. He might have a head start on Karl Scott and the dino patrol, but it wasn't going to last indefinitely. Even if Scott didn't show up, Marion would be sending out messenger birds soon to tell all the nearby villages to be on the lookout for the thief. Alano was reliable, but had the disadvantage of growing up on an island that had no clocks and, therefore, no sense of time---at least, not unless it was measured in days, weeks, or seasons. Consequently, Alano had never been "on time" (in the off-worlder sense of the word) for one of these meetings in the eight months David had known the outsider. David would have to wait.
He found an empty table in a poorly lit corner of the tavern. From that vantage point, he could see out the window by passerbys would not be able to look inside and see him. Plus, he was halfway from both the front and back doors of the pub in case he needed to make a quick escape. None of the patrons gave David a second look, so clearly the word about the theft hadn't spread this far from Waterfall City…yet.
Preoccupied with wondering what had delayed Alano and how much time he had before Scott or a messenger bird flitted in, David nearly jumped out of his skin when a drink suddenly slid across the table to rest squarely at his fingertips and a gravelly voice greeted him: "Hey, stranger, been so long I thought a T-Rex finally got you." Not waiting for an invitation, Frank Scott seated himself in the chair on the opposite side of the small table.
It was on David's lips to ask the tavern owner to give him privacy, but he reconsidered. As long as Frank was there, David could be sure no one-'topian or outsider---was giving him the news about the pilfered sunstone currently tucked into David's coat pocket. Besides, Frank was one of a very few 'topians that David actually liked. Like everyone else on the island, he knew the story of the Scotts: Frank and his sons, Karl and Jack, had 'arrived' on Dinotopia courtesy of a plane crash only a few months after David had been shipwrecked. Frank had been trapped in the plane as it hit the bottom of the ocean, surviving only by managing to cut himself out of his jammed seatbelt and finding one of the underwater caves used by the 'topians during their time in the World Below. He'd been down there two months before his sons found him. In the interim, Karl and Jack had been 'brainwashed' (as David called it) into adopting the 'topian ways-Karl joined the skybax corps, Jack was assigned to the Earth Farms. Frank, like David, retained his love for all things 'off-worlder", including a drink, a friendly wager, a game of cards, sports, and non-vegetarian food.
"They'd never eat me. I'd give them indigestion for a month," David answered. He gestured to the drink Frank had given him. "I'll have to owe you for that."
"And the news would be?" Frank joked. The outsider made a rude gesture, and the older man chuckled. "S'okay, that one's on the house."
"Frank---" David argued.
"No, I insist. 'Course I'll charge you double for your next drink. Besides, I'm curious to see what you think of it. It's an 'off-worlder special'."
Puzzled, David took a swallow of the bubbling liquid. The stuff tasted vaguely familiar---and then, suddenly, he realized why. "Is this actually Coke?"
Frank beamed.
"Where did you get this?"
"Karl found a man in Waterfall City who salvaged fifty cases of the stuff washed up from a shipwreck last month. I got the whole lot. Had to hide a few cases from the boys for my customers who appreciate this stuff."
David was torn between the desire to down the rest of the beverage in one gulp and wanted to drink as slowly as possible to make it last. Impulse won out, and he finished the drink in two swallows. "Never though I'd taste this stuff again. Too bad some fries and a burger couldn't have washed up with it. I miss real food." He'd eaten enough pasta and vegetables in the past eight months to last him two lifetimes.
"Should've come by last month," Frank told him with an evil grin.
"No way…" David winced. "Ouch, that hurts."
Still chuckling, Frank reached into his pocket and produced a deck of cards. "Anyway, how about a chance to recoup my losses from our last game?"
"Has your poker game gotten any better since last time?" David jabbed.
Frank shook a warning finger at the younger man. "That's enough, you. I've got your tells down now, you just wait and see. Though it beats me how a kid with no ability to bluff could be such a damn card sharp…"
He passed the deck to David, who leaned forward to pick up the cards. His own blue meteorite pendant slipped from beneath his shirt. Frank didn't even spare the stone a glance; he already knew about the outsider's 'good luck charm'. David didn't want anyone else to know about it, especially not the 'topian customers if they would get as worked up about the space rock as Marion had. He grabbed the pendant and shoved it back beneath his shirt…
…Blue light filled him senses, and images again swam through his mind.
David was in an arena that resembled an off-world boxing ring. His hands were wrapped in puffy gloves that looked enough like boxing gloves. There was a crowd---outsiders and 'topians---seated around the area, chanting and cheering. Their words were muddled by the deafening sound of his own heartbeat in his ears. Standing in the opposite corner of the arena, also clad in boxing gear, was Alano. Doris Le Sage stood in his corner, whispering something to the hulking outsider.
A hand patted David's shoulder encouragingly. "How are you doing?"
David turned to find Frank Scott standing in his corner. Karl Scott was nearby. Marion and her mother, Rosemary, were seated among the crowd of 'topians. They were watching David---in fact, every 'topian in the audience was watching him. They almost seemed to be cheering for him. The outsiders were shouting to Alano. Le Sage raised her arms, egging her people on, and an even louder roar for their champion went up from the outsiders. Alano was the picture of concentration, waiting for the bell, preparing to pound David into dust.
"I think I'm going to throw up," David heard himself answer.
Frank grinned and squeezed his shoulder. "That's my boy."
David let go of the meteorite, the words echoing in his mind until he willed them to stop. Frank still sat there, waiting for David to deal the cards. There wasn't the slightest indication that the older man or anyone else in the tavern had seen what he had just witnessed. Hallucination. Just has to be a hallucination, David rationalized. "…been hiding yourself since---what's it been? Three weeks ago?" Frank was asking.
"Uh…" The outsider shook off the hallucinations. "Here and there. The coast mostly. Zuru. Gull's Bay."
Frank's eyes narrowed, staring at him with sudden concern. "Not planning any boat trips out to the Razor Reef are you?" he asked seriously. He saw the younger man flinch, just for an instant, at the question. David faltered for only that second, then recovered.
"Relax, Frank, I'm just trying to keep my distance from the carnies and the flying Boy Scouts." As an afterthought, David added, "No offense."
Frank waved off the jab at the skybax riders. Whatever Richard Kimble/Detective Gerard thing the outsider and Karl had going was between them (it was even amusing at times for Frank to watch). Scott was more concerned that the outsider had been visiting Zuru for the same reason Frank and Jack had gone there during the carnivore rampage: It was the only place on the island where there was even a meager hope of crossing the Razor Reef by boat.
"The Razor Reef is nothing to screw with, kid," Frank cautioned. It still terrified Frank how close he'd come to getting himself and Jack killed in their attempt to cross the reef. In his desperation to get off the island, he had taken a rowboat out---not even having the wits to bring food or water or other provisions---and the squall had dashed the flimsy craft to pieces, almost drowning both of them. Karl, who had refused to leave the island, had to come to their rescue. The whole incident had forced Frank to accept that, for the foreseeable future, he was stuck on this island and the fight over whether to attempt the crossing had done nothing to help Frank's strained relationship with Karl.
"Jesus, Frank, forget I mentioned it if you're going to beat it to death!" He liked the off-worlder well enough, but the man had a habit of getting paternal with him that made David bristle a bit. He'd had enough surrogate fathers back in the States with his mom's succession of boyfriends, he sure wasn't interested in having another one here on the island.
There was a moment of tense silence before Frank gave the slightest nod and let the subject drop. The kid brought out the fatherly instincts in him, probably because David was only a few months older than Karl and was a displaced off-worlder just like the Scotts, but Frank had learned that David wouldn't put up with parenting from him.
David began dealing the cards. "Okay, jacks are wild, no limit on wages."
"Just keep those hands where I can see them so I can be sure you're not hiding anything up your sleeve."
"Whatever you say, Frank."
The saurian Keeper, Noree, was pacing the length of the sanctuary when Marion, Karl, Romana, and Jack arrived. Her tail swished, betraying the dinosaur's agitation. Noree rushed to greet the matriarch's daughter as soon as Marion stepped into the temple. "Thank the ancestors! Were you able to retrieve your medallion, child?" Noree clasped the human's hands with her own clawed fingers.
"I'm afraid not."
The Keeper was crestfallen. "Oh, dear…I'm so sorry. This is my fault."
Marion smiled. "The outsiders are tricky, Noree, you had no way to be prepared. Even I didn't think David was capable of---well, he's evidently learned some tricks during his time with Le Sage."
Karl was still fuming. "Never underestimate an outsider."
"I'll never understand their capacity for deceit," the saurian agreed.
"Tell her about the freaky space rock," Jack suggested.
"I'll handle this, Jack." Marion motioned for the Keeper to sit on one of the benches. "Noree, I have a question…It's going to sound quite mad…"
"Nonsense. You can ask me anything you wish, my dear."
"When I was trying to get my medallion back," Marion began, "I noticed a meteorite, a very small one…David had it on a cord around his neck…"
"A sunstone?" Noree gasped.
Marion shook her head. "No, definitely not a sunstone. It looked very old…ancient in fact. Possibly from her ancestors' days Below. It had a gold setting, but most of it was broken away. There were inscriptions in footprint language on the metal."
Noree bounced a bit, intrigued. Ancient artifacts were her particular field of interest. Most of Waterfall City's wealth of objects from the World Below were in her care, safely stored in the sanctuary she kept. "Could you read it?"
"I could…but I'm not sure I read it correctly. It said, 'Tohma Faiere'. The full inscription was 'anghara pha…'. "
Noree swiftly covered Marion's mouth with one paw. "You must not say the prayer!" The Keeper removed her hand only when she was sure the human woman understood. "Did you read the inscription aloud? This is important, child." The dinosaur's fear was telegraphed to the humans. Jack watched in dread of what answers were coming; Karl folded his arms across his chest and listened attentively.
"No. I only touched it for a moment. I barely had time to see it."
"Did the outsider say the prayer aloud?" Noree questioned.
"I don't think he can read footprint language. In fact, I don't think he knew what the stone was. He probably has it to trade for food or something."
The Keeper persisted. "You must be very sure."
"I seriously doubt he's the kind of guy who prays to a rock," Karl put in.
"I'm sure," Marion said.
Noree stood, resuming her pacing. "Are you? Did you see the outsider touch the faith stone itself?"
Marion replayed the scene in her mind. "Yes, I was trying to get the stone away from him, but he was too strong."
The Keeper braced herself for the answer to her next question. "Did the faith stone glow when he touched it? It would have been hard to tell if you were not looking directly at the meteorite…"
Marion answered immediately. "Yes. I thought it was reflecting the sun."
The Keeper growled deep in her throat, tail swishing wide sweeps now. Jack stared, wide-eyed. "What? Glowing is bad? Wait, what am I saying? Glowing mystery rocks are always bad…"
All three humans watched Noree with growing concern. "It's not possible for that stone to have been a faith stone. Is it? The Tohma Faieres are a myth," Marion asked.
"Myth?" Reptilian eyes stared into the human's own eyes. "No, child, the Tohma Faieres are quite real. If it glowed for him, that means---" Noree composed herself with visible effort. The silence became oppressive. The women-human and saurian alike---were lost in their own troubled thoughts.
Finally, Jack could take no more. "What does it mean?"
"Tohma Faiere would only glow for someone who's used its powers…by reading the prayer inscribed on its gold setting," Noree explained. "It's very bad indeed."
Karl stepped in front of the Keeper to halt her pacing. "Please stop that. You said the inscription was a prayer-I don't get how a prayer could be dangerous."
Jack snorted, "You ever read the Old Testament, bro?"
"They're dangerous because---if you believe in the legend-it has the power to grant wishes…"
"Like a genie rock? Cool!" Jack grinned.
"…However, if you made the right-or rather, the wrong---wish, the stone could conceivably alter what we know as reality and no one would know it, not even the person who made the prayer," Marion filled in the off-worlders.
"That's why the stones were deliberately lost. According to our texts, one of the ancients stole the Tohma Faieres and attempted to use them to erase the existence of the saurian population. It was fortunate, for myself and the rest of the saurians, that they didn't do more damage. The perpetrators were unaware of the physical consequences of using the faith stone: Only the person who uses the stone remembers or is permanently affected by its spells. When the spell was undone, the carnosaurs were restored to us and the rest of the islanders had no memory of what the ch'kra had done. We only found out because one of them confessed his deeds. After that, the Tohma Faieres were buried in caverns at the heart of the island, so far within carnosaur territory that no one would even consider trying to find them," Noree explained.
"Wasn't that the same thing you guys tried with that green meteorite? Until Quantro and his outsider pack found it anyway and made the carnosaurs go nuts?" Jack pointed out.
"So, where's the danger? Reverse the spell and everything is fine," Karl asked.
"The danger is situations like the one we may be in now: Forgetting that a spell has been cast and permanently creating a…fractured reality," Noree informed him. "How would you know what had been changed and what had been lost?"
Jack was wide-eyed. "Time is ruined," he said mostly to himself, but the remark drew all eyes to him.
"What was that, child?" Noree asked.
"It's nothing," Karl answered. This wasn't the time for Jack to break into one of his rock songs again.
"It's Shō. 'End of My World', you know that song, Karl? 'Time is ruined, you can't go back, storms are brewing, the world's off track…'. Karl, you're a geek, right? It's like on that 'Star Trek', where something gets changed and then you end up in some parallel reality. That's what Noree's saying, right?"
"If he's used the stone, then we'll need both the Tohma Faiere and the outsider if we're to learn what he's changed and restore the timeline. You did say that he still has the stone?" Noree asked. Marion nodded. "Where is he now?"
"He got away from us, unfortunately," Marion answered.
"I'll find him," Karl promised. "In fact, I think I know where he'll show his face next." Determined now, the skybax rider headed for the exit. He didn't need to look or hear her footsteps close behind to know Romana had his back.