CHAPTER TWELVE - THE BLACK DAY

Ian was called before Jenner the next day. He was surprised to find Justin in the chambers of the new president, dressed in the plain clothing normally worn by the field workers.

"Justin! Thanks heaven you're all right. I thought Jenner might have … well, I haven't seen you since the meeting yesterday."

"No, he didn't kill me." Justin busied himself with arranging plates of food on Jenner's table. "He made me his personal slave, so now I'm waiting on him hand and foot. I never realized scrubbing out a bathtub could cause such a backache." Justin straightened up painfully. "Why are you here?"

"Jenner summoned me." Ian looked around and saw that he and Justin were the only ones in the room. "Where is our fearless tyrant anyway?"

"Out somewhere. He should be back any time." Justin stepped closer to Ian and lowered his voice. "I'm afraid our trip to NIMH is off. You'll have to try and make it there yourself."

"While you stay here and regain the leadership?"

"Or try to," Justin said. "Jenner has made terrible plans that could lead to the destruction of our race. I must stop him - get the stone away from him somehow. You must leave here as soon as you can, Ian."

"But I might be able to help you," Ian protested. "It's the least I owe you."

"You owe me nothing! Listen - if Jenner finds out the truth about you, he'll kill you as sure as I'm standing here. He hates humans with a passion, and as long as you stay here you are in danger. You must - "

Justin was interrupted by the opening of the door. Jenner entered the chamber, followed by Hugo. He eyed the food displayed on the table and said, "Very good, Justin, but you forgot the wine. Go fetch it."

Justin grimaced. "Yes, sir." As he left, he gave Ian one last glance, telling him wordlessly to be careful.

Hugo seated himself at the table and began sampling the food. Jenner gave him a disapproving stare. "I'm hungry, sir," Hugo said, continuing to stuff his mouth. "I'm just having a little."

"Oh, all right." Jenner turned to Ian. "I've heard quite a bit about you. They say you're the best doctor in the colony, so I'm appointing you my personal physician. You've also invented a weapon - "

"With my help!' Hugo cut in.

"Yes, of course. A weapon which has come quite in handy to the colony guards. I want you to work full time with Hugo on developing more new weapons."

"May I ask what for?"

"Certainly," Jenner rubbed his forepaws together. "To help us exterminate the human race."

It took Ian some moments to regain his speech. "Exterminate .. the … human race?"

"Ambitious, I know," Jenner smiled, "but don't tell me it can't be done. I've already heard enough from Justin about how we'd be outnumbered and such."

"Outnumbered?" Ian mused. "Let's see, now - several hundred rats against several billion humans. I hate to say this, but Justin does have a point."

"Justin's a spineless toadie," Jenner sneered. "But the humans can be defeated, I assure you."

"How?"

"You let me worry about that. You and Hugo worry about making more weapons." Jenner came closer to Ian. "It has also come to my attention that you have only just arrived from NIMH. I want you to tell me everything - everything! - that you heard and saw there. I want to know exactly what the humans are up to. I'd also like a detailed account of your trip here. And I … " Jenner stopped, aware that Hugo was making gurgling noises. "Shut up!" he snapped at the black rat.

"Wait a minute," Ian said, moving to Hugo's side. "I think something's wrong with him." Ian looked down the hunchback's throat, but could see nothing lodged there. "Well, he's not choking on anything. Hugo, what's the matter? Can you speak?"

Hugo gasped and rolled his eyes, then slumped forward. Ian looked in his eyes and saw that all life had left them. "He's dead," Ian said in disbelief.

"What killed him?" Jenner demanded.

"Hard to tell. Could have been a heart attack." Ian examined Hugo more closely, then sniffed at the food on the table. "He's been poisoned."

Jenner drew his sword. "That meal was meant for me! And Justin brought it here!"

"Now, I wouldn't jump to any conclusions." But Jenner was already out the door. Ian raced after him.

Justin was in the pantry getting a vessel of wine and a clean cup when Jenner burst in, brandishing his sword. "You!" Jenner pointed at Justin. "Try to kill me, will you?" The sword came down, and Justin jumped aside, narrowly missing being split in two.

"What are you raving about?" Justin cried.

"Don't pretend! I know you did it!" Jenner swung his sword again, and then again, with Justin only barely managing to get out of the way each time. The blade crashed through shelves and counters filled with glass and clay jars and dishes. Finally Justin turned tail and and fled into the main hall, with Jenner in hot pursuit.

School was not in session, so the hall was empty except for a couple of the guards. Justin jumped off the platform and turned to face Jenner, who stopped at its edge. "I don't know what you're talking about!" Justin yelled.

"Hugo is dead!" Jenner raged. "He ate the food you brought me, and it was poisoned!" The sword pointed at Justin. "You put it in there!"

"I didn't … " Jenner leapt at Justin, who backed away and scrambled across the top of the nearest table. Seeing that Jenner was right behind him and that death was only moments away, Justin snatched up a bench and swung it at his pursuer.

It hit Jenner full in the face. He staggered back a few steps and the sword fell from his grip onto the floor. Justin raced back toward the pantry, wanting to put as much distance between himself and Jenner as he could. As he neared the Council platform, Justin felt a fire sweep through his body, and he collapsed.

Jenner climbed to his feet, the stone in his forepaw shining brilliantly. "You didn't think I'd let you get away that easily, did you?" he said triumphantly. Picking up his sword, Jenner went to where Justin lay crumpled on the floor and stood over him. "This time," Jenner snarled, "nothing will save you." Justin looked up helplessly as the sword was raised for the kill.

Standing on the platform, Ian closed his eyes, not wanting to behold the hideous spectacle that was about to occur. Suddenly a voice rang in his ear. "No, Jenner! Don't kill him! He's innocent! I did it! I put the poison in your food!" Ian opened his eyes and saw that it was Elizabeth beside him.

Jenner froze as he glared at her. "You?" Gradually he lowered his sword and came over to her, seeming to forget all about Justin. He stepped up onto the platform to face Elizabeth. "Why?"

"Because," she said, "what you're doing is wrong. You can't force an entire society to bend to your will. It's evil to make us think only what you want us to think and make us do what we don't want to. I did it for the sake of the colony."

"But … I offered to make you my wife. In time you could have had anything you wanted. With me, you could have achieved greatness!"

"Elizabeth!" Justin cried out. "Get away from him!"

She went on, quite calmly, "I love Justin, not you. You could have forced me to marry you, but you never could have made me happy. I would kill you before I would let you break my vows."

"So … " Jenner seemed indecisive a moment. "It hurts me to do this," he finally said, and passed his blade very quickly through Elizabeth's abdomen.

"No!" Justin screamed and ran forward to catch his wife as she fell to the floor. Cradling her in his arms, he eased her down so that her head rested on his lap. He whispered her name, his voice trembling. Her eyelids fluttered, and she looked up at him.

"Justin," she breathed, "don't give up. You're the only hope we've got." Then Elizabeth closed her eyes for the last time. Justin pressed his face against her shoulder and let his tears stain the fur there.

Ian tried to step forward, but Jenner held him back with his bloodied sword. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I might be able to save her," Ian said.

"She has tried to murder the president," Jenner stated flatly. "The penalty for that is death. Let her be."

"But … "

Jenner touched the tip of the sword to Ian's throat. "Leave her alone." Reluctantly, Ian stepped back.

Jenner motioned to the two guards. "Take Justin up to the gate and wait there for me. I'll be along momentarily." They led Justin out of the hall. He was too grieved to resist.

"Take care of her body," Jenner ordered Ian. "I'll hold a funeral tomorrow. Don't get any ideas about trying to revive her. I want her to stay dead."

"You got nothing to worry about." Ian's tone was one of disgust. "I doubt I could save her now anyway."

"Good!" Jenner stepped off the platform and swept out of the hall.

The guards were holding Justin just inside the gate as they had been ordered. When Jenner approached, Justin broke away from his guards and rushed at him. Jenner held Justin at bay with his sword.

"You'd better kill me now, Jenner." There was fire in Justin's eyes. "Because if you let me live, I swear it will be the death of you!"

"You are nothing more than a thorn in my side, one which must be plucked out. That's why I am exiling you." Jenner prodded Justin closer to the gate and gave the guards the signal to open it. Outside, night was coming on.

"Will you at least have the decency to give me my sword?"

"No, Justin." Jenner reached out to tear the simple garment off Justin's back. "I will not even let you have anything to wear. You have until morning to be out of the valley, if you survive that long."

Wordlessly, Justin turned and walked out into the Thorn Valley dusk. The whirring of insects filled the air, and an owl hooted in the distance. Justin heard also the thump of the gate coming down behind him, but he kept going without so much as a glance back.

Jenner watched him disappear into the darkness from behind the gate. When the figure was no longer in sight, he said to the guards, "This gate is to be kept closed at all times. Open it only when I tell you to."

"Yes, sir."

Jenner started back down into the colony, ignoring the pain in his heart. He had the destruction of humankind to plan and worry about, and that was enough for him.