Jason pressed the wet piece of cloth Mera had brought him against his left temple. He sat on a step in the throne room of a pyramid, much likely to that he knew from Earth. Neri, Mera and Shalamorn stood around him, all three examining him with deep concern.
"It's just a scratch," he assured them. "I'm alright."
"Are you sure?" Shalamorn asked. "No dizziness? Or the feeling you might be sick?"
Jason shook his head – which he regretted instantly. He tried to keep his expression calm but must have failed miserably by the worried face Neri gave him. She sat down next to him and took over the cloth. Very carefully, she dabbed the wound but yet he flinched slightly.
A loud beeping noise drew their attention away from him to the communication device on the altar. Shalamorn nodded at a guard and he took the call.
"It's been a whole week, man," Brett instantly complained from the screen, then suddenly gasped when he finally made sense of the scene in front of him. "Dude, what the fuck happened?"
"Brett," Jason said sharply, "language!"
But his brother just made a dismissive gesture. "You're bleeding bad! How did that happen? I thought you were on some kind of world peace tour."
"We were," Mera said.
"We are," Jason corrected her and she rolled her eyes. "It was just this one guy who is seemingly not very interested in peace."
"What was his problem?"
"We are about to find out," Shalamorn responded. "He has been arrested and as soon, as Jason is taken care of, he will be interrogated."
"I said," Jason tossed in firmly, "I'm okay!"
Neri wiped his temple and he grimaced when the pain flashed through.
"It's still bleeding," she protested.
"You make it better," Jason murmured so quietly only she could hear him. Her touch indeed made him feel better, for it was distracting him from the pain. Her fingertips ran softly over the line of his jaw and a comfortable shiver ran down his spine. He exposed his neck a little more, and she took the hint smilingly, her fingers now gently stroking over the sensitive skin.
Of course, their behaviour didn't go unnoticed and Brett rolled his eyes. "Would you stop flirting and fill me in already?" he demanded impatiently.
"We visited the bigger villages of the Tauri and the Hill provinces," Shalamorn answered, "talked to the mayors and made some inventory."
"The situation is indeed bad," Mera added, "but the prognosis of the death toll was exaggerated. Many regions had been neglected and although many heard of Mother's return, they were still shocked to see her in flesh."
A retired teacher named Iszra had agreed to translate for Jason, so the girls and Shalamorn could focus on the people. Jason tried his best to learn the tongue as well, but languages had never been his strongest suit. After spending hours and hours in the villages, he still sat down with Iszra at night for one or two lessons.
Iszra was patient and kind, and Jason was very grateful for his support but he also grew frustrated, for he and Neri had even less time together now. But at least, he started to get the main context.
It seemed the oceans weren't as empty even though the fish stocks had drastically been reduced. The islands still provided a lot of fruits, seeds and roots. Hunting the animals living in the jungle had become a necessary, even though considered to be an unusual step.
Those affected by the Red Virus had been given the antidote and Iszra had told Jason, that it was well known he had been the one to come up with the idea of testing Charly's blood. Usually, the village people had met him with respect and kindness, – until today.
"Until now, people were excited and curious to see us," Mera told Brett. "Then suddenly this guy appeared, screaming something about a conspiracy and throwing stones at us."
Someone had brought a newly wetted cloth for Jason. The wound had finally stopped bleeding and the red stains in the cloth were only of already dried blood.
Neri took her time to wipe his face. She did it now with the left hand, while the right one caressed his neck, eventually brushing through his hair. The smirk on her face told him she wasn't worried anymore but simply enjoyed nursing him. He had a hard time to focus on the report. Her affectionate touch was pure bliss and he had to fight the urge to close his eyes.
They still spent their nights together but although usually sleeping in a tight embrace, the physical allocations had been drastically reduced. Of course, Neri took his hand now and then but it had been days since their last kiss.
"Conspiracy?" Brett asked, his forehead frowning. "Is he crazy or something?"
"No," Neri replied and dropped her hands. Jason almost winced by the loss but stopped himself in time. At least, it brought him back to the conversation.
"He is not crazy," Neri ran on. "Just confused and angry. We have to talk to him."
Shalamorn gave Jason a last examining look, then nodded. "Bring him in," she told the guards.
The young blonde man was indeed no madman. His blue eyes were clear. Two guards held his arms against his back and he did not once try to fight them. But he gave everyone surrounding him a defiant look.
"Who are you?" Shalamorn asked him and repeated the question in the native tongue.
"My name is Ilf," Mera translated for Jason and Brett.
"Do you know our speak?" Neri wanted to know but his eyes just narrowed.
"Why should I learn the tongue of the dirty Earth People?" he responded according to Mera after Neri had asked him again in their own language. "We will drown them and those left will serve us. They have to learn our language, not the other way round!"
"Malakat is gone," Shalamorn said firmly. "There will be no invasion."
"And how will we survive then?"
"The Red Virus is defeated," Mera told him, but he shook his head.
"The Earth People will destroy their planet and then it will be our death, too! And Malakat told us about the lies the scientists have fed to us."
"What lies?" Neri wanted to know.
He tried to flinch away from her and Jason angry got to his feet when he hissed at her.
"Don't you dare to call her a witch!"
Neri took Jason's arm to calm him down. "What lies are you talking about, Ilf?" she tried again, her tone all friendly, but yet he seemed to fear her.
"Don't try your tricks on me, witch! I heard about you," he spluttered, "but I won't fall under your spell – Ahh!"
The guards had tightened their grip, their hands digging into his shoulders.
"Don't hurt him," Neri exclaimed. "Let go of him!"
They exchanged a quick look. "But princess," one of them murmured but Neri shot him an intense glance.
"Now," she told him. "Please," she added and Jason watched her with fascination and affection. She began to take the floor like a real princess and a wave of pride flooded him.
The guards hesitated but finally complied.
The look, Ilf gave her, was a mixture of suspicion and freight. Jason figured he didn't speak English but Neri had always been better with non-verbal language anyway.
She took a glass with water and offered it to him, kindly smiling. It felt like hours until he finally took it and wetted his face, saving the last bit to drink.
"Please," she said, falling back into the native tongue, "tell us about the lies."
"Malakat says that our planet is sick. That the Red Virus is just a symptom."
"It was Malakat who created the virus," Mera said.
"Lies!" he yelled. Neri flinched away from him in shock but immediately held up her hands to stop the guard from grabbing him again.
The confusion in Ilf's expression grew and the suspicion won over the fear. "That's just propaganda," he asserted forcefully, "Malakat always wanted the best for us. That's why he took you out," he told Shalamorn. "He knew you were too soft, too weak to lead the invasion to Earth."
"The only one he ever cared for was himself," Shalamorn replied. "He was driven by the strive for power."
"Why didn't he kill you then?" He broke into a triumphant smile when Shalamorn hesitated. "Yes, we know him better than you do. He has always taken care of us!"
"What do you mean with 'us' and 'we'?" Neri wanted to know. "Are there more?"
"What do you think, stupid girl?" he said, obviously starting to lose his fear of her. "Of course, there are more! Many who are still loyal to Malakat."
"Where?" Shalamorn asked. "Why didn't we hear from then until now?"
"I was the only one who dared to come see you," Ilf replied proudly. "We heard of the witch and her powers." He gave Neri another look."She even turned Princess Shersheba against Malakat."
"Shersheba realised that Malakat's doing was evil," Jason tossed in. "She wanted to do the right thing. That's why she turned on him."
"I knew you would say that," Ilf told him mockingly after Mera had translated his words to him. "She charmed you, made you her puppet. But soon you will realise, they are all false snakes!"
Neri watched Ilf thoughtfully and Shalamorn gave the guards a sign.
"Bring him away," she told them quietly. "And make sure, he has enough water and food," she added, giving her daughter a glance.
"Huh," Brett made from the screen. "Confusion doesn't cover it. More like paranoia."
"But at least, now we know with which kind of lies we have to deal with," Mera said.
"It's all turned upside down in his head," Neri murmured and exchanged a glance with her mother.
Shalamorn nodded. "Then we have to make this right again."