D. MacHale - Black Water

“And what’s that?” I asked.

“We’re starving,” she said bluntly. “The klee population is growing quickly. The number of gars is growing as well. Our ability to grow food crops isn’t keeping up with the demand. All the fertile land has been overfarmed for generations. We can’t even maintain the level we’re used to, let alone increase it. The meal I just prepared for you is a feast that would normally be stretched to feed an entire family of klees for several days. If we don’t find a way to turn this around, quickly, our civilization will begin to starve to death. So forgive me if I don’t care to chase an evil demon through time and space, when my own home is on the edge of catastrophe.”

“Kasha,” I said softly. “That’s exactly why you have to worry about Saint Dane. He goes to territories, uh, worlds that are reaching a critical time. Like the food shortage here on Eelong. That’s perfect for him. He’s using it as an excuse to get the klees to start killing gars. Right now, he’s on the Council of Klee, trying to get them to repeal Edict Forty-six. Who knows where it will go from there?”

Kasha shot me a look. “There are no gars on the Council of Klee.”

“That’s because he’s taken the form of a klee named Timber,” I said. But even as the words came out of my mouth, I knew Kasha wouldn’t believe them. Heck, if I hadn’t seen Saint Dane transform myself, I wouldn’t believe it either. I decided to change the subject before I lost her.

“Have you ever heard of something called Black Water?” I asked.

“Black Water?” she said incredulously. “Where did you hear that?”

“From the gars in prison. What is it?”

“It’s not a thing, it’s a place,” she answered. “Tell me about it.”

“It’s a gar story,” she began. “I don’t know much about it, but I’ve heard gars speak of it. It’s a place where all gars will someday go for their ultimate reward.”

“They called it ‘home,’” I said.

“I’m sure they did,” Kasha said. “They need something to give them hope for a better life, no?”

“So it’s like the promised land? Or heaven?”

“I don’t know what those things are,” Kasha answered.

“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “Where is this place?”

“It’s not real, Pendragon,” she said with a sarcastic chuckle. “It’s a fantasy.”

“You mean Black Water doesn’t really exist?”

“Only in the minds of the gars” was Kasha’s answer.

I debated about how much more to tell Kasha. Should I tell her about the amber boxes? Or about the mysterious thing called the “Advent”? Kasha would one day be the Traveler from Eelong, and I would have to trust her, but that time hadn’t come. I decided to continue, but cautiously.

“I don’t think the klee guards thought Black Water was a fantasy. When I was in that cell, one of the gars started talking about it. A klee burst in and took the gar to the Inquisitors.”

Kasha stopped pacing, as if this were surprising news. “A klee took a gar to the Inquisitors to ask about Black Water?” she asked. “That makes no sense.”

“Who are the Inquisitors?” I asked.

“It’s a division of the security police,” she answered. “They interrogate anyone they feel poses a threat to the peace. If you think those handlers who stage gar fights are cruel, you ought to meet the Inquisitors. They’re vicious. I never agreed with their methods. But they don’t interrogate gars.”

“They do now,” I said. “And they want to know about Black Water.”

Kasha let that settle in. It made no sense to her, and made little more to me. But I was beginning to smell something bad going down, and it had the distinct aroma of Saint Dane.

“Kasha!” came a voice from outside. A moment later Boon walked into the room.

“Boon!” Kasha shouted. “I rescued Pendragon!”

Boon saw me, but didn’t react. If he was happy about my escape, he sure didn’t show it. That wasn’t like Boon. I had only known him a short time, but it was long enough to know something was wrong. He walked slowly into the room without making eye contact with either of us.

“What’s the matter?” Kasha asked. “Are you sick?”

Boon sat down and stared at the table. I could see that he had been crying.

“Boon!” Kasha bellowed. “What’s wrong?”

Boon looked to me. He seemed scared and a bit lost. I don’t know why, but the moment I looked into his eyes I knew exactly what was bothering him. Maybe it was because the news he had was inevitable. That’s the way it was meant to be. I hoped I was wrong, but one look at Boon told me I wasn’t. I nodded, giving him encouragement and letting him know that I understood. Boon turned from me and looked at Kasha. Kasha’s eyes were wide and hungry for an answer.

“Kasha,” Boon said as his voice cracked. “I found Seegen.”

“Really? Where is he?” she asked excitedly.

“He’s dead.”

He didn’t have to say another word. The rest would be details. All would be important, but not as important as the inevitable truth I now faced.

Seegen was dead.

Kasha was the Traveler from Eelong.

Segen’s body lay in the mouth of the flume. An hour after Boon delivered the bad news, four of us stood over him, staring down at the former Traveler from Eelong. It was me, Boon, Yorn, and of course, Kasha. His daughter. Seegen was a big cat. He was mostly gray, with many white spots. Even in death I could tell he was a formidable creature. But no longer. We stood there silently. I think we were all waiting for Kasha to speak first. I glanced at her to see that her eyes were tearing up. But she was strong. She didn’t break down or anything.

“How did he die, Yorn?” she asked.

The old cat sighed and said, “I don’t know. As I told you, he left here for Second Earth, looking for Pendragon. When he came back through the flume, he was dead. What happened there I can’t say.”

Boon did a quick examination, checking for signs of injury. He found nothing.

Kasha looked to me and said, “You told me klees are treated like gars where you come from. What could have happened?”

“I can only guess,” I answered. “If Seegen appeared in my home town, they’d try to capture him. They’d probably shoot him with a tranquilizer to make him sleep. As a last resort they might shoot him with a gun that was more deadly, but there are no wounds. I don’t think he died on Second Earth.”

“But he left here alive, and now he’s dead,” Kasha said, trying to contain her emotions.

I felt horrible for her. I knew what it was like to lose a loved one. And I also knew what lay ahead for her.

“I don’t know how he died, Kasha,” I said sympathetically. “And I know you don’t believe in the battle against Saint Dane, but I promise you, it’s real. Your father’s death is proof of that.” I knelt down to Seegen and gently removed his braided necklace. Dangling from the loop was his Traveler ring. I held it up for Kasha to see.

“You’re the Traveler from Eelong now,” I said. “I’m not asking you to change your beliefs, but I am asking you to help us stop Saint Dane.”

“And why should I?” Kasha asked.

“Because it’s what your father wanted, and I guarantee Saint Dane had something to do with his death. If you want justice, you’ll join us.”

Kasha looked at the dangling ring. She glanced to Yorn. Yorn gave her a slight nod of encouragement. She looked to Boon. Boon gave her a weak smile in return. Kasha tentatively reached out and grasped the ring, examining its dark gray stone and the symbols that circled it.

“I believe in things I can see,” she said. “Everything I’ve heard about you, Pendragon, must be taken on faith. But my father is dead and that’s about as real as can be.” She gave me a piercing look and continued, “What I do is for him. Not you.