Butler, Octavia - Survivor

“Alanna, do you know how many of our people have been kidnapped by the Tehkohn since you were taken? Kidnapped and apparently murdered.”

Alanna opened her mouth to answer, then realized fully what he had said. “Since I was taken?”

“In the two years since you were…”

“Wait a moment.” She frowned. “There haven’t been any Tehkohn raids on the Mission colony since I was taken.”

Jules stared at her. “Listen, girl, the Tehkohn may have kept what they were doing from you, but…”

“They couldn’t keep it from me! Jules, I wasn’t locked up somewhere for two years. I was working out among the people. I spoke their language, and I couldn’t help knowing what was going on. There were two raids on the Garkohn. I saw the raiders leave, and I saw them come back with Garkohn prisoners—only Garkohn. No Missionaries.”

“I saw them take three people,” said Neila. “They almost took me too.”

“Not the Tehkohn.”

“Lanna, you’re wrong! I saw…”

“You saw natives abducting people. Who told you they were Tehkohn?”

Neila stared at her, speechless.

“I don’t know what’s happened here,” Alanna continued. “But whatever it was, the Tehkohn weren’t part of it. What they did do to us was bad enough, but if we don’t put that behind us, and join with them, we’re finished. Only they can help us to stop our more treacherous enemies—our Clayark friends.”

Jules looked at her silently for a long time—too long. He looked at her until she knew he was wondering about her own loyalty. She met his gaze and hid her sudden fear.

“You saved me once,” she said softly. “You didn’t have to. People said, ‘She’s an animal. She’d be better dead.’ But you saved me. Let me save you.”

“I don’t believe what you’re saying, Lanna—that our people are being abducted by the Garkohn.”

“You will.”

“But why would they bother? They already have us trapped here in a meklah cage.”

“Maybe to make more trouble between you and the Tehkohn. Maybe to make the stolen people work as slaves—I don’t know.” And then she did know. The idea came to her so suddenly that she almost spoke it aloud. But she caught herselE in time. This was not a thing for her to say to her foster father. He had already looked at her with suspicion. Let her husband tell him—if she could ever bring the two together, if the Garkohn had not destroyed all hope of an alliance.

They were not taking slaves, the Garkohn, although Jules would see it that way. He had said himself what they were doing, although he did not know it. He had complained that Natahk treated the Missionaries as though they were just another branch of the Garkohn. Well, by now, according to Kohn custom, the Missionaries were exactly that. The abducted Missionaries were in the southern part of the valley at the Garkohn farming town. And like Alanna, they had found out for themselves how human the Kohn people were. She spoke to Jules.

“For the sake of the people we have left here, Jules, talk to the Tehkohn Hao.”

“Form an alliance with him?”

“Yes, if he’ll co-operate.” He would try. Surely he would try.

“And if he won’t?”

“Then we have no chance. You know it. We can’t fight either tribe alone. We can’t even run with both tribes considering us fair game. Not that we’d know where to run anyway—to avoid running into people worse than the Tehkohn or the Garkohn.”

Jules sat staring downward at his clenched hands, and Alanna imagined what he must be feeling. The Missionaries looked to him for leadership. They had ever since he had brought them together as a colony. He had always been much aware of his responsibility to them. Now the best he could do for them was choose which of the many dangers he would expose them to. And he had to choose quickly. His prime prisoner might escape even that night.

“Jules, I’m pushing, I know. I have to push. Will you see the Tehkohn Hao?”

He sighed. “Tell me about him, Lanna. Make me understand why you trust him so much.”

If only she could, she thought wearily. But no, the half truths had to go on. “I trust his ability to handle his people,” she said. “If he decides we’re worth helping, we’ll get help.”

“One Tehkohn,” said Jules. “What would it take to make some other Tehkohn challenge him and get rid of him?”

“The same thing it would take to make you overrule the Bible words of Jesus Christ.”

“Alanna!” said Neila, shocked.

“The Hao are not overruled except by other Hao. And the only other Tehkohn Hao is old and not active in governing the people any longer. Diut’s word will stand.”

“His kind are considered gods?”

“No. The Kohn don’t pray to him. They don’t expect him to perform miracles—exactly. But they obey him as though they thought he was a god. Even the Garkohn are glad to obey him when they can. It’s more… more comfortable than disobeying. He’s like a symbol that God or fate or something is on your side if you have him.”

“A walking good luck charm.”

“Maybe. Whatever he is, his power is in the natural reaction of the Kohn people to blue—to that special kind of blue. No Kohn other than the Hao can attain it and all Kohn seem to be in awe of it.”

“But if the Garkohn are in awe of him…”

“But he’s not their Hao. In things that don’t matter much, they’ll obey him, honoring his blue. Remember when they were knocking some of their prisoners around just after the raid? He told them to stop and they stopped.”

“I saw that. I wondered about it. And they wouldn’t let my men paint him.”

“It would be sacrilege to mar the blue.”

Jules looked at her strangely. “Yes, that’s what they said.”

“They mean to have that blue for themselves. They intend to keep him—damage his legs so that he can’t escape. They might not force the meklah on him, but they would call him Garkohn Hao. A captive Hao doesn’t lead unless he renounces his former people and shows that he has joined his captors. But whether that happens or not, his presence gives his captors unity and strength that they’ll turn and use—in this case, against the Tehkohn. Diut won’t let that happen. And he’s a man in need of allies now, Jules. Even if he breaks free, you can be of use to him, and him to you.”

Jules was silent for a long moment. Finally, he said, “I’ll talk to him, girl. I won’t promise anything or bow down to his blue, but I’ll talk to him.”

“Nobody bows. They call him Tehkohn Hao instead of his name and they look at him. No more formality than that.”

“What do you mean, they look at him? What’s special about that?”

“It’s insulting to look away from him when he’s talking. What he’s saying with his coloring can be as important as what he’s saying with his mouth. Even if you don’t understand, it’s best to look at him.” This was a small thing. Diut did not demand it of his close friends or his family. He would not have demanded it of Jules. But he would notice if Jules seemed to be refusing to look at all—as Jules surely would without this warning. The Hao appearance took some getting used to, especially at close quarters, and for the sake of the colony, Jules had to get used to it quickly. If he did not, Diut would sit and talk to him and listen and learn whatever he could about the Missionaries. He would behave with respect as Kohn custom demanded that he behave toward the father of his wife, but he would promise Jules nothing. Eventually, he would make his escape and abandon the Missionaries to their fate.

CHAPTER FOUR

Alanna

My first memories as I came out of withdrawal were of pain, cold, hunger, and thirst. Someone gave me water—not enough. Someone lifted me and carried me to a place that was warm.