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CARAVAN GIRL by Ingrid Halb Chapter 1 Zedaniel Hagers was having the worst day of his life and it was still mid-morning. Here he was on the run and his car just up and pukes out on him in the middle of nowhere. Not that yesterday was a whole lot better. How often does the local crime boss find out that you took over 100K credits of his money? Imperial credits no less, not that local slag that passes for money on this planet. This was real money, which meant he was really dead if Griffin or one of his crew found him, which was exactly why he ran. It was stupid really. You do not run in-planet. Where would you go? Especially on Chu, where the hell was there to run? The bloody planet only had one spaceport and Griffin pretty well owned that. That only left a couple of frontier towns and a lot of hinterland. Stupid prairie, what the hell was there but scrub bush and natives? What there was was Zed staring at a busted car in the middle of a dry wash. "Fuck!" Zed shouted to no one in particular. The car paid him no attention. This was bad. Stupid bad. The kind of stupid that takes you out of the gene pool bad. People died out here. People died when they crossed Timon Griffin too which had not stopped him from taking Timon's money. Stupid. Zed looked around at the scraggly thorn-trees that lined the wash. Morning was getting late and the dust devils were starting to play across the prairie. It was already hot and going to get a lot hotter. It was over 100 km to Jack's Town, his initial destination. Staying with the car was the smart bet. He could send out a distress call and wait for the wardens to come get him. The only thing wrong with that idea was that they were sure to take him back to Chu City, where Griffin was looking for his money. A large black dusty native Chu-bird landed on the branches of a nearby thorn-tree and eyed Zed with a toothy grin. "Shit," he said, dead was dead whatever he did. Given that, he was going to take his chances in any direction that took him further away from Griffin. He gathered his few possessions and abandoning the car trudged off in what was his best guess for the direction of Jack's Town. A 100 km walk sounded like a doable distance to Zed, but 100 km in an impulse car with GPS guidance was not the same as 100 km on foot over broken ground, especially when one was navigating by dead reckoning. For the first few hours, he cursed his luck as the heat shimmered over the dry salt grass. The next few hours he spent cursing his ancestors for all of his bad decisions. He spent the next few hours after that begging their forgiveness and praying for a glass of water. Zed was in bad shape by mid-afternoon, and had attracted a small following of Chu- birds that were hoping he would get worse. The birds' hopes changed fast as they disappeared in a flurry of wings. This pleased Zed but five seconds later he wished he could join them when he turned to look down the barrel of a very large gun. His first thought was that Griffin had found him and now he would die. Then the man spoke and Zed did not understand a word he said. It took Zed a moment to realize he was not hearing Standard. The man was speaking an actual foreign language. Like most people from the developed worlds, Zed had been schooled in some of the classical languages like English and Mandarin. While never the best student, he did remember enough to tell this was not one of those. That could only mean the man with the gun was a native and not one of Griffin's men. Zed felt relief but sobered quickly. He might still wind up just as dead. The natives he knew around the spaceport would knife you as soon as talk to you if they thought you had something they wanted. Chu City had some rough neighborhoods. This native had something Zed wanted. "Water," Zed croaked out past his cracked lips. "Water, you dumb Chu. Wa... ter..." Zed mimicked drinking. The Chu native looked bemused. He pulled a metal flask from his belt, which he tossed to Zed's feet. He made sure to keep one hand on the weapon and the weapon pointed at Zed at all times. Zed jumped on the flask and started to drink greedily. He just as quickly started to choke and cough out the burning liquid through his nose. The man laughed at Zed's discomfort and retrieved his flask. He then used his weapon to indicate Zed should walk on ahead. Still coughing and sputtering, Zed chose to listen to the man with the gun. The stumbling walk through the bush seemed to take forever to Zed but really could not have been more than a kilometer before they rounded a copse of well watered trees and came upon an encampment. There were three wagons in a loose circle with a large campfire in the center and a second campfire near the more open end of the circle where a makeshift corral held horses. Zed's captor hailed a warning and a half dozen natives rose to greet them. They had the look of a family; an older couple with four children. Four grown children, that is; three girls that looked to be in their late teens or early twenties and a boy, or young man. He too carried a gun and kept a wary eye on Zed. The 'father' approached confidently, spoke briefly with Zed's captor then cast a critical eye at Zed. "Ilk man halik?" he demanded. "What?" Zed asked in a hoarse voice. "Ilk... man... halik?" the man repeated slowly. "Ma halik ze Arl. Arl. Ze Arl." The man was tapping himself on the chest as he said 'Arl' and Zed got the impression that he was telling him his name. "Arl? Your name is Arl?" The older man nodded in agreement. "Ma halik ze Arl. Ilk man halik?" "Hagers!" Zed answered quickly. "Zedaniel Hagers." Arl looked confused, as did the rest of the native group. They were looking at each other as if they did not quite believe they had heard correctly. "Man halik ze Danya?" he asked. "Zedaniel," Zed said nodding in agreement. The assembled group of natives looked at him strangely. Then one of the girls giggled, which got one of the other girls to giggle. This proved infectious and soon everyone was snickering and trying hard not to laugh. Arl was having none of it and with a stern look and some shouted commands he quieted everyone down and sent them scurrying back to the wagons. The two young men with the weapons bound Zed's hands together with a leather cord then tied him to a wagon. Exhausted and scared, Zed sat on the dirt beside the wagon wheel and watched as Arl and his clan settled in for the night. They were obviously experienced at what they did and everyone had a role as they worked together to close up the wagons and set the sentries before night fell. Chapter 2 Zed was not sure what to make of his captors. They had not killed him, for which he was thankful, but they also had not fed him or given him water. The fact that they kept him tied up did not bode well and just because they had not killed him outright did not mean they would not eventually do him in. He considered his surroundings. The wagons were archaic; rectangular wooden boxes on metal chassis, colorfully decorated with ornate embellishments. The people were dressed as colorfully as their wagons. The women wore billowing skirts and clunky jewelry. Dark eyed and made up, they had a wild free look as they lithely moved around the cooking fires. The men were swarthy and coarsely shaved. They looked dangerous but they too wore color; rich tones, or even brightly colored shirts and pants. The men tended towards heavy boots while the women went barefoot or wore lace sandals. Zed wished he had paid more attention to the cultural briefings. He did not remember much about the natives on this planet. He knew they were descended from the first wave out of Old Earth and had been left on their own after the collapse, which meant that they had been isolated for centuries. He tried to imagine that; these people, left on this backwater planet with no connection to the real universe. No wonder they wandered around in tribes. These people were almost cavemen with wagons. Of course, these cavemen currently held him captive. Two more men rode into camp and after taking care of their horses, they joined Arl, his captor, and the young lad at the watch fire just outside the circle of wagons, near the horses. The women busied themselves around the fire. The smell of the cooking was as much a torment to Zed as was the lack of water. His stomach growled audibly and his throat burned with thirst as he watched the women serve the evening meal to the men folk. It was clear to Zed that he was the central topic of conversation amongst the clan. There were a lot of sideways glances and open gestures towards him as the conversations carried on around the fires. He saw his captor playacting at the men's fire, mimicking someone drinking from a flask and choking. All the other men at the fire roared their laughter. The evening meal was well over before the gathered clan turned their full attention towards Zed. The man he knew as Arl held a very large knife in his hand as he approached Zed, the rest of the clan behind him illuminated by the fire light. "Please," Zed begged as Arl approached with knife raised. "Arl! Neh ta ze bas!" This was shouted from one of the wagons by an aged woman that Zed had not seen before. She strode from the third wagon assisted with a cane and an air of authority. There followed a brief argument in which Arl was clearly disadvantaged. He seemed defensive and finally approached Zed with the knife and with a few deft strokes completely cut his clothes off leaving him naked except for his boots. "Va gama se pata de van, Danya" Arl spat out then stormed back to the men's fire. None of the other men dared say a word. The old woman approached Zed and spoke soothing sounds. "Please," Zed said past swollen lips, "water, food." He mimicked drinking and eating. The old woman looked at him then spoke a few words out to the other women who hurried themselves to scrape together food and drink for Zed. Zed mumbled thanks and tore into the provisions. He was left alone after that and spent the rest of the night cold and shivering, tied up to the wagon. The next morning Zed awoke, stiff and bleary eyed, from the noise and commotion of everyone striking camp. It was clear they had been up for some time as the fires were doused and the horses hitched up to the wagons. Several of the natives greeted him when they saw him stir. At least he thought it was a greeting. They waved but the words were still all gibberish to him. The camp was ready to go in short order. Zed looked nervously around. He was still tied to the wagon by a short lead secured at his wrists and still naked except for his boots. Arl and the old woman from yesterday approached Zed. The woman smiled comfortingly but Arl still looked surly. Arl looked at the old woman and asked something in that funny language. The old woman chided him and Arl shrugged before turning to Zed. "Danya, dans fit," he said pointing at Zed's boots. "Gib ma dans fit." Zed quickly reached down and clumsily removed his boots as quickly as his bound hands let him. Now fully naked he held the boots up for Arl. Arl took them, shook them upside down, looked inside, examined the soles, the tongue and laces, and then threw the boots deep into the thorn bushes. He then helped the old woman up before climbing up into the lead wagon. With his bellow, the wagons started moving. Zed stared openmouthed with disbelief at the spot in the bushes where Arl had thrown his boots. It took the jerk of the rope to turn him around and get him moving. Zed had thought that yesterday's walk in the bush was bad, but being made to walk naked tied behind a wagon bouncing down a crude track brought a completely new perspective on bad. At first, it was his feet that gave him the worst problems. Every sharp stick and thorn on Chu seemed to be on this road and his feet soon burned from the constant jabs and pricks. Fairly soon the sticks and thorns on the road near the campsite gave way to the hard packed dirt of the open trail with only an occasional thorn or sharp rock. Zed was thankful for the mercy until he realized that being behind the third wagon meant he was going to be eating a lot of dust. It was choking and it only got worse as the sun rose higher in the sky. Dust filled his mouth and his swollen tongue made spitting near impossible. The sun burned down on him like a hot iron, giving him a headache and making him dizzy. Zed repeatedly stumbled and scrambled back to his feet. He was tripping on more and more rocks and his vision was starting to narrow with the surrounding blackness slowly and steadily creeping in. Zed woke up with the old woman standing over him and Arl holding his head up and trying to give him a drink of something that tasted of sour talc. Zed threw up and passed out again. Zed woke up a second time; the room was rocking. He was lying on some sort of cot. His head was pounding and his skin felt like it was on fire. Something covered his view of the sky so he realized that he was inside one of the wagons. He was coherent enough to realize the rocking meant that the wagon was moving. He heard humming or maybe soft singing and raised his head to see the old woman mixing something together in a small bowl. She noticed him looking and smiled at him. "Shhh, Danya. Zyte ruh," she said brushing her hand through his hair. She then started to apply the thick dark green goo from the bowl to his skin. The cooling relief was immediate. Wherever the old woman applied the ointment immediately responded with cooling relief. "Hmmm," he groaned at the spreading coolness. "Hai Danya, shlaf nur," she said as she continued to apply the ointment. When Zed woke up again, it was dark out and the wagon was not moving. He heard singing and laughing and saw the flicker of a campfire shining through the edges of a curtained doorway. Zed sat up. He felt good. In fact, he felt better than he could remember feeling since... well, since he could remember. Memory seemed a little fuzzy and it took him awhile to remember he was in a wagon that was part of a native caravan. He had more difficulty remembering why he was in a native caravan. Still, it felt good. Zed grabbed a nearby hanging robe and with this wrapped around him, he pushed the curtain at the doorway aside. The cooking fire was maybe five meters away. The women were all there, smiling and laughing. "Hi Danya!" they said and invited him to sit by the fire. At least he thought they invited him. He recognized the 'Hi Danya' anyway. He joined the women at the fire. The singing and laughing continued late into the evening. There was food and drink, which he greatly appreciated, but what he mostly enjoyed was the companionship. The men would occasionally join them but mostly they stayed at the watch fires where the women would bring them food and drink. It was calm and relaxing and Zed soon felt at home. In fact, he felt so at home that when the old woman handed him a mug he took and drank it without question. The taste was of beer. The effect was something more drastic. Slowly, the laughing and singing began to reverberate inside his head. The light of the fire was starting to play tricks with his vision. It was almost as if the movements of the women were leaving afterimages. And their words, their words were almost making sense. He vaguely remembered someone leading him back to the wagon and something about one or maybe two of the girls dressing him for bed. Sleep hit Zed hard accompanied by the pulsing sound of the campfire songs still echoing in his head. Chapter 3 Zed woke up groggy with the stirring of the girls around him in the wagon. He was shocked to find he had been left to sleep in the girls' wagon and doubly shocked as they seemed to pay him little attention. He watched transfixed from his bunk as the three girls in his wagon busied themselves with their morning rituals. In spite of the obvious feminine charms of the three very well developed young women, he was more afraid than turned on, convinced that the men would kill him when they found him there. "Mornig Danya," the girls all greeted him when they saw he was awake. "Mornig," he mumbled back, hiding nervously behind his blanket. He was greatly relieved when the old woman from last night climbed into the wagon and shooed the girls out. "Mornig Danya," she said. "Mornig Rheya," he replied. Rheya, her name was Rheya. He remembered that, from... last night? Maybe. But he did remember it. Through gestures and coaxing Rheya got him out of bed and stood up so that he could see himself in the mirror the girls had been using. He was surprised to find that the nightclothes he had on were similar to what the girls had been wearing. He had on a spaghetti strap nightshirt that reached to his knees. It felt silky and ended in a small lace trim. The bottom of the sleep set hung low on his hips with the pant legs tied in a bow at the top of the calf. He was also surprised at his skin tone. Whatever that gel was that Rheya had put on his sunburn had eliminated the burn, leaving his skin with a slight tan and a mild tinge that looked exotic. The tone was a close approximation of the girls. Except for his hair and eye color, he could have passed for one of the natives. Maybe not the men, they were swarthier and hairier. Rheya passed him a small leaf and indicated that he should chew. Zed obliged her and put the leaf in his mouth. It tasted slightly bitter, like coffee, and seemed to have a mild euphoric effect. He giggled slightly as Rheya helped him take off his nightclothes. It struck him very funny that his new complexion seemed to extend over his entire body. It seemed even funnier when Rheya helped him get dressed. He was still buzzing as he stepped out of the wagon and joined the girls preparing the morning meal. It was a cool crisp morning and the breeze felt good on his shoulders and bare legs. He wiggled his toes in the dirt. It was a good morning to be alive and it felt good to help make breakfast. The morning passed easy. The work was hectic, but the camaraderie made it easier. The buzz did not hurt either. His appetite was off, but cooking and cleaning were a blur. The girls pointed, gestured, and nudged him along through the morning chores. They were good-natured about it, but it still made him feel stupid. Before he knew what was really going on, he found himself back in the wagon with the younger women as the caravan trundled along its way. "Velk, pas ne violet shade da caux von jeus." Gans Lanya, mi sin can te new outfit." Zed watched as the older one and the youngest were comparing scraps of clothing. He had no idea what they were talking about, but they were very animated about it. "C'nas si vex sin ni bas. Fel better on Medya" "Medya? Na sa." "Tu ne me das, ca vas," the third woman in the wagon said. She had been engrossed in reading a book and seemed annoyed at the intrusion of the other two. "Tu de vas Danya, schlas mir alone." "Danya?" the girls said together, looking at Zed as they spoke. "Danya!" they said. With that, the two girls jumped Zed and started draping bolts of cloth on him. He was not sure how to react so he just sat there and let the two have their way. He was a little worried when they started to pull out scissors and was greatly relieved when they only used it on the cloth. Activity petered out around noon as the trio broke out snacks of fruit and some sort of biscuit. The afternoon passed more quietly. The woman with shorter hair continued studying her reader. That would be Medya? That seemed right. He was fairly certain that was her name. The other two busied themselves with cutting and sewing. They chatted idly, occasionally trying to draw Zed into the conversation. He tried to pay attention but could only smile and nod. They did show him a few stitches and he happily worked along with them, until he apparently messed something up. That got a laugh from everyone, but he was not allowed to help anymore. The caravan rolled on until the shadows started to grow long. It pulled to a stop at a rocky outcropping beside a lone, unusually large tree. The girls all spilled out of the wagon, chattering excitedly. Zed tagged along behind them. It was clear that they knew exactly what they were doing as they rapidly set up the cooking fires. Zed was starting to worry. He had no idea where he was, other than that he was in the middle of the wilderness on a primitive planet, kidnapped by a backward clan, for some unknown and probably sinister purpose. Something was odd about the way he was dressed, too. His clothes were too billowy, and what happened to his shoes? He looked up, startled to see Rheya standing in front of him. She was smiling, and offered Zed another small leaf. He popped the leaf in mouth and started to chew. He immediately started to relax as the familiar euphoric feeling once again settled in. Maybe this was not so bad after all. "Danya," Rheya said, getting his attention. "Go vik Iallya t'na the vegetables." She pointed where the other older woman and one of her daughters were starting to clean some unfamiliar taproots and leafy green fronds. He got the idea that she wanted him to help prepare the meal. He smiled broadly and nodded his agreement, before walking over and being set to work cutting up tubers. Dinner was delicious and he was very proud of his part in preparing it. He was particularly pleased at not spilling a drop of food as he carried plates out to the men at the watch fires. Afterwards, it was just nice to sit around the fire with the girls and clap along as they sang songs. He even recognized one of the songs from the previous night and sang along. This made the daughters jump up with a squeal and pull him to his feet, to show him a few of the dance steps that went with the chorus. It was all great fun, and Rheya even gave him another of those amazing drinks that tasted of beer. It did not have nearly the punch it had the previous night, but it was plenty to make him loopy for the rest of the evening. He was able to make his own way to bed that night, and fell fast asleep thinking only on what an amazing day he had. Chapter 4 Over the next couple of weeks, Zed, or rather Danya slipped more and more into the daily ritual of the camp. Every morning Rheya would give him a leaf and he would get dressed and help with the chores. Every evening he helped prepare dinner, and fed the men before settling around the fire and eating with the women as they sang songs and told stories. Occasionally, Rheya would give him an evening drink. In between, he rode the wagon with the girls while the caravan rolled on. It was also beginning to seem to him that their language must be the simplest in the universe because it came easier to him every day. The songs and stories helped. They told romantic and tragic tales of the past and life on the trail. The simple yet rhythmic patterns resonated in him, until the words made sense and he could see the stories unfold in his mind. While he still stumbled in his speech and did not always get every joke, he was soon conversing regularly with everyone in the caravan. He was also beginning to get a good idea of the social structure in which he found himself. "Danya," Rheya called, "come here, child. I want to show you how to make healing tea from bitter root." "Yes, Mot Rheya," Zed called then looked anxiously at Iallya. "Go," Iallya said with a smile. "I'll see to the soup. Just make sure you're back to start the biscuits." "I will! Thank you, Iallya," Zed answered. The social dynamic was complex but functioned smoothly. It was a matriarchy of sorts. Rheya owned the caravan, but Arl made the day-to- day decisions as the gud of the caravan. Arl was married to Iallya, which made his full title Arl mat Iallya gud Rheya and Iallya was Rheya's daughter which made her Iallya mat Arl fil Rheya. Most everyone else was either a son or daughter of Arl and Iallya, except for the four rugged young men who ran the horses out to scout ahead. They were cousins, but the Chu term did not mean the same thing it did in Standard. There was no blood relation. Rather, they were apprentices of Arl's who were earning the right to claim caravan Rheya to their name and assume a share of its honors. Zed did not have much to do with them. Mostly he stuck with the three daughters. Lanya was the oldest. She was almost 21 years old and pledged to Klen, one of the riders. There was talk of her becoming mat Klen by the spring if Klen could afford his own wagon by then. Her sisters, Medya and Calya, gossiped about that a lot and clearly were a little jealous. Medya was only a little younger but she was more interested in books than boys. She read everything she could find, which was not much on the open trail. She quoted many things from those books, and talked of going off to study even more books, which sometimes led to friendly teasing about being a 'brain'. Calya, the youngest at barely 18 years of age, had no serious plans for the future, and Zed and she spent a lot of time hanging out together when not doing chores. Arl and Iallya also had a son, a boy barely older than Calya who went by the name of Tol. Tol was a strapping young man with the typical lanky build of a Chu youth. He had this one loose lock of hair that tended to fall across his face and he tended to imitate Arl's mannerisms. They all knew Zed as Danya. Something about that confused him. It was similar to the feeling he got when he stopped to consider his clothes. Obviously, he had no choice but to wear the Chu clothes and if he was going to have a Chu name he should probably wear Chu clothes. However, every now and then, something just felt wrong. "Do I look odd to you guys?" he asked one day. The caravan had stopped for an extended stay near a hillside seep. The lush grasses gave the horses a chance to feed and a well gave the clan access to clean water. Iallya had taken advantage of the break to order a general cleaning of the wagons and laundering of the clothes and bedding. He and Calya were taking clothes off the line when that feeling of wrongness struck him again. Calya cast a quick look to Medya and Lanya, who had been beside them, folding sheets. The three girls glanced at each other quickly and there was a brief moment of silence before Medya answered. "What do you mean odd?" she asked. "You look the same to me." "No, I don't mean me," he said, "at least, I don't think so. It's these clothes, they seem... different." "But Danya, that's silly," Medya said. "You wear the same clothes we all do." "Maybe 'different' was the wrong word," Zed said. "Maybe 'inappropriate'?" "You need to see Rheya!" Calya blurted out, before Medya shushed her. "I think I see what's going on here," Lanya said, giving the sheets a snap as she kept folding them. "You're feeling self-conscious about the way you look, right?" "Well, yeah, I guess" Zed said. "You're worried that you look odd; that you stick out." "...I suppose," Zed said after a moment's thought. "Well, there you go," Lanya said. "The answer is color." "Color?" "Color," Lanya said, nodding by way of confirmation. "Consider Calya." "Me?" Calya said. "Yes, you," Lanya said. "She's pretty, stylish, and confident." "Hey, thanks!" Calya said, striking a pose. "Don't get carried away," Lanya said, before turning back to Zed and continuing the conversation. "As I was saying," she said. "Calya is stylish and confident." "And pretty!" Calya said. "So ask yourself, Danya," Lanya said, shooting Calya a reproachful look but ignoring her otherwise. "You and Calya are roughly the same height, the same age, and you wear many of the same clothes, but she's confident while you worry that you look odd. What's the difference?" "I don't know, color?" Zed said. "Color," Lanya said, nodding her head. "Consider her eyes. Look how she's blended the shading just enough to bring out their color. And see how the black edging at the base of her lashes emphasized the brightness and depth of her eyes." Zed peered closely. "Notice the slight color to highlight her cheekbones," Lanya said, pointing details out to Zed as she spoke, "and how she evened out the tone elsewhere. See how that softens the jaw line? Even her lip color complements her nails. Good attention to color and detail." "Learn from the master!" Calya said, modeling theatrically as Lanya spoke. Lanya and Medya just rolled their eyes. "So, I have to pay more attention to color?" Zed said, very uncertainly. "Exactly," Lanya said, "and a few other things. Your hair could use a little shaping. And when was the last time you shaved your legs?" "I... don't know," Zed said, more confused than ever. "Well, there you go," Lanya said. "You're clearly overdue. Don't worry, we can give you lessons as soon as we're done with the laundry." "That's a great idea," Medya added. "We'll all help." "Lessons?" he asked again, maybe weakening a little. "Come on, Danya," Calya said, taking his arm. "It'll be fun!" "Okay, I guess, if you think it will help some, I mean," he said, nervously. "Absolutely," Lanya said. "Why, I bet you'll feel like a totally new person, afterwards." Medya and Calya just smiled at him, nodding their agreement. Zed was wondering to what he had just agreed. The results of the lessons did nothing to relieve Zed's sense of unease, despite the reassurances from the sisters that he looked great. He slid one leg across the other, marveling at the feeling of smooth, hairless legs. Even days later, it still caught him by surprise, as did the bright flashes of color that were his toenails. Color was a near constant worry of his now. Whether it was his nails, eyelids, cheeks, lips, or clothes, he always second-guessed his choices. It led to last minute outfit changes and a lot of checking and touching up on his face. He was constantly changing his mind and took longer to get dressed in the morning. None of this made him stand out. If anything, he was getting along better with the girls than ever before. This was especially true of his relationship with Calya. He was spending more and more time with her. She was the youngest and often acted it. Calya liked nothing better than to wander the meadows and collect flowers. Zed joined her a few times and he had to admit it was fun to run and laugh as the blades of grass tickled his legs and swarms of colorful flutters buzzed around them. Iallya and Rheya put the two of them to work collecting herbs and tubers which supplemented the caravans meals and supplied Rheya the ingredients for her medicines and tonics. Both of the senior women of the caravan made sure that Danya became well versed in the skills needed to run a proper cooking fire as well as the basic medicines of the Chu people. "That's it, Danya," Iallya spoke encouragingly. "Keep stirring the roux as you add the vegetables. Good. Don't forget to check on the meat, we don't want it simmering too hot." "I'm trying, Iallya. There's a lot to keep track of." "You're doing fine. Now go check on the bread." Zed could not remember a time where he felt so much a part of what was going on around him. The ebb and flow of life on the trail had an easy elegance to it that he found soothing. The camaraderie of his fellow travelers made the wide-open skies and broad rolling plains seem like a place he would never have to leave. This had a powerful impact on Zed who had spent the greater portion of his life running from one form of trouble or another. Finally finding a place that welcomed him helped explain why Zed had distinct mixed feelings when the caravan pulled into the outskirts of Jack's Town. Chapter 5 Zed stared out at the valley. The Off-Worlder town lay before him; a collection of squat prefab structures that clashed dramatically with the lush river valley where it sat. It looked alien and smelled bad too. Fortunately, the Chu encampment was upstream and upwind of the settlement. Upon their arrival, Zed and the girls stayed respectfully in their wagons while Arl paid the proper respects to the resident Mot. Eventually, the negotiations were complete and a formal invitation allowed caravan Rheya to make camp. Zed was thankful, as all the girls were, to be out of the wagons and the four of them playfully went about setting up the cooking fires. The shallow river valley seemed like a paradise to Zed after the dry dusty thorn bushes of the open trail. The trees were tall and the shade was abundant. The presence of the river did mean more chores than the usual ones of the trail and Zed did his part to help with the laundry and washing. He also did his part in taking a luxuriously refreshing bath and helped as the girls washed each other's hair. It felt wonderful. His own hair was getting quite long. The auburn tresses were easily visible to him as they brushed the tops of his shoulders. He had never noticed that before. Eventually, Iallya gave each of the girls and Zed a small allowance and let them loose to visit the town, or whatever else they wanted to do. It was too much to resist. Lanya disappeared with Klen, but Zed, Calya, and Medya rushed back to the wagons to ready themselves. They must have spent an hour primping, preening, and re-changing their clothing before they decided they were ready and headed off to explore the alien city. "Danya, have you ever seen so many people?" Calya asked breathlessly. "I'm not sure," Danya said. Part of him was excited by the size of the crowd, but a smaller part of him remained unimpressed. "And the vendors! They're selling just about everything here!" Medya said in great excitement. "Look, they have earrings!" Calya called. "Ooh, pretty! You should get those," Medya said. "No these are better, see how they sparkle," Zed said, pointing out a different pair with more crystals on them. "Those are pretty, Danya, you should totally get those," Calya said. "I can't get earrings," Zed said, his embarrassment showing on his face. "Why not? These would look great on you," Medya said, holding one of the pair up to the side of Zed's head and pointing at the mirror the vendor had set up for customers. "See." Zed looked at his reflection and was taken aback by the image. Smooth face, colored and lined eyelids, long hair, and now an earring held up by Medya's hand. "I... I can't. I don't have pierced ears," he said softly. "We can take care of that here!" Calya said. "Yes, lets," Medya said. The vendor nodded his agreement, eager for a sale. Zed looked from the faces of his two friends, to the vendor, to the earring in his hand, then back to the mirror. "Will it hurt?" he asked in a meek voice. A few minutes later, Zed left the stall with his ears pierced with small silver studs, and the pretty earrings in a bag to take with him. It had hurt, but not that bad, and his only regret was that he was going to have to wait for his ears to heal before he could wear the pretty ones. Zed and the girls went on for several hours, almost running from stall to stall to take in all the wares offered for sale. Zed found it intoxicating. The sights, sounds, and smells of the market were full of color and diversity the likes of which he had never seen on the trail. In the end, he wound up buying a hair comb in addition to his new earrings. The people were just as amazing as the sights. The regular folk were unusual enough with their city clothes and living in houses but the Off-Worlders were strange almost to disbelief. He saw dark people with thick curly hair and other people, paler than he thought was healthy, with hair that came in a multitude of colors. He saw one woman with purple hair and a man with hair that was yellow like the sun. Strange as they appeared to be, Zed felt an overpowering urge to talk to them. He had this feeling that there was something important he needed to communicate with them. "Hey! Hey, mister!" he shouted to one tall, well-dressed Off-Worlder. "Can I talk to you for a second?" The man just wrinkled his nose and looked the other way as he kept walking past Zed. Zed was a little confused and discouraged but tried again. "Excuse me," he said to a man and woman, who were busy examining produce at one of the stalls. "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?" , said the man. , the man said. , the woman replied with a snort. Zed did not understand a single thing the couple had said. It all sounded like 'wah, wah', wah' talk. The man was nice, and Zed had thanked him for the coins, but the woman seemed angry for some reason. Zed was undaunted. "Excuse me, ladies, I need to ask you something, can you understand me?" he said approaching two garishly dressed women. They were probably about as old as Iallya, but it was hard to tell with the odd, heavy, face paint they wore. He just could not see sitting down to put on that much color. Off-Worlders were weird. , the first woman said. , the second woman asked. , the first woman said. , the second woman said, tossing Zed a single coin. the first woman said. The two women left laughing. Once again Zed had not understood a single thing they had said, although he did have the distinct feeling that he had been insulted. He stood silently studying the coin in his hand. There was something important here that he was missing, something that changed everything. Suddenly, he had it. "Calya! Medya!" he called. "If you talk to these people, they give you money!" His excitement turned to embarrassment when the girls pointed out that he was essentially begging. This was not acceptable, at least not for caravan Rheya. Money must be earned and begging was not the way to do it. He felt ashamed to bring that kind of disrespect to the caravan, even if unintentional. Calya and Medya promised not to tell on him, providing he buy them each a juice drink with the money. With that penance paid, and his transgression forgiven, the three of them continued their bouncing between the stalls, comparing and admiring each new discovery. Zed could not remember ever having so much fun and was sorry to see their small allowance dwindle as they bought snacks and trinkets. A group of street musicians provided an opportunity to extend their fun as he and the girls danced for tossed coins while the band played. He and the girls laughed and danced and giggled for several lively tunes. The musicians invited them to stay and maybe visit awhile but they scooped up their coins and ran off back to the market. It was all very exciting but in the end, it felt good to get back home to the caravan. The smell of the horses and the cooking fires seemed cleaner and the simple act of helping Iallya and the girls prepare dinner was comforting. The songs that evening seemed particularly poignant to him and he slept more peacefully that night than any he could remember, secure in the familiarity of the caravan. Chapter 6 The morning brought routine and chores were an ever-present part of that routine. Zed found himself once again paired up with Calya and sent out to collect herbs. The older girls were out doing other things. Zed did not mind. Lanya and Medya were just a little too serious sometimes. He would rather spend time with someone more his own age, like Calya. The two had collected many of the specimens that Rheya had told them to look for and had wandered far along the riverbank. Taking a break, they spread their skirts around them as they kneeled in the meadow and threaded flowers into chains. An odd noise interrupted their conversation. It sounded like someone was in trouble. The two looked quizzically at each other then, leaving their baskets, they went to investigate. The sound got worse as they neared a grassy hillock. Someone was moaning! With great trepidation, the two crept up and peered over the hillock into the clearing beyond. Both ducked back down quickly and stared wide-eyed at each other in surprise. Lanya and Klen were there and they were both naked! Well, they had their shirts off anyway. And Klen's hands were all over her! Zed and Calya stifled their giggles and peeked back over the hillock. Lanya and Klen were locked in a passionate kiss. Klen was running his hands through Lanya's hair and Zed's eyes were riveted to the scene as he began subconsciously pulling on his own hair. Klen started kissing Lanya's neck and she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Klen's attention shifted to Lanya's breast and she moaned and clutched Klen's head to her bosom. Zed felt his own nipples tighten in response. Klen lay Lanya down on her back or maybe it was Lanya floating backward of her own accord. In either case, Lanya undid her ties and wriggled out of her skirt. Then lifting her hips, she let Klen remove her undergarment. Now completely naked, she rose to embrace Klen again. His hands roamed over her back and sides as they kissed and her hands frantically fiddled with his pants. Finally undoing the clasp, she pulled his pants and undergarment down to free his fully erect penis. It bobbed once or twice before she managed to grasp it with both hands. Breaking off their kiss, she bent down. This proved too much for Zed and Calya as they pulled each other off the hillock. Both were flushed red and desperately trying to stifle giggles. They had seen Klen's penis! They finally broke out into uncontrollable giggles once they had retreated out of earshot. They were still giggling as they retrieved their baskets and hand in hand made their way back to camp. Zed knew he had seen something important. It felt that way, anyway. This was something people did when they loved each other. This was something he would do one day. Could he do that? Could he take clothes off someone like that? Maybe he would only need to lie back and let someone take his clothes off as Lanya had. Could he kiss someone like that? It seemed weird to think about kissing someone like Klen, but it seemed even weirder to think about kissing Lanya. What about pants? Could he figure out how to open them when he had too? Skirts were easy. A few ties at the back and off they came, but pants... pants were foreign to him. Chapter 7 Zed tried to bury his worries in work and over the next few days, he threw himself at the cooking and cleaning tasks that kept the caravan functioning. Rheya however, had other plans in mind. "Danya, come walk with me a while." "Yes, Mot Rheya. Just let me gather these clothes in." "The clothes can wait, child. We must talk." Zed was puzzled but not overly concerned. Lately, Rheya had taken to pulling him aside for extra lessons on the herbs and medicines of the People. Zed had proved an apt pupil and was already treating many of the minor ailments that cropped up within the Caravan. "Tell me, Danya," she said after they had walked a ways. "Have you thought much of moving on, on your future, and how you may best help the People?" This caught Zed off guard. The caravan was all he knew. Of course, he could not stay with the caravan forever. Moving on? He had not given that any thought. "Things cannot go on as they have in the past," Rheya said, sighing. She was gazing in the distance of Jack's town and Zed felt like she was not necessarily talking to him. "The lives of the People, the ways of the trail, these grew in isolation," she said. Zed stayed respectfully silent. "But we are not isolated anymore," she said. "Now the Off-Worlders have returned and the People have turned to the cities, where they take on alien ways and forget the trail." "Yes, Mot Rheya," Zed said. "I chose you, Danya. When you came to the caravan, I saw your future." Zed stayed puzzled. "You came to help the People, to help lead us back to the stars." "Mot Rheya, I don't understand." Rheya leaned on her cane a moment, then smiled at Zed. "You will, child," she said. "I saw in you a spark. You will not be mat, pledged to one man. You will be Mot Danya, and lead a caravan of your own." "Mot Rheya!" Zed cried, falling to his knees at Rheya's feet. "This is too much!" "Hush, child," Rheya said, lifting Zed. "Rise now. I choose you, Danya. You will be Mot and lead a great caravan." Zed stood trembling. Rheya almost laughed, she smiled so broadly. "Look at you," Rheya said, brushing Zed's hair back with her hand. "You should have seen me when I was chosen." "Now," she said, brushing Zed's blouse and skirt, "help me find some snagroot." "Yes, Mot Rheya," Zed said, sniffling back his emotions. The caravan felt different after that day. Part of it was the respect now due him in his new status as m'Mot Rheya, the chosen of Rheya. Even grumpy old Arl used the respectful form of address when talking to him, at least when there were more than the two of them together. A greater part of the difference was more personal. As m'Mot, and especially as m'Mot Rheya, he carried the prestige of one of the oldest lineages of the People. This had the men in the caravan interested. Or more interested, it was kind of hard to draw the line between before and after. Not that Zed was quite that perceptive. It took him a few days to realize that prestige was not the only thing that held their interest. This frightened him. Not that he feared any harm from any of the outriders, Arl would see that they stayed in line, but the idea of a man finding him attractive scared him. As m'Mot, he could not pledge mat but there was nothing stopping him from assuming a temporary relationship. Zed was beginning to find out that the idea of a temporary relationship was appealing to most men. At first, he refused to believe it. Then he noticed Tol was casting shy glances at him and inventing excuses to hang around. That made it impossible to deny. Tol was interested in him? Tol? Yes, he was older than Zed but not by much. Of course, he was a tall lanky young man with well-defined muscles, strong arms, well-developed calves and tight buttocks. Zed found himself stealing glimpses. He kept thinking of Klen and Lanya and wondered how Tol compared to that. Tol. Silly, silly Tol, with those deep brown eyes and that cute little lock of hair. That line of thought would always startle him. Did he find Tol attractive? No, that could not be. He did not find men attractive, no matter how tall or well-muscled they were. He was simply noticing them more now because they were clearly trying to get his attention, what with their broad shoulders and confident swagger. That was all. Tol was just like the rest; arrogantly flexing those muscles, smiling with those sparkling eyes, narrow hips, slightly sweat-stained shirt that he might pull slowly over his head before wiping his brow with the back of his strong, large hand... Zed shook his head when he found himself thinking thoughts like that and tried to concentrate on his chores. Chapter 8 "How about these ones?" Calya asked, pointing at a small circle of mushrooms. "Those are good! I can use them to season stew," Zed said. "Plus they help keep you regular." "Eew, gross!" Calya said. "Now I don't want any." "Oh, hush," Zed said. "You had them last night." "What about this orange one?" Calya asked pointing to large solitary mushroom. "Careful! Don't touch that one," Zed answered. "We can't eat those, but it will be useful for a few ointments. But it's not ready yet. We'll have to wait a few days for the color to change." "How do you remember all this stuff?" "What do you mean?" "What I mean is that I've been helping Rheya most of my life and I don't know half the things you do." "Well, you could, if you let Rheya teach you." "You mean with that remember tea that tastes like vinegar and makes your head hurt? No thanks." Both Zed and Calya wrinkled their noses at the memory. "It does taste terrible, doesn't it," Zed said. "And I hate the way it leaves me all fuzzy headed and stupid till it wears off." "So, you're saying you're on it right now?" Calya said, a big smile on her face. "Otherwise I'm going to need some sort of sign or signal to let me know when you're not fuzzy headed." "Oh ha ha, very funny," Zed said. "I'll give you your signal right here." With that, Zed took a playful swing at the back of Calya's head, which she easily ducked. The two of them continued laughing and dodging each other's play feints as they ran around a clump of bushes. They were brought up short by the sight of two Off-World hunters cleaning and dressing a deer. , one of the hunters said. , the first said. the second hunter said, openly leering at Zed and Calya. "Danya, I'm scared," Calya said. "I don't like these men." "I don't like them either," Zed said. "Just be careful, and let's walk back the way we came." Zed and Calya began to back up slowly. The two Off-Worlders stood up, bloodied by their kill, knives still in their hands. "Eeeek!!" both Zed and Calya called as they turned to run, only to come face to face with a third Off-Worlder approaching from close behind them. , the newcomer said, "Danya, what are they saying?" Calya asked nervously. "I don't know," Zed said. "But we are not sticking around to find out. When I say 'go', run and don't stop till we get back to the wagons." "Danya..." "Just do it! Go Calya, Go!" Calya flinched at Zed's call, but turned to run anyway. The third Off- Worlder made a grab for her, but Zed put his shoulder down and barreled into the man's back, sending him staggering. Zed turned to follow her but found himself grabbed by one of the hunters. Calya stopped and turned as if to come back to help him. "No Calya! RUN! Go get help!" Zed yelled, as he turned to swing an elbow at the man who held him. Zed managed to catch the man a glancing blow, which was enough to break free and start to run away. He was quickly tackled from behind and driven face first to the ground. The man pawed and groped at Zed's body, laughing the whole time as Zed tried punching, kicking, and scratching to get away. Zed found a fist-sized rock and smashed it awkwardly into his attacker. This made the man stop laughing and curse as Zed managed to wriggle away and scramble to his feet. Zed found himself surrounded by the three Off-Worlders, circling around him with arms held wide to prevent his escape. They were grinning maliciously, like the predators they were. Zed clutched the rock tighter, vowing to smash the grin off the face of the first one to move towards him. One of them did make a move, but when Zed turned to swing the rock, he found his arms grabbed from behind by the other two. "NO! NO! NO!" he shrieked as the hunters pulled him to the ground. One pinned each arm to the ground as the third straddled him from the front. The man's full weight was holding him down. Zed could only turn his head away from the foul breath and unshaven face as his attacker forced a kiss on him. At least Calya got away, he thought, as the man used his weight and assistance of his friends to force Zed's knees apart. He shuddered as he felt the man's hand run up his skirt and along the inside of his thigh. Suddenly, someone pulled the attacker off and knocked him a solid punch to the jaw. Tol! It was Tol! The Off-Worlder was a bigger man than Tol, but Tol had surprise and held the initiative as he landed several blows in quick succession.