“I’m home,” Aisell called, dropping her bags in the entryway.

It was late in the evening, ten days after she’d left for Medzina. She was a little surprised not to see anyone waiting for her; she knew that things were busy, but still….

She rounded the corner into the kitchen, and gasped in shock.

“Surprise!”

Her sisters were both there, grinning, as were Gae and Yamma.

“You guys….” Aisell said with a smile.

“Us guys? We’re not the one who won the subregional!” Lezah said, handing Aisell a glass.

“Is this…this is Hustain.”

“Not just Hustain,” Aezhay said. “Eight-year-old Aiat.”

Aisell gazed at it, eyes wide. “How…where….”

“I have a friend,” Aezhay shrugged. “Been saving it for a special occasion. Seemed like this was it.”

Aisell grinned, raised her glass, and said, “Prostest!”

Her sisters, Gae, and Yamma did the same. Aisell let it work her way through her – it was far and away the best Hustain she’d ever had, even better than…well, as good as that. Even rotgut Hustanit would have been nice, followed by that night.

“So on to the regional then?” Gae said, as Lezah pulled a gok’ma kaek out of the refrigerator.

“Meh, several weeks before that. And I need to find someone halfway decent to scrimmage against. I’ll be honest, in the final, I got lucky. Was outplayed badly in three of the four rounds, but I was able to surprise Klipkaer in the sea round, and he just screwed up in the air round. I did kick his butt in the Space round, though, so it wasn’t like it was a complete fluke.”

Lezah watched her sister with bursting pride. For all her humility, she could see Aisell was about as proud of what she’d accomplished as anything she’d ever done. But she’d been crunching numbers, and had to ask.

“So how much are we gonna have to pay to put you up in Idilidi?”

Aisell sighed. “Can’t let me enjoy it, can you?”

“Kipper, just want to make sure we have it on hand. If I have to sell a bot, you’re going.”

Aisell gave a Cheshire grin, and pulled out her pad, hitting a few keys. Lezah’s pad chimed almost instantly. Lezah grabbed it, and looked it over, gasping in surprise.

“Aisell…where…?”

“Picked up a sponsor. Bellona. They’re one of the big equipment and AI manufacturers, have a very big training group.”

“They must have thought you did better than get lucky,” Yamma observed.

“Maybe, but they have deep pockets, and they probably figure it’s a cheap investment. I’m just a subregional champ, after all. But they’re footing the bill for my travel and putting me up at the Therat Idilidi, and helping me upgrade my costume. They’re also sending me some upgraded AI. Fortunately, I already owned a Bellona system, so they gave me a small stipend, what would’ve been the cost of new equipment.”

Lezah grabbed Aisell in a big bear hug. “Kipper…this, plus what Gae’s kicking in…well, I know I said we’d get through the harvest. But planting next spring…I wasn’t sure. Am now.”

Aisell hugged Lezah close. “Lee, I don’t know if I’ll do a damn thing in Idilidi, but you know I’m gonna do my best to keep this farm going. You’re never doing this alone…even when you are.”

“I know,” Lezah said, sniffling back tears. “I know.”

* * *

A few Archavian days later…

Persero the Defender was a bit nervous, facing the group. He had been promoted from Apprentice just a few weeks ago, and was still just shy of his third birthday. But he had heard what he had heard, and when he had reported it to Mant, he had been drug straight to Drugar, and Oreus, and Thurfrit, and Devo, and Quendra, and Great Spirit, Luke of Earth.

He knew them all, of course, but that didn’t mean he didn’t feel a bit like he was under inspection.

“It was…I heard Eyes Like Ice call out, and I thought it was to one of the other guardians. I thought maybe, you know, Seeks the Tribe had finally come. But it wasn’t. It was…it was….”

He swallowed hard. He flashed back to it unwittingly. He had heard the steps, gone to cover as he’d been trained to. Her foot had landed closer to him than Drugar was now – it shook the ground, knocked him from his feet. And then he heard other steps….

“It was Daughter of…Prenn.” The last word came out almost as a whisper.

Drugar sat forward. “Daughter of Prenn? She is here?”

“She was. She was angry. She said…said that…that Prenn…had….”

He was sickened to say it, but he had to. “She said that he had eaten humans.”

Quendra put her hand over her mouth, and Luke closed his eyes and rubbed them.

“What did Eyes Like Ice say to this?”

“They argued over a particular human – Master of Darn, something like that. Eyes Like Ice wanted him returned to a Titan, Daughter of…of Prenn was reluctant. She said a word…utsena…I do not know what it means.”

“Blackmail,” Luke said. “Came up in a book of Aisell’s I read. Wouldn’t make a lot of sense to you, but basically, it means Aisell must have been using what she found out to put pressure on Daughter of Prenn. Make her do something, or else Aisell turns her father in.”

“I’m sorry,” Drugar said. “‘Turn her father in?'”

“Eating humans is a crime. A…a violation of the code of the Guardians,” Luke said. “Titans who do that can be taken from their homes and placed under guard for years and years as a punishment for that. If Aisell knew Prenn had done that, and told the Guardian defenders…he’d be in big trouble. She could probably make a number of demands on Daughter of Prenn in exchange for keeping quiet.”

“That is what it sounded like. She was giving instructions to Daughter of…Daughter of Prenn. Telling her do do things. I did not understand all of it, but it sounded like she was mostly getting her way.”

“Why would she not turn him over to the Guardian defenders? If he was eating humans…that seems awful, even for The Prenn,” Oreus said, quietly.

“Daughter of Prenn said something about the captive humans held by The Prenn being dealt with. It did not sound good. I believe…it may seem strange, but I believe Eyes Like Ice was concerned about those humans being harmed.”

“She would be,” Luke said. “Probably they’d kill those humans. Aisell would be far more interested in saving them than hurting Prenn.”

“Did they say anything else?” Drugar asked. “Anything about us?”

“One thing. They said something about keeping The Prenn from expanding his camp. Taking the Land of the Guardians.”

“What did they say?” Luke asked.

“I believe Daughter of Prenn agreed they would not do so.”

Luke breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s very good news.”

“After that, they walked a few paces away, and I ran back here, taking care not to be seen. I perhaps should have stayed….”

“You have done very well, Persero. Very well indeed,” Drugar said. “Luke, you say this is ‘very good news.’ Yet humans were eaten!”

“That is horrific,” Luke said. “Horrible. I can’t even imagine. But…Lezah – Hair Like Fire – she told me before I came here that their land was threatened, and that Prenn was after it. If this slows Prenn down…well, it buys us some time, anyhow.”

“If The Prenn came for this land, we would all need to flee,” Quendra said. “Obviously.”

“Indeed,” Drugar said. “Many of us are descended from those who fled The Prenn. We know what happens there. And apparently, that is just the beginning of it. We cannot be caught by them.”

The group nodded, and Luke found himself nodding along.

“Very well, thank you, Persero. Mant, tell your Defenders to keep a sharp watch.”

“Yes, Leader.”

“We will meet again tomorrow. Take care,” Drugar said.

The group got up, save for Luke; he had asked Drugar before the meeting if he might talk with him in private; he gave a smile to Quendra as she filed out of the room along with the others, and waited patiently for the door to close.

“So, Luke, what is it you wish to see me about?” Drugar said, bringing a couple cups of brewleaf to the table. “If you have an idea for another class, you already have my blessing, as long as it isn’t a trip to the Prenn land.”

Luke laughed bitterly. “No, think it best if we steer clear of there for a while.”

“Eating humans. You know, I’d always thought that was just a legend,” Drugar said.

“It isn’t legal,” Luke said. “Lezah — Hair Like Fire — she said it was a despicable crime, horrible. But she did admit that it happened.”

“And you wonder why we hide from them.”

Luke shook his head. “I never wonder that, Leader. Never. Perhaps, one day, we can meet the Titans as partners, as friends. Perhaps sooner than that, we can meet some of them that way — a few who understand. But not yet. Until we can meet them as equals…it is better we stay in the shadows.”

Drugar raised an eyebrow at that. “What of the Guardians?”

Luke sighed. “At some point, some day, I hope they can be some of those who understand. But though Aisell and Lezah saw me as a person…when I was with them, I was still a pet.”

He had come to that realization one day, earlier that week, after teaching his seventh class of the morning waketime. He was tired, and spent, and wanted to just sit down, lean on Quendra a bit, have a mug of glowberry juice and go to sleep. He was exhausted.

And he was happy.

He had done something. He had contributed. The math session — they were really starting to get division, even though he was fumbling through how to teach it. They already understood multiplication. Heck, Neska had figured out the idea of fractions on her own, even before he got to it.

The group of novice readerrs were getting better and better — and the fact that it included many adults made him almost giddy. Science — they were far better at that than they even knew, before he even got here, but he’d helped to explain the scientific method, and he loved watching them figure it out, loved when the light suddenly came on.

He loved his job. He was doing something meaningful. He was helping spread knowledge.

He knew that Aisell and Lezah saw him as a person, saw him as their equal. But he also knew that with them, he would always be someone to take care of. And no question, they would — they would do so happily, do so with no reservations or hesitation. He wouldn’t be a burden. He would be a friend.

But he would be a friend who contributed little, who spent his time hanging out, staring out the window.

He would live a shorter life here. It could easily end tomorrow — he doubted he’d ever be as lucky with a shaar as he had been that first time. But while he was here…while he was here, he made a difference.

“Drugar,” Luke said, quietly, “I have been thinking on this for some time, and I’ve decided I’m ready.”

“To partner with Quendra?”

Luke laughed at that. “That’s…well, that’s the next step, probably. But first things first. Leader Drugar…I would like to become a member of the Tribe.”

* * *

“Gae, come look!”

Gae yawned, and walked over to the pad, which Yamanu was staring at almost reverentially. “You called me over for a comment on your blog?”

“No, called you over for this comment on my blog!” he said, pointing to the line.

Gae looked at the author, and raised an eyebrow.

I simply wish to say that you are doing an excellent job, Yamanu. It is good to read something from the perspective of a “mere” pet — though I have a good friend who endured what you have, it never fails to shock me, the way humans bred for companionship are treated as disposable by those who purport to love them. (This is not to say none do; as you and I both have found, there are Titans who most certainly do see us as the people we are. But alas, as you and I both know, they are still in the minority.)

For a variety of reasons, I write less on my blog than I once did; my job has taken a good deal of my time and energy, as you may well imagine. But I shall be passing along a link to yours with my strong recommendation. Keep up the good work, and remember, as Dr. Margaret Mead once said — never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed people can change the world. That’s the only thing that ever has.

Yours,

Dr. Niall Freeman

“He didn’t only write a comment,” Yamma said, nearly giddy. “He also posted a link on his site. You know how I had 117 subscribers? That’s doubled in the last hour.”

“That’s amazing! Helps to get linked by someone famous.”

“No kidding. I don’t even know how to respond! ‘Dear Dr. Freeman, I’m totally your biggest fan?’ Doesn’t sound right.”

“You’ll know what to write. You always do.”

Yamma sighed, and started turning over possibilities in his head. Tilling the soil of his thoughts turned up something, however, and he turned to Gae.

“Gok’ma…are you ever gonna tell the Marises about the people in the woods?”

“We don’t know that there are people in the woods, Yamma,” Gae said. “And if there are…if there are, I think we should leave them alone.”

Yamma looked at her, and smiled. “Why?”

“Because…if they want to be found, they’ll come find us. If they exist, they have to know about Titans. The best thing we can do for them – for any wild humans – is to be open to helping them, but not pushy. Let them live their own lives. If it’s up to TETH or the HOS, they can’t.”

“Does that mean you regret getting me from the park?”

Gae blinked, and her smile turned wistful.

“Oh, gok’ma…I’m kidding. I wasn’t wild. Free? Should be. But wild? No. I would have died soon enough. Aenur had ten times my spirit, and it didn’t save her.”

Gae nodded. “I know,” she said. “And that’s my fault.”

“Never,” Yamma said. “But I love you for feeling that way; I love you for caring enough to feel guilt. And gok’ma, I love you for doing the right thing by these free humans, if they exist.

“Now,” he said, with a smile, “unless I miss my guess, it’ll be time for lunch soon, so I’d better get writing. Can’t leave Niall Freeman hanging, for goodness sake.”

* * *

And still a few more weeks later….

There was just the barest hint in the air that summer in Korafia was coming to an end. It was not autumn yet, but you could feel it waiting in the wings, waiting for its cue.

Luke walked through the Great Hall, still leaning on his cane, but doing so less and less. The leg was almost healed, and though he feared he might have a bit of a limp, it was nothing that he couldn’t live with.

As he rounded the corner into the hall, he was grabbed by an assailant, and pulled close. He didn’t protest; he was quite used to it.

He gave her a warm kiss and hugged her tightly. “Good hunt?”

“Very,” Quendra said. “But glad it’s over. I’m going to take a long bath, and then, if you’re interested in helping give me a mezashhh….”

Luke smiled. He always loved the way Quendra mispronounced “massage.” There was something adorable about it. “I am always interested in that, Quennie,” he said, kissing her once more.

“Elder Huntress!” Loram the Defender cried as he espied her.

Quendra pulled back from Luke, just far enough to bark out an annoyed, “What could you possibly want, Loram!”

“I…um….”

Luke looked at Quendra with a sheepish grin. She shook her head ruefully, and turned. “Spit it out! It was so important, what is it?”

“Um…Eyes Like Ice…we think she has another prisoner.”

“What?” Luke asked. “Are you sure?”

“I don’t know, Luke of Earth. He did not appear caged. But he was talking with her.”

“Are you sure it is not Helps the Seeker?”

Loram shook his head. “We don’t…we don’t think so. But it’s hard to tell.”

Luke sighed. “Did he appear to be suffering?”

“No,” Loram said. “But still….”

“We’ll keep an eye on the situation,” Quendra said. “There is no need to rush in.”

“Should we not try to free him?”

“No,” Luke said. “It’s like Helps the Seeker…if we kidnap a human while Seeks the Tribe is around, we risk our freedom.”

“Correct,” Quendra said. “Still, tell Mant, and continue to observe him carefully.”

“Yes, Quendra,” Loram said. “Luke, I know your leg is better; it may be helpful if you came with us. You know their ways.”

Luke paused but a moment, and shook his head. “I trust you to tell me what you see, Loram.”

Loram nodded. “Thank you, Luke. Thank you, Elder Huntress.”

Quendra nodded to him. As the younger defender departed, Quendra looked at Luke in mild surprise. “You seem to be taking this well.”

“Hmmm?”

“Eyes Like Ice seems to have replaced you rather quickly.”

Luke laughed. “Well, good for her. When would you like me to visit you, Elder Huntress?”

Quendra looked thoughtful. “Actually…would you care to take a walk with me, Luke? It is not so far as the Guardians’ house.”

Luke smiled, and grasped her hand. “Wherever you wish, Quennie. Wherever you wish.”

* * *

It was twilight when they arrived. Quendra nodded to the small pulley elevator; they boarded it, and rode up the back of the tree to a long and twisting limb, one almost as wide as a city street.

“So what is this?” Luke said, as they passed a couple gatherers, finishing up for the day.

“This,” Quendra said, “is the glowberry tree.”

Luke gasped as he saw it. Looking down the limb it was nearly as bright as dawn; bunches of glowberries grew beneath the protection of a thick canopy of leaves, while large wooden pikes formed a thicket beneath them.

“It’s beautiful,” Luke said.

“It is, isn’t it? This is one of my favorite places in the forest. Especially this time of year, when the tree is ready for its second harvest.”

Luke walked forward, but Quendra said, “Hold on! Those spikes – you don’t want to drag your hand across them.”

“Why not?”

“They’re poison. It’s not dangerous, but if you scrape your hand on the tip, it itches like crazy. Same with the leaves. The glowberry tree guards its berries carefully. Can’t blame it, really.”

Luke looked over the spikes. “No wonder the Titans never try to harvest this,” Luke said. “They couldn’t avoid the thorns. And with gloves on – they couldn’t harvest the glowberries.”

Quendra smiled. “Hey, they get to look down on shaars. But they don’t get these. Being small has to have some advantages.”

Quendra led Luke along to a spot on a largish branch, where there was a clearing. The soft glowberries lit them from the back, and the first stars of the evening began to light up the night sky. Luke found The Tupp right away, and gave a slight nod to it, and then turned back to Quendra. “Thank you,” he said. “It’s amazing.”

Quendra put her arm around her shoulder. “Are you ready for tomorrow?” she asked.

“Yes, I am. I’m looking forward to it,” Luke said, though of course, as he was speaking Archavian, he said, “Ψκo noҍpεмα ακεκvшα δακo.”

Quendra chuckled.

“What?” Luke asked.

“NAHbreta. It’s NAHbreta, not NObreta.”

“Hey, I speak your language fluently, and you’re gonna make fun of my accent?” Luke said, with mock indignation.

“Oh, I like your accent,” Quendra said, laughing. “It makes you sound intelligent.”

“Well, that’s a relief. It would be awful if it made me sound stupid,” Luke laughed. “Funny thing is, in English, my accent is about as boring as it gets. Midwest standard; nowhere near as fun as Received English or Ulster or Southern American or Trinidadian.”

“Those tribes all speak with different accents?”

“Yeah,” Luke said. “They do.”

Quendra looked up at The Tupp. “Is it a pretty language?” she asked.

“Not as pretty as French, or Spanish, or Swahili. But it’s got its moments,” he said. He looked at Quendra, her red hair lit up like flame by the red of the glowberries behind her, and said,

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed,
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st,
Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st,
   So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
   So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”

He was a little surprised that of all the works that could come to mind, his mind alighted on Sonnet 18. But only a little. Only a little.

“It’s pretty. What is it?”

“It’s a poem by the greatest writer in English, a man named William Shakespeare.”

“What was it about?” Quendra asked.

“He was comparing his love to a summer’s day – and she won.”

Quendra laughed. “So it’s a poem about love, is it?

“Yeah,” Luke said. “One of the best.”

Quendra thought of several questions, but decided on the safest. “So what is the English word for love, then?”

“Love,” Luke replied.

“Hm,” Quendra said, with a smile. “Attαπαэ is prettier.”

“Yes, it is,” Luke said. “But still…it’s the first word for love I ever knew.” Luke smiled. “You know, I could teach you English, Quennie – if you wanted me to.”

“When will I need to know English? Teach Thurfrit.”

“I’d rather teach you,” Luke said. “It’s not hard. Really. I’ll teach you to say your name. I – that’s the singular pronoun – am – that’s the singular form of ‘to be’ – Quendra.”

“I am Quendra. I don’t know who I’ll say that to, other than you…how do I say you?”

Luke grinned. “You.”

“So…you am Luke?”

Luke laughed. “Close. We’ll work on conjugation later. But….”

Luke’s smile faded, just a bit, and he seemed to look beyond her. “What is it?” she asked.

Luke smiled again, and sighed. “Nothing. It’s just…those are the first words anyone’s said to me in English since I left home.”

Quendra pulled him to her, suddenly, and embraced him tightly. “Oh, Luke,” she said, softly. “I’m sorry. I forget, almost…I know that sounds stupid, but….”

“Don’t be sorry,” he said, holding her just as tight. “I…I’m glad it was you that said them.”

They broke, and for a moment, they stared at each other. Quendra held his hand tight. “You know, I would like to learn English from you, Luke. Very much,” Quendra said.

“I look forward to teaching you,” Luke said, holding her hand in his. He would hold it all the way back to the tree.