The Rivers of Zadaa

JOURNAL #20
(CONTINUED)
ZADAA

Nobodymade a move. Not even Loor. I expected her to tense up, grab her wooden stave, and come out swinging. Instead we all stayed frozen in place. The white-robed figures stood silently, the slight wind snapping at their clothes. Eerie. They were in front of us, and behind. The word “surrounded” came to mind.

“Now what?” I whispered to Loor.

“Stay here,” she ordered, and slid off her horse. I didn’t know what to think. She wasn’t in attack mode. She didn’t even look tense. I had a brief thought that maybe there had to be some kind of ground rules set before they started beating up on us with their metal batons. All I could do was sit there and see what came next.

Loor walked boldly up to the two Rokador guys who were directly in front of us. Her weapon was still in its sheath across her back. I figured maybe she was throwing out the white flag, since we were outnumbered and all. But that wasn’t like Loor. She’d sooner go down fighting. What happened next wasn’t like Loor either. She walked up to one of the guys, threw her arms around him, and hugged him.

Uhhh…

She said, “It has been far too long, Bokka.”

The Rokador pulled off his hood to reveal a white-skinned guy who stood a few inches taller than Loor. He didn’t take off his goggles, so I couldn’t get a look at his eyes, but from where I sat, he looked to be our age, maybe a little older, with longish blond hair that whipped around in the wind. I guess I could say he was kind of handsome, too. But I’m no expert in that department.

“I’ve missed you, Loor,” the guy named Bokka said. He spoke with a deep, authoritative voice that you would expect from a warrior. Though I can’t really say what it was I expected of anybody who lived his whole life underground.

Loor looked at the guy next to Bokka and said, “Is that you under there, Teek?”

The guy pulled down his hood to reveal another blond guy who was a little shorter than Bokka.

“Hello, Loor,” he said with a sheepish smile.

“Pendragon,” Loor called. “Please come here.”

I didn’t move. I think I was still trying to process what was happening. I had been expecting a fight, but instead I discovered that these guys were friends of Loor. If that weren’t bizarre enough, Loor had actually hugged the guy named Bokka. Let me write that again, shehuggedhim. I had never seen Loor that affectionate with anybody. Including me.

“It is all right, Pendragon,” Loor said. “Please join us.”

I took a quick glance back at the Rokador behind us. They stood with their weapons ready. They didn’t attack, nor throw off their hoods and join in this warm reunion. They just stood there. Ready. For what, I wasn’t sure. I slid off of my horse and took off my black cloak, dropping it to the sand. I figured these guys should see that I looked like a Rokador. Sort of.

Loor put her hand on Bokka’s shoulder like he was a bud and said, “Pendragon, this is my oldest friend, Bokka. We have known each other since we were children.”

I held out my hand to shake, which made the three other Tiggen guards tense up and lift their metal weapons, ready to rock. I suddenly got the vibe that these guys were like bodyguards. Even Bokka took a step back. I stood there with my hand in the air like a dope, afraid to move.

“It is all right,” Loor assured them. “Where Pendragon comes from, that is a sign of friendship.”

Bokka relaxed, took my hand, and squeezed. Youch! This guy had a grip! But I wasn’t about to squeal. No way.

“Hello, Pendragon,” Bokka said. “What tribe do you come from?”

I glanced at Loor, partly because I didn’t have an answer, and partly as a plea to get this guy to let go of my poor hand before bones started snapping. Loor reached out and gently eased us apart. For a second I thought my fingers were fused together. I had to work them to get the circulation back. I wouldn’t let Bokka see that, though.

“I met Pendragon when I made the journey to the far desert. He is from the tribe known as…as…” Loor was scrambling. Bokka didn’t know about the Travelers. I had to bail her out.

“Yankees,” I said. “The Yankees tribe.” Hey, what can I say? It was the first thing that came to mind. “It’s a strong tribe,” I added. “Respected by all…except for our mortal enemies, the Sox tribe. They hate us. Especially the Red ones. Cannibals. Nasty characters.”

“I haven’t heard of these tribes,” Bokka said.

“That’s okay,” I said. “We haven’t heard of you either.”

“But you’re dressed as a Rokador,” the guy next to Bokka said. “Why is that?”

“This is Teek,” Loor said, changing the subject. I’m happy to say he didn’t put out his hand to shake. One bone crusher was enough. “Ask him to show you the scar from when he was bitten by a zhou beast.”

“Loor!” Teek said, complaining. “Won’t you ever forget that?”

Bokka laughed. Loor chuckled too, and said, “When we were young, a small ceegee bug crept into his bunk while he was asleep. It nipped him and he jumped up shouting ‘Zhou! Zhou!’ The scar is quite impressive… if you look closely enough.”

Loor and Bokka chuckled. Teek looked embarrassed, but smiled. “I had been dreaming of a zhou. You would have done the same thing.”

Teek wasn’t upset. He took the goofing good-naturedly. This was all one big touchy-feely reunion. The whole thing had me off balance. I’m not sure why it struck me as odd at that moment that I could understand these guys and they understood me. Part of the benefit of being a Traveler is that we hear all languages as our own, and others hear us as if we were speaking their language. I guess maybe that still seems like magic. But it always works, so I shouldn’t be surprised anymore. Much.

Bokka said, “You did not tell us why you are dressed as a Rokador, Pendragon.”

Loor answered for me. “With his white skin, we decided it would be better for him to dress as a Rokador, in case he ran into fierce Tiggen guards, like you.”

Bokka nodded. He bought it.

“You have such light skin,” Teek said. “Do you live underground too?”

Loor jumped in, trying to get control of the situation before I said something else stupid. She said, “The tribe known as-“

“Yankees,” I reminded her.

“Yes, Yankees, lives on the surface in a forest of many trees that block the sun. That is why his skin is lighter than the Batu.”

“Yes, it’s a forest called the Bronx,” I threw in. Why not? It wasn’t like he was going to prove me wrong.

“Pendragon is a wise tribe member,” Loor continued. “He has traveled here to help us.”

Bokka looked me up and down, sizing me up.

“Can you fight?” he asked.

“The idea is to try and solve your problems without fighting,” I said.

“If you can do that,” Bokka said, “then you have more wisdom than anyone around here…from either tribe.”

I didn’t know how I felt about this guy. I guess I should have been saying that any friend of Loor’s was a friend of mine, but if I were being totally honest, I didn’t like the way they were being so chummy. Loor and I may not have known each other since we were little kids, but we had been through a whole lot together. You would think that facing death while trying to save everything that exists would have brought us a little closer together than two people who played ring-around-the-rosy when they were kids… or whatever it is they play here. Loor treats me like I’m some kind of business partner. That was okay, I didn’t think she had more warmth in her than that…until I saw her with Bokka. She never let her guard down with me like that. And he was a Rokador! An enemy of the Batu!

“Have you discovered anything?” Loor asked Bokka, changing the subject.

“Nothing,” he answered. “Except that the Tiggen guards have been put on alert. The Rokador elite are expecting the Batu to attack at any time.”

“But what of the rivers?” Loor asked. “Has there been any explanation from the Rokador elite?”

“Same as always,” Bokka answered. “They blame the drought on lack of rain in the north-where the rivers are fed. I have tried my best to find out more, but with no luck.”

“Uhh,” I interrupted. “What exactly are you talking about?”

Loor explained, “As you know, the Rokador live underground and control the rivers of Zadaa. For generations they have worked with the Batu, channeling the water between the different rivers to ensure it flows to where it is needed most. It is a valuable service that they provide for the Batu.”

“But we do more than that,” Bokka added. “The Rokador are manufacturers. In our factories we create clothing and weapons and building materials and most everything needed for our own survival…and for the Batu’s survival as well.”

“That is true,” Loor said, sounding a little defensive. “In return the Batu grow crops and tend livestock to feed both tribes. We also protect the Rokador from the wild tribes of the desert and the zhou beasts and snakes you’ve seen. Without the Batu, the Rokador would perish.”

“Without the Rokador, the Batu would live like primitives,” Teek threw in.

Loor quickly shot back, “We are a warrior race that does not shy from life by cowering beneath the ground.”

“You’re a crude people with no modern skills,” Bokka said quickly. “Look at your ancient weapon, and look at mine.” He held up his shiny, steel baton. “This is the product of an advanced race of modern thinkers.”

He and Loor exchanged cold looks. They seemed ready to start throwing fists.

“Sandworm!” Loor threw at him.

“Barbarian!” Bokka shot back.

The two glared at each other intensely, then broke out laughing. I’m serious. Loor actually laughed!

“We have argued like this since we were young,” Loor said.

“The truth is,” Bokka said, “both tribes need each other.”

These guys were having a little bit too much fun. I was feeling like an outsider, but I couldn’t let that get in the way of our mission.

“So if they need each other so much, why is everybody worried about a war?” I asked.

“There’s always been tension,” Teek said. “But since the rivers began to run dry, the tension has turned into suspicion, and anger and fear. It has now given way to outright hatred.”

Loor said, “The Batu are accusing the Rokador of holding back the water until we are so weakened that they will rise up from their underground home and seize control of Xhaxhu.”

“But why would they do that, if everything was going so well?” I asked.

“To put it simply, we are running out of space,” Bokka said. “Our way of life is simple. We have always lived below ground. But as our population grows, that is becoming more difficult. The fear among the Rokador is that if we try to venture aboveground, we will be treated as inferiors and forced to live like animals.”

“They aren’t wrong,” Loor said. “Many Batu would treat the Rokador badly. But the royal family of Xhaxhu understands their plight. Our prince, Pelle a Zinj, has made it his goal to convince our people to accept the Rokador as equals.”

“But not everybody agrees,” I stated.

“That is correct,” Loor said. “What is the saying you use? It is a no-win situation. Many of the Batu will not accept the Rokador, and now they fear that the Rokador are holding back the water.”

“In return,” Bokka said, “the Batu have stopped providing us with food from the surface. We are starving.”

“And we are thirsty,” Loor said.

“So what’s the deal with the water?” I asked. “Are the Rokador holding it back?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Bokka answered. “I’ve heard rumors that there is something dramatic about to happen, but I cannot find out what it might be.”

“And with each passing day, the danger of war grows stronger,” Loor said somberly.

“So, Pendragon of the Yankees,” Bokka said. “Do you still feel as if you can help us prevent this catastrophe?”

I didn’t like the way he said that. It was all sorts of smug, as if he knew darn well I had no clue of how to keep these two tribes from killing each other. Unfortunately he was right. I didn’t.

“I’ll get back to you on that,” I said.

“I am torn, Bokka,” Loor said. “If the Batu are going to attack, I want to warn you. But then it would mean my own people would be at a disadvantage.”

Bokka took both of Loor’s arms and held her reassuringly. “I understand,” he said. “The only thing we can do is try and stop this from happening. But if it does, I am a Rokador, and you are a Batu. I am a Tiggen, you are a Ghee.”

They held eye contact. The grim reality was obvious. These two could very well end up having to fight each other. As much as I wasn’t sure about the guy, I wouldn’t want that to happen to Loor.

“If you hear anything,” Loor said, “please, contact me.”

“And the same for you,” Bokka said. “Good-bye, Loor. When we meet again, I hope it will be under better conditions… as it was when we were young.”

Loor nodded sadly.

“I don’t know who you are, Pendragon,” Bokka said to me. “But if Loor says you can help us, then I do not doubt her.”

I nodded. What else could I say to that?

“Good-bye, Loor,” Teek said. “And to you, Pendragon.”

Bokka took a step backward and flipped up his hood. Teek did the same. Bokka waved to the Tiggen guards behind our horses. I turned to look, but didn’t see them. I took a step to my right to get a glimpse of them, but it was too late. They were gone. Vanished into the sand. I turned back around to see that Bokka and Teek had disappeared as well.

“They’re like worms,” I said to Loor.

“There are tunnels everywhere,” Loor said. Without another word Loor strode back to her horse and mounted up. I did the same. We snapped the reins and started back to the city.

“So how is it you got so friendly with a Rokador?” I asked as we trotted along. “I thought the two tribes didn’t mingle.”

“At one time we did,” Loor answered. “Especially the children. Bokka and I were marked at an early age to be trained as warriors. There were two camps, one outside of Xhaxhu and one belowground. Groups would take turns traveling to the other camp. It was a way for us to learn the ways of our tribal neighbors.”

“Things have changed,” I said.

“Yes they have,” Loor said sadly. “That kind of cooperation no longer exists. The royal family of Zinj has been trying to bring our tribes back to the old ways, but prejudices and anger run too deep.”

“So, was this Bokka guy your…boyfriend?”

Loor thought about the answer. I didn’t like that. I wanted her to scoff and say: “Nah! Are you kidding?” But she didn’t.

“Under different circumstances, we may have ended up together,” she said sadly.

“I guess being from enemy tribes made that tricky,” I said.

“Yes,” she replied. “And finding out that I was a Traveler did not help either.”

Oh. Right. That. So she and Bokka were not meant to be. Awww, too bad. Man, am I being mean or what? I decided to change the subject.

“What about this royal family?” I asked. “Ninja something or other?”

“Zinj is the family name,” Loor corrected. “The crowned prince is named Pelle a Zinj. Though he has not yet taken the throne, he has slowly taken on the responsibilities of ruling the Batu. Even the Rokador recognize his wisdom. The king and queen are preparing to hand over the crown very soon.”

“Is that good or bad?” I asked.

“It is good,” Loor said confidently. “Very good. He will make a wonderful, fair leader. He has dedicated his life to forging a treaty with the Rokador. But I fear it will be in vain. The drought has seen to that.”

“Or maybe it was the Rokador who have seen to that,” I cautioned. “Like you said, there may be more to this drought than bad weather.”

It was a grim journey back to Xhaxhu. I now had a pretty good handle on what the trouble was here on Zadaa, but figuring out something to do about it was a whole nother matter. There seemed to be only two possibilities. One was that Saint Dane was somehow manipulating events. When he disappeared from the celebration at Black Water, he did say he was coming to Zadaa, and he never went to a territory just to hang out. The other possibility might actually be worse. If the rivers had dried up here simply because there was a funky weather thing happening, there was nothing anybody could do about that. The sad truth might be that a war between these two tribes was the way it was meant to be. It would be tragic, but the job of Travelers wasn’t to interfere with the normal course of a territory’s history. Our only concern was if Saint Dane tried to monkey with things. For Loor’s sake, I hoped that wasn’t the case. If Saint Dane wasn’t involved, then I had no business here. Loor was from Zadaa. She would have to do what she had to do. But I was from Second Earth. I would have to back off. This was going to be a tough call. But I couldn’t make it until I found Saint Dane. Or he found me.

We trotted the horses back through the giant opening in the wall of Xhaxhu and went right back to the Ghee stables where the horses were kept. As I think back on what happened next, and I think about it a lot, I can’t believe how dumb I was. I guess I have to give Loor some of the blame too, but it was mostly my fault. It was a simple, stupid mistake that could have been easily avoided. But it wasn’t. I messed up, and I paid the price.

“Rokador!” a gruff voice screamed.

We had just gotten off our horses. I looked around, wondering what Rokador would have been idiot enough to stroll into the lion’s den, the home of the Ghee. There were none to be seen. That’s because the person being called out, was me. I was the idiot. I instantly realized my mistake. I had taken off my dark cloak out in the sandy farm. There was so much to get my mind around back there, I had forgotten to put it on again. It was still lying out there in the sand. Loor’s mind must have been elsewhere too, for she didn’t even notice. So here I was, looking all sorts of gleaming-white, having strolled right into the belly of the beast.

“I will handle this,” Loor whispered to me. “Say nothing.”

A tall Ghee warrior strode up to us with madness in his eyes. As luck would have it, this guy was bigger than Loor. She stood in his way, saying,”Iam taking this Rokador to the superior for questioning-“

The guy didn’t stop. He blew past Loor, knocking her out of the way like she was a doll. Whoa. I had never seen that happen before. This day was full of a lot of things I hadn’t seen before. I didn’t like any of them. As this angry giant strode toward me, I was like a deer caught in the headlights. I backed off, and hit into my horse. There was no place to go. The guy grabbed me by the front of my Rokador jacket and lifted me up until I was on my toes.

“Howdareyou?” he seethed. The guy was out of his mind. That much I could see. “You ride into the Ghee compound? On a Batu horse?”

Loor tried to get between us, saying, “He is my responsibility. I brought him here.”

The Ghee warrior looked at Loor and said, “And you will bring him out, when I am finished with him.”

The guy held me tighter and dragged me out of the stable and into the light of the compound. By now, several more Ghee warriors had heard the commotion and started to gather. Loor trailed behind, trying to take control.

“What is your division?” Loor demanded. “Who is your commander? This is my prisoner. Your superior will punish you for standing in the way of-“

“Someone quiet her!” the tall Ghee shouted.

Instantly Loor was jumped by two big Ghees. Whatever was going to happen, Loor couldn’t stop it. The tall Ghee dragged me to the center of the compound, and threw me to the ground. I landed hard, rolled once, then popped back to my feet ready to, well, I’m not sure what I was ready to do, except run. That wasn’t going to happen because we were quickly surrounded by Ghees. I was trapped inside a circle of enemies, with a very big guy facing off against me.

“Never let it be said that the Ghee are unjust,” the tall warrior said with a sneer. He walked to one of the other warriors and yanked the guy’s wooden stave from the harness on his back. He walked back into the circle and tossed the six-foot stick at me. I caught it, if you could call it that. It was more like I stopped it from hitting me in the head by blocking it with my hands. The weapon fell to the ground. The Ghee warriors laughed.

“L–Look,” I said nervously. “I have agreed to speak with your superior and tell them all I know.”

The tall Ghee laughed and slowly walked toward me. “That is good to know,” he said with a chuckle. “And I will allow you to do that. But first, you must get past me.”

The guy suddenly shot forward, grabbed my jacket, and jerked me toward him until we were nose to nose. We were so close I could smell his sour breath. At that instant something triggered in my memory. Smells can do that. It’s like there’s a direct link from your nose to your memory. It wasn’t a happy memory either. I looked into the guy’s wild, brown eyes and saw something that made my heart race even faster, if that was possible. We were so close, I was the only one who could see. His eyes changed color. They went from deep brown to lightning white. My mind didn’t accept it at first. It was impossible, right? Wrong.

“Welcome to Zadaa, Pendragon,” the Ghee warrior whispered. His voice was suddenly calm. Gone was the rage. He was totally in control of himself…and me. “Let’s put aside all the intrigue this time and show each other how we really feel, shall we?” he said.

In that instant I saw his eyes return to brown as he tossed me down on the ground. I was too stunned to react. The Ghee warrior reached behind his back and pulled out his wooden stave.

“Pick up the weapon!” the warrior bellowed, showing rage once again. Though now I realized it was all a show for the spectators.

Reality had finally settled in. The good news was, I had found Saint Dane.

The bad news was, I had found Saint Dane.