The Shattered Peace

6

At first it was easy to follow Drenna. Senalis strolled along the docks on this fine day, pausing to purchase flowers and food at various markets that were set up along the way. The Jedi and Taroon could melt into the crowd and keep her in sight.

The Jedi had already adapted to the idea that the ground was not firm under their feet. The docks swayed and bobbed in the gentle roll of the sea. Taroon had more trouble. Occasionally he would stumble and his skin would flush to a bluish rose.

“What kind of a world builds its cities on water?” he grumbled after he had stumbled again and narrowly escaped tumbling off the dock. “I don’t see how my brother can stand this awful place.”

Qui-Gon lifted an eyebrow at Obi-Wan in a private gesture. Obi-Wan smiled. He knew what his Master was thinking. Senali had turquoise seas, blooming gardens, and, from the looks of it, a peaceful and content population. Taroon harbored the prejudice of Rutanians, most of whom had not set foot on Senali since the war that had divided them forever. They considered Senalis lazy primitives who had not built a thriving culture or economy and who lived only for pleasure.

The floating city stretched over several kilometers. Drenna led them over bridges and walkways into different sections, some with brightly painted multistoried buildings, some with eccentric structures that bobbed cheerfully on the water. They passed rows and rows of docks with different crafts tied to the pilings. The crowd began to thin, and they hung back, keeping Drenna just in sight.

At last Drenna turned toward one of the silver bridges that connected the floating city to the mainland. She hurried over the bridge and disappeared down a road that curved around a dense thicket of trees. They quickly followed.

Trees lined the road that verged the shore. The branches were heavy with green fronds that bent the limbs down to the ground, their feathery leaves lying like lace on the sandy road. Deep green shadows flickered, and every now and then a glimpse of the turquoise sea appeared like a startling vision through the thick curtain of leaves.

Qui-Gon tapped into the Force to help him track Drenna. He had to be alert to the smallest sounds ahead, to the disturbance in the air he could feel as she passed through it.

Senali was a small world, and most of the population traveled by sea or on foot. The Jedi did not see many speeders or other craft that moved through air. Small transports occasionally buzzed by, carrying goods and food.

The road split into two main roads and a narrower trail that wound through the trees. Drenna was no longer in sight. Qui-Gon hesitated only a moment before determining that she had taken the narrow trail.

Obi-Wan kept close on his heels. The path slowly narrowed until they had to go single file. The firmly packed soil of the road had changed to a loose, powdery sand that sucked at their footsteps. Again, Taroon had trouble keeping up.

“There’s more sand in my boots than on the ground,” he muttered. “Why don’t these people build decent roads?”

Qui-Gon held up a hand and they stopped. He closed his eyes, listening intently.

“She is running now,” he said, surprised. “We must go faster.”

They quickened their pace. Taroon stopped complaining and concentrated on keeping up with them. The sound of the surf covered the noise of their feet slapping against the sand.

They turned a corner and saw that the trail ran straight into the high wall of a sheer cliff. There was still room to walk around it, along a narrow strip of beach. A wave lapped at their heels as they skirted the cliff wall, avoiding the rocks that were studded with sharp coral that could slice into skin.

They found themselves in a beautiful cove with a beach that curved like a quarter moon. Sheer cliffs surrounded them.

The beach was empty except for a slight figure in the distance. Qui-Gon had been right: Drenna was running now, jogging easily down the beach toward the end of the far curve.

“Does she realize now that she’s being followed?” Obi-Wan asked as they picked up their pace. They kept in the shadow of the cliff in case she turned around.

Suddenly, Qui-Gon stopped short. He looked up at the cliff, then back at the churning sea.

“She always knew she was being followed,” he said. “We must go back.”

Taroon looked behind them. “Look at that. The path is already cut off.”

Waves now thundered against the cliff wall. If they tried to return, they would be trapped. The tide was strong enough to batter them against the sharp rocks.

Water suddenly foamed around their ankles.

“The tide is coming in,” Obi-Wan said.

“The tides are famous on Senali,” Qui-Gon said, his eyes now moving over the cliff face. “The four moons make them swift and extreme.”

Drenna had disappeared around the cliff face at the far end of the beach. Obi-Wan calculated the distance, then stepped back as a wave of alarming force hit him at the knees.

They would not make it, he realized.

Taroon came to the same conclusion as he glanced at the faces of the Jedi.

“She led us into a trap!” he cried.