Star of Sound

Chapter 6

SINA AND PRIAR are beside themselves with praise for Gaia. I haven't been there so don't know how to react. It's a human prisoner-of-war colony on a Heelith planet. So?

"Since you're so full of praise for Gaia," I say, filling our glasses for dinner, "I guess the Heelith are taking good care of their guests."

"What?" Sina sounds defensive.

"I've never seen a prison camp for the Heelith on a human planet, but I bet it was just a prison with cots for them to sleep on, a ton of guards at every exit and crappy food. You speak of a beautiful little village. That means the Heelith appreciate the service humans have given."

"No matter how pretty the prison is, it's still a prison," Sina barks.

"Yes."

She looks baffled at me. "That's it?"

"Yes."

She glowers at me.

"How did your meeting with the manipulator Rel go?" Priar asks. So I tell them about Sudak. Sina eats, not even really listening.

"Why did Sudak help us?" Priar asks.

"I'll try to find out." I smile at Priar and Sina. She doesn't look at me.

v

We all fly to Gaia. It's a decent sized village in a jungle, offering everything you'd expect on a human planet: houses, a school, a small hospital, a few restaurants, and bars. I'm terribly bored. I want to go back to Gaalan-Gol and see all the events that Hriff talked about: the workers' party, the soldiers' parade, the flea market, and more sessions of the wind chimes. I smile politely and show off Flinx. Sina hangs out with Lorn most the time. It looks like they're flirting. I'm not the only one who notices. During our lunch in the biggest restaurant in the village, Nari nudges me.

"If you don't intervene, Lorn will intensify the pursuit."

I look sideways at Nari. "Maybe that's good. I doubt that I'm the right guy for Sina. No offense, but I'd prefer to be at Gaalan-Gol right now. She doesn't."

"None taken. I'd also rather be at Gaalan-Gol."

"Why?"

"There's more going on there," Nari says and winks at me. "This is a small village. Everyone knows everyone and their business. I don't like that. I'm privileged, I know, but I didn't ask to be born a Khanta, just as you didn't ask to be born with your special ear."

"Exactly." A weird image creeps into the back of my mind. I see Nari and myself at Gaalan-Gol, not Sina and myself.

"Tomorrow is the flea market day. We should definitely go for that. We can ask Sudak if he wants to join us. He can also provide protection."

"That sounds excellent, Nari."

"I'll ask Sudak." She promptly whips out her tablet, calls Sudak and of course he agrees. That's settled then. I still hope Priar and Sina will come with me, but it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't. I'm sure Priar will want to come, but when I see Sina laughing and joking with Lorn, I'm not so sure about her. A deep sadness fills me. She looks happier and more relaxed with him than she ever did with me.

I wonder whether Nari has a boyfriend, or whether she's even interested in men. If she does have a boyfriend or girlfriend, they're not around. The people of the village largely ignore her. She's an outsider, a collaborator, a bodyguard for a leader swarm and she likes her job. I'm an even worse collaborator. I can hear the enemy.

"For future reference, how far is the Motherstone from Gaalan?" I ask Nari.

"A four-hour flight."