Chenga

Tau

The steady drip, drip, drip of the water falling from the cave roof into the silver, starlight pool, mixed with the murmur of voices, as the Murga, Treaga, Shaddan and Mino-bultai began to prepare to feast on the food that had been brought in on The Ram.  The gang boss, Tharl, gestured for Nirgalen to follow him, and they walked deeper into the giant cavern that had been hewn from the rocks of Chenga.

Away from the pool of water, the constellations of starlight from the glow-worms began to dwindle, and Nirgalen wondered how far into the darkness they would go.  It turned out that it wasn't very far at all.  In the faint light, Nirgalen saw a rough wooden door, which had been fashioned from pieces of crate, and set on rough-looking hinges.  Tharl knocked on the door, then stood back.

'Come in.'  A deep voiced anwered the knock.  Tharl swung open the door and motioned for Nirgalen to follow. 

They came into a large room, which had been cut from the rock, just as the main cavern had.  No glow-worms were on the ceiling, but light came from several jars filled with the  wriggling worms.  Sitting cross-legged on the floor was an old man, dressed in what looked like a priest's robes.

'Tharl, you may leave.'  The old man made a gesture with his left hand.

'Kay, boss.'  With that Tharl left the room, closing the door behind him.

'Welcome, I am Cauthen, please come sit.'  The old man pointed to a cushion on the floor next to him.  'The cushions are stuffed with hair,  not terribly comfortable, but better than the hard rock.'

Nirgalen moved over to the man and sat, cross-legged on the cushioned floor.

'Now, tell me of what is happening up above.'

'Not much to say.  There is a couple of things.  I was brought here with a friend.  His leg is infected.  Do you know anything about healing?'

'Ah... that I do.'  The old man nodded and smiled.

'And another one brought in with me.  Her name is Leyla.  She is mad... and may bite.'

'That, too, I know about.  We may be able to help both of your companions.  But first, what was your crime?'

'My friend, Simarl, and I were running drugs in Deneb,  we got caught by the Kula-Mar.  Leyla was with us at the time, and because of her madness... well she was shipped here, too.  There was another person with us, a half-Peytahn girl called Eylana.  She went off with the Peytahn gang, guess she felt more at home with them.'  Nirgalen decided to keep things as simple as possible.

The old man looked intently at Nirgalen.

'Do you know what you are?'  the old man asked.  Nirgalen was confused.

'I'm not sure I know what you mean.'

'What would you call yourself?  What trade do you have? What race are you?  What makes you special?'

'My name is Nirgalen, Kirad Nirgalen.  As to trade, I pick locks.  In Deneb I was a thief.  And race... I'm just plain human and not so special.'

The old man laughed.  'Hmmm.  A thief yes, but rather The Thief of Time.  Now that would be closer to the truth.'  The old man reached out beside him and picked up a small box, which had a lock, with a small keyhole.  'Please... show me your skill.'

Nirgalen looked blankly at the old man.  'Well, I'd need a lockpick... naturally.'

The old man smiled.  'Is that so.  What if I told you that your friend's life depended on what was in that box... and that I don't have any lock picks?'

Nirgalen frowned.  'Does my friend's life depend on that box?'

The old man nodded and then said, 'It does now... please open the box.'

Nirgalen sighed.  It seemed the man knew more about him than the information he had so far gleaned from Nirgalen's words.  Nirgalen took hold of the box with one hand.  He placed his right index finger over the keyhole, and closed his eyes.  To Nirgalen, time slowed, as he willed his finger to fit into the hole.  In his mind's eye he saw the finger move into the keyhole, and fit the rotating mechanism that lay inside.  In his mind the finger became the key, became solid metal.  In his mind he saw the key turn... and the lock clicked open.  Nirgalen opened his eyes... saw the open box, and moved his index finger away from the lock.

The old man laughed.  'So, nothing special about you, eh?'

'I don't know how I do it, but I can open locks.  That is my skill... and that was my trade.  How can the box help my friend?'  Nirgalen wanted to know if the old man was just stringing him along.

'Look in the box.'  As the old man spoke, Nirgalen looked down to see a small jar in the box.  In the jar was a brownish, worm-like creature, which pulled itself along the side of the jar by attaching its head, then moving its body.

'A leech?  Is it that simple?'

'If the leech is hungry enough and your friend not too far gone.  But first, let me tell you who you are.  Your people are the Djara.  In the Old Tongue that just means spirit.  You're not just any old human.  You look human, but that can be changed.  You can change your shape.  You can make your fingers fit into locks... change the shape of your face, your arms, your legs, but most important of all, you can slow down time... and that is a very useful skill.  To be able to keep still, whilst all about you moves... or to move, whilst all around you is still... that is the real gift of the Djara.  The Djara were called shapeshifters, but they were much more than that.  Tau... The One... The Child of The Void... The Great Spirit, whatever you would like to call The Creator, his gift was to move through time, to change and become something new... and that, Nirgalen, is what makes you special.  You are closer to Tau than any of us here and, yet, you don't even know it.'

'Cauthen... who are you?'

'That I will tell you in good time, but, first, I think we should heal your friend.  Do you think that leech looks hungry?'

'I hope the leech is hungry... and answer me this, did you have the key to that box all along.'

'Yes, Nirgalen... you are the key!'