Siblings of Sol: Destruction of a Planet

Chapter 17

The craft settles on the floor of the hanger at the fortress, and the back of the craft opens again. Each of the Shrils take their boxes and drag them down to low floating platforms that are waiting for them. The female Shril sitting beside Adam turns to him and moves her snout like mouth close to him and sticks out her forked tongue trying to poke him in the face. He moves back quickly, just missing being probed by the long disgusting thing.

The female shakes slightly in what he can only imagine is their version of a laugh, as a low rumble comes out of her gaping mouth from deep inside her throat.

She is the last one to get up and take her box out the back of the vessel. He waits till she has exited the plane before he gets up and moves to the back, and the three Shrils that are waiting for him. They close in around him as he walks down the ramp and directs him to one of the land vehicles like the one, he arrived in the period before.

He climbs into the back of the craft as a Shril sits to either side of him. The last Shril climbs in front and the clear top comes up before they exit the cavern. They move out and down the side of the cliff to the dense jungle, and the same as before, the trees seem to move aside for them and close back in again after they have moved on.

He has no idea where he is in relationship to the village that Evian is hopefully still at. All he knows is that it is not the same one that he had left, because the river is wider, and the land is sloped more as it rises to each side of it. The vehicle stops at the main building and he gets out. The three Shrils in the craft leave him there as they re-enter the wall of vegetation and disappear again. They had not said anything to him the entire way, which was just fine with him. He has had enough of the Shrils and their rituals for one period.

The villagers that were out in the fields and the ones at the main building come towards him as soon as the vegetation once again closes in. An older female moves up closer than the rest. "My name is Anne. You must be the new elder that Tar said would be coming to guide us after he left?"

He looks around at the villagers that are looking to him now as their leader. "My name is Adam, and I have had a rough period. Is it possible to get something to eat and maybe someone to show me the house that Tar lived in? He left something for me inside of it.

Anne smiles and steps up to his side and slides her arm through his. "Of course, follow me and we will have an early evening meal. Then you can get some rest in Tar's old house."

They walk around the side of the open-air main building. It is almost the mirror image of the one in Jarl's village. The villagers all enter and take their places, waiting for the dedication before going to the counter at the back for their meal. Anne looks to him and smiles. "Do you want me to give the dedication for the food tonight? You look like you could use some sleep."

Adam nods his head. "Please do. I have just come from the Island and it was not easy for me."

Anne stands and calls out for the dedication. Everybody as one speaks up. "Oh, Great One, guide the Shrils as they take care of our needs, and provide us with what we desire most. We submit ourselves to your will and that of the Shrils who do your bidding. Please let this meal add to our ability to please you."

Adam tries to stay calm through the dedication, but the last few turns have clouded his image of the Shrils and their ability to protect them. He raises his head when everybody else does and reaches for a piece of Avon fruit on the table. A young female rushes over to see if he is ready for the stew that is being served for the evening meal. He smiles up at her. "Please. My stomach seems to be empty right now."

The young girl rushes to the counter at the back as he watches her go. Anne does not take her eyes off him. "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but you are quite different from the rest of the Moles I know. Your forehead is so high, and you walk perfectly straight upright. Why are you made this way?"

He turns to face her. "I was born this way. I don't know why, but I seem to be able to analyze things quicker because of my larger brain, and my posture sets me apart from everybody else, giving me a sense of authority."

"I don't think there is anybody here that would argue with you about that," she adds, as she leans in closer to talk privately with him. "I suspect that the females all have designs on you, and the males want to be like you."

He smiles at her honesty as she pours him some of the spiced water, along with some for herself. Adam puts his hand out to stop her from placing the glass in front of him. "Sorry, I prefer the Avon fruit to the spiced water."

She pulls the glass back with a puzzled look on her face. "Tar did not drink the water either at the end. He said he was to old to deal with it anymore. I never did figure out what he was talking about."

The young female returns with the stew for them and sets it down on the table in front of them. He smiles up at her before turning back to Anne. "I just don't think I need the spiced water anymore to feel it's affects."

Anne looks up to the young girl, who has lingered at the table to stare at Adam and his differences. "Thank you, Nel, we are fine for now. You can go have your meal."

The girl bows slightly and runs back to the counter for her stew. "She is just an example of what everybody is thinking about their new Elder. Maybe now we will be able to beat Jarl's village?"

Adam picks up on the name of the Elder in the village that Evian should be at. "You know of Jarl's village. That is where I was before they came for me and took me to the Island."

"They took you to the Island; did you not request the right to choose your fate?

"I had requested it through Jarl," responds Adam, quickly to maintain his cover.

"How did Jarl arrange for such a thing? We don't have any control over how the Shrils decide to deal with us. It is our right to serve them, not for us to tell them what we want."

He gives his best "I don't know face and hand expression" before pulling his stew towards himself and reaching out to pick up a spoon from the center of the table where a jar holds the utensils for eating with.

Anne shakes her head and does the same with her stew. He digs into his stew, refraining from looking at her till she has passed her need to question him further, as she instead concentrates on eating.

He is soon done and reaches for another Avon fruit to finish his meal. He looks around at the others from the village, who are obviously waiting for him to finish his meal. Anne feels his apprehension also turning to see the others looking expectantly at them. "They are waiting for you to instruct them."

"Instruct them?" asks Adam.

"Yes, did you want to speak to them as a group, before playtime, or do you prefer to rest first before you talk to them. Everybody will understand if you want to rest for the night as we have playtime. Tomorrow will be a full day as we show you around the village. Hopefully you can tell us how Jarl's village is always beating us at the games. I personally think our flowers are the most beautiful and sweetest smelling in the whole valley."

He smiles at her pride in their village. "We will see about that in the morning. Can you have Nel direct me to Tar's old house? You have the playtime to get ready for, and I don't want to make the participants wait to long."

"Yes, and because we had the meal early when you arrived, we will have more time to play. That will be a welcomed gift for the people, since we work so hard to make our village the best we can," smiles Anne, as she motions for Nel to approach the table.

The young girl rushes over to serve the new Elder, as Anne smiles at her eagerness. "Please show Adam to Tar's old house by the barrier at the back corner of the village across the river."

Nel turns to him, all smiles. "Follow me, and I will show you the way."

He turns back to face Anne as he gets up from the table. "Thank you for everything. I will see you in the morning, then."

Nel starts out across the well manicured lawn to the high bridge over the river, as Adam follows.

The house is the same as Jarl's, except that it is set right in the corner, sharing two walls with the barrier. Nel stops at the doorway. "Is there anything else you need before I go back to help with cleaning the dirty dishes from the meal?"

"No," he smiles.

He watches her run across the grass back to the main hall, before turning to the front door of his new house.