Close Encounters (18 page)

Good grief. I could have saved myself a long walk and Quilla Dorn’s dubious company if I’d known about this place earlier. My eyes narrowed. The subtle electrical influence I’d felt in the tunnel was stronger here, and I’d swear it was coming from the crystals.

A surge of excitement slammed into me, nearly lifted me off my feet. Had I finally discovered what Dynatec was after? I’d be willing to take bets on it. Now I needed a sample for Max to analyze. I was pretty damn sure I knew what those crystals were, but I needed proof.

I was still gawking when Auntie Em urged me forward, and I saw that the other females had formed a loose circle around a pool in the middle of the geode. The astringent smell I’d noticed was emanating from the water, so strong now that it made my eyes tear up.

After taking my torch and placing in a wall bracket near the entry, she led me to the head of the circle. At some unseen signal, all the females removed their kechics, placed them on the cavern floor, and then sat down on them. Hastily, I followed suit, covertly studying the Buri’s anatomy. It was the first time I’d seen any of them naked, and I’m happy to report there were no surprises in that area. It boded well for a male Buri-human female relationship when the female equipment in question appeared identical to that of the indigenous population.

Curiosity satisfied, I slapped down my hormones and checked to see what we were doing next. Not much, apparently. The others were sitting still, eyes closed, chanting away. As insurance against being poked again, I shut my eyes and let out another “Ohm” while my thoughts drifted.

I really wished there was a way Max could record this event. Our social anthropologists would go into raptures of delight over a ceremony like this one. Did it have religious overtones? I thought it did, even suspected it was some kind of purification ritual to prepare us for a rite that would take place tomorrow.

But why was I being singled out, along with Thor and Junior, for special treatment? Because I was a guest? I mulled that over for a second. Maybe this was my official adoption into the tribe, I decided happily. It would certainly explain why Brownie challenged Thor’s leadership when he did. Yeah, that had to be it. The fight was a last-ditch attempt to stop Thor from bringing me into the tribe and making me Shushanna. Nothing else made sense.

Having solved that dilemma to my own satisfaction, my mind shifted to more mundane concerns, like my empty stomach. More time passed, and gradually my breathing evened out, my heart beating in rhythm with the chanting. A strange lassitude stole over me, held me in its grip, and on some level I was aware of power being amplified, gathered and focused.

And aimed at me.

Alarmed, I struggled uselessly, unable to so much as twitch a finger.

Peace.

The voice, oddly like Auntie Em’s, whispered in my head, so calm and serene that I immediately relaxed. There was nothing here to be afraid of. I had probably fallen asleep and was dreaming the entire thing anyway. Even when the voice came again, I accepted it without a single qualm.

Bless this female. Purify and consecrate her to your purpose. Open the pathways that she might meet her destiny.

Okay, things were getting a little out of hand here. With a supreme effort of will, I grabbed what consciousness I had left and forced my eyes open, watching Auntie Em suspiciously from beneath my lashes. As far as I could tell, she hadn’t moved. Neither had the other females. The chanting continued in the same, low monotonous thread, and no one paid undue attention to me.

Slowly, I faced forward again and let my eyes close once more. And that’s the last thing I remember until Churka and Lurran led me out of the water.

My head felt funny. Kind of fuzzy, as though I’d slept too long and too hard. And there was a dull ache that made me wince when Lurran ran a comb through my hair and efficiently rebraided it. When had it been loosened? My head hurt too much to figure it out.

We were still inside the geode, but everyone was talking and laughing now, happily dressing in the fancy, colorful kechics I’d seen the two new women weaving. Something silky moved against my skin, and I looked down in time to see Churka settle a kechic belt low around my hips. It was the red one. The one that looked like living flame.

Instead of the usual wooden clasp, this one was gold. It matched the armlets that already encircled my upper arm. And the skirt, once in place and adjusted to Churka’s satisfaction, went all the way to my ankles, leaving the sides of both legs and my hips bare.

When she and Lurran were finished with me, they stepped back and silence fell over the gathering as the women turned in my direction. In unison, they bowed, and I couldn’t even muster up enough curiosity to wonder why. Slowly, with a great deal of effort, I dipped my head in return. The movement made the walls spin lazily, and I must have swayed, because Lurran and Churka each took an arm to steady me.

I was only minimally aware of being led from the geode and through the tunnels, all my concentration focused on putting one foot in front of the other. It was as if I were moving through sludge, like time had slowed to a crawl.

Only when we neared the entrance did I gradually become more responsive, and I credit that more to concern over Crigo than myself. His low, anxious growls echoed off the cavern walls in a steady rumble, and I pulled away from my escorts and stepped outside.

The sun was so bright it hurt my eyes, and I blinked for a second, then looked around. The foliage in front of the cave had been trampled flat from Crigo’s pacing. He must have been there all night from the looks of things.

When he saw me, his growl changed to a roar and he bounded toward me. Then came to an abrupt halt a foot away, his nose wrinkled to the point where his fangs were visible. Gingerly, almost as if he weren’t sure it was me, he extended his neck and sniffed. And then he did the strangest thing.

He rubbed up against my legs, a loud purr erupting from his chest.

Hesitantly, I dropped my hand to his head, ready to snatch it back if he objected, but the purr only got deeper.

“Kiera?”

Max. My forehead wrinkled. Wasn’t there something I wanted to tell him? Something vitally important? Whatever it was, I’d forgotten. Oh, well. It would come to me sooner or later.

“Kiera, are you okay? You’ve been in that cave all night and half the day. It’s after noon.”

“I’m fine, Max.” I smiled serenely as I stroked Crigo’s warm fur.

“What happened in there?”

“I think I slept most of the time. And then they gave me a bath.” The other females were out of the cave now, and we headed toward the village. Every time my hand moved away from Crigo’s head, he’d nudge it back into place.

“You
think
?” Max’s alarmed tone washed over me without ruffling my calm. For the first time in my life, I literally felt it when he used one of his satellites to scan me. Satellites. Something about a satellite…

“How’s your satellite?” I asked him.

“It’s operational again. Kiera, you aren’t fine. There’s something odd about your brain’s electrical activity. You need to come back immediately and let me do a full neural workup.”

“I’ve just got a small headache. That’s probably what you’re picking up. Honest, it’s nothing to get excited about.”

“You never get headaches.”

I thought that over. “I think maybe it has to do with those crystals.”

“Crystals?”

Oh, yeah. That was it. The crystals. “You should have seen them, Max. They’re so beautiful. Did you by any chance check the planet for surge crystals during your original scans?”

“No, of course not. Surge crystals are only found on one planetary system in the universe. Scientists believe the planets were formed during the collision of the system’s double suns—” His words broke off suddenly, and I knew he had made the connection. If two galaxies collided, it was almost certain that stars within those galaxies did the same.

“Scanning.”

We were almost at the village when he spoke again, a touch of disgust in his voice. “Orpheus Two is riddled with quartz. It’s everywhere. But I’m detecting nothing different about it other than the fact it’s coesite quartz. It certainly is not surge crystals.”

“I’m not sure any mechanical test could pick up the difference, Max. The crystals aren’t emitting on the same frequency that normal surge crystals do. As a matter of fact, I’m fairly sure they’re emitting on a frequency that only an organic brain would pick up. That’s probably the reason you haven’t noticed anything odd about them before.”

The effort of thinking coherently was more than I could manage, except in short bursts. With a sigh, I stopped trying. “Colors,” I told him dreamily. “They’re all different colors, Max, not just clear, like the usual surge crystals. And so beautiful. They were all around us, singing to me.”

“Singing?” He sounded alarmed again. “Kiera, I order you back right now. We have no way of knowing what effect those crystals had on you.”

But I’d spotted Thor and Elder waiting at the edge of the village, and my full attention shifted to them. “Later, Max. I have other things to do now.”

Thor’s gaze locked on me and I could feel a mixture of anticipation and urgency when we reached him. He spoke to Auntie Em, his words echoing in my head in a way they’d never done before. I could almost understand what he was saying, as though it were garbled Galactic Standard, spoken from the other side of a thick wall.

When Auntie Em answered him, her words, too, echoed in my mind, and she radiated smug satisfaction. Thor immediately relaxed, his lips curving into a smile. Without looking away, he reached for my hand.

Which is why I saw him flinch away at the exact same moment that a shaft of pain jolted up my arm from his touch. Keeping his distance, he questioned Auntie Em again. Apparently, whatever she said satisfied him, because he nodded and then turned toward the center of the village. A village that had been transformed into a fantasy wonderland overnight.

Flowers of every shape and color decorated the buildings, hung from trees, lay draped over rocks, and wound around platters and bowls heaping with food on makeshift tables that sat in the clearing. Their perfume filled the warm air until I walked through an ocean of aroma, inhaling with pleasure. I could almost feel the fragrance against my skin as the other females dispersed to join the males.

The only discordant note was the dark blue of a spacers jumpsuit, and I lifted my gaze to see Claudia Karle coming toward me, Ghost at her side.

“When you asked me to meet you today, I didn’t know there was going to be a party.” She stopped and swept me with a wide-eyed look of amazement. “Dang, woman. All you need is a spear and you’d look like Ziffa, Warrior Queen of the Jungle. It suits you, though. Gives you this weird glow.” She squinted and peered closer. “Wow, you really
are
glowing. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I assured her with a smile. “I hope you didn’t have any trouble with the Buri when you arrived.” What had I wanted to talk to her about? I couldn’t remember.

“Not a bit. I think this one recognized me.” She jerked a thumb at Ghost. “He’s not letting me out of his sight.”

“You’re more than welcome to join us. Would you like to borrow a kechic?” I asked politely.

“Kechic?”

Coming from her, it sounded more like a sneeze than a word. I ran a hand over my skirt. “One of these.”

“And run around the jungle half naked? I don’t think so, but thanks anyway. So what’s going on here today?”

“I think it’s some kind of religious ceremony.” Auntie Em tugged on my arm, and as I drifted in the direction of a table, I spoke over my shoulder. “Just stay with Ghost. He’ll take care of you.”

Her presence faded from my awareness like fog in hot sunshine as I took my place at the head of a table. Thor sat across from me at the opposite end, and there was a brief scramble as the other Buri found their seats. When everyone was settled, Elder stood from his position beside Junior at the center right of the table and spoke for a few minutes, all the Buri listening intently. As he finished and sat down, a spontaneous cheer erupted, and I caught many surreptitious grins aimed in my direction.

I sat quietly while the others dived into the food spread before them. There was a hollow ache of emptiness in my middle, but the aroma coming from the food made me slightly nauseous. Neither Thor nor Junior had touched the food either, I noticed.

My fingers curled into Crigo’s fur as I waited, the rise and fall of his purr keeping time with his breathing, the rhythmic quality of the sound making me drowsy. My gaze wandered to the new stone building, drawn by an irresistible urge. There was an odd glimmer near the back that rippled and wavered as I watched. It fascinated me, called to me in a way I’d never experienced before.

My attention was yanked back to the Buri when several of the males broke out instruments and began to play an eerily pitched, wavering melody. I was mildly startled to realize enough time had passed for the tribe to finish eating.

At the first note, the majority of females rose, moved away from the tables, and formed a circle facing outward. An equal number of males joined them, making a larger circle outside the first. I felt Thor’s gaze on me, and when I glanced at him, he tilted his head toward the dancers. With a return nod, I stood.

Churka smiled as I approached, then squeezed over to make room for me. Junior was across from her in the outer circle, a slightly dazed expression on his face. When I took my place and turned, it came as no surprise to find Thor waiting for me.

Luckily for me, the dance was a slow stately affair. A good two foot of space separated the inner female circle from the outer males. Arms remained at the sides, bodies straight and eyes downcast. Only the feet and legs moved, and mine fell into the rhythm as if they had a mind of their own. I don’t know who was leading, but my movements and Thor’s mirrored each other exactly.

I was vaguely aware of people leaving the circles periodically, to be replaced by others. At one point, Claudia Karle danced beside me, radiating waves of self-consciousness at Ghost, who partnered her. There was no impression of hours slipping away, no sensation of tiredness, but I could feel Max scanning me every few minutes with what I can only describe as anxiety.