The Hunter on Arena (20 page)

But the thing that had worried the Thanes most was Braldt’s continuing close relationship to the aging chief, Auslic. Although
childless (a situation created by the
Thanes), Auslic had stepped beyond the established chain of command and publicly chosen Braldt as his successor. This could
not be allowed, for whom among them could say how far Braldt would be able to take the primitive society. Far enough to begin
to question the old rules and the religion that dictated so much of their lives. Far enough to disregard the borders and venture
into the Forbidden Lands, far enough to discover the mines and the Madrelli, which would be the beginning of the end.

The Thanes took steps to see that such a thing did not happen. With the priests’ help, they augmented Auslic’s diet with life-extending
potions that had long been known to them, enabling him to outlive his contemporaries and put off Braldt’s ascendance to power.

They used the time they had gained as best they were able, seeing to it that Braldt was given the most dangerous of assignments,
hoping that he would be killed by one of the dangerous creatures or other species that inhabited the planet. But such did
not happen; Braldt survived all obstacles thrown his way, and in doing so, grew even more adept.

And so they were stalemated, Braldt and Auslic alive and well and the Thanes watching nervously for a day they knew must come.
That day arrived in a way none had imagined. An old man, warming his bones in the rising sun, had been slain by a wild beast.
Unfortunate as the death was, it was made worse by the fact that he had been a close friend of Auslic’s. Also slain by the
beast was a young comrade of Braldt’s.

At first, the deaths, totally natural in their occurrence, had been hailed as positive, for Braldt had set out after
the beast, determined to slay it. The Thanes hoped with all their hearts that the beast would kill Braldt, solving all of
their problems. But in this, too, they were to be foiled. Although Braldt was badly injured, he succeeded in killing the beast
and acquired one of her young who attached itself to him with a fierce loyalty.

To make matters worse, Auslic, already old and frail, kept alive long beyond his natural lifespan by unnatural means, had
suffered a failure of his heart brought on by the shock of the death of his oldest friend. The Thanes were in turmoil, for
if Auslic died, Braldt would accede to the throne, an impossible situation!

But their problems did not stop there. The Thanes found themselves beset by problems on all sides. After thousands of years
of domination, the Madrelli were rebelling. Their level of intelligence was closely controlled by the administration of a
pill that contained all they needed to maintain their genetic advances. In the past, all that had been necessary to control
the Madrelli was to withhold the vital pill. But in this, too, they were frustrated, for as impossible as it seemed, the Madrelli
had found a berry on K7 that replicated the pill that was so essential to their existence.

It was at this point that a faction of the Thanes, sensing that they were losing control of the situation, had begun to advocate
that all of their problems would be solved if neither the Madrelli, the natives, or the troublesome Braldt existed, from there
it was but a single leap to the thought of total annihilation. After all, they still possessed many more captive Madrelli
on Valhalla and Rototara and other worlds that they firmly controlled.
What was the loss of a few thousand when others could easily be cloned? Also, if the planet were destroyed, it would be far
easier to collect, extract, and process the valuable rhodium.

This plan was certain to be opposed by any number of their fellow Scandis; the Council for Native Affairs had, over time,
come to take itself rather seriously and was sure to resent such a plan to eradicate their charges. And most importantly,
there was the venerable Brandtson who still wielded considerable power. There was also the small matter of the WWF which would
mete out harsh judgment if it ever discovered that the Scandis had purposely destroyed a world that contained intelligent
life.

If the planet was to be destroyed, it would have to look like a natural occurrence. The planet, like so many others, contained
an active belt of volcanos, dangerous in the extreme unless one knew how to manage them by bleeding off the excess amounts
of pressure. It was also possible to increase the pressure, which one never did since it could cause a planetary cataclysm
of disastrous proportions; this was exactly what the Scandis had in mind.

Steps were taken to shut down the mine and all but a caretaking staff of robots were withdrawn, for unlike the Madrelli who
could be endlessly and inexpensively cloned, the robots were intensely complicated and incredibly expensive bits of technology
and not easily or quickly replaced.

The Madrelli, however, learned of the Thanes’ plans and reasonably enough, objected and took steps to foil
the plot. At a great loss of Madrelli life and robots, the Madrelli flooded the control chamber of the mine and shut down
the equipment which allowed the Scandis to come and go undetected. This was a serious problem for the planet could not be
destroyed from space in a manner that would not be suspect. Somehow, it was imperative to drain the chamber and reverse the
piece of equipment that concealed the arrivals and departures of their ships.

To the ironic amusement of those still possessing a sense of humor, it was decided that Braldt was the only one capable of
carrying out the difficult and dangerous mission of crossing over into the hostile Madrelli lands and finding his way to the
heart of the volcanic mountain that contained the cloaking device.

Braldt had been sent on this “holy” mission by the priests who told him that Auslic’s only chance for survival lay in the
retrieval of a medical kit that could be found in the mountain’s interior. He was also instructed to reverse the crucial lever.
The medical kit was but a cover story to conceal the true mission, throwing the lever, for if Braldt did as they directed,
it would not matter if he succeeded in bringing the kit back to his tribe. There was nothing in its contents which could save
Auslic and by that time, the planet would have ceased to exist.

Once again, the fates, which not even the Scandis had managed to control, intervened and all of their plans went awry. Braldt
and his adopted siblings, Keri and Carn, had crossed over into the Forbidden Lands as directed and then were lost to the Thanes
for they had no way of observing them. When next they appeared inside the mountain and were subject to remote scanning, the
Thanes received an unpleasant shock. Somehow, Braldt and the Madrelli had discovered each other and appeared to be working
in concert. Even worse, it appeared that the Madrelli had shared their knowledge of the Scandis with Braldt which could not
fail to lead to horrific problems.

Then, those same fickle fates had swung in their direction. Volcanic activity had increased, and without their assistance
in relieving the build-up of pressure, the mountain suffered ground shifts which all but killed Cam and severely injured the
Madrelli known as Batta Flor. Cam, exposed to the great heat at the heart of the volcano, experienced what his fevered mind
interpreted as a religious revelation that directed him on a specific course of action.

After great difficulty, Braldt, Keri, and Batta Flor succeeded in reaching the flooded chamber and retrieved the sought-after
medical box. Then Cam arrived, and following the whisperings of his heat-demented mind, threw the lever that allowed the Scandis
to come and go and also transported Braldt off K7 and directly onto Rototara in an ironic blink of fate’s eye.

The watching Thanes were thunderstruck! Not only had they succeeded in reversing the lever, but here was Braldt delivered
into their hands as well! Now they could not take the chance of allowing the Madrelli to return to his village, for there
was still the possibility that his tribe would sabotage the machinery a second time. As it was, they would not know that it
had been reversed until the ships arrived and then it would be too late. But if the Madrelli did not return, it could only
be assumed
that he had perished in his brave attempt. And so it was that the machinery had been activated a second time, seizing Batta
Flor, Keri, and even the lupebeast pup in its inexorable grasp and delivering them to the Thanes.

Now, fate would be allowed to play its part again, for no matter how good Braldt was, no matter how strong and resistent to
pain was the Madrelli, neither of them could survive the ring forever. And if they did, they could always be pitted against
each other. There was, of course, the small risk that someone would recognize Braldt, but it was unlikely. Brandtson had been
sent back to Valhalla on a quickly contrived affair of business and no one else on Rototara had the necessary strength to
oppose them.
At last,
thought the Thanes,
things were going our way.

If the Thanes had known what was happening beneath the arena, their carefully coiffed, silvery, blond hair would have turned
gray overnight.

Concluding their long conversation, Lomi returned to
her quarters just before dawn, barely escaping detection by the roving guards who took careful note of those who were not
where they were supposed to be. Her tired heart beat erratically and she willed it to be calm, chiding herself for being a
foolish old woman with a case of the flutters. Braldt and his friends depended on her. His life was in her hands. She had
been unable to help Bracca, but she would not fail his son.

There was much to be done. First, she had to tell Jorund and the others what she had learned, and somehow they must get a
message to Brandtson, for his help would be badly needed. No one, not even the Thanes of Rototara would be able to stand against
Brandtson. When he learned that he had nearly lost his grandson… the mere thought of his rage was staggering. No, Lomi smiled
to herself. Telling Brandtson was the answer. He would fix everything.

She had to find Jorund. Lomi turned to the door, then sunk to the foot of her bed, pressing the tips of her fingers hard against
her breastbone, willing her ragged heartbeat to return to normal, to cease its uncertain patter. This was no time for such
nonsense, she was
needed! But she could not rise. Darkness crowded in at the edges of her eyes, dimming her vision, and the air seemed thick
and heavy… it was difficult to breathe. Maybe if she rested for just a moment, gathered her strength…. She collapsed slowly
against the cushions of her bed, her slight figure seeming no more than a bed ornament, and the rise and fall of her chest
came slower and slower and slower.

Braldt, Randi, Allo, and Septua were all but overwhelmed by what they had learned; alternately overjoyed, angered, and dismayed.
Braldt was deeply moved, hearing about his father and mother, and he grieved anew for their deaths. His anger burned ever
more deeply over that long distant decision that had sent them plummeting out of their world to die in a strange and hostile
land.

He wanted to know the man who was the father of his father, felt his heart race at the thought. Were there others of his blood
as well? Questions whirled inside his head, so many questions that he had failed to ask.

But he could not discount the matter of his enemies who now appeared to be more numerous than he had imagined and the reason
for his imprisonment all the more dangerous. They would not feel safe until he was dead, nor would they have risked submitting
him to the arena unless they felt safe from discovery. Which meant what he already knew: that he had few allies and slim hope
of survival.

Just how much of a chance depended heavily on the woman Lomi and her compatriots, although it seemed clear that they, too,
were operating against the odds.
Well, so be it,
Braldt thought with a grim smile. The odds had improved greatly in just the span of a single night and if he had not had
reason to hate the Thanes before, he certainly had cause now.

Septua was practically hopping up and down, dancing from foot to foot, unable to contain his excitement. “See, I told ya it
were true! ’E set me up to ’elp ’em! I knew it were a real plot! Mebbe we can do it again! An’ it’ll work this time! All we
gotta do is get the chance! When we get outta ’ere, we’ll show ’em they can’t push us around!”

Braldt stopped listening after a time and gave up trying to convince the dwarf to be still, for it was an impossible situation.
Whatever the plan might have been on Valhalla, it was unlikely that such a plot would work here and now.

The woman had said that she would speak to those who were allied to their cause immediately upon her return and set in motion
whatever events were necessary to free them. She had promised that Jorund would speak to them himself before the day began
and all of them anxiously awaited his arrival. Even Braldt felt a thrill of anticipation with every new footstep in the corridor.

But the sun rose over the edge of the distant horizon and the guards arrived to herd them from their cells, beginning the
long day’s routine. Septua lagged behind and looked about desperately as though somehow imagining that Jorund might be hiding
in the shadows. Braldt felt a chill of premonition. Something had gone wrong. The woman had seemed so certain, so determined
to help. Despite his strength, Braldt felt a moment of deep
despair for he had allowed himself to hope, to believe. It was a bitter pill to swallow. Randi turned and looked at him and
he could see his own bleak thoughts reflected in her eyes. He could not even offer her a smile of hope.