Victims of Nimbo Read online

  Lomeen reluctantly went forward. She stood before Nomus and did not move.

  “Put your hand in the water,” he said.

  Slowly Lomeen reached out and immersed her hand.

  Nomus then seized her wrist. He held her hand high. “You see! Her hand is clean! She is not chosen by Nimbo!”

  Sarah watched as one by one the villagers went through the same ceremony. Every person plunged his right hand into the water. Nomus took each one by the wrist and held up the hand, saying, “You have passed the Test by Water! Your heart is clean!”

  Finally all the villagers had been tested, and Nomus pointed suddenly with a long, skinny finger. “Now, bring the Cloud person here.”

  Jere glanced at Sarah. He held his head high and went forward. Without waiting, he plunged his hand into the water. He looked straight at Nomus and said, “Do your worst, old man. I’m not afraid of you.”

  Nomus glared, but he pulled Jere’s hand free and held it high. “You have passed the Test, Cloud Dweller.” He then turned to Lomeen and said, “Bring the girl, the Sleeper.”

  Sarah went forward, somehow knowing what would happen.

  She stood before Nomus and held his gaze. If she had ever seen pure evil in the eyes of a human being, it was in the eyes of the high priest.

  “Now, Sleeper, we shall see if you have what you are.”

  “I’m not afraid of you, Nomus,” Sarah said quietly.

  The entire area had fallen quiet, for all seemed to know that the Test with Sarah was important.

  “Put your hand in the water!”

  Sarah put her hand in the water, and she saw Nomus reach forward. Something happened very quickly. The water turned red. The priest grasped her wrist and brought out her hand. It was stained as red as if plunged in blood. Sarah knew that Nomus had staged this. He put something in the water! she thought. But she had no time to protest.

  “Her hand is red! She failed the Test of Water. Her heart is wrong. She is the victim for Nimbo.”

  “No!” Jere cried out.

  Chan reached out and held the young man easily with his massive strength.

  “Put her in hold. Nimbo now has a victim.”

  Sarah was dragged away and not allowed to speak. She caught a glimpse of Lomeen and saw the fear in the young girl’s eyes.

  She had no time to see more, however, because she was thrown into a rude hut. It was semidark inside. On the floor was a mat. There was no furniture at all, and she paced back and forth trying to conquer the panic that washed over her.

  For a long time she walked, and then she took a deep breath. I’ve been in worse places than this, she thought. Goél will not fail me.

  It was late that night when she heard a scratching at the door. She went to the hut entrance and heard a whispered voice.

  “Sarah, are you awake?” It was Lomeen.

  “Yes, I am, Lomeen.”

  “Jere is with me. Tell us what we can do.”

  “Can you get me out of here?”

  “No. The guard has gone just for a minute. We can stay for only a few moments. Tell us what to do.”

  Sarah thought quickly. “You must go back to your village, Jere. My fellow Sleepers must be there by now. Go to Josh. Tell him what has happened.”

  “We will go at once,” Jere said.

  “Then we must go quickly,” Lomeen whispered. “I fear the sacrifice will take place very soon.”

  Jere said, his voice harsh, “I’ll bring my people. We’ll save you, Sarah.”

  “Would you really bring your people to overthrow Nomus?” Lomeen asked as they turned away from the hut.

  “It would be almost useless. My people are not trained as Chan has trained his men. But we will see. We must save Sarah.”

  Lomeen frowned. “I hesitate to leave my father …”

  “You stay here. I will go for the Sleepers.”

  “No, I will go with you. Perhaps if you seem to have me as a hostage, your father will listen and be willing to help.”

  “If he does not, you and I will come back alone, Lomeen.”

  “Would you really do that?”

  “Yes. I’ve become very fond of Sarah.” He hesitated and said, “You remind me of her.”

  “Oh, I’m not nearly so pretty as she is.”

  Jere smiled. “That’s your opinion,” he said. “It’s not mine. Now let us go for the Sleepers.”

  13

  Time of the New Moon

  There it is, Lomeen,” Jere said. He stopped and pointed upward toward the tops of the magnificent trees that rose like towers before them. “What do you think of it?”

  Lomeen had felt no fear as long as she was in the territory that her tribe inhabited. But the size of these trees somehow frightened her. She looked up at them, swallowed hard, then lowered her eyes.

  “They make me dizzy just to look at them,” she said.

  “Really? I never thought about that. I guess it’s all in the way you’re brought up,” Jere said with surprise. He studied her face, apparently finding it pleasing. “I never saw a woman that could keep up with me as well as you did,” he commented. “As a matter of fact, I think perhaps you could outrun me down here on the ground.”

  Lomeen managed a smile. “I hope I’ll do as well in your part of the world, but I have to tell you, Jere. I’ve always been a little afraid of heights.” She shook her head at a faint childhood memory. “The other boys and girls could always climb trees better than I could.”

  “You don’t have to be afraid in the trees. I’ll hold you so that you won’t fall.”

  “Will you?”

  “Of course I will. And we’ll be there soon.”

  The two continued their walk through the towering forest. The birds were so far overhead that Lomeen could hardly hear them. She had never been to this part of the woods before, although she had heard her father and other hunters tell of the Cloud People and the odd way they had of living. Now, as they passed among the huge, smooth tree trunks, she would venture a glance upward every now and then and wonder what in the world it would be like to live without touching the earth.

  Lomeen had always loved the earth. The feel of the spring grass under her feet gave her delight. When the snow came, she liked to walk through it. But she knew there would be none of either in the village of the Cloud People. Silently she followed after Jere.

  At last he stopped. “Here we are. And don’t be afraid.” He gave a piercing whistle that almost played a little tune. “That means ‘Let the basket down.’ We have a lot of signals. If you’re going to stay with us, you’ll have to learn to whistle.”

  “I could never whistle,” Lomeen said. “I pucker and blow, but nothing comes out.”

  “That’s all right. I’ll give you whistling lessons.”

  Lomeen heard a sound, and she looked upward. There, descending from overhead, came two large baskets. She could not see the source of them because of the foliage. Then the baskets landed with a thump, and she gazed at them hard. “You want me to get in there?”

  “I think you’d better. I’ll ride up with you this time to show you how.” He climbed into one basket, and Lomeen slowly got into the other. “Here we go,” he said cheerfully. He gave another piercing blast, and the baskets abruptly jerked.

  “Oh, we’re going up!” she cried.

  “Well, we can’t go down,” Jere joked. “Just relax and enjoy yourself. Perhaps you’d better not look down for a while. Just look up, and you’ll see something you’ve never seen before.”

  Lomeen took his advice. Every time her basket jolted, she wanted to cry out. But she did not want him to see her fear, so she made herself look at the leaves and the tree limbs that stretched straight outward from the trunk. She saw that many limbs were as large as the trees in her homeland. They were inhabited by squirrels and birds, including many woodpeckers.

  And then Jere was saying, “Look, Lomeen. You can see the platforms from here—and some houses.”

  Eagerly she looked upwa
rd. Sure enough, she saw platforms here and there along with simple buildings made of what looked like bamboo. She knew bamboo was lightweight, and she wondered at building houses out of such fragile material.

  “Well, you’re back at last.”

  The baskets came to a halt, and Jere jumped out. He greeted a youth standing on the platform, then turned and put out his hand. “Let me help you out.”

  She eagerly grasped his hand and stepped out of the basket. Then she made the mistake of looking down. The earth seemed so far away it made her gasp, and she swayed from side to side. Without meaning to, she fell against Jere with a gasp.

  “That’s all right. It gets to you a little bit if you’re not used to high places,” he said. “And, Lomeen, this is my friend Teanor.”

  “Where have you been, and where is the Sleeper?” the young man Teanor said with irritation.

  “I’ve been visiting Chief Maroni. This is his daughter, Lomeen. Teanor is not one of the better looking of our people, but we put up with him just the same.”

  “Never mind my looks. Your father has been fright-fully worried. You’re going to have some explaining to do.”

  “I’ll write a poem about it,” Jere said. “As a matter of fact, I already have.”

  Throwing up his hands, Teanor said, “I don’t want to hear any of your poetry. Tell me one thing. Please—did you see my brother while you were there?”

  “I did, Teanor. I was able to visit him. They are keeping him a prisoner, but he’s safe so far.”

  “Why didn’t they release him and send him back with you?” Teanor cried.

  “I can’t explain all that to you just now. I must see my father first.”

  The trip to the king’s house from the platform where she had gotten off the basket was terrifying to Lomeen. At first she clung to Jere, and he steadied her.

  He kept making comforting sounds. “It’s all right. You’re not going to fall. You’ll get used to it.”

  “I never will,” she gasped.

  However, even during the short time that it took to get to the palace, she found herself becoming somewhat more accustomed to the high places. True enough, when they crossed the narrow, swaying bridges that connected the different platforms, she often closed her eyes, and Jere guided her across. But once her feet were on a solid platform, she began to find that it really was not so bad after all.

  “You see. You’re going to like it,” Jere said. “Now I want you to meet my father.”

  They entered the tree palace, and Lomeen saw that every eye was upon Prince Jere. She supposed that everyone had been anxious about him.

  King Celevorn was seated on his throne, and Lomeen got a good look at him. He gave her one flickering glance and then paid her no more attention. He gazed steadily at Jere and demanded, “Well, what do you have to say for yourself this time? What have you accomplished?”

  “Father, I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you in the past,” the prince said. “But I think you’ll be glad to find out that I have some ideas about how our people can live from now on.”

  King Celevorn glared. “You never gave me a good idea in your life!” he said harshly. “All you’ve ever done is write poems, sing songs, and dance!”

  The prince lowered his head for a moment, and Lomeen sensed that even the servants were waiting breathlessly.

  Looking up, Jere said solemnly, “You’re right, Father, and I want to do better. I’ve been lax in my duties to you and to our people, but that’s going to be different from now on.”

  A light leaped into King Celevorn’s eyes. “You mean you’re giving up poetry?”

  “I still think poetry is good, Father—as are many other things. But I want to do my best from now on to help our people, and I think I’ve found a way.”

  The king grunted. He suddenly turned to Lomeen. “And who is this female with you?”

  “Sire, this is the daughter of Chief Maroni. Lomeen, this is my father, King Celevorn.”

  Lomeen bowed low and then straightened up. There was courage in her eyes, and she said clearly, “I am happy to meet you, O King.”

  “I am not happy to meet you nor any other Earth Dweller! Why did you bring her back here, Jere?”

  At that moment there was a pounding of feet, and five young men and a girl rushed in. Suddenly the room seemed full. One of the newcomers cried, “We heard that your son has come back, Your Majesty!”

  “Yes, friend Josh. This is my son, and this is a female he has brought from the land of the Earth Dwellers.” He turned to the prince. “These are the servants of Goél who have come to help us.”

  “What did they say?” the one called Josh demanded. “What did the Earth Dwellers say about Sarah? Where is she?”

  “I haven’t had time to ask him. He’s been making all kinds of promises about how he’s going to be a better man than he has been up to now.”

  “I do hope to prove myself to you, Father. But let me tell you now what has happened. In the first place,” he said, “the enemy is not Lomeen’s father. Chief Maroni is a fine man. He says he met you once and that he liked you very much.”

  Celevorn shifted uncomfortably. “We did meet once when we were both very young, and I did like him. But that was before he started killing our people.”

  “It is not my father who does this,” Lomeen spoke up, and everyone in the room seemed shocked that a mere female would speak in the presence of the king. “Your enemy is Nomus, the high priest.”

  “I have heard of him. Why do you say he is the enemy?” Apparently the king had decided to listen to her.

  “Because,” Lomeen said, “he has such an evil influence over my father. When my mother was alive there was none of this, if you will remember.”

  “I do remember. This trouble between us has come only recently, I’ll admit. What about this Nomus?”

  “And where is our friend Sarah?” the boy Josh demanded again. “Tell us that first.”

  “She’s held prisoner, I’m afraid,” Jere said. “She sent us back with a message to you, the Sleepers.”

  “What is it?” Josh eyes were bright with excitement.

  “She said for me to tell you that she is prisoner and begs you to rescue her. At least that’s what I think she meant.”

  “That is what she said, though not in exactly those words!” Lomeen exclaimed. “Please help us rescue her, Your Majesty.”

  “I promised her that, Father. We must take some of our people and save her. And Teanor’s brother as well.”

  King Celevorn gaped at him as though the young man he was looking at was not his own son at all. But then he said, “How can we do that? We are very few, and they are many. And they are warriors.”

  “We must not fear, Father. Once we get rid of the evil influence of the priest, our people can work together. There will be no more captives, no more sacrifice.”

  King Celevorn continued to stare at his son. “I would like to believe you, but—”

  “Your Majesty, I hope that you will send your people to save our companion, Sarah,” Josh said quietly. Then he straightened and looked the king straight in the face. “But whether you send help or not, I must go and save her.”

  “So say we all,” another Sleeper called out. And all the rest of the Sleepers nodded.

  “And I promised that I would go back, Father,” the prince said. “I do not want to displease you, but it is so important that we rescue Sarah at once. She will be sacrificed to that awful Nimbo if we do not.”

  “I—I will have to call the council together.”

  “There is not time for that, Father! Lomeen tells me that they sacrifice on the new moon, and that is tomorrow!”

  An exclamation leaped to Josh’s lips. “Tomorrow! Then we must go immediately!”

  The Sleepers turned to leave the throne room, but the king arose and cried, “Stop!” He waited until they all faced him, and then he came down from the platform that the throne was set upon and put his hands on his son’s shoulders. The prince
had grown taller than he. He studied the young man’s eyes and then said quietly, “My son, I have waited many years to see any sign of the ruler in you and have seen none. I do not know what you have gone through with the Earth Dwellers, but something has changed you.”

  “I think he has become a man, Your Majesty,” Lomeen said.

  The king turned to her. He smiled briefly. “You remind me of his mother. She was always outspoken.”

  Lomeen found herself liking King Celevorn. “I must warn you that a rescue effort will be dangerous, Your Majesty. Nomus is an evil man, and Chan is the chief of warriors. If, somehow, those two could be removed, there would be no trouble at all between our people. We can learn much from each other.”

  Still King Celevorn hesitated. It was probably hard to order men into danger when he knew full well that some might not return. But then, looking into the clear eyes of the prince and lifting his voice, he said, “We will go. Get your weapons and let us make ready.”

  “Now—” Jere turned back to Lomeen “—I must warn you that it will be dangerous not only for us but for your friends and your family.”

  “I know, but something must be done to stop Nomus.”

  Jere looked at her fondly. “Well, we will do the best we can to resolve this with as little injury to anyone as possible.”

  “Be very careful, Jere,” Lomeen said quickly. She lowered her eyes.

  He reached out and took her hand. “We will talk more later. Now it is time to go to war.”

  Sarah heard the heavy bar being drawn away from the door of her prison, and she came to her feet. She no sooner was standing than Chief Maroni himself entered. His face was thin from his illness, but she was delighted to see him now able to walk about. She told him so.

  But he asked at once, “Are you being well treated?”

  “I have food and water and a place to sleep.”

  Maroni noted the brevity of her answer. He shook his head sadly. “I’m sorry all this happened.”

  “So am I,” Sarah said. “And it doesn’t have to happen.”

  Maroni began to pace about the hut. “I am the chief, but you must understand that my powers are limited by—” He stopped pacing then and stood looking down at her. He was a tall man and strong, though age was beginning to mark him. “I am confused,” he murmured, and his eyes were troubled. He looked away and said, “Frankly, I do not know what to do.”