Victims of Nimbo Read online

  “Not me,” Jere said, looking around nervously. “I feel a lot better up in our city.”

  “Well, to each his own,” Sarah said. “But we’d better get going right away. Which way is it?”

  “We’ll go this way.” He pointed.

  Jere had his staff in hand, and a knife was in his belt. Sarah kept an arrow notched, ready for whatever might come.

  They made their way quickly, and after a while Sarah asked, “How much farther is it?”

  “I believe only a few miles,” Jere answered.

  The two had not gone more than a mile farther when Sarah saw a young woman running through the woods toward them. Terror was written on her face.

  “Look at that girl. Something must be after her,” Sarah cried.

  Almost as soon as she had spoken, a giant scorpion scuttled into view behind the girl.

  Sarah reached for her bow.

  The girl stumbled toward them, her eyes blank with fright. “Help me!” she cried.

  At that moment another scorpion emerged from the woods. Sarah’s lips tightened. “I can’t get both of them, Jere!”

  “I’ll take the second one.” Raising his staff like a club, Jere ran toward the awful looking spotted beast.

  The first scorpion lunged toward Sarah, and she loosed an arrow. It took the scorpion in the body, and the beast uttered a wild screech. Quickly she notched another, and it struck the creature also.

  By that time she saw that the second scorpion had reached Jere. He stood tall and straight, ready to use the staff like a baseball bat. The scorpion charged at him, its terrible stinger poised.

  Jere had timed it exactly right. He struck the stinger before it struck him—and with such force that the stinger broke away from the scorpion’s tail.

  Again there was a wild screech, and for a time the beast repeatedly tried to bite Jere with its serpentlike head.

  The scorpion lunged, but Jere fended it off. Finally he struck it a mighty blow to the head. There was a crunching, and the beast fell to the ground with all six legs kicking.

  “You’ve got him, Prince! Wonderful!”

  Jere turned toward her, his chest heaving. “I never would have thought I could do that,” he gasped. “And I never saw anyone shoot an arrow like you do.”

  “Who are you?”

  Both turned to the young woman they had rescued. She had large, dark eyes, and they were open wide.

  “My name is Prince Jere of the Cloud People. What is your name?”

  “I am Lomeen. And I thank you both for what you did.”

  “Are you perhaps one of the Earth Dwellers?” Sarah asked.

  “Yes. My father is Maroni, the chief.”

  Sarah’s heart leaped. What a break! she thought. To save the daughter of the chief. That ought to help.

  She said quickly, “My name is Sarah. I am one of the Seven Sleepers. Have you ever heard of us?”

  Lomeen’s eyes grew even larger. “My mother used to speak of the Seven Sleepers often, but she died. Since then, we have not heard of them.”

  “We’ve come to talk to your father,” Sarah said. “Will you take us there?”

  “Of course. Come this way.”

  An hour later, Lomeen brought Sarah and the prince into the Earth Dwellers’ village. For the most part, it was made of mud huts with branches for covering. In one such structure she found the chief.

  “This is my father, Chief Maroni. Father, this young man and this young woman saved my life.” She related how the two of them had killed the scorpions, and now the chief’s eyes grew large. “No one has ever killed a scorpion singlehanded with just a staff,” he said.

  “He was very brave, Father,” Lomeen said.

  Maroni was thoughtful for a moment and then nodded. “We are grateful.”

  “Who are these strangers?” A little man wearing the teeth of animals made into a necklace stood in the doorway. He had fierce eyes, and, though he was small, everyone backed away from him immediately.

  “This is Nomus, the high priest,” the chief said.

  Sarah knew immediately that she was facing the enemy. But she looked long into the eyes of the high priest of Nimbo and did not flinch.

  “Chief,” she said, turning back to him, “we have been sent by Goél.”

  Nomus screamed. “Goél! We will have none of his people here!”

  Maroni seemed stunned. Grateful as he probably was to the young strangers, obviously he was intimidated by Nomus.

  Sarah saw that the battle would be fought on these grounds. “Chief, we come in peace, and we come to help your people.”

  Maroni gazed at her. Then, surprisingly ignoring the protests of Nomus, he said, “We will hear you. You are welcome to our village.”

  9

  The Priest’s Decision

  Sarah walked along with Lomeen. On the other side of the chiefs daughter was Jere, accompanying them. Lomeen had offered to show them around the village of the Earth Dwellers and was pointing out what sights there were to see. In truth, there was not much. The village was not an attractive place, and there were few signs of wealth.

  “That is where my father, the chief, lives,” Lomeen said, indicating a larger house built of earth.

  Trying to think of something nice to say about the homely structure, Sarah said, “It looks very strong.”

  “Oh yes. We build our houses well. We put straw and rocks into the red mud that we find along the river-bank. When it dries, it is so hard that no spear can penetrate it. Would you care to see inside?”

  “Why, yes. We’d like that very much. Wouldn’t we, Jere?”

  “Yes, indeed!”

  Actually Jere had recently whispered that he was rather depressed by the village. He was used to light, airy structures, and these houses were all heavy with few windows. He wondered how anybody could live in such a place. The whole village was surrounded by heavy jungle, and there was little attractiveness about it anywhere.

  “Come in,” Lomeen said, stepping through the doorway, which was covered by an animal hide of some kind. She waited until the two had entered. “This is the main room,” she said rather shyly.

  The room was some fifteen feet square, and what furniture there was was made of wood. Sarah went to a chair that was beautifully carved and said, “This is a fine chair, Lomeen. Who made this?”

  “My father and I made it. We like to make things together. The wood is very hard, so it took a long time.”

  “You’re quite an artist,” Jere said, coming over to admire the chair. It was a beautiful piece of furniture, indeed, curved to fit the body and making one long to sit in it. “Mind if I try it?”

  “Oh, please do!” Lomeen said quickly.

  Jere sat down and stretched luxuriously. “It’s so comfortable,” he said. “It’s hard to believe that anything as hard as this could be comfortable.”

  “We made all the furniture in here. All of my people are good woodcarvers.”

  They looked at each table and individual chair. No two were alike, and the woods varied all the way from having a dark walnut look to wood that was almost white.

  “We don’t have anything like this where I live.” Jere smiled at the girl.

  She flushed and looked down at the floor. “I can’t see how you could live up in the clouds,” she said.

  “Well, I suppose it’s all what a person’s brought up to. You ought to come for a visit sometime.”

  “Oh no! I could never do that! My father would never allow it.”

  Jere exchanged a glance with Sarah, and then he asked, “Why not, Lomeen?”

  “Because our two peoples are separated. You know that, Prince Jere.”

  He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I know that is so, but to be enemies is wrong. I do not see why we have to be enemies.”

  “That’s right,” Sarah said quickly. “Your two tribes ought to live together in peace.”

  “That is what I would like,” Lomeen said eagerly. She was an attractive girl, and her s
mile came quickly. She shot a quick look at Jere and asked, “Are the rest of your people like you?”

  “Like me? Well, I suppose so. Except my father doesn’t look with favor on me. He thinks I waste too much time singing songs and writing poems.”

  “You make up poems? I’d love to hear them.”

  Jere laughed quickly. “Well, you don’t have to beg a poet for a demonstration. Here is one that I made up on the way over here.”

  When he had recited it, Lomeen said, “Why, that is beautiful! Do you have many others like that?”

  “Quite a few. But as I say, my father would rather I would be more practical.”

  They talked eagerly, and Sarah listened, hiding a smile.

  Then they all went outside, where they were met by one of the tribesmen, who said at once, “The strangers are wanted at the Council of the Elders.”

  The man led them through the village until they came to an open field. There, it seemed, most of the villagers had gathered. They looked curiously at Sarah and Jere, some of the men with unfriendly faces. Sarah saw Chief Maroni and Nomus, the high priest, standing by themselves. The priest scowled as they approached.

  But the chief smiled warmly at his daughter. He seemed to have a special love for her, Sarah noted. She noted also that the chief’s eyes went to Jere with a rather curious expression. However, he said only, “We have gathered together to hear what the strangers have to say.”

  Nomus suddenly said very loudly, “We do not need to know what they have to say! They are our prisoners!”

  “These strangers saved my life!” Lomeen said. “The man killed a scorpion with nothing but a staff. To save me.”

  A murmur went around the crowd, and looks of admiration began to appear on the faces of some of the villagers.

  “Nothing but a staff,” Maroni said. “Yes, that is admirable indeed!”

  But a large, rough looking man who stood close by said, “I do not believe it!”

  “This is Chan, Chief of Warriors,” the chief said. “Why do you not believe it, Chan? My daughter is here and safe.”

  The warrior chief said, “Because it is impossible. No one could kill a scorpion by himself. It takes several warriors, well armed, to kill one of those beasts!”

  “Nevertheless, he did it. I saw him. And Sarah, the Sleeper, killed one with a single arrow.”

  Another murmur went around the crowd.

  Sarah felt that it was time for her to speak up. “Chan, I’m sorry you do not believe what the chief’s daughter has said. But it is true. You will find the bodies of the scorpions where we left them.”

  “That is fair enough,” Maroni said. He nodded to a warrior. “Go back along the trail and return with a report.”

  As soon as the warrior left at a dead run, the chief said, “Now, why have you come? Especially you, Jere, son of Celevorn. You know our two tribes are enemies.”

  “I came to accompany this young woman, Chief,” Jere said. “She is a stranger to our world, and I thought to offer her my protection.”

  “You are foolish to come into our camp! You will never leave here alive!” Nomus snarled.

  “Some of you here, perhaps, have heard of Goél,” Sarah said. Her eyes flickered over the audience, and she saw recognition come. “I understand that Lomeen’s mother was a believer in Goél.”

  “That is true,” the chief said. “She was a good woman, and I still miss her to this day.”

  “She was also a very wise woman if she believed in Goél. He is good and strong and powerful. And he has sent us to this place to bring your senseless fighting to a stop.”

  “You speak of Goél!” Nomus said loudly, a sneer on his face. “Where is this famous Goél?”

  “He is not here, but he has sent us, his messengers. Some of you have also heard of the Seven Sleepers. Have you not?”

  “We have heard tales of the Sleepers,” Maroni said. He looked long at Sarah. “We would expect more than a young female, though.”

  “The race is not always to the swift or the battle to the strong, Chief Maroni,” Sarah said. “It is wisdom that is needed. Not more killing. You surely see how wrong it is for you to slay your neighbors.”

  Nomus cried out, “We will hear no more of this!”

  “Wait!” Chief Maroni said. “Let the stranger speak!”

  “Thank you, Chief. Just imagine that you had an enemy that captured your wives and your children and put them to death. Would that please you? Of course not! And there is no reason why you should be doing such a thing. The Cloud People are harmless. They would never harm any of your people.”

  “That’s not so!” Nomus cried. “They have killed several of our warriors.”

  “Only in self-defense,” Jere said. “We never come to your villages looking for victims.” His eyes flashed as he looked about. “Is it not the Earth Dwellers who come seeking victims among my people?”

  “Be quiet, boy!” Nomus said. “You are no warrior! I can see that!”

  “Let me kill him where he stands!” Chan growled.

  Sarah swiftly notched an arrow and aimed it at the Chief Warrior’s breast. “Stop where you are, Chan! If you move one more step, you will have an arrow in your heart!”

  Chan appeared shocked at the speed with which she had moved. He stood still and grew pale.

  Sarah smiled. “All I have to do is let loose this arrow, and you will be a dead man. Would that please you, Chief Maroni?”

  “No!” Maroni said quickly. “Of course not.”

  “Neither does it please Celevorn when your warriors take the lives of his people.” Sarah relaxed the pressure on the bowstring, and Chan took a deep breath. She kept the bow in her hands, however, not knowing what the brutal man would do.

  “Nimbo must have victims,” Nomus shouted. “He demands it. If he does not get them, our crops will not grow. Our people will die.”

  “That is not true!” Sarah said. “You have no proof of all this.”

  Nomus at once began crying out that their god, Nimbo, must have blood.

  Sarah let him rave. She had seen immediately that the priest was the trouble. Obviously Chief Maroni was a good, though weak, man. He had kindness in his face, but she saw also that he was dominated by Nomus. Now she lifted her bow again and pointed an arrow directly at the priest. “Now, your life is in my hands, Nomus. If I loose my fingers, can you dodge an arrow? No, you would die.”

  Nomus stood very still. “Wait,” he said. “Do not kill me.”

  “Why not? You are responsible for the deaths of many. Suppose I should tell you that Goél demands a sacrifice?”

  Nomus’s throat worked convulsively, and no one said a word.

  Lomeen was watching closely, probably hoping Sarah would loose the arrow. Sarah knew the girl hated Nomus, as did many of the villagers. Lomeen would not have grieved, for he was a cruel and ruthless murderer.

  “Do not kill him, O Sleeper,” Chief Maroni said quickly.

  “I will not, Chief,” Sarah said. “But I will point out that it would be very easy for me to do so. It is easy to take life, but who can give it back?”

  “That is right, Chief,” Jere said. “Life is a precious thing. It is like water that a man holds in his hands. When he lets it go to the earth, who could gather it back again?”

  Jere spoke eloquently for a time, and Chief Maroni and his people listened quietly. Sarah herself was surprised at how well Jere spoke. She saw also that Lomeen kept watching him.

  Finally Chief Maroni held up a hand. “We will discuss what you say, my council and I, and we will talk again. Meantime, you will be our guests. Now let us have no more talk of killing.”

  As the crowd broke up, Lomeen walked up to Jere. “Would you like to see more of the village?” she asked rather shyly.

  “I would.”

  “And will you tell me some more of your poems?”

  He laughed. His teeth were white against his tanned skin, making him very handsome, Sarah thought. “You ask a poet that? I’ll
quote poetry until your ears fall off. I sing too. Did you know that?” “No! Will you sing some of your poems for me?” Jere smiled with satisfaction. “You show me the village, and I’ll recite some of my best poems.”

  Lomeen and the two strangers walked away, and Chief Maroni watched them go. A thought came to his mind, but he shook his head. He was becoming very troubled about some of the things that were happening. Deep down, he felt that Nomus had great powers. Perhaps evil powers.

  It was half an hour later when Nomus appeared at the chief’s home. Coming in, he at once said, “You must not let this young man and this silly Sleeper sway you, O Chief.”

  “But she did not seem silly to me, Nomus. And you did not think so when she held an arrow pointed at your heart.”

  Anger caused Nomus’s face to flush. “She is an enemy sent to destroy us! She wants to destroy the confidence the people have in Nimbo.”

  Chief Maroni listened as the priest spoke harshly for a long time against the young man and the Sleeper.

  But ultimately the chief gathered up his courage and said, “I will hear no more of this, Nomus.”

  The high priest appeared astonished. His power, until now, had been unchallenged. Until now, he had had complete influence over Chief Maroni. He swallowed hard, biting back any angry words that leaped to his lips. He said, “You will see. If these two are allowed to have their way, Nimbo will be angry, and we will pay!”

  “Yes, we will see,” the chief said. “Now you may go.”

  Nomus left the chief’s house, his heart boiling with anger. He was met almost at once by Chan.

  “What did he say?” Chan asked.

  Reluctantly Nomus said, “He is under the sway of those two strangers. I think the girl is a witch.”

  “What will you do?”

  Nomus stopped dead still, and anger flashed in his eyes. He looked into the brutal face of Chan, the killer warrior, and whispered, “They must die! Both of them!”

  10

  Bad News

  I never saw anything like this in all my life!” Reb said in almost a whisper. “Look at the size of these trees! I wouldn’t have thought such a thing was possible!”