curly black hair. "I guess so. Now tell."
"It will be at the new moon. And guess what? A messenger has come with word that the great Merkon will be here in person. It will be a very big event." Barow frowned. "Will you still be my friend after you are a warrior?"
"Why wouldn’t I?"
"Megaan says—"
"Megaan doesn’t know everything. Here’s my house. Do you want to come in and watch me eat or come back later?"
"I have seen the kind of food you cook. I will come back later. "
"Hey!" Mark pretended to be angry. "You’d better watch it or I won’t make you any more of my special brain pizza."
Barow giggled and ran across the road. "I do not think that would be so great a loss."
Mark opened the door to his cabin. A wonderful smell filled the room. Leeta was kneeling by the fireplace.
"Hello, Mark," she said in Tsook. "I have made bread and stew. Megaan says you are poisoning yourself with your own cooking."
"Megaan is an interfering busybody who needs to learn to mind her own business."
"Do you want me to take the food away?"
"Uh, no. I wouldn’t want all your hard work to go to waste."
Leeta filled a bowl and set it on the table. "You and Megaan should not fight all the time. You are both good persons. Why do you not get along?"
"I get along with everybody. It’s Megaan who has the problem. She thinks she’s in charge of all Transall." Mark tasted some of the hot stew. "This is great, Leeta. You should have some."
She filled his glass with water and sat down across from him. "Are you happy here, Mark?"
"I guess so." Mark shrugged. "It sure beats living in a tree."
"What about the blue light and the world you came from? I remember a time when you would have done anything to get back to it."
Mark wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I still want to go back. And I will. It’s just that right now the Tsook are really going out of their way for me and I don’t want to let them down."
Leeta spit on the dirt floor. "The Tsook are slavers. They are no better than the cannibals who attacked us. Are you forgetting how they brought us here against our will? Don’t trust yourself to them, Mark."
"Hold on. You’re the one who was just telling me how great Megaan was. She’s Tsook."
"As in all groups there are some who are different. Tell me, Mark, can you remember your people? I remember mine and I will never forget what the Tsook did to us."
Mark tried to visualize his parents’ faces. Vague images of a slightly balding man and a petite blond woman came to him but that was all. He put his bowl down. It had been so long since he’d seen them he was having a hard time remembering what they looked like.
"I have upset you." Leeta stood. "I am sorry."
"Wait. Don’t go. You’re right. I have lost sight of what is important. After the feast I will leave here. I don’t owe these people anything. You can come too if you want."
"There is something I must tell you, Mark. Once, a shaman, a very powerful medicine man, visited our village. He talked of your light."
"Why haven’t you told me about this, Leeta?"
"I was afraid. The shaman said the light held more evil power than we could imagine. He said if we ever saw it we should run away as fast as we could."
"Did he tell you where it was?"
"He said the light does not stay in one place."
"My dream. Leeta, I had a dream about the blue light moving away from me. Did the medicine man tell you anything else?"
Leeta chewed her bottom lip. "He said ... what came from the light would have the power to destroy our world."
chapter
31
"What is the matter with you, Kakon? You do not seem like yourself today." Dagon was putting the finishing touches on a new crossbow. "You have nothing to be anxious about. The feasting begins tonight. And the Merkon’s messenger has sent word that the Overlord will arrive tomorrow in time for the games."
"I’m not anxious. I was just thinking." Mark scraped the shaft of an arrow. "Dagon, I’ve been curious. Who is this
"It will be at the new moon. And guess what? A messenger has come with word that the great Merkon will be here in person. It will be a very big event." Barow frowned. "Will you still be my friend after you are a warrior?"
"Why wouldn’t I?"
"Megaan says—"
"Megaan doesn’t know everything. Here’s my house. Do you want to come in and watch me eat or come back later?"
"I have seen the kind of food you cook. I will come back later. "
"Hey!" Mark pretended to be angry. "You’d better watch it or I won’t make you any more of my special brain pizza."
Barow giggled and ran across the road. "I do not think that would be so great a loss."
Mark opened the door to his cabin. A wonderful smell filled the room. Leeta was kneeling by the fireplace.
"Hello, Mark," she said in Tsook. "I have made bread and stew. Megaan says you are poisoning yourself with your own cooking."
"Megaan is an interfering busybody who needs to learn to mind her own business."
"Do you want me to take the food away?"
"Uh, no. I wouldn’t want all your hard work to go to waste."
Leeta filled a bowl and set it on the table. "You and Megaan should not fight all the time. You are both good persons. Why do you not get along?"
"I get along with everybody. It’s Megaan who has the problem. She thinks she’s in charge of all Transall." Mark tasted some of the hot stew. "This is great, Leeta. You should have some."
She filled his glass with water and sat down across from him. "Are you happy here, Mark?"
"I guess so." Mark shrugged. "It sure beats living in a tree."
"What about the blue light and the world you came from? I remember a time when you would have done anything to get back to it."
Mark wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "I still want to go back. And I will. It’s just that right now the Tsook are really going out of their way for me and I don’t want to let them down."
Leeta spit on the dirt floor. "The Tsook are slavers. They are no better than the cannibals who attacked us. Are you forgetting how they brought us here against our will? Don’t trust yourself to them, Mark."
"Hold on. You’re the one who was just telling me how great Megaan was. She’s Tsook."
"As in all groups there are some who are different. Tell me, Mark, can you remember your people? I remember mine and I will never forget what the Tsook did to us."
Mark tried to visualize his parents’ faces. Vague images of a slightly balding man and a petite blond woman came to him but that was all. He put his bowl down. It had been so long since he’d seen them he was having a hard time remembering what they looked like.
"I have upset you." Leeta stood. "I am sorry."
"Wait. Don’t go. You’re right. I have lost sight of what is important. After the feast I will leave here. I don’t owe these people anything. You can come too if you want."
"There is something I must tell you, Mark. Once, a shaman, a very powerful medicine man, visited our village. He talked of your light."
"Why haven’t you told me about this, Leeta?"
"I was afraid. The shaman said the light held more evil power than we could imagine. He said if we ever saw it we should run away as fast as we could."
"Did he tell you where it was?"
"He said the light does not stay in one place."
"My dream. Leeta, I had a dream about the blue light moving away from me. Did the medicine man tell you anything else?"
Leeta chewed her bottom lip. "He said ... what came from the light would have the power to destroy our world."
chapter
31
"What is the matter with you, Kakon? You do not seem like yourself today." Dagon was putting the finishing touches on a new crossbow. "You have nothing to be anxious about. The feasting begins tonight. And the Merkon’s messenger has sent word that the Overlord will arrive tomorrow in time for the games."
"I’m not anxious. I was just thinking." Mark scraped the shaft of an arrow. "Dagon, I’ve been curious. Who is this
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