Under a Starless Sky novel Chapter 51

Ili and Shen emerged from the tree to find a crowd had gathered. There were people on the perimeter of the circle. Ili took Shen’s arm and led him to the circle where they were accommodated. Some of them were holding babies. Everyone in the circle was tall. The woman next to his left smiled rocking her baby, who was bundled. Arne was to Ili’s left. He was holding his daughter. There were others gathered around the circle, listening. All ages were here, but on the circle was teen age to elder. Several elders seemed angry. Several were amused. Arne was amused.

“Have you lost all sense of protocol?” “Have you forgotten how old you are?!” were two of the obvious in the chorus of concerns.

“Hold your tongues,” Ili said. It was not harsh, but it carried expectation. “No one here is older than I, and I will hold my own counsel on when, where, and with whom I have sex with.”

Shen blushed. Arne was trying very hard not to laugh. “Why is he blushing?” the daughter asked. The boy beside him, but off the circle, asked: “Why is he wearing pajamas?” A girl behind him said he would understand when he grew up. There was a toddler demanding to be held by the woman next to Shen. She handed Shen the baby she was holding and picked up the toddler.

“Seriously?” Shen asked her.

“Look! Even he realizes he is a stranger here. You give him your baby?!”

“He slept with my grand-mother. That makes him family. His turn,” she said.

TL eased Shen’s confusion. “Apparently they have a custom here that all babies will be carried the first six months of their lives. No babies touch the ground or are cribbed. This may explain why every person here is so damn confident.”

“You don’t even know this man!” the second eldest man in the village protested.

“I do now,” Ili said.

“Oh, so why is he here?”

“Wise Ilker, he is here because I invited him,” Arne said.

“Without asking the counsel?” Ilker said.

“That is true. I took liberty and risk,” Arne said. “I believed the benefits of this friendship worth the risk. My companions agreed. You may ask them their opinions if you like, but I take full responsibility for this guest and his friends. Let me know if he errs, and I will educate him.”

“Doubt you can educate him further than mother already has,” the woman said. He learned from TL this was Aslog, Arne’s wife.

“I will not disagree there,” Arne said.

“This is all fun and games to you!” Ilker said. “Winter is coming. We need food. We need pitch. Your ships brings us the least amount of trade.”

“But my ship has taken us further than any of the isles,” Arne said. “That increases potential for new and better trade.”

“I have yet to see any benefit from knowing the Walking bears,” Ilker said. “The Tamorians we have met would kill us and take our wood. The Climbers are too far by from short to be practical. The Sea people are generous to the sailors, but lazy, and will not tarry on land long enough to grow a garden. They can easily feed their own and guest, but not all of us.”

While they were talking, TL was providing her assessment. All wood is imported. With the exception of the one Sleeper, there were no trees on this island, or the surrounding ones. The flowering part of the heather that grows naturally has medicinal properties, and they seemed to be aware of it. There is evidence there were goats here, but must have been eaten or killed during a hard winter. Fish and kelp supplemented their diets. There is an underground cavern where wheat and rice is stored, as well as other commodities. She predicted if winter last particularly long, they could face starvation. She recommended a distribution of vitamin and vaccination gummies, which would greatly improve the overall health of the island residents.

“If a steady supply of food or pitch is all you want, I can supply all your needs,” Shen offered. He adjusted the baby, making sure the blanket was secured.

“You don’t know our needs.”

“And you don’t know how much I can supply. I am telling you, I have enough to spare,” Shen said.

“That is incredibly generous,” a man name Valence spoke. “And what will this cost us?”

Shen hesitated; he almost said ‘nothing’ but sensed that would lead to increased distrust. TL was surprisingly silent. He didn’t really have needs, but he did have wants. Shen looked to the fire. “Very well. I will tell you my interests. You tell me if I can be accommodated,” Shen said. “I seek knowledge, wisdom, especially old books, lore, technology. I would like a sense of community. I need friends.”

“Your people don’t satisfy your loneliness?”

“My people are ghosts,” Shen said.

That caused a stir. “You mean, like tree spirits?” Ili asked.

“I saw no evidence of ghosts,” Arne said. “I saw evidence of wealth and magic.”

TL, Rock, and Abby arrived at the circle. They stepped over the line and entered the circle so they were visible to all. TL looked to Shen for confirmation, nodded and performed magic. They disappeared, leaving only glowing orbs, floating. They shot up into the trees and disappeared from sight.

“What the hell have you brought into our world?” Ilker demanded.

Arne was at a loss for words.

“I did not inform Arne. I am disclosing because I am of the opinion you need to know. Aslog, are you afraid?” Shen asked Aslog. “Do you want your child back now?”

Aslog thought about it. She came to terms with it. “No. Grand-mother has spoken to tree spirits all my life,” Aslog said. “We all speak to tree spirits in our dreams. Why should I fear someone who openly communes with them?”

“I want him and his demon friends gone,” Ilker said.

“I do not,” Ili said.

“You do not get to vote. You are compromised. Your daughter and son-in-law are bias,” Ilker said.

“You’re not invalidating my vote because I fucked someone,” Ili snapped. “Just like you’re not invalidated because you can no longer fuck someone.”

“You are out of line!” Ilker said.

Shen saw TL’s medical assessment of Ilker. “I have a cure for that.”

Ilker was embarrassed. People laughed.

“Please, don’t laugh,” Shen said. “Age doesn’t have to be the end of sex. There are medical remedies. I can give you one pill and you will think you are in your twenties. I have a cure for just about everything.”

Another old man said. “I would trade all the gold in my vault to have sex again.”

“You have dust in your vault,” someone argued.

“I would trade that, too,” he said.

“I don’t trust this,” Ilker said. “This is devil plant trickery. He will eat us.”

“I will retreat. I will supply you with sufficient food and pitch to last you through winter, and if your community so chooses, you will never hear from me again,” Shen said. He handed the baby to Ili. “Arne, if you will see me to the gate.”

“You fed my husband and his friends,” Aslog said. “You will not leave until I have fed and sheltered you. There is no negotiating that, I will give sheer hell to anyone who tries to veto that.”

“That is reasonable,” Rehor said.

“Shen, you have brought us a lot to consider and to talk about,” Ili said. “Go, stay with my family. You can return home tomorrow, first light. Give us time to sort this strangeness. If we can alleviate enough fears, then we will consider your generosity.”