to speak earnestly with Tinta, admiring a toy in the small boy's hand. Obi-
Wan did not have the knack of ease with strangers.
"I should say right away that we have no idea where Leed is," Ganeed
said, without waiting for Qui-Gon to ask a question. "He left a note which
said only that it would be better for his clan if we did not know."
Qui-Gon nodded. "I see."
One of Ganeed's sons spoke up. "That is just like Leed. He does not
like to cause trouble." His wife nodded. "He is very kind."
Ganeed's husband, Garth, chimed in. "Even as a boy his kindness
endeared him to everyone. It is a pity such trouble has come to him."
"A pity his father will not listen to reason," Hinen - or was it
Jaret? - said.
Obi-Wan saw Taroon's hands clench into fists, hidden by his tunic.
The prince was struggling to contain himself. Qui-Gon had warned him to let
the Jedi do all the talking.
The elder Nin looked up from the stove. "He always had his own way of
doing things, our Leed. Set the table for the meal, Wek, if you please.
Will our guests join us?"
"I'm afraid we cannot, but I thank you," Qui-Gon said politely.
The boy Wek began to set places at the long table. He appeared only a
year or two younger than Leed. Were they close companions? Obi-Wan
wondered.
The same thought must have crossed Qui-Gon's mind. "Is there any
special place Leed is fond of going, Wek?" he asked in a kind tone.
Wek placed a bowl on the table. "Well, he likes to swim," he said.
"When he isn't sailing," Jaret or Hinen said.
"True, Jaret," the other son said. At least Obi-Wan could now keep
the two of them straight.
"I love to sail!" Tinta cried. "Leed taught me how, and - "
"But he was always walking in the forest, don't forget," Mesan
interrupted, turning to Jaret. "That's where I would look - " She stopped
abruptly to pick up the baby, Bu, who had begun to fuss.
"He only goes in spring," Nonce broke in over the wailing of the
baby. He walked to the stove and began to help Nin, slicing bread for the
meal. "He - "
"He goes in summer, too! Everyone goes in summer!" Wek argued. "You
just don't notice because - "
"Who goes in summer? It's too hot," Tawn broke in. "Leed likes the
cool water and long swims. And - "
"Food," Hinen said, leaning over to snatch a piece of bread off the
counter. "Leed likes his meals. He'll be back before long - ow!" he cried
as Nonce rapped his knuckles with a wooden spoon.
The baby began to cry again, and Jaret took her from Mesan's arms.
Tinta began to quarrel with the other young boy.
"I agree with Jaret," Tonai said serenely over the noise of the baby
crying and the voices raised in a quarrel. "I would search the forest, not
the sea."
"I said the sea, not the forest!" Jaret protested. "You never listen
to a word - "
"What do I know anyway?" Tonai broke in, shrugging.
"You know plenty, old man," the elder Nin said. "Except when to go to
bed."
"I know when to eat," Tonai said, seating himself at the table with
great pleasure. Nin ladled some soup in a bowl.
"I think he went back to Rutan on his own," Garth said. "That would
make sense. He did not want to worry us."
A storm of argument broke out over this last suggestion. Jaret and
Hinen began to shout. Tinta upset the plate full of bread. Bu began to
hiccup, and Jaret handed her to Ganeed.
Ganeed smiled at the Jedi over the baby's shoulder as she patted her
back. "You see? We have no idea where Leed could be."
"Even Drenna doesn't know," Tinta said.
friend of Leed's, Tinta?"
"She is closest to him in age," Ganeed said, handing the baby to
Mesan.
Obi-Wan shot a searching glance at Drenna for the first time. Her
close-cropped hair almost matched the silvery cast to her dark-blue skin.
She raised her silver eyes to the Jedi.
"You can see this place is confusing," she said, making a wry face.
"Maybe Leed just wanted some peace and quiet to make up his mind. I think
he will return soon."
"Drenna, help Wek set the table," Nin called. "Go sit down, boy, you
are underfoot."
"Let's eat," Jaret said. "I'm hungry."
"Well, come to the table, then," Nin scolded. "I can't do everything
for you."
Drenna sprang up and began to ladle the food into bowls.
"Yes, perhaps Leed will return soon," Qui-Gon said. "He will miss his
clan. As you miss him."
Ganeed's eyes suddenly filled with tears. "As we do," she said
softly.
A silence fell over the clan for the first time. Obi-Wan could read
sorrow on each face. Leed was truly loved, he saw.
For a moment, all they heard were Bu's tiny hiccups as she nestled
her downy head against her mother's shoulder.
"This is a waste of time," Taroon suddenly said. "They won't tell us
anything."
"We should leave you to your midday meal," Qui-Gon said graciously,
bowing to the clan.
"We wish you ease and serenity," Ganeed said, smiling through tear-
filled eyes. "And if you find Leed, please protect him."
"We shall," Qui-Gon promised.
They retreated down the walkway that joined the structure to the main
dock, then started back toward Meenon's dwelling.
"They were no help at all," Taroon complained. "I don't know how Leed
could stand to live with so many people."
"They seem to enjoy one another's company," Qui-Gon observed.
"They certainly like to talk," Obi-Wan added. He had felt awkward
among the clan, but he had also felt their warmth and their obvious
affection for one another.
"Yet they did not say a thing," Qui-Gon said. "Did you notice that,
Padawan?"
Obi-Wan thought about it. "They all contradicted each other's
guesses. It seemed as though they were giving us leads, but they weren't."
"Exactly. And then when we turned our attention to Drenna, suddenly
everyone needed to eat. Come this way." Qui-Gon headed down a smaller
floating dock that was perpendicular to the main passageway. A small
floating garden was set up for the benefit of the dwellers of the floating
city. Qui-Gon paused behind a lush bush studded with orange blooms.
"What are we doing?" Taroon asked irritably. "We have no time to pick
flowers."
Qui-Gon didn't answer. Obi-Wan saw that from here they had a perfect
view of the front of the clan's dwelling. In another moment, Drenna came
outside. She stood on the dock and looked to her right, then her left. She
had buckled a supply belt around her tunic, and Obi-Wan could see its pouch
was full.
She turned and quickly walked down the dock in the opposite
direction.
"Let's go," Qui-Gon said.
"Why should we follow a Senali on her useless errands?" Taroon
scowled.
"Because she will bring us to Leed," Qui-Gon answered.
CHAPTER 6
along the
docks on this fine day, pausing to purchase flowers and food at various
markets that were set up along the way. The Jedi and Taroon could melt into
the crowd and keep her in sight.
The Jedi had already adapted to the idea that the ground was not firm
under their feet. The docks swayed and bobbed in the gentle roll of the
sea. Taroon had more trouble. Occasionally he would stumble and his skin
would flush to a bluish rose.
"What kind of a world builds its cities on water?" he grumbled after
he had stumbled again and narrowly escaped tumbling off the dock. "I don't
see how my brother can stand this awful place."
Qui-Gon lifted an eyebrow at Obi-Wan in a private gesture. Obi-Wan
smiled. He knew what his Master was thinking. Senali had turquoise seas,
blooming gardens, and, from the looks of it, a peaceful and content
population. Taroon harbored the prejudice of Rutanians, most of whom had
not set foot on Senali since the war that had divided them forever. They
considered Senalis lazy primitives who had not built a thriving culture or
economy and who lived only for pleasure.
The floating city stretched over several kilometers. Drenna led them
over bridges and walkways into different sections, some with brightly
painted multistoried buildings, some with eccentric structures that bobbed
cheerfully on the water. They passed rows and rows of docks with different
crafts tied to the pilings. The crowd began to thin, and they hung back,
keeping Drenna just in sight.
At last Drenna turned toward one of the silver bridges that connected
the floating city to the mainland. She hurried over the bridge and
disappeared down a road that curved around a dense thicket of trees. They
quickly followed.
Trees lined the road that verged the shore. The branches were heavy
with green fronds that bent the limbs down to the ground, their feathery
leaves lying like lace on the sandy road. Deep green shadows flickered, and
every now and then a glimpse of the turquoise sea appeared like a startling
vision through the thick curtain of leaves.
Qui-Gon tapped into the Force to help him track Drenna. He had to be
alert to the smallest sounds ahead, to the disturbance in the air he could
feel as she passed through it.
Senali was a small world, and most of the population traveled by sea
or on foot. The Jedi did not see many speeders or other craft that moved
through air. Small transports occasionally buzzed by, carrying goods and
food.
The road split into two main roads and a narrower trail that wound
through the trees. Drenna was no longer in sight. Qui-Gon hesitated only a
moment before determining that she had taken the narrow trail.
Obi-Wan kept close on his heels. The path slowly narrowed until they
had to go single file. The firmly packed soil of the road had changed to a
loose, powdery sand that sucked at their footsteps. Again, Taroon had
trouble keeping up.
"There's more sand in my boots than on the ground," he muttered. "Why
don't these people build decent roads?"
Qui-Gon held up a hand and they stopped. He closed his eyes,
listening intently.
"She is running now," he said, surprised. "We must go faster."
They quickened their pace. Taroon stopped complaining and
concentrated on keeping up with them. The sound of the surf covered the
noise of their feet slapping against the sand.
They turned a corner and saw that the trail ran straight into the
high wall of a sheer cliff. There was still room to walk around it, along a
narrow strip of beach. A wave lapped at their heels as they skirted the
cliff wall, avoiding the rocks that were studded with sharp coral that
could slice into skin.
They found themselves in a beautiful cove with a beach that curved
like a quarter moon. Sheer cliffs surrounded them.
The beach was empty except for a slight figure in the distance. Qui-
Gon had been right: Drenna was running now, jogging easily down the beach
toward the end of the far curve.
"Does she realize now that she's being followed?" Obi-Wan asked as
they picked up their pace. They kept in the shadow of the cliff in case she
turned around.
Suddenly, Qui-Gon stopped short. He looked up at the cliff, then back
at the churning sea.
"She always knew she was being followed," he said. "We must go back."
Taroon looked behind them. "Look at that. The path is already cut
off."
Waves now thundered against the cliff wall. If they tried to return,
they would be trapped. The tide was strong enough to batter them against
the sharp rocks.
Water suddenly foamed around their ankles.
"The tide is coming in," Obi-Wan said.
"The tides are famous on Senali," Qui-Gon said, his eyes now moving
over the cliff face. "The four moons make them swift and extreme."
Drenna had disappeared around the cliff face at the far end of the
beach. Obi-Wan calculated the distance, then stepped back as a wave of
alarming force hit him at the knees.
They would not make it, he realized.
Taroon came to the same conclusion as he glanced at the faces of the
Jedi.
"She led us into a trap!" he cried.
CHAPTER 7
Qui-Gon was already calculating their next move. "We can run to the
end of the cove that way. The tide will catch up with us, so we'll have to
swim around the cliff. At least there are no rocks on that end. We can make
it."
"But I can't swim!" Taroon cried. "No Rutanian can. Swimming is for
primitives."
"Right now, swimming is for survival," Qui-Gon said dryly. He scanned
the sea. He saw roiling eddies and a tidal pattern that was extremely
treacherous. He and Obi-Wan could make it - they were Jedi. But he could
not risk Taroon's life. He would not want to endanger Obi-Wan, either.
They quickly backed up as the next wave hit them waist-high. The
strength of it was astonishing. Taroon almost fell, and Qui-Gon caught him
by the arm and steadied him.
"I hate the sea," Taroon muttered. He wiped his wet hair out of his
eyes.
"How do you feel about climbing?" Qui-Gon asked.
Taroon eyed the cliff. "You've got to be kidding!" he exclaimed.
"There's no way to climb that cliff."
Qui-Gon did not answer. He knew there was no time to waste. He
slipped his electrobinoculars from his utility belt and scanned the cliff,
looking for handholds and footholds. There weren't many. And the cliff was
so high that their liquid cable launchers wouldn't reach the top. There was
nothing to hook them around on the cliff face, either.
The water foamed around his knees and tried to suck him backward.
Taroon clutched Obi-Wan for support.
"How could you have gotten us into this?" he asked the Jedi. "That
female has made fools of us!
Qui-Gon focused the electrobinoculars. He saw a tiny fissure in the
rock, just enough for the spike tip of his liquid cable launcher to find
purchase. It would have to do.
He replaced the electrobinoculars a
nd withdrew the launcher,
motioning for Obi-Wan to do the same.
"Wait until mine hooks, then launch yours," he directed.
Qui-Gon got it in one try, which was fortunate, for the next wave was