“Because we won’t let them,” responded Rejji. “I will hire a defense force to prevent attacks and then offer jobs to those I think might try to attack. The one group I know this plan will not work with is the Jiadin. I have not worked out a plan for them yet.”
“In essence, both you and Grulak plan to unite the tribes then?” Anderal asked.
“I guess so,” answered Rejji. “The difference is what the united tribes will do. My tribes will trade with Khadora, and with the Qubari if they wish, the other tribes plan to attack Khadora and probably you as well.”
“Thank you,” nodded Anderal as he took his seat.
“I fail to see where all this talk is heading,” interjected council member Pulom. “While Rejji’s plan is certainly more desirable, it is not the issue here. The issue is our need for secrecy and I think we should limit the discussion to that.”
“I don’t see that any further discussion is necessary,” frowned Dumo. “I think the council should vote.”
“I have one thing I would like to add if I may,” Rejji stated.
Dumo nodded.
“Could an exception to the law be allowed if we could prove that your secrecy would be maintained?” questioned Rejji.
“The council’s decision is the law,” sighed Dumo. “Why waste time on this further? There can be no such proof.”
“I think there can be,” argued Rejji. “I can understand your reluctance to trust our vow of secrecy as we are strangers to you. If you allowed us to leave the jungle, we could run straight to the tribes and tell them everything we have seen. I do see that as a serious threat to your security. I think I can offer you two pieces of information that will allow you to trust us.”
“Very well,” Dumo sighed. “Make your offer.”
“The first piece of information is that my village was totally destroyed by the Jiadin,” declared Rejji. “There is no way I would ever offer them information about anything. What I would offer them is my sword at their throat.”
Rejji could see that his first point had little effect on the council, but he continued, “The second thing I can offer you, to make you believe we will keep our vows, is that we could have already disclosed everything we have seen. We did not do so and will not do so. If we have already refrained form divulging the information, why would we do differently later?”
“How could you have divulged anything?” questioned Dumo. “You have been under guard the entire time you have been here.”
“I am willing to answer that question,” offered Rejji, “only if it will result in our freedom. We too have a need for secrecy. If you trust us, we will trust you.”
The council table was awash with murmurs as the members discussed the case. Rejji could see that there were differences of opinion and he nudged Mistake.
“Use it,” he whispered. “Find out what they are saying and who is willing to trust us.”
Mistake nodded imperceptibly and cast the Air Tunnel. “They appear to be split,” whispered Mistake. “Anderal and Yltar are for letting us go. Dumo and Pulom are not.”
“I think Dumo is a lost cause,” whispered Rejji. “Concentrate on Pulom. When the opportunity presents itself, nudge him.”
Mistake tried to listen to Pulom, but the man kept on harping on the same word, secrecy. The debate seemed to coming to a stalemate and Mistake did not know what that would mean to their future, so she decided to risk nudging him.
She reversed the flow and said, “Secrecy is not the issue. Safety is.”
Rejji fought to suppress his chuckle as the old man whirled around looking for the source of the voice. Pulom glanced over at Mistake and she politely smiled back at him. Mistake started listening again as the conversation resumed. Pulom reverted to his position that secrecy was most important. Mistake again reversed flow and sent the same message. This time Pulom quickly turned and stared at Mistake. Mistake smiled back, but Pulom’s face turned red as he stared at her.
“Secrecy and safety are one in the same,” he shouted, “and how are you doing that?”
The entire council stopped talking and turned to stare at Mistake. Rejji stood.
“They are not quite the same,” Rejji declared. “Mistake has just shown you that she can violate your secrecy, but she has not endangered your safety. The words you thought were being spoken in privacy were heard over here. They could just as easily have been heard in Khadora. In fact, everything we have seen and heard since entering the jungle could have been shared with Khadora. None of it has been shared. I do not know how to impress upon you that we are not a threat to your safety or your secrecy. We have already had the opportunity to tell the world about the Qubari Jungle and all of its strangeness. Ask yourselves why we have not and you will understand why we will not.”
“You can converse with Khadora?” Yltar asked.
Mistake nodded.
“Will you show me how to do it?” he questioned.
“Only if I get permission from the one who taught me,” Mistake declared.
“And why is that?” Yltar asked. “We have the power to set you free and you will not show your secrets to gain that freedom?”
“I have given my word not to teach it to others without her approval,” stated Mistake. “I will ask her if you wish.”
“I may request that in the future,” Yltar grinned, “but for the present, I think you have just shown that you value your word highly. I ask my fellow council members to consider this in our deliberations, which will remain private this time.”
Mistake smiled and nodded and let the Air Tunnel dissipate. The council members returned to their discussion and finally fell silent.
“Bakhai,” Dumo asked, “if we allow your friends to go free, will you stay with us?”
“I would like very much to spend some time in the land of parents,” Bakhai declared, “but I have given my word to see this task completed. I am willing to return here after we find the Sage of the Mountain, if that is desired and allowed.”
Rejji and Mistake turned and stared at Bakhai with amazement on their faces, but Dumo merely nodded.
“Very well then,” Dumo said. “It is the ruling of this council that we shall accept your vows of secrecy and allow you to continue your journey. I want to impress upon the three of you that there are many lives at stake here. It is a heavy burden we place upon you, but we expect you to bear it. This is the ruling of the council.”
Pulom and Anderal drifted away from the table, but Dumo and Yltar approached the Fakarans.
“Bakhai,” ordered Dumo, “I would like to visit with you privately. Follow me.”
“My friends should come too,” objected Bakhai.
“No,” smiled Yltar. “That will not be necessary. They are coming with me so that I can explain to them how to find the Sage of the Mountain. You go with the Chief.”
Bakhai nodded when he saw the glee on Mistake’s face and he followed Dumo out of the courtyard. Dumo led him to a small sitting room with cushions on the floor.
“Sit, please,” Dumo said in a soft voice. “You are enough to send an old man to his grave. You have his stubborn streak for sure.”
“My father?” asked Bakhai. “You knew him?”
“I knew him well,” smiled Dumo. “We never saw eye-to-eye on things, but he was a good man. You are very much like him.”
“Tell me about him,” asked Bakhai, “please.”
“I would like that,” nodded Dumo. “He was a very special Qubari. He was perhaps the most brilliant talker that ever lived. Finding a talker here is not too difficult. We know the families that produce them and many times the children show signs of it, but their abilities are not realized until they undergo a ceremony designed to awaken the talent. Your father was an exception. He could barely speak when he started communicating with the animals. Never have we seen one so young with so much ability. He should have become shaman.”
“Why didn’t he?” Bakhai queried.
“He had many strange notions about things,” replied Dumo. “Qubari have always remained hidden in the jungle. It is our gift and our duty to protect it. He saw his duty extend beyond the edges of the jungle. When he was a young man, he left the jungle and ventured out into the world.”