“Oh, you have eggs . . . orange?” she asks me.
“Yes, we have a lot of layers here. They are large birds that feed on small organisms in the seas and streams and they lay a lot of eggs. We just cook the eggs in water and remove the shell. It's very nutritious. Do you have them too?”
“Absolutely, although ours are smaller and white. It is one of the basic elements of many culinary recipes.”
I really don't understand what she wants to talk about, but she seems excited and has fun tasting different preparations, which I name and she makes associations with products from her worldj.
“Some kind of boiled leeks . . . radishes . . . kind of raw squash.”
“Good morning, Nixx and good morning, Sarah. How are your wounds this morning? Do you find anything to your liking on this buffet?” intervenes Azarr who has just arrived.
“I'm doing better, thank you. And yes, I do find many fruits and vegetables that look a bit like those in my world. I would love to see in your kitchens and what the food looks like before they are cooked,” she replied.
“Nothing could be easier, you don't have to leave today, you could leave tomorrow or the day after. There's no hurry and you're our guest for as long as you like,” Azarr enthused. “Tanny will show you what you want.”
Boy, I can hardly say no, because indeed, there is no hurry. And it won't hurt to consolidate last night's agreement, with warmer contacts with his men. Even if the idea of renewing last night doesn't seem excellent.
“It's okay, we'll stay an extra day. While Tanny gives Sarah a tour of your Complex, Lokk and I will participate in the training with your men.” I suggest.
I watch Sarah walk away with Tanny and Lorry. She is in good hands. I fly to the target practice area in a few swift strokes. Lokk is stringing his bow and his target is about twenty meters away. He has chosen a recurve bow to start with. When he releases his arrow, it lands a few inches from the center of the target.
It's Zull's turn, but he has chosen a longbow. His arrow flies right into the heart of the target. No doubt that if the training between them is friendly, the competition has well and truly started. While we are watching them, Azarr starts an informal conversation, which I was more or less expecting.
“Tell me about the humans,” he asks, “should we fear them?”
“First of all, they are not numerous. Or more numerous I should say. From what I understand, their transport crashed into our world accidentally, killing most of them. Eight of them made it out. Kryll got there first and killed two of them and seriously injured another. He was planning to kill them all. Udoo immediately warned me before he continued the massacre. I arrived just before he skewered Sarah with his sword.’’
‘”Ha, is he still being overzealous, this one? He doesn't seem to have calmed down.”
“Clearly not. I'm keeping an eye on him and I suspect he's going to try something like the one that probably happened in the North, between Ivarr and Nurr.”
“Do you really think that Nurr went so far as to kill Ivarr to take his place?”
“I am even convinced of it. And I think his ambitions are limitless. The mere possession of the Northern Bastion will not be enough for him. He is now trying, through political games, to extend his domination over the villages that are close to his lands, as we discussed at length yesterday. It will not be easy to find a peaceful solution to this crisis.”
We meditate thoughtfully as we watch Zull and Lokk who have now moved on to crossbow training.
“Getting back to the humans, since your first question was about them, from what little I've seen of them, you have Marc, a leader for their group and a fighter. He made sure to calm the situation despite Kryll's aggression. That shows he has a clear head and good nerve control. I think the one called David is his teammate. Then you have Ferdinand, the one who was badly wounded by Kryll and whom the humans put in a box that heals wounds. I have no idea what his duties are among the humans, or even those of Gregory, another human who was injured during their arrival on Eris and who just came out of the box. And finally, you have two women: Eva, a human even smaller than Sarah, who was frightened by the situation and that's understandable since she was knocked out by Kryll. And Sarah who is their caretaker.”
“Sarah . . . an exceptional woman. Are all humans cut in the same cloth?”
“No idea. But for sure, Sarah is amazing. She is brave, funny, loyal . . .”
“I see. And is she available?” asks Azarr.
“Why do you ask? She is not your Life Partner! And she is a stranger!”
“Sure, but as you said so well, she is brave, fun, loyal, and very pretty even if different. And I am single. And I remind you that very few of us find the union and that's not blocking an adventure.’’
His words immediately set me on fire. I contain myself as best I can in the face of the leader of the Southern Bastion. But my self-control threatens to crumble.
“It's dead! Forget it! She is NOT available!” I say, a threat in my voice.
I guess he understood what it was all about. Azarr raises his hands in a gesture of appeasement.
“Noted. What about the other female? Is she also affected by this ‘NOT available’?’’
“I'm not going to go out on a limb for Eva. But I will inform you that she is Sarah's best friend. So, she is also under my protection.”
