The Quarry

[Rage Menelas]

[font=Lucida Sans Unicode]Ryan went into damage control mode, brain-storming, trying to figure out how to fix his predicament. It was getting in the way of his main concern: finding Charlie. This little snafu of his was definitely putting a kink in that right now!

After the exchange of power, or whatever it was that had taken place when he had assumed the throne, he was shown to a very nice set of accommodations at the rear of the hall. He felt bad about that, felt they probably had been the old man's living quarters prior to his arrival, but what could he say? He had to play along, at least until he gathered his wits, could formulate a viable course of action.

He didn't even really know what the sky fathers were to these people. He had to find a way to get them to reveal the crux of their sky father lore without letting on that he didn't already know it. If they found that out, the gig was up! Then they would probably just shoot him full of arrows for defrauding them.

Later that afternoon, an opportunity finally presented itself. They were having what must have been some sort of coronation feast in the hall. Everyone in attendance was a V.I.P., obvious people of some renown in the tribe. After the meal concluded, one of the elders Raera'ad, by name stood and asked if there was any request that the great sky father would make of his people.

Ryan paused for a moment then hit upon an idea. "Yes, there is... I would have you recite the story of the Segatchwe for me... that I may know that you have kept the truth sacred." This seemed to impress them, sage nods were exchanged all around. At that the elder called a gorgeous young woman named La'ella who had been standing nearby, at one of the braziers. She moved to the foot of the table, her back to the entrance, and began a soliloquy in a sweet, lyrical, sing-song voice.

Her tale painted a vivid picture of long ago, when great flying stones brought her people from the world of the sky fathers. They built a wondrous city on this world and were happy, healthy and prosperous here. For several centuries the sky fathers visited their new world regularly. The Segatchwe provided them with hospitality, giving them magic energy for their ships, food for their crews and exotic Segatchwean artifacts in trade for many wondrous things the sky fathers made. Then one day a flying stone appeared with sad news. The home of the sky fathers had melted into the big waters of their world. All the sky fathers were dead only a few that were on flying stones survived to bring the tale to their children, scattered amongst the stars. After that no more flying stones appeared in the skies of their world. Their great city fell into disrepair and finally ruin. The people became weak and poor; many starved or died of disease caused by malnutrition. The survivors began to look to their own world to sustain them and learned to live from the bounty that it offered. But the elders promised that one day the sky fathers would return, bringing with them all the wonders of the stars.

We, the Segatchwe, have waited patiently for that day, she concluded.

Ryan thanked her and the reveling continued. He smiled and partook generously of their hospitality but his mind was ever on La'ella's poem; it posed as many questions as it answered...