Part 13 (1/2)

After climbing for several minutes we finally leveled off and found ourselves in a room that was full of light. The walls were made of brown stone, but they were smooth, not like the rock below. It was clear that we were on the surface and the room we were in was man-made, not man-dug. A quick look around showed a doorway that led to the light. It was time to take our first look at Zadaa. I had no idea what to expect, but I was getting anxious to see the territory where Loor came from. I led Spader across the room, stepped out into the warm sun, and stopped short because the sight in front of us was absolutely breathtaking.

It was a sprawling city made entirely out of sand-colored stone. Imagine ancient Egypt before wind and time destroyed it and you'd have Zadaa. We stood on a rise that gave us a pretty great overview. There were soaring temples with sculpted figures that towered over the streets below. There were pyramids and tiered buildings with lush hanging plants draped over balconies. In the distance, beyond the boundaries of the city, there was nothing but desert. But the city within was alive with vegetation. It was like a vast oasis in a sea of sand. Running parallel to many of the streets were stone troughs that carried fresh water throughout the city. There were also ornate fountains everywhere. After having seen the river below, I knew what the source was. I wondered if the system of valves and switches that the guy down below was so busily working on had something to do with controlling the water flow.

This was a beautiful city, and I could easily imagine Loor walking the streets. Yes, this was Loor's home. It made absolute sense to me.

”Where is the ocean?” asked Spader.

His voice was shaky. After all of the bizarro experiences I had put him through, the sight of this city was the first thing that really rattled him.

”Where is the ocean?” he asked again, more nervously.

It suddenly made sense to me. Cloral was a hundred percent water. There was no dry land. Seeing a place that was just the opposite must have been pretty freaky.

”It's okay,” I said, trying to calm him. ”There is no ocean here. At least not one that I can see. These people live on dry land.”

”That's impossible! How can you live on dry land? There isn't enough water for power or food!”

Okay, how weird was that? But I guess if you live in a place where everything comes from the ocean, having no ocean would be pretty scary.

”It's cool, I swear,” I said. ”It's just a different way of living. You'll see.”

Spader didn't look so sure, but I wasn't worried about him. He'd get it soon enough. It was then that I realized something strange. I glanced back out on the city and realized that there was something very important missing. There were no people! This was a huge city, yet the streets were empty.

”Let's take a look around,” I said, and started to walk. Spader didn't follow me this time. He was rooted to his spot. I had to go back to him and say, ”C'mon! We have to find Loor.”

Reluctantly he followed. We walked along one of the streets that was paved with stone. Towering statues loomed over us as we made our way through this strange and wonderful place.

”I'm having trouble walking,” Spader said.

I didn't get what he meant until I saw that he looked kind of unsteady. He seemed almost dizzy and had trouble keeping his balance. I realized that he was going through the reverse process of getting used to being on a boat. My father called it ”getting your sea legs.” Spader had lived his entire life floating. This was the first time he was walking on solid ground and it was a strange sensation. Spader was trying to get his ”land legs.”

I tried not to laugh and said, ”You'll get used to it pretty quick. But if you're going to barf, let me know.” I didn't know how far this landsickness might go.

We continued on a little more slowly and started to see some people, but not as many as you'd think. The people up here on the surface had much darker skin than the guy we saw below. These people looked more like Loor and Osa. Their skin was dark, and they wore multicolored robes that were pretty spectacular.

”I wonder where everybody is?” I said. ”Maybe it's some kind of holiday and - ” That's when it hit me. The guy in the cavern below had said that the Batu would all be at the tournament! Maybe that was why the streets were deserted. Maybe everybody was at this tournament.

The very next person we saw, I stopped and asked, ”Excuse me, which way to the tournament?”

It was a woman. She was tall and stern looking. She stared at me as if not sure why I would be asking such a simple question.

”Not many Rokador are interested in the tournament,” she said coldly. ”They do not have the stomach.”

Rokador. That's what the guy down below had said. Maybe the guys who lived below were called Rokador and the people on the surface were Batu. We must look like Rokador. I wasn't sure if it was because of our white gowns, or the fact that we were pretty pale compared to the people on the surface.

”I think we can handle it,” I said.

The woman chuckled, but I'm not sure if she was laughing with us or at us. She directed us to stay on this street and it would take us right to the tournament. Excellent. We were happening. Spader and I picked up the pace. I felt certain this would bring us to Loor.

As we continued walking Spader got stronger. He was adapting pretty quickly, so I figured it was a good time to start getting him up to speed on things. I began by telling him about the territories and about how they were all connected by flumes. I explained how Uncle Press and I came from a territory called Second Earth and that we were both Travelers who journeyed to the territories to help out in times of trouble. I explained how Loor was a Traveler as well, which is why I wanted her help. I didn't go into much more detail. It was better for him to get his mind around things a little at a time. For the first time I understood how Uncle Press felt when he explained things to me and I had so many questions. It really was easier to learn things as you went along.

Besides, the cheering up ahead told me that we had arrived at the tournament. Spader and I came to a building that looked like a coliseum. It wasn't as big though. I guess it was closer to a high school stadium than a pro ballpark. It didn't look as if we needed tickets either, because we walked right in.

The place was indeed a small stadium. As it turned out, my theory about why the streets were empty was correct. There were a couple of thousand people filling the stands. A quick look around told me that most of the spectators were Batu. They were dark skinned and wearing those colorful robes. But there were also a number of Rokador scattered throughout the crowd. They really stood out with their white robes and lighter skin.

There was a dirt playing field, and for an instant my thoughts went back to the Bedoowan stadium on Denduron and the gruesome quig battles where innocent miners were fed to beasts. I really hoped that they weren't doing anything nasty like that here.

Spader and I walked up to the railing and looked onto the field in time to see two teams marching in from opposite sides of the arena. They were all Batu - not a Rokador among them. They looked like warriors. Each and every one of these players was lean and buff. They weren't just men, either. It was half and half, men and women. They all wore these short leather tunics that showed a lot of skin, which is how I could tell they were all cut like athletes. They also wore lightweight protection on sensitive areas like elbows, knees, and the ever important groin. There were ten warriors to a side, and they marched in single file, carrying leather helmets under one arm while holding thin wooden clubs in the other.

”What's the do here?” asked Spader.

”I'm guessing there's going to be some kind of contest,” I answered. ”My friend Loor is - ” That's when I saw her. The last warrior to march in was Loor. Though she was younger than the rest, she looked every bit as formidable.

”That's her,” I said to Spader while pointing to Loor.

”That's your friend?” Spader asked with a mixture of surprise and awe. ”She'sa she'sa amazing.”

Spader stood staring at Loor, unable to take his eyes off her. I finally had to give him a shoveto bring him back to reality.

”Don't even think about it,” I said. ”She's not your type.”

”What type is she?” Spader asked.

”The type who has no interest in anything but kicking a.s.s. If you think I'm kidding, watch.”

The warrior teams stood on opposite sides of the arena and began the final act of suiting up. Here was the odd part. Each of them had these things that looked like wooden stakes that stuck out to the sides from their elbows and their knees. The stakes were about six inches long. One team had red stakes, the other had green. When they put their helmets on I saw that they also had a wooden stake that stuck straight up like those World War I German helmets. In all, each warrior had five wooden stakes sticking out of them. I had no clue what those things were for but I have to tell you, they looked pretty goofy.

Each team stood in a line, shoulder to shoulder, facing their opponents across the arena. A Batu guy wearing a bright yellow robe walked to the center, where he planted a stick in the ground. On the end of the stick he hung what looked like a necklace made of large, golden teeth. He then silently walked back and entered the grandstand. From the safety of the stands, he turned back to the playing field, raised a golden horn to his lips, and let out one short note.

Instantly everyone in the stands fell silent and focused their attention on the warriors below. I had a moment of fear for Loor. I had no idea how dangerous this was going to be. I knew she could handle herself, but what was the point of this game? I knew nothing of Zadaa and their customs and feared this would be one of those ”fight to the death” type spectacles. There was nothing I could do but watch and hope she'd be okay.

The Batu in the yellow robe then gave one long, sustained blast from the horn. All the warriors raised their wooden clubs toward him in salute. Then Yellow Robe stopped blowing his horn, and the battle began. Instantly both teams of warriors let out war whoops and charged toward each other. Loor was right there with them. I wanted to close my eyes, but that would be disrespectful. Whatever was going to happen, I needed to see it.

The opposing teams clashed, swinging their clubs. I quickly saw the purpose of the wooden stakes that protruded from their bodies. They were the targets. This wasn't about knocking each other's heads off, it was about trying to knock their opponents' wooden stakes off. It was all about speed, and balance and blocking shots and returning shots that were well aimed. Of course, as good as they were, many shots missed their mark and there were a lot of painful body shots and whacks to the head. But this was not a blood feud. This was sport. I'm sure the shots stung and there would be dozens of black and blue marks the next day, but n.o.body was going to die here. Once I realized this I relaxed and tried to enjoy the spectacle.

Loor was on the red team. The green team was bigger and brawnier, but the red team seemed faster and more agile. I wasn't sure which was more important in a battle like this, speed or power.

It looked like it was going to be power. One red-team warrior had all five of his stakes knocked off in about five seconds. He dropped his club and ran off the field. Now I was starting to get the rules. You could keep fighting until all five of your stakes got knocked off. Then you were out.

Loor was brilliant. She kept to the perimeter of the fighting and took on all comers. She was being more defensive than aggressive, which really wasn't her style. But it seemed to be working because most warriors had at least one stake knocked off and she still had all five. She jumped and spun and knocked away attack after attack like some kind of fevered Jackie Chan clone.

”She's the smartest one out there,” said Spader. ”And quite beautiful, too.”

I was beginning to think that Spader was really happy about coming to meet Loor.

Then one of the green warriors dove for the golden necklace and began to run off with it. Instantly three red warriors attacked him. The guy didn't have a chance. His stakes were knocked off immediately and he dropped the necklace. Now I understood the end game. This wasn't just about being the last one standing. My guess was that if someone grabbed the necklace and made it back to his area, then his team would win. It was like capture the flag. A really scary, painful version of capture the flag.

I then began to see that this wasn't just a wild clash. There actually was some strategy going on. Loor's red team took more of the defensive role and a.s.signed a few warriors to guard the necklace. The green team, on the other hand, was all about attacking. It was every man for himself, and so far their strategy was winning. The red team had lost three warriors and several others had only three stakes or fewer. The green team had lost only one warrior and were pressing the attack. It looked as if the way to win this game was to attack with reckless abandon and overpower your adversary.

But that's when things changed. The remaining red team warriors had gradually worked themselves into a ring around the golden necklace. The green team was too busy slas.h.i.+ng and hitting to realize they were being outmaneuvered. Also, the green team had been attacking so hard that they were beginning to get tired. Their swings weren't as forceful as they had been moments before. I guessed it took more energy to attack than to defend, and the red team still looked fresh.