The Starred-Cross
by
JEAN LORRAH
(("The Starred-Cross" was a chapter in the original draft of First Channel which was later cut. It picks up the conversation immediately at the end of the first scene in Chapter 5 of the printed version (p. 55 hardcover, p. 78 paperback), at the double-spaced division in the text. Rimon and Kadi are going home to the Gen farm after their first transfer, and are discussing how to get food for Kadi.))
"I know. But . . . maybe it will be easier to start with people we know."
"That's what I'd like to do, but you can't go two days without eating. It'll take that long to get home from here."
"I--"
"What is it?"
"Oh . . . I don't know, Rimon. Maybe we can find some more berries, and there are greens this time of year--"
"You should have solid food, Kadi. Cereal, at least. I'd like to get you some cheese or milk. Besides, there's a storm brewing, so it would be nice to have a roof over our heads for the night."
"All right, Rimon," Kadi said firmly, as if she had just decided something very important, "I know where we can have both a meal and a place to stay."
"You know?"
"Don't be surprised. I can still follow directions . . . even if I can't do it any better than I could before."
"You know I didn't mean that. But I've been along this road before, and you haven't. Do you know someone who lives around here?"
"No, but I know where there's a shrine of the starred-cross."
She led him a few miles further down the road to where an immense boulder was split neatly in half from top to bottom. There she turned left, and followed the pathless terrain through a brushy area. Dead ahead was a butte. Kadi said, "See the notch in the top?"
"Erosion," said Rimon.
"It's meant to look that way. Notches like that lead all the way to the border."
They rode out to the butte, and Kadi pointed further out, to a hill which seemed just naturally to have a dip in one side, near the top. "You just follow the marks. When you get into the mountains, you know that the other side is Gen Territory."
"And Simes have never even noticed the markers! But Kadi, we don't want to go back to the border."
"No, we're going in here."
In where? Rimon wondered as he followed Kadi around the base of the butte. There was a small blind canyon on one side, and once they had turned into it, Kadi easily found what appeared to be a cave opening. Inside, it turned left, then right--and opened into a rectangular room, man-made and comfortably outfitted!
Dim daylight filtered down through a rock chimney that must have gone clear to the top of the butte. Beneath that was a small grate with kindling laid for a fire, so that at night the opening would be a smoke-hole.
Solid rock on every side meant that the shrine was completely selyn-insulated. A fleeing Gen, exhausted, could rest safely here as long as he required, gaining strength for the last difficult trek to the border.
"What is this place?" Rimon asked in amazement.
"It's a shrine of the starred-cross. I learned about the route and the shrines in Reloc. There ought to be food here . . . . Yes, here it is." There was a bin of cereal, a small pile of apples, a chunk of cheese wrapped in oiled paper, and a container of tea.
Rimon went out to tether the horses where they could graze on the sparse grass in the blind canyon. He found a tiny spring, mostly mud, and dug until he had a small pool of muddy water. If the approaching storm broke, they would have clear, fresh rainwater, but if it passed them by, the muddy water would clear enough by morning that they could fill their canteens.
When he went back inside, Rimon found that Kadi had the fire going, and a pot of water heating. She made them tea and cereal, which they sweetened with the last of the honey Rimon had packed. Then she unwrapped the cheese, and reached casually for Rimon's knife.
He started, then froze before he tried to stop her . . . but she had noticed.
"I'm not going to use it on you, Rimon," she said softly.
"Of course not," he replied, thankful that she understood. "It may take me a while to get over automatic reflexes."
A sharp instrument in the hands of a Gen was something every Sime feared. To take it away, a Sime had to expose his forearms--and all the Gen had to do was get in one lucky cut for the Sime to die in agony.
Suddenly Rimon realized, "Kadi! There's no reason for Gens to be afraid of Simes!"
She looked up. "Reason or not, they are."
"But they don't have to be! Let me show you."
He held out his hands, and she put the knife down and let him wrap his handling tentacles around her forearms, aligning them as if for a kill. Often, they had assumed this position to aid Rimon through the after-effects of a kill. Now he said, "Kadi, look where your hands are."
Her fingers moved gently, feeling delicately through his skin. Despite her gentleness, he could not suppress a gasp as they slid over the now-shrunken ronaplin glands and met the lateral sheaths. Eyes wide, Kadi said, "I could injure your laterals! But I wouldn't, Rimon; you know that."
"What's important is what you know, Kadi. You've grown up with Simes--and still it never occurred to you, or to any Gen I've ever heard of. Shidoni! It's been so all along, and none of us ever knew it!"
Kadi sat staring at their united arms for a moment. Then she whispered, "The danger is mutual! When a Sime is drawing selyn, the Gen literally holds his life in his hands. One squeeze--" She shuddered.
"Yes," said Rimon, "when the laterals are extended, the transport nerves are completely exposed. The Gen is in a perfect position to kill his attacker with one squeeze, if he were to grip instead of trying to pull away."
But Kadi was trying to pull away. "Rimon, don't even think that!"
He held her, effortlessly. "Don't you see, Kadi? A Gen who knows that has no reason to be afraid. You'll know it, next time--"
"And I'll be terrified that I'll hurt you! Think, Rimon! If you told that to the Gens on the farm, how many dead Simes would you see in the next month?"
She was right. How could Gens who had always been treated as animals be expected to do anything but take revenge if given the chance? "You're right. We won't tell it, except to people we know and trust."
All this time they had remained in transfer position. Now Rimon leaned forward and pressed his lips to Kadi's. He didn't require any of the emotional balancing she had so often done for him, so he allowed the touch to become a kiss, then disentangled his grip so he could put his arms around her.
They came very near to forgetting about finishing their supper. Wolf, however, had been waiting patiently for some cheese ever since Kadi had unwrapped it. Seeing the two humans becoming involved in one another, forgetting him, he let out a mournful yip.
They ignored him.
He tried a yodel.
Rimon broke off from kissing Kadi. "I think your dog is jealous."
"No, he's just hungry," she replied. "Anyway, he's right that now is not the time."
"Any time is the right time for love."
"Not when we haven't finished supper, or cleaned our utensils, or set something out to catch the water if it rains, or--"
"Slave driver," he said affectionately. "Feed your dog. I'll wash the dishes."
Kadi gave Wolf the cereal remaining in Rimon's bowl, and only then a few scraps of hard, dry crust she had cut off the cheese. Rimon understood her reluctance to give her pet food that could mean life or death to a fleeing Gen.
"There's still enough for several meals," he pointed out, "even if we take enough to feed you till we get home."
"Oh, no, we can't take any food with us!"
"Yes, we can, Kadi, because as soon as I can, I'll come back and restock everything."
As he took their cooking pot and bowls outside to scour them with sand, Rimon wondered who saw to it that the shrine was supplied. It had to be Simes, this far in-Territory. Perhaps someone whose child had established and fled? Undoubtedly there were other Simes sympathetic to fleeing in-Territory Gens . . . otherwise, there would be no route and no shrines.
The wind whistled into the small canyon, and Rimon moved the horses into a more sheltered spot. Thunder rumbled. He put the bowls and pot out to catch the rain, and rejoined Kadi in the shrine.
As the wind blew over the top of the butte, creating a draft up the smoke-hole the fire blazed up. The leaping flames twinkled on something shining on the wall. Rimon walked over to have a look, and Kadi joined him.
An emblem hung from a peg driven into the wall. Beneath it was carved in neat lettering, "Have faith in the starred-cross, and do not fear the Sime in need."
Rimon took down the emblem and examined it. The design was simple: a five-pointed star superimposed on an even-armed cross.
"That's the starred-cross," said Kadi. "It's the sign they showed me in Reloc."
The same symbol was carved in the stone beneath the peg, but the metal pendant on its leather thong was clearly meant to be worn. Rimon slipped it over Kadi's head. "There," he said, "that will protect you."
"I don't require protection, Rimon. I have you."
"I don't run the world, Kadi. I . . . shen, I don't believe in good luck charms or any such nonsense, but there's something about this place, this pendant. Wear it, Kadi. Have faith in the starred-cross, and do not fear the Sime in need."
"I have faith in you, Rimon," she replied solemnly.
Later that night, Rimon lay awake long after Kadi slept, wondering why he sensed some power in that talisman, even though he could clearly see the ambiguity in the statement carved in the wall. Juxtaposing the two thoughts implied that the Gen who had faith had no reason to fear. But it actually was made up of two commandments. The first, "Have faith in the starred-cross," Rimon could not fully comprehend, but he felt intuitively that it had a meaning. The second, "Do not fear the Sime in need," was only too clear: the Gen who did not fear did not die. But how did one teach Gens not to fear?
In the morning, the world sparkled freshly after the night's rain. It wasn't far now to the Ancient highway, and once they were on that they'd be home in a day and a half.
They were still on the winding secondary road at noon, however, when they met another traveler coming toward them. His colorful outfit proclaimed him a gypsy at first sight, and when they approached one another on the narrow road, he greeted them cheerfully.
"Good day to you, young folk."
Rimon glanced at Kadi, who was as surprised as he that she was included in the greeting. "Good day, sir," he replied politely.
The gypsy was looking them over. "You are headed . . . in-Territory?"
"Yes, sir. We're going . . . . I'm taking K-- this woman, uh, Gen, home with me."
The gypsy's eyes were the clearest deep green Rimon had ever seen, almost glowing against his swarthy skin. Under their gaze, Rimon found it impossible to think straight. The green eyes unfocused, as the gypsy zlinned them, then snapped back to observe them both sharply.
In return, Rimon zlinned the gypsy, and discovered that he was controlling a strange elation. Clearly, he was not offended as the other Simes who had zlinned them had been. But who ever knew how gypsies would react to anything? His father had taught Rimon to respect these mysterious people, but could satisfy little of the boy's curiosity concerning them.
The gypsy said, "Have you been on the road since dawn? I have, and have been hoping for some company to share a pot of tea."
"Uh . . . I'd like some tea," said Rimon, although he had meant to say that he was in a hurry, to escape from that clear green gaze that seemed to pierce his soul.
"And the young lady?" The gypsy now looked at Kadi.
Her reserve melted into a smile. "Oh, yes," she said. "I'd love some tea."
As they dismounted and built a fire, Rimon observed the gypsy carefully. He was tall--at least as tall as Syrus Farris--and had that same sturdy build that Rimon and other Simes who followed his father's regimen had. He had black curly hair, cut short, so that it lay close to his well-shaped head, and an expressive face to which a smile came easily. Yet in repose, Rimon noted, there was a stern dignity about his features, almost as if the easy smiles and laughter were part of a well-rehearsed act.
Perhaps the most peculiar thing about him, though, was the absence of overt curiosity. Although Rimon could zlin that the gypsy was longing to know how this peculiar couple came to be traveling contentedly together, he did not ask.
As he passed out tea, however, he did say, "My name is Lemarcos. May I know yours, young sir?"
"Rimon Farris."
"Farris. Yes, I thought you looked familiar. You are the son of Syrus Farris?"
"That's right."
"I have met him--a most honorable man, and one who respects the customs of the gypsies."
"Yes," said Rimon. "My father often hires your people for difficult jobs." Farris's only complaint was that he could never keep them long.
Lemarcos fixed his eyes on Kadi. 'May I ask your name, young lady?"
"Kadi Morcot."
"Kadi Farris!" said Rimon, without thinking.
The green eyes looked into his soul again. "Oh . . . so that's how it is. You have a difficult road to travel, young folk. I do not envy you."
He got up and went to his heavily-laden pack horse, dipping into one of the saddlebags and returning with something Rimon could not see at first. He settled down with them again before he opened his hand to show a starred-cross pendant. "Do you know this sign?"
"Yes," murmured Kadi, pulling her pendant from beneath her tunic.
"Good," said Lemarcos. "All the gypsies honor this sign, but you must never, ever show it to other Simes. Do you understand?"
They both nodded solemnly.
"And you, young sir, if you plan to unite your life with this lady's--you, too, will require the protection of the starred-cross. There is no place for the two of you, together, on either side of the border."
"We'll make a place," said Rimon. "We'll teach others what we know, Lemarcos--we have learned that Simes do not have to kill! We'll teach everybody. We could teach you!"!
"No," said the gypsy, his eyes clouding, "you cannot teach me that, young sir. Nor will you find many willing to learn, nor many who can among those who would. Be wise, and proceed slowly. The way of the world is not changed in a day." He placed the pendant around Rimon's neck. "Wear that, but do not show it. If ever I can be of service to you, show it only to a gypsy, and tell him you seek Lemarcos. I will receive the message, and come to you."
Later, as they rode in the bright afternoon sunlight, Rimon had to feel for the pendant beneath his shirt to be sure the encounter had ever happened. The mysterious gypsy with his knowing air, his strange vocabulary, and his politeness toward Kadi, seemed a figure from a dream. He realized, as he thought it over, that Lemarcos seemed to know everything about Rimon and Kadi, but they had come away knowing nothing about Lemarcos.
Soon they turned onto the Ancient highway. From here on the way was easy. Tomorrow . . . tomorrow they would be home!
Copyright © 1982 by Jean Lorrah
((Can you guess where Lemarcos comes from? Jean and Jacqueline originally intended to have Lemarcos return later in the book, visiting the Farris homestead to encourage Rimon and Kadi. But the book had to be kept short, and there was no room for the later appearance--so this first appearance of Lemarcos, and all mention of the starred-cross, had to be cut.))