The next day, Bina returned to the pond.  Her mother would return soon. She knew once her mother learned what Bina was up to, they’d run, again. If she was going to learn more about the Watcher, it would have to be today.

She could feel the other’s presence, though try as she might, she could not see her.  She knew it was another girl, maybe by the smell, but mostly intuition. The dog was back as well, moving through the brush, circling, flanking. Now that Bina marked it, the dog was easy to track, despite their dance of move and counter. It became clear the dog was under the direction of the Watcher. Her intuition still suggested they posed no threat, though she wasn’t completely confident in that conclusion. She held the pistol again, concealed under her sweatshirt.

Bina closed her eyes and extended her senses, and gradually a gradient became clear, a direction, and as she further relaxed and immersed into the sensory flow, a form began to emerge.  She opened her eyes and turned toward the person, still seeing no one.

“I know you’re there. Why won’t you talk to me?  Why are you following me?”  Her voice was too loud and startled her.  She sensed heightened tension and a dramatic quieting of the signals.  Now that she had an impression of what to look for, it was easier to maintain the other’s location.

“Don’t be afraid.  Can you talk? We can be friends.”  She waited, watching the area on the other side of the pond. She considered throwing something across the water to provoke a response. Then, she sensed the other was gone, only a small stirring of leaves betraying her movement. Had Bina not been hyperfocused, she would have attributed it to the wind.

The dog materialized from the brush, moved along the shore, then disappeared briefly.  When it returned, it came from a different direction, now approaching on her side of the pond to the right.  It stopped, crept forward, then stopped.  This halting approach progressed slowly, and Bina waited patiently, maintaining a calm outward demeanor to hide the thrill of excitement and swirling fear, anxious anticipation, and insatiable curiosity that surged within.

Finally, she saw the dog, watching her through a break in the leaves about fifteen yards away.  She did her best not to stare and frighten it off.

“Put your weapon aside.”

Bina jumped at the soft, low voice behind her, barely stifling a scream. She gulped, her hand immediately on the pistol. The visitor continued.

“We mean you no harm. But the weapon is a threat.”

Bina slowly withdrew the pistol and laid it on the ground.

“You have better skills than the other humans.”

She turned slowly toward the source of the voice, still invisible.  She strained to discern a figure, to no avail. Other humans? What did that mean?

“I’m a little different, I guess,” Bina responded, calming herself, mastering her breathing, using all her mother’s lessons. She now had a better fix on the source, but still saw nothing.

“Is that why the others hunt you? What do they fear? Or, are you valuable in some way?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Bina lied, intrigued but now cautious.

“The groupmind, the web people; why do they wish you protected from the alloioi?”

Bina pondered the strange word, but suspected she knew who the ‘others’ were. She came fully alert. “The yunk? You know them? Homo iunctus?” It was too late to run.

“Not myself. My directions are from them, but I have my own questions, ones that others won’t or can’t answer.”

This brought Bina up short. She had to know more.

“Who won’t answer your questions?”

“My own people. I am told what to do, by others who decide, but will not share their reasons. Because I am young, and because I am a female.”

Bina smiled, proud that her intuition regarding the gender of her watcher proved correct.  A girl with questions, just like her. “Your people? Who are your people?”

She suspected, but she had to know. This would be the coolest thing ever, something even her mother would approve of, making friends with one of the creatures. At least, she hoped her mother would approve. But how could she not? They weren’t enemies, and maybe they could be allies, friends even.

How cool would that be?

Her heart accelerated, her mind racing ahead, spinning out adventures and excitement with a friend who was like her, different and separate from the world. Her first grendel! Bina calmed herself waiting for the reply to her question.

“The Sanctum Clan. We are the originals, the first free Laos.”

Bina had no idea what any of that meant, but she didn’t want to betray her ignorance yet. She chose a different tack.

“What questions do you have that they won’t answer?”

“Why must I obey? Why must we protect you?  Why do the alloioi want to kill us?”

“The …alloy…yoy… they are the humans? Like me?”

“But not like you, yes? That is why they hunt you?  Why we must watch over and protect you?”

“You…watch over me?”

There was a huffing and a short grunt from the brush, accompanied by soft rustling. Bina thought she caught a glimpse of a figure.

“Not me, until now. Others. The groupmind commands our people, the Laos, to watch over and protect your kind. But then you disappeared. With your…mother.  But I found you, though the Elders forbade it. I knew I could, and now they will know.”

“Who will know?”

“The Elders. And the groupmind.”

“No! They cannot know. My mother and I, we can’t…we must stay safe. That means staying away from them, the yunk, the groupmind.”

“But they say they will protect you.”

“They can’t protect us. My father is dead, killed by…the humans. My mother…we can’t let them catch us. That’s why we hide.”

“I found you. The brother of your mother says he can protect you.”

“What?!?! You know my…mother’s brother?”

More stirring and rustling. “I do not. My brother takes instructions from him, from the groupmind. Your mother’s brother sent us.”

Bina reeled. This person was sent by Uncle Adam? Why? Uncle Adam communicates with the grendels? A million questions whirled in her head. The time pressure of her mother’s imminent return heightened the urgency of solving this mystery.

They sat in silence while the wind stirred. Bina struggled to assimilate this new information.  She shook her head and changed the subject.  “What’s your name?” 

“I am called Danae.”

“And your dog?”

Danae hesitated. “Her name is Vesta.”  She gave a command, and Vesta crept forward. Bina extended her hand, Vesta sniffed it thoroughly, gave it a short lick, then submitted to Bina’s petting and murmured affections. She looked back to the voice.

“Hello, Danae. I like those names. I’m Bina.”

“I know that, Bina-Michelle’s-daughter.”

“You know my mother?”

“Yes, I’ve watched you both. My mother is dead. You are lucky.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. What happened?” There was a long pause.

“They, the alloioi, did bad things to her, poisoned and weakened her, made her sick, before I was born. When we escaped, she lived for a while, but it was too much. Her name was Verdande.”

Bina pondered this new kind of evil the world could inflict. Maybe Danae could understand the losses and hardships Bina and her family endured. “I can’t let anything happen to my mother.”

“They don’t want your mother. Only you. Your uncle says you are the one in danger. Why do the alloioi wish you dead?”

***

For the rest of the day they sat next to the pond, Bina on a log, Danae concealed in the foliage, talking and sharing. Vesta patrolled the woods, returning to Danae’s side, then to Bina, lying next to her, alert and vigilant. The sun dropped toward the surrounding ridges. Bina explained her role with the yunk, the groupmind. They compared their knowledge of the human zealots who pursued them, crusading to eliminate the deviants. Danae shared her experiences with her people the mountains and forests, always hiding, nearly invisible, facing similar peril. They exchanged their life stories, their questions, the challenges of standing up for themselves. They made plans.

 The sun set and Bina headed home. Danae disappeared into the woods to hunt. When the area was clear, a tiny surveillance drone detached itself from high in a tree and sped silently away into the gathering darkness. 

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