Broken Agreement

By Diane J Cornwell

Psychic, Casi of Mannuholm, reluctantly agrees to travel to the nearby colony of Boreas II to negotiate the wording of the agreement for the resettlement of the Mannuholm humans.

Vice President of New Thalia, John Clark, is asked to solve the mystery of new settler deaths before the agreement is broken and all continents on Boreas II lose any chance to increase their population to keep the colony viable.

Can John and Casi, with the help of her alien friends, stop the killings and complete the integration of the Mannuholm humans on Boreas II?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tift Publishing
• Release date: Jun 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458175236

Diane J Cornwell

Diane J Cornwell learnt to read before she started school at the age of five. At school she learnt to write the words she already recognized. She loved going to school. When she was asked to write a story on her holiday activities, Diane wrote a story on what she wanted to do, not what she did, and earned an “A” grade for the homework. That started her on a life of writing fiction.A bi-product of all that reading was creating her own stories about determined characters who try to make the right decisions the first time during their adventures. Stories she can read over and over again just for the pleasure of revisiting the characters.Diane wrote her first full length novel in 2007, and hopes to have many more stories created in the coming years.

Book preview

Broken Agreement

By

Diane J Cornwell

Broken Agreement

By Diane J Cornwell © 2011

Published by Tift Publishing at Smashwords

Cover Copyright © 2011 Diane J Cornwell

Cover Photo by FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and actions are either products of this author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Chapter 1

The cool breeze blew misting rain in the two west facing windows of the dark room on the third level of the large building allocated to the liberators of Phiwodwha, the main city on the western side of the northern continent of Etam.

Against the eastern wall three sleeping mats waited for occupants, with a folded blanket on the foot of the mats, and a pack beside each blanket. A small round table and four sturdy chairs filled the space between the mats and the western wall. An unlit lantern waited in the middle of the table. A clean outfit of shirt and trousers covered one chair, and a pair of leather sandals waited out of the way beneath the chair. The rest of the room was bare.

Casi, five feet and four inches tall, studied the ruins of the palace across the wide street through the left western window. The tumbled stone blocks held no resemblance to the palace she had helped attack only a month ago, searching for two bombs and the missing human diplomats. She located and rescued the diplomats leaving her young elemental friend, Finna, to disarm one located bomb.

How Finna managed to implode the palace, Casi did not understand, but the rubble was the result. The Three, and any other unfortunate Jlaantei, lay buried under the weight of the rubble; hopefully dead.

Not that she blamed Finna for destroying the palace.

If Casi had the power she would have made the same decision to destroy the seat of evil that had ruled the country so badly. She doubted the local Jlaantei worried about one building when they now had full stomachs and the freedom and time to grow more food.

The rain dampened her brown shirt and trousers, but she took no notice. By the time the rain splattered on the floor it was already evaporating.

She leant against the sill as she watched a duel-axled wagon haul a load of blocks down the street. The six graziers strained to keep the wagon rolling, while the sounds of the driver encouraging the graziers drifted towards her on the breeze.

A group of Jlaantei walked close to the wall of the buildings, leaving a wide space between them and the wagon. Casi knew the dark grey hide of the shortest in the group meant he was less than a year old. Two were at least a year old, because they were over six feet tall, like most Jlaantei adults, but their hides were only a few shades lighter than the smallest, meaning they were still young, equal to human teenagers. The other three light grey hides were adult, by the aliens’ counting, over thirty years old.

A single Jlaantei adult, wearing a dark blue hooded cloak, crossed the street in front of the wagon and walked towards the ruins. She suspected he was rfat because of his height, closer to seven than six feet. He was almost opposite her window when he effortlessly jumped the intact six foot high wall surrounding the palace grounds and ran towards the stone blocks.

The wooden door in the northern wall of the room opened. Casi spun around, ready to defend herself, before she recognised the servant. Pesha. Casi spoke flawless Jlaa. Who needs me now?

No one. Pesha, once a servant of the destroyed palace but now a servant for Casi and the other humans, carried a bowl of seed mix. Eat. She placed the bowl on the window sill beside Casi. The evening meal will be ready in another two hours. She turned to leave but changed her mind. Thank you for bringing the rain. It is settling the dust and washing the building walls.

Do you ever stop working, Pesha? Casi looked up at the mlati.

Yes.

When?

When I sleep. Pesha dropped her lower beak and silently closed it. Her sleeveless crumpled robe had food stains down the front.

I think you need time off. Do you want to visit your parents?

No.

Pesha, everyone has to rest sometime. You have been working non-stop for over four weeks.

I will rest when you rest. Until then, I will keep you fed while you bring more rain. Pesha looked at the ruined palace across the street. Will you order it built again?

Do you want it rebuilt? Casi searched for the running rfat but he had disappeared behind the stone blocks.

It would make a good home for you. If you do not want it, clear the area and make a park. Grow trees and grass and flowers. Pesha gave a Jlaantei shrug by lifting her hands, palms up, and dropping them.

I will leave that decision for the leaders.

But you are the leader. Pesha dropped her lower beak and widened her eyes. When she realised she was staring at Casi, she blinked and silently closed her beak.

No, Adol and Rayo are the leaders. I am just their foster mother and I am human. Jlaantei do not need a human to lead them.

The sound of claws clicking on the tiles in the hall outside the opened door alerted Casi to the arrival of one of her guards. She turned away from the view and waited.

Kensell, her main Jlaantei guard, entered, dressed in his usual blue sar-trong, smelling strongly of damp fabric, and his lettrotrong, a wide thick belt that stored his knife and other weapons. The main function of the lettrotrong was to teleport him from one place to another. Casi smiled as she remembered the diplomats asking for the coveted technology for their nearby colony.

A waste of time. Another three priests killed themselves once captured. He dropped onto his sleeping mat and closed his eyes.

Casi moved the bowl of seed mix to the table. Where is Lear?

Reporting. He placed his left arm across his closed eyes. How can we question the priests when they kill themselves before we capture them?

Let me capture one. I will keep him alive while you question him. Or Beldon can read him before the priest kills himself.

Humans are not suitable to hunt Jlaantei. Kensell kept his eyes shut. The priests are good and they know the city well enough to escape when we sight them. They must have a meeting place somewhere.

Casi smiled at his arrogant remark. Most Jlaantei thought humans were weaklings, inferior, but her guards, including Kensell, knew what she was capable of in an emergency. It was the reason she, along with her small group of gene altered humans, were included in the overthrow of the now dead leaders of Etam, buried somewhere under the rubble across the street.

That bought her thoughts back to the actions of the cloaked rfat across the street.

Pesha, please find Lear and ask him to meet me at the front door. Casi looked at her sandals but decided she could run faster bare foot. Kensell, let’s go hunting.

* * *

Why here? Lear easily kept pace with Casi as she hurried across the palace grounds towards the spot where the cloaked rfat disappeared earlier. The wet earth smell was much stronger away from the paved streets and the buildings.

Kensell remained silent as he scanned the area to her left.

I saw a rfat disappear behind these blocks earlier. She reached the spot and studied the ground. Everything was wet, including her. She found a disturbed pebble, and the remains of a hand print on the block of stone to her left. This way.

She led them through the scattered blocks piled high enough to block her view of the buildings on the other side of the street.

The next sign was a hand print on the underside of another stone block where the rain could not reach. Even though the wet mark started to evaporate it clearly showed the outline of a Jlaantei hand, or a very large human hand. She pointed it out to her guards.

Keep behind us, Kensell whispered to Casi. We can not protect you if you lead.

This way. Lear pointed to another partial hand print left by the rfat. It also was fading as it evaporated.

Kensell leapt onto the next block, and higher onto a block that was balanced above more blocks. He is heading to the western wall.

She wished she had the agility of Jlaantei. Come down. We can move directly to the western wall and pick up his track again. Casi worked her way around the fallen blocks. Her guards would catch up.

She rounded the last of the scattered stone blocks and finally had a clear view of the western wall. A cloaked rfat leap over the wall. Exactly like earlier. "This way," she sent the thought to her guards as she ran across the open space.

They caught up before she was half way across the open ground, and both leapt the wall onto the street before she was three quarters the way across. She ‘ported to the top of the stone wall and leapt down to the street. Which way did the cloaked rfat run?

There he is. Lear pointed north.

Casi saw the dark blue cloaked rfat run across the street and turn left. Hold my arms.

The two guards grabbed an arm and Casi ‘ported to the corner. They saw the cloaked rfat enter the fifth building along the street.

What now? Follow or get more guards.

He may not be a priest. Kensell studied the building. Four stories.

Follow. If he is not a priest he will not run. Lear jogged down the street.

Casi grabbed Kensell’s arm and ‘ported to the front door of the building. She studied the dark windows on each floor, looking for any sign of residents.

Lear arrived after Kensell pushed the door open. Casi, you come with me. Lear, check the back.

They followed the wet footprints up the stairway to the second floor. The prints stopped at a closed door.

Kensell gave the hand sign for Casi to wait. He activated his flanges and waited until they had wrapped around his limbs before he opened the door. Casi followed on his heels as he entered the room. She saw the wet, dark blue cloak tossed onto a table. Then she located the rfat, standing beside an open door leading to another room.

He was almost eight feet tall and wore a dark blue sar-trong. She could clearly see two scars across his cheeks and another across his forehead, white on his grey hide. He was a priest! His eyes widened at the sight of Kensell and Casi.

You will answer some questions. Kensell leapt across the low table to restrain the rfat but he raced into the next room, slamming the door shut before Kensell reached it. Kensell kicked the door open.

Casi followed Kensell into the next room. It was empty.

She scanned the room. Four sleeping mats covered the floor against the left wall. In the middle of the room a low table, piled with faded red cushions. Too low to hide under. There was no where else the rfat could hide.

She raced to the open window, leaping over the small table, while Kensell tapped the walls looking for a hidden door. She leant out, looked down, and found Lear looking up at her. He pointed above her head. Casi twisted from the waist so she could look up the outside of the building. The rfat climbed the wall towards the next level.

"Wait there, she sent to Lear. He waved his understanding. She pushed off the window sill and turned back to Kensell. He is climbing the building. Come on."

She beat Kensell back to the stairs and climbed. Kensell passed her as he took the stairs two at a time to the next level.

When they reached the top, Kensell eased open the door. He glanced out before he exited. Casi sucked in deep breaths as she followed. The flat roof had a four foot wall around the edge.

She walked across the wet roof to the northern side and was ready to lean over the parapet when Kensell grabbed her arm and pulled her back. He gave the hand signal to wait and be silent.

She slowed her racing heart and her breathing while she waited. The sound of claws scraping on stone muffled by the drip of water off the roof, was loud enough to give warning. She waited, water dripped off her hair and down the back of her soaked shirt.

Finally, a clawed hand appeared on top of the parapet, then the second. The scarred Jlaantei face appeared as he hauled himself over the top.

He saw Kensell when Kensell reached for a firm grip on the rfat’s arm. The priest pulled his arm out of Kensell’s grip, and dropped off the wall.

Casi leant against the parapet to watch the priest fall. No you don’t. She reached out with her mind and thickened the air around him to hold him, and tied the energy to him, leaving her free to slow his fall.

Lear. Kensell shouted. Look out.

Casi continued to slow the priest’s fall until he was hovering eight feet from the ground inside the bubble of thickened air. Give me you hand. She gripped Kensell’s hand and ‘ported them both to the ground next to Lear. This one is not going anywhere.

Bring him down.

Casi used her mind to reach for the hovering bubble entrapped rfat but before she lowered it, the thickened air dissipated, and the priest landed with a thud in front of her.

Lear picked up a bloody knife with a four inch long blade. He killed himself before we could question him.

Why did he fall? Kensell looked at Casi.

She looked at the scar-faced body and noticed the slash across the side of his neck, thick blood covering his shoulder. I tied the bubble to his energy. The bubble dissolved when he died. She shrugged her shoulders. I will know better next time we hunt.

Casi peered through the misting rain to the end of the street. Two rfat walked into the corner light.

Kensell gave a piercing whistle to get their attention. We need guards to search this building, in case there are more priests here.

It would be faster to ask the locals to inform us when they find priests. Casi watched the two rfat hurry towards them and relaxed when she realised they both wore lettrotrong. They were Etam guards.

The guards glanced at the dead priest before they turned to her. They both saluted by thumping their chest with a closed right fist. Elemental Dea is looking for you.

Thank you. Casi nodded at the two guards. We will send more guards to help you search this building for priests. She held out her hands, waited for Kensell and Lear to grip them, and ‘ported back to their building.

Chapter 2

The thick cut stone walls kept most of the heat out of the sparsely furnished headquarters ground floor, but Casi, dressed in a brown silk shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and matching loose trousers, still felt the heat on her uncovered arms and sandalled feet.

Three lights on the western wall above a long low wooden table shed enough light to cast shadows from the four wooden chairs, placed against the northern wall. The shadow of the last chair bent and ran up the eastern wall, and across Lear’s legs. Light reflected off Lear’s bald head as he relaxed against the eastern wall, watching the street and misting rain through the closed window. He rested one hand on his lettrotrong, and the other on the window sill, claws retracted. His attention was on the street, not Casi.

Kensell stood with his back against the wall to the left of the open door in the middle of the south facing wall, giving him a clear view down the corridor. His flanges were flaccid, and his relaxed stance suggested there was no one visible in the corridor.

There was no electronic equipment in the room, other than the small square black box on the table that changed the thought patterns of the elementals to speech. It was technology that neither the humans or the Jlaantei understood, but, thankfully, it worked when an elemental was near, sparing the Jlaantei and humans headaches.

If there had been other equipment left in the room, the equipment would not have worked in the presence of the elementals. They had a tendency to drain all batteries and short out electronic circuits.

She glanced out the second window, studied the angle of the misting rain, then smiled, satisfied the breeze was not getting stronger and the rain would last a few more days before the depression moved west. She turned back to face Kensell, in time to see his hand signal. Finally, the waiting was at an end.

Elemental Dea floated into the room after two of her human keepers entered. The keepers wore long yellow robes, and both women, well into their fourth decade, displayed stern expressions. The keepers ignored Casi and her two guards. They calmly walked to the northern wall, and settled on two chairs, either side of Casi. She walked across the room and waited beside Kensell.

The elemental moved her pale yellow mass to the left of the door and formed up in her slow spinning, six foot tall column, hovering a foot above the floor, in the south west corner.

What was so important you needed to see me tonight? Casi heard Kensell’s quick intake of air, but she ignored him. You are aware I am busy controlling the rain depression?

Yes, you have handled your duties well. The synthesized voice of Elemental Dea came from the small black box on the table. But now I have a need for you elsewhere.

What? Casi noticed Elemental Dea did not change the speed of her slowing turning column. She was still calm.

"E.S.Two is due to arrive with the second last load of Jlaantei from Mannuholm. I need you to travel with Cerelia and Sedia to the human’s world when they leave."

Why?

You are to meet the leaders and oversee any changes to our agreement. I know humans are devious and I will not give them the technology they ask for if they are not settling our humans as they promised.

Casi faintly heard the clip of hooves and rumble of a wagon roll down the street through the closed window. She ignored the noise to think over what Elemental Dea requested. I can’t go. I am busy monitoring the weather. Send Verge, Lulette and Addlar.

I need you to go. The colour of the column did not change but the voice seemed a little louder. You are aware of the deception of humans and you think quickly. The others have been sheltered from most humans and are not aware of the human tendencies to take what they want without considering others. You are best suited to this task.

Casi understood which others Elemental Dea referred to. They are capable of reading all the humans and can ‘port out of dangerous situations. Or send guards to watch their backs while they watch the humans. Casi glanced towards Lear. He continued to monitor the street, pretending to ignore the conversation. I do not want to meet more humans.

You are also needed to read the humans to see if they are accepting our humans in their cities or if they have ill will towards our humans. You are also to monitor the settling of this load and report any difficulties.

What about Elemental Cerelia and Elemental Sedia. They could monitor the agreement alterations and read the humans.

They requested we refrain from visiting their planet until they have a suitable building erected for us and invite us to visit. So, we need you to represent my sisters and me.

Who said that? Casi was surprised. She remembered the diplomats suggesting everyone could visit Boreas II.

Elemental Dea ignored the question. You will also read the diplomats, to see if they were punished for allowing themselves to become captives. Also monitor if they are believed when they tell what happened here.

Casi, I will go with you. Kensell tried to calm her. I am looking forward to seeing the world of humans.

I will come, also, Lear added, without taking his eyes off the view of the street. He was listening.

There is another reason I need you to undertake this task. Pearl found one human child with talent. You are to locate any more and arrange training for them.

Casi noticed a few flecks of gold in Elemental Dea’s mass. She waited until the gold disappeared to the back of her revolving column and reappeared again before she answered. Was that excitement? Did she want to locate more talented humans? I doubt there are any, but if I find them, their parents will not allow their children to leave the security of their homes to travel to another system and live with aliens. Most humans don’t tolerate different beings like we do. Casi wondered if she was wrong to worry about the attitudes of the distant humans.

You can assess the situation and report if we need to establish a base to train talented humans on their world.

One keeper frowned at Casi, but they both remained silent. She realised they were too well trained to interfere when Elemental Dea spoke, but Casi was sure they did not approve of her arguing with Elemental Dea.

Are you planning to move to Boreas II when Etam is settled?

I do not believe the humans like aliens, and my sisters are not planning on living there, but while we monitor the resettling of our humans, we are prepared to visit.

Casi thought over the problems she could already list. She would need approval to kill if necessary. She needed to know what outcomes the elementals were looking for so she could work towards them. She would be happier with the rest of her team along for the ride and she wanted to return when the job was completed. The others could make up their minds to stay with the humans but she hoped they would return to Etam with her.

I will agree to meet the human leaders, confirm their agreement does not allow harm to our humans, and monitor the settlement of our humans, but to do this, I need permission to kill if it becomes necessary.

Agreed, but be discreet, and only as a last resort. They do not need to know of your abilities.

Casi saw no change in Elemental Dea. She did