The Purlieu Experiment, Book 1

By Linda Rigsbee

Donte is a Mascot – a genetically modified human. He is the offspring of Mascots designed by a group of scientists known to the inhabitants of Purlieu only as “The Parliament.” Mascots were programmed for leadership. They lived longer, were stronger and more intelligent than their human counterparts. And yet, the humans were resistant to a plague that swept through all the colonies but one. The plague killed many of the male Mascots and left most of the remaining sterile. Donte, safe in his mother’s womb throughout the plague, was an exception. Being the only fertile male Mascot in two colonies made him distinctive enough, but Donte was also a descendant of the leaders of two colonies. His heritage had made him a target and his integrity kept him a captive.
Donte is a captive in Nyumbani, one of the original five colonies of the Purlieu Experiment. Their insane king has been conducting raids on other colonies, but for Donte, he crosses the line when his raiders take a captive and plan to kill her. Donte does the only thing he can to save her – he kills the king.
A last-minute change in punishment from execution to being exiled from the colony means his escape route is over the snow capped mountains in scant clothing. He must take the girl over the mountain and across a desert to her colony.
Donte believes the only way the colonies can progress is to unite. He gets help and resistance in some unexpected areas. In spite of all the obstacles thrown in his path, Donte keeps his momentum until tragedy makes him falter and lose faith in himself. He must retain that faith if he is to meet the final challenge.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Linda Louise Rigsbee
• Release date: Mar 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370252886

Linda Rigsbee

Rigsbee is an award-winning, multi-genre author. She has published more than 50 books since 1986. She writes non-fiction and fiction in story lengths from flash fiction to novels. Cradle to rocking chair, her stories are all delivered without profanity or explicit sex. The endings are always upbeat. Rigsbee designs most of her covers and illustrates her children's books. Rigsbee struggled in school to make passing grades and didn't discover until her son was diagnosed that dyslexia was the cause. After that, she knew she could do anything she wanted to do if she tried hard enough. She wanted to write, and so she did. Rigsbee maintains a website of free reads. No membership or information is required to read these advertising-free stories and poems online. All the works are copyrighted by her. The website is deartales dot com. For more information about the author, visit her website at http://www.lindarigsbee.com "I write for pleasure; yours and mine." Linda L. Rigsbee

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Book One The Mascot Trilogy

By LINDA RIGSBEE

Copyright © 2021

Revision 3, May 2021

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Prelude to the Mascot Trilogy

Humans genetically modified with animal genes.

Created to lead – destined to liberate.

The Purlieu Experiment began on the desks of scientists on Planet Oriel as an innocent attempt to put humans on a pristine planet and learn how to keep it that way. Technology would be restricted.

That was the intent, but then the government got involved. Their list of requirements expanded to included the division of volunteers into 5 colonies and giving each an assigned government, language and medicinal advancement. The intent of the government was to find out how the colonies would progress over different generations.

The added conditions required more funding, so a private corporation contributed – with stipulations of their own, of course. Fontalo provided the essential spaceships, technology and their latest invention - Mascots. Fontalo's purpose was to test these new primates. A combination of animal and human genes had given them enhanced immune systems, intelligence, strength, endurance and longevity. Each Mascot had been designed for specific environments on Purlieu. The responsibility of the Mascots in Fontalo's experiment was to protect and guide colonists.

Keeping Purlieu pristine meant giving up the conveniences the colonists had on Oriel. The colonists were to grow their own food. Approved power sources were hydro, solar or wind. Transportation would be provided by horses – equines, as the colonists referred to them. It was no surprise that the colonists used scientific names for wildlife species that might not have been identical to that on Oriel. Both labor and leadership eventually fell to those who were best fit for it – the Mascots.

This relationship went on for a couple centuries until a sudden plague killed 87% of the Mascots and sterilized most of the males. Without explanation, the experiment was abandoned. Three spaceships commanded by Mascots were left to protect the planet and and assist the colonist in whatever way they chose. No one knew if the scientists would ever return. The experiment was over for Oriel, but it had only begun for the occupants of Planet Purlieu.

Chapter 1

Donte drew his equine to a halt in the clearing and looked longingly at the snow-capped mountains of Bergen colony in the distance. He'd like to be up there riding free. The thought shamed him. He loved his mate and son but the mountains were no place for a 4-year-old boy and a woman in her twelfth month of pregnancy. They were more comfortable in their modest farmhouse.

Donte stiffened as he sensed the presence of a cervidae in the forest. They didn't need the meat, but he was supposed to be hunting. Actually, he had convinced himself that he needed and deserved a little time away from Liana. She had been irritable lately, snapping at him over trivial things. He had stayed at home throughout the fetal sickness stage so that his strong pheromones would reduce her discomfort. He would take care of Bjorn when the new baby arrived, which could be any day now. Today might be his only opportunity to enjoy the soothing effect of nature for a while.

The sensation hit him without warning. Bjorn was afraid and Liana was in pain. It was early, but she was probably in labor. He reined the equine around and dug his heals into its sides. Schilderen loved to run and he let her.

When they came to the steep incline, he could see their farm in the distance. He saw and sensed the presence of the riders. Malevolence and fear surrounded them. He sensed Liana's agony and... resignation?

He searched the rock-strewn slope for a way down – a shortcut. Panic threatened. What had happened to Bjorn? He could no longer sense his presence.

In desperation, he forced Schilderen toward the steep slope. For a moment, the equine resisted but finally plunged over the edge. It was a long slope and he struggled to stay in the saddle each time she stumbled.

When they reached the bottom, he urged her into a gallop. His heart pounded so hard that he could hear it in his ears. Where was Bjorn? What had the riders done to his family?

He could see Liana now, lying on her back in the yard, her clothing ripped open. There was blood – lots of it! He reigned Schilderen to a sliding stop near Liana and hopped to the ground, racing to her side.

Liana's blanched face glistened with tears as she spoke in a weak voice. They took Bjorn and then came back. She clutched the lifeless form of their daughter to her chest. They held me down and cut her from me. Her voice broke. They didn't want a girl. She sobbed. "They have killed us, Donte."

Donte stared in numb silence as her presence faded and her eyes glazed over in death. She was no longer in pain and he could do nothing here. He needed to find Bjorn. They wouldn't hurt Bjorn. He would be the heir Farasi wanted...or the negotiating tool to get one. Logic urged him to leave Liana and find Bjorn. Fear froze him beside Liana. He couldn't sense the presence of Bjorn.

"No!" Donte stood and ran to Schilderen. He paused in indecision. He needed a fresh equine - but there wasn't time. He grabbed the saddle horn and threw himself into the saddle. Schilderen didn't hesitate. She began running before he had time to get straight in the saddle but he managed on the run.

They didn't have to go far before he found Bjorn laying on the ground beside a rock. He leaped from the horse and scooped the boy in his arms. He listened for a heartbeat and felt for breath, even though the crushed skull told him that Bjorn was dead.

For a moment he stood still, staring down at his son, unable to comprehend what had happened. Why would they kill Bjorn? Why would anyone kill a defenseless child?

The answer came to him in a rage. Farasi had certainly resolved the issue of a mate and children. Farasi wanted an heir and he had decided Donte would be the father. Donte had declined. With departure of the scientists, there was only one way to reproduce, and he would never be unfaithful to his mate. He had escaped several times when Farasi's raiders had tried to capture him...and now this.

For a moment the numbness was replaced by a hot desire to track those men down and kill every one of them. He had never been violent in his life, but he felt capable of it now – as soon as he took care of his family.

He gently placed Bjorn's little body on the saddle and mounted again. Cuddling Bjorn to his chest with one arm, he turned Schilderen back toward their farm.

At the farm, he carried Liana and his children into the bedroom and placed them on the bed. He stared down at their mutilated bodies and felt ashamed. He had not been there when they needed him. Liana had trusted him to protect them and he had failed. If he had been home, he might not have been able to fight off the raiders, but he would have surrendered to save his mate and children. Would have...and now he could do nothing for them.

He brushed Liana's shiny black hair away from her beautiful face. I love you. It did no good to tell her now. I'm so sorry that...I failed you.

He suddenly turned and raced out of the house. He barely got outside the door when he began retching.

When he wiped his mouth with his shirt sleeve, he noticed his hand was shaking. His legs felt weak. He retched again. This couldn't be real. Mascots were actually killing Mascots. But no, the raiders had been colonists -colonists were killing Mascots.

He took a few steps on shaking legs before sinking to his knees on the ground. Thunder rumbled in the distance. He blinked to clear the flecks of light from his eyes. He made a feeble attempt to protect his face with his arms as he fell forward and lost consciousness.

Donte woke to the pound of rain on his back. He pushed away from the ground and stared back at the house, hoping it had all been a bad dream. He knew it wasn't, though, and he didn't want to see their bodies again. Schilderen snorted a short distance away. How long had he been out?

He staggered to his feet and stumbled to the equine. This was his fault and his responsibility to correct. He had not told anyone about the attempts to capture him. He had been ashamed of the reason Farasi wanted him and he didn't want to create a political issue between Nyumbani and Libertad or Bergen. He had a dream of uniting all the colonies. He had not yet contacted Lochfowk or Anialwch. Now that dream and everything had been lost.

He took Schilderen to the barn and switched the saddle to another equine before releasing Schilderen into the field. He mounted and rode to the nearest neighbor.

There, he related the news in a strangely detached voice and asked them to contact his father while he went after the raiders. After he left, it occurred to him that his neighbors would be fearing for their lives as well. It wouldn't hurt to have people on alert. If the raiders would do this, the possibility of further violence couldn't be ruled out – especially when he caught up with the raiders.

There were six of them and they were not Mascots, so odds were about even. They would have fear against them and he would have anger in his favor. He had never fought anyone in his life, other than playful scuffles. Right now, he didn't want to fight them. He wanted to terminate them. If Libertad captured them, they might be sent back to Nyumbani. He was fairly certain that if his grandfather had anything to do with it, these raiders as well as Farasi would be punished severely. The killing of Mascots could not be tolerated. They had lost too many during the plague. The birth of Bjorn had given them hope.

The raiders would be heading for the river, so he rode at a gallop for a while without looking for sign. When he moved out of the storm's path, he found a clear trail of hoof-trodden grass. They weren't even trying to hide their trail. Why? He sat up straight in the saddle and looked around. Ahead of him lay a forest and beyond that, a river. He could not sense their presence, so they weren't waiting for him.

He stopped and thought about where they were going. Probably to the sea, where they would board a ship and return to Nyumbani.

He altered his course, hoping to catch them along the river bank. In the time it had taken him to go back to his house and then to the neighbors, in the opposite direction, it had given the raiders an opportunity to get far ahead – maybe too far for him to intercept.

He arrived at the first home with a dock on the river to find six spent horses. They had ridden them hard to get here. There were no boats. He stopped at the house and knocked on the door.

A woman peeked out the window and then came to the door. I'm so glad someone came along. Some Nyumbani raiders were here. They wounded my mate and stole our boats.

He wasn't surprised that she knew the men were from Nyumbani. People from Nyumbani were easily identified because their skin was so dark.

He followed her into the bedroom where her husband lay on a cot. She wrung her hands together.

I couldn't get him on the bed.

Donte kneeled beside the man. He wasn't a doctor, but his father was and he had learned some things from him. He pulled back the bandage and looked at the wound. The man had been stabbed in the abdomen. He had no way of knowing what kind of internal damage had been done. He looked up at the woman. Do you have any curacion root?

She frowned. No. I don't know what that is.

He nodded. I'll put him in the bed where he will be more comfortable and look in the forest for the root.

She pulled back the sheets and he moved the man to the bed. He left the house to search in the forest. It was a common plant in Libertad and it didn't take him long to find some. He washed the dirt off it in the river and took it to the house. Peel those and boil them until they are soft. Then put them on the wound. It will help stop the bleeding and draw out any infection. I'll go for help.

The Nyumbani had escaped and probably wouldn't bother anyone else. There was nothing he could do for Liana and Bjorn, but he could help these people. He set his anger aside and focused on getting a doctor.

Donte met Libertad militia troops on his way back. His father was with them. Donte explained about the wounded man and led them back to the house by the river. He didn't say anything about Liana and Bjorn. Quade kept looking at him, as if wondering if he should address what had happen at the farm – or maybe he wondered why his son wasn't talking about it.

Not now.

Throughout Donte's life, Quade had always been the one he felt comfortable talking with. His father was kind, gentle and wise. He was everything a father should be – and more. Donte loved and admired him, but right now he didn't want to talk to anyone about what had happened – not until he decided what he was going to do. Neither Quade nor Pieter would like what he had in mind, but these raids on the people of Libertad had to stop. Sending militia into Nyumbani would only result in more bloodshed and escalation of hostilities. They wanted one man and it was his responsibility to see that they got that man – however briefly.

***

Donte stood over the graves, stone cold and only half listening to the eulogy. If King Farasi wanted him bad enough do this, why resist? He'd go to Nyumbani Colony, but not to give Farasi an heir. He wanted only one thing – to terminate the men who had murdered his wife and children, and that included Farasi. After that, they could execute him. His life no longer had value anyway.

Farasi had sent a message apologizing for the unfortunate incident and vowing that the men who did this would be punished. He said Bjorn had fallen from the Equine. It was an accident. Farasi had offered his idea of a peaceful solution to the raids - an heir in exchange for no more raids on Libertad or Bergen and its sub-colonies. As Donte had suspected, Quade and Pieter wanted to send troops into Nyumbani to punish them.

Donte had argued that the men who had killed Liana and Bjorn would be protected by Farasi and never be punished. Why risk the lives of their troops and innocent people in another colony when he could simply surrender to Farasi's terms?

Quade and Pieter didn't understand Donte's willingness to negotiate. They didn't know what he planned to do and he wasn't going to tell them. He didn't want everyone to suffer – only the guilty.

When the service concluded, Quade asked Donte and Peiter to his office. The two leaders had made a decision. If they refused to let him go in alone, he would request to go with the troops.

Quade shut the door to his office and waited until Donte and Pieter were seated before taking a seat behind his desk.

Son, Quade began with a solemn expression. Pieter and I do not agree with your decision, but we have decided to honor it. You are only twenty-two, but you are a man.

Donte glanced at his grandfather. Pieter said nothing. His blonde head leaned down in rare submission.

Quade's voce brought his attention back to his father. I wish you had told me about the attempts to capture you. Maybe we couldn't have prevented this, but we could have tried. He glanced at Pieter. Perhaps going to Nyumbani will settle this issue.

Peiter lifted his head and looked at Quade before turning his usual piercing light blue gaze on Donte. When you put this behind you, come to Bergen. It is your destiny.

Donte said nothing. What was there to say? He would not be permitted to return after he completed his mission. He felt sick to his stomach every time he thought about the way they had killed Liana.

Donte had vowed to Farasi that he would give him an heir in exchange for the cessation of raids. A Mascot did not renege on a vow, but he need not be concerned. After the raiders were dead, Farasi would be the one breaking a vow when he executed their killer. There would be no heir – not for Farasi or anyone else.

Quade leaned his elbows on the desk; his dark eyes empathetic. Are you certain that you want to do this?

I already promised.

Pieter shook his head and stood; a stocky figure in the dark blue uniform of Bergen colony's Ruler. It is not too late. You owe no allegiance to Farasi. I should have told him long ago that he could not have you. This was my failing, not yours. You were only a boy of fifteen when he decided he wanted you.

Donte stood. He was taller than his grandfather, but not as tall as his father.

When Donte spoke, his voice broke with emotion. If I had agreed before now, Liana and our children would still be alive. He wiped moisture from the corner of his eyes with his shirtsleeve. Only I can end this without the loss of innocent lives.

Quade stood and walked around his desk. He served his colony as a doctor as well as President. He never wore a uniform, but the people admired him in both positions. Quade enveloped Donte in a paternal hug. I love you and I am already looking forward to your return.

Chapter 2

Only three days after the funeral, a Nyumbani ship picked Donte up at Playa, a dock on the sea in Libertad. From there, they took him to his final destination; the colony of Nyumbani. There, he was introduced to King Farasi, who explained what was expected of him. It didn't matter what they expected. He wouldn't be alive long enough to satisfy Farasi's sick fantasy.

They kept him under guard for more than a week without explanation. Finally, armed guards escorted him outside to a place where people were gathered in a semi-circle. The people parted and watched as the guards took him close to the center. There, a man with a broad axe waited beside a large post. It took Donte only a moment to realize that an execution was going to take place – his own? That made no sense.

Minutes later, six Nyumbani men were marched in, their hands tied behind their backs. Another man stepped forward and lifted a parchment. Slowly, he began to read the charges in the language of the Nyumbani.

For your part in the murder of Donte's family, you will each be executed today.

Anger drew Donte's stomach into a tight knot. These were the men he had come to Nyumbani to kill. He looked each of them in the eye. Some were stoic and others were clearly terrified.

Donte looked away and found Farasi watching him. With a start, he realized what was happening. He had grossly underestimated King Farasi. The man wasn't merely dominated by the desire for an heir. He was diabolical. He had sent these men to do his bidding, and now he was going to have them executed, completing his side of the bargain. There would be no escape from a vow to produce an heir. Farasi knew why he had agreed.

When Farasi smiled, it wasn't a pleasant expression. He smiled because he had outwitted his opponent, and because he now had what he wanted.

Donte's attention returned to the men as they brought the first raider to the post and made him kneel. The man leaned over and placed his cheek on the post. His eyes found Donte's. They were not remorseful. In fact, they were defiant.

The axe man lowered the blade and placed it on the man's neck for a moment, as one might prepare for a precise cut. The eyes of the man to be executed never wavered from Donte's.

The axe came down in a clean sweep, instantly severing the head from the body. The head rolled toward Donte and stopped with the face up. The eyes opened, fixing Donte with an accusing stare before they hazed over in death.

Donte stared at the head until someone retrieved it. They dragged the body away and summoned the next man. Donte sensed his terror and saw it in his eyes.

When the axe came down for the kill, the man tried to dodge it. The axe cut through the side of his neck. Blood shot out in pulsing spurts as he screamed in agony. The assistant dragged him back to the post and the job was finished.

Donte looked away as nausea brought a vile taste to his mouth. This wasn't what he thought it would be like. He wanted these men dead and he had been willing to kill each of them – but not like this. Farasi had placed him so that each man would be looking straight at him.

Donte's gaze fell on a young bearded man who watched him with surprise. Did the man know that this was the real reason he came to Nyumbani – not to give Farasi an heir?

Donte closed his eyes, but he couldn't shut out the sound of the axe as it sank through flesh and bone four more times. He felt no satisfaction at the death of these men; not even when he thought about Liana and Bjorn. He only felt a sickening sadness for his loss. By this time, he thought he would have joined them. He wanted all this to be over. He wanted to go back home - but he couldn't. No, he would be trapped in Nyumbani until he completed an unholy chore enforced by his own vow.

He searched for and found Farasi. When Donte looked into the eyes of Farasi, he saw something that made the hair on his neck stand up. Farasi grinned. He had what he wanted now. Donte's heart raced with realization. The King of Nyumbani was insane!

Two guards led Donte away from the execution site. The smell of blood made him shudder. It reminded him of Liana the last time he held her in his arms. He wouldn't be joining Liana. Instead, he would be forced to produce an heir for the man who had sent the people to kill her. What of Farasi's daughter? Was she also insane?

He stumbled and the men on each side of him held on to him as he retched. They were not Mascots. He could easily have escaped their grip, but where would he go? He knew nothing about the territory of Nyumbani beyond what he had read on Spaceship Moeder. Of course, there had been contact between Libertad and Bergen - even long before the Parliament left, but it had been done in secret. There had been no documentation.

While he waited for his release, he would learn as much about Nyumbani as he could. His release. That brought his thoughts back to why he was in Nyumbani, and the vow he had made. He leaned over and retched again. What had he done?

After the execution of the raiders, Farasi wasted no time in reminding Donte of his commitment. The next morning, two guards delivered him to the woman Farasi referred to with wry humor as the ice princess; his daughter, Halisi.

Donte expected the mother of his future child to be a heartless woman living in a castle surrounded by the poor people who served her, as it was with Farasi. Instead, Halisi lived on a run-down farm far from the palace. Her clothes were clean but worn and plain, certainly not what one might expect of a princess. Like all the people of Nyumbani, Halisi had dark golden-brown skin, brown eyes and black curly hair. She was tall and slender, her movements graceful. Her complexion was flawless. In his short life, he had only seen one woman more beautiful than Halisi.

Halisi accepted the introductions without emotion. She seemed resigned to her role. Only the scientists who put them on Purlieu had had the technology to artificially create life in the past. This could only be done one way, and he wasn't looking forward to that. In the colony of Bergen, what he had to do would be considered sinful, but that wasn't the worst of it. What he would be doing to Halisi, at her father's request, was unthinkable. Once again, the consequences of his lust for revenge made him feel sick to his stomach.

There would be nothing pleasant about this situation and he would leave as soon as he accomplished his mission. It troubled him to think that he would be abandoning his child to such a hopeless situation, but maybe there would be something he could do about it when he got back to his own colony.

***

Life with Halisi was certainly enlightening. He had never known hard times until Liana's death. He had never experienced hate until then. In Nyumbani, hunger was a constant enemy and hatred for Farasi was their only energy source. Few knew how to read because Farasi had burned all the books except those in the library of the palace. To his way of thinking, women had no need for an education and it only gave the colonists ideas about rebellion. Farasi believed children should be helping their parents produce crops, not going to school. Whatever Farasi believed was the law. The Mascot leader of Nyumbani had turned on his own people. How could this happen?

Donte knew that Nyumbani colony had received the least assistance. They had started with almost nothing and they appeared to have less now. He knew they had been the first to contact other colonies, even though they had been forbidden to do so. What he didn’t know until now was their motivation to raid.

Because the healthcare choice for Nyumbani had been survival of the fittest, they had been assigned to the most forgiving environment. The climate was tropical, giving colonists the opportunity to grow crops year-round. It contained the largest variety of wildlife. Their knowledge of modern medicine had been limited, and that lost over the years. They need only hunt and grow crops to survive, therefore, they had been given nothing. The colonies were, after all, experiments. When he asked Halisi why they had not prospered, they had their first real discussion. They were shucking corn in the dilapidated barn and she stopped, looking around them.

I thought all the spaceships left with The Parliament. I know nothing about experiments. I only know that the plague changed things for us. All my brothers died and for a while, we thought that my father would die. She grimaced. I don't think he ever truly recovered. He used to be a kind man – a fair leader. Now he is.... She left the statement unfinished. One did not malign a parent, even if he was a ruthless insane tyrant.

Why does he want me to give him an heir when he has one – you?

She shook her head. My father says female Mascots were created to reproduce, not to lead. She shrugged. It is a constant struggle to prevent the jungle from taking over, and the soil is not good for farming. Since our muskets were taken away, hunts are not successful. Most of the wild animals do not breed well in captivity. If not for our excellent fisherman, we all would have starved by now – or died of illness.

Donte looked out the open door at Halisi's garden. But you do well.

She sighed. Better than most. Being a Mascot, I have more strength and stamina to work longer.

Couldn't you go to live in the palace with your father?

She looked at him as if he were an ignorant child. And leave the people to starve while I grew fat on the proceeds of raids? No, Donte. That would be wrong. In any case, my father looks at me only as a prospect for an heir. This I will do, and then he will forget me altogether.

Is that the way you want it – to be forgotten by your father?

Her gaze settled on the forgotten corn in his hands. I wish to do what I can to feed the people honorably. That requires endless days of toil.

Warmth rushed up his neck as he went back to husking the corn. If he wanted to eat, he'd better start working something besides his mouth.

Unlike Halisi, Donte missed his father. He loved and admired him. He had sent him a letter, letting him know that he had arrived safely and would be coming back home as soon as he could. Since he had received no response, he had no way of knowing if his father had even received the letter.

Donte had been born with an abnormality. He could sense the presence of animals in the forest. He could sense people the same way and knew if their intent was benevolent, malevolent or indifferent. No one knew why he could do this. He simply did. He had combined this skill with those he had learned from other hunters. He had been invited on hunts since he was a young boy, but Nyumbani knew nothing of his hunting prowess. When he offered to help the hunters, Halisi looked upon him not only as a child, but with suspicion as well.

Thank you, but I imagine our hunters are far more experienced.

He nodded. Probably, but what do you have to lose?

She looked up from straining the milk into a clay pot. You. If father discovered you had wandered off with weapons, we would all be punished.

I see. What if I go with the hunters?

I need you here and they don't need another mouth to feed on their hunts.

You could spare me for one day, couldn't you? I won't eat anything.

Do you think we are fools? You would run away and they would lose time searching for you.

I won't run away. I made a vow, and a Mascot does not renege on a vow.

She continued straining the milk. No doubt, she thought the conversation was over but there was too much at stake to give up. People were starving – children went to bed hungry.

I gave my word. Let them tie my hands if you wish, but let me help them.

She finished straining the milk and removed the cloth from the top of the pot, placing it in a basin of water. Why?

Because your people are starving, and I can help them.

How?

I sense the presence of animals.

She sighed as she put a cover on the pot. Donte, you are a Mascot. Mascots have special skills, but sensing the presence of animals is not one of them.

I gave my word, he repeated.

She watched him for a minute, as if giving it some thought. We shall see.

Two days later, he trotted off with a group of men to hunt. They were out no more than two hours before he sensed a bovine. The men followed his directions and killed a bovine large enough to feed the entire village for a while. They returned triumphant, but Halisi attributed their success to luck. The next time they went on a hunt, they requested his presence and she let him go. Again, his unusual skill made the hunt successful.

The men coached him in the use of their primitive weapons and even presented him with weapons they had made. After that, he often joined them for hunts, and sometimes even hunted alone. Halisi accepted that his hunting skills were unusually good, but discarded the idea that he could sense the animals. No Mascot could do that.

Halisi didn’t hunt, but she had used ingenuity in running her farm. She had one bovine cow and when it needed to be bred, she