The Welcome

 

Drindl sauntered down the aisle between the prisoners huddled along the wall and those who clumped in frightened groups in the middle of the large room. A guard stepped into the aisle to check Drindl's progress but then backed away in deference to the young warrior. There was no sign of drooped shoulders in his carriage. Alithea had interpreted his pose through the filter of her own weariness.

"So glad to see you all!" he said. Erthen turned at the familiar voice, then held up his arms to be picked up. Drindl beamed as he scooped up the boy, then glanced at the haggard appearance of the others. "So sorry. That is a horrid journey in the belly of that beast. Took me a few days to recover."

Reaching with his other hand to Alpen, he nodded respect to his teacher. Seeing the hole that Alpen and Erthen had dug, he laughed, "You won't get out that way."

Alithea spoke up, choking the words. "Drindl, that was a grave for our babes. They all died. The heat in the ship's hold was too much for them."

Drindl shifted Erthen to his other arm, then reached out to Alithea. "Alamea?" He turned to Bebe. "Darden and Bella also?" He looked at the dead bodies in her lap. "This is unforgiveable! Come with me. Let us have a proper burial for the young ones." He turned to Erthen and gave him a gentle poke in the belly. "I'll bet you could use something to eat, young warrior. That is some hole you dug there."

Erthen watched Drindl's mouth move, digesting the words and the timbre of his voice, then laid his head against Drindl's shoulder. "When did you eat last?"

"This morning," Fallon replied. "The Sprints cornered us. We were north of the - what do you call them? Flipper feet, big bodies lying around on the beach."

"Oh, yes. Quite tasty." Drindl disengaged from Erthen and gave the boy to Fallon. Turning to Bebe, he said, "Can we set them in the playpen? I think we should get you some fresh clothes, some food and then we will pay them respects."

Bebe looked at the still bodies of the babes lying on the torn cloth in her lap. Drindl looked around at the others and they nodded. After Bebe set the young babes in the playpen, Drindl asked if he could carry the playpen.

Alithea helped Bebe to her feet, then leaned into her. "Is he different or is it me?"

Bebe looked at Alithea, then to Drindl standing several feet away with the playpen. "He's our savior. What if he is different?"