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  He stared with disinterest at his captor. It didn’t matter anyway. Nothing mattered. The fiend was huge—at least five times bigger than he was. A huge bald head with tiny ears sat atop a massive body. His skin felt rough and leathery. The thing had its mouth open just wide enough for Tovi to see misshapen teeth, mostly yellowish brown. But its eyes shone bright, and, in contrast to everything else about the monster, its eyes seemed kind.

  The beast held him up by the collar and looked him up and down. With his finger, he gently poked Tovi in the stomach and then laughed and poked him again.

  “Hey. Quit.” But Tovi’s words lacked enthusiasm.

  The thing quit, though. He cocked his head, eyes widening.

  Tovi spied what looked like a leather pouch or skin lying on the ground with a plug in the end. Maybe that’s his water. He pointed toward the pouch and then put his hand to his mouth like drinking. It worked.

  The monster reached down and picked up the skin and lifted it to Tovi’s mouth, after removing the plug. The water flowed freely, the sweetest water that the young Azyrean had ever tasted. He gulped and gulped until the pouch was pulled away. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and gazed at his captor again. “Thank you,” he nodded.

  The eyes that stared back at him seemed to register understanding. The huge head nodded.

  Tovi pointed to his chest. “Tovi.”

  The monster pushed his finger into Tovi’s chest. “Tovi.”

  “Yes. Tovi.” And the young lad pointed toward his captor and arched his brow.

  The beast narrowed his eyes for a moment and then grinned. Pointing to himself, he announced, “Klunk.”

  Tovi repeated the name, “Klunk.” He nodded and smiled.

  Klunk’s smile broadened and he broke out in laughter. “Tovi.” He pushed his finger into the young boy’s chest and then into his own. “Klunk.” And with that, he released the grip on Tovi’s collar, and Tovi tumbled to the ground.

  The water skin lay on the ground beside him. Tovi pointed to it and then made the drinking motion again. Klunk shrugged.

  After a few more gulps of water, Tovi felt more like a proper Azyrean. He wondered if Klunk could understand him. So far, the great hulk of a being had said nothing but the two names. He decided to try talking to him. “Do you know where we are?”

  Klunk gazed out across the desert in the same direction that Tovi had been traveling. “Kraal.” He pointed, although Tovi could not see anything in that direction.

  “Kraal? What’s Kraal?”

  Klunk cocked his head and stared. “Kraal. Home.” He pointed again.

  Tovi’s head spun. The giant apparently understood and spoke the Azyrean language. “Home? Your home?”

  Klunk grinned and nodded.

  “Do you know where Pangrove is?’

  The grin faded. Klunk narrowed his eyes and gazed around the horizon. After a moment, he shook his head and shrugged, the smile returning. He put his hand in the pouch around his belt. With his other hand, he pointed toward Tovi. “Eat. Tovi.”

  Waves of terror coursed over the young Azyrean. “No! No! Please, don’t eat me.”

  Klunk roared with laughter as he pulled something from his pouch and handed it to the young Azyrean. “Eat. Tovi.”

  Tovi took the piece of meat, which was covered in what looked like a mix of sand and lint from the giant’s pouch. He took a small bite and tried to endure the grit as he chewed. Despite the dirt, the meat tasted good. He nodded as he chewed. “Good. Thank you.”

  “Good. Eat. Tovi. Then we go to Kraal—home.”

  Chapter 11: Tovi

  After swallowing the last of the dry, sand-coated mystery meat, Tovi took another gulp of water from the skin and handed it back to Klunk. “Okay. Let’s go.” With that, he sprang up and started toward the pointed structures in the distance. Within three paces, though, he felt himself once again hoisted into the air by his collar. This time he ended up on Klunk’s shoulder as the giant strode across the desert sands.

  The pace settled into a rhythm—clump, clump, clump. Tovi watched the ground whiz by and felt the warm wind in his face, blowing his hair. Tinges of pink and orange streaked the horizon ahead of them. The brilliant blue of the sky deepened with every passing moment. With surprising speed, the sharp points he had seen earlier became the pointed roofs of what looked like fifteen or twenty huts. Every few minutes he caught a whiff of smoke mixed with another, unfamiliar smell—some kind of food.

  As they covered the last few kilometers, the giant burst into song, keeping time with the pounding footfalls.

  Klunk, Klunk—going home

  Across the land of sand and stone

  Klunk, Klunk—feeling right

  Sleeping under stars at night

  As the ditty ended, he chortled. “I sing good, huh.”

  Tovi laughed but wondered about the gentle giant. By the look of him, he seemed rough and strong but not so smart. When he spoke or sang, for that matter, he came across as kind and funny. And something about him seemed intelligent, in a strange way. “Where did you learn that song?”

  “Ha!” Klunk never broke stride. “I thought it up. Right now.” Clump, clump, clump. The pace quickened. “You like it, huh?”

  “It’s awsie.”

  “What’s awsie?” The giant turned his head toward his passenger.

  Tovi chuckled. “Awsie, you know. Awesome—good. I like it.”

  “Ha! Klunk awsie.” The huge bulk of a being shook his head and pointed. “Kraal just there.” He broke into a slow trot as if trying to beat darkness to the village.

  As they approached, Klunk stopped and took Tovi from his shoulder. “We must see the chief.” He started toward the circle of huts, beckoning with his hand for Tovi to follow.

  Stares greeted their arrival. Scores of giants who looked very similar to Klunk turned from whatever tasks they were performing. Some pointed. Others spoke in hushed tones among themselves. Tovi didn’t notice any smiles.

  A small group of these giants, who looked to be about the same age as Klunk, sat apart from the others. One of them stood and pointed. “I see Klunk has finally found his pet.” Laughter erupted from the group.

  Another, who remained sitting, responded, “No. Rodents do not count.” He slapped his hand on his thigh and guffawed. The one who was standing, who had made the original comment, clutched his stomach and doubled over with laughter.

  Klunk glanced at them for only a second but kept marching, Tovi could not see his face, although something told him that the giant was not happy about the comments.

  They came to a stop outside the largest hut in the Kraal. “Chief lives here.” He spoke in a low voice. Then, stepping up to the entrance, which was covered by a leather sheet, he called out, “Chief Rynested, Klunk returns. Wish to speak.”

  The sound of rustling emerged from inside, and the sheet covering the door was pulled aside. An older and larger version of Klunk strode out. At first, he locked gazes with Klunk and nodded but quickly jerked his head down toward Tovi and stared with wide eyes.

  Klunk bowed his head for an instant before speaking. “I found this thing, Tovi it is called, five hundred strides toward the sun. He nearly danced with the raven. But I fixed him and brought him back.”

  Tovi watched the exchange. Klunk kept his gaze on the chief, who kept his on Tovi. “Are there more Tovis out there?” The chief gestured toward the direction from which the pair had come.

  Klunk shrugged and looked down at the young Azyrean.

  Tovi took that as a cue. “I am alone. I came here on a moonbeam by mistake. I need to get home, to Pangrove. Can you help me?” He stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared at the chief, who towered over him.

  “Why did you not leave him? He does not belong here.”

  Klunk shifted his gaze between Tovi and the chief. “But he shares the breath of life and the words of Myhrren. I thought the Word said that I should bring him here.”

  Chief Rynested rubbed his bald head an
d narrowed his eyes as he gazed at Tovi. “Yes. Perhaps you are right. His breath should not be taken without reason.” His mouth broadened into a smile. “Yes, of course you were right to bring him here.” He strode out past the pair toward the gathering residents. “Come around, all of you.” He gestured behind him. “Klunk has found this Tovi in the desert and brought him here. We will keep his breath.”

  Tovi noticed a few smiles and more hushed words. The large group shuffled about but remained close. He offered his meekest smile back at them—the one he used on his mom when he’d been caught doing mischief. It had always worked before.

  Klunk touched Tovi on the shoulder. “Come. Eat, Tovi. Huh.” He pointed toward one of the huts.

  As the two started over to what Tovi assumed was Klunk’s home, the chief’s voice caught up with them from behind. “After food and sleep, before the moon journeys to the mountain, he must see Myhrren.”

  Chapter 12: Tovi

  Tovi and Klunk made their way across the hard-packed dirt clearing toward the ring of huts marking Klunk’s village, the kraal. “Where are we going?”

  Klunk pointed ahead. “That one.” His voice had become more subdued. He hung his head as he walked.

  A dusty leather sheet covered the entrance to the house. Klunk stamped his feet twice on the stone outside before pulling the makeshift door aside and stepping in. Tovi followed him.

  As his eyes adjusted to the dim light inside, he saw a hulk of a woman. He assumed it was a woman, anyway. She had hair on her head that almost covered her ears. Beyond that, her body looked not that much different from Klunk’s. She just had that mom look, standing with arms crossed, staring at the two.

  Klunk stepped forward and bowed his head. “Mamaw, I return. This thing is Tovi.”

  The young Azyrean cringed at the referral to him as a thing but decided to keep his mouth shut.

  She tilted her head back and narrowed her eyes, looking down her pudgy nose at them. “And you took it to the chief?”

  Klunk shuffled his feet on the floor as he spoke. “Yes, Mamaw. He said that he should eat and sleep and then see Myhrren.”

  “Did the chief say that he must eat and sleep here?”

  “Mamaw? If not here, then where?” Klunk’s words came out full of worry.

  Mamaw turned her back on them. She ambled over to a counter and poured liquid from a large stone jug into two smaller containers. “Come, drink. I will prepare meat and nuts.” She set the cups aside and started unwrapping two cloth packets. From one she retrieved several strips of what looked like the same meat Klunk had given Tovi earlier, minus the sand and lint. From the other, she got a handful of nuts.

  Klunk gestured toward the counter with his head. “Come. We eat.”

  Tovi nodded but said nothing. He figured that this Mamaw was Klunk’s mother. The father, if there was one, was nowhere to be seen.

  “After you eat, I have work for you.” She moved away from the counter toward the other side of the hut.

  “Yes, Mamaw.” Klunk grinned and picked up a stone plate and the cup of liquid. “We go sit outside. Cooler out there and the bright bugs light up.”

  Tovi sat on the stoop beside Klunk. “What kind of meat?”

  The giant picked up a strip and looked at it. “Dried desert hare. All over out there.” He waved his arm in a semi-circle toward the horizon.

  Tovi chewed the dried meat and swallowed, washing it down with a gulp of water. The hare had a kind of salty-sweet taste, unlike anything he’d had before. He took a handful of nuts and popped them into his mouth. They had a crunchy texture and a smoky taste. “Hmmm. Good.”

  Klunk nodded but ate in silence.

  Tovi recalled their arrival in the kraal and what looked to be a bunch of giants about Klunk’s age. “What were they talking about, you know, when we came here? About you getting a pet?”

  “Nothing.” The giant stared down at the ground as he continued to chew.

  Tovi took another sip of water and then started back in on the meat. At the edge of the kraal, he saw sparkles of light twinkling. “Bright bugs?” He nodded out toward them.

  Klunk swallowed and took a drink. “Yes. They come out at night.” He took a handful of nuts and tossed them into his mouth.

  Within a few minutes, Tovi became aware of a new sound, a familiar one—a combination of buzzing and chirping. In Pangrove, those sounds were made by crickets. He had learned that in class. Probably the same here but maybe they call them something different.

  He chewed on in silence, wondering if it was nighttime at home and if the bugs were chirping and the fireflies were blinking. Marzi was probably there just finishing dinner. Maybe she missed him, maybe not. But surely Mom and Dad wanted him back. What were they doing? Were they out looking for him? Maybe the entire town was out searching. He glanced up at the dark sky—with its millions of stars. This was definitely not Pangrove.

  “Where are your moons?” It occurred to him that moonlight was what kept the sky so bright at home. He wondered if they even knew what a moon was here.

  Klunk pointed in the direction of the sunset. “There.”

  Tovi followed his gesture and saw a thin crescent of yellow light. “That’s all? Just one?”

  “Moon. We call it Brahl. Sometimes it is thin but sometimes round and bright. It comes and goes.” Klunk leaned back against the doorframe of the hut. “The moon makes a journey as it changes. It seeks the mountain.” He pointed in the opposite direction. “You must see Myhrren before the journey is done.”

  Tovi remembered the words of the chief. “How long does it take?”

  The giant cleared his throat and then took a swig of water. “Total of forty-five days. The journey is now ten days started, so we have thirty-five days left. Plenty of time.”

  But Tovi’s mind was not on the journey to Myhrren. He wanted to go home. He wanted to eat at the table with his parents and sleep in his own bed. And he never wanted to ride another moonbeam as long as he lived.

  Chapter 13: Jarek

  Jarek sat and surveyed the area. “Interesting. Quite interesting.” He searched his immediate surroundings in the darkness but could make out few details. Some trees here and there dotted the otherwise open landscape. The grass barely covered the lower part of his leather boots.

  “Where in the blazes are those kids off to?” For reasons he didn’t quite fathom, he kept his voice low. Walking over toward one of the trees, he grew bolder. “Okay you two. You’ve had your fun. You can come out now.”

  The sound of chirping crickets responded.

  He amped up the volume. “I don’t have to remind you, the Pangrove assembly has little patience for mischief. Now get your backsides out here right this instance.”

  Nothing but the sound of insects violated the silence. Jarek looked up. Curious. By my account, Dona, Lanyr, and Chyn should all be high in the sky right now. Onal should be rising shortly. Everyone knew that there were always at least three moons in the Pangrove sky at any one time. He’d heard tell that every few hundred years, all seven of them made an appearance at the same time, but he’d never seen it. Here in this night sky, a single sliver of yellow light hung low over the horizon. Most curious indeed.

  He crept a few meters farther, past the first tree. The faint sound of gurgling water reached his ears, reminding him that he was thirsty. He had not eaten or drunk anything since his mid-afternoon snack, well before his meeting with Director Dornan. He homed in on the direction of the water and picked up his pace. A few seconds later, he stood staring down at a small stream.

  He dropped to his knees, maintaining as much decorum as possible, and cupped icy cold water in his hands. It went down smoothly, quenching his thirst. He took another gulp. Some food would be nice. “No. Better to find those children and get back before the old guy notices that I’m gone.” A horrible thought flashed through his mind. When he’d jumped after the kids, colored beams were appearing all over the hillside. He could only imagine the chaos that must be reign
ing. If it hadn’t been such a terrifying thought, he might have chuckled.

  He stood, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted. “Come out! Now! Last chance. If I have to go back without you, I’ll make a full report.” He turned around, searching the darkness—still nothing.

  Jarek sighed and muttered, “Oh, well, nothing for it but just to go back.” He realized for the first time that there was no return portal. But there was supposed to be one. The system description was quite clear. At the lower terminus of each moonbeam, a portal appeared to take the rider back to the top of the bluff. But he could see nothing that resembled what he sought.

  “No portal. And only that sickly excuse for a partial moon in the sky. And this,” he glanced around at the landscape, “is definitely not Pangrove.” A sinking feeling swept over him.

  Chapter 14: Jarek

  The night brought little rest for Jarek. He wandered in circles, afraid to venture far from where he had been deposited. And still no portal. Eventually, he sat, his back to a large tree trunk, and closed his eyes for a few moments.

  When he awoke, the darkness had given way to a dull, gray half-light. With the improved visibility, he was able to make out greater detail, which told him nothing. There were trees and grass. He could still hear the gurgling stream.

  He struggled to a standing position, not used to sleeping on hard ground. Stretching and yawning, he ambled over to the stream. After splashing cold water on his face, he followed with a few icy gulps. Jarek plopped back in a sitting position to consider his options.

  “I guess they’ll fire me.” After all, he’d allowed the colored beams to run rampant on the bluff. Two kids had jumped onto them and disappeared, although he had a sneaking suspicion that they’d probably found their way home already. “Yeah, they’re probably sitting in their comfortable home playing with their breakfast and complaining about having to go to school.” Worst of all, he had abandoned his post and hadn’t come back. “I’m done for.” He didn’t relish the idea of cleaning toilets for a living. And all because of those two kids. “When I catch up to them, I’ll give them a piece of my mind.” As if that was going to make a difference.