TravellersRefuge Read online

  An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

  www.ellorascave.com

  Traveller’s Refuge

  ISBN 9781419910593

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  Traveller’s Refuge Copyright © 2007 Anny Cook

  Edited by Helen Woodall.

  Photography and cover art by Les Byerley.

  Electronic book Publication August 2007

  This book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

  Traveller’s Refuge

  Anny Cook

  Dedication

  For my children, Daniel, Anthony, Julie and Jennifer because they always said, “Never give up.”

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Band-Aid: Johnson and Johnson Corporation

  Chevy: General Motors Corporation

  Explorer: Ford Motor Company Corporation

  Nike: Nike, Incorporated Corporation

  Ravens: Baltimore Ravens Limited Partnership Baltimore Football LLC

  Scrabble: Hasbro, Incorporated Corporation

  Snickers: Mars, Incorporated Corporation

  Toyota: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki TA Toyota Motor Corporation

  Yahtzee: Hasbro, Incorporated Corporation

  Ziploc: S.C. Johnson Home Storage, Incorporated Corporation

  Mystic Valley Glossary

  attachment: natural mind bond that does not require pledging rite

  barbahla: flat bread

  birth-rite: special rite performed at the oath-binding to facilitate immediate pregnancy

  bohras: wild pigs, very dangerous to hunt thus requiring a large hunting party

  bond mate: individuals joined by pledging and oath-binding or covenant bond

  burda: time during which an embryo develops mental talents. Parents spend this time joined in sexual union

  chinkas: jeweled clasps awarded to warriors for the required twenty-five braids their hair is confined in. Five colors indicate the warrior’s particular specialties or training

  covenant bond: bond joining individuals who will not be producing children together, such as garzhan couples or third or fourth partners

  cucazhas: vegetable similar to a cucumber or zucchini, type of squash

  dinti: one of the four nonhuman sentient species in the valley—resembles a large dog with extremely long hair. The hair is saved and used for weaving of bonding blankets. Dintis often companion young human females

  drackas: wild onions—will not grow as a cultivar

  drang: one of the four nonhuman sentient species in the valley—a small dragon, said to be the forerunner and advisor of the next high clan chief

  eight-day: one week

  firka: one of the four non-human sentient species in the valley—a gerbil-hamster-like creature that mostly lives in and weeds gardens

  flicknives: long-bladed wavy-edged throwing knives worn in sheathes on the leg. When thrown they spin like a drill

  foltins: wild potatoes—cannot be cultivated

  garzhan: non-heterosexual

  garzhinka: crude expression for sexual activity

  gilly fish: glittering green fish similar to trout

  grimahr: very large wild catlike carnivore that has various combinations of blue-green, blue-purple or green-purple stripes

  grimahr dance: formalized series of fighting stances that are performed in sequence. Each series can be used both offensively and defensively

  hopper: small animal similar to a rabbit or guinea pig that is raised for food

  hot rocks: briquettes similar to charcoal that can be extinguished with water and reused. Mostly used for cooking

  hurkas: round domed tents fashioned from a variety of materials

  jloni: any adult in a bonded group who is not the biological parent of the children—analogous to a step-parent

  jlonijai: lineage, family line

  katuazha: caretaker for a healer, normally a sibling

  kroniche: leather armor or vest usually armed with tiny throwing knives in sheathes on chest

  kzusha: penis

  light stone: naturally occurring stones incorporated into all lamps in valley. They require no external power

  linual: reed paper

  malzhal tree: tree with very hard, ironlike black glittering wood used specifically for looms

  meerlim: female dress—wraparound with two fastenings at waist. May be sleeveless or have sleeves

  mhital: milking movement at orgasm by cervix—aids fertility chances

  moorash disease: disease carried by cannibalistic grimahrs—transferred by biting—usually fatal to humans

  morkert: lawgiver, justice, arbitrator

  oath-binding: blood rite to bond heterosexual couple after pledging rite

  packits: one of the four nonhuman sentient species in the valley—small cats in a variety of colors who often companion young human males

  peekie: blue or green bird similar to a chicken and utilized in much the same manner for meat and eggs

  pilkie bug: small furry blue bug that curls when frightened, usually found in compost heaps

  pledging rite: rite to begin mind bond, must be completed prior to oath-binding

  pocco nuts: coconut, coconut tree

  punchbow: type of crossbow, armed with as many as five heavy bolts and worn on forearm. In the hands of an experienced warrior can be fired while spinning in a circle

  quoltania: blue fruit tree used for a variety of things—cooking, tea, scents, flavoring

  rapport: deep mind bonding, usually reserved for bond mates because of its intimacy, but known also between twins

  reefah: plant that yields oil used for weapons care

  rowan: horse-cow type of animal used for meat, milk, dairy. Produces great quantities of manure used by farmers

  schalzah: a sexual frenzy usually triggered by delayed oath-binding or a twin pregnancy

  schalzina: female biological preparation for oath-binding and pregnancy. If sexual contact with the bond mate is denied either through a delayed oath-binding or loss of mate, schalzina can escalate to life threatening levels with cramping, bleeding, and miscarriage if a pregnancy is involved. Schalzina continues for the duration of the pregnancy.

  schalzintelo: a very rare form of mind frenzy triggered by a delayed covenant bond between twin-bond twins

  schela: ring of muscle in vagina that locks around the head of the penis preventing withdrawal

  semtorn: initial sponsor in the valley, individual who administers enzyme through a bite that is required for long-term survival in the valley. Enzyme transfer must be performed during a bonding rite

  sharda: men’s kiltlike garment—not plaid

  shera: men’s wraparound shirt. When made of heavy fabric it may serve as a coat

  sim: very mild alcoholic drink similar to ale

  singing stones: flat disks fashioned from chinka material that are used to capture any audio sound—played back by spinning the disk

  slith: tiny decorative knife worn as a hair ornament by warriors, given in recognition of special events in the warrior’s life, used in the oath-binding ceremony

  wachaz: thorny bush. Leaves are used for tea to relieve cramping particularly for schalzina, bark is used for tea to relieve headache

  wolvala: species of wild wolf

  wo
olie: species of sheep. Wool used for clothing, meat for food

  Cast of Characters

  Llewellyn Family

  Baron Merlyn Llewellyn: father

  Jade: mother

  Children, in order: Epona (called Eppie), Tyger, Llyon, Wrenna, Arano, Arturo, Robyn, Wolfe, Hawke, Falcon, Panther, Llynx, Cougar and Gazelle

  Bishop Llewellyn: Merlyn’s brother

  Out-valley Characters

  Traveller Devereaux: Wrenna’s bond mate

  Dancer Devereaux: Traveller’s brother and Eppie’s bond mate

  Fremont Llewellyn (usually called Free): Baron’s estranged father, head of the government agency that employs Traveller and Dancer Devereaux

  Teacher, Tracer, and Raven: Traveller and Dancer’s siblings

  Carl DeMarko: hunter sent to retrieve Traveller and Dancer for Free Llewellyn

  Tiffany DeMarko: Free Llewellyn’s lover, Bishop Llewellyn’s lover.

  Mystic Valley Inhabitants—Lost Market Village

  Dai Janusai: healer, senior warrior, third in covenant bond with Merlyn and Jade

  Homer Brown: abusive out-valley man who settled in valley

  Silence Brown: Dai’s daughter and Homer Brown’s bond mate

  Marta Ewell: midwife who delivered most of the Llewellyn children

  Dan Miller: village baker

  Eron Burns: village butcher

  Noah Jones: barter keeper

  Micah Jollye: blacksmith

  Mystic Valley Recent Immigrants

  Hamilton and Rebaccah McCrory: scientist and wife who fled to the valley to escape Free Llewellyn

  McCrory children: Elizabeth, Samara, Qwenna, and Andrew

  Nathan and Morgana Taylor: Hamilton’s coworker and wife who also fled to the valley to escape Free Llewellyn

  Taylor children: Joshua, Jacob, and Sapphira

  Locations

  Bright Shadows Mountains: mythical mountains placed in the general area of West Virginia, USA

  Dai’s Hamlet: village halfway between Lost Market and Talking Wall

  Dai’s Retreat: home that Dai built near Dai’s Hamlet so that he might visit his grandchildren there more easily. Frequently used as a summer home by the Llewellyn children.

  Deep Meadow: huge meadow southeast of Lost Market where village children sometimes play

  Elyria: one of the numerous bonding cottages where newly bonded couples spend the first three months of their bonding in privacy

  Lost Market: primary village in Mystic Valley. Most inhabitants of Lost Market are recent immigrants to Mystic Valley or their immediate descendents.

  Mystic Valley: hidden valley reached only through a series of tunnels that appear and disappear intermittently. Once in Mystic Valley, there is no known exit.

  Needle Rock: the Judgment Seat. Located near Lost Market, this tall rock spire is the place where valley miscreants are taken for judgment.

  Rebaccah’s Promise: village far to the north, near Talking Wall

  Shadow Lake: deep, very cold lake that borders the southwest wall of the valley

  Stonehollow: one of the numerous bonding cottages where newly bonded couples spend the first three months of their bonding in privacy

  Talking Wall: enormous hanging wall on far north side of the valley. It is covered with palm-sized glyphs that contain the history, laws and customs of the valley. Much of it is in the “old” language of the valley. Archivists work full time to translate the information on the wall.

  Prologue

  Hundred-mile-an-hour wind-driven rain lashed the squat concrete-block building where the small group of survivors huddled in the shadows. Typhoon Kiko had inundated the lowlands of southern coastal Vietnam with a raging storm surge and heavy rains and the shrieking winds drowned out every other sound. Traveller squatted in a dark corner, wryly wondering what demon was responsible for him being in the Far East during the worst typhoon of the season. A muffled crash outside heralded the loss of another tree. Inside, the other people drew closer together and shivered in the damp air.

  The shacks surrounding the two-story block building had disintegrated in the first blast of the storm, releasing debris that turned into a deadly hail of missiles that hit the building with terrifying whomps. Trav figured they would all be incredibly lucky to survive, especially when—not if—the rickety roof went. Already the initial storm surge had flooded the first floor halfway up the stairs and it was still rising.

  Pulling his battered backpack to the space between his knees, he rummaged beneath his rumpled clothes for one of the granola bars his brother Dancer had made for him. He always carried them instead of candy bars because in the steamy heat of the Far East chocolate melted. His fingers brushed against his gun, wrapped securely in a t-shirt and a Ziploc bag. Another bag that contained his personal papers slipped down below it. He shoved that aside and plucked the bag of food bars from the bottom, a small wry grin flashing very briefly across his face. It never failed, no matter how carefully he packed, the food always ended up on the bottom.

  He fished a small square from the jam-packed bag, popped it into his mouth and resealed the bag before tossing it back into his pack. Munching quietly, he contemplated the possibilities and advantages of retirement. One—he wouldn’t be likely to find himself in the middle of nowhere in a typhoon. Two—he would be able to have a real life with real friends and maybe even a woman of his own. Three—when the imaginary woman or friends asked him what he did for a living, he would be able to tell them the truth instead of lying to cover the fact that he killed people. Even though the government sanctioned the hits, that didn’t help. Killing destroyed the soul and heart. If it didn’t, you were already dead. Of course, sometimes there were people out there more than willing to help you on your way. He wondered how many of the ambushes he’d survived in the past week were set up by his boss. It was one way to avoid paying retirement benefits.

  The howl outside picked up in intensity. Across the room, a little girl sitting on her mother’s lap stared at him with huge dark wounded eyes. He wished he could reassure her but everyone in the room was a stranger and he didn’t dare risk leaving his bag unattended. With his back braced against the wall, he slid down until his jeans-clad butt rested on the floor and wearily leaned his head back, tilting his battered ball cap down so that the bill hid his deep blue eyes. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had an uninterrupted night of sleep.

  He thought about his brother, Dancer, and wondered what he was doing. He knew that Dance had already informed his agent, Jake, that he wasn’t going to tour again when this one was done. Dance was tired of the concerts and fans and his own assignments from their boss, Free Llewellyn. If he didn’t get out of the business of assassination soon, he would have no soul left.

  Abruptly the wind dropped to a sigh. In the corner, a man muttered about the storm finally ending and Trav repositioned his cap to cover his vibrant strawberry blond hair before he shook his head. “It’s just the eye. In a little while it will start back up, worse than ever,” he said in fractured French.

  The little girl’s mother nodded agreement. The man cursed beneath his breath and stood up. “I’m going up to the roof to see what’s going on,” he announced almost belligerently.

  Trav shrugged. The woman gave the man a puzzled frown. “Why? Everything is flooded and we have no boat. Where would we go? We must wait here for help.”

  Without bothering to reply, the man stomped out the door, slamming it behind him. The others settled down, taking advantage of the lull of the storm to rearrange their belongings and get more comfortable. Someone got the bright idea of using the restroom and in slow trickles they made the trip down the gloomy hall and back. With no water to flush, Trav didn’t even want to think what it must smell like by the time the last one finished.

  The woman arranged two folded blankets on the floor to make a pallet and helped her little girl get comfortable for a nap. Another older woman dug in her deep string bag and brought out two bananas, a p
apaya and a mangosteen. With a shy smile, she offered them to the others in the group. A man that Trav assumed was perhaps the little girl’s father located a dusty in-box on a desk in the corner. He carefully wiped it off and then covered it with a clean sheet of paper. Taking out his pocketknife, he peeled and sliced the fruit in sections before arranging it on the tray. One by one the others helped themselves to the treat, though Trav declined with a smile. From bitter experience, he had learned never to eat anything he hadn’t prepared himself—especially when he was in the field.