Trojian Horse
Chapter 32

Roue opened his eyes to replace himself in a hut constructed out of mud and thatched with reeds and found himself lying on some thick furs. There was a rounded hole that served as a doorway for the hut which faced in the middle of the settlement. His restraints were gone.

He got to his feet and crept out of the hut into the brilliant sunlight that momentarily blinded his eyes. A tall, green-skinned guard, with exceptionally large feet, stationed outside the hut motioned for him to walk toward a high domed structure built completely of grey stone a little further from where his hut was located. This was a bizarre after-life.

He began walking around the small settlement, which lay in the centre of a deep valley surrounded by forest. The settlement was abuzz with activity as all manner of creatures darted back and forth along the narrow streets between the many other huts similar to the one he woke up in. In the centre of the village was a tall white tree with wide branches covered in blue leaves while the huts were built around the periphery of the village in concentric circles forming narrow streets. Later he found out that it was called the Hevelius tree by the villagers; the oldest tree on Trojian. His hut was very close to the tree and directly opposite the stone dome building on the other side of the village. Many larger buildings were built around the white tree and these served as centres for trade. He walked toward the rectangular building with the stone doom. Two large doors at the front led in and out of it, easily accommodating several individuals walking abreast at once. Once inside another guard met him and motioned for him to follow. The guards all seemed to know who he was, why he was there and where he was going. The building was divided into several large rooms, some much larger than others and these rooms were further divided into smaller rooms using stone walls forming a maze in each section. He was led into a much smaller room at the end of a long corridor and was led down a flight of winding steps which led below the ground level.

In the small room with brown walls were his abductor, the furry beast, another female creature and three much shorter grey-skinned and heavily wrinkled creatures with marks on their faces that betrayed their age. They were all seated around a fire engulfing a single thick piece of wood that burned with a bright green flame. It was a warm day so the fire seemed strange to him yet the room felt cooler than the outside. One of the short grey beings greeted him and motioned for him to sit down next to the white-furred beast. He complied.

“Why am I here?” Roue asked unperturbed by the silence.

“We apologise for the hasty manner you were brought here Roue but we have need of your service. Plus, it is kind of your fault that we are all here,” the grey being answered.

“How do you know my name? And what is my fault?!”

“First, you’re not dead Roue. I understand why it may feel that way to you, this place is deceptively beautiful. But we need you to understand where you quickly so we can tell you what we need from you,” the grey being said. “I am Gerin, this is Trerin, that is Ferin. I believe you are acquainted with Durbein who brought you here. She is Turo and we are expecting one more in our company.”

“I don’t understand. How is this possible? How am I alive breathing this toxic air?” Roue asked.

“Roue, you are alive. On a planet called Trojian. Let’s start there. I know you have more questions but you will have to wait a moment before you get your answers.”

“I don’t…I just don’t…” Roue seemed a muddle of thoughts.

“I’ll explain it all when our companion joins us. Ah, in fact I think I hear him coming in.”

“You could have just asked me to come. Nicely,” Roue said directing a dirty look at Durbein.

“Unfortunately, Durbein doesn’t speak as you do. His manners have not quite evolved to that degree. He is, however, very good at following instructions and our time is precious.”

“Your time is precious huh? What sort of mess have I landed myself in here?”

“You will know shortly,” Gerin answered ignoring the evident sarcasm laced in Roue’s statements.

“So I’m a captive yet again,” Roue whispered, mostly to himself.

“I assure you Roue you are not a captive. Hah, here he is.”

The door swung open. Roue turned his head to see the newcomer who was walking through the door. He could hardly believe his eyes.