Pazzo sulked under the sparse stand of plane trees where he and his men had made their camp. Three out of ten and nothing to show for their efforts except the knowledge that the woman's party was across the river and apparently with a tribe unknown to he or his men.

He couldn't decide whether or not to cross the river and follow their trail; he certainly didn't want to get into a fight with an unknown army He glared at his men and decided finally to send one of them across to find out what they were up against. He would give the order in the morning.

* * *

Sax asked one of his native guides if he could speak the language of their captors, hoping to get some food and water for the group. The native shook his head and drew his knees up to his chin.

"What's the matter with him?" Jed asked.

"I dunno. Scared of these guys though, that's for sure." Sax stood and called to their guard, miming eating and drinking.

The man moved to the entrance of the small room they had been moved to and made some strange sounds. Several moments later a small girl scurried in carrying a large basket filled with fruits and a strange looking cake or bread. A container of fresh water was also packed inside. She set the basket down and fled as quickly as she had come. The guard pointed to the basket and waved his hand at the group.

"That went well," Sax said, doling out the food and water.

"What do you think happened to Chessery?" Jed took some food to Krena and her daughter.

"I don't know, but she's pretty resilient and a true survivor."

"Who do you think that guy is, the leader?"

"No idea, but he sure isn't one of them." Sax lifted his chin toward the impassive guard. He tried once again to talk to Tapuk, but it was Matzumen who hurriedly described the legend of the Green Mist tribe and the Sky God who ruled over them.

Sax nodded thoughtfully and sat back chewing on some fruit. Sky God? A white man. A thought formed and he shared his suspicions with Jed, suggesting they look for any opportunity to speak with the guy.

* * *

Instead of being shoved into some dark cave, Chessery couldn't contain her surprise when the natives left her inside a cavernous room, decked out in a very west world style. Her original suspicions were immediately confirmed as she walked about the room examining the airline seats that formed a comfortable conversation area and the giant propeller that had become a ceiling fan.

Other plane parts were utilized in ingenious ways to make the room a most liveable and interesting space. Parts of the fuselage were formed into a huge funnel that hung over a fire pit and acted as a chimney, directing the smoke out through a hole in the roof of the cavern.

She wandered about, touching things, picking up ornaments and putting them down until she came to a shelf with a small wooden box and out of curiosity, she opened it up. Inside were some folded papers a couple of old photos and an American passport in the name of Samuel Parkhurst. The photo was of a younger Sky God.

"It's bad manners to pry through people's things without permission."

She slammed the box shut and spun around to face the Sky God. "It's just as bad to treat people the way you have who come to your area in peace." She regained some composure and stood defiantly before him.

"Have you been treated badly?" He asked.

"I don't call that barbaric demonstration we were forced to endure, being treated well."

"Oh, you mean Ginger. Yeah, that is gross, but then I have nothing to do with that. These people have their own form of law and justice."

"I thought you were the God here... the Sky God."

He laughed and walked across the room to one of the cockpit seats by the fire pit, sitting with dreamy reminiscence.

"Actually, they don't know quite what to make of me. They can't figure out whether I'm a good thing or a bad thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Since I walked away unharmed from the crash, able to do things like produce voices and music from a tiny object the size of a playing card... my cell phone, or remove the hair from my face with a buzzing object around the same size. When I saw the advantage, I pressed it to the limit. The batteries have since gone but then they don't need to be entertained anymore. I still have a lighter that frightens them and a wristwatch with a compass that baffles them."

"So just what do you do here?"

"Nada. I nod and smile a lot. I've learned some of the language but the words are so bloody complex, it's tough to get your tongue around them. Like my name here, Xtopalitum."

"But they defer to you. You gave the orders to capture us and shove us around."

He made a wry face. "It's show biz. They would have done the same things with or without me." He pointed to another seat and raised his eyebrows. Chessery hesitated and then sat, arms folded defensively

"But—"

"Look, I am just as much a prisoner here as you. The difference is I have given up fighting it. I live a pretty good life here. I don't have to work. My meals are all prepared and served to me. Anything I need I have."

She shook her head. "Just how long have you been here?"

He smiled. "According to my automatic wristwatch calendar, almost three years."

"But what do you do? What about- about relationships?"

This time he laughed. "That's the least of my worries. There's only about seventy or so in the tribe and less than half are women with but a handful of kids that belong to the community There are no family units here. Kids belong to every and anyone. Mothers don't exist in conventional terms. Sex is as common as saying hello; it has no special status." He closed his eyes and clasped his hands over his stomach. "When I first got here I thought I had died and gone to heaven."

"And now?"

"I hadn't died." He opened his eyes and winked at her.

Chessery let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, what's going to happen to us now? My friends are harmless, we only came here on a treasure hunt, not to harm anyone or plunder an occupied city We had no idea anyone even lived here."

"Harmless? I suspect those mercenaries aren't along for photo ops."

"I needed the native guides and some measure of protection; after all it is a jungle out there."

"And the woman and child?"

"We picked them up on the way; they were- what... adrift. We couldn't very well leave them alone."

"I know," he waved a hand. "It's a jungle out there." He stood and adjusted the feathered apron covering a pair of faded shorts.

"What about the Katopis following you, and the fighting at the gorge?"

"You know about all that?"

He just gave her a pitying look.

"I told you, we were looking for treasure. The Father at the mission in Qutamma got his nose out of joint when I didn't hire his people for the hunt; he sent those renegades after us." She sat up. "By the way, why did you say the others were mercenaries?"

"The las Almenas natives. That's the base for a mercenary arm working down there. Figures if you had guides from there you also had your 'protection' from the same place." He sat again.

"How do you know all this?" She seemed completely baffled.

"Jungle telegraph." He said dismissively

They sat in silence for a while and Chessery had the feeling he was working up to give her some very bad news. She cleared her throat and stood, stretching and then stuffed her hands in her pockets and waited.

"I'll send you back to your friends and you can have food and a place to bed down tonight. I have to meet with some of the others here to determine what they plan to do."

"Can't you just tell them? We didn't mean harm to anyone. She began to get angry.

He stood and faced her. "How many native deities do you know that are named, Sam? No, I can't just tell them. I told you, I'm just accepted here. Any influence I have - had - has been used up long ago. They tolerate me because I'm an amusement. If you want to know, they have a real deity they worship. It's a stone monument covered in weird carvings, down behind this structure. The best I can do is plead your case the best I can... should I want to."

This last was delivered with a tone that said, end of discussion and the native guard appeared suddenly taking her back to her friends.