Earthborn (Homecoming) Read Free Page B

The other two were both older and larger than Didul—men, really, not boys. One of the older ones looked much like Didul, only not as beautiful. The eyes were perhaps too close together, the chin just a bit too pronounced. Didul’s image, but distorted, inferior, unfinished.
    The other man-sized boy was as unlike Didul as could be imagined. Where Didul was graceful, this boy was strong; where Didul’s face looked open and light, this one looked brooding and private and dark. His body was so powerful-looking that Akma marveled that he could pick up any of the fruit without crushing it.
    Didul obviously saw which of his brothers it was that had drawn Akma’s attention. “Oh, yes. Everybody looks at him like that. Pabul, my brother. He leads armies of diggers. He’s killed with his bare hands.”
    Hearing his words, Pabul looked up and glowered at Didul.
    “Pabul doesn’t like it when I tell about that. But I saw him once take a full-grown digger soldier and break his neck, just like a rotten dry branch. Snap. The beast peed all over everything.”
    Pabul shook his head and went back to eating.
    “Have some food,” said Didul. “Sit down, join us. Brothers, this is Akma, the son of the traitor.”
    The older brother who looked like Didul spat.
    “Don’t be rude, Udad,” said Didul. “Tell him not to be rude, Pabul.”
    “Tell him yourself,” said Pabul quietly. But Udad reacted as if Pabul had threatened to kill him—he immediately fell silent and began concentrating on his eating.
    The younger brother gazed steadily at Akma, as if evaluating him. “I could beat you up,” he said finally.
    “Shut up and eat, Monkey,” said Didul. “This is the youngest, Muwu, and we’re not sure he’s human.”
    “Shut up, Didul,” said the little one, suddenly furious, as if he knew what was coming.
    “We think Father got drunk and mated with a she-digger to spawn him. See his little rat-nose?”
    Muwu screamed in fury and launched himself at Didul, who easily fended him off. “Stop it, Muwu, you’ll get mud in the food! Stop it!”
    “Stop it,” said Pabul quietly, and Muwu immediately left off his assault on Didul.
    “Eat,” said Didul. “You must be hungry.”
    Akma
was
hungry, and the food looked good. He was seating himself when Didul said, “Our enemies go hungry, but our friends eat.”
    That reminded Akma that his mother and father were also hungry, as was his sister Luet. “Let me take some back to my sister and my parents,” he said. “Or let them all come and eat with us.”
    Udad hooted. “Stupid,” murmured Pabul.
    “You’re the one I invited,” said Didul quietly. “Don’t embarrass me by trying to trick me into feeding my father’s enemies.”
    Only then did Akma understand what was happening here. Didul might be beautiful and fascinating, full of stories and friendliness and wit—but he didn’t actually care about Akma. He was only trying to get Akma to betray his family. That was why he kept saying those things about Father, about how he was a traitor and all. So that Akma would turn against his own family.
    That would be like . . . like becoming a friend to a digger. It was unnatural and wrong and Akma understood now that Didul was like the jaguar, cunning and cruel. He was sleek and beautiful, but if you let him come near enough, he would leap and kill.
    “I’m not hungry,” said Akma.
    “He’s lying,” said Muwu.
    “No I’m not,” said Akma.
    Pabul turned to face him for the first time. “Don’t contradict my brother,” he said. His voice sounded dead, but the menace was clear.
    “I was just saying that I wasn’t lying,” said Akma.
    “But you
are
lying,” said Didul cheerfully. “You’re starving to death. Your ribs are sticking out of your chest so sharp you could cut yourself on them.” He laughed in delight and held out a maizecake. “Aren’t you my friend, Akma?”
    “No,” said Akma. “You’re not
my
friend, either. You only came to me because