Reunification by Timothy L. Cerepaka Page A

ye?” I asked,
making sure to hold the energy knife in a way that let this beast
know I would attack if I felt threatened. “Can ye speak Delanian?
More importantly, do ye have a pair of shoes I could
wear?”
    The creature stood up to its full height,
which was not much taller than I, and seemed not like it would
speak at first. Perhaps it couldn't speak at all; indeed, I
suspected as much, for it did not look capable of speaking any
tongue I knew of.
    But then it rasped, in a low voice, “I can
speak many languages, Delanian, but I prefer to speak in Xeeonish.
It is more practical than Delan or any other tongue out there. As
for the shoes, no, I don't. And there aren't any in these lockers,
either, so don't try looking in them.”
    The lack of shoes made me greatly
sorrowful; however, I did not show it. Instead, I brandished my
weapon at the creature, for I still did not know if I could trust
it, and demanded, with as much authority as I could muster, “What
is your name? And just what are you, exactly?”
    “ I'm a Checrom,” said
the creature, gesturing at its wings. “We're a species of birdlike
people that live on Xeeo, far to the west of Xeeon. And of course,
I am also a member of the Foundation, which you have probably
guessed already.”
    “ I noticed you still
haven't told me your name, creature,” I said. I narrowed my eyes.
“For that matter, I find it hard to believe that a member of the
Foundation would be hiding out here, rather than exploring the
hideout to search for any of your surviving companions.”
    The Checrom shuddered and glanced at the
door. “I would have done that, but I've never been particularly
brave and I'm not much of a fighter. I didn't want to be killed. I
thought I would be safer in here, especially with all of these
weapons.”
    The Checrom gestured at the weapons
hanging on the walls, of which I could now see that there was a far
greater variety of weapons than I had first believed. Still, 'twas
too dark for me to tell for sure how many and what kind of weapons
there were; in any case, that was unimportant at the moment. For
now, I had to focus on the current situation, as I still was not
sure I could trust this Checrom.
    Then the Checrom's aquiline eyes darted
back toward mine face. “Are you the Knight that was saved from
Assassin earlier? You look like him. I remember Janrex dragging
your bloody body into HQ. Thought you were already dead, but I
suppose I should have had more faith in our doctors and
surgeons.”
    “ Indeed I am that
Knight,” I said. “But why did you attack me when I first entered
here?”
    “ I thought you were an
enemy coming to kill me,” said the Checrom with a shrug. “It was
too dark for me to tell who you were for sure. That's the main
reason you smashed that plaster on my head, right?”
    “ Correct,” I said. “And
I apologize for that. This place is dark and unknown and I could
take no chances.”
    “ Understandable,” said
the Checrom. He grimaced and rubbed his head. “That plaster still
hurt, though. It hurt more than I thought it would.”
    “ Just be thankful that I
do not have mine sword,” I said. “Otherwise, I would have split
your skull open and exposed your brains to the world.”
    “ Right,” said the
Checrom. “Well, what is your name? You didn't mention
it.”
    “ Call me Apakerec,” I
said, gesturing at myself. “'Tis the name I use when addressing
non-humans.”
    The Checrom blinked, as if he did not
understand what I said. “Why do you have two names like that? Why
not just use one name for everyone?”
    “ 'Tis a common custom
that all Delanians of every species adhere to,” I replied. “Ye need
not know my human name anyway. Now, do ye know what happened here?
What caused the explosion?”
    The Checrom rubbed the top of his head,
sending bits of blackened plaster falling from its feathers. “I
don't know all of the details, because I wasn't there when it
happened, but an explosion happened in the