Promises Page 6

  sips from the one battered green canteen they had left. Tahiri's lips were

  cracked from the dryness, and her pale skin was red and burned from the

  harsh suns. Anakin's gashes from the krayt dragon had stopped bleeding, but

  they had begun to fester, and infection had set in. He winced as he bent to

  put the water jug back in the pack.

  "Does it hurt very badly?" Tahiri asked as she gently touched the side

  of his tattered jumpsuit. Anakin smiled at his friend.

  "Not too bad," he replied. "It's not important. What matters is

  figuring out how we're going to find your tribe. We've crossed the Dune Sea

  and the Wastes, but we don't have enough water to survive much longer. And

  we only have two days left to fulfill the promise." Tahiri stared at her

  friend. He looked terrible.

  His skin was deep pink. His eyes were ringed with purple circles. The

  gashes on his side were infected. He needed medical attention and food.

  Something sparkled in the distance and caught Tahiri's eye.

  "Wait here," Tahiri called to her friend as she trotted off.

  "Where are you going?" Anakin asked.

  But if Tahiri heard him, she didn't reply. Ten minutes later Tahiri

  stood before the sparkling object she'd spied in the distance. It was a

  hubba gourd, a tough-skinned melon covered with tiny reflective crystals.

  She picked it up and returned to her friend.

  "What is it?" Anakin asked when Tahiri tossed him the oblong melon.

  "It's a kind of fruit," Tahiri explained. "Hard to digest, but it's

  food." Tahiri pulled her multitool out of her pocket and began to carve up

  the melon. She and Anakin ate slowly. When they were done, Tahiri took the

  hubba rinds and placed them over the gashes on Anakin's ribs.

  "Raider medicine?" Anakin asked with a wry smile.

  "Sliven taught me that the rind of the hubba gourd helps stop

  infections," Tahiri said. "Your cuts are already infected, but this might

  slow it down." Tahiri tore some material off the sleeves of Anakin's

  jumpsuit and bound the rinds to his rib cage. Then she sat down to consider

  their options.

  What we need is a bantha, Tahiri thought. That wasn't exactly right.

  What they needed was her bantha, Bangor. Bangor would be able to lead them

  back to the tribe.

  "Which way?" Anakin asked, interrupting Tahiri's thoughts. Tahiri

  scanned the horizon. Sand dunes everywhere and no sign of her tribe. They

  could be just over the next dune or a hundred kilometers from where they

  now stood.

  "I've always felt a deep bond with Bangor," Tahiri said.

  Anakin stared at his friend, wondering why she was talking about her

  bantha. Tahiri continued,

  "I believe that banthas are more complicated than my people know.

  Bangor has always been able to sense my fears."

  "A lot of creatures have the ability to sense fear," Anakin

  interrupted.

  "It's not just that," Tahiri replied. "There were times in my life

  when I needed Bangor-if I was sad or lonely, he always came to me. It was

  as if he heard me calling him for comfort."

  "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" Anakin asked.

  "Yes," Tahiri said, meeting his eyes. "I'm going to try to call Bangor

  to us. We're almost out of food and water, and we're definitely out of

  strength," she added gravely. "If we don't get to the tribe soon, we'll die

  out here."

  Anakin stared at the horizon. The suns were beginning to drop, and

  soon night would come. Their sixth night. They had only one more day to

  find the tribe. If they failed, for whatever reason, Sliven would be put to

  death.

  "Tahiri, it's not working," Anakin said softly almost two hours later.

  Tahiri didn't reply. "We should start walking again," Anakin gently

  suggested. He stared at his friend. The strips of cloth she'd torn from the

  bottom of her jumpsuit and used to cover her head were crusted with sweat

  and sand. Hollow green eyes stared up at him. But he didn't have an answer.

  Suddenly Tahiri's listless eyes flashed.

  "Let me try to call Bangor again," Tahiri said. "You try too, Anakin,"

  she instructed. "Maybe he'll hear our voices calling if we work together."

  Anakin nodded. He didn't have the heart to deny Tahiri's request.

  Together they reached over the rolling dunes with their voices and called

  the bantha with the Force. They stood back to back, calling Bangor over and

  over again. Finally, they sat down in the sands, leaning against each other

  for support.

  "Maybe we should sleep and then try again in a bit," Tahiri murmured,

  her eyes already closed. Anakin huddled next to Tahiri as the night

  blanketed them with its cold threads. His last thought before sleep carried

  him away was that when he awoke it would be day seven.

  "Quit it," Tahiri mumbled as a dry nose nudged her. Then her eyes shot

  open. Bangor stood above her, his brown eyes staring kindly down at his

  friend. From his neck dangled a thick rope that was frayed at the end. The

  bantha had broken his line to come to their rescue. Tahiri struggled up and

  hugged the bantha as he snuggled his head against her shoulder.

  "Thank you, Bangor," she said softly. "Anakin, wake up and tell me if

  I'm still dreaming!" Tahiri cried to her friend.

  "You're not dreaming!" Anakin croaked happily when he saw Bangor.

  Moments later the two Jedi candidates were on the bantha's back.

  "Please take us to the tribe, Bangor," Tahiri said. The bantha began

  to lope across the sands. Anakin and Tahiri said little during the journey.

  Both were thinking about what fulfilling the promise meant. They had gained

  strength in the Force, and had learned that working together produced more

  powerful results than they had dreamed possible.

  Bangor began to slow.

  "Do you need some rest?" Tahiri asked the bantha. They had been loping

  across the desert for almost five hours. It was early evening, and Bangor

  had begun to weary. Now he quietly walked up a sand dune, coming to a rest

  only when he reached its crest.

  "Is he all right?" Anakin asked Tahiri. But before she could answer,

  he saw why the bantha had stopped. Below them was Tahiri's tribe. Anakin

  could hear Vexa's words ringing above those of the rest of the Raiders. The

  tribe stood behind her. They appeared to be having some kind of meeting.

  Sliven stood apart from the Raiders. Only Tionne was by his side.

  "What's Vexa saying?" Anakin whispered to Tahiri as they slid off

  Bangor and hid behind the dune.

  "She's asking the tribe to declare us dead," Tahiri began to

  translate. "She says that when the suns set, seven days will have passed

  and we will have failed to return."

  Sliven's deep bark interrupted Vexa.

  "Sliven says that we still have two hours. He asks the tribe to wait,"

  Tahiri explained.

  Vexa began to grunt and bark angrily. She raised her gaderffii toward

  Sliven.

  "She says Sliven is weak, and it is time he left the tribe forever."

  Tahiri rose and walked to the top of the dune. Anakin followed his friend.

  "Stop," Tahiri barked.

  All eyes turned to the crest of the dune. Vexa's dis
appointed cry

  couldn't be mistaken. Tahiri, Anakin, and Bangor made their way down the

  dune. Tahiri walked up to Vexa.

  "There is no honor in your actions," she said. Then she turned to the

  rest of the tribe.

  "We have returned before the suns set on the seventh day. Sliven is

  still your leader." The tribe members moved from Vexa to stand behind

  Sliven. A Raider brought two water jugs over to Anakin and Tahiri. Tahiri

  cupped some water in her hands and held them out to Bangor. The bantha

  drank deeply as Tahiri buried her face in the creature's thick fur.

  "Thank you," she whispered. Bangor nuzzled against Tahiri, then moved

  back to the rest of the herd. After Anakin and Tahiri drank, Tahiri walked

  over to Sliven. Tionne joined Anakin, her worried eyes scanning his wounds.

  There would be time to talk about what had happened later, Pionne thought.

  For now, it was enough that Anakin and Tahiri were alive. Together Anakin

  and Tionne watched as Tahiri spoke softly to Sliven.

  "He said that he's glad in his heart that I survived," Tahiri

  explained when she returned. "He hopes that all my worry about who I am has

  ended. In his mind, I'm a Raider. And he believes I should stay with my

  tribe."

  "And what do you believe?" Anakin asked. His heart skipped a beat. If

  Tahiri stayed on Tatooine, he would lose his best friend, and alone he

  might not be able to break the curse of the golden globe. Still, he

  wouldn't try to sway her decision. She had to do what was right for her.

  "I'm glad we succeeded," Tahiri softly began. "I now understand that I

  was never a Tusken Raider. The skills we both used to survive weren't the

  skills of a Raider. We used the Force. And now I know that I'm meant to

  attend the academy. To grow strong, and to use that strength to break the

  curse of the golden globe, and one day become a Jedi Knight."

  "What about Sliven? Won't you miss him?" Anakin asked.

  "That's the hardest part," Tahiri said sadly. "I love Sliven, but I

  know that I belong at the Jedi academy, not with the Sand People."

  "Then let us leave here," Tionne said. "I've got to do one last thing,

  " Tahiri said quietly. Anakin watched as his friend walked back to Sliven

  and told him her decision. The Raider nodded once, then reached inside his

  robes. He held out a roughly shaped pendant. In its center was his

  thumbprint. Tahiri unclasped the chain from her neck and threaded the gift

  through it. When she reclasped her chain, two sand-colored pendants hung

  from it. On them were the prints of her parents-all three of them.

  "You will always be a part of me," Tahiri said softly to Sliven. "In

  my heart, you're my father. Please take care of Bangor for me-he's yours,

  just like I'm yours," she whispered, swallowing a lump in her throat.

  Tahiri moved forward and wrapped her arms around Sliven's waist. The Raider

  hugged his daughter back.

  Anakin awoke with his side on fire-the gashes from the krayt dragon

  were now infected stripes of oozing yellow pus. Tionne sat by his side,

  placing a cold compress to his forehead and medicating his cuts. Old

  Peckhum clucked and worried as he guided the Lightning Rod back to Yavin 4.

  Anakin knew the old supply courier had been upset by his and Tahiri's

  appearance when they'd returned to his ship from the desert.

  "We're both fine," Anakin had reassured him.

  But he allowed Peckhum to help him into the supply ship, wincing in

  pain as he was lowered onto a sleeping pad. Tahiri and Tionne sat beside

  him the entire return trip. Anakin drifted in and out of consciousness,

  burning with fever.

  So much has happened, Anakin thought as the ship sped through the

  atmosphere. Only a week ago, I wondered if Tahiri and I were ready to

  attempt to enter the golden globe and free the Massassi children. Now I

  know that we're strong enough.... Together we've used the Force to escape a

  giant tentacled creature, befriended Jawas with help from the Force, and

  defeated a krayt dragon. Anakin's thoughts swirled with dizziness, fever,

  and fatigue. He did not even hear Peckhum's voice signaling that they would

  soon land on Yavin 4.

  Luke Skywalker waited for the Lightning Rod's cargo bay to open.

  Slowly the massive jaws of the bay yawned wide, revealing Luke's nephew and

  Tahiri. Luke was pleased to see that the girl had returned. She belonged at

  the Jedi academy. He moved forward to greet the Jedi candidates.

  "Welcome home-" Master Luke began. But his words caught in his throat

  as he stared at his students. Anakin struggled to stand and walk down the

  cargo bay's ramp. Old Peckhum held one of his arms tightly, steadying him

  as he walked. Anakin took several tottering steps, then fell forward. Luke

  anticipated his nephew's collapse, and caught the boy in his arms.

  Gently he lowered Anakin to the ground. Anakin's academy jumpsuit was

  shredded on one side, revealing five gashes. There were dark circles under

  his eyes, and bruises were visible on his neck and hands. Tahiri knelt by

  her friend. The girl did not look much better, Luke thought in dismay.

  Spots of dried blood lined her jumpsuit in a pattern that looked like jaw

  marks. She, too, looked tired and hungry.

  Luke's eyes met Tionne's for a brief moment. From her look of torment,

  he knew she'd tried her best to protect the children.

  "Hi, Uncle Luke," Anakin said with a small voice.

  "What happened?" Luke asked in a voice full of worry.

  "The Tusken Raiders had a little more in mind for me than just

  deciding whether or not to remain with the tribe," Tahiri replied.

  "We'll talk later," Luke said quietly to Tionne. "Right now, you are

  both going to the medical droid." With that, he swept his nephew up in his

  arms and strode toward the turbolift, with Tahiri trailing.

  Anakin awoke. He was lying in his room, a medical droid hovering in

  the corner, his uncle seated beside his bed. Anakin stared down at his

  ribs. They were bandaged in soft, white gauze.

  "You're awake," Luke Skywalker said. Anakin smiled. "And you can

  smile; that's good," Luke said softly. His pale blue eyes reflected his

  concern.

  "Is Tahiri all right?" Anakin asked.

  "Yes," Luke replied gravely. "And she told me what happened. If I'd

  known what the Raiders had in mind, I would never have allowed either of

  you to go to Tatooine. Sliven gave his word that neither of you would be

  harmed...." Luke's voice trailed off.

  "His word was worth more than you know," Anakin said in Sliven's

  defense. "Tahiri chose to fulfill Sliven's promise-he didn't force her,"

  Anakin added. Anakin saw a look of doubt shadow his uncle's face. "It was

  something she had to do," he tried to explain. "I don't think she could

  have returned to the academy if she hadn't... and I couldn't let her go

  alone."

  "Your mother wanted me to send you home," Master Luke said, changing

  the subject. "Han and I persuaded her to let you stay at the academy.

  You're bruised, you haven't had enough water, and those gashes were

  infected," Luke said, pointing to Anakin's ribs, "but there wasn't any

  serious d
amage."

  "How long have I been sleeping?" Anakin asked.

  "Two days," his uncle replied. Anakin tried to sit up, and fell back

  as a sickening wave of dizziness washed over him. "It's going to take a few

  more days before you're ready to get up," Luke said gently.

  Anakin settled back against his pillows. He didn't like the idea of

  waiting. The time to break the curse was already thousands of years

  overdue. But a day or two more wouldn't matter. And Anakin knew that he'd

  need all his strength to enter the globe and free the children. He resolved

  to get well quickly.

  Luke Skywalker studied the intensity of Anakin's ice blue eyes. He

  understood all too well that his nephew and Tahiri were tied together by

  more than their bond of friendship. They were true Jedi, and someday they

  would become powerful Jedi Knights. From what Tahiri had told him of their

  adventures on Tatooine, they were already well on their way. But, he

  worried that these two Jedi candidates were in the habit of rushing

  headlong into dangerous situations.

  What if they found themselves in one they weren't ready for?

  "Regardless of whether or not Tahiri needed to learn her history, it

  was foolhardy to risk your lives in the deserts of Tatooine," Luke

  Skywalker said softly. He watched Anakin's face fall, and couldn't continue