“We might as well go back to the camp,” Zak suggested. “They’ll be moving again soon.”
“Where’s Uncle Hoole?” Tash asked.
Zak sighed. “Probably taking notes.”
Tash nodded. To the Arrandas, their time with the Dantari felt like a vacation. But Hoole had put himself to work. He was an anthropologist-a scientist who studied other cultures-and he’d spent every waking moment since they’d arrived on Dantooine studying the tribe. He had already filled an entire datapad with notes about what the Dantari ate, how they raised their children, what kinds of stories they told… his lists seemed endless.
Zak and Tash, meanwhile, had kept themselves busy trying to make friends. There were a few Dantari their age, but they were shy. The adults were a little braver, and Zak and Tash often spoke with them. The Dantari understood a broken version of Basic, the common galactic language. Communication was sometimes hard, but they had been patient with each other, and now Zak and Tash talked with the Dantari often. They had made many friends.
And one enemy.
His name was Maga. Zak and Tash saw him as they walked back to the Dantari camp. He was standing near his tent, talking with a few other Dantari, and he glared at them as they walked past. He was big, even for a Dantari.
Among his people, Maga was called the garoo. Hoole had explained to them that a garoo is a cross between a holy man and a magician.
“Makes it sound like he’s a Jedi Knight,” Zak had noted.
“Does that mean he can use the Force?” Tash had asked.
“I doubt it,” Hoole had replied. “I don’t believe he has any real abilities. But the other Dantari believe he has magical powers and can command the spirits of the animals, so they give him great respect.”
At least, Tash thought, they used to give him respect, until Uncle Hoole and I showed up. It wasn’t long before a few of the Dantari spotted Hoole shape-shifting and decided that he, too, had magical powers. Later, Tash had also attracted their attention.
Tash smiled, remembering what the Dantari had seen her doing, and tugged at a small pendant around her neck. She’d been using the pendant to practice using the Force. One evening, when she thought she was alone, Tash had made the necklace move-without touching it. Dantari children, spying on the blond stranger, had been amazed and had run off to tell their parents.
Tash had to admit that she was amazed, too. Still, every time she practiced, she felt the Force grow stronger in her.
Tash fingered the necklace again. The pendant wasn’t very valuable-except to her. It was just a thin metal chain with a small red crystal on the end. Ever since their strange adventures began, she’d kept it locked in her cabin for fear of losing it. It had been a gift from her mother, who had kept a matching one. They had both worn their necklaces on the day Zak and Tash had left their home planet, Alderaan, on a field trip. While they were away, Alderaan was destroyed by the Empire. Their mother and father were killed..
Tash frowned. Thinking of her parents stirred up painful memories. She missed them terribly, especially lately. She knew she was starting to grow up. She was thirteen-in a few years she would be an adult, and she knew the Force would grow stronger as she matured. She wished she could talk about things like adulthood and the Force with her mom and dad. She had serious questions to ask. Why did she have the Force and not her friends? Was she meant for something special? Could she possibly be destined to be a Jedi Knight?
Tash had always thought that growing up would mean finding out who you are and what you want out of life. But the older she got, the less she knew about herself. She wondered if other kids her age felt the same way.
Of course, most of them had parents to talk to.
Tash looked at the pendant thoughtfully. She’d started wearing it again for two reasons. The first was that it reminded her of her mother and on peaceful Dantooine, she felt safe enough to bring her old memories out of hiding. But the other reason was more practical. The pendant was very small and very light, and Tash found that if she focused on it with the Force, she could make the tiny red pendant move.
She couldn’t do much more than that. But it was enough to impress the Dantari.
All except Maga. He couldn’t perform tricks like Hoole’s and Tash’s, and the awe of the other Dantari for the strangers made him angry.
“I think he’s still mad at us,” Zak whispered to Tash.
“He sure can hold a grudge,” Tash replied irritably. “It’s not like we did anything to him on purpose.”
Maga grunted at them as they passed. His forehead was bumpy and sloped down to his eyebrows, which were bushy and thick. Tash recognized the other Dantari who were with Maga. She didn’t know their names, but she knew they were Maga’s closest friends, and they didn’t like Zak and Tash any more than Maga did.