“She may not have meant to, but she almost did kill me,” Taroon said darkly. “I could have drowned!”
“Yet you did not,” Leed said. “Come out, Drenna. You see they will not harm me.”
Leaves rustled, and Drenna emerged from the blue-green shadows of the overgrown trees. She had blended into the shades and shadows perfectly. Taroon was surprised to see her, but Obi-Wan saw from Qui-Gon’s expression that he had sensed her presence.
Drenna stood apart from the group. She eyed them warily, clearly not convinced they had not come to abduct Leed.
She turned to the Jedi and Taroon. “Well? You see that Leed is here of his own free will. Now you can return to Rutan.”
Qui-Gon turned to Leed. “If you truly wish to remain on Senali, you should face your father with your decision.”
Leed shook his head firmly. “Nothing can make me return. He will force me to stay, imprison me.”
“If we give you our word that we will not allow your father to force you to stay, will you come?” Qui-Gon asked.
“It is not that I do not respect the great powers of the Jedi,” Leed said slowly. “I do not wish to offend you. But my father has wiles and treacheries you have not seen. There are things you can’t protect me from.”
“That is not true!” Taroon protested.
“If you feel as you do, we have a problem,” Qui-Gon said to Leed, his tone pleasant but firm. “You will not return to Rutan. And we will find it hard to leave Senali without you.”
Leed met Qui-Gon’s gaze stonily. Neither of them moved. Obi-Wan’s eyes went from one to the other. In both of them, he saw conviction that would not be swayed. Qui-Gon was such a strong presence that it was hard to imagine going up against his will.
Yet he had done the same once.
On Melida/Daan, he had met Qui-Gon’s resolute will with his own. They had clashed and been torn apart as a result. Obi-Wan had believed then with all his heart that he was right. He had come to see that he had been blinded by loyalty to a cause not his own.
But what about Leed? He had lived on Senali for most of his childhood. He had come to manhood here. Obi-Wan could not help feeling sympathetic to Leed’s wishes. It was obvious that he loved his brother. But it was clear that his bond with his adopted sister, Drenna, was just as strong.
In an abrupt change of mood that reminded Obi-Wan of Leed’s father, Leed broke the tension with a shrug and a warm smile. “Well, then. If you are to be my guests, I shall have to bring you to my home. Come.”
Leed led them through a maze of overgrown paths and then struck out through a marsh, moving easily from only slightly submerged rocks to firm ground undetectable to most eyes. The air here was thick and close. Brightly colored flying creatures buzzed and sang overhead.
At last they emerged high above the shoreline on a cliff similar to the one they had left. But here the sea was gentle as the land curved, making a natural harbor. A chain of islands were in the distance.
They hiked down to the beach where Leed and Drenna tossed aside huge fronds to uncover a boat.
They glided over the calm, aquamarine sea, hugging the shore until they came to a lagoon surrounded by a cluster of small islands. A hut fashioned of tree trunks and woven grasses sat on a floating dock offshore. Leed tied the craft to the side and they disembarked.
“The Nali-Erun clan lives on the far island, “Leed said, pointing to a lush green island a few kilometers away. “They watch out for me.”
“All Senali watch out for one another,” Drenna said.
“Why are you hiding in such a remote area, Leed?” Qui-Gon asked. “Are you afraid your father’s reach could extend this far?”
Leed nodded as he crouched to untangle some fishing line. “I spoke to my father so many times. We were in regular communication, the way I was with Taroon. But after I told him of my decision, he cut me off. He refused to hear me. He said Meenon had influenced me. If it pains him to hear the deepest wish of my heart, why should I go on trying to speak with him?”
Qui-Gon sat down on the dock next to Leed so that they could be at eye level. He began to help untangle the line. “Because he is your father,” he said. “And he is afraid he has lost his son.”
Leed’s hands went still. “I am still his son,” he said firmly. “And if he would not be so stubborn, we could be in constant contact. I could come to Rutan for visits, and he could come here. But ever since the war, there is no travel between the two worlds. I would like to change that.”
Qui-Gon nodded. “That would be a good change. That is one of the things you could do as ruler of Rutan. You would have it in your power to change many things. Why don’t you want to help your world, your people?”