'I am not afraid of his attack,' King Frane said scornfully. He eyed her. 'Still, it is a solution. All right. I accept.'
'You will not imprison her?' Qui-Gon asked warningly.
'No. She will live on the royal grounds, where I can keep an eye on her,' King Frane said with satisfaction, turning back to Drenna. 'I will install you in the hunting lodge. You'll be under my watchful eye, unable to escape, but not imprisoned. Maybe you will teach my royal guard how to aim. And take care of my neks. Taroon was in charge of care of all my trackers. He was afraid of the neks and never could fix the droids. I'm sure you can't be worse. I will call Taroon from school and send him back to Senali.' King Franc stamped his foot. 'There, we have a trade once more. Are you satisfied, Jedi?'
'Taroon goes to Senali?' Drenna asked. 'But he hates it there!'
King Franc shrugged. 'Good. Then I know he will return.'
He turned abruptly. 'All is over. Now, it's time for the hunt. Come, Leed.'
Leed walked closer to Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. He placed a hand on each of their forearms. Sadness was on his face, but he nodded at them in a dignified way. 'I will never forget all you tried to do for me.'
'You may call on us again if you need us,' Qui-Gon said.
'I am sorry, Leed,' Obi-Wan said.
'Duty is more important than feelings,' Leed said. 'That is what I must learn. I wish you ease and serenity.'
He left them to join his father. With a sad glance of good-bye at the Jedi, Drenna joined them. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stood watching them go.
'At least Drenna will be here for a time,' Obi-Wan observed. 'That will give Leed great comfort. The mission hasn't ended as I thought it would. Somehow I thought Leed would be allowed to remain on Senali.'
'Is that what you hoped would happen, Padawan?' Qui-Gon asked. 'This time you must tell me the truth.'
So Qui-Gon had known he had evaded his question back on Senali. 'At first I did not want to tell you that I sympathized with Leed,' Obi-Wan admitted. 'I thought it would remind you of my decision to stay on Melida/Daan and leave the Jedi. I thought it might give you pause about my commitment to you.'
'We have put that matter behind us, Padawan,' Qui-Gon said. 'Do not be afraid to share your feelings with me. I would never hold them against you.'
'My feelings seemed to change from day to day,' Obi-Wan admitted. 'When King Franc spoke to Ibis son, I was moved by his argument, too.'
'That is because there is no clear answer,' Qui-Gon said. 'Emotions are tangled, as I said in the beginning.'
'Well, there won't be a war,' Obi-Wan said in conclusion. 'I'm sorry for Leed. But at least the planets remain peaceful.'
'You are wrong, Obi-Wan,' Qui-Gon said, his eyes on the king's transport as it rose in the air. 'The mission is not over. And I fear the two worlds are closer to war than ever.'
Chapter 15
Obi-Wan hurried to catch up to Qui-Gon's long stride. The tall Jedi moved purposefully through the crowded streets of Testa.
'But I don't understand,' Obi-Wan said. 'Why are we close to war? Both leaders got their children back. There is no reason for them to fight.'
'It is not them who still wants war,' Qui-Gon said. 'It was a Rutanian force that kidnapped Leed.'
'How do you know?'
'Think back, Padawan,' Qui-Gon said as he skirted a food seller. 'Was there anything in their camp that could tell you where they came from?'
Obi-Wan focused his mind. He remembered the kidnappers sleeping in the trees. He had immediately assumed they were Senali because of their silvery skin and coral necklaces and headpieces. Except they didn't have silvery skin. He had just assumed that they did.
'Their skin was smeared with clay,' he said. 'I thought it was because they wanted to look fierce. But it could conceal the fact that they didn't have tiny scales on their skin.'
'Good,' Qui-Gon approved. 'Anything else?'
Obi-Wan thought back to the battle. The kidnappers had fought well, but there was nothing to indicate whether they were Senali or Rutanians. Both groups used crossbows and dart shooters as weapons.
He turned his attention to the boat. It had looked like many other boats he'd seen on Senali. It was fashioned from the trunk of one of the native trees. He remembered the supplies raining down from it
'The breathing tubes,' he exclaimed. 'Senali don't use them. Why didn't I think of that before?'
'We have not had much time for reflection,' Qui-Gon said kindly. 'I noticed it, but I had already questioned why they had smeared their skin with that white clay.'
'But if you knew they were Rutanians, why didn't you say something?' Obi-Wan asked.
'Because I didn't know who was behind the kidnapping yet,' Qui-Gon said. 'Until I did, I thought it better to seem to think what I was meant to think.'
'So who is behind it?' Obi-Wan asked, frustrated. 'And where are we going now?'
