When he reached the bottom, Bo looked at him in astonishment.

“You caught it,” he said.

“It was too pitiful to kill,” said Zartan. The creature looked at him with cold reptilian eyes. He knew now it was possessed with telepathy, but Zartan guessed the Mahar was not going to thank him for showing mercy.

“It’s excellent that you didn’t,” said Bo. “Zartan, this is an astounding development, and I am not sure you grasp its full significance.”

“What is that?”

“First of all, you need to know that our mission here was to help the Mahars.”

Zartan looked at his Kosar friend in amazement. He, who had just roundly disparaged the Mahar race, had enlisted him and brought him here in their aid?

“Why?” he asked. “What for?”

“Well, as I told you, the Mahars have a method for asexual reproduction. It’s a process that produces only females, and has been kept a secret by the innermost sanctum of the Mahar realm for ages.”

“Yes.”

“It was stolen,” said Bo. “Stolen by other outlanders, like yourself. Nobody knows how they arrived, but they’ve mingled with the Sagoths and formed an army. They plan to control all of Pellucidar, and of course it’s to their advantage that the Mahars become extinct.”

“It’s not in your own interest?” Zartan asked.

“Not when the Mahars pay us,” he said with an embarrassed grin. “Look, we’re pirates, right? We’re mercenaries.”

“Of course.” Zartan had fought on the wrong side many times, when the price was right, though had never taken up arms against humans on behalf of something… else. Then, he had never been given the opportunity.

“Besides that, though the Mahars are repellent, they aren't natural enemies of the Kosars, because they don't dwell near one another,” said Bo. In fact, this is the first I’ve seen on this side of the Az, anywhere near the Kosar territory. I know less about these new invaders, led by outlanders. They may take the Kosars next. I find it both profitable and expedient to stop them.”

“Fine,” said Zartan. He wasn’t thrilled to be fighting lizard people, but was even less thrilled to be fighting for them, whatever Bo’s reasoning. “I suppose it’s good I didn’t kill this whelp of a Mahar and spoil our alliance?”

“Even more extraordinary than that,” said Bo. He took his cutlass and gestured at the creature. “You’ve caught a boy.”

 

END OF PART 2

More of "The Mahar Child" is coming soon!

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