away.
What had he done to start the fire? What kind of magic would
create that kind of energy?
I stretched, letting the blanket fall off me, and raised my
arms over my head. What I really wanted was to walk outside, take off all my
clothes, and swim in the ocean. I wanted to dive beneath the surface and let
the cool water envelop me. But I wasn’t waking up in my hammock to the sun over
my head; I was lying on a cold floor, next to the dying embers of an impossible
fire.
Alone in the dim light of the cave, the memory of my mother’s
last words rang in my ears: Go! Tears finally fell. I hadn’t cried last
night. The world was too confusing, too chaotic for me to indulge in grief. All
I could do was keep moving forward. That morning, though, silence rang out
around me, and for the first time in my life, the sound of the surf greeting
the sand was absent.
Wrenching loneliness filled me, and I drew my legs to my
chest. I fought the sobs that clawed their way to the surface, but their power
was too much and I couldn’t resist. I submitted to the agony of admitting my
mother was gone.
She had given up everything for me to exist. Her entire life
had been stolen by the Erdlanders who abducted her, experimented on her, and
tried to kill her. Somehow, she’d escaped and lived. How afraid she must have
been when her abdomen began to grow. How horrible it must have been to be the
first Sualwet woman to have a live birth in over three hundred years.
Despite her confusion and pain, she loved me. She never gave
up on me. She fought the Sualwets who wanted her to abort. She ran after
realizing they intended to kill me when I was born. My mother lived away from
the water for years because of me. She had given me everything, and even in
death, she worried more about me than herself.
Go!
Once my tears ran out, I fell back asleep. Fitful dreams of
fire and a sea of pain plagued me.
My body felt stiff when I woke. I had no idea how late in
the day it was or how long I’d slept, but my stomach growled and that was
motivation enough to rise. I had no more tears, but the stain of my grief left
me blackened and hollow.
The light funneling in through the cave opening didn’t offer
much more illumination than the stars had. The space was cool and damp. Near an
opening into another space beyond the light’s perimeter, clothes and tools
piled around the edge of the cave.
I stepped outside into the morning air and missed the taste
of salt. We were too high up for the ocean breeze to find me. Mixed grass and
some colorful flowers sprouted around the clearing. Tor was wading up to his
waist in the small pond. His thick hair hung loose over his shoulders and
covered his back. Facing away from me, he submerged his head in the water,.
When he reappeared, I watched the water roll off his broad
shoulders and trail down to his narrow waist. His back bore as many marks as
his arms. Scars ran at odd angles along his skin. His clothes lay in the grass
next to the monster-dog that protected them.
“Thhhhhrup!” Elgon called, hopping up to his feet when he
saw me.
I blushed, having been caught staring without saying
anything. I watched Elgon instead of acknowledging Tor. The animal’s stance was
relaxed, not the threatening posture from the previous night.
“He likes you,” Tor said, forcing my attention back in his
direction.
“Do you think he’d mind if I came over there?”
“No, it’s okay.” He turned to Elgon and made a gesture
through the air. “Huh.”
The animal sat and cast me an expectant look. I held out one
hand and crept forward.
~ Hi, Elgon .~
“It’s okay, really,” Tor said. “Once you get to know him,
you’ll see how funny your reaction was. He’s gentle, I promise.” He drank a
handful of water and swished it around in his mouth before spitting it out.
“Well, last night he tried to eat me, so I’ll take it slow
this time, if you don’t mind.”
I heard splashing as Tor waded out of the pond, toward
What had he done to start the fire? What kind of magic would
create that kind of energy?
I stretched, letting the blanket fall off me, and raised my
arms over my head. What I really wanted was to walk outside, take off all my
clothes, and swim in the ocean. I wanted to dive beneath the surface and let
the cool water envelop me. But I wasn’t waking up in my hammock to the sun over
my head; I was lying on a cold floor, next to the dying embers of an impossible
fire.
Alone in the dim light of the cave, the memory of my mother’s
last words rang in my ears: Go! Tears finally fell. I hadn’t cried last
night. The world was too confusing, too chaotic for me to indulge in grief. All
I could do was keep moving forward. That morning, though, silence rang out
around me, and for the first time in my life, the sound of the surf greeting
the sand was absent.
Wrenching loneliness filled me, and I drew my legs to my
chest. I fought the sobs that clawed their way to the surface, but their power
was too much and I couldn’t resist. I submitted to the agony of admitting my
mother was gone.
She had given up everything for me to exist. Her entire life
had been stolen by the Erdlanders who abducted her, experimented on her, and
tried to kill her. Somehow, she’d escaped and lived. How afraid she must have
been when her abdomen began to grow. How horrible it must have been to be the
first Sualwet woman to have a live birth in over three hundred years.
Despite her confusion and pain, she loved me. She never gave
up on me. She fought the Sualwets who wanted her to abort. She ran after
realizing they intended to kill me when I was born. My mother lived away from
the water for years because of me. She had given me everything, and even in
death, she worried more about me than herself.
Go!
Once my tears ran out, I fell back asleep. Fitful dreams of
fire and a sea of pain plagued me.
My body felt stiff when I woke. I had no idea how late in
the day it was or how long I’d slept, but my stomach growled and that was
motivation enough to rise. I had no more tears, but the stain of my grief left
me blackened and hollow.
The light funneling in through the cave opening didn’t offer
much more illumination than the stars had. The space was cool and damp. Near an
opening into another space beyond the light’s perimeter, clothes and tools
piled around the edge of the cave.
I stepped outside into the morning air and missed the taste
of salt. We were too high up for the ocean breeze to find me. Mixed grass and
some colorful flowers sprouted around the clearing. Tor was wading up to his
waist in the small pond. His thick hair hung loose over his shoulders and
covered his back. Facing away from me, he submerged his head in the water,.
When he reappeared, I watched the water roll off his broad
shoulders and trail down to his narrow waist. His back bore as many marks as
his arms. Scars ran at odd angles along his skin. His clothes lay in the grass
next to the monster-dog that protected them.
“Thhhhhrup!” Elgon called, hopping up to his feet when he
saw me.
I blushed, having been caught staring without saying
anything. I watched Elgon instead of acknowledging Tor. The animal’s stance was
relaxed, not the threatening posture from the previous night.
“He likes you,” Tor said, forcing my attention back in his
direction.
“Do you think he’d mind if I came over there?”
“No, it’s okay.” He turned to Elgon and made a gesture
through the air. “Huh.”
The animal sat and cast me an expectant look. I held out one
hand and crept forward.
~ Hi, Elgon .~
“It’s okay, really,” Tor said. “Once you get to know him,
you’ll see how funny your reaction was. He’s gentle, I promise.” He drank a
handful of water and swished it around in his mouth before spitting it out.
“Well, last night he tried to eat me, so I’ll take it slow
this time, if you don’t mind.”
I heard splashing as Tor waded out of the pond, toward
Similar Books
