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After exiting the tunnel, I lifted my chin, inhaling the spring breeze drifting through command central. I spotted an untamed lion-like mane near the map projection and wove through the enforcers, eyeing their cups full of thick black sludge, toward Makir’s morning hair.
“Where’s mine?” I nudged Makir’s shoulder.
“Ginger, there you are.” He smiled.
From a nearby cart, he poured me a cup of javae, the bitter syrup that passed for coffee on Tern. Caffeine was caffeine, so I took eager sips, warming myself in the cooler air.
His blue thumb brushed under my eye and he squeezed his tail around my calf. “And with no shadows darkening your fair skin.”
Enforcers darted back and forth, carrying messages down the tunnel where coms didn’t reach. The somber mood hit me like a wall. Usually, a goofy comment broke through the bustling atmosphere here and there, but not today.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Makir’s fluffy tail patted the back of my calf. “Last moon, while luring the hellsna away from a Nacer, two enforcers were lost. The Nacer didn’t survive.”
“Oh, no. That’s terrible.” But at the same time a bolt of gratitude jolted through me. Thank God JayJay hadn’t been on duty. The pseudo-coffee turned acidic in my belly, and I set the cup into a notch in the volcanic rock wall.
Makir started walking toward the exit. “Our trip is still going ahead as planned. Geo’s with Sisip, organizing the scouts.”
Geo waved us over from across the room, where he stood in front of the elevator with two enforcers I didn’t know. Their grim faces emphasized the fact that the fight against the hellsna had worsened.
Geo wrapped an arm around my shoulders and took my suitcase. “Well, at least there’s one good thing about today. You look fantastic.”
“Thanks. I feel amazing.” Though it didn’t feel right to say so at the moment.
Bright sunlight and a crisp breeze welcomed us as we exited Starry Volcano, and I pulled my wool coat from my suitcase.
Makir frowned when we reached the hoverbikes. “There aren’t enough for us all.” He hitched his trailer to the back of a machine that had seen better days.
When I eyeballed the dented metal and corroded pipes, Makir flicked the fluffy part of his tail at me. “Who do you think fixes these things? It may look like it belongs in the wastelands, but this baby purrs.”
I laughed as he said, “baby”—clearly Geo’s influence. Then I held my hands up. “I didn’t say a thing.”
Makir’s attention jumped to Geo, who kept looking over his shoulder. “The dogs will be fine here. They won’t even notice we’re gone with all the snacks they’re fed in the kitchen.”
The Nacer enforcer pointed a spread wing to her hoverbike. “Ginger, you’re with me.”
I exhaled when we launched. JayJay would wake any moment if he hadn’t already. As much as I would’ve loved to see his expression when he put on his new protective gear—and his leather-wrapped muscles—I wasn’t prepared to answer all the questions his eyes would hold.
We swept past lunal weeds twined around crumpled buildings, glistening with morning dew.
I didn’t know what to do with the swirling emotions inside me. A day never went by now when he didn’t impress me. His courage to tell us of his conviction. His endless drive to rid Tern of hellsna. Selflessly offering up his body. But his pride frustrated me.
I tried to put myself in his shoes and sympathize, but I didn’t have the faintest idea how being falsely accused of a crime and then banished would’ve affected me. A lost career, a life’s work stolen… That I could relate to. Which made his lack of faith in me all the more aggravating. How could he have thought I wouldn’t believe him? Time apart would help us sort through this mess.
The beautiful home Geo, JayJay and the Rock Dweller building crew had constructed for Makir came into view. A courtyard dome, teeming with plant life, rose above the pink adobe exterior, promising a humid oasis.
“Thanks for getting me here safe and sound.” After parking in Geo and Makir’s hoverbay, I led the scout toward the inside entrance. When I opened their door and slipped off my boots, I shuddered in delight as the geothermal floor warmed my socked feet. Voices rumbled from the courtyard. “They’re just through there.” I pointed toward the sliding doors.
Anxiety reared its ugly head and my underarms grew damp as I hugged Geo and Makir goodbye. “You guys’ll be careful in the wastelands, right? Hoverbike parts aren’t that important.” I redirected my anxiety to the enforcers. “And you’ll watch them as if they were your own brothers?”
The two enforcers stood straighter, and the Nacer’s wingtips fluttered. “They’ll be safe with us.”
But it didn’t lessen my worry.
The two scouts idled in the air on their hoverbikes while Geo, about to climb behind Makir, ran back toward me. “Com us if you aren’t feeling well, and we’ll come back. You’re sure you want to stay?”
I nodded and hugged him one more time.
