Page 159 of Moon Chosen

“Okay, so, let’s say you do find Mari and manage to talk her into trading Jenna’s life for your cousin’s. Then what?” Sol said.

“Then I’ll bring her here to heal O’Bryan,ifI can assure her safe passage. Can you help me with that?”

“Well, she’s bonded with a Shepherd. Her father was one of our Tribe. Violence against a member of the Tribe is taboo. Our own laws should protect her, but if they don’t I’m willing to take her under my personal protection. That’s the least I can do for her father.”

“What are you going to do when the Tribe finds out her father was Galen? She knows how he died. She doesn’t know it was you who killed him, but she knows he was killed by the Tribe,” Nik said.

“Cyril will probably disagree with me, which is why I’m not going to ask his advice, or permission, on this. I believe it is time for the truth to be told.”

“That could go badly for you, Father,” Nik said.

“It will be no worse than keeping that terrible secret for all these years.”

“You’re a great man, Father. I love you,” Nik said.

“What’s the old saying? The cone doesn’t fall far from the pine?” Sol smiled at his son. “Sleep for a few hours. I’m going to put a kayak in position for you, and provision it. I’ll send Laru to wake you before dawn. Do you have a plan to get the girl and, I assume, her Rigel, to the infirmary?”

“I hadn’t thought that far yet. I expected to have more time to figure this all out.”

Sol stroked his chin, thinking. “I think I can help you with that as well. Time your return for dusk or right afterward. Go to that old meditation platform to the east. You know the one I’m talking about?”

“The one Mother spent so much time carving?”

“That’s it. It’s rarely used after mid-evening because of its distance from the Tribe. I’ll be sure there’s a candle and tinderbox there. Light the candle and put it on the railing. When I see it I’ll know you’ve returned with Mari. Wait there until after the dinner lights are extinguished. Then bring Mari to the base of the infirmary trees where the emergency block and tackle lift is situated. I’ll be above, ready to hoist the three of you up.”

“That’s a great plan, though I have a feeling we’re going to get into a lot of trouble over this,” Nik said, looking at his father with newfound respect.

“I haven’t been in any real trouble for decades, and I’m finding the possibility of it makes me feel young again.”

Nik smiled at Sol and shook his head. “And they callmea troublemaker.”

“They call you more than that!” Nik and Sol chuckled. Then Sol clapped his hands together, causing Laru to wag his tail and trot around his Companion in expectation. “Ha! It’s keeping Laru young, too,” Sol said. Then he sobered and pulled his son into his arms for a fast hug. “Nikolas, try not to almost die again. It’s hard on my heart.”

“I’ll do my best, Father.” Nik crawled into the pallet warmed by his father and his Companion Shepherd, and was asleep before Sol left the nest.

***

It seemed only minutes had passed when Laru’s cold muzzle poked his neck and Nik’s face was covered with licks.

“Laru, okay, okay! I’m awake—I’m awake!”

The big Shepherd gave Nik one more lick, and then sprinted from the room and out of the nest. Nik wished he could follow his example, but his body ached. For a moment he felt a terrible sinking in his gut and he hastily unwound the bandage on his leg, sure he was going to see the pus and ulcers had returned along with the deadly blight. He had to sit heavily on the pallet as relief made him weak.

There was no blight, only a tender wound that needed rest. He went to his father’s water bucket and splashed his face and chest with the cool, clean water. Fully awake, he hurried from the bedroom to find that Sol had left a new crossbow and a full quiver of arrows for him, as well as two words, written in his fierce cursive:Return Safely.

Nik smiled, grabbed a pair of his father’s thick leather gloves, the cloak Davis had let him borrow, pulled up the hood, and hurried from the nest.

Nik didn’t go to the lift. It would be too easy for another Tribe member to see him, and to ask questions about where he was off to so early, especially as everyone by now must know he was newly returned from the dead.

But the city in the trees had been designed with a myriad of ways for the Tribe to get safely and quickly to the forest floor, and Nik took advantage of the easiest of those. Not far from his father’s nest was one of the many static rappelling stations the Tribe could use in case of emergency. Every member of the Tribe, from the time they were small children, trained until they were proficient in rappelling. It was second nature for Nik to pull back the cape, put on the gloves, and step into the leather harness, lowering himself swiftly and silently to the dark forest floor far below.

Nik tried to jog down the ridge to the Channel, but his battered body could only be coaxed into a limping walk. He gritted his teeth against the pain and the frustration—O’Bryan didn’t have time for this!

By the time he made it to the broken asphalt that used to be a road, the sky was beginning to lighten with the gray that was the harbinger of dawn and he was sweating with pain and effort.

He found the kayak easily. His father had left it right where he’d promised—beached near the bridge to Farm Island. Nik didn’t allow his eyes or his attention to shift to the bridge. He didn’t think about the terror the water held for him. He focused on the task at hand, which was far more difficult than it would have been had Nik’s body been well. First, he checked the kayak. The paddle was tied inside the little boat, along with a basket filled with food and water. There was also a still warm mug of tea nestled in the middle of the basket. Nik smiled and mentally sent athank youto his father, and then gulped down the tea. It was sweet and strong, and it sizzled energy through his body, which he definitely needed as dragging the kayak into the water had his wounds screaming in protest. When he finally was able to jump into the boat and begin paddling for the floating houses, he could feel a warm line of blood tracking down his back.

More work for Mari, Nik told himself, refusing to let his wounds cost him any more precious time than was absolutely necessary.They’re nothing compared to what my cousin is going through—nothing.