Page 39 of Cozy Prisons (Human Pets of Talin: Origins #4)

Nataly

Grace and Merrick guided the bot a short distance away from all the bustle and activity of the encampment. Hale was lying on a blanket on the sandy shore of the pond.

Nothing prepared Nataly for the sight of them. They might’ve been thin and pale before, but at least they’d been moving and alive. Nataly held her breath and stared at Hale. They were so perfectly still that she had to watch Hale’s chest to make sure they were breathing!

“Oh, poor Hale,” Nataly whispered. Merrick made a sympathetic sound, and Grace jumped up on the mover to sit next to her.

Leaning close, Grace spoke in low tones. “I know it’s a lot to tell someone that they are the last hope, but you really are Hale’s last hope.”

Nataly shook her head. “I don’t…I don't even know if…well, anything...”

Grace seemed to understand her jumbled words. “You can’t make this worse. Falkilm is talking about force feeding them and all sorts of other things we both know Hale wouldn't want. Besides, what's the point of keeping a body alive if the soul is determined to leave?”

After letting out a long breath, Nataly nodded. “Fine, can you get me closer without getting the mover stuck in the sand?”

Merrick tapped on the information square in his hands. “Sure.”

Using small movements so the large, awkward mover didn’t step on Hale or the nearby sand, Merrick got the bot close enough for her to slip off the platform and next to Hale with a cascade of pillows. Several landed on their supine form, but they didn’t even flinch.

Now that she was closer, she could see that Hale’s eyes were slit open and staring off into space. They were awake and unresponsive, just like Grace had been. This was so bad.

Merrick was guiding the bot away. Nataly caught Grace’s attention before she left with Merrick. “Could you tell Daxus that I’m here? He won’t handle it well if he finds me gone.”

Grace nodded. “Sure.”

As Nataly watched Grace walk away, an intense image formed in her head. It was of Merrick holding an older version of Maeve while Grace held a baby.

“A baby is coming.”

Nataly didn’t realize she’d said those words until Hale let out a sob.

“No, they’re gone. My babies are gone.”

Out of everything they might have said to her, that wasn’t what she’d expected. She thought she’d be dealing with depression, but not from the loss of children. Poor Hale!

Their eyes opened a little more and met her gaze. “I’ve lost everything.”

Her intuition wasn’t giving her anything, so she had no idea how to respond. Sima was really good at soothing people. What would she say in this situation?

Thankfully, Hale kept talking.

“They weren’t mine, but they might as well have been.

I loved them more than anything. Then they died, and I had nothing.

All I could do was remember them. Fulmons believe that the living need to remember the dead.

Only if the living remember them long enough can the dead transcend to the highest level of the afterlife.

I tried to remember them every moment of every day so even though they were only babies, they’d find their way to the Ever Green Sea. ”

Hale grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly enough to hurt. Their skin felt horribly cold, and they were shaking!

“What if I forget them? Their parents are dead too! There’s no one to remember them but me.”

“Describe them to me,” Nataly said. “I’ll remember with you. Then there’ll be two of us remembering them.”

Hale let go of her hand and sat up. Their short brown hair was greasy and stuck up at all kinds of angles. It would’ve been funny if the situation weren’t so serious.

“Yes, I can do that,” they agreed. “If I had the data crystal you copied, I could show you. They were so adorable. The cutest Fulmon babies ever! I lost it, but I’ll tell you everything I remember.”

Sudden guilt made Nataly wince. She didn’t want to tell him, but she had to. “There’s something you should know, but, um, I don’t want you to get mad at me.”

Hale blinked, then anger took over their face. “You don’t want to listen.”

“No, no! I swear I want to hear all about your um, Fulmon babies,” she said in a rush. “It’s about your data crystal.”

Hale’s anger morphed to confusion. “Thank you for recovering and copying the data, but both the original and copy are gone. They’re at the bottom of that pit.

Those vids and image captures were the only ones of my babies.

I couldn’t even stay on the station where they lived and died because Iris and Damascus bought my work contract and made me leave. ”

Ah, that explained why he was so angry.

“Right, so, uh, I’ve recovered a lot of data crystals,” she said. “It was one of my many jobs back on Tanash Station. I got into the habit of, um….” She really didn’t want to tell him this part. It was an embarrassing secret no one else knew about.

Hale made an impatient sound. “Please tell me so we can move on. I want to tell you about Dimla and Sukla.”

“I made a copy of your data crystal!” she said in a rush, then braced for their anger.

“I know, you gave it to me,” they said. “I was there, remember?”

“No, I mean I made an extra copy and kept it,” she continued. “I shoved all my data crystals in a bag and tossed them on Grace and Merrick's mover bot when we were evacuating. They probably still have it.”

She flinched back when Hale moved toward her, but they weren’t going to hurt her. Instead, they grabbed her in a tight hug. She felt hot tears on her skin before she heard the bawling.

“You really are a savior,” they whispered between sobs.

Nataly let out a nervous laugh. “No, I’m a thief. I’ve been doing this for years. I promise I didn’t look at any of it. I just have this impulse to keep a copy of everything that crosses my path.”

Hale pulled back, their expression fierce. “You had the impulse because I was going to need it someday. You’re a River.”

“River? Is that another Fulmon thing?”

Hale beamed at her, which looked odd because tears were still streaming down their face. “Yes, exactly! Sometimes the Ever Green Sea sends souls down as gifts to the rest of us. Souls like yours are designed to help.”

Nataly pointed at herself. “Except I’m not a Fulmon.”

Hale shook their head. “Doesn’t matter. All souls come from the Ever Green Sea and hope to return someday. As a River, you will return directly; you won’t need to wait. Can I have that crystal?”

Nataly nodded and looked around. Everyone was moving and working.

She called out a couple of times, but no one heard her.

She was bracing herself to walk when Cassius ambled closer than anyone else had.

When Nataly called out, Cassius paused and looked around until he spotted them.

His expression was happy until he looked past Nataly to see Hale.

There were healing bruises on Cassius’s face, and his scowl directed at Hale indicated who’d caused them.

“Hey, Cassius, could I borrow your information square?” she asked.

Cassius hesitated, then walked closer, pointedly ignoring Hale. “Sure, you can use mine, but do you want me to get yours? I think Daxus and Utharium finally agreed on where you guys are going to camp, so your stuff should be in one place.”

“Yes, get her things!” Hale said. “Please!”

Cassius was standing next to them, and he crouched down. “I could carry you to your stuff. We’d have to do it like kids with you hanging onto my back because I’m not as big as Decard or one of the Talins.”

Hale literally grabbed the back of her omni and clung to her as if scared she’d accept Cassius's offer.

“No, you can’t leave. You promised to hear about Dimla and Sukla!” Hale’s panicked words made Cassius’s eyes go wide.

“Who are Dimla and Sukla?”

Nataly tensed, worried about Hale’s reaction to Cassius’s question. Far from getting upset at Cassius's inquiry, Hale vomited words out.

“Dimla and Sukla were my babies. They’re gone, but I’m scared for their souls.

Nataly’s going to help me remember them.

She has a copy of my data crystal! Isn’t that amazing!

I know you don’t like me, but please get her things so she can give me the data crystal.

There are images and vid captures of my babies on it.

I’m sorry I hit you. If you bring the data crystal, I’ll let you hit me as much as you want. Please, I miss seeing them!”

Cassius’s expression went from irritated to sympathetic in a blink. “Oh, Hale, I’m sorry about your babies. I’ll get the bag.” He moved his eyes to Nataly. “Which one of your bags is it in?”

“I packed two bags, please bring them both,” Nataly said, looking forward to a change of clothes. “I might be here for a while.”

Cassius nodded. “I’ll be right back.”

He jumped up and jogged away. Hale didn’t let go of her. “Do you think he’ll do it?”

She patted the hand gripping her shoulder. “You can trust Cassius to do what he says he’s going to do.”

“The only reason for me to live is to help Sukla and Dimla transcend,” Hale murmured, rocking a little against her.

She didn’t know what to say to that! Why hadn’t she asked Cassius to bring Sima back with him?

Before she had to think of something to say, Cassius came running back with a bag on either shoulder. He dropped both bags in front of her and then sat down in the sand, panting.

She reached for one of the bags. “I have hundreds of data crystals. This is going to take a while,” she warned Hale. “I don’t have them labeled. I’m going to have to check each one on an information pad.”

Cassius wiggled in the sand, getting comfortable, then set his information square on his lap. “I can help you check them.”

“Thanks, with all three of us doing it, it’ll go fast.” The first bag didn’t have the crystals. After pulling out an information square, she set it aside and grabbed the other one.

“You’re willing to help?” Hale asked, sounding suspicious.

Cassius shrugged. “I still think you’re an asshole, but now I understand why. If I lost Decard, I’d probably go a little crazy too.”