Page 24

Kari

Unable to sleep, I finally crawl from bed and head outside to sit on the porch and soak in the sounds of nature. It often soothes my soul in a way nothing else can, and it gives me space to think. I don’t sit out here long before I’m joined by Tavi, her more Nyanine style dress swishing along the grass giving away her approach. We smile at each other as she glides onto the porch and settles in the chair beside me.

“Couldn’t sleep?” she asks as she glances around, settling her arms in her lap.

“Nope, you?”

“Not well, no.”

There’s a long silence as we sit and listen, just taking in the beauty around us. She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I love this, the smell, the sounds. I can’t wait for my planet to be as prosperous as this.”

I nod and hmm, taking that in. I’m sure it’s been a massive undertaking for her to get what she has done. Her planet was mostly a husk, barely livable, before she got her powers to begin rebuilding it. When she’s finally done, I can imagine it’ll be as beautiful if not more so than this.

“How’s Krissie?”

Now it’s my turn to take a massive breath before speaking to figure out what to say. “She’s settled into Atsatsa’s for now, Willa’s planning to check on her and spend time with her, me as well. She seemed to be feeling a bit better after Vahru’s tea last night, so he sent some with her to make more as she heals. She should be fine. It’s this hit I’m worried about.”

“Who do you think it’s on?”

“I think we all know the answer to that after those photos we were sent. Me or Jeff. I can’t stand it. I keep trying to convince myself that we’re well protected here, we have all we need, there’s no way they’ll get to us, but if there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Neither of us says another word for a long moment, just sighing in turn and relaxing, trying not to let the stress of it all get to us. I need a distraction from this pain of waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Tavi, how’s it going with the whole Ayira thing?”

“Ugh.” She sighs once more and rubs at her face. “I need to go talk to her, explain myself, see where we can go from here. It’s not going to get resolved by ignoring it, and it’s not really helped me. I’ve not been given any new information on what happened to her, and I know what happened to my mother. I won’t learn more until I speak with her about what she remembers.”

“Hmmm.” I pause and think before speaking. “Are you still worried about her taking your place?”

I glance over at her and watch as she chews her lip for a moment. “No, I don’t think so, it’s more that I’m afraid to learn what her life was like. To realize what she went through and that I couldn’t help her.”

“But you can now. You can be here for her now, and she can be here for you. It’s not about fixing the past, honey, it’s about making your future brighter. The past will be what it was because it made you both who you are, but you can use what you’ve learned and been through to help each other grow and heal in ways that maybe no one else could. Look forward, not back.”

When she turns to look at me, I smile gently. “Hey, what if I go with you, right now. We can go talk to her, make a plan for tea and a chat, maybe you’ll hit it off, and she can come home to your planet for a visit, learn where she’s from. Could help her, too, you know.”

“I suppose there’s no time like the present…” She seems unsure, but she shrugs and rises with me. I pull on my bond to Kosiiba and find him stepping around the house to me.

“Looking to head out, Captain? Should we wake Vahru?”

“I’m already up, nice try. Where are we going?” Vahru stretches in the back door behind me, his shirt in his hands, and my body flares hot for a small moment before I avert my eyes at a crunching sound. Turning, I find Seuke walking up to us.

“We were just about to go and talk to Ayira, reunite some sisters. You can be our handsome warriors and protectors.” I sass, grinning at Vahru. He nips the air in front of him, and I chuckle, stepping back to grab his hand.

We all walk through the village with purpose, noting that people are beginning to wake and get to work for the day. We wave at a few people, say hello, and then we’re on the path to the lake and enveloped in silence. We don’t get far when Kij comes running up to greet us.

“Whoa, Kij, where’s the fire?” I chuckle, and he huffs.

“In my hand. Check this out. I think I found who you’re up against. Did you know you guys have a king? Well, you do, and he’s come from literally nowhere. I have decryptions and algorithms running, but I’m pretty sure that he’s been changing history since he arrived as I noticed some odd coding on some of the files you were reading from on the internet here. He’s changing history to benefit himself, to create a divide, to tear the world apart.”

“What the fuck?” Vahru growls.

“Who would do that? Why?” I stare at him in shock. We have a king!? “Okay, get me everything you can on this, and in the meantime, I’m going to go update the chief and my lieutenant. Something is fishy here, and I don’t like it.”

“You got that right. Whoever this guy is, I don’t think he’s from here, I don’t think he’s doing any good, and I think he may be very old. He’s smart, too smart for someone who recently was born here.”

“You’re too smart for someone so recently born, what does that say about you?” I snark, and he grins maliciously.

“That I’m special and just as dangerous as he is. We’ll get this creep, don’t you worry.” He whirls on his heel and runs back down the path, leaving me to wonder if that creepy smile he gave was meant to scare or inspire me. He could do some damage if he wanted to, I have no doubt.

Shaking myself, I focus on the here and now. “All right, let’s go inform the others. This reunion is once more on hold. I’m sorry.”

Tavi shrugs, and we turn around, heading back to the village. I doubt she’s upset, as it gives her more time to sort this out for herself as well, but I still feel bad. We walk quickly, with purpose, eager to get this information spread so we can prepare. Vahru heads to his dad’s, splitting off as we near it. Tavi and the others stay with me as I see Jeff coming down from my home. We meet him at the edge of the village.

“You’re not going to believe what Kij just found out. We have a king, apparently, and he’s behind everything. He apparently came from nowhere, there’s no info on him, and he’s changing history through coding to fit his story, to create this divide and destroy the planet. Kij thinks he’s very old, something ancient and different.”

“Whoa, what? That’s a lot to process this early in the morning, Kari.” Jeff rubs at his temples as Terax chuckles. I huff and wait for him to think it through, to let it soak in, and when he’s got it sorted, he drops his hands and rolls his shoulders. “Well, I guess we need to update the hunters. This is important.”

As Jeff turns away from me to look for his hunters, Kosiiba crowds me, his back to my front, pushing me back. “Kosiiba, what the hell?” I put my hands to his back, but he doesn’t budge, his knives pulling from their sheath on his chest. I turn to see Terax raise a bow, his nocked arrow moving as he struggles to figure out where to aim. Seuke crowds Tavi in the same way Kosiiba does me and Terax does Jeff, corralling us into the center. More hunters begin to gather, bows raised, and my panic rises as I feel Kosiiba’s emotions through our bond. He’s not sure what’s out there, but he can feel it, someone’s watching us, targeting us, and he’s determined to stop it.

A shot rings out, piercing and startling. I duck, Tavi gasps, and Jeff… Jeff groans. I turn and scream, “Jeff!” My arms reach out, catching him as he falls backwards into my arms. A bloom of blood spreads across his chest rapidly, and I rush to settle him on the ground. I climb atop him, straddling him to cover him, as I press my weight into my hands over his chest, trying to stop the blood.

Tavi growls, her body glowing and illuminating us for a moment before her power spreads. The hunters burst into action, some staying close, some running into the woods. Tavi stays close, her mumbles of prayers and spells a background noise to my own blood pumping through me.

Jeff groans as I press down, forcing him to open his eyes. “Stay with me, Jeff, keep those eyes open, damnit. Don’t you leave me! Stay with me!” I call and yell and murmur and shake him, anything to keep him with me. He can’t die, not like this, not here.

Willa drops down by Jeff’s head, panicked, cupping his face and asking what happened. It isn’t long before Vahru is there beside me in a panic, his eyes wide, as he pulls close his med bag. I cry as his blood continues to pour between my fingers unhindered, as if I’m not doing a thing to stop it. Jeff’s lips move but no sound seems to come out, and I press harder. I have to get the blood back in there, stop it from coming out.

Willa takes off into the woods, and I continue talking to Jeff, begging him to stay with me. “Jeff! Open your eyes, damnit, don’t you fucking leave me!” My tear drips onto his face, and his eyes open, looking up at me. The hazel is so dark, the green so vivid on the outside ring of his iris, I feel as if I can see the life slipping from him.

His hand reaches up and cups my cheek. I feel the sticky blood and gritty dirt stuck to his palm, but I don’t care, I lean into his touch. “I love you, Kari.” His words are whispered, a goodbye, and I panic.

“No, no, no, you don’t get to do that! No goodbyes, you’re going to stay with me. Right here. You hear me? Fight, Lieutenant Mooney! Don’t you give up!”

“Kari, we need to clear the wound. Was there an exit of the projectile or not?” Vahru grabs my attention, and I feel around the backside of Jeff’s shoulder as best I can.

“No, no exit. Fuck. Jeff, I gotta remove the bullet.”

Vahru rips his shirt open, giving me access, and I know I’m the one doing this because I have the smallest fingers. “I’m sorry.” I shove two fingers into the wound, the squelch of blood and the heat of his body making me want to gag. He screams, this guttural, pain-filled scream, as I root around for the bullet. It’s deep in there. Vahru pins his shoulders down, I press my hips down to keep him from bucking me, and I finally get it pinched between my fingers and pull. The suction makes it difficult, but it finally pops free, and he sags beneath me.

Vahru hands me a wad of cloth, and I press it to the open wound, letting it soak up as much blood as it can. Jeff sighs, his eyes rolling in pain before closing, and Willa barrels back into the huddled group. I hear yelling, arrows flying, people talking, but I can’t focus on anything but Jeff. Willa and Vahru communicate for a moment before he gently pushes me aside.

I sit on Jeff’s legs, watching, as Vahru takes some chewed up leaves and stuff from Willa’s mouth and jams it into Jeff’s wound. Jeff groans at the pain, Willa holding his shoulders down, before Vahru tapes some cloth and gauze-like stuff over the poultice to protect it.

“Get him into the house, now. He’s not safe here. Let’s move!” Willa yells over the chaos, and I’m gently lifted from my seated position by Vahru. I watch as the hunters gather and lift Jeff from the ground, rushing him into his cabin. I follow on numb legs with Vahru in front of me and Kosiiba behind, watching my back.

I stand just inside the door as Willa cleans him up, talks to him, and then I watch as Vahru comforts his friend. She weeps for her mate, and I listen as he tries to assure her that things will be okay, but I don’t know that I believe that. Things may get bad, he could get an infection, he could have nicked an artery or major blood vessel. What if he had an organ damaged?

Worst of all, the weight that presses down the hardest is the fact that this is all my fault. He’s been targeted and hurt because of me, because of my love, because of my loyalty, because I brought him here. They came after him to hurt me, and it damn sure worked. I’m the reason that all this danger is coming to the village, the reason all these people are involved and in danger.

Maybe it would have been better if we’d never come. Jeff would be alive if we were on our mission to Enceladus. He would be taking samples and enjoying his favorite thing: space. We’d both be alive and as safe as could be. Instead, I let him get shot. What have I done?

Kosiiba slips an arm over my shoulder, and I crumble. I fall to my knees, him dropping with me to catch me and hold me as I weep. I caused this, I did this, and now my best friend, my only human family left in the universe, is going to die because of me. Maybe my family was right, and I am just a useless, good-for-nothing nightmare who brings bad luck. And now, all I can do is sit around and wait to see if he survives. Maybe I deserve to lose him, maybe this is the universe teaching me a lesson.

“Stop it, Kari, stop catastrophizing. Look, he got hurt, yes, it was to get at you, but you aren’t responsible. You didn’t pull the trigger. You helped him, you loved him, you brought him here to find a mate and love and a new purpose in life. You helped him more than you know. Don’t let the Devil convince you otherwise. This is his plan, remember, to break you.” I look up into Kosiiba’s eyes as he murmurs to me, and I find tears in his as well. He’s hurting because of me, he feels my pain, he’s heard my thoughts. They must have been loud….

“Take the time to grieve and care for him, but don’t let this bastard win and break you. The Guardians said you’d have to handle sacrifices and pain, but you’ll come out of this. Find that strength in you and hold on. You’ll get through this.”

I nod and cuddle back against his chest, letting my tears fall as I stare at Jeff’s prone form on the bed. Willa is still weeping in Vahru’s arms, and I feel his eyes on me, but I can’t look right now. I know he and I both feel this pain between us, he may have even heard some of my thoughts, but I can’t get lost in this. Like Kosiiba said, I have a purpose, I will get through this, and to keep my strength, I can’t let my grief overwhelm me. I need to release what I can, stand back up, and fight like hell.

This isn’t over, and when I find you, Devil, it’s you and me, fucker.

The End. For now.

We’ll continue this story and find out what happens to our favorite lieutenant in the final installment of the series, Unifying the Nyanine .