by R. K. Gold
“So, we’re fighting?” Pace perked up, but the colonel shook his head.
“I’m worried Emerlia won't be alone in this fight. I want you to stay away from the northern border, and if things turn for the worst in the south with a Dracarian blockade—”
“Dracar is fighting?” Dean spoke up, and all the color in his face drained.
"It's what I'm worried about. If they join and blockade the south, I want you to head west, sneak into Krate, and leave the continent. We’ve been speaking with the Half Shields about opening a path off the continent.”
Dean put his food down and pulled his knees to his chest. He kept his eyes on the half-cleaned spot on the floor as the room fell silent. Yael felt like she was sitting in on another family's personal meeting.
“I need to go, but before I do, I need to speak with you.” He looked to Pace and nodded his head for the young boy to follow. “Why don’t you walk me out?”
13
The moment Armstrong left, Pace and the rest of his crew packed their things. They filled duffel bags and broke down the metal suits on display along the walls. “I’m not going back to Krate.” Dean dropped a box, and Lewis jumped away from the sound of metal clangs in the bag.
“Watch it!” the unscarred twin shouted as he tossed the few clothes he had into a shoulder sling sack. He and his brother looked small enough to pack themselves in one. His brother Brody nibbled the little food he had left and leaned back against the wall. When he finished, he plucked the crumbs off his stomach and closed his eyes, with a small smile etched across his face.
“I’ll sooner go to Emerlia than go back to Krate. You think the rumors along the northern border are troublesome here. Wait until you see the Half Shields. And they’re not even the worst of it. Red Sails love it there; they can get away with selling anything. And at least in Emerlia, you don’t have to deal with the bears.” He shuddered. Brody stretched his arms over his head and yawned as Lewis kicked his foot and tossed him an empty bag.
“I’ll just wear your stuff,” he said.
“You won’t be using my tools.” Lewis waved a wrench in his brother’s face, which was enough to get Brody off the ground. The twins wrestled with one another, circling a bag overflowing with metal instruments Yael had never seen before.
If they were all leaving, where would she go? She couldn’t just leave the continent; that’s not why she came all the way to Wydser. They had each other, but she only met them today. She felt no closer to finding the girl with her eyes—the starborn. She needed to find her family or whatever family she had left. The four boys continued packing their things; only Pace noticed Yael as she approached the door. Neither said a word; what was there to say?
There was only one person who could help, and she let him walk away. Why hadn't she just followed Jomi back to the life she knew? It wasn't like Ms. White was awful to her. She knew exactly where she stood in her foster mother’s eyes, and that constant knowledge of boundaries offered some comfort. It may not have been the family Jomi had with Marcel and Jaja, but it worked.
She still remembered the first time she met the Lambs. It was after the second family surrendered her to the state. She couldn’t remember why, only that she was once again in a government home surrounded by children awaiting placement. The stale smell of sweat was the only memory she had there.
When they sent her south, she stayed in the wake of the government official dropping her off, hugging only a sweater like a piece of driftwood after a wreck. She squinted her eyes, not having any glasses to hide them, and buried her chin in the fabric of the poncho she was given earlier that morning.
She didn’t see Jomi for long, only that he was working outside with a smile on his face while an older man who she assumed was his father instructed him on how to cut the hide. She could smell citrus in the air and hear horns playing down Port Street as the streetcar buzzed by. It was one of the most vivid memories of her early childhood, and it wasn’t even her family, just the kind of life she never had.
She had to see him one more time. Even if it were just to say goodbye. He had been there for her for four years. When Elias taunted her, he stepped in. When Ms. White expected her to bring home more nickdems, he was at her stand first thing in the morning buying spices.
"My dad said the meat was a little bland last night," he said every time. Still, Yael always knew that was a lie because whenever they invited her over to eat, the food tasted incredible.
Downstairs, the inn was packed wall to wall, and a short man hopped on a table with a cup in hand and shouted, “To the colonel!”
He was immediately met by a chorus echoing the cry, and drinks spilled all over the place as glasses clanked and brims parted lips. Yael squished between soft stomachs and pointed shoulders.
Beads of sweat broke out across her face as her ribs compressed under the weight of a heavy-set man declaring, "I'll buy anyone here a drink if they can take me!" At first, he was met by laughter, but the first challenger tumbled forward, followed by three and four more, falling on top of each other like foam over a beach.
She stumbled out of the crowd and onto the deck. Jomi and his family would be in the market district; he told her they were spending the night. She just had to ask around, find the inn closest to the eastern barracks where they made their delivery. As she ran down the steps, she spotted a tall, dark-skinned man in a light-yellow poncho. Everyone else outside was in leather jackets from the west, or tunics from the north. A few were even in suits. Under the streets' gas lamps, she could make out Jomi’s face and ran into his open arms. He smelled like sweat and sandalwood. His muscles wrapped around her like shade from a tree blocking out a peak summer sun. She knew the arms that held her now would fight armies to protect her. He was the closest thing she had to family, even more so than Ms. White, but he wasn’t her father.
When they pulled away, they were both misty eyed. “You came back.” She sniffled and pat his chest. He grinned.
“You’re not that difficult to find. Turns out that little blonde boy is pretty popular down here. Quite a relief, actually. Once I found out people knew who he was, I figured he wasn’t a thief, or at least not a good one.”
Yael grinned, now knowing that Pace was far from a pickpocket trying to strip her daily earnings at the market. Though he dressed the role of a young captain of an imaginary airship, she couldn't believe how connected he was to the closest thing Colodian had to royalty. Colonel Armstrong himself took care of him, and the colonel's brother gave him a free room at his inn.
“He’s from Lansing,” Yael replied, and the smile on Jomi’s face disappeared.
“So, they brought him to the city to live in one of the homes?" Jomi asked.
“Armstrong’s looking after him.”
Jomi’s eyes widened under the dim light of the gas street lamps. “Colonel Armstrong?” His voice went up.
Yael nodded. “I met him today.”
"I just missed him!" Jomi punched the air. "My dad got a note from him, though. Tossed a few extra Emerlia crowns,” Jomi whispered. “What was he like?”
Yael hesitated. On the one hand, he was everything she expected him to be. The kind of man who commanded any room he walked into with a pair of eyes that could strip someone down until they were nothing more than an acorn, with no past, no prejudices, and no insecurities. Then plant them into the ground to stand in his forest. On the other hand, she couldn’t forget how little she felt under the full weight of his inquisitive stare. He didn’t see her, only her eyes and whatever connection they had to the starborn.
“He’s shorter than I expected, but everyone bows so low for him, he’s always eye level anyway.” She didn’t know if she should tell Jomi about his suspicions. The way he squeezed his hands together and puffed his cheeks out as Yael recounted her experience made her want to think of him only for his legend.
“And this is his brother’s place?” He poked his head around Yael to get a better look at the inn.
“
So I’m told.”
“And how long are you staying?” He pushed his fingertips together as he curled his lips inside his mouth.
“I’m not sure; not much longer.” She knew she could hardly afford to spend the night if she wanted to catch up to the starborn. How far could she have traveled in the time since the sanctuary? It didn’t matter, she supposed. She knew, according to Pace, the starborn would eventually head back to the forest.
“You know you can come back with us,” Jomi replied, but she could tell from his voice he wasn’t hopeful. In the sanctuary that day, she made a decision to find her family—her real family—and going back with Jomi would seal that opportunity off for good.
“I was so close to finding her today,” Yael said, partly to herself. She couldn’t walk away now, especially after what Armstrong had said. If another war was coming, she might never have another chance. Part of her wished he never told her about the girl with her eyes.
“And how are you going to find her now?” Jomi asked.
Yael took her glasses off and rubbed her face. If she heard starborn rumors all the way down in Eselport, she could find more in the northern towns surrounding the capital. And she could always make her way to the forest to try to track her down there.
“I’m heading north,” Yael said. She bit her lip, and Jomi swayed side to side, squeezing his hands together, but his eyes always stayed on her. Even with her glasses off, he looked at her.
“I’m gonna miss you,” he said.
Tension pinched her temples, and the only relief came when tears trickled from the corners of her eyes. She jumped into his arms and nuzzled her face between his chest as he squeezed her tightly. She tried to speak, but her voice came out muffled until Jomi loosened his hold.
“Tell your dad thanks for me.” Yael sniffled. Jomi wiped his face with the hem of his shirt.
“Be safe. Please?” He ran his hand over her head and pulled her face to his torso once more. She nodded against him and stepped back when they broke their embrace. If she stayed with him for too long, she would lose her nerve. While returning to Eselport would be comfortable, she was equally sure that regret would eventually consume her.
When she reached the top of the deck, she turned around. Jomi was still there watching. He raised two fingers, and Yael did the same.
When she returned upstairs, Pace and the others were almost finished packing. Yael’s limited supplies fit in a single shoulder pack. Her breath quickened, and her arms tingled as the pressure returned to her head. Could that be the last time she ever saw Jomi?
“We can stay in Colodian then." Pace threw his bag at Dean's feet while the larger boy sat on the bed, staring at his hands. "We just need to stay away from the north and the big cities. We can head west without crossing any borders."
“The only free country to the west is Krate, and it’s barely any safer than Dyznae or Wuldernt. I’m not going back. It’s probably more dangerous than the northern border of Colodian.” Dean steepled his fingers together.
“She’s back!” Lewis pointed to the door when Yael entered.
Pace stifled a grin when he saw her. “Thought you were gonna disappear for good when you walked down.”
“You said you knew where the starborn was going.”
“I mean, a bit. We’ve been tracking her for some time, and she usually follows the same route.” Pace rubbed the back of his head.
Yael moved a hand to her pocket and curled her fingers around a nickdem. “And you’re sure she returns to the forest every month?”
“It’s the one place we can guarantee she’ll be. She leaves a gift for the Mother at different sanctuaries then returns to the forest.”
“To the immortal?”
“If there is one.” Pace ran both hands through his hair and sighed. “We don’t know if anyone else is in that forest for certain. I just know what Armstrong told me.”
“And what’s that?” Yael’s grip around the coin tightened. Pace had been so open with her on the roof, she couldn’t tell why it felt like he was holding something back now.
“We don’t know for certain, but Armstrong told me the immortal was given his power by the Mother but wasn’t born that way. The assumption is they can feel pain and do anything a mortal can do without dying or suffering anything permanent.”
“And the starborn is different?” Yael looked around the room, but all eyes were on Pace.
He shrugged. “All I know is what I’ve been told.”
“And what’s that?”
“She can’t feel pain, and she can’t bleed. Not that we would know cause the closest we ever got to catching her was today.” He threw his hands in the air and sat beside Dean on the bed. “But a few witnesses in northern towns have told us what they’ve seen her do. The immortal was given his powers by the Mother, but a starborn is actually born from her energy. That’s the best way I can put it.”
Yael moved her hand up to her face. “And the eyes are a mark of a starborn?” She never knew her parents. What if she never had them to begin with? Could that be it? She definitely felt pain. Even now, she rubbed the side of her head, trying to ease the pressure building up, but Pace didn't sound sure with what he knew.
“The eyes are definitely a link to the Mother.” Pace nodded.
Yael pulled her coin out of her pocket and inspected both sides. She ran her thumb over the once great king's face. Maybe that was immortality, an indentation on a piece of metal given value by those who didn't need it. She needed to find the starborn.
“I’m heading to the forest. Alone.”
“Now, wait just a minute; you heard Armstrong. We aren’t supposed to go anywhere near the forest. That’s literally touching the northern border. We need to get away from Emerlia,” Pace said. The lights along the ceiling glowed in the darkness as did the numbers indicating their distance. The large light on the far wall dropped closer to the wooden shelf that previously had the chart in it.
"Why do you think I said I'm going alone?" She pocketed her coin and looked around the rest of the room. It wouldn't be that significant of a goodbye, just another family to shake hands with before taking off.
“Didn’t you just leave your friend to travel with us?” Pace jabbed his thumb to his sternum.
“I’m not going back to Eselport. I have a chance to find out about my family.” She clenched her jaw.
“You’re assuming they are your family.”
"Have you ever seen someone with eyes like mine? I saw the way you looked at me in the sanctuary. There's a connection. I can tell, and I think she could tell too. Until you all showed up, I felt a connection with her. An energy in the air between us. She wanted to say something, and I need to find out what it was.” She blinked rapidly to stop the darkness from creeping in from the corners of her eyes. She had never traveled alone before. The furthest she had ever gone without company was from Ms. White’s house to the market. Even then, she usually ran into Jomi along the way.
"She doesn't have a family, though, outside of the immortal in the forest." Pace pinched the bridge of his nose.
"But what if she is?" Dean said. All eyes turned to the giant in the room. He backed up from the pressure behind the collective gazes. "I'm just saying, no one else has eyes like that. And the only reason we were able to get so close to her this time was that she was distracted. When have we ever laid a single hand on her?"
“He’s right!” Lewis jabbed his finger repeatedly in the air. “In Lensgrad, she spun in place, and next thing we knew, Brody and I tackled each other in an alley outside a barbershop. She sensed us coming a mile away.”
Brody rubbed his arms. He finished putting on beige fatigues. They looked like the pants the soldiers in Armstrong's company wore. "It doesn't feel right, just stopping. You've been tracking her for two years."
“I’ve been following Armstrong’s orders. Now, he wants us to get to safety,” Pace replied, but he didn’t sound convinced. He looked out the window and tied his blonde hair ba
ck. He rolled up his denim bottoms and fanned himself off. “If you go to the forest alone—then what? You won’t last longer than ten minutes inside the trees, and that’s only if you make it there. The skirmishes are intensifying daily, and you heard what Armstrong said about Dracar. It’s only a matter of time before they sign a treaty.”
Dean winced at the sound of the northern nation. “King Izor makes Benny look like a kitten. If they join the fight—” He shuddered.
“Have you ever left Eselport on your own?” Pace asked. When Yael didn’t say anything, he continued, “Have you ever been to the north?”
"No, I haven't." She adjusted the strap on her shoulder. She didn't hide how little she traveled on her own and felt herself sinking into soft dirt while Pace and his crew judged her from a ledge. "But, I have to go."
“But you don’t have to go alone,” Pace replied.
“What?” Yael’s voice cracked. “What do you mean? Are you asking to go with me?”
Pace locked eyes with her and warmth flushed her cheeks. “Of course.” When he spoke, the glass bubble contracting around the room shattered. Lewis and Brody jumped up in excitement.
“We’re gonna catch her!” Brody punched the air.
“I already said I’m not going back to Krate.” Dean chuckled.
“But we should wait the night. Leave at first light. Brody, go to the kitchen and see what’s leftover. I’m sure Armstrong already told Henry we would need provisions.”
“Why do I always get the food?” Brody muttered and stomped down the hall. Lewis giggled to himself until he made eye contact with Pace.
“All right, all right. I’m going,” he said and followed his brother.
“You really think she’s your family?” Pace finished packing the last of his things and collapsed on the wooden chair by the desk.
“If she’s not, she may at least know where my family is?”
