by Seven Steps
“Then you have doomed us to die in this tree,” Pennick spat. He dropped his head, running a hand over Seven’s sweat-soaked hair.
“Why can’t we just kill them all from up here?” Kiln asked. “They’re in one place. We don’t have to worry about them attacking us.”
“We can’t do that,” Nadira said.
“Why not?” Kiln asked.
“We’re not in the middle of a field anymore,” Nadira said. “If you use your fire on them, you could burn down the jungle. The same thing with my lightning.”
“And they would pound through any walls I can build,” Lex added.
“You can fly us out,” Kiln suggested.
Lex shook his head. “It would take three trips to get everyone to the ship. We have to be back by tonight.”
“But you lifted everyone into the tree,” Kiln said.
“Yes, but that took ten seconds, not hours.” Lex sighed. “It looks like the gator idea is our best option, but even that seems impossible with the time we have left.”
Nadira looked around the tree into the exhausted faces of her friends. They couldn’t stay in this tree forever. They had to find a way out.
The tree shook.
Nadira looked down at the Preyers. They were throwing themselves at the tree, attempting to knock it over as they had knocked over the others.
Nadira stood on her good leg. The time to act had come. She had lost one friend today. She didn’t intend to lose any more.
The tree shook again.
The way forward was clear. There was only one way off this tree, one way to save them all.
Kiln raised his eyes to Nadira.
She whispered, “I love you.” Nadira looked into the clouds. “I’ll be back.”
Kiln’s eyes grew round with panic, and he stood to reach for her. “Nadira? Nadira, wait!”
And then she was gone, high above the canopy and out of sight.
“Where is she going?” Pennick asked.
“I don’t know,” Kiln whispered, keeping his eyes trained on the sky, looking for any sign of his beloved.
The sky turned from bright, cloudless blue to black.
“What’s she doing?” Lex asked.
Rain poured from the sky. “She’s trying to save us,” Arees whispered.
Harsh, furious rain stung their skin in a relentless assault.
The wind picked up, swaying the large tree from side to side before leaning it to the left.
Lex formed a shelter of branches over them, shielding them from the pounding monsoon.
The rain came down harder and faster.
Lex kept his hands to the walls of their shelter, repairing the holes and cracks as quickly as they came.
Seven, Pennick, Kiln, and Arees sat cross-legged in the shelter as the storm pounded down on them.
They waited for the rain to stop.
They waited for Nadira to return.
CHAPTER 51
Kiln’s head dropped forward before snapping up again. Though the wind had died down hours ago, the rain did not abate.
Rain is good, he assured himself. It means she’s alive. But for how long? What is her plan? Does she need me? She’s only used her powers for minutes at a time, never as long as this. Is she okay?
He allowed a vision of her smooth, brown skin and thick hair to dance in front of him.
I’d give anything to have her here with me again. To hear her laugh. To see her smile. By the Mother Goddess, where is she?
His chest ached, not from the cold Toma, but from the lack of her presence. He missed his friend, his mate. The thought of never seeing her again was unbearable. Biting back tears, he looked up at Lex.
Although Kiln’s vision was blurred with exhaustion, he could clearly see Lex’s head slumped forward. The leaking roof dripped rain into Lex’s lap as he snored soundly. Everyone was asleep and had been for quite some time. But Kiln remained vigilant. He would not sleep until his love returned to him.
What if she’s already dead? What if this is just a rainstorm that would have passed through anyway?
An image of Nadira, face down in the rising river, crossed his mind. He swallowed the scream of agony that raced up his throat.
No, she can’t be dead. This is her rain. She’s out there. She can’t be dead.
The rain continued to drop and pool into Lex’s lap. He wished the rain would drip on him. At least then it could mask the tears that constantly threatened. Maybe then he could find some measure of relief from the worry and despair that stabbed at his heart.
Losing interest in the leaking ceiling, Kiln looked around the cramped shelter for something to occupy his time. He found nothing but brown walls.
He ground his teeth until his jaw throbbed. The painful gesture was no distraction from his unraveling mind.
She can’t be dead. If she was dead, the Toma would have told me.
He felt trapped, trapped in a small shelter with no rain to hide his tears and no idea whether Nadira was dead or alive.
His mind went back to the rat-infested tunnel yesterday, remembering that the Toma had awakened him when Nadira was in danger.
But she had a chance then. It knew that I would save her. He looked down at the Toma sticking out of his chest and tapped it with his finger. Perhaps there is no chance now. Maybe that’s why it’s not doing anything?
An errant tear made its way down his cheek, and he wiped it away. Then another came, and another. Before he knew it, he was silently weeping, hoping against hope that no one would awaken to see him in such a state. He allowed the fear that sat heavy on his shoulders to come out through his tears.
What if she’s dead? How will I go on? She’s my purpose, my breath, my north. Without her, I’m lost.
He took a deep, tear-soaked breath and tried to calm himself. The urge to burn down the shelter with everyone inside overpowered him. Yes, they’d all be dead, but at least his grief would end. The thought made him laugh out loud.
In this rain, it wouldn’t even burn.
He leaned his head back against the wall of the wooden shelter and heard nothing. The sound of rain had stopped. He thought he heard a bird, but he couldn’t be sure.
His heart banged against his ribs and he rushed to step over the sleeping bodies to wake up Lex.
“Lex, the rain’s stopped.”
Lex babbled incoherently, his head falling to the side.
Kiln shook him more firmly. “Lex.”
Lex’s eyes fluttered open. He looked around the room, wiped his eyes, yawned, and stretched.
“What?”
Kiln spoke slowly. “The rain has stopped.”
“Okay,” Lex said. “Is Nadira back yet?”
Kiln fought the urge to light his too calm friend on fire. “I don’t know. I need to get out.”
“Yes,” Lex yawned. “Of course.”
Lex stood, pressed his hands to his back, and stretched again. He walked to a wall and placed his hands over it. The bark between his fingers disappeared to reveal a cool, rain-soaked jungle.
Kiln stepped out and looked around. The river had risen dramatically. Water lapped at the middle of their tree, almost thirty feet high. Preyers no longer surrounded them, though errant Preyer pieces floated atop the water. A crab leg here. A tentacle there.
What happened to them?
“Any sign of her?” Lex asked.
Kiln shook his head.
Lex put a hand on Kiln’s shoulder and squeezed gently.
Kiln searched the perimeter of the shelter, examining as far as he could see in all directions. He looked down.
Nadira, his beloved, was face down on a wide branch only inches from the lapping water.
She was deathly still.
“Please,” he whispered, he prayed. “Please, oh, please.”
Kiln climbed down, turned her over, and put his cheek next to her lips.
She’s not breathing.
Placing two fingers at her neck, he checked her pulse.
Nothing.
Unable to stop his hands from shaking, Kiln pinched Nadira’s nose and breathed deeply into her chest. He put his hands where her Toma once shined, clasped his hands together, and began to pump.
“Please,” he begged. “Please, don’t leave me.”
Nadira’s face was serene, her dirty dress plastered to the voluptuous curves that he adored.
Pump. Breath. Pump. Breath.
“Please, stay with me.”
His tears mixed with the rain water that soaked her through.
Pump. Breath. Pump. Breath.
“Dear Mother Goddess Venus. Please don’t take her away from me.”
Losing all control, his tears poured down his face.
Pump. Breath. Pump. Breath.
He took a shaky breath and considered the best way to join her.
Pump. Breath. Pump. Breath.
He heard a scream in the jungle and distantly wondered if it was his.
Pump. Breath. Pump. Breath.
Lex climbed down to his two friends. He squatted next to Kiln, studying Nadira’s face, her lips red from Kiln’s ministrations.
“No!” Kiln cried.
Kiln’s shirt glowed with the light from his Toma as he slammed the side of a closed fist into her chest.
“No!”
He brought his hands together and slammed them against her chest, shaking the tree.
His Toma grew brighter.
Kiln let out a scream of anguish, his red-rimmed eyes going wild.
“No!”
His Toma beaming beneath his shirt, he slammed his fist to her chest once more in a desperate attempt to restart her still heart.
Nadira’s Toma lit ever so slightly.
Lex threw himself between Kiln and Nadira, staying his friend’s powerful fist. “Wait!”
Kiln sat back, and they examined the body.
Nadira’s chest weakly rose then fell.
“Kiln,” Lex whispered. “Kiln, she’s breathing.”
Relief washed over Kiln in waves. He checked for a pulse at the base of Nadira’s neck. His tears of anguish turned to tears of joy when he felt the weak but steady drum.
She was alive. Unconscious, but alive. Thank you Mother Goddess.
“She’s alive,” Kiln whispered. He kissed her gently on the cheek, took her limp body in his arms, and stood. He felt his chest swell with sheer delight knowing he would soon see her smile again.
She’s alive. I can go on.
Ecstasy seized his heart and he climbed up the tree to the platform. He was certain that if he had a running start, he could fly. He looked down at the precious cargo in his arms. He pulled her wet body toward him, breathing in her scent, kissing her cheeks, holding her close. Her Toma shined a bit brighter. He couldn’t pull the smile of happiness from his face. His heart rioting, he took a deep, cleansing breath, feeling sane for the first time since she had gone away.
“She must have flooded the river and brought out the gators,” Lex said. “She saved us.”
“Yes, she saved us,” Kiln repeated, smiling down at his Empress.
Lex looked around, his face hopeful again. “We have to be getting back to Zenith. The Magistrate’s expecting us.”
Lex crouched low, put his hands on the floor of the platform, and closed his eyes. The shelter above them dissolved back into the tree, the late morning sunshine jolting Pennick, Seven, and Arees from their slumber. He brought the treetop down to the water, and rounded out the bark until the tree formed into a boat. As Pennick and Seven crowded into the boat with Kiln and Nadira, Lex broke off a piece of the back of the boat and formed five paddles. He moved to where Kiln and Nadira were stationed and formed an overhang and a wooden cot.
Lex felt as if he were back in control. Their mission was almost completed. Once they made it to their ship, the Jewel, they would be safe.
“We have to get back to the ship before nightfall,” Lex said. “And we still have one more stop to make.”
Lex walked to the front of the ship and grabbed a paddle. He smiled when he heard four more paddles splashing into the water. The boat moved out into the new jungle “lake.”
Trees stretched out of the water, their tops still forming the canopy although their roots drowned below. Birds sat on branches, tweeting to each other this new, strange sight. Without the tangle of roots and mossy undergrowth, the jungle became a series of wide waterways. Gators and snakes swam by them with disinterest. Megros clung to overhanging branches, waiting for the flood waters to recede. Every so often, they would find a tangle of purple and green tentacles shivering beneath the water. They paddled faster, unsure if the giant beast were in fact dead or not.
“How long until we reach the ship?” Seven asked.
“We’re not going to the ship,” Lex replied.
“Then where are we going?” Seven asked.
Lex continued to paddle, “I have a promise to keep.”
CHAPTER 52
It’s done, Eva thought. I’m alone.
She looked out of the window of the enforcer’s ship. Earth grew smaller and smaller as she left it behind.
What will I do now? What is left for me? Who will love me? My mother, my friends, Nadira. They are all gone. The only one left is Jun-Su.
Momentary remorse shook her heart.
Maybe I shouldn’t have handed them over to the enforcers. Maybe I acted too hastily.
She shook her head.
No, if I regret my decision now, it will haunt me forever. What I did was right. What I did was just.
The enforcer in the pilot’s chair looked back at her. “Empress Eva.”
“Yes.”
“You may find that Venus is very different from what you may remember,” the pilot said.
Eva’s memories had painfully resurfaced as soon as she stepped foot on the Venian ship.
“I’m sure it is,” she said.
“Services are greatly reduced, and with no slaves, things are difficult,” the pilot said.
“We’re going to fix that,” Eva said. “We’re going to fix all of it.”
“Countess Jun-Su has taken over,” the pilot said.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Eva said. “Isn’t everyone else dead?”
“No ma’am,” the pilot said. “Many of the women and slaves went into hiding, but now that Arees is gone, they’ve begun to come out.”
“How many?” Eva asked.
“Hundreds I think.”
“Hundreds,” Eva breathed.
“It’s a lot on Jun-Su’s shoulders,” the pilot said. “I’m sure that she will value any help that you can give her.”
Eva sat back in her chair.
Yes, Jun-Su will need help. The type of help that only I can provide. With me by Jun-Su’s side, we can elect competent women to the Council. We can reform the slave market. We can put everything back to the way it was.
“Ma’am?” the pilot asked.
“Yes,” Eva said. “I am more than happy to cooperate with the Countess in any way that she deems fit.”
The pilot nodded and turned back toward the controls, flying them back to their home.
CHAPTER 53
After hours of being tired, wet, and uncertain, they arrived at Byron’s village. The water had receded enough for them to abandon the boat and slosh their way through the muddy jungle for the last few miles.
Seven felt Pennick’s protective hand on her back. “Why are we here?” she demanded.
“I made a promise to your father that I would bring you back here before we took you away,” Lex said.
“You promised him that?” Seven asked.
Lex nodded. “But we can’t stay long. We have to be on our ship before sundown.”
“But I don’t know—”
“Go to your father,” Lex commanded. “Tell him that you love him and tell him goodbye. It may be the last chance that you have to do it. Don’t let this moment slip away.” He smiled at her. “Don’t make me break my promise.”
Pennick nodded. “I’ll be right here with you.”
Seven took a deep breath and walked into the village, heading for the fire pit.
“Seven!” someone cried. “Seven has returned! The Star Maker has returned!”
The village seemed to come alive as Seven walked into it. Women and children flocked to her, drowning her in their tears of welcome.
Chief Byron threw open the skins that covered his hut, peering through the crowd to see what the commotion was about. When he stepped out, the villagers happily parted, allowing him time to meet his daughter’s eye. His face filling with delight, he took off his feathered headpiece, set it on the ground, and ran to embrace his daughter.
She opened her arms to him, tears flowing down her cheeks as they embraced.
“Father!”
“Oh, my Star Maker!” Chief Byron cried.
The village fell onto them, squeezing both Chief Byron and Seven closer together.
Pennick hung back at the edge of the village, feeling awkward and out of place. “Am I wrong for taking her away from all of this?” he whispered.
“You aren’t taking her away,” Lex said, clapping a hand to his shoulder. “I am.” He walked forward and stopped short of the crowd in the midst of their joyful welcome.
Byron saw Lex out of the corner of his eye and turned to him. “You have returned my Star Maker to us.” He fell to his knees in front of him. “How can I ever repay you?”
Lex pulled himself to his full height. “By remembering our agreement.”
Byron’s eyes widened, and he rose to his feet wearily.
Seven came to stand next to her father.
“We agreed that I would bring Seven back here to say goodbye one last time,” Lex said. “I have brought her and fulfilled my promise to you.”
“Will I ever see her again?” Byron turned to his daughter, tears filling her eyes.
“I don’t know,” Lex said.
“More time,” Byron pleaded, turning back to Lex. “I need more time.”
Lex sighed. “If you like, you can walk us to our ship and see her off.”
“Where is your ship?” Chief Byron asked.
“Just a little ways from here.”
