Eva could see the queen’s dark-lined eyes change color as she considered the girl. Ojo turned to the table where Eva’s few belongings were arranged. “So there are more like you? You are not alone?”
Eva wasn’t sure how to answer the question. She shifted, nervous. “Like me?” she said, slumping back in her cell. “No. Not exactly like me.”
“So you are the only one?” The queen faced her.
“I … I don’t know.” Eva’s throat went dry. “I hope not.”
Ojo studied her reaction. As her bright eyes pierced Eva, the queen commanded, “Send for our resourceful hunter Besteel. I’d like to have a word with him.”
“It appears, for all intents and purposes, that the fool’s errand you’ve sent him on has metamorphosed to be quite a productive undertaking,” Zin mused.
“Yes, indeed.” Ojo held her eyes on Eva for one more beat and then turned to leave. “Prepare this living fossil, and all of its relics, for display. It will be a highlighted addition to my museum collection.”
Eva’s heart stopped. Her body shook as she beat on the glass. “No! NO! Please! Just let me go! Please don’t do this! PLEASE!”
Queen Ojo swept out of the room, followed by her royal guards. Zin floated close to the cell. “Let us immobilize the specimen first. I wish to thoroughly examine it prior to display preparation.”
“As you wish,” the taxidermist complied in a cheerful tone.
“No! Please!” Eva sobbed as she slapped her hands against the glass. She slid down to the bottom of the cell next to the rod.
She thought of the first time she’d heard Otto’s song …
… of Rovender handing her voxfruit …
… of Muthr singing lullabies while giving a her a bath when she was three …
… of a crumbling picture of a robot holding a little girl with an adult, smiling. Happy. Moving forward out into the beautiful, wonderful world.
“Halt!” Zin’s voice piped, as loud and clear as crickets.
He hovered close to the cell wall, examining Eva’s left arm.
Her wrist.
The mark on her wrist.
A circle within a circle.
“At what location did you receive this glyph?” Zin asked, his tiny eyes blinking.
Eva withdrew her arm from the cell’s wall. “Someone gave it to me. But why should I tell you?”
As Eva wiped away the tears, she could see that Zin was flustered. He buzzed about the lab, talking to himself. The taxidermist also noted this peculiar change in behavior. “Do you want me to continue, Curator?” he asked.
“No!” Zin fluttered back up to the cell. “No. I require a live study of this species Eva Nine. Yes. Please have it delivered promptly to my study… . No. Never mind. Release the specimen now, and I shall personally escort it to my study immediately.”
“Begging your pardon, sir,” the taxidermist said, his remote aimed at the cell. “But the queen just ordered—”
“Yes, yes,” Zin snapped. “I shall take personal responsibility and inform Her Majesty of my amendment to her commands regarding the future of this individual.”
“Whatever you say.” The taxidermist hit another button on another control. The rod in Eva’s cell sank back into the floor, and the walls returned to a jellylike membrane. Eva hopped out.
With red-splotched eyes and a runny nose, she faced Zin and asked, “Now what?”
He grabbed her effects, including the Omnipod. “Now you shall accompany me, Eva Nine.”
CHAPTER 30: HOPE
Before we continue, I need assurances that you shall be respectful of my study,” Zin said, floating down the dimly lit hall. They approached a door identical to the one that had led to the taxidermy lab. “Give your word, Eva Nine: no mischief.”
“Yes,” Eva said, happy to be out of the horrible lab. “I won’t wreck your study. You have my word.”
“Very good,” Zin replied as he waved a hand over a central eye on the door, causing the door to slide open. “You may enter.”
“I’ll tell you about the glyph, but before we continue …” Eva paused at the doorway, looking him up and down. “Give me your word that you’ll help me out of here.”
“I will aid in your release by all available means,” Zin replied, crossing his arms. “You have my word.”
Eva nodded and stepped into Zin’s grand chamber. The domed skylighted room was darkened, as twilight stained the world outside in a deep blue. Gigantic tuliplike fixtures ringed the work space, their exteriors crisscrossed with numerous diamond-shaped pull drawers. A low, wide circular table dominated the center of the study, and was covered with preserved plants, animals, artifacts, and various tools. Directly overhead an impressive chandelier hung from the latticework ceiling, reminding Eva of a curled starfish, with each tiny tube foot emitting a glow of candlelight.
“Please, allow me to remove these,” Zin said, cutting Eva’s binds. “This is Morrenia laquem, or straintwine as it is commonly referred to.” He placed the cords that had bound her onto his worktable. “It’s an indigenous plant species whose stems naturally contract when one pulls against them. Quite an ingenious defense against would-be herbivores.”
Eva rubbed her forearms where the straintwine had been wrapped. “Yeah, I’m aware of it.” Her memory flickered to Besteel stringing her and Rovender up by the foot.
“Ah, now it should be apparent that I intend you no harm.” Zin hovered in front of Eva, looking at the marking on her wrist. “So, elucidate this mysterious glyph for me. Tell me, how did you acquire it?”
“First, you tell me,” Eva said, pointing a finger at the floating being, “why do you kill everything you catch and put it on display?”
“I?” Zin was affronted. “I don’t terminate any life-forms. That is the responsibility of the taxidermist. My position is to pursue knowledge through observation and study. Only then can one truly understand an organism.”
“How can you understand anything by killing it?” Eva turned away from him.
“True, it must perish, Eva Nine, but it is a representation, an exponent for its species.” Zin’s eyes sparkled as he floated around his study under the dark cloudy sky outside. He continued, “There exists a vast wealth of knowledge one can acquire by simply peeling away our outer layers and examining what lies inside. Now, you could surmise that within all living organisms there exists a constant, a blueprint, if you will, that is alike no matter what form or environment the organism thrives in. But you would be erroneous in your theorem. There exists no constant, only variables, and yet all organisms strive toward a common goal.”
“And what goal is that?” Eva looked at the collection of plants and animals on Zin’s desk.
“To understand that, Eva Nine, is to understand one of the universe’s biggest mysteries: Why are we here?” Zin floated next to her, a look of self-satisfaction on his round face.
“But couldn’t you just ask? Talk about it?” Eva opened a drawer. It was full of vocal transcoders. She picked one up, speaking to herself, “So much more can be garnered by simply inviting one in.”
“Come again?” Zin glided to her.
“It’s nothing.” She turned to him. “I’m sure that the water bear you killed could have told you much more if only you’d asked.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Zin said, closing the drawer. “Those creatures communicate through primitive means, likely for herd socialization, caretaking of offspring, and mating. I’ve studied numerous homologous life-forms on several similar planets.”
“You’re wrong. They talk,” Eva replied, putting her hand on her hip. “I have a pet water bear named Otto, and he speaks to me all the time.”
“That’s complete and utter nonsense.” Zin crossed his many arms.
Eva sauntered around the large table. “Well, what about this: If you killed and skinned me, you’d never know where or how I got this mark, or who I got it from,” she retorted.
Zin dropped down in front of her, his
voice hushed. “No more games, Eva Nine. I need to know the whereabouts of the individual that placed this glyph upon you.”
“Why?” Eva crossed her arms.
“Why? I am not going to entertain your inquiries. Simply—”
“Tell me why,” Eva cut him off. “And tell me where you got the jackvest and Omnipods and the other stuff… . Then I’ll tell you.”
“Jack … vest? Omnipods? Are these the given names of the artifacts featured in the museum’s collection?” Zin asked.
“Tell me where you got them,” Eva said.
“You tell me first,” Zin’s chirrupy voice was rising.
Eva said nothing.
“If you do not cooperate, Eva Nine,” Zin threatened, wagging a stumpy finger at her, “I will be forced to return you to the taxidermist’s lab.”
Eva swallowed, suppressing a shudder. “Go ahead. Do it.”
Zin floated centimeters away from Eva’s face. She could see that his ivory skin was covered in a fine white down—more like a peach and less like the mushroom texture of Arius.
She held her breath. Held her ground.
“Agh! Very well.” Zin blinked and turned from her, floating toward the door. With a wave of his hand, a mechanism within the door locked. While his back was still turned, Eva flicked off the AnatoScan monitoring system on her tunic and searched for the Omnipod. It was lying with the other possessions on Zin’s cluttered worktable. She inched toward them.
“Do you know the meaning of the symbol that has been inscribed upon you?” Zin bobbed near Eva.
She shrugged her shoulders.
“It has many interpretations,” Zin explained, floating around her. “The circle within a circle. It may mean ‘rebirth’ or ‘reawakening,’ like a yolk incubating within the eggshell.”
Eva uncrossed her arms and looked down at the mark.
“It may also be interpreted as ‘world within a world’ or ‘a hidden world.’” Zin stopped in front of her. “That is, if you believe such superstitions. If you do, then only time will reveal its true meaning to you.”
Eva watched as Zin took her hand. He ran his small fingers over the mark and said in a solemn tone, “It is also the marking of someone I know. You have encountered my sister Arius. A sister I have not spoken to for a very long time.”
Eva listened.
Zin sighed. “You see, I am one of four siblings. I have a brother and two sisters. We arrived on this planet many centuries ago, invited personally by His Majesty, King Ojo, to accompany him on the voyage here to Orbona.”
Eva grabbed her SustiBar from the table and unwrapped it. “Is he Queen Ojo’s husband?” she asked.
“Queen Ojo’s father,” Zin answered. “To say that I was enthusiastic about journeying here would be an understatement. I long for discovery and illumination gained from venturing into unfamiliar territory. However, after we arrived, and commenced construction of the city, there were … complications.”
Eva sat cross-legged on the tabletop next to her belongings. She took a bite of the oatmeal-colored bar. “Complications?” she said. “Like what?”
Zin’s chirrupy voice became low. “Mainly with my sister Darius, who abhorred this place. As soon as we landed here, she was continually haunted by visions of its brutal and violent past—a past that she tried to block out. Yet she was bombarded by dark memories in her dreams at night and meditations by day. Eventually she fled, looking for refuge—a meadow, a lake, a mountain that had only a peaceful past … a place of tranquillity.” Zin drifted low to the floor, like a fallen leaf. “She isolated herself from the rest of us. I never heard from her again.”
Eva furrowed her brow. “But I didn’t meet Daria.”
“Darius, no,” Zin corrected her, his voice soft. “You met Arius. Darius died under mysterious circumstances some time ago.”
“Oh, no,” Eva said, setting her SustiBar down. “I’m sorry.”
“My brother and other sister were, understandably, upset.” Zin fluttered back up, toward the skylight. “They wanted to find her and depart from Orbona immediately.”
Eva watched as he looked out into the night sky. “But you didn’t, did you?” she asked.
“I had given my word to the Ojo family to remain here as an adviser. I could not disavow my responsibilities to them, or to myself.” Zin gazed outside, unmoving. “My family abandoned me, then dissolved communication with me.” There was resentment in his voice. “They simply did not understand the pressures I was dealing with.”
“But they are your siblings,” Eva said in earnest. “Do you know how lucky you are to have a brother and sister?”
“Luck has nothing to do with it, Eva Nine,” Zin said, and sniffed. He fluttered back down to her. “But, as you suggested regarding the tardigrade, I need to speak with them. Starting with Arius.”
“Why?” Eva leaned forward, curious.
“I am intrigued about the circumstances surrounding my sister’s death. But that is neither here nor there as far as you are concerned.” It was apparent that Zin was losing his patience. “So now, tell me, where does Arius reside?”
“Are you going to see her?” Eva asked. She wondered what the Halcyonus would think of another like Arius floating into their village.
“I’ve not exited these secure grounds since we settled here,” Zin replied. “But I feel it is time. I need to see my sister.”
“She told me my future, you know,” Eva said, looking down at the mark in her skin.
“Did she?” Zin chuckled. “Can you recall any of her ramblings?”
Eva closed her eyes, focusing on the words that Arius had recited. “She did say something about being held in a court.” Her eyes remained shut as she tried to conjure the rest of the fortune.
“That very well could be Solas.” Zin rubbed his chin in thought. “You have certainly been held here.”
A flash flickered through Eva’s brain. “Wait! There was something about a sibling setting me on my way… . Maybe that’s you!”
Zin turned to Eva. “Maybe. What way do you seek, Eva Nine?”
Eva thought of the WondLa. It was a small, brittle insignificant scrap compared to all the objects housed here in the Royal Museum. Still, it was her scrap—she’d found it. Someone had left it for her to find.
“I want to know where all the humans are. My people.” Eva felt a renewed vigor. “I saw all the stuff in the exhibit. Where did it come from?”
“There exists a remote location—quite a considerable distance from here. I am told one has to cross a vast and dangerous desert to locate this cursed place. The few relics we have were obtained with tremendous effort. Many explorers venture out to this wasteland, but few return. However, those who do, describe the awe-inspiring remains of an ancient civilization, buried in the sand,” Zin said, inspecting a corroded fork.
Eva’s mind flashed again.
Sand.
She recited, “‘In the sands of time, the nymph will find the answer to the question that has plagued thy very soul.’”
Eva stared at Zin for a moment, processing.
“I have to go to this ancient city,” Eva said, her mind putting pieces in place.
“And, according to Arius, I am to aid you,” Zin replied.
“There I will find my people!” Eva felt giddy.
“I would be careful with your assumptions, Eva Nine.” Zin floated up to one of the top drawers and pulled it open. “I would surmise that your ‘people,’ as you say, were there at some point. However, based on the items we’ve unearthed, it was likely in the distant past.”
“But they could just be living underground, like I was.” Eva scooped up the Omnipod, and her other things, and slipped them into her pockets.
“It is in ruins, Eva. I have seen it many times before. Civilizations simply cannot prosper for long before they destroy themselves,” said Zin as he rummaged through the drawer.
“But I have to go,” Eva said, hopping off the table. “I need to know for sure.�
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Zin glided back down to her. In one hand he held a crystal, roughly hewn in the shape of a cube, while another hand wrapped colored threads around it, making a binding. As Zin finished, he tied the threads off in a long loop, creating a necklace. He placed it over Eva’s neck. “This will reveal to you where it is you long to go. Simply shine light into it,” he instructed.
Eva grasped the crystal, squinting at its frosted veneer. “Thank you, Zin,” she said, looking up at the being.
“You are welcome.” He watched her with tiny sparkling eyes.
“Your sister is in Lacus. She lives in a small hut in the topmost tier on the second tower from the shoreline.”
Zin nodded in thanks.
“I hope you find her, and I hope you work things out,” Eva said, nodding back. She thought of Muthr.
“Be wary, Eva Nine.” Zin folded his many hands together. “For hope is a fair-weather friend at best.”
CHAPTER 31: OKAY
Eva curled up under a thick blanket inside one of the large drawers in Zin’s study. The gnomish being had left to inform Queen Ojo that he would be “observing” Eva in hopes of learning more about her mysterious species.
With the room empty and dim, Eva attempted contact with Muthr. She wasn’t sure how Zin would react to her communicating with the robot, so she waited until she was alone. To Eva’s delight, there was a message already on the Omnipod.
“Eva, dear,” Muthr’s head said, floating over the device, “I am unharmed at the moment. Besteel captured me over the water, leaving poor Mr. Kitt and Otto behind. I was then taken to a camp deep in the woods, where the malicious brute kept me tethered to a tree, along with several other animals that he had captured.” Static fuzzed through the message as the robot continued, “From there, it seemed like he was in communication with someone, though I could not gather with whom. I did not want to risk contacting you at the camp, for fear that he might learn of your well-being. Currently, however, I am in a net underneath his glider and, from the landmarks I have seen, en route to Solas. I do not know when we shall arrive, nor do I know what fate awaits me. Perhaps you already have discovered it. But I hope that, regardless, I am there with you. Stay strong, my dear.”
The Search For WondLa Page 18
