‘Fair enough,’ Zareth agreed.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
‘I still don’t like it,’ Bock said, glowering at Fei from his chair.
‘But it’s good business to have the Chippers guarding your terraforming machines when you send them to other planets,’ Fei said, linking her hands together over her bursting stomach. ‘Knowing that GLEA is protecting your property will make your clients more confident about choosing you, right? And it’s not like it will cost you anything. The Chippers don’t charge for their services.’
It had taken weeks and another so-called ‘conference’ to create this arrangement between the governor and GLEA. Fei suspected that the negotiations had been mostly helped along by Zareth accepting Bock’s challenge to survive an all-night drinking session.
Bock muttered under his breath, stewing.
Ala, casually draped across his desk, answered for him. ‘He’s just upset that GLEA didn’t shut TerraCorp down because they’re tough competition. And since those Chippers revealed that they own the company, all the devout clients are gonna stick with them.’
‘Fucking Chippers!’ Bock burst out. ‘I don’t care if they say they’re cleaning up their act and ripping out the chips of all the bad ones. I still don’t want them crawling around my machines!’
‘You agreed to it,’ Fei reminded him.
‘I don’t mind that ex-boyfriend of yours, but the rest of them might be up to somethin’!’ Bock gripped the edge of his desk, his biceps bulging inside the sleeves of his suit. He looked like he wanted to snap the furniture in half. ‘And why couldn’t Kuja just wave his hands and transform half the planet for us? It’d be easier and cheaper, that’s for starking sure.’
Ala flung an annoyed look at him. ‘Shit, Bock, she explained this. I’d rather our brand new rainforest didn’t disappear just ’cause Kuja lost concentration.’
Bock was still grumbling when he reached for the switch on his desk, the one that would signal his terraforming machines to start up. He stopped himself just in time, apparently reconsidering. He then waved an impatient hand at Fei. Honoured, Fei wasted no time in marching forward and flipping the switch for him.
It was silent inside Bock’s office, but Fei knew that across the planet twenty-nine machines were rising into the air and turning her simulation into a reality. Fei released a hiss of relief. Her first terraforming job for Governor Bock Atsason was complete. Her next project, impatiently moving around inside her, was threatening to tumble out at any moment.
Ala nodded at Fei’s stomach. ‘Your kid got a name yet?’
‘Micadei,’ Fei replied. ‘After my mother’s father.’
Bock’s lip curled. ‘Make sure he picks a better gang name. Can’t really use that one on the streets, can he?’
‘I’m raising him on Bagaran,’ Fei said firmly. ‘He won’t need a gang name there.’
‘What the stark do they do all day on that planet if they don’t have gangs?’ Bock wondered.
Unable to hide her smile, Fei farewelled her employers and allowed a vortex to take her to Kuja, who was some way outside the city. The roar of the machines out here was deafening and the wind being kicked up by them was vicious — it buffeted her, threatening to knock her over, but Kuja kept her rooted.
The scrub that exploded into life around them was excited to explore this world it had been given. It said over and over again, Thank you, Creator of Worlds! Thank you! It’s wonderful!
The trees were not so shrill in their assessment of the situation. They reminded Fei of cats, aloof and more sure of themselves. They were less impressed with Kuja than they were with her; they knew that the special soil that had allowed them to grow so well and so fast had been chosen by the Creator of Worlds, not Bagara.
Fei stepped back as one tree spurted up from the ground near her feet. It attempted to apologise. She laughed and assured the tree that she didn’t mind, that she wouldn’t dare suppress anyone climbing their way to their full potential.
Within hours half of Yalsa 5 was well on its way to hosting a rainforest, one that might even see out the eternity that Fei had ahead of her.
An eternity without locked treasure chests or the secrets inside them.
I hope I can continue to rebuild the trust between us, Kuja said, pressing a kiss to her temple.
Fei snuggled against him. I know you will. I love you, Kuja.
And I love you, Fei. Forever.
• • •
Two Old Earth days later, Kuja had to blink several times to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
Berale Neron, his wife’s very mortal mother, was arguing with (and apparently winning against) the immortal goddess standing in her way as she continued to sweep inside the hut — an entirely moot exercise since the floor was comprised of bare earth. But the chore seemed to help Berale in the same way that blurting out every distracting thought helped Fei.
Finara held up her hands, aggravation flowing off her like waves. ‘Really, Kuja? You wanted a wife who came with a mother-in-law? I’m glad I’m single.’
While the Bagathians thought that Kuja’s family members, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, were odd, they had been far too polite to say so. This didn’t stop them from shooting him amused looks whenever he escaped the arguments in his hut, however.
‘I’d like the two of you to put aside your differences for now,’ Kuja said, ‘since Fei is currently giving birth.’
‘Out there?’ Finara asked, eyes skirting to the window, her horror evident.
Berale dropped her broom and marched over to grab Kuja’s arm. ‘Take me to my daughter, rainforest god, or I promise you I will spend the rest of my life making you miserable. And don’t think I won’t teach my grandson to handle the rest of eternity for me.’
Kuja led both women down the path towards the nearby waterfall, where Fei had been swimming with him before the labour pains had arrived. The rainforest had come to Fei’s aid already, forming a bed of the softest moss, providing her with leaf-loads of water and ensuring that she had copious amounts of a particular plant that could dull the pain of childbirth. But none of this seemed to be helping her mood.
Kuja knelt beside his wife, kissing her sweaty forehead. ‘Fei, my love, this doesn’t need to happen out here. We can use the village infirmary.’
‘I like it here, so deal with it,’ Fei muttered. ‘And since we’re isolated it won’t matter if Micadei accidentally uses his powers on his way out because no one will see it. And ow. These nefarg stems are supposed to be a mild analgesic but they’re taking their starking time in working.’
Kuja thought that Fei looked adorably grumpy.
‘I’m not adorably grumpy, I’m just grumpy!’ Fei snapped.
Finara’s fiery eyes were wide when Kuja looked back at her for help. ‘Yikes! No way am I ever going through this. Good thing I can’t impregnate anyone.’
All through the afternoon Fei kept up a stream of words that was almost impossible to interrupt. She began talking about how the parameters in the simulation for Yalsa Industries’ first client needed to be reset — but only if Bock would get Jalen and the other programmers to do it, because Fei was clearly going to be too busy to dart over to Yalsa 5 for the next few weeks.
‘Honey, I’ll be looking after your son while you go to work, remember?’ Berale told her, then winced when Fei grabbed her hand and crushed it. ‘My God, I swear I didn’t give Lilon this much trouble when I was giving birth to her.’ She glanced at Kuja. ‘Just how old are you? I suppose you might have been around for that.’
‘He’s old enough to be your father, mortal,’ Finara said. ‘And I’m even older. The shit I’ve seen over the centuries…’
‘I don’t care how old anyone is!’ Fei exclaimed.
Later, as the sky had darkened, Fei pillowed her head in Kuja’s lap, dozing and shoring up her strength for what was to come. Berale and Finara remained standing nearby, waiting in solidarity. Finara’s presence meant a lot to Kuja. She had
not been his first choice, but she had been the right one. With his help, she was becoming much more in touch with her mortal side and her domain was benefiting from it. Kuja asked nothing in return from sister, glad that he no longer needed her assistance.
Finara was there to witness the greatest moment of Kuja’s life. And that was better than any other gift she could have given him.
• • •
Fei was so exhausted she could have fallen asleep there and rolled right into the water without waking up. The culprit was tucked into her arms, wrapped up inside a flexible frond that could be wound around him like cloth. Micadei’s skin was amber in tone, not quite as dark as her colouring or as light as Kuja’s, and his head lacked any hair. His tiny green eyes were familiar; his cry less so.
‘You’ll get used to it,’ Berale said, a soothing hand resting on the back of Fei’s neck. ‘Soon you’ll be able to tell the different cries apart.’
Around them the rainforest stilled. Trees and vines bent towards them, eager to see the son of both god and creator.
‘Can I show him to them?’ Kuja asked Fei.
She nodded, smiling.
Finara chortled. ‘What, are we going to pretend that your precious plants have feelings? They’re not people, Kuja. They’re things.’
‘Don’t be rude!’ Berale told her sternly. ‘You might upset them.’
Surprisingly, Finara said nothing more, though she did roll her eyes.
Fei handed her son over to Kuja who then walked towards the tree line, vines dropping from the branches around him and curling towards the bundle in his arms. The nearest trunks shivered, disgorging all manner of creatures that must have been waiting for this moment. Those that could bowed; others chirped. Fei was stunned breathless by the scene, by the knowledge that she and her family would always be safe here, watched over by the rainforest that loved them.
Silence fell as Kuja began to speak to his domain. ‘This is my son, Micadei. He has the blood of your god and the Creator of Worlds. You will treat him as you do us, but you will not bow to him until he decides which path he wants to walk.’
The nashba bugs, which had been lighting the clearing in front of the waterfall, danced with joy. Plants and animals alike continued to celebrate, even as they left the clearing or shrank back into place. Berale moved closer to Fei, muttering something about how it was all a bit much for her.
Fei raised her eyebrows. ‘Just say the word, Mum, and I can have you back on Gerasnin in an instant.’
‘Oh, really?’ Berale pursed her lips. ‘I might take you up on that, when Micadei is older. I do have a new career in mind and it’s not exactly easy to pursue out here. Not the way you can do your — what is it called? — code compiling on that shiny new console the governor sent you. It’s so nice of him to let you work remotely.’
Fei groaned and buried her head in her hands.
‘I’ll miss you too, honey, when the time comes,’ Berale sniffed.
Kuja walked back over to them, smiling. ‘I’ll even miss you, Berale.’
His mother-in-law gave him a very suspicious look.
When Kuja passed Finara, his sister reached over and waggled her fingers in front of Micadei. He blinked sleepily in response. The fire goddess’ face lit up. ‘I definitely have to get me one of these.’
‘Finara!’ Kuja exclaimed, sounding — and feeling — appalled.
‘Well, Fei and I will certainly help you if that happens,’ Berale promised. ‘Won’t we, honey?’
‘I think Finara might rather my company,’ Fei said.
Finara nodded vigorously. Berale sighed, but she didn’t seem too put out.
‘So what now, Creator of Worlds?’ Kuja asked, kneeling onto the ground beside Fei.
Fei accepted her son back from Kuja, her hand lingering on his. ‘I guess I’ll have to figure out how to juggle my work for Yalsa Industries, my first forays into motherhood and that little side project of mine.’
She had begun to use her skills to expose other organisations that did not have the best interests of the galaxy at heart. So far GLEA had been behaving, even co-operating. They didn’t seem too concerned that she darted into their files every now and then, to ensure they were on the right path. Transparency was now at the core of their philosophy.
‘You’ve got eternity so I’d pace myself if I was you,’ Finara advised Fei. ‘And anyway, it’s hard enough for us gods to balance family and duties without factoring in little side projects. You’re still just a human, even if you are immortal.’
Berale reached down and stroked Fei’s fuchsia hair back from her face. ‘Honey, she’s right. You’re only human. You can’t do it all.’
Just watch me, Fei thought, grinning. I’m the Creator of Worlds.
She caught the amusement on her husband’s face when he heard this, but he didn’t dare say a word. He believed in her. He believed she could do anything.
Funnily enough, Fei was starting to believe that herself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alyce Caswell lives in Sydney, Australia with zero cats and one husband. When she isn’t drinking her way through a giant pot of tea, Alyce is a keen reader and writer of science fiction and fantasy.
You can contact her via e-mail ([email protected]) or on Twitter (@alycecaswell).
ALSO BY ALYCE CASWELL
The Galactic Pantheon Series
The Tortured Wind
The Twisted Vine
The Flickering Flame*
The Shifting Ice*
The Whispering Grass*
The Creeping Moss*
*novella
The Twisted Vine Page 30
