The Duelist 7, page 20
Eventually, they wrapped up their conversation, and Rylan earmarked the current page before he closed the book.
“I think I understand it better now,” he said politely, and the cockatoo-woman smiled a genuine smile the likes of which I hadn’t seen from her in quite some time.
“You’re more than welcome to ask me questions any time,” she said. “And when you feel like you are ready to sell your idea, let me know, and I will help you demonstrate it for the people and take you to the stall lender who’s cheapest.”
The kid smiled wide again and leaned in to give the older woman a hug.
“Thanks, Auntie Vel,” he said casually, and yet the effect it had on her face looked like she’d just been hit by a dump truck of unexpected feelings.
I should know.
The cherry on top was, of course, the fact that Rylan didn’t think anything was out of the ordinary about bestowing such easy affection, and then he turned his attention to me.
“Hey, Dad, what’s for dinner?” he asked, and I was glad his appetite seemed to have returned.
“It’s a surprise, I think,” I said and smiled when his eyes got wide with pleasure.
“A surprise?” he said, and now he sounded even more excited. “I’m going to go wash up, but thanks again, Auntie.”
“Yes, you’re welcome,” she said as she blushed faintly. “I’m glad I could help.”
Then Rylan waved at the both of us before he turned on his heels and jaunted away.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to him,” I chuckled when I glanced over at her shocked face.
“Did he just adopt me as his aunt?” she asked with a confused look in her coal-black eyes.
“I’m afraid that happens around him,” I said as my grin grew wider. “Horus says he’s like a fungus. He grows on you.”
“That is quite an apt description for him,” she said, and she covered her lips to hide her smile.
“What were you guys talking about?” I asked as I tipped my chair back on its back legs.
“He started asking me how to sell things for money in the market,” she explained as she stacked all of the books Rylan had no doubt pulled out on a whim and was too distracted to put back. “He thinks that once the Terrans figure out how to sell their screechers, there will be a need for this certain device he’s named the letter hook.”
“And what, dare I ask, is a letter hook?” I dared to ask, much to her amusement.
“Apparently, it is what the name suggests,” she said through another chuckle. “It is a metal device used to snag or hook a piece of correspondence away from the temperamental screechers without getting nipped in return. He is anticipating a problem and hoping to capitalize on a solution that will surely come about in the future once screecher mail becomes a thing.”
“That’s… actually pretty smart, holy shit,” I remarked, and I was impressed in spite of myself.
“Those were my thoughts exactly,” she said. “Well, almost. Hence why I decided to help him by answering a few questions. I always love a good entrepreneurial project.”
We both chuckled at this and then lapsed into an easy silence. When I was alone with my thoughts once more, it hit me how strange it was that this woman and I were actually finally getting along, whereas when we first met I inadvertently became a target of her avarice and her idiotic husband.
If someone would have told me one day we would be laughing and enjoying each other’s company without any hidden agendas, I would have told them they were crazy.
Seems I’d been wrong about a lot of those types of things lately, and maybe that was what was considered growing up: the ability to look beyond pettiness and first impressions.
Gross. Adult-ing.
“Thank you for helping him, by the way,” I said as I smiled at her. “Especially after last night, I think he really could use the distraction.”
“Ah, yes, I heard it was quite eventful,” she said as she shifted subtly in her seat. She was out of things to straighten and stack, so she made it a goal to arrange them by size instead so she would have something to do with her hands.
I noticed the small tell of her agitation and glanced up at her. Her eyes would no longer linger on mine for any significant amount of time, and she suddenly took on the air of nervousness for no discernible reason I could tell.
So, because I didn’t have any concrete proof aside from what my gut was telling me, I could do nothing but come out and ask her directly.
“Why did you give Zoie that flower?” I asked. It was a simple question, but the way she recoiled from it made it seem as if I’d smacked her across the face instead.
“What do you mean?” she asked and clamped her hands together tightly.
“I want to know why you gave Zoie that flower before we left for the banquet.” I stared at her with a neutral expression so she wouldn’t feel intimidated, but I didn’t think it mattered how I asked the question because it still made her upset.
“It was just a trinket,” she said as she occupied herself by swirling patterns into the top of the table. Her actions were casual, but she couldn’t hide the tremor in her voice. “A good luck charm. That’s all.”
I wanted to pry more out of her, but I stopped myself when I noticed the exhaustion still bruising her under her eyes and decided to put a pin in this conversation for later.
“Well, it was a good thing you did because it ended up saving her life,” I said like I was letting it go when in reality I was just going to have to pay more attention in the future.
“I am glad,” the cockatoo-woman said with a sigh of relief, but I was almost certain the relief came from me dropping my line of questioning.
“Me, too,” I said and stood up so I could offer my hand to her. “Come on, I promised Bodin I would bring you to the galley if I ran across you.”
“Oh, Bodee,” she said in a fondly exasperated way. “He really does look out for me.”
“He cares about you just like we all do,” I said and then tucked her arm into my elbow. “But it’s true, he maybe cares for you a little more than the rest of us.”
She stopped suddenly in the middle of the hall, and I slowed with her so I could give her a questioning look.
“You all really do care for me, don’t you?” she asked, and her gaze went in and out of focus in a way that wasn’t normal.
I decided the best course of action was to maintain course, so I patted her on the hand and nodded. “Of course, we do. I told you, you are officially a part of this crew. And if you don’t believe me, ask your new nephew.”
This attempt at humor effectively made her laugh and forget about whatever darkness she was thinking of a moment ago.
“He didn’t really give me a choice, did he?” she chuckled as we continued to stroll toward the staircase.
“He doesn’t give anybody a choice,” I laughed back. “We just have to deal with it as far as he’s concerned.”
“It makes me sorry that I ever could have treated him so poorly in the past,” she mused as her steps slowed once more. “But I hope you do see things are different now. And… I know I haven’t been myself, but everything I do is for this family. I hope you know that’s why I might… say or do things that are…”
“You don’t have to explain it until you want to,” I said when her words trailed off into nothing. Part of me suddenly felt bad for prying earlier because it was clear she didn’t even know why she did some of the things she did, so asking her about it probably just frustrated her or made her feel more ashamed.
“Thank you, Alex, you are too kind to the likes of me,” she said, and the way her gaze drifted off once more told me I probably wouldn’t be able to get her back for some time.
As it was, Rylan had gone and told everyone Vela was okay and on her way down, so it saved me from having to round everyone up just to assure them we weren’t missing anyone back on Terr.
“Vela, darling, where were you?” the raccoon-man asked as he approached us and took over for me.
“Oh, Bodee,” Vel-Rala sighed and allowed him to seat her at the table tucked close under his arm.
“Really quite glad we didn’t leave you behind, Ms. Velly,” Horus said as he handed her a cup of tea.
“As if you could,” she replied without missing a beat, and it was so out of character, the wide-eyed look on Horus’ face made all of us crack up.
“Well said,” Shay giggled just as Arvid placed a big covered platter in the center of the table.
It wasn’t even uncovered yet, but I could smell the mouthwatering aroma even now.
“Arvi, you’ve gone above and beyond,” Mr. Jenner said as he helped bring three massive bowlfuls to the table filled with steaming sides of mashed things, buttered root veggie things, and something that looked like corn on the cob, but it was bright pink.
“What is all of this?” Zoie asked as her ears perked straight up. “It all smells really good.”
“Hey… I recognize this,” Rylan said when he pulled out one of the pink corns. “Is this that stuff you called, um… or… oru?”
“Oooorrrreeeeeooolll,” the sloth-man droned and set down another covered platter, followed by a basket of something that looked like fluffy cloud-bread.
“Yeah, oreol,” Rylan said as he eyed the bread next. “And is that romtoss?”
“Now that you mention it, those do sound familiar,” Vel-Rala mused, and she picked up a bready pillow so she could examine it. “I vaguely remember signing a purchase order with those words on it.”
“That was me helping Arvid get provisions,” the kid explained and then dipped his finger in the lime-green mashed stuff. “What’s this, Arvi?”
“Muuugguuu,” the chef answered as he lifted the lid off the platter in the middle, and all of us admired the roasted, trussed-up, golden-brown turkey-like creature with four wings. “Viiiiirrrrd.”
“The vird is the word,” I muttered under my breath before I reached for a large drumstick and put it on my plate.
“It seems as if you cooked up a little of something from all over the isles,” Jenner observed as he uncovered the last platter, which held various fondue bowls of broth and cheese that I recognized as having before.
I thought it was Alemic if I wasn’t mistaken.
“The muugu is Omish,” Jenner said as he pointed to the green stuff Rylan was heaping on his plate. “And if there is any left, you all will be treated to a sumptuous dish indeed.”
“Ahem.” Horus nudged the voracious teenager as he attempted to scoop another spoonful on his plate.
Rylan stopped with the spoon hovering over the bowl, saw how we were all looking at him, and then lowered the portion back down.
“Sorry,” he said with a blush. “It’s really good.”
All of us laughed, and Horus roughly scrubbed a hand through the kid’s sandy hair.
“Where is the vird from?” Zoie asked after she swallowed a morsel.
“Vird is an Eng-folk staple,” the koala-man answered as he piled on a few vird wings and then reached for a little clay pot I hadn’t seen earlier. “It is best with this delicious sauce made from a mumboo fruit.”
I reached for the sauce jar when Jenner handed it to me, and I put a little of the fruity glaze on my monster of a meat leg. When I bit into the salty, crispy skin, the tart and tangy sauce contrasted nicely, and it tasted Hawaiian in origin.
Like pineapple-glazed pulled pork.
“Wow, that’s awesome,” I said through a juicy mouthful.
“I really love this romtoss bread dipped in this spiced broth,” Shay enthused, and then because she was next to me, she gave me a sample.
The airy texture was chewy and delightful, and the broth was savory and rich almost like a gravy. But when that happy green shit called muugu came around, I understood why Rylan wanted to eat all of it because it tasted like the best creamy garlic mashed potatoes I’d ever had.
It was honestly the best meal all of us had eaten since we left Nata, and as far as lifting our spirits, it helped immensely. We all dug into this home-cooked feast Arvid had prepared, and eventually the conversation ebbed and flowed through various topics, and the best part was none of them were serious.
It was all light-hearted banter, easy laughs, and good wine.
By the time the meal was over, we were all in high spirits and a bit dozy from being so full, so all of us decided to turn in for the night except for Jenner and Bodin, who would take turns in the wheelhouse. Eventually, we would have to come up with a system so we could alternate, but for now I was grateful they had it well in hand.
The pleasant haze creeping into my mind told me I was going to sleep soundly, and I was proven right because barely a second after I snuggled under the duvet between Zoie and Shay, I was swallowed whole by darkness.
I sank rapidly without that carousel of colors, or any dreams of consequence, but that eerie scream reverberated within my skull.
The dreamscape I found myself in was still blacker than pitch, but that painful voice crying out into the lonely darkness had me seeking something I couldn’t see…
Then I suddenly snapped awake and had a miniature heart attack because I was somehow on the second-floor balcony.
“What the--?” I was disoriented, and the air chilled me to the bone as the airship drifted through the mist. I had absolutely no idea how I’d gotten out here because sleepwalking wasn’t something I’d ever had a problem with. That little quirk was reserved for Rylan.
Who just so happened to be sleepwalking on the balcony as well.
Only instead of being on the solid tiles on the ground like I was, he was teetering precariously on the balcony’s ledge.
Chapter 17
“Rylan?” I tried to get the kid’s attention without spooking him since it was a long plunge down through the thick swirling mist.
Definitely not the time to be practicing a balancing routine.
I watched with my heart in my throat as Rylan stood with a blank look on his face. It was clear he was still deeply asleep, and as I watched him try to balance in the wind, I knew it was only a matter of time before gravity won.
My heart gave a kick again when I saw how Rylan’s foot was about to step awkwardly on the edge, and I knew this time he wouldn’t be so lucky.
“Rylan,” I tried to coax again as I started to run, but he was beyond hearing me with his ears.
Just then, my biggest fear was realized, and I watched in slow motion as his foot came down and then slipped sideways off the ledge.
Tick.
My heart beat loudly in my ears, and the time-trance exploded out of me. I needed to slow time just a second in order to reach him, but already he was halfway over and falling fast.
Tick.
“No!” I called out as I dove over the ledge.
I managed to snag his ankle, but I underestimated how heavy he was, especially when he was falling with all of his dead weight, and I ended up flying over the ledge along with him.
And, of course, the place he chose to do his sleepwalking swan dive was directly over a gap between the sails, so we plunged straight past any safety net.
Tick.
I summoned the time-trance and attempted to slow our descent. Usually, I froze my surroundings, but this time I was desperately trying to slow myself down as well while I gathered the still catatonic Rylan close to me.
Tick.
Time slowed, and it seemed like our speed decreased a fraction, but it wasn’t slowing fast enough. Probably because I was so focused on trying to angle my body between him and the waves because hopefully it would be enough to cushion Rylan’s impact when we did hit.
I just hoped he wouldn’t swallow any of the water. He did have Traveler blood in him due to his biological father, but unlike me, the water could poison him.
For a brief moment I considered trying for a full time-stop, but it wouldn't do much good in mid-air, and I would eventually have to let it go.
Tick.
My heart thundered in my ears, and I could tell the time-trance was beginning to take a strain on my stamina. I would soon be at my limit one way or another, the only question was would it be enough to get me closer to the water in a way that would not completely kill us once gravity inevitably took over.
The only chance we had was if I could summon a time-stop just a few feet before we hit the ocean below us, but that was nearly impossible--
Whap.
Something hit me in the back, but through the mist and the darkness combined with the direction I was falling, I couldn’t tell what it was.
Whap. Whap.
Okay, now that was starting to hurt. And, of course, just when my focus was being pulled taut in another direction, Rylan decided to wake up from his episode.
And, of course, he started screaming, like one naturally does when they discover they are falling from massive heights.
Snap.
My concentration shattered, and the world and my body resumed their natural speed, which included maximum velocity.
Rylan abruptly stopped screaming as his voice was snatched away from him by the wind howling past us, and now that regular speed was restored, I realized the things striking my back were actually the branches and leaves of a forest canopy.
We weren’t over the sea like I’d assumed we were.
Did this mean we were in Eng already?
My last thought before everything went astoundingly black was I hoped the kid wouldn’t be too traumatized by my death.
Bang.
Everything was black for quite a while after that. And I really did think that was it for me. However, just when I was congratulating myself on being right about the nothingness of the afterlife, it also occurred to me if this really was the abyss, then surely it shouldn’t ache so much.
Not physically.
But mentally and emotionally.
The only thing that made me realize I wasn’t exactly dead yet was how lonely the sea of blackness was, and I knew that wasn’t right in any universe I was in, so maybe I’d actually gotten the whole nothingness of the afterlife wrong after all.
There was only one way to test this out, which meant swimming up through the heavy unconsciousness and into a world of pain.
