From within it, Kaoti’s head popped up, like a murderous groundhog. “All clear,” he reported while climbing out.
Izaac quickly took his place and offered me his hand to help me board. Kaoti took my elbow while I placed my feet on the vessel and climbed down the steps. Izaac kept his hands on my hips, not so much to keep me from falling but because he liked touching me. Cool air wrapped around my ankles, and a soft hum filled the air. Inside, the hull was a glossy white, and the carpet was luxuriously thick in a pale blue and matched the dark-blue chairs which swiveled to face large viewports.
“Nice!”
The forward section contained control panels and command chairs while in the back was a dining area, cabin, and a complete and luxurious yet small bathroom. Once Clark sealed the hatch and joined us, a hologram activated, so we sat and watched the mandatory safety video.
“Captain,” Clark said after it had concluded. He gave me one of his cute lopsided grins and led me to a command chair.
“Me? I get to operate it?” Excitement coursed through me.
The two of them shared knowing looks. They were pleased with themselves.
“Take us around. Let’s explore the ocean,” Clark said.
He didn’t need to ask me twice. Hurrying to take the seat, I giggled when I spotted the white novelty captain’s hat and put it on my head. Izaac and Clark gave me playful salutes and took their seats near me. The vessel’s operation was simple. Anyone could do it. However, out of habit I conducted a system check before taking her away from her docking station.
The surrounding water was clear, even if the waves had picked up. I took us down and away from the shore. Schools of fish darted out of our way. Checking the displays on the console, a sonar map showed me where to go to find the prettiest coral reef formations and cave systems.
“Oh, look!”
I slowed the submarine to a stop so we could watch a red octopus undulate through the water. Its tentacles had to each be eight feet long.
“What would Sue think?” Clark speculated.
“We know Thunderdrop would fall in love,” Izaac said into our thoughts.
Again, taking us slowly through the ocean, I guided our vessel to the largest of the reefs. It was teeming with colorful fish. I thought of Tracy and sent the telepathic image of what we were seeing to Jazon with Izaac’s help. She would love this. Vibrant species of all shapes and sizes lived amid stunningly beautiful coral, like lace rising up in an underwater paradise. It was another world within a world. I frowned at a shark swimming close to the sandy bottom.
“Shoo! Get away!” I yelled at it.
Clark and Izaac laughed at me. We had explored for over an hour when Clark asked, “Permission to entice the Captain away from her chair for dinner?”
The two of them led me to the dining table where they placed covered trays upon its surface. I lost myself in lobster, stuffing, buttery vegetables, and a fluffy dessert. Eventually, I was sighing in pleasure and rubbing my full belly.
“This is amazing. You’ve really outdone yourselves. It’s like having the freedom of space but rather than stars, we have fish.” I rewarded each of them with a kiss.
After clearing away the remnants of our meal, we explored a system of caves and then returned the submarine to its berth. By then, the suns had set. Darkness wasn’t all that awaited us, Kaoti and my guards did as well.
When we arrived at the Bosh compound, I checked in on my sleeping children. Neema and Poppy shared a bed and were curled up with Milk and Flake, and Niklos and Peter were sound asleep with Thunderdrop watching over them. Happy and content, I walked the short distance to Quaid’s house where I fell asleep between Izaac and Clark.
Giggles and the patter of little feet woke me the next morning. “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” Neema climbed into bed with me. Opening my eyes, I saw it had already been vacated by my sweet husbands.
“Good morning.” I opened my arms and held her as she snuggled closer. “Did you have fun yesterday?”
“Oh, yes. Neema had so much fun. There was this big, big splashy pool. And, and, we gots boats! Neema went boop, boop, boop! And, water went splat! So much fun, Mommy! But not for big people. You too big. It for little kids. Oh! Oh! Oh! We got to slide!”
“You did?”
She nodded against my arm. Hugging her, I kissed her forehead.
“You hungry? Neema hungry.”
After a big yawn and some stretching, I got up and got dressed. Then, I carried Neema on my hip to her room to get dressed where we found her brothers.
“Ma!” Peter pulled up on his crib and stood.
Picking him up, I gave him kisses and changed him. Niklos groggily got out of bed and went into the bathroom. He didn’t want any help.
“I’m a big boy. See?” He demonstrated by washing his face and combing his hair.
“Impressive.”
“Thank you. I can get dressed.”
I was proud of him for learning to care for himself, but at the same time, it made me sad. Didn’t my baby need me anymore? He was starting to sound like the big boy he told me he had become, not my baby. However, the clothes he picked out for himself made me feel much better. I didn’t say a word. He was too proud of himself for picking out his own clothes, a green shirt with yellow polka dots, blue and red plaid shorts, navy socks, and brown sandals.
“See, Mommy?”
“Very good, darling. Will you help me pick out something for Peter?”
Luckily, since I had to design most of Peter’s clothing to accommodate his patagium at his sides, it was all color-coordinated. I could hear Poppy with her parents, so I took my children to the dining room for breakfast. Elspeth, Tilda, Margrete, Jin-an, and Erykah were there, but the others were sleeping in.
Lorca joined us and gave me an apologetic smile. “Forgive me. I overslept.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve missed our mornings together.” Making a happy face at Peter, I fed him his cereal.
“Daddy!” Niklos, with a sticky piece of fruit in his hand, jumped from his chair and ran.
I turned in my seat and prepared to stand, but with Niklos in his arms, Nico came to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder and a kiss on my cheek.
“When did you dock?” I asked.
“Not long ago,” Nico answered.
“Welcome, Nico. I hope your mission was a success.” Elspeth waited for news.
“Thank you. It was. There is nothing more for our ladies to fear.”
“Coco,” Neema pouted.
“Yes?” Turning to her, he tickled under her chin until she giggled and pushed his hand away.
Satisfied that his father was home, Niklos crawled down from his lap and returned to his chair so he could give his breakfast his attention.
“Coco, where’s Daddy?” Neema asked.
Nico smiled at the plate I filled and placed before him. “I last saw him at the land port, but he will be here soon.”
Angry her daddy hadn’t come home yet, she jabbed at her eggs with her fork and furiously chewed them.
“Has the Hadrian docked?” I asked before anyone else could.
“Yes,” Nico answered.
Smiling with the knowledge that I’d soon be holding Quaid in my arms, I fed both Peter and myself. Soon, I would have everyone I loved back under one roof. Minutes later, Yukihyo and Zared returned to the Bosh compound, but no one else did.
“What’s the hold-up? Where are Quaid, Eric, Fitz, Drex, Dario, and Eli?” Also, I was very surprised that Cormac wasn’t here breathing down my neck.
Elspeth was as eager for answers as I was. Consul Bosh had left at an early hour and hadn’t answered any of our calls. Sitting with Neema on his lap, Yukihyo gave me an apologetic shrug while he chewed. I was about to ask Zared what was going on but instead pulled out my vid-screen and called Quaid.
Smiling happily at his gorgeous face, I blew him a kiss. “You’re missing breakfast, Lord Bosh. When will you arrive?”
Eri came in, sl
eepily rested her chin on my shoulder, and smiled at Quaid. “Will you be here soon?” she asked.
“Unfortunately, there has been a change of plans. The Hadrian received orders.”
Eri cried out, “But, you promised!”
I shared her disappointment but didn’t vocalize it.
Quaid said, “I’ll make it up to you when next I return. When duty calls, I must answer.”
She pouted at him.
“How long is it going to take?” I asked.
“A few weeks at least.”
“Weeks? I’ve come all of this way to see you! Can’t you get leave?”
“Teagan is right. It is unseemly for you to be called away when you are only minutes of travel from a reunion. I’ll have your father speak to your superiors.” Elspeth’s lips had puckered in annoyance.
“Mother, please do not interfere. It would do no good. Lady Bosh, I will make it up to you. Bosh out.”
He had called from his quarters. I could feel wrinkles forming on my forehead out of annoyance. What worried me even more was that Quaid hadn’t invited the children and me to join him. He was acting out of character.
“Teagan, since Quaid is being called away and you have already enjoyed an extended visit with our family here, we thought you might enjoy spending some time with the Alarics and Montgomerys on Arachne while we await Quaid’s return.” Nico watched my expression for an answer.
I slid my vid-screen back into my pocket. “I do miss them,” I said while thinking of Gram.
“You’re leaving, too?” Eri whined.
Kissing her cheek, I said, “You know I’ll be back.”
Chapter Three
We had packed our belongings and said our goodbyes. I had learned that the Hadrian had already left. It was difficult for me to believe that Quaid hadn’t even spared the time to give me a single kiss. Distraught over his behavior, I twisted my wedding band around on my finger, and my thoughts returned to Jemaphera. Was he using a mission as an excuse not to see me? Was Quaid trying to avoid me because of what she had hinted at? My suspicions had only deepened when my father-in-law, Quinn Bosh, hadn’t joined us in person to say goodbye.
“Chirp?” Thunderdrop was holding onto my shoulder. He didn’t understand why I was feeling sad. He was eager to leave the too-bright-for-his-eight-eyes planet and return to the dim, cool forests of Arachne.
“You know it will take us a while to get there, right?”
“Chirp.” He blinked his eyes at me.
“Are you going to be bored?”
“Chitter.”
“Alright.”
As soon as our transport parked in the bay, he jumped out when my door was opened. Neema and Niklos ran to the lift while we followed behind. Peter was in my arms pointing at everything he saw, fascinated by the ship as if he’d never before seen it.
Neema stood at the control panel looking up at me with her jade-green eyes. “I push it, Mommy.”
“Okay.”
She selected the command for Deck Two, the Imperial Suites. When the doors opened, she ran for the nursery with Niklos and Thunderdrop in her wake. Yukihyo took a seat, pulled out his vid-screen, and called Simon. Joy filled my heart the moment I saw my cousin’s pale blue eyes and bright-red hair. Then, I saw who he had in his arms. Baby-fine, bright-red hair, pale blue eyes devoid of irises, and soft, fat little cheeks caught my attention.
“Hello! Look at you! Hi!”
Susanna Montgomery made a grab for her daddy’s vid-screen with chubby little fingers.
“Suzy, can you say hello to Auntie Teagan and Uncle Yukihyo?” Simon kissed his daughter’s cheek. Faintly, in the background, we could hear Isidora singing.
“Don’t you just make the picture of domesticity, Lord Simon Montgomery?” I grinned at him.
“I should hope so. I’m quite good at it, sweet cousin. Might this communication be fortuitous of a visit? Eliot and I could use your assistance in a matter of pressing importance.”
Curiosity got the better of me. Sitting on Yukihyo’s lap with Peter in my arms, I gave Simon my attention. “Oh, what matter might that be?”
Peter and Suzy both reached out to each other at the same time. Simon and I smiled.
Simon said, “As you are well-aware, Arachne’s economy is dependent upon the cooperation of our Silk spiders. While their greatest populations peacefully coexist with us on our own lands and those of the other ruling families, like the Chans and Glaucias, there are colonies of Silk spiders on our planet who shun all humanoid contact.” Simon switched Suzy to his other thickly muscled arm to distract her from her attempts to grab his vid-screen.
“So, why not just leave them alone?” I shrugged at him.
“Normally, we do. Their forests are restricted, and no one in his or her right mind would consider trespassing. However, planetary security brought to our attention a weak distress signal from deep within one such forest, and they need us to investigate.”
Yukihyo asked, “Why do they need you? Why not send in the Enforcers? If someone is in danger, you should act. It will take at best five days before our arrival.” He rubbed his palm against my lower back.
“Baby,” Peter said while pointing at Suzy.
“Yes, good boy. Her name is Susanna, and she’s your cousin.” I kissed his forehead and breathed in his sweet baby smell.
“Scans indicate only indigenous lifeforms, none of which are humanoid. Captain Flint of the Enforcers sent in a probe to investigate, thinking it would be the least offensive intrusion. The probe went no farther than a mile before the spiders caught and destroyed it. Next, he sent men. Their rollers soon met the same fate as the probe. To give you an idea, do you recall what happened to the transports in which Dario and Luca once tried to visit you?” The small smile on his lips belied the shared sorrow which I saw in his eyes.
I remembered that day. Nico reached over from where he sat and gave my knee a gentle squeeze. That day seemed so long ago. Nico and I had driven along the long forest road our families shared after receiving a distressed call for help of a different nature. We’d arrived at the scene to find two transports which our spiders had shrouded in silk, practically mummifying them. The transports were tethered by lines of silk to the trees as if the spiders planned to lift the transports up and carry them away like they did with their prey. Broken silk strands had fluttered in the breeze while the occupants had been trapped inside. Two of those occupants had been Dario and Luca. We’d laughed good and hard at their expense. Luca had said he’d have nightmares, and I’d told him to remain quiet and still or else my spiders would attack, filling the transport with their venom as they would prey.
Breaking into my reverie, Dario, seated across from us, quoted Luca saying, “Oh, shit! Oh, shit!”
Sadly, I smiled at him. All I had left of him were my memories which were too few.
Nico asked, “If the Enforcers are unable to enter and investigate, what makes Captain Flint believe that you and Eliot will be successful?”
I answered for him. “We have bonded Silk spider companions who will help us to communicate. They can translate for us.” Turning to Simon, I asked, “Why do you and Eliot need me?”
With an unapologetic grin, he said, “We could make do without you, but what would be the fun in that?”
He wasn’t telling me something, I could tell. I narrowed my eyes at him and waited.
Sighing, he said, “Alright, the spiders seemed resistant to our intrusion, not as hostile as they were to the Enforcers, but not entirely welcoming. Maybe, being a female, they will be more accepting of you. We don’t know.” He gave me a dashing smile. “We haven’t had our tiny cousin to ourselves in ages. Perhaps, aiding in the investigation will remind you of all of the fun to be had here, and you’ll visit us more often.” His pale blue eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled.
“I am intrigued.”
“Excellent! Then, it’s a date. Eliot and I will see to the preparations.”
Eli asked, “Are
you planning to drop down on the site in a shuttle?”
Simon shook his head. “They have built elaborately layered webs for miles above the location. Lasering through it in a protected forest is against our laws. Doing so could pose a risk to their lives, could spark a fire, and thus be catastrophic to their ecosystem.”
Fitz didn’t look amused. “My pregnant wife isn’t traipsing about in the woods with hostile, feral arachnids who are capable of injecting her and our unborn daughters with neurotoxins.” His voice was cold and calm. “Loving her as you do, how could you even suggest such a dangerous investigation?”
“Teagan will not be endangered. Furthermore, Eliot and I know of her delicate condition and have experience caring for our own pregnant wives. We won’t allow her to become overly tired, and we would never take her into a situation where she could suffer harm. If I wasn’t certain of my ability to protect her, I wouldn’t have mentioned it.”
Sparrow walked over from the kitchen and stood in front of Fitz. Her brown curls hid her face from me but not from him. “Teagan is carrying a daughter you fathered in her body, but that doesn’t give you the right to control what she does or doesn’t do with her body. She isn’t your prisoner.”
Shocked, Fitz stared at her with his lips slightly parted. “I never intended to create such an impression.”
Sparrow narrowed her eyes at him and walked off. Having grown up in labs working on weapons for her adoptive cyborg father under the ever-watchful observations of AIs, Sparrow hated being told what to do. Naturally, since we were friends, it pissed her off when she heard anyone bossing me around.
Worried at having pissed off the weapons expert, Fitz looked at me and gave me a hopeless gesture.
I knew he couldn’t help feeling protective, so to ease his mind, I said, “My cousins are just as over-protective of me as you are, but don’t forget that I can protect myself. I even have a new set of blasters which Sparrow made for me. However, I must ask. Is there any part of you that believes I would ever do anything to jeopardize my unborn daughters?”
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