by C. W. Gray
Quigley held his hand up, the markings on his skin heated and turned a golden red. A small flame sprouted from his palm.
Fire blew and the flame grew higher. He ran his fingers through the tiny blaze. It felt like Quigley, and Fire loved it.
Quigley slowly closed his hand and the flame snuffed out.
“What did they do to Helara?” Fire asked, hugging tightly to Quigley.
“They broke his bones and shed his blood all across the planet. As he lay bleeding, they realized what they had done and begged his forgiveness.”
“Did he forgive them?” Fire wouldn’t have. He would have run far away.
Quigley shook his head. “He gave up on them. Helara said he was done protecting the cruel, be they god or mortal. The earth beneath him wept as it healed him and helped him stand. Helara left Braxia for good and refused to ever see any of the other gods again.”
“What about the innocent ones?” Fire asked, looking up at the golden shining moon.
“Gram said that Helara brings the abandoned and unloved to live with him there,” Quigley said, pointing up at the moon. “He loves them and cares for them.”
Fire had seen the moon up close. It was a ball of gas and rock. “Do you believe it?”
Quigley sighed. “No. I don’t think the moon holds all our abandoned and unloved. I hope though. I hope that somewhere, maybe in your spirit world, Helara does watch over them.”
“I hope so too,” Fire said, hugging him.
“Grandpa spoke a lot about Helara. He said it was important to remember why love is essential to the world. It doesn’t make us weak or foolish. Instead it gives us hope and something to believe in.”
Fire leaned over Quigley. “I think I would have liked your grandpa.”
Quigley grinned. “He would have been telling me to put the damn tent up and admire your sexiness.”
Fire’s laugh froze on his lips when Quigley pulled him down for a kiss. His mate’s lips were warm and a little rough on his own. When Quigley’s tongue swiped across Fire’s lips, heat curled through him, setting him ablaze in a far different way than he was used to.
He rolled on top of Quigley and arched his hips against his mate. Quigley’s arms pulled him close, and he rolled Fire beneath him before breaking the kiss.
Quigley’s dark eyes watched him from above. Fire felt his hard length pressing into his stomach. “Good night.”
Fire blinked, confused. “What?”
“Sleep well, Fire.” Quigley pulled his hips away and arranged them beneath the blanket again.
Fire’s heartbeat gradually slowed. “No sex?”
Quigley chuckled and pulled him against his chest. “No sex.”
“Thank the gods,” Aster said, voice full of disgust.
Fire woke up before sunrise the next morning. He took a moment to watch his mate sleep. Quigley was fast becoming an obsession. There were so many facets to him that Fire wanted to explore. He was a hard-faced hunter, a doting father, a sweet romantic.
Quigley was a puzzle that Fire would enjoy unraveling.
He reluctantly left their blankets and checked on the rest of the family. David and Aster were both still sleeping soundly, but Gram was awake.
She blinked at him sleepily as she slowly sat up. “Usually I’m the first one up.”
“What can I do to help?” he asked softly, eyes moving to check on Cyrus. The baby was starting to stir, and it looked like his diaper was wet.
Gram patted his back. “Why don’t you take care of Cyrus there while I get started on breakfast. These three always wake up starving.”
“I like babies,” Fire said, picking up Cyrus and cuddling his close. “You need a clean diaper and some milk, baby boy.”
Cyrus cooed and tugged on his toes while Fire deftly changed his diaper. He wished he had some of the powder that Sebastian used for Mordy. He dug through the bags and found a long, wide scarf. It was covering a pile of phasors.
“Gram, do you know how to use a phasor?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Sure do,” she said proudly. “Those were my mate’s. He brought them from his clan and taught me how to use them. We taught the kids too. The clan elder never much liked it, but they’re commonly used in other clans. My mate knew a man in Star’s Oasis that could repair them too.”
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Fire said, pulling the scarf around him and Cyrus. “Surprises all day long, Cy. Poop it. This isn’t working.”
Fire spent the next ten minutes trying to figure out how to tie Cyrus to him like Sebastian did with Mordy.
Aster yawned and knelt beside him. “What are you doing? You’re making a lot of noise for someone who is just changing a diaper.”
“I want Cy to be closer to me than his bag thing will let him.” Fire groaned. “Sebby makes this look easy.”
Aster giggled. “I can help. The women in the encampment use these to carry the babies as they work. This was Aunt Sara’s.”
Fire stayed still and let Aster quickly wrap the scarf around him and Cyrus. “Do you miss her?”
Aster nodded. “She lived with us until she married last year. It’s hard to imagine her gone. Sometimes my mind tells me I’ll feel her over the next sand dune, but then she’s not there. For Dad, I think it’s worse.”
Fire looked over his shoulder. Their blankets were empty and already rolled up. I need to find my mate.
“Dad always goes to watch the sunrise.” Aster tied an intricate knot, then stood. “I’m glad you’re here, Fire. Dad needs you.”
Fire stood and hugged the girl, squeezing her until she laughed and hugged him back. “It’s okay to miss your aunt, Aster. It’s okay to be sad. Sometimes that’s what our hearts need to heal.”
She hugged him tighter. “I don’t like thinking about it.”
Fire swung her around a little, being careful not to squash Cyrus. “That’s alright. Think about Charybdis Station then. We’re gonna have fun, okay? I’ll show you all the good napping spots in the neighborhood, and we’ll get you a kitten. That’s what good parents do. I’ll be a good dad.”
She giggled as he swung her around the camp and set her down next to Gram.
Gram shook her head. She already had bread and fruit ready for breakfast. “You two are silly things. Aren’t they, David?”
David paused his talk with the goat to look at them. “Yeah. They’re strange, but we love them anyway.”
Fire’s stomach growled, and he eyed the small ration of food. He couldn’t wait to get back to Juniper. His friend was a wonderful cook and always had something yummy ready for Fire to eat.
“Don’t you eye our food that way,” Gram said, smacking his arm. “We eat what we can when traveling. This is actually a very good breakfast compared to what we normally have.”
“When we get to Charybdis Station, I’m gonna feed you all so much food you pop.” Fire rubbed Cyrus’s back. “Even Cyrus.”
“Will they let us live on Charybdis Station?” Gram asked, voice doubtful. “That’s up in the sky, and we’ve never been on one of those flying ships. We’ve seen them sometimes, in the sky, but we’ve never been on one.”
“Of course you can come home with me,” Fire said, sniffing. “They love me, and that means they’ll love you too.”
The sun was slowly rising, so Fire hurried off to find his mate. He didn’t want Quigley to be alone if he was sad.
He found him kneeling in the sand, face raised toward the sun. Quigley had a bow hooked around him, so Fire couldn’t cuddle with him, but he could still hold his hand.
Fire plopped into the sand and grabbed Quigley’s hand in both of his.
Quigley’s lips twitched, and he adjusted his bow before pulling Fire into his side.
They stayed quiet as the sun rose higher. It’s pretty here, he thought, a little sad that they would be leaving the planet. If I’m sad, then Quig has to be even sadder.
“I should have asked you.” Fire kept his voice soft. “Do you want to move to
Charybdis Station with me?”
He didn’t want to even contemplate leaving Sebastian and the others, but Quigley was his mate.
“I do,” Quigley said, voice rough. “I love the desert, but the clans aren’t safe for us. Dustin will keep coming, and he’ll bring every warrior he can with him.”
“I can protect us,” Fire said, tilting his chin up. “I’ve been in a lot of battles.”
“You hated fighting,” Quigley reminded him. “I won’t ask you to do that. I want you to live happy and free, not be tied to the violence that you spent so long running from.”
Fire sighed, happiness and the sun warming him inside and out. “You’re a good mate, and I’ll try hard to— Look! What’s that?”
Fire wiggled away from Quigley and ran quickly to the closest rock. He knelt and looked beneath it. A small black lizard stared back at him with luminous dark eyes. Its tongue darted out and licked its snout.
“Hi,” Fire said, reaching his hand out. “I’m Fire. You’re really pretty, and I think we should be friends.”
The lizard tilted his head and watched Fire carefully. His mind brushed against Fire’s, making him shiver.
“That’s a venomous black stinger,” Quigley said, pulling him away from the rock. “They’re deadly.”
“He seems scared,” Fire said, kneeling back down. “I won’t hurt you.”
The lizard watched him steadily and sent Fire the image of a large bird of prey swooping down to grab another lizard.
Fire whimpered. “Quig, his friend got eaten by a hawk, and Cinnamon’s scared. We need to help him.”
Quigley tried pulling him up again. “The stinger doesn’t need our help, Fire. Trust me.”
“He says he does,” Fire said, sticking his tongue out at Quigley. “His name is Cinnamon, and he’s my friend.”
“Helara save me,” Quigley groaned. “Fine. We’ll see if we can get it to a larger rock. It’ll find food there.”
Fire watched as Quigley set his bow down in the sand and slid it under the rock.
Cinnamon gave Fire a curious look, and Fire shrugged. “I think he wants you to get on the bow.”
Cinnamon ran up the bow and over Quigley’s arm to rest on his shoulder.
Quigley froze, eyes widening in panic. “Fire, run. Get Cyrus away. I’ll need to burn it off.”
Fire rolled his eyes and picked Cinnamon up, settling him on his own shoulder. “Cinnamon thinks you’re ridiculous.”
Cinnamon shook his head. Didn’t think that.
“Shh,” Fire whispered. “We gotta show him that you’re not dangerous.”
Quigley grabbed his hand and pulled him closer, eyes focused on Cinnamon. “Fire, can you talk to animals?”
“Sometimes,” Fire said, smiling. “When they’re my friends.”
“Cinnamon is a friend?” Quigley asked. “He’s less than a foot away from Cyrus, Fire.”
Cinnamon hissed, not liking the implication that he would hurt the baby.
“Cinnamon is my friend,” Fire said. “Sometimes, that’s what happens. Those threads I told you about last night, the ones that connect all of us?”
Quigley nodded.
“Sometimes they show us who we need to be connected to. Cinnamon and me are friends. He won’t hurt our babies. I promise.”
Quigley released a long breath. “You’re going to turn my hair gray, mate. I’ll look older than Gram within the year.”
Fire giggled and rubbed a hand over Cyrus’s head. “He’s silly, Cy, isn’t he? He really needs to learn how to make friends.”
“Dad,” David yelled out as he ran toward them. “Look over there!”
They turned around and faced toward the east. A shuttle flew toward them, and Fire recognized the insignia of The Blue Solace.
“Hey, I know that shuttle,” Fire said, running toward David and the rest of the camp. “Come meet Cinnamon before they land. Don’t tell them he’s venomous, okay? They’ll be all weird like your dad.”
David watched Cinnamon with wide eyes. “You’re the best thing to ever happen to us, Fire. I want a black stinger too, Dad.”
“No,” Quigley said, ruffling David’s hair. “You have a goat. Deal with it.”
The shuttle landed not far from them, and the door opened immediately. Fire recognized Alois running toward them. Jellybean rode on his friend’s shoulder, and Alois’s dog, Perri, ran at his side.
Fire was vaguely aware of his mate and the others staring at Alois in shock. Sebastian’s mate was a Dedril and had red scales framing his face. Fire kept forgetting that his new family had never seen other species before.
“You are in so much trouble, Fire.” Alois handed Fire his Gueina pig and pulled him into a hug. “Sebastian is worried sick about you. He told you to be back by nightfall. I was there and heard him say it. He sent me looking in this direction, convinced you had been captured by desert pirates or something.”
Missed you, Jellybean thought, squeaking at him aloud.
Fire cuddled Jellybean to his chest and hugged Alois back. “Sorry, guys. I got distracted in a really good way.” A throat cleared behind him, and Fire pushed Alois back and turned to wave at Quigley and the others. “Everyone, this is Alois and Jellybean.”
Alois looked them over, eyes softening at the sight of the children.
Fire kissed Jellybean’s head. “Alois and Jellybean, this is my mate, Quig. Isn’t he the most handsome being you’ve ever seen? He’s all mine too. Mine.”
Quigley’s dark skin flushed a deep red and Gram snickered.
Jellybean squeaked and wiggled his legs, wanted to be put down. Fire settled him in the sand, and his friend ran as fast as he could to Quigley. Fire’s mate eyed the guinea pig before stooping to pick him up.
I like him, Jellybean said, scrambling to sit on Quigley’s shoulder and sniff his ear.
“I’m glad, Jellybean. He needs lots of love.” Fire smiled proudly and pointed out the others. “I also have a Gram and three babies. Three, Alois. This is Cyrus, David, and Aster. Oh, and this is my friend Cinnamon. He’s not deadly at all.”
6
Quigley’s stomach lurched as the shuttle dipped down as they approached Star’s Oasis, making him wish they hadn’t taken the time to eat breakfast before loading everyone on the shuttle. David and his goat stood with Fire, watching the city approach. Quigley didn’t understand how his son could look so excited as the ship moved.
“What’s it look like, Dad?” Aster asked. “It feels different from when we were here last time.”
The clan had stopped coming to Star’s Oasis when the new chieftain had taken control. Before then, the city had been very similar to their encampment, only with stone houses instead of tents.
Quigley cursed his stomach and looked out of the window. “There are many more houses than before. I see more animal pens and crop fields too. There are shuttles like this one flying around the city, but there are even larger ships. Some are bigger than our whole encampment.”
Alois briefly looked over his shoulder from where he sat up front with Perri. “On the other side of the city are new irrigation fields. A few of the planets in the system have helped Chieftain Bowan increase agricultural production. The ships you see are mostly trading vessels. Burnished Outpost has access to unique minerals, so they’ve been making a place for themselves in our system.”
Quigley shook his head. “Our clan knew nothing of this. Once Chieftain Bowan took control, the clan elder refused to come to Star’s Oasis. We stayed deeper in the desert and did without the yearly trading.”
“Is the marketplace still there?” Aster asked, voice hopeful.
Quigley quickly looked down and up. “It’s there.”
Gram chuckled. “Having trouble, Quig?”
Fire spun around and came to him, climbing on his lap. “Are you alright? Do you not like the shuttle? It takes getting used to if you’re not familiar with it. Here, hold Jellybean. He always makes me feel better.”
Quigley l
et Fire settle the small, furry rodent in his hands. The creature’s chubby cheeks moved as he squeaked. “Thank you, Jellybean.”
Alois snorted and started to lower the shuttle. “You two are something else.”
Fire hummed under his breath and moved Cinnamon to sit on Quigley’s shoulder.
“You’re certain the black stinger won’t kill me?” Quigley asked, voice soft. He was much more comfortable holding the rodent than he was the lizard.
“He promises he’ll be good.” Fire kissed him. “He’s part of the family now.”
Quigley nodded, mind dazed from the taste of Fire on his lips. “That’s good then.”
Gram chuckled. “I believe you’re right, Alois. Those two are something alright.”
Quigley ignored them and pulled Fire closer. Cyrus still rode happily in the baby sling and didn’t seem to mind being squashed between them.
“Will I be able to speak to your clan elder soon?” Quigley whispered.
Fire nodded and pet Cinnamon’s head. “They’ll want to meet you when we get home.”
Quigley nodded. He wanted Fire’s leaders to accept Quigley and his family. Fire seemed certain they would, but Quigley knew that leaders had to consider all aspects of a situation before making a decision. They may love Fire, but taking in five more people was asking a lot.
The shuttle finally landed, and Quigley sighed in relief. The constant vibration running through his bones stilled and his gut settled.
Alois unstrapped himself and stood. “I’ll make sure your Oryx and packs are taken care of. You’ll stay with the rest of us in the chieftain’s home.”
“Really?” David asked, mouth hanging open.
Alois passed him and ruffled his hair. “Absolutely.”
The back of the shuttle opened up, startling Quigley. The Oryx shuffled their feet and bleated nervously. He stood and set Fire back on his feet just as someone pushed into the already crowded shuttle.
“Why are there Oryx in my shuttle?” a man asked. He was Burnished, like Quigley, but dressed very differently than any Burnished Quigley had ever seen.
“Sorry, Hack,” Alois said, grinning unapologetically. “Fire made some friends, and these critters came with them.