by Seven Steps
“Yes, Magistrate.” Lex bowed his head slightly as the view screen blanked.
“She is just as I remembered,” Seven said excitedly. “It was the Lady. She is exactly as she was in my dream.”
“You will meet her soon enough,” Lex said.
He sat down at the controls next to Kiln, and together they maneuvered the ship through the Zenithian atmosphere.
Seven and Pennick pressed their faces to the glass as the ship dove through white clouds and fields of purple trees. They marveled as the volcano and the ocean appeared in the distance.
“Everything sparkles like the river in the sunlight,” Seven whispered.
“Wait until you see the rest of it,” Lex said.
The ship flew over the forest, touched down on the short runway of the space port, and made its way into the hanger.
Although disappointed that their trip through space was over, Seven and Pennick gazed in amazement at the hordes of ambassadors clogging the silver structure.
“It’s amazing,” Seven gasped.
“So many people,” Pennick added. “And ... not people.”
“This is just the beginning,” Lex said with a smile. He removed his shoes as the door opened.
Smells of fuel, perfume, and of the sweet purple trees that dotted Zenith wafted into the ship.
Lex took in a deep breath, feeling safe for the first time in days.
At the bottom of the stairs, Dell Una greeted them. She wore a green boxy dress, and her purple hair seemed even wilder then before.
“Welcome back,” she said. “And with visitors in tow.”
“Dell Una.” Lex bowed to the small creature.
Dell Una curtsied. “Marie’s birth?” Concern played over her features as she watched Kiln carry Nadira off of the ship.
“She’s fine now,” Lex assured her. “She’s well taken care of.”
“What happened to her?” Dell Una asked.
“We had an incident on Earth,” Lex said. “She used her powers, and it took a lot out of her.”
“I’ll see to it that she sees a physician as soon as possible,” Dell Una said.
Lex inclined his head at the offer. “Thank you.”
Dell Una eyed Arees, Seven, and Pennick. Giving Arees a wide berth, she curtsied to Seven and Pennick. “Your majesties.”
Seven shifted her weight. “Huh?”
Dell Una smiled, turned forward, and moved among the ambassadors. “Come, there is much to do,” she called over her shoulder.
Seven and Pennick caught up to Dell Una and closed in, reaching out to touch her clear wings.
Dell Una whipped around, her face tight with annoyance. “Do not touch my wings.” She turned, smoothed her dress, and continued her march to the lunchunt station where a beast awaited them, yellow cart already attached to its back.
“What is that?” Seven asked.
“It is called a lunchunt,” Dell Una replied.
Seven and Pennick walked to the beast and held out a tentative hand to its ear.
Dell Una sighed. “Go ahead.”
They touched the beast, softly at first, and then scratched him soundly.
The lunchunt stuck its tongue out and stamped its back leg happily.
Seven and Pennick grinned at each other.
“We must be going,” Dell Una said. “Magistrate Embrya will want to see you as soon as possible.”
With one last scratch, they left the lunchunt and climbed into the cart next to the others.
The lunchunt lumbered off toward the palace.
Dell Una stood in front of Seven and Pennick, her hands behind her back. “Welcome to Zenith. You can call me Dell Una. I will take you to the Magistrate Embrya.”
“Hello, Dell Una,” Seven said, gazing at the small Zenithian’s wings. “My name is Seven. This is Pennick. Why did you call us your majesties before?”
“The Magistrate will want to tell you that herself,” Dell Una said. “But first, you will need to get washed and changed.”
“Look.” Pennick pointed to the large yellow fish that swam in the river next to them.
“They’re huge!” Seven cried. “They could feed a whole village.”
Dell Una frowned. “We do not eat the fish.”
The lunchunt continued toward the great tree that housed the palace as Seven and Pennick took in the world around them. Their curious minds asked Dell Una a million questions, which she took great care to answer as simply as possible.
Nadira was impressed. Dell Una was handling her new visitors with grace and calm.
Instead of enjoying the scenery, Arees tried to make herself appear as small as possible in the back of the cart. Though Lex never left her side, she seemed afraid. She knew that Seven and Pennick were here for a completely different reason then she was. They were here to be elevated, while Arees was here to be punished. Arees tried to hide it, but her fear was plain in the way her hands clenched Lex’s. The way her eyes never met Dell’s. The way she shifted in her seat. The way she eyed the palace as they got closer to it.
Nadira could almost hear Arees’ thoughts, wondering what would happen to her when she walked through the doors. She wanted to tell her that it was good that she was afraid after all that she had done. But something inside of her felt bad for Arees. She was a murderer, but wasn’t she also a hero? She shook the confusing thoughts from her mind as they came upon the base of the tree.
“Here we are,” Dell Una announced.
Nadira watched Seven and Pennick’s eyes light up as they looked up at the enormous tree.
“You can’t even see the top if it,” Pennick said.
“Can you imagine trying to climb it?” Seven asked.
“We do not climb the tree,” Dell Una said.
“Is this where the Magistrate lives?” Seven asked.
“Yes.”
“Does she live inside of the tree?” Seven asked.
“No, she lives on top of it,” Dell Una said.
Dell Una dismounted from the lunchunt and scratched it behind the ears as they climbed out.
“How do we get to the top of the tree?” Pennick asked.
When the last passenger had dismounted, Dell Una unhooked the straps of the cart, and without touching it, swept her hands to the left, pushing the cart aside.
Seven and Pennick gasped.
Dell Una smiled a bit and they walked closer to the tree.
“How did you do that?” Seven asked. “Do you have a Toma like they do?”
Dell Una pointed to her third eye. “Yes. Here.”
“That’s amazing,” Seven said.
A cloud approached them, stopping in front of Dell Una, and before she could give any directions, Seven and Pennick climbed aboard and asked how it all worked.
As Dell Una explained how the cloud could hold them, they ascended to the top of the palace.
“This is amazing!” Seven shouted, leaning over the side.
Pennick joined her, allowing the wind to sweep into their faces.
“Can you imagine if we had this back home?” Seven asked “We would never walk anywhere again.”
“Can you imagine how many huts we can build with this tree?” Pennick asked.
Dell Una sighed. “We do not cut down the Magistrate’s tree.”
They reached the top of the tree and climbed off the cloud, stepping onto the wide branches that held the great courtyard.
Three times they had to stop and search for Seven and Pennick when they roamed off. Close to exasperation, Dell Una directed Lex, Kiln, and Nadira to their rooms. “I will stay with Seven and Pennick and see that they are properly dressed and fed in time to meet with the Magistrate.” Dell Una turned to Kiln and Nadira. “I will send a physician as soon as possible.”
“What about me?” Arees asked softly, keeping her eyes on the ground. “What am I to do?”
“A room has been prepared for you as well,” Dell Una said. “You will change, eat, and be ready to meet the Magistrate when I com
e for you.”
Arees looked up, her head shaking slightly.
“We are the bureaucracy, not monsters,” Dell Una said softly.
Dell Una then shooed the others away and turned her attention to a new task—finding out where Seven and Pennick had run off to again.
CHAPTER 58
The physician, a black-haired Zenithian, was waiting for Kiln and Nadira when they arrived. He directed Kiln to place Nadira on the bed, and, standing on a nearby chair, looked over her. “She’s injured,” he said.
“Yes, her ribs are fractured,” Kiln said.
“Badly,” the physician said. “She is also lacking nutrients.”
“I’ve been giving her vitamin shots, but they only seem to work for a few minutes, then her levels drop again.”
“You have been giving her the wrong medication,” the Zenithian said sternly. “She needs Zenithian healing.”
“Well, we were on Earth at the—”
The Zenithian shushed him, then directed that Kiln hand him his small black bag. When Kiln brought it, the physician opened it, and took out a small jar. “Yes,” he sighed. He handed Kiln the jar. “When I say, put a fingertip full on her tongue. She’ll need a dose every hour until she regains her strength.”
Kiln examined the jar and its ancient writing.
Nadira tried to sit up on her elbows to better see the jar, hissing with pain at the action. “What is—”
The doctor shushed her and put down the bag. He held two fingers to the side of his head and closed his eyes, as if deep in thought.
Kiln looked from the physician to Nadira.
She was fast asleep.
Kiln watched the area below her breasts rise, shake, and fall again.
“Did you—”
The physician shushed Kiln again, waved his hand back and forth, and pulled his small fingers together into a fist. He opened his eyes and looked at Kiln. “Give her the medicine.”
Kiln opened the top of the jar, placed a finger inside, and scooped out the pulpy contents. He walked to the side of the bed, put a generous helping inside her mouth, and shut it again. He saw Nadira’s throat work as she began to swallow the pulp.
The physician climbed off the chair and headed towards the door.
“Where are you going?” Kiln asked.
“My work here is done.”
“That’s it? What about her injuries?”
“Her ribs are reset, and she will be strengthened by the fire seed paste.” The physician opened the door widely.
“What do you mean that her ribs are reset?” Kiln asked.
The physician turned, inclined his head to Kiln, and slammed the door behind him.
Kiln returned to Nadira’s side and felt her ribs. The skin around her ribs was unmarked by bruises. There was no swelling, no hint of an injury.
“How ...”
He looked into Nadira’s sleeping face. She was healed, and they were safe. It didn’t matter how, and he was grateful nonetheless.
He cradled his love’s head in his lap and waited for her to wake.
It was nearly an hour later when Nadira found herself atop the cool sheets of their high bed. After a hot bath, a meal, and another fingertip full of the fire seed paste, she felt like a new person. Not an ounce of pain was left to remind her of the ribs that Kiln had broken to save her life.
“What are we supposed to do now?” She asked. “We’ve saved Venus, returned Arees, and found Seven and Pennick. Our mission is complete.”
Kiln stood in front of a mirror and unbuttoned his shirt to fix his collar, revealing a muscled, wide back that looked hewn by a great craftsman. Thick muscles gave him an intimidating look that excited her. Her mouth turned dry.
“I don’t know,” Kiln said. “Stay here and live our lives I guess.”
“There could be worse things.” Smiling, she turned over on her back. “When will Embrya get these Tomas out of our chest?” She fingered the jewel that poked out of her, clearly visible considering the low-cut top of her dress.
He threw her a smile in the mirror that seemed to reach out and scorch her. “I don’t know. They have their uses, I guess. Like threatening chieftains, killing monsters. That sort of thing.”
Nadira sat up and twisted her long, dark hair up into a bun at the top of her head. She blew out a breath and looked at herself in the mirror that hung across the room from the bed.
Their room was the height of Venian design, complete with an extravagant golden chandeliers, high heavily draped windows, rich burgundy and gold wallpaper, plush rose-colored carpet, and button backed overstuffed couches with wood trim.
I wonder what Seven and Pennick’s room looks like. Is it like this or is it like the jungle?
Although the room was decorated as it had been the first time they arrived, something about it pricked the back of Nadira’s mind. It reminded her of something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
Kiln, now fully dressed, sat on the bed and pulled Nadira down into an embrace, wrapping her in heavy arms and legs and sinking her even further into the soft bedding.
“I miss just lying around and holding you,” he whispered into her hair.
Nadira almost didn’t hear him, her mind struggling to figure out what about this room made her so uncomfortable.
“Do you remember when you would stay home from Council and we would just lie in bed all day? I miss that. Four days is too long to be away from each other.”
Nadira didn’t respond, still struggling to sort through her memories.
Kiln frowned. He kissed her shoulder and slid down further. He ran a large hand over her belly and made small circles with his thumb. “You’re acting strange. Is everything okay?”
The feeling of his hand on her stomach broke Nadira’s distraction, snapping her back to the reality of Kiln’s arms. “What?”
“You’re distracted. What’s wrong?”
She shook her head and forced a fake smile. “I’m fine.”
Kiln was not fooled. He turned her toward him and put his hand on her chin, forcing her to look up at him. “Is it your ribs?”
She shook her head. “No, my ribs are fine.”
“Are you tired?”
“No. I’m not uncomfortable at all. Everything is fine.”
“I want you to talk to me. Tell me how you are feeling. I’ll listen to you. That’s what I’m here for.”
“I’m okay. Really.”
He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “Tell me.”
“I’m fine.”
He kissed her again, clinging to her this time. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
She shook her head. Her eyes wandered, taking on a distant look that often frustrated him.
“Tell me how to make you happy again,” he whispered.
Nadira looked up at him, lips full, eyebrows furrowed.
“Please Naddie, tell me what’s bothering you.”
Confusion danced in her eyes and then recognition. Dark emotions played on her face, and she rolled away from him and sat up.
“Naddie?”
She paced the room, one hand on her head, one at her swollen lips, her mouth turned down at the corners.
Kiln climbed out of bed and wrapped her in his arms again. “Tell me.”
She only turned and sobbed into his chest.
Kiln held her close, mentally replaying what had led up to her tears.
She was sitting on the bed watching me fix my shirt. She seemed happy. Then she started looking around the room and got quiet.
Kiln lifted his eyes to the room, examining it closely. What was it about the ...
And then it dawned on him. This room looked just like a room back on Venus. She must have remembered ... He cursed himself for not seeing it before. “Is it this room?”
She nodded and continued to sob.
“Is it her? Is it Eva?”
Nadira’s sobs turned to wails, and her body went limp.
Kiln held her weight against him, then sa
nk them both to the floor to better cradle her. Nadira and Eva had been friends, closer then sisters, and now Eva had turned on them, tried to kill them. No wonder Nadira had been so distracted.
“It’s okay,” Kiln whispered. “I’m here.”
“But she’s not,” Nadira groaned.
“I know.”
“I’ll never see her again.”
“We don’t know that.”
“She tried to kill us.”
“She was angry.”
“She was my friend.”
Kiln stroked her hair and held her cooling body. Eva had never been his friend, but he still felt Nadira’s hurt. He took in her tears and her despair and watched his love mourn her fallen sister.
When her tears had run dry, she looked up at him. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
“I didn’t even realize ... I mean this room reminded me of something, but I didn’t ... Thank you.”
Kiln smiled down at her.
“You knew didn’t you?”
“I knew you were sad,” Kiln replied.
“Is there any part of me that you don’t know?”
Kiln pulled her to his shoulder, hiding his proud smile in her hair.
There wasn’t an inch of her that he didn’t know. But he wouldn’t tell her that. Not now.
A knock on the door announced Dell Una’s arrival.
They had to see the Magistrate.
CHAPTER 59
Arees bathed and ate, but nothing could halt the way her heart pounded in her chest when she thought of the future.
Yes, I’m clean and fed. But what does that matter if the Magistrate kills me?
She tried to lie down on the bed and rest, but sleep didn’t come. Her mind raced through every possible outcome.
Maybe she’ll torture me. Perhaps she will send me back to Venus for my punishment? What will they do when they see me again?
She stood and paced the room.
Maybe I’m wasting time here. Maybe I should run. But where will I go? I could probably leave the palace and steal a ship from the spaceport ... No, that won’t work. I can’t fly a ship. Maybe I can hitch a ride with someone. But I don’t know anyone here. How will I know they won’t turn me in to the Magistrate?
She rung her hands, trying to find a situation that didn’t end up with her dead and tortured.