by Nikki Clarke
My heart breaks a little. He and Bati are so good together and have gotten so close, but I don’t want to lie to him. Even as my attachment to Bati grows, and the idea that we are bound to each other in some fateful way takes root in my mind, I can’t just lead my son to believe something that may not work out in the end. I’ve been careful about doing this until now, and I don’t think it’s a good idea to change up the script just because I got googly-eyes for Bati. My throat tightens when KJ sighs in disappointment.
“May I say something to him? I will not contradict what you have told him.”
I turn to find Bati standing just behind me. Of course he heard. A slight smile curves his mouth, but it’s sad. He kneels down in front of KJ and chucks him beneath the chin.
“KJ, you are a very beautiful, smart, magical child. From the moment I saw you, I knew this to be true. I am not your father, biologically, but here,” he presses his hand over his first heart, “I love you as if you are mine. I love you, and I love your mother. I will always care for you and help you. It does not matter where you are. You are my dahni, and I am your ahpa. Do you understand?”
I cover my mouth because I’m very close to crying. When KJ propels himself forward and hugs Bati around the neck, my eyes start to sting.
Bati holds KJ close, hugging him tightly and rocking slightly back and forth.
“Are you going to go away? When I have to go home?”
Bati’s eyes rise to meet mine. They’re glassy and bright. The blue sparkles intensely.
“I will never leave, my dahni. Not ever.”
Our gazes are locked. His promise reaches all the way to my spirit, and the perfectly synchronized thump of Bati’s heart over mine, seals it as truth.
BATI
“Well that got intense, huh?”
Tiani smells nervous. She has smelled this way since our moment at the campsite. I did not expect KJ’s questioning of his mother. I also did not expect the surge of longing I caught on Tiani’s scent when she responded. Her longing shifted to affection after I’d made my promise. I can only hope what that affection means.
She moves slowly beside me. The hem of her skirt keeps snagging on the rough stalks of sea sponge that poke up from the mud. Her thin Qitoni sandals suck through the sludge, and I feel another moment of guilt at having had such an impractical dress made for her.
“I apologize, lehti. It is my fault you are having such a hard time.”
She looks up from where she’s trying her best to tie the bottom of her skirt into a knot.
“I mean, it’s not your fault Qitoni fashion sucks.” She tries again to pull the fabric taut on itself, but it unravels every time. Sighing, she gives up and straightens. I can feel my face pulsing brightly. “What?”
“This is not the only choice of Qitoni fashion. There were other more practical choices. Pants,” I admit. “This particular style was simply more—revealing.”
She stares at me for a moment and then erupts into laughter.
“Are you serious? Dude, you had an entire dress made just so you could check out my boobs?”
“It did not ask for the design to be modified for this purpose, but I was not unaware that this would be the subsequent result.”
She quirks an eyebrow and regards me with amusement.
“You realize you probably would have seen them anyway, right? I mean, we were going away together.”
I cant stop my frown. Has she learned nothing of me? “I would not assume such a thing.”
“Dude, you brought a shared tent,” she shoots back, and her mouth twists up to the side.
I blush again. “I hoped, but had nothing occurred between us, I would have been content to merely be in your presence.”
“There’s the argoo!”
KJ puts a halt to our conversation. We both turn to the spot where his tiny finger stabs through the air. Nestled at the base of a cluster of seaweed trees is a fully developed aiguu. It has the same round bulbs as the smaller one on the platform, but each one is nearly the size of my entire body. Three-foot-tall purple pistils shoot up into sharp points. The edges drip with the toxic sap it is known for.
“Holy cow, that’s the same as the one at the camp?” Tiani’s voice is shocked as she follows me through the thick mud until we get close.
“The one at the willow was a fledgling. They grow best in damp conditions,” I return. I stop several feet away. This task is simple enough, but for humans, unused to traversing such wilderness, it poses a greater threat than I previously thought. I will have to be extra diligent.
From my shoulders, KJ’s awed gasp sounds out. “Wow! It’s a giant!”
“How the heck are we supposed to get that back with us? Do we just take a piece?”
I chuckle and lift my wrist, tapping my citizenship band. “Of course not, lehti. This plant is quite toxic when fully developed. We will take a picture.” The flash on the side of my band brightens briefly before a holographic image of the plant fans from the top. “See?”
I angle my wrist up for them.
“So that’s it. We just take a photo and bring it back? Does someone check it or something?”
“We can submit our results to the regulators of the game for recording. Many have made it a life’s mission to complete all levels of ta’ani. We are just doing the basic version of this particular quest.”
Tiani regards the sharp blades of the aiguu again. “What’s the hardest one?”
“To procure a seed from the middle of the pod without damage to the plant.”
“Where are the seeds?” She peers closely at the blades, taking a small step forward.
“The seeds are protected by the pistils at the center. They only open at a particular time of year, and only when the plant is fully submerged.” I catch the back of her top, stopping her inspection just as she gets too close for my comfort. She looks back at me with shock.
“You mean, you have to find the seeds in that dark ass water with these friggin Freddy Krueger knives sticking all over the place?”
I do not know who or what Freddy Krueger is, but I nod.
“Can you guys see through the water?”
I shake my head. Lyqa senses are good, but not supernatural. “As I said before, these can be quite elaborate.”
She looks impressed. “Damn. I mean, that’s kind of badass, but damn. I thought you said Lyqas don't do unnecessarily dangerous situations?”
I shrug. “To some, challenging one’s physical limits is necessary. We are given this form. It is not wrong to use it.”
She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “That is some whypipo shit, if I ever heard it. Let me find out.”
I do not know what she refers to, but her scent is teasing so I assume her response is good natured.
“Come, if we hurry, we can gather the remaining items and be back to the camp site before high tide.”
I move around the aiguu, making sure to keep a wide berth. Though generally harmless if avoided, if one were to get aiguu toxin on their skin, it would be unfortunate.
The further we move into the forest, the more dense the terrain gets. The sun is high in sky. I check my wristband for signs of danger. I also follow the progress of the shadows in the forest. We only have a few more hours before high tide returns.
“Stay close to me, lehti.”
“Oh, trust me, I’m two steps behind you.”
“Stay a single step behind me.”
Tiani grips the back of my shirt and the small contact warms me. I lift KJ from my shoulders and hold him in front of me. The branches overhead are beginning to hang low.
“What’s next?” He pulls the list from his pocket and holds it up. I spare the list the smallest glance before I train my eyes on the forest ahead of me. Qitoni is a generally safe planet. It’s aquatic nature and long low tides mean that not many large predators preside on land. But it also means that most of the danger comes from plant life. I will have to be mindful of what we touch.
“Next
, we must find the gaurgii, a small burrowing fish that lives in the mud at the base of living sea willows.”
“Goggie,” KJ repeats. Unlike my sa’aih Amina, my lehti’s Lyqa pronunciation is terrible. My dahni’s is not much better, but he is a child, and it makes him no less endearing. Possibly more so.
“Yes, my dahni, goggie,” I confirm.
“Where can we find it?” Tiani’s asks behind me.
“It resides at the base of the red sea willow.”
“Is that like the one we were camped on, but red?”
“And smaller. Our campsite is a giant sea willow. However it is no longer living and has been petrified. The sea willow we are looking for will be alive.”
“Hm.” I glance back. Tiani’s looking around, trying to spot the tree.
We move past the dense portion of the forest, and the foliage begins to thin again. The branches overhead rise a bit higher and I move KJ back to my shoulders.
“Keep a keen eye out for the gaurgii, KJ.”
“I’m looking!”
My Lyqa senses are also on alert. Off to the side, a small shelled creature, which is known for catching and dissolving insects and other small fish, waits with its mouth opened wide. At the center, a bright flowerlike tongue serves to trick unsuspecting pollinators.
A second later, something slithers across my foot. I look down. A large sea snake moves through the wet mud. While not particularly dangerous, I imagine if Tiani were to notice it, she would not be pleased. I have not forgotten how she and her sister reacted to the bug that flew into our home on Lyqa. I don’t mention it. Instead, I draw her attention to the various plant life around us.
I point to a small patch of thin, blue reeds winding up the side of an algae plant. “Those vines connect to the host planet. They function very similarly to the nerves in other species.”
“It can feel? The planet?” Her voice sounds awed.
“It can. Although, it is does not react to stimuli as sensitively as you or I might.”
“So if I pinch it, it won’t like squeal?” her tinkling laughter washes over me, and I reach back to pull her beside me, joining our hands. I want to see her.
She falls in line beside me. Her beautiful, full mouth is pulled into a wide smile. Her eyes, although they are as dark as night, are warm and gentle.
“You are beautiful, my lehti.” I can’t resist saying it. I will never tire of seeing her, feeling her, loving her.
“You’re not too bad, yourself, Lyqa dude.” She laughs again, and I have to force my eyes back on the forest because I should be looking out for danger, but all I want to do is taste her.
Up ahead, in a small clearing, the bright red branches of a sea willow come into view. They are the easiest plants to spot in the forest. I knew it would not be long before we came upon one.
“Isn’t that—” I squeeze our joined hands, silencing Tiani. When she frowns up at me, I shake my head, indicating she should wait.
“The goggie!” KJ shouts out a second later, and I rise my eyebrows. Tiani brings our hands up to kiss the back of mine.
“You’re so flipping sweet.”
My skin tingles where her lips touched me.
“Yes, KJ, that is the sea willow where we will find the gaurgii.” I lower him to the ground when we get to the willow. He steps forward, staring closely at the trunk.
“Is it safe to touch?”
I turn to Tiani. She’s worriedly watching KJ.
“It is fine. They are harmless. Touch it.”
They both reach out to push their fingertips against the soft, squishy bark. Thick, black water oozes out. “Yuck!”
They both exclaim it at the same time, and I chuckle.
“It is just water.”
Tiani and KJ share a similar comical look of disgust.
“So how do we find this ta’anithing?” she asks.
KJ looks up eagerly and I kneel down beside him and point to a small mound of mud at the base of the tree. “The gaurgii lives in there. All we must do it make it come out so we can capture a picture.”
“How do we make it come out?” The excitement rolling off of him is full of the wonder of childhood. It makes me glad that I brought them here.
“We must call it, dahni.”
KJ drops to the ground, planting his hands on either side of the mound and lowering his face over it. “Come out, goggie! Come out!”
I don’t fight my smile. “No, dahni, we must call him in a special way. Gaurgii only come out during low tide to catch their favorite food. It is a small insect that emits a medium pitched song, but one must replicate the song perfectly to call it.”
KJ jabs his finger at his mother. “Let mommy do it. She can sing really good.”
Chapter 14
TIANI
“You are a singer?” Bati looks questioningly up at me from where he’s kneeling next to KJ.
“Uh, no. I can kind of carry a tune, but I am definitely not a singer.”
He stands and waves a hand at the mound. “Carry the tune.”
“No, I’m not singing.”
“Mommy, pleeeease! We need the goggie to come out!”
I cant help but laugh at how KJ pronounces the name of the fish. The way he says it, I know he isn’t thinking of a fish at all. He’s probably imagining some cross between a puppy and a tadpole.
“Ugh, fine! What is it supposed to sound like?”
I clear my throat in preparation and feel stupid. If I was on Earth, my friends would be rolling their eyes at the extraness of it.
Bati’s mouth quirk’s up, and I know he’s about to make me embarrass myself.
“How about you sing a song with a good range of notes, and I will stop you when you get to the right one?”
“If you know what it’s supposed to sound like, why don’t you call it?” I ask, arching an eyebrow.
“I would rather hear you, my lehti.”
He waits. KJ, too, looks expectantly up at me.
“God, I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I mumble before kneeling in the mud next to the mound. “La, la, la, la la,” I sound out, going along the scale, except I sing it very quickly and without much effort. When I look at Bati, his eyes are narrowed on me.
“I think you can do better than that. Now, again, and so that I may hear you properly. Or else, I will not be able to discern the note.”
I roll my eyes and take a deep breath. This is mortifying, but I may as well get it over with.
“Laaa…laaa…laaa…laaa…laaa,” I sound again. This time slower and louder.
When I stop, Bati has something of wonder on his face. “You are truly a beautiful woman. Your voice is lovely.” He leans in to press a smacking kiss on my mouth before I even realize it. “Now, I believe the second note is correct. You must be loud if the gaurgii is to hear you, and you must get close.”
“Do I just make the same sound I did?” I ask as I put my hands on either side of the mound and lean in like KJ did.
“It may be more convincing as the bug if you hum it.” His smile is sly. I know he’s getting a kick out of this. I roll my eyes again and lean down close to the mound.
“Mmmmmmmmmm,” I hold the note as long as I can. Suddenly, the mound shifts, and I jump back.
“Okay, dahni, the gaurgii will emerge. When it does, use your band like I showed you to capture it.”
KJ’s face sets in determination and he raises his arm, angling it at the mound. The middle of the mud sinks in, and a second later two short green antenna rise from the hole that’s revealed. The long, slimy body of what looks almost like a slug with the head of a catfish rises up from the mound. It’s not that big. Maybe only the size of my hand.
“Capture it before it retreats,” Bati urges, and KJ taps his band causing the screen to flash up. He presses into the projection, and his camera flashes in the same way Bati’s did when he took a picture of the aiguu. As soon as the light blinks, the gaurgii drops back into the hole with a wet sucking sound.
“You did very well, dahni,” Bati returns and then surprises me by raising his hand up flat in front of KJ. KJ lifts his own hand and slaps their palms together.
“Hi five!” They say together, and my heart thumps.
An hour later of us wandering through the forest, and we stand at the edge of another clearing. Along the way, Bati has been showing us the different plants and sea creatures, including a flat eel that ran across my feet and nearly scared me to death. He has also been showing me the parts of the forest that are extensions of the host planet, so I remember what he told me before when I see the cluster of blue vines. I still cant believe the thing we’re on is alive. I keep expecting to see a mouth or a limb or something crazy even though Bati has done a good job of keeping us distracted.
“Do you remember what those are, dahni?” Bati points to a large, tangled cluster. The vines wind stiffly up into the air, so they look almost like a bunch of skinny twigs.
KJ’s head bobbles. “Yup. Nerds.”
“Nerves, baby. With a v, like in violin.”
“Nerbbbbsuh,” KJ tries again.
Bati turns his face in my direction so KJ cant see, and his mouth breaks into a wide, soundless laugh. I blink. Bati’s so serious, and this is so silly that I have to cover my own mouth to keep from cracking up. He shakes his head and twists his mouth until his expression is stoic again.
“Yes, my dahni. These are nerves. They connect to the host planet. They help it feel.”
“If I touch them, he can feel it?” KJ’s eyes are wide.
“I believe so,” Bati returns.
“What does it feel like?”
Bati twists his mouth up to the side as if he’s considering the question. “Hm, I do not know. Perhaps like this!” His free hand attacks KJ at his sides, and my son squeals and giggles under Bati’s tickling fingers.
They’re so good together. So natural. To anyone looking on, there would be no question they are father and son, aside from the alien thing. That tightening happens in my throat again, but it’s not sadness like it was before. It’s happiness and acceptance.