Remembrance

by SJ Moquin

  Glancing up from where she bent over a tall flowering plant, she found Raiden staring at her. She narrowed her eyes at him, turning back to her task. She and Kana systematically worked their way across the field, categorizing and checking plants they found against the data on their plexes. Flowering plants, thistles and ferns dotted the wide field. She’d seen most of them in the lab as specimens, but in the wild they were even more beautiful.

  She worked steadily through the day, trying to give the tall man across the glade very little of her thoughts. Her mind continued to stray, and she glanced at him from under her lashes. Then she shook herself back to work, only to have it repeat every few minutes. She and Kana realized a few smaller plants were new discoveries, which sent Kana into a tizzy. Neither had been in the field, let alone discover a new species of plant, but they’d been trained well so the delicate retrieval of a few specimens for the lab went smooth. The discovery left her little time to sulk over Raiden despite the fact she would vehemently deny that was what she did.

  The tall feathery diffodillas blew in the wind, their pink petals standing waist high in places as Gwelle stood up, squinting into the late evening sun. She ruffled the petals with her hand, loving their velvety feel. They’d be returning to camp with the new samples soon, but what a sight this place would be once the sun set. She could already see a glow on some of the plants that sat shaded near the trees. Her hand stilled, and she caught sight of a strange shimmering just beyond the tree line.

  Images of herself in the tree just before she fell and again at the lake flashed in her mind. This was the same distortion of air, as if she were viewing the trees through a layer of water. Her heart pounded in her chest at the strange sight. Was she seeing things? Was this a phenomenon unique to Nova-Zera? If so, why hadn’t anyone else reported it? Should she? Would they think her crazy? She jumped at the soft voice behind her.

  “Gwelle, did you hear me?” Kana asked, walking up to her. “What are you looking at?”

  Gwelle turned to see her teammate behind her with a bag full of small plants slung over her shoulder. Kana stared off into the trees for a moment. When Gwelle turned, following her gaze, all was normal. There was no shimmering air.

  “Nothing. Just thinking to myself. What did you say?” she covered.

  “Oh, nothing. I just remarked on what luck we had today. Wonder if Rix had any. He claimed he’d be the one bringing back a new specimen before we left.” Gwelle chuckled at the older girl’s words.

  “He did, didn’t he? Let’s get these back to camp and secure them properly before sunset, and we can show him who makes the better team!”

  Kana agreed with Gwelle. Both botanists turning back to hike the short distance to their camp with Raiden following close. He’d not said anything today or tried to for that matter. Maybe she was reading more into his kindness the other night, thinking back to the small music player he’d left for her.

  The evening went quick once they’d secured their samples for the lab. Rix returned with a few of his own, happy with his solo trip up the far ridge. She watched Rix’s inky black hair fall over his eyes as he bent into his pack and pulled out several specimens to show Kana. He grinned over at her, sharing her enthusiasm for the expi. Tomorrow they would do one more quick survey, then head back to Nova-Zera. This had been a quick trip but a successful one which would lead to others, she hoped.

  Later that night, she lay in the darkened tent listening to the wind howl through the tall trees. Branches creaked and swayed, casting shadows on the canvas. She tried closing her eyes, but it only made the sounds around her louder. Birds of prey called in the distance, while smaller animals foraged under the cover of night, safe from eyes of predators. A yawn escaped as her eyes fluttered close. A shake to her shoulder sent her flying straight up, her hand striking out into the dark at whoever or whatever had awakened her. Firm fingers grasped it before she made contact.

  “Shhh!” the deep voice warned. Gwelle’s heart tripped at the simple sound.

  “What are you doing here?” she whispered in the quiet, not listening to excitement building inside her.

  “Come with me,” Raiden replied, tugging at her arm.

  “Why?”

  “Just do it.” She heard the pleading in his tone, despite no please being mentioned in the demand.

  Gwelle threw back the top of her bedroll, crawling out from the warmth into the cool night air. Raiden was already at the flap of the tent waiting for her. She yanked on a wrinkled blue linen top and baggy pants over her shorts and tank top while pulling on her shoes. Stepping out into the dark, she saw nothing wrong in the camp but continued following the tall boy in front of her. The darkness of the forest closed around them faster than she realized, causing her to jog to stay close to Raiden.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.” His voice held a sing-song rhythm she remembered from their childhood. Anytime he was excited or happy, his voice took on a musical lilt.

  She followed close a few more minutes until he paused, causing her to stop suddenly before running into his broad back. Stepping around him, she realized where he’d brought her. Her feet moved forward, slow, steady, until she stood in the middle of the field. The diffodillas glowed with an otherworldly color, not quite pink or purple, and filled the field with enough light to see from one side to the other. The flowers raised their blooms towards the two moons, filling the sky just as happy for its light as it was the sun earlier in the day. Raiden walked up behind her, but she didn’t turn. Instead, she soaked in the sight of thousands of night-blooming flowers and their soft glow radiating around her.

  “We shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.

  “Since when have you let that stop you, Gwelle Airda.” The sound of her name in his deep drawl sent shivers across her bare arms.

  She wrapped her hands around her waist, afraid she’d touch the beauty around her and wake up. Afraid this moment with the boy who’d always been there for her would fade into fog and disappear in the morning sun. She hated the soft feelings breaking through her steely resolve but couldn’t stop them. No. She wouldn’t stop them.

  His warm hands rested on her shoulders, their heat seeping into her core. “I’ve missed you, Gwelle. When are you going to forgive me?”

  Gwelle pulled away, remembering the pain and betrayal she felt two-and-a-half years before. She turned to face him; her hands now clenched at her sides. “Forgive you? You… you lied. You betrayed our… friendship.”

  “I did what I had to. The same as you. To heal. To forget. This was my way.”

  “Despite promising me, promising you’d have nothing to do with them?”

  “We were kids when I promised that, kids who were grieving and hurting. Come on, G! You can’t hold something I said as a kid against me.”

  “I was a child too. And I didn’t forget. I didn’t break our promise.”

  “You’re being ridiculous!” he whisper-yelled into the quiet around them. Anger flitting across his face a moment. “Because I chose to become a protector you made up your mind to never speak to me? To push me away?” Gwelle stared at him. Her chest ached at his words and the memories they evoked. “Say something! Anything!”

  Raiden stepped closer, her head tilting up to look him in the eyes. Green eyes from his mom’s family, she thought. She barely remembered his parents. Hadn’t he lost more than she had? Why was he able to lay the past to rest and she couldn’t? She tugged on her lower lip with her teeth, pondering the warring emotions vying for dominance in her thoughts.

  “My world changed because of the protectors,” she whispered, softer, more unsure than before.

  “I lost someone too. I know how you feel, but it wasn’t the protectors’ fault. Your dad and my uncle died because of a freak accident. It had nothing to do with their jobs. And I choose to honor Uncle Jefferson’s memory rather than shoving it away like you.”

  Gwelle raised her hands, pushing on his chest as stings of tears filled her eyes
. Tears she hadn’t cried since she was a girl. A girl wanting her dad and knowing he wasn’t coming back. Raiden captured her hands in his holding them against his chest.

  “I know, Gwelle. It hurts. Every day it hurts. But I didn’t kill them. None of the other protectors killed them. And punishing me won’t bring them back.”

  The sob she’d tried holding back escaped as one of Raiden’s muscular arms curled around her, pulling her close. Heat fused with an icy chill stole across her face. She was glad the deep midnight sky masked the blush stealing across her face as she melted against him. She’d loved Raiden from the time they were kids. They were best friends, doing everything together. As they’d grown into teens, something more had bloomed between them. Something they’d just begun to acknowledge. When he’d broken his promise, it was like someone died all over again. Had I punished him unfairly?

  How long they stood there in the middle of the field like that, his arms around her, she wasn’t sure. Once the flood of tears subsided, a peace she hadn’t felt in ages stole over her. Drying her eyes, she looked up, Raiden’s arms still holding her loosely. There was something in his eyes she hadn’t seen before. Hope. Hope for what, though? He smiled. His face lit up when he did. Before she had time to question this strange feeling wrapping around them, a roar filled the air. Loud. Piercing. She shivered, fear gripping her. They were alone in the dark, in the wild, with the call of night prowlers echoing around them.

  Chapter Eight

  Prey

  Raiden ran ahead, reaching the trees and their misleading illusion of safety just before she did. The shattering cries of the dire lyx echoed around them, seeping into her bones, chilling her. They shouldn’t be out here. She shouldn’t be out here, Gwelle thought, pushing her feet faster and faster. Her foot caught on a root and she stumbled a moment. She righted herself, pushing to catch up with where Raiden ran a few paces ahead. She drew even with him and, as she passed, the dark-haired boy slowed, his hand reaching out to grab hers.

  “We have to get back to camp!” she called, peering into the dark to see why he’d stopped.

  “Listen!” he shushed.

  Gwelle stopped. There was only the pounding of her heart in her ears at first. Then she heard it. Screams. Human screams and the pinging blasts of a laser pistol. The night prowlers were back at their camp, exactly where they were headed.

  “We have to help them!”

  “No. Not you. I’ll go ahead. You get into a tree as high as you can.” Raiden pressed a pistol into her hand. It dangled from her fingers like poison. She’d never shot one, never held one before.

  “Let me go with you. I’ll stay outside camp until it’s safe.” Raiden began shaking his head, roars filling the forest. “Please. Don’t… don’t leave me.”

  She hated begging, hated begging him. Even more, she hated the thought of him walking away and not knowing what might happen to him. He nodded and crept through the trees at a slower pace.

  Now that they knew exactly where the night prowlers were, they had to keep their guard up. Eerie silence greeted them ten minutes later when they reached the edge of the clearing. Was that a good sign? Bad? She didn’t know and wanted to ask but knew to stay quiet without the need for Raiden to tell her. Her hand shook where she held the pistol up, ready for what might burst through the camp the moment they stepped into the clearing.

  “Stay right here. Climb that tree if you hear more shots.”

  Raiden pointed to a smaller tree, still a sapling compared to the giants surrounding it, whose limbs were low enough to reach. She nodded. She knew that she could haul herself up into the taller trees from there. That still didn’t mean she liked the fact she wouldn’t be there to help if he needed it. Honestly, how much help would she be with her hands shaking? It’d be her luck she’d shoot the person she was trying to help.

  Raiden crept into the clearing and crouched low until he was out of sight. She stood under the tree, her back pressing against the trunk. The rough bark bit into her skin, but she didn’t move as the minutes passed. She should have heard something. Shouts for help or more gunshots. Roars even. Not this insufferable silence which hung heavy over the forest. Not even the night birds sang, or the strix hooted into the night to scare up prey. How long had it been? It felt like hours before that her fingers had twitched against the trigger of the pistol she clutched, but in reality, it’d only been a few minutes ago.

  Gwelle pushed away from the tree. She’d never given into fear, not aboard Deliverance after her father died, and she wasn’t going to now. But wasn’t that exactly what she did and continued to do when she pushed Raiden away, the small nagging voice inside her questioned? Her thoughts were braver than her actions. Her limbs had obviously not gotten the message and still felt like jiggly blobs as she took a few steps forward. A snap of a twig echoed somewhere nearby, causing her feet to freeze in place. Raiden’s tall form appeared from behind a tree bathed in the shadows of the night.

  “What happened? Where are the others?” Gwelle asked, caution framing each word, fearful of the answer she’d receive.

  “Prowlers…” Raiden raked a shaky hand through his hair. “They attacked camp but have moved on. We can’t stay here long. Come pack what you can salvage.” He hadn’t answered her question, she thought as she followed him into the small camp. Tents were slashed, equipment busted, and debris scattered from one side to the other. But there was no sign of life. Neither Rix, Kana nor Specialist Oweins were anywhere in sight. “Hurry and grab anything important you can carry. We have to get as far from here as possible.”

  “They’ll be back?”

  “I’m not sure. If they’re still in the region and hear us, they could.”

  Raiden’s words sent a chill through her. She’d rifled through the debris of her tent a moment before his words hit her.

  “What do you mean, carry? What about the rovers?” She looked around the clearing, spying one of the armored vehicles.

  “Tires slashed.”

  “What about the coms?”

  “Busted.”

  “What about the other Rover? Did the others escape?” Hope bloomed in her chest. Raiden’s lips flattened, staying firmly closed. “Raiden. What aren’t you saying?”

  “Hurry, Gwelle. Here, let me have that.” He changed the subject and grabbed one of the three bags she tried to lift.

  She couldn’t leave the specimens behind after what few survived the attack. She grabbed a plex that stuck out from under some broken equipment, but the screen spiderwebbed in a dozen directions. Looked like they’d be on their own as far as coordinates unless there was something in the rover. She headed over towards the remaining vehicle in camp only to have Raiden’s hand grab her, stopping her in her tracks. Turning questioning eyes towards the tall boy who shook his head, she yanked her arm away and jogged to the vehicle.

  A gasp escaped Gwelle’s trembling lips. Her hands shook as she covered her mouth. The entire vehicle looked like a child’s toy after a tantrum. There were huge dents in the hood and roof, one door hanging off its hinges, and a bloody hand was hanging out. Raiden turned her away from the scene of Oweins’ broken, bloody body lying half in and half out of the rover. Huge ripping claw marks covered both the vehicle and the man who’d just yesterday been chatting with her the entire trip out.

  “The others?” The question trembled on her lips, but she had to know.

  “I found the other rover just beyond the crest. No bodies, but it was slashed up just the same. Blood on the ground around it. If they’re out there, we have to pray they make it back to Nova-Zera safe.”

  Gwelle nodded, letting Raiden lead her out of camp back into the shelter of the trees, which suddenly didn’t feel as safe as they had earlier. She was numb as she stumbled through the night, Raiden’s arm around her waist. The warmth of his fingers seeped through her linen shirt as it spread around and curled into her stomach. Relief flowed through her at his touch. She wasn’t alone, and for that she was glad. She pushed aside a
ll thoughts of grudges and hurt feelings in the light of life and death. Nothing made sense now. Everything became insignificant in the face of tonight’s events.

  A shiver ran through her as the image of the protector flashed in her mind. She’d never seen a dead body, let alone one so gruesomely killed. She sent a small prayer up into the heavens that Kana and Rix made it back to the settlement and, for safe measure, tacked on one for Raiden and herself.

  They travelled at a fast clip, following the stars south, staying close to the Rover paths where they were discernible, towards the settlement. The blur of glowing plants and fungi filled the landscape. But she couldn’t enjoy it, not now. Raiden pulled her to a halt, releasing his hold. The night’s chill seemed colder without his warmth.

  “I think we’re far enough from the camp now. We need to find a tree and hunker down for the night. One thing about night prowlers, they can’t climb.”

  “True, but…” She bit off her words. No need stating what they both knew. There were plenty of other predators that did. She’d face them if they came. Right now, reaching relative safety until dawn broke was more important than what ifs.

  “Here’s a good one,” Raiden called a few feet away. “I’ll boost you up and then come up after you.”

  Gwelle nodded, trying to push the gnawing cold spreading inside her away. She reached a hand up, her body swaying as she did. The limb sat just out of reach until Raiden lifted her. She balanced a hand on his head, reaching up to grab the limb. Her fingers scraped the rough bark, getting a hold only to lose it. Just when she thought she had a grip, a deep roar resounded in the trees. She let go, sending them both tumbling to the ground as it sounded again, this time much closer.

  “Run,” Raiden shouted, pulling her up with him.

  There was no time to think as they dashed through the trees, the sound of limbs and rocks crashed behind them. Her feet pounded against the forest floor. It was too dark to see properly. Stones, roots, fallen logs all littered their way, tripping them. Raiden grabbed for her hand in the dark, locking his fingers with hers as they ran fast and hard. Her breaths grew shallower, she was tired from lack of sleep and shock, but she pushed on. Raiden’s heavy breathing beside her let her know she wasn’t alone. Together they dodged the beast that had caught their scent, in and out of trees, as brambles caught at them and roots tripped them.