Grave

by L H Whitlock

  “Helic,” Grave said in greeting, and the man looked up from his task of unloading boxes from a nearby ship.

  “Grave!” They clasped hands and Grave followed him to the ship to help unload another crate.

  “It looks like you got a lot of stuff,” Grave said, and Helic nodded.

  His friend had his shoulder-length white hair pulled back. A few thick streaks of gray remained, but every time Grave saw Helic, his mane looked closer to a snow head. His eyes were a light blue, and he had white stubble around his chin and upper lip, keeping it groomed to just around his mouth. He was tall and lean, a lot smaller then Grave. He wore black canvas cargo pants and a gray shirt, nothing special, yet women shouted greetings any time he came within earshot.

  Grave hefted a box onto his shoulder and walked down the ramp of the supply ship. The pilot stared for a moment, then waved, and Grave nodded back.

  Helic came up next to him. “You seem…different.” His blue eyes narrowed.

  Grave raised a brow. “Nothing’s new.”

  Rikar joined them and Grave cursed to himself.

  “Oh, a lot’s been going on while you’ve been away, Helic. Would you believe it if I told you that Grave has a woman?”

  Grave glared at Rikar, but the man only smiled broadly.

  Grave made an inner note to shred Rikar’s beanie the next time he showered. Then they’d see who got the last laugh.

  “No,” Helic gasped. “What woman? How come you didn’t call me? This is good news No, great news! It’s about time you get yourself a curvy little goddess.”

  Grave groaned. He put down the box and stormed off to the ship for another haul, leaving Helic and Rikar to their fun at his expense. The two quickly caught up to continue their torment.

  “I’m sure you’ll meet her soon,” Rikar continued. “Grave, you’ll introduce her, right?”

  Grave ignored him.

  Rikar laughed as he picked up another box. “Oh, fine then. I’ll point her out.”

  “I’m sure you will.”

  “Anyway,” Rikar continued. “How has it been going at Ever? Is Yunnika’s king finally done being a big fat asshole?”

  Helic sighed. “It’s getting tense. Yunnika is not allowing any refugees, and a lot of the moons are in need of more room. These planets are not very suitable for growth, as you both know. Most of them have harsh climates, or they need to protect their civilizations like we do here. Morala’s land is virtually infertile, and Yunnika is getting stingy with trading crops and seeds or fertilizer.”

  “Those damn people,” Rikar said. He set the box down and leaned against a stack of three of them. He unscrewed the top of his canteen and took a deep swig. Grave put his box down next and joined Helic and Rikar in a tight circle so the three could talk privately.

  “It’s not the people,” Helic responded. “Hayme is getting very stringent and wants to close Yunnika completely.”

  “They can’t close Yunnika. Too many civilizations rely on it for trade.”

  Helic shrugged. “I’ve been negotiating with them for years, and they keep taking things away one at a time. It didn’t seem like a big deal at first, but now everyone’s feeling it, even Ever. I have to go there next and try to help smooth out the talk of war.”

  “Do you need me to help with Yunnika?” Rikar asked. “I can go there while you negotiate on Ever. Grave can hold down the fort over here.”

  Grave nodded his agreement. “I can handle things here if you need more hands.”

  Helic shook his head. “It won’t matter. Hayme and Mighton have been virtually impossible to talk to lately. They have troops all over Morala looking for the king’s runaway queen. Poor young little thing. She must be scared shitless. Her picture is plastered all over the place.” He pulled out a stack of paper from inside his cargo pants. “They want me to spread this around town in the off chance she’s here. They believe she’s either on Yunnika somewhere or somehow managed to escape to Morala. I guess there was a shuttle the same night she went missing. But no one’s seen her.”

  Grave froze as he watched Rikar grab the flyer from Helic. He thought to snatch it out of his hands and rip it to shreds, but settled for, “We won’t be putting those up.”

  Rikar shrugged then looked down at the paper. He had just taken a swig of water which now spewed from his mouth. Helic jumped away, his arms up in a ‘what the fuck’ pose.

  “What is your problem?” Helic asked, brushing water off his arms and shirt.

  Rikar turned to Grave. “Did you know about this?”

  “I found out a few nights ago.”

  Helic looked at the flyer alongside Rikar. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when a female voice called Grave’s name.

  The three turned to the sound and watched as Nora jogged over. Her purple hair was pulled up into a messy bun on the top of her head. She wore a green t-shirt dress that hung to mid-thigh and tall brown boots that ended just before her knees. All in all, Grave would have called it a conservative look, like all of her clothing, but what the dress didn’t hide was the swell of her stomach where the heir of Yunnika grew.

  29

  Nora ran up to Grave, her arm stretched above her head and waving a bit too eagerly. She was just so excited to see him. As lame as it sounded, she had started to miss him the moment he dropped her off at her house. Deon and Lit-ta were busy talking to a few merchants in town and making trades, so she broke away to see if she could spot him.

  He had mentioned that Helic, a good friend and fellow gladiator who helped start the sanctuary was back in town and she had hoped to meet him. Now, as she ran up to Grave, Rikar, and a handsome man she assumed was Helic, she was no longer sure of her plan. They stared at her like she was running at them on eight legs. Rikar’s mouth hung open, and his eyes were wide like a scared buchin.

  Grave rubbed his face and reached for her as she approached. She tucked against his side, suddenly wanting his security.

  “Helic. Meet Nora.”

  Nora smiled nervously at Helic, and the white-haired man smiled back. She didn’t think she had ever seen a man so beautiful before and she suddenly felt silly using the word for Grave. This man was beautiful, where Grave was raw and masculine. How dare she confuse that with simple beauty?

  “Um…hi,” she said.

  Rikar looked from Nora to Grave to Helic to the paper in his hand, and Nora reached out and grabbed it before either of the three men could react. She stared at a printout of her face and the massive award printed on the bottom.

  Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she brought a hand to her mouth, her entire body shaking. Grave wrapped an arm around her and braced her so she wouldn’t fall to her knees.

  Was this the end of her safety? Would they turn her in? The amount of money they offered could build an entire city, fund an entire army. Her asylum wasn’t worth that.

  “Nora, it’s okay. It’s okay. We won’t let anything happen to you,” Grave assured her.

  “Absolutely,” Rikar agree. “We’re not putting these flyers out. The people inside these walls don’t know who you are, Nora. You are safe here.”

  Helic smiled, his face reminding Nora of something out of one of her sister’s naughty books. “Even if they did know, no one would dare cross Grave. It’s nice to meet you, Valswanna, woman of my brother.”

  Nora forced her lips to return the affection, though she felt like she was going to pass out. “It’s nice meeting you too.”

  “If it helps you feel any better, Mighton is not looking here. They think you are somewhere on Yunnika or in Morala. The women inside that sanctuary would never give up a pregnant female who has run from her mate, so don’t worry. They should cause a distraction for a while. How far along are you?” Helic asked.

  Nora heard Grave provide the answer in place of her silence, but his voice sounded far away as panic funneled around her.

  “Okay, we must not let this get out.” Helic snatched the paper away from Rikar, but Grave held
out his hand in a silent demand. Helic handed over that one along with the rest of the stack of flyers and Grave shoved them into his pocket.

  “I’ll dispose of these myself.”

  Helic and Rikar nodded. The group became silent as another man ran over. “Sorry to interrupt you guys, but the townspeople are getting antsy. They want to finish trading and divvying up the products before it gets dark.”

  Helic nodded. “Of course. You can start sending them in. Just ask that we approve anything they want to take. We’ll sort things out at the same time.”

  Nora pulled away from Grave. She needed to get out of here; paranoia had her blood racing and her lips trembling. What if someone recognized her. What if she got sent back to Mighton? Would they even do a ceremony, or would they just kill her and her son?

  “I… I’m sorry. I just, I can’t be here right now. I am… I’m honestly freaking out. I want to go home.”

  Grave dropped his hand to her lower back, his fingers making small circles. “Of course. Just give me a minute, and I’ll walk you home.”

  Nora shook her head. “No. I’ll get Lit-ta and Deon. I know you guys have a lot of things to plan now because of me.”

  Rikar shook his head. “It really isn’t a big deal.”

  Nora smiled. “Thank you. Please though. I don’t need a single thing. I just need to take a long bath.”

  Grave nodded his understanding. “Make sure you have Deon and Lit-ta take you home.”

  Nora nodded. “I will.” She reached up on her tip-toes and placed a shy kiss on his jawline. Grave’s fingers trailed the length of her arm as she pulled away. The moment she was out of earshot, she knew the men were already scheming on how to protect her. She was grateful for them and knew they wouldn’t allow anything to happen to her.

  Still, she took a deep breath and wandered through the crowds of people with the feeling that someone was watching her weighing heavy on her shoulders. The hair on her arms stood up, her stomach turned, and her heart raced, but she knew she was just having a panic attack.

  Now she wished she hadn’t worn something so tight that it showed her baby belly. She wished she had a huge thick sweater to hide behind.

  The crowd around her didn’t seem to notice her growing stomach, though. They bumped into her, uncaring that she held a fragile life within. She should have just stayed home like she had wanted, but her curiosity about Helic had her agreeing to join Lit-ta and Deon as they made their way into town. The immediate crowd should have dissuaded her, too, but once she saw Grave, the world melted away, and she just ran for him.

  She had known that Mighton would look for her, of course he would. But somehow, she had managed to let herself forget about him and put everything that had happened behind her. She hadn’t wanted to live the rest of her life a slave to her fear.

  Her eyes brimmed with tears. Grave had been through enough, he didn’t need her drama.

  “Nora! Nora, honey, slow down!” Nora turned to see Miss Yulle running after her, her thick arm up to try and gain her attention and her cheeks pink.

  “Miss Yulle! I’m so sorry. I was lost in thought.”

  Miss Yulle reached Nora and propped her hands on her hips while she took a few deep breaths.

  “Oh well, I don’t seem to be in the shape I was as a young girl. My apologies for chasing you down, but I found a hand-woven bassinet the other day and set it aside in the clinic. It was just so beautiful, and I thought of you and decided you had to have it.”

  “Oh…” Nora tried to think of a way to turn her down, but the excitement on the other woman’s face had her agreeing. It would only be a small detour and then she would find Deon and Lit-ta and go home to wait for Grave. “Thank you for thinking of me, that’s very kind.”

  Miss Yulle clapped her hands with excitement. “Oh! I just love the thought of you and Grave having a wee one. Can you imagine, Grave as a pa?”

  Nora’s face went red, and she felt her eyes grow wide but had no control over the action.

  “Dear me, but I apologize. I should never have gone that far. I just get a bit carried away sometimes. Please tell me I didn’t make you so uncomfortable that now you don’t want the bassinet. I won’t ever forgive myself, and Grave will have my head.”

  “It’s fine, it’s fine. I was a bit surprised, that’s all. We haven’t… Well, we haven’t discussed it, and I don’t know what Grave thinks about me having someone else’s child. We’re um…still new to each other.”

  Miss Yulle took Nora’s hand in her own and guided her toward the med bay. “Oh, child, Grave is not all that complicated. He has had a rough life, and I have honestly not ever seen him truly happy. Even when things are going well, he always has this darkness shrouding him. It’s still there, but it’s finally lifting.”

  Nora smiled. She liked the thought that she made Grave happy. “What do you think he feels about the baby?”

  Miss Yulle sighed. “Honestly, honey, I don’t have a clue. I don’t know if Grave has ever thought about children. Just being social and around people is hard enough for him. I don’t think the thought ever crossed his mind.” She turned to look at Nora with her kind, brown eyes. “The way he looked at the baby, though, and the way he touched your stomach and felt for your little one… Well, some fathers don’t show that tenderness to the children they sire.”

  Nora pressed a hand to her stomach and remembered the way Grave had nuzzled her there, his stubble rubbing against her, tickling her hard belly. Then the way he pressed his hand to her that morning, feeling the baby and searching for movement. She swore her little prince moved more when Grave was touching her.

  “I hope you’re right,” she said softly as Miss Yulle opened the door. The other woman moved excitedly across the room and wheeled out a woven bassinette. It had stained white wood strips that were intricately braided around the basket and inside was a mattress and pad.

  “See! You can make little sheets for it, and if you want to hang a music box, you can make one for the end. I know its basic, but it’s just so sweet.”

  Nora traced the tips of her fingers over the thin wooden strips, following the braid around the length of the basket. It really was beautiful, and she felt her baby stir inside of her. Excitement had her mind filling with visions of what her nursery would look like. Or would she be moving in with Grave? A blush heated her cheeks and she forced her thoughts back to that of a nursery. Maybe she would paint the walls green and make little ivory sheets for him. Then she could weave a rug full of all the colors that reminded her of Yunnika and maybe paint a mural on the wall so her child would know where they had run from. Then he could see the beauty of the planet despite the ugliness of its leaders.

  The door opened, and Miss Yulle turned to greet whoever had entered.

  “Oh! Hello, Sir. Is everything okay? Are you in need of medical assistance?”

  The door slammed shut. Nora jumped and turned to see who had entered. A man stood in the doorway wearing a gray flight suit and the purple cords of a pilot.

  “Holy shit, it is you!”

  Miss Yulle stepped in front of Nora protectively. “What do you want?”

  “Holy shit, I thought I was seeing things.” He removed his hat and rustled a hand through his gray hair.

  Nora backed up but ran into the bassinet. There was nowhere to go in the small med-bay; it was filled with medical equipment and beds, and there wasn’t a way out other than the door the man stood in front of.

  “I’m going to have to ask you to leave,” Miss Yulle said in a firm voice.

  The man in the flight suit laughed. “Oh, I’ll be leaving all right, with Mighton’s missing queen, of course. Now, Nora—that’s your name, right? We can do this the easy way or the hard way. I suggest the easy way. Come with me, and I won’t hurt you. This can be a nice little journey.”

  Nora swallowed through the rocks in her throat and made a move to step around Miss Yulle. The other woman put out her arm to stop her.

  “Miss Yulle,”
Nora said in a whisper, loud enough for her to hear, but not so loud that the man at the door could make out her words. “It’s okay. This was bound to happen sometime. I just wished I had longer. There’s no point in it being messy. Tell Grave that… Tell him thank you and tell him that I really wish I could be with him.”

  Miss Yulle scoffed. “Oh, honey, you can tell him that you love him yourself.” She looked back at the man in the doorway. “Now, Sir, you need to leave. This is a sanctuary, and Nora is protected under the peace treaty. She has been granted asylum. If she ever leaves these walls, then rules are she is free game, but right now she is under protection. You will be breaking laws with serious consequences if you take her against her will.”

  The man crossed his arms. “Am I taking you against your will, Nora? I believe you were just about to come with me for a little trip to Yunnika. Isn’t that right? You seem like a smart girl.”

  “Miss Yulle,” Nora hissed.

  But Miss Yulle stood her ground and kept a barrier between her and the man at the door.

  “Fine,” the man bit out. “Have it your way.” He pulled out a plasma gun from its holster on his hip and shot Miss Yulle before either woman had a chance to react. The blast caught her on the right side of her chest, and the woman fell backward, slamming to the ground, her head smacking the edge of the bassinet and overturning it.

  Nora dropped to her knees and pressed her hands against the large wound.

  “Miss Yulle! No! Please, no!” She pressed her hands tighter, but the older woman’s eyes had already glossed over.

  Nora choked back vomit, and she began to cry hysterically as she looked down at her blood-covered hands. Miss Yulle was dead. Dead because of her. Tears poured down Nora’s face, the sobs so hard she couldn’t breathe.

  “Nora, you need to stop that right now. Pull yourself together. We have to get through town.” The man ordered.