The Red Rock is as it always was - high above the jungle, with fresh air and a fantastic view. But now, it’s not a view of the places I can’t go. It’s just the jungle, and I can go anywhere I want anytime.
I stand close to the edge, one hand shielding my eyes from the sun. “I can’t see them yet.”
“Should be easy enough to spot,” Cora says, standing beside me. “Those Plood tend to be visible against the dark jungle.”
I turn and walk over to the rickety chair the tribesman made for me. “They’re not expected yet. Clyde will take care of the girls. If any dinosaur comes along, those Plood will just paralyze it and the girls can walk right past.”
“I never knew they had those powers,” Riley says. “I would have been a little more careful with Myron if I’d known that he would basically petrify me with one glance.”
“There’s a lot we don’t know about the Plood,” I say as I grab my mug of frit. I’m still in my wedding dress, because I’ll never get the chance to wear it again. “And there’s still thousands of them all over the place.”
“I’m almost feeling bad about all the mushrooms I kicked over,” Theodora says. “We knew they were the proto-Plood and they might develop into real, live Plood.”
“We had no reason to love the Plood,” Cora reminds her. “For all we knew, they could have turned into some really mean little pests. And there’s still no guarantee they won’t.”
“We may have to stop them from finding masters to obey,” I ponder out loud. “With those powers of paralysis, they could be a real threat in the wrong hands. But I’ll think about that tomorrow.”
“Today is not the day for overthinking,” Bryar agrees. “We’re actually doing really well, considering where we came from and how we spent our first years here. Things will work out, I think.”
“Sure,” Piper says, her red hair glowing in the afternoon sun. “Now we even know a place where there’s gold. I mean, in case there’s another dragon.”
“Two places,” I remind them. “That tribe’s cave and the crater where you can just pick up a rock and it’ll be basically sixty percent gold. Sage and Rosa are the richest girls on Xren.”
“It’s kind of worthless,” Astrid says, lounging on a wooden bench that’s more stable than my chair. “Gold can’t take an edge and is useless as a hammer. I just hope nobody will start to use it as a currency.”
“Bringing Earth’s money problems here wouldn’t be a great idea,” I ponder. “Let’s not start a gold rush. But it’s worth thinking about bringing the gold here anyway. Piece by piece. Because maybe at one point in the future, gold will become important.”
“I hope not,” Cora says. “But I do hope that those two girls decide to join us here after all. That crater is still surrounded by tribes, and now they have the tools to knock down those rock obstacles in a couple of hours.
“I’ll go and check,” I promise. “Vyrathion still flies me wherever I want, so that’ll be our next stop. I wonder how long that will last.”
“So,” Astrid says, “Praxigor will do what I ask him to, if I’m serious about it. I mean, he went straight to find you, Morgan. And then he flew straight back here again. It’s more that I don’t want to nag him and make him feel like an airline.”
I take a sip of frit. “I’ll nag Vyrathion a bit still. He doesn’t seem to mind yet. So three new girls in the tribe soon. How are we going to handlethat?”I’m careful not to look at Bryar. Her husband is the chief, and if anyone’s going to stop hisCaveman Bacheloretteprogram for Abigail, Quinn and Beth, it’s probably going to be her.
“We’ll have to come up with something,” Bryar says. “I’ve been playing with the idea of not even letting anyone know they’re here. But that will be really hard. This is like a small town, and rumors travel fast.”
“That’s not viable,” Piper says. “Everyone will know right away. We just won’t put them under any pressure. We won’t let anyone parade viable bachelors in front of them.”
“Or,” I suggest carefully, “we can actually let them check ifthatworks as well as we hope.” I nod to the flying saucer, still standing here on the plateau.
“At some point, we should,” Cora says. “Myron is still inside. And if the new girls want to take their chances, I think we should let them. I mean,I’mnot going. But knowing wecouldleave this planet and go to Earth, if we really had to… it could be interesting.”
“I don’t think I’d ever go,” Theodora says. “Things would have to get seriously dire here if I’d want to bring Kenz’ox anywhere near Earth. Anyway, the Foundlings have a new game…”
I let them chitchat for a while, just relaxing and enjoying my wedding day. Vyrathion took off to check on the three girls and the Plood and see that they’re safe. I even got him to bring a sack of food and drink. But when I suggested he carry them here on his back, he sent me a look so sharp I felt the blood draining from my face. He still has the capacity to scare me.
And I’m fine with him only even wanting to carry me on his back. It should be only the wife’s privilege.
Theodora stands up and stares into the distance. “Is that a dactyl?”
I look, and then the heart jumps in my chest. No dactyl has that golden glimmer in the sun. “I think it’s someone else.” I get out of the chair, and the girls do the same. They pull back a little.
I totally understand - I feel the same way about Praxigor, and I prefer to stay a good distance from him in his full dragon form. He sends out a sense of danger so strong it overrides any rational thought.
But from Vyrathion I only feel warmth and love, so overwhelming it nearly makes my knees wobble.
He comes in on wide wings, black and gold, magnificent and beautiful and perfect.
