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“Have I offended you in some way?” I ask her quietly. “I did not mean to.”
She shakes her head. “I just needed some time to process things on my own. Sorry.”
“Do not apologize…” I begin, and the words die when she rests her cheek against my arm, curling her limbs around mine.
I do not understand females. Not in the slightest.
The next day, R’slind walks at my side. Her steps are smaller than mine, and slow, but I pace my steps according to hers, because I like the pleasure of her company. Around mid-day, I see the massive shadow of A’tar the drakoni in the skies, and I know we are close to the beach. I raise my spear and wave it at him, then turn to my small party. T’ia and Rem’eb walk close behind, with the rest of the ancestors picking up the rear. “A’tar has arrived.”
The ancestors look around as Noj’me interprets my words.
“You should probably tell them that he’s a dragon,” T’ia points out with a bit of humor. She hugs one of Rem’eb’s arms to get his attention and gives him a thumbs up, a gesture he has learned to mean “all is well.”
“There is no word for dragon in my language,” I point out, just as the gigantic golden beast roars and circles overhead.
The ancestors scatter, Set’nef and Tal’nef bracing themselves with weapons ready to attack, and Noj’me racing for the hills. Only Rem’eb does not run, his gaze locked on T’ia with utter trust as she leans on him and continues to give him the thumbs up.
A’tar lands with a flourish, then shifts into his two-legged form. He extends his arms out as he approaches, naked, a wide grin on his face. “My friends! You are finally back and you have brought company! Are these more newcomers from the pods?”
More…newcomers? Then they know about R’slind?
She slides closer to me, her fingers twining with mine at the sight of him, and I love that she comes to me for protection. “This is R’slind,” I say proudly. “And she is mine.”
He eyes me, and then R’slind. A sly look crosses his face. “I thought I heard resonance. But Tia is, too—?” The drakoni turns to her. “But not to each other?”
T’ia points a finger at Rem’eb. “This one’s mine.”
The male makes a thumbs up gesture, even though he looks murderous. He stands in front of T’ia as if to block the sight of her from A’tar. He need not bother—A’tar has a mate already, and he is quite enamored of her.
“I’ve never seen gladiators like this,” A’tar admits, eyeing the others. “And a strapping female, too. That’s new.”
R’slind shakes her head. “They’re not—we’re not gladiators. I got dropped here in some sort of ship and the others are from below.”
“Below?” His golden brows go up. “Like…below below?”
“There is an entire village in the tunnels below the mountains,” I say. “And people dwell there—people that are the ancestors of those of us that come from the island.”
“Fascinating,” he says. “Just when I think I have seen all this world has to offer, it brings something new to us.” A’tar raises a hand. “Say no more. Save it for the village so you will not have to tell it twice. I will fly ahead and tell them of your arrival. Do I need to carry anyone with me?”
I glance over our group, but everyone seems to be strong enough to make the rest of the journey. I suspect T’ia will not leave Rem’eb’s side, and the brothers and Noj’me will want to see everything on the way in. I want them to be able to see the first glimpse of the ocean from afar, and how beautiful it is. And R’slind will be carried by me if she cannot walk. “We will go in together.”
He nods and flings himself into the air, shifting to his dragon-form mid-jump. Noj’me screams and flattens herself onto the snow, but I just shake my head. A’tar loves attention.
At my side, R’slind clings to my arm, her eyes wide. “Are…are there a lot of dragons back with your people?”
“Just one,” I tell her. “And he is more than enough.”
Twenty-Five
ROSALIND
The next few hours are overwhelming. Tia and R’jaal talk about the people that live at the beach and what they are like. There are three clans of islanders, one of which is R’jaal’s beloved Tall Horn clan. Then there are the sa-khui, which are blue aliens, but not the same sort of blue aliens as R’jaal is. There are human women. There are gladiators who are a race called a’ani, and there’s even something called a “Gren,” who I am told looks terrifying but is harmless and loves children.
And there’s the whole “newcomers” thing that A’tar mentioned but everyone was too distracted to ask more about. Others like…me? I wonder. I remember breaking free from my pod and panicking as the strange “monster” carried the woman off. I remember another pod opening and spurring me into fleeing. Those must be the other newcomers.
