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Mercenia took everything from me when they allowed Simon to buy me. And I had so much less ‘everything’ then. In the tribe, my friends, my work, Molly, Calran, I’ve found an everything that fills my heart more than I could have ever imagined.
And I won’t let Mercenia take them without a fight.
EPILOGUE 2
Maldek
Two months later
Ivolunteer for guard duty at the Mercenia hut as much as I can. My brothers think I am still punishing myself for Sam, and in part, this is true. I still feel guilt in my heartspace that I let her be taken. Seeing her so happy with her mate - her mate who she would never have found otherwise - only goes so far to ease my lingering discomfort.
But the real truth of it is that I come for her. The female in the middle of the first row ofpods, as the human females call them. There are no words in my own tongue for the strange contraptions that these new females sleep inside.
Sleep inside unendingly. Liv tells us they are frozen, that they have been there many seasons growing no older, asleep andunaware of the turning of time. A little like the hibernation of the creatures of the forest during the big rains, but no sunshine breaking through the clouds will rouse them. Liv does not know how to wake them. Lorna spends long days and nightsreading, trying to find this information, but so far it has eluded her.
And I am stuck guarding the females, my mind on one in particular.
I watch her now, only her face visible through the small window into thepod.I cannot see the colour of her eyes, her expression is fixed in place. But even this is a clue to her personality. Where the others appear as though restfully sleeping, this female’s lips are pressed together, as if remaining asleep displeases her.
The heartspace knows, Vantos has always said. And I might have teased him for his devotion to his Rachel, or about how a female so fine as she could have devotion to such a sombre, serious male. But I have never doubted his word. His heartspace knew, and in its knowing, he forged a path for the rest of us to find our mates when the dreamspace is not forthcoming.
I look at this female and I know.
“You’re hiding down here again, brother?” the cheerful voice of Razhan calls down to me.
I turn. “Has my watch come round so quickly?”
Razhan waves a dismissive hand. He is one of Walset’s tribe, and good company on these long empty days of guarding. Not too serious and not quick to take offence at teasing - qualities I have always appreciated.
“You have some time yet, don’t worry. You may continue to pine for your female without guilt.”
“Who says I am pining?” I arch a brow, though I am curious if he has noticed I pine for one in particular.
“We’re all pining,” Razhan says, grinning broad enough to bare his fangs. “You think to convince me you’re any different?”
I grin back, inclining my head in acceptance. Razhan laughs, clapping me on the shoulder.
“It is true,” I say, as if acknowledging something greatly embarrassing. “I have pined for a female of my own since we first saw our tribe sisters on the sands.”
“And there are twenty more now. My heartspace is at once overjoyed and yet counting still how few that is to share amongst us.” He presses up close to one of thepods, peering in through the window at the face inside. “Do you think they’re aware of us? Do you think they dream of handsome males come to guard them? That they might favour us when they wake?”
“You better hope not, with your talk of sharing them out like poffi berry brew.”
Razhan smirks, but his expression turns serious, longing. He moves to the nextpodalong, then the next, peering into them each in turn.
“I shouldn’t be so careless with my words, it is true,” he says, stopping at my female’spodand pressing up close to the window, bracing himself a little on the strange, cool surface of it. “They’re our sisters even if they yet sleep, and a blessing from Lina, whether one will join in my dreams or not.”
I know his curiosity is only what I have felt for my other tribe sisters, but the sight of him pressed so close to my female makes my jaw tighten.
“Razhan! Maldek!” A voice calls from above. “Come for your meal before the broth gets cold.”
Razhan turns at the sound of the voice, pushing away from thepodwith one hand. As he does so, the contraption makes a loud, unnatural noise. Razhan jolts away from it as if it has stung him and we both hold our breath, waiting for something further to happen. When the beating of our heartspaces has slowed, we look to each other, relief on Razhan’s face.
“Perhaps it’s not good for us to pine away down here,” he says, scrubbing at his unruly hair with a hand. “These human creations are strange and unnerving to my headspace.”
“I am inclined to agree,” I say, though I still turn back as we head up to eat, still linger a moment in the doorway, taking one last look at my female’s face.
