The Siren Depths

Chapter Twelve

Rise rushed to tell Malachite, then returned with word that the queen would speak to them in the queens’ greeting chamber. Jade, Balm, and Celadon were already there, with Onyx and her daughter queens. Lithe, a scatter of older warriors, and more Arbora arrived to represent Opal Night’s other mentors and the teacher, hunter, and soldier castes. They all stayed in their groundling forms, though the queens kept their wings instead of shifting to Arbora.

Stone settled himself on a cushion near the hearth at the center of the room and ignored all attempts to imply he should move to a less prominent spot. Moon sat near Stone, and Jade and Balm diplomatically took a position between Onyx’s supporters and the Arbora.

Then one of Onyx’s daughter queens said, “Should the visitors be here?” She regarded Jade and Balm, her expression critical and faintly suspicious. She inclined her head toward Moon. “And surely this is no place for a young, unattached consort.”

There was a murmur of agreement from Onyx’s warriors. Onyx herself just lazily coiled her tail and didn’t deign to comment.

Moon hissed under his breath. He wasn’t leaving.

Jade smiled and showed the tips of her fangs. “He isn’t unattached. As you can scent for yourself.”

With an edge to her voice, the daughter queen said, “Your claim is still in dispute.”

Jade tilted her head. “Not to me.”

There was a rush of wings from the passage and Malachite suddenly stood in the doorway. Everyone went quiet as she stepped into the room. She sat down, and said, “Line-grandfather. Tell us what you saw.”

Celadon sat forward and said quickly, “Malachite. Before we talk, Lithe should go.”

Lithe stared at her, startled. “Me? Why?”

She must be the only crossbreed in the room. Moon looked around at the other Arbora and saw they were all well past maturity. If any were survivors of the eastern colony, they were old enough to have been born before the Fell attack.

Malachite didn’t hesitate. “We will speak of it later.” Her voice softened a trace. “For now, Lithe, go.”

Confused, Lithe glanced at the other Arbora. They looked worried but didn’t object. She got to her feet and walked out of the chamber.

Malachite flicked her claws for Stone to continue. He said, “I was scouting the plains past the far edge of the groundling city’s plateau late this morning, and caught a strong scent of Fell, coming from the southeast. I went downwind, using the clouds as cover, and followed it. After a time, I saw…” Stone hesitated, as if he was having trouble finding the words. Moon felt his skin start to creep. “Several major kethel, carrying something.”

“Sacs?” Malachite asked.

The sacs were structures made of secretions from the major kethel, who used them to transport large numbers of dakti. The dakti were the smallest of the Fell and the slowest flyers, and carrying them in sacs made the flights able to travel much faster. It was disgusting, but it was nothing unusual for Fell. But there was something in Stone’s expression that told Moon there was more to this than that.

Stone said, “No, one sac. A huge one. Bigger than all the kethel together. Big enough to hold hundreds—more than hundreds—of dakti.” He shook his head slightly. “That flying island we stayed on last night? You could fit a few of those inside it with room to spare.”

Moon just stared, incredulous. How… What… He forced himself not to interrupt. The room had gone still, and no one so much as twitched a spine as they listened intently.

Stone continued, “They were carrying it with a web, like the boats with the air bladders in the city. Something like that.” He growled in sharp annoyance and all the warriors in the room flinched. “It’s hard to describe.”

One of the female Arbora stood and moved to sit next to Stone. The Arbora flipped through a roll of paper to a blank page, and began to sketch rapidly with a charcoal stick. “Like this?”

“No, on top. It was bigger.” After a few moments, Stone tapped the paper. “That’s—Yes, like that.”

The Arbora turned the paper around and held it up so they could all see. Everyone leaned forward, and some of those in the back moved so they could get a better view. It was a rough drawing of a sac, the size of it apparent when you knew the flying creatures arrayed above it were meant to be major kethel. The bulky sac was suspended below them, slung in a web-like netting.

After a moment, everyone sat back, and the Arbora lowered the drawing. Moon caught Jade’s eye; her expression was bleak.

“But…” Celadon looked to Malachite, uncertain. “What could be inside it? Dakti and rulers?”

Stone gave her a grim nod. “Lots of dakti and rulers. That’s my guess.”

Malachite asked Stone, “The Fell didn’t scent you?”

“I didn’t wait around,” Stone told her. “I don’t know if they mean to come here, or if they’re heading toward the groundlings.” He added, “Probably both.”

It was Onyx who said, “We are well-prepared for an attack.” She glanced at Malachite, irony coloring her voice. “We have thought of little else for the last forty turns.”

Preoccupied, Malachite said, “We will destroy the Fell.” She spoke as if it was an afterthought, as if her attention was on something else, but there was nothing but complete conviction in her voice. A ripple of suppressed tension moved through the warriors, and there were growls of agreement from the Arbora. Apparently the only thing this court agreed on was killing the Fell. Moon felt himself caught in the rush of emotion, a growl building in his own chest.

Onyx said to Malachite, “I hate to admit that you’ve been right all this time, but Lithe’s auguries do seem to be falling into place.”

One of the oldest Arbora, a male with graying hair and skin, said, “This must be an attack on all the Reaches. The Fell have never come to this territory before, not in all the hundreds of turns this mountain-tree has been here.”

“I have a suggestion,” Jade said. She tapped her claws thoughtfully against the polished floor.

Malachite said nothing, just watched her. With annoyance, Onyx made the formal introduction. “Malachite of Opal Night, Jade of Indigo Cloud, who has come here to beg a consort from us.”

Jade flicked a spine at that description. Malachite said, “Well?”

“Your colony is in danger from the Fell. You should allow my consort to return to Indigo Cloud with me, out of danger. You owe this to him.”

Moon stared. “That was your idea?”

Jade didn’t look at him. Moon hissed. He didn’t want to run from the Fell, not now. He knew he shouldn’t argue this here, but he couldn’t help himself. “This isn’t what we talked about.”

Jade’s jaw set, but she ignored him. She said to Malachite, “You would also gain an alliance with Indigo Cloud.”

Onyx’s tail lashed. “From what Emerald Twilight reported, an alliance with your court is nothing to covet,” she said. “And consorts are not trade goods.”

It’s nice that somebody thinks so. Moon growled under his breath, exasperated.

Jade’s spines trembled as she tried to suppress strong emotion. “If they aren’t trade goods,” she said, her voice harsh, “then they shouldn’t be taken from their queens and dragged off to a strange court on a whim.”

Celadon drew an angry breath to respond but Malachite’s voice overrode hers. She said, “A whim.”

The cold fury buried in those two words made Moon’s breath catch in his throat.

Jade’s spines bristled in reflex. She said, deliberately, “Your reasons may have held weight for you, but to me, and to others in my court, it seemed a cruel impulse.”

Malachite’s spines flared. Moon quelled an instinctive urge to bolt for the doorway. Celadon winced, the other daughter queens twitched and Onyx hissed in reflex, then self-consciously settled her spines. The Arbora uneasily edged away. Stone was the only one in the room who didn’t flinch. Jade didn’t let her spines rise in threat, but she didn’t back down, either.

Malachite said, “You took him knowing he belonged to another court.”

Jade countered, “I thought his court was destroyed.”

Moon couldn’t believe they were going to rehash this. He had really thought he had gotten Malachite past this point. “I thought we agreed that was my fault.”

“We did not agree.” Malachite’s gaze didn’t leave Jade. She said, “You had no right to take him, the last consort of my bloodline. You knew he was no feral solitary, and you must have known what he was worth. Even if he wasn’t forced, he knew nothing of his own people. He had no idea what he was agreeing to.”

Moon drew breath to argue that, but Stone squeezed his wrist, telling him to be silent. If Stone had hit him or told him to shut up, it wouldn’t have stopped him. But something about that gesture, and Stone’s wary, closed expression, kept Moon silent.

And he remembered that night in the turning city, when Jade said that he couldn’t possibly come from a bad bloodline.

Jade hissed out a breath. “I didn’t—”

“Tell me I’m wrong.” Malachite’s voice might have been made of iron. “Tell me he thought it meant more than trading himself for shelter and companionship.”

“I explained what it meant—”

“And did you think he understood?”

Silence stretched painfully. Then Jade said, “No.”

Moon wished he had bolted from the room when he had a chance. All he wanted to say was “Understand what?” Then he saw Balm’s expression. She was seated behind Jade, biting her lip, looking down at her hands tightly folded in her lap. Guilt was written over her whole body.

Jade tried to keep her voice hard, as if it was a struggle not to sound defensive. She said, “But I did believe that his court was destroyed. I had no reason to think otherwise.”

Malachite pressed harder. “You knew you were returning to the Reaches, where another court would recognize his bloodline. You knew there was a strong chance a court might claim him, and you needed alliances. So you took him.”

Jade showed her teeth. “I took him because I wanted him for my consort.”

“Then why haven’t you had a clutch?”

Moon heard Stone hiss an under-the-breath curse.

Jade’s spines trembled and her jaw set, the blood drained from her lips so the blue was almost white. She didn’t answer.

In a quiet voice, Celadon said, “We can’t afford to argue like this, not now. We have to deal with the Fell first.” She told Jade, “If you aren’t going to help us, then take your warriors and go back to your court.”

Jade stood. Balm looked up with a start, eyes wide. Jade said, “I’m not leaving without my consort. This is not over.” She left the chamber, her pace deliberate, as Balm got to her feet and followed.

For a long, painful moment no one moved, no one spoke. Moon started to stand and realized his muscles had tensed to the point that his legs had cramped. He managed to get to his feet without stumbling and walked out. No one tried to call him back.

He took the passage that led to the consort’s hall, stopped in a junction where one corridor opened out toward the central well. He took a deep breath of the fresh damp air flowing down it.

Feet pattered on the smooth wooden floor of the passage; Lithe hurried toward him. She stopped, her bracelets and the beads in her hair jangling with her agitation. “Moon, why did they ask me to leave?”

She was bound to hear it sooner or later. His voice was thick and he had to clear his throat. “The Fell know that there are crossbreeds here in the court. We think they can hear your thoughts.”

Lithe fell back a step, appalled. “No! That’s not possible. I’m a mentor, I’d know!”

“I don’t know. Someone will have to figure it out.”

Lithe studied him, her expression turning uncertain. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.” He turned and went on toward the consorts’ hall, and she didn’t try to follow.

For once, there were no Arbora hanging around in the main room, which was a relief. Moon went through and up to his bower. He sat on the fur next to the bowl hearth, close enough to feel the faint warmth of the stones.

After a while, Stone came in and sat down nearby. He didn’t speak, he just looked at Moon.

Moon felt obligated to say something. “I never fooled myself about why I was in Indigo Cloud. You took a chance on me, and it worked, mostly. But I didn’t need to hear it spelled out like that.”

Stone growled in his throat, got up, and walked out.

Moon watched him go, too startled to react. That wasn’t helpful, he thought.

He realized his throat was dry and drank the tea that someone had left sitting beside the hearth. It was cold and bitter and all he wanted to do was wash it out of his mouth. He went into the bathing room to get a drink from the cool water running down the channel in the wall. It felt so good, he stepped under it and stood there until his head cleared. Stepping out of the pool, he stripped off his wet clothes and changed into the spare ones in his pack. They seemed much cleaner than he remembered, so he suspected the Arbora had been in here, too.

Moon came out of the bathing room and heard soft footsteps on the stairs. He froze, his heart giving an anticipatory thump. But it was Russet who appeared in the doorway. She was alone for once, without her entourage of younger Arbora.

Moon wasn’t glad to see her. He had felt an instant connection with Feather, but Russet just seemed like a nosy stranger. He said, “Unless it’s about the Fell, I don’t want to talk to anyone right now.”

But she asked, “Do you remember me? From before, from the old colony.”

“No. I didn’t remember anyone here.” Her expression didn’t give away anything, but he felt like he might be insulting her. He added, “When Feather was telling me what happened, I thought I remembered it, just for an instant, but it went away.”

Her lips pressed together. Then she went to the other side of the bowl hearth and crouched down to collect the used tea cups. Guilt made Moon ask, “Did you take care of me?”

Her brow furrowed as she studied a cup. “No. I was in the nurseries, but it was Feather and Yarrow and Twist who took care of the royal clutch.”

So many of the Arbora must have lost their own children. “Who did you lose?”

She looked away, and now her expression was angry and bitter. “Everyone.”

There was a faint rustle from outside the door as someone tried to make their presence known before they approached. A moment later an older male warrior stepped in. He radiated awkwardness and discomfort, so Moon assumed he hadn’t come to attack anybody. The warrior nodded to Russet, then faced Moon and said, “Umber asks that you come to the consorts’ hall. The other consorts’ hall. He wants to speak with you.”

Moon might have refused, but it would provide a quick exit from Russet’s uneasy company. He got to his feet and said, “Let’s go.”

The other consorts’ hall was larger, made up of several interconnected chambers with passages branching off to lead to the bowers. Small balconies, some draped with climbing vines, looked down from the upper part of the room. The carving went up the walls in waves, shapes that were meant to symbolize the wind, with Aeriat in flight flowing along the ceilings.

The warrior took Moon through the main living chambers, past the curious eyes of several young consorts, up a curving stair to a smaller sitting area halfway up the wall. It looked down on the room below, and had an opening into the central well, with a view of the waterfall. The space was floored with cushions and seating mats in rich materials. Umber waited there in his groundling form, wearing a dark robe woven with intricate patterns.

Moon sat across from him. Another young consort immediately brought tea and a plate of flatbread, sliced meat, and fruit.

Umber said, “I was told about what happened in the council. Even after all these turns, Malachite is still… enraged at the Fell attack.”

Moon took a drink of tea to give himself a chance to think of an answer that wouldn’t get him kicked out of the hall. He just said, “I noticed.”

Umber wasn’t fooled. “I don’t think you realize that she does prize you greatly. You were part of her last clutch, and Celadon is the only other survivor. She hasn’t taken another consort since returning from the east.”

“She doesn’t know me.”

Umber smiled. “She carried you in her body. She knows everything she needs to know.”

Moon didn’t have an answer for that one.

Umber regarded him thoughtfully. “Onyx wants me to ask if you would consider accepting a queen from our bloodline. Her name is Ivory. She has a warrior clutchmate named Saffron, who was sent to retrieve you from the groundlings. When you threw her off the ship, Ivory was greatly intrigued.”

“I didn’t throw her off.” If Moon had thrown her off the boat, Saffron wouldn’t be in any condition to gossip about it to her royal clutchmate.

“As you say.” Umber made it clear he wasn’t going to argue the wording. “Ivory said that she would agree to take you if asked, and to overlook the fact that you had already been taken by another queen. The bloodlines are close, but not unacceptably so.”

Moon considered Umber. The older consort didn’t seem particularly interested in the proposal he had just relayed. “And what do you think?”

“I think she’s too young and foolish for you,” Umber said frankly. “She would see you as a challenge. You would see her as an enemy. It would be a disaster.”

It sounded like a disaster. Moon said, “Then my answer is no.”

“I’ll tell Onyx.” Umber poured more tea.

So that was that, apparently. Moon said, “I thought the idea was that I’d be sent to a queen in another court for an alliance.”

“Opal Night has all the alliances it needs. And I know Malachite would prefer you to stay here.”

“I didn’t think I was welcome in this court.” Moon cast a significant glance down at the young consorts who gathered around the hearth in the chamber below. The ones caught staring up at Moon and Umber all self-consciously looked away.

Umber followed Moon’s gaze. With an ironic air, he said, “They’ve heard by now how important you are to Malachite. I doubt they’ll treat you as an interloper again.” He added, “Because Ivory is inappropriate doesn’t mean there isn’t a daughter queen in our court for you.”

Until that instant Moon hadn’t been aware that he had been trying to make a decision. “Maybe. But I’m already taken.” And he thought, So it wasn’t that difficult a decision after all.

After Moon left Umber, he went to the colony’s main entrance. Twilight was falling into a cool evening, the sky’s blue darkening to indigo and the first stars coming out. Lights glowed on either side of the big doorway, echoed by the flicker of lamps aboard Delin’s ship. Warriors still gathered around the entrance hall, but no one tried to stop Moon when he went outside.

Moon shifted just long enough to make the long leap up to the ship. He hit the railing a little too hard and the wood vibrated. A couple of sailors on watch stood up in alarm, then relaxed as soon as Moon swung down onto the deck and shifted to groundling. One lifted a hand in greeting, and called out in Altanic, “The others are below!”

Moon waved back and went to the hatchway to take the steps down. Still trying to think what he was going to say to Jade, he was caught by surprise when he stepped into the corridor and she whipped out of a doorway.

She froze in surprise. “Oh. I thought it was one of their warriors. With a message.”

“No. It’s me.” They stared at each other for a moment.

Delin appeared in the doorway Jade had just burst out of, lifted his brows, then stepped back in and slid the door shut. Moon heard the other Raksura demanding to know who was here, then frantic shushing.

Jade twitched her spines nervously, then turned down the corridor. “We can talk back here.”

She led him down the passage to a large cabin. From the belongings strewn about and the blankets heaped up in the corners, Moon guessed this was where the Raksura had been sleeping on the journey.

Jade pulled a folded blanket around for him to sit on, then took one for herself. As soon as they were both seated, Jade said, “I’m sorry. That didn’t work out at all like I expected. And it didn’t say much for my ability to negotiate with other courts.”

Moon shook his head a little. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does.” Jade hesitated. “I don’t want you to feel as if… I told Malachite the truth. I took you for a consort because I wanted you. Not because it was the only option, or because I thought there might be a future alliance.”

“It was the only option,” Moon reminded her. “The Arbora wouldn’t agree to leave the old colony unless you had a consort. That was the whole reason Stone went to look for one.”

“Not once the Fell attacked. If any of the Arbora had demanded to stay at the old colony after that, Pearl would have been happy to leave them there.”

That didn’t seem like much of an option, and he didn’t think Pearl, let alone Jade, would have been willing to risk it. “So I was the first consort you’d ever seen that you weren’t related to. It doesn’t matter,” he said, when she drew breath to object. “It’s all right.”

“It’s not all right.” She bared her teeth. “If I could prove it to you, I would.”

Moon rubbed his eyes. A clutch would prove it, but Jade was obviously unwilling to admit that he couldn’t provide one. “You don’t have to prove it.”

“I could steal you.”

He started to say that wasn’t funny anymore, but her expression stopped the words. The last time he had seen that look in her eyes, he had had to talk her out of killing Tempest’s sister Halcyon. He said, “You can’t steal me. Not from Malachite.”

With complete conviction, she said, “I can.”

It was tempting, but they just didn’t have time for it. Moon made his voice hard. “The Fell are about to attack the Reaches. If you try to steal me in the middle of this, I will make sure you never sleep again.”

Jade’s eyes narrowed. “I have help.”

“Who, the warriors?” Moon snorted in derision. “That’s funny.”

Jade held his gaze for a long moment, a growl in her throat. Then her shoulders and spines relaxed in defeat and she looked away. “Well. What do you want to do?”

“It’s nice to be asked, for once.” And it would be easier to answer if he had any idea what he should do. “I can’t leave here until the Fell flight is dead.”

“I can offer to help fight them in exchange for you.” Jade propped her chin on her hand, and her expression turned ironic. “That should go over well. I think your birthqueen hates me only slightly less than the Fell who attacked your court in the first place.”

Moon would have argued that, except it might well be true. “It’s hard to tell with her.”

“It wasn’t that hard to tell.” Jade’s expression went from ironic to sour. “Stone is furious with me.”

“Are you sure? Maybe he was just furious in general.”

“No, he was furious in particular.” Jade seemed glumly certain of it. “He didn’t like how I handled the whole thing. It’s made me realize I don’t know as much about being a queen as I think I do.”

He remembered again that Jade was young, maybe even younger than he was. It had always been hard for him to judge Raksuran age, especially since number of turns lived didn’t always equal maturity. But that was true for groundlings, too. “I think you know a lot about being a queen, it’s just…” He rubbed his forehead, trying to massage away an incipient headache. It had been a long and very tense day. “Not helpful in this situation. Where’s Stone now?”

“He went off to sulk.” She watched him worriedly. “Did you eat today? Did you stop eating again?”

“I did not stop eating,” he said, irritated. “I flew most of today, I’m tired.”

“Yes, but…” Jade didn’t finish. She took his arm and pulled him to his feet. “Let’s get you something anyway.”

She led him down the passage to the ship’s common room and slid the door open. Delin, Chime, Balm, Floret, Root, and Song all sat around the low table, and the conversation stopped abruptly when Moon and Jade appeared. There were dishes on the table, and from the bones stacked on a platter, they had been eating a fresh kill. It wasn’t surprising, since Delin was one of the few groundlings who wouldn’t be disturbed by watching Raksura eat raw meat, but the sight made Moon queasy and his stomach twinged in a painful way that wasn’t hunger. Great, you did make yourself sick again, he thought. He wasn’t certain how, since he had eaten with Celadon, Stone, and the warriors just this morning.

Everyone watched them worriedly, and Chime said, “Everything all right?”

“Yes.” Moon took a seat next to him, and picked up the nearest cup to see what was in it.

Balm passed him a carafe of water. “We were talking about the groundling city, and what we can do.”

Delin said, “I’ve been thinking about these Aventerans, their refusal to see the danger. If I spoke to them, perhaps it would help.”

Moon asked, “You think they’d believe another groundling when they didn’t believe us?”

“Perhaps. And, from what you described, I’m not entirely sure that they didn’t believe you.” Delin shrugged. “They may not have wanted to appear any more vulnerable than they already were.”

“Maybe.” As much as Moon didn’t like the Aventerans, it would be a relief to know they were prepared for the Fell. “If we go there, don’t tell them how your flying boat works.”

Delin lifted his brows. “You think they will attempt to steal our sustainer?”

“No. Maybe.” Moon rubbed his temple. There was a tight pain across his forehead. “I just don’t think you should trust them.”

“Moon, are you all right?” Chime’s voice was oddly sharp. “You don’t look well.”

“He’s right, Moon.” Jade touched his face. “Your skin is turning gray.”

“No, I’m tired…” he started to say, and thought, and weak, and too warm, and… “I think I’m sick.”

It came on just like it had before. A dark wave of dizziness and nausea flowed over him and he was suddenly stretched out on the floor. Balm held his head while Jade leaned over him. Her voice hard with tension, Jade said, “Chime, what kind of sickness is this?”

Chime put his ear to Moon’s chest. “His lungs are clear.” He put a hand on Moon’s stomach, and Moon reflexively snarled and knocked it away before he even realized how much it hurt.

“Moon, look at me!” Chime’s voice snapped.

Moon blinked and focused on him. Chime peered at him closely, then laid a hand on his neck. “He’s too cold.”

“He’s been ill,” Jade said. “When Stone first got here—”

Delin said, “He was fine moments ago. Chime, do your people get ill this quickly?”

“No, no, they don’t. If it’s a sickness, it’s a bad one.”

“What you mean ‘if’?” Floret said. “Look at him!”

“He may be poisoned.” Delin took Moon firmly by the chin, making sure he had his attention. “You need to vomit. You understand?”

“Poisoned?” That was Balm, sounding incredulous. “How would he get poisoned?”

Somewhere in the back, Root said, “I didn’t know we could get poisoned. Except the Fell poison.”

“This isn’t Fell poison,” Song told him impatiently.

“I know that, I’m just saying—”

Jade snapped, “Shut up, all of you, except Delin and Chime!”

“Get a bucket!” Delin yelled at someone. “If it’s poison, this may help. If it’s sickness, it won’t hurt.”

“He’s right.” Chime grabbed hold of Moon’s arm and hauled him upright. An Islander crewman hurried over, plunking down a woven reed bucket.

Moon decided to side with Delin and Chime, but he wanted to take care of the matter without any help. He shook off Chime, warned the others away with a growl, and grabbed the bucket. He had to stick his finger down his throat, but he managed it. Coughing and choking afterward, he knew Delin was right. What had been in his stomach was far too bitter and acidic.

When he had got rid of all he could, he slumped sideways. Jade caught him and eased him down to the deck. Moon curled on his side, the wood cool against his cheek. He wasn’t sure he felt better. Chime and Delin snatched the bucket together and both sniffed at the contents. Chime shook his head, and Delin looked puzzled.

“Get water!” Someone called out.

“No, not water,” Chime said. “Something thick.”

“Get a bottle of atra,” Delin told one of the hovering crew members. He explained to the others, “It’s a plant milk, with opposite properties to that of acidic substances.”

“You think this is a—” Chime hesitated. “I don’t know the word in Altanic. Like a venom?”

“Possibly.”

An Islander appeared with a light ceramic bottle. Jade helped Moon sit up and held it steady for him, as Delin instructed, “Drink only a little.”

Moon tasted it cautiously. It was milky but with a faint sweetness underneath. He remembered the simple Lithe had made had been thick and milky, and that it had helped, so he drank a few swallows. At first it felt like it was going to come right back up, but then the cramps eased.

Jade said, “We need a mentor. Balm, go into the colony and—”

“No.” Moon’s voice sounded rough and weak. He knew Delin’s remedy might be temporary, and he had to know who had done this. “I need to go back inside. To the bower, where I was staying.”