Marked Prince - Michelle M. Pillow Page 0,45
she couldn’t hold onto him, that she would have to see the futures. And, worst of all, there was always the possibility that the death of the city would be like the mother’s—inevitable, fated, horrible to behold.
But what else could she do? Didn’t she have to try?
“Travel safe.” Olena followed them outside.
Fiora could see the woman’s concern for her family. She dropped Jaxx’s hand. A vision of Olena with her husband flowed into her. “Yusef will come back to you. I see a long future.”
It was the only words of comfort Fiora could offer. She couldn’t see Jaxx’s fate.
Olena opened her mouth, clearly ready to ask questions. Jaxx grabbed hold of Fiora’s hand to stop any visions. Olena changed her mind and simply said, “Thank you.”
The temperate breeze coming through the trees seemed at odds with the gravity of their task. They followed the path cut into the ground from years of foot travel. The packed red earth was dotted on each side with yellow ferns and sprouts of struggling green. Between the thick tree trunks she glimpsed fallen logs in the forest, covered with vines and moss. Fresh air mingled with the smell of decaying wood.
The thump of their footsteps didn’t appear to scare off the undulating hum of insects. The noise rolled through the trees as if their song traveled like a wave over the distance before suddenly stopping. The pause lasted a moment before replaying.
Dots of sunlight came through the canopy of trees, each leaf nearly as large as her torso.
“Beautiful night for travel,” Grier said.
“How can you tell it’s night?” Fiora looked up at the hints of sky she could see through the leaves.
“You can tell by the color of the light, the smells, the temperature,” Grier said. “It’s subtle but I’ve been told it doesn’t take long for newcomers to start to sense the changes.”
“I never realized how much I’d miss darkness,” Salena said.
“Mother always said monsters couldn’t find us in the dark,” Fiora answered. Even though the idea still made her feel safe, she knew her mother had been wrong. Monsters could find them anywhere.
“Perhaps we could install a virtual reality booth,” Grier said to Jaxx.
“Yes. I’m sure there are many programs filled with nightfall. Princess Samantha still has contact with her old crew.” Jaxx’s hand tightened on her slightly. He adjusted the pack he carried on his shoulder, resetting the weight.
“That wasn’t a hint,” Salena said. “I don’t expect you to build a virtual reality booth for me.”
“If it would make you happy, I’d build an entire planet for you, my love,” Grier said.
“Who is Princess Samantha?” Fiora asked.
“Payton’s mother,” Salena said. “Payton is a friend of ours, a cat-shifter. Her mother is a human married to the Var commander. Payton told me her parents met when her mother kidnaped her father and took him to space. It sounds ridiculous, but since she can’t lie to me it has to be true, or at least she believes it to be.”
“I don’t think she’s human,” Jaxx corrected, “but she is humanoid.”
“She was a space pirate,” Grier added. “And as far as I know, the story is very true. She captained a spaceship.”
“Was she on the same crew as Olena?” Salena asked Jaxx.
“No,” Jaxx said. “My mother ran with a rougher crowd. From all I’ve heard, Samantha’s crew were more gentleman pirates. They mostly did things to annoy the Federation.”
Fiora didn’t ask but could well deduce that Olena had run with criminals in her youth. Had they not told her, she would never have guessed.
Fiora stayed quiet as the others talked about people she had not met. Salena told her of her time on the planet, of her adventures in Shelter City, of being at the Var palace. Grier spoke of treaties with the cat-shifters, of old wars and new fears. Jaxx focused more on making sure she knew what to expect when they arrived at the city.
Jaxx held her hand so long that their palms began to feel clammy. The forest backdrop became constant in its sameness and if not for the path, she would never have known where they had come from. The path forked in three directions, and they took the left. They’d been walking for what felt like hours.
“Are we close?” Fiora asked.
Jaxx and Grier looked at her in surprise.
“We’ll have to sleep in the forest,” Jaxx said. “We should arrive tomorrow.”
“I would have sworn it was much closer,” Fiora said. “I must have been out of it when we flew