First Watch: A Watcher Bay Adventure (9 page)

Alena, who had been standing nearby with her mother, stepped forward and placed her hand on the girl’s arm then touched Levra gently.

“She understands,” Alena thought, “and she can help.”

Levra watched the small-framed brunette girl, with ragged braids to her knees, kneel down beside Enric’s pale, broken body and extend her arms. Her hands hovered over him, passing from head to toe and back up to his head again. The girl kept her hands above Enric’s head and closed her eyes, humming a strange cadence as she rotated her hands around in a circle above Enric’s head. Levra gasped in astonishment when she saw a small ball of light form between the girl’s hands. As she chanted, the light grew brighter. The brighter the light, the healthier Enric looked.

Then she was silent and opened her eyes. “All is well,” the girl said in her Ddaeran language. Levra let out a sigh of relief.

“What is she saying?” Gunnar interjected, sounding irritated.

Alena translated. “She said Enric will be fine.”

The doctor rescanned Enric. Levra held her breath while the numbers on the display started to climb. Dr. Sanchez looked up from his device and smiled.

“He is fully healed.”

Levra collapsed in a heap with ragged relief.

“Oh, thank you, thank you so much.” Only then did Levra allow herself to cry.

“Remarkable,” said Dr. Sanchez.

Then the young Ddaeran girl spoke again as she pointed to herself.

“Vildana.”

Levra stood up, leaving her son for the briefest moment, and embraced Vildana. “Thank you,” she said in her native tongue. “Thank you.”

Tears of gratitude mixed with fear ran down Levra’s face. Without this young girl’s intervention, her Enric would be dying right now instead of healing.

Vildana smiled, and then Vildana turned and spoke to Alena rapidly.

Alena turned to Levra and translated. “She said her village, Glanmorr, is nearby, and they can offer us shelter.”

Gunnar stepped in. “Why don’t you translate for me. Levra, stay with Enric for now.”

Levra stayed by Enric’s side, along with Dr. Sanchez, and Gunnar and Ana walked off with Vildana and Alena. Levra itched with irritation at Ana’s near-constant proximity to Gunnar but turned her attention back to Enric. He was lying flat on the ground still, but he looked less pale than he had before, and his breathing seemed stronger.

The doctor looked perplexed. “How did she do that?”

Levra shook her head. “I don’t know. Is he okay?”

The doctor scanned the now-sleeping boy once more and nodded his head. “I don’t believe it. He is sleeping. His injuries are healed. This is incredible. The implications of this girl’s healing powers are infinite.” He scratched his head. “Hmm. I suspect he’ll be sleeping for a while.”

Levra cried tears of relief and lay down on the ground next to her son, enjoying the harsh rain as it washed away her grief.

Almost losing Enric was too close for comfort. She now owed everything to this brave Ddaeran girl, Vildana, who had ventured into this group of strangers to share her gift and save her son’s life. Levra vowed to find a way to repay her.

CHAPTER 11

Glanmorr, Rasia, New Eden

October 16, 12 AA

Close to hurricane force winds blew for nearly an hour as Vildana led the disheveled group from their landing site into the dark forest to the village. They had to walk, which Gunnar objected to. He spoke about the many transportation options waiting for them at the Outpost. He said they were supposed to have landed there. But, the storm caused them to land off-course.

Gunnar complained about traveling to the village. “We need to get to the Outpost. It’s already constructed. It will provide all the shelter we need.”

Officer Morgan Moore spoke up.

“Commander Shield, when the ship had to land and unload early due to the declining weather, it left us stranded. We are still miles from the Outpost. We are on the opposite side of the bay. The village is much closer. May I respectfully request we layover with the Ddaerans—given the condition of your son?”

Gunnar looked insulted by Morgan’s suggestion and Levra thought he’d continue to be stubborn.

Until Ana spoke up.

“Commander, it would give our crew the chance to get acquainted with the Ddaeran population. It could prove to be useful for our mission parameters.”

Levra couldn’t pinpoint what made her feel strange about Ana’s comment, but her comment seemed to be all the convincing Gunnar needed. His eyes took on a suspicious glint as he agreed to rely on the hospitality of the Ddaerans at Levra’s insistence.

Vildana led the way through the rain-soaked night, motioning the other’s to follow her. Levra took note of the forested terrain, in case she got lost. The trees were extremely thick, soaring into the sky at heights she’d never seen on Earth. Smells from the forest masked any saltwater smells that may have been present. She suspected they were too far from the ocean still. The ground was uneven and slippery. She slipped multiple times in the mud, making sure that Enric barely stayed on his feet. After what seemed like an eternity stumbling blindly through the rain-soaked muddy forest, Vildana stopped the group to give instructions, and Alena translated.

Vildana pointed to her left. “Up the mountain is our summer village. It’s where we go to shelter from the heat of the summer.”

Then she pointed to the right. “That way down the mountain is a sharp drop-off into a deep canyon. The canyon has never been traversed. The walls are too sheer. No one living, at least among us, have ever seen the bottom of it. I would recommend you not travel in that direction. If you stumble on to it, it will be the last mistake you’ll ever make.”

After the announcement, Levra found herself holding Enric’s hand a little tighter and staying close to Vildana.

“Are you okay, Enric?” Levra asked him.

He nodded. His recovery had been miraculous, and even though the crew had fashioned a gurney to carry him, he’d insisted on walking. After a few more minutes, they entered the village. Vildana spoke to a young boy in the center of the village and he went running toward one of the round homes. When he came back he brought a man and a woman with him.

Vildana introduced Levra and Gunnar to the the local clan including her mother, Bria, chief of Glanmorr.

Bria spoke and Alena translated.

“Welcome, enjoy a hot meal and share our blankets with us this evening. The warm welcome when they entered the village was not surprising to Levra given all her time interacting the Ddaerans at Dwyr. The entire crew was offered a place to sleep for the night, as villagers displaced themselves in an effort to offer comfort to the weather-weary visitors.

“You must stay,” a man named Veld, Vildana’s father, proclaimed. Vildana communicated with Alena quite well, even though their dialects were somewhat different. Alena was also able to translate for the crew.

Levra spoke up first, kneeling in respect before speaking. “So very kind of you. Thank you. We would be honored to stay with you.”

Gunnar interjected. “We need to get to the Outpost, Levra. And you need to remember this is an Abramov mission. I’m in command. I make the decisions here. You don’t.”

Rage immediately filled Levra’s body as she listened to her husband attempt to pull rank on her and embarrass her in front of their hosts.

“Feel free to take your crew to the Outpost. I don’t work for you. I’ll do what I want.” She faced him with her arms folded across her chest in stubborn defiance.

Ana leaned in and whispered something to Gunnar. Levra watched as his facial expression changed, cycling through anger, frustration, and finally acceptance.

Ana Chekhov was someone Levra was going to have to deal with sooner or later.

Bria was a slender woman with pale green eyes, lavender skin, and braided turquoise hair spoke rapidly in a guttural cadence while glancing between Levra and Vildana. Levra was fascinated by her voice. It sounded airy, nearly hollow, yet bright and high-pitched. It reminded her of the entrancing sound of a songbird.

Levra wondered briefly why some of these Ddaerans had a different color skin than the Ddaerans at Dwyr. She made a note to ask when there was time.

Alena translated, although it was more for Gunnar’s benefit than Levra’s.

“She says we must stay with them. They’ve only seen people like us one other time, and they want to know more about us.”

Gunnar spoke first, shaking his head. “Tell her we said thank you, but the crew needs to get to the Outpost closer to the coast before the day is out.”

Alena looked at Levra, who nodded. “Tell her the crew will travel to the Outpost, but Enric, myself, you, and your mother will stay with them. Let her know we are honored by her welcome.”

Alena passed the information on to Bria, who looked directly at Levra with sparkling eyes and a ready smile.

Gunnar spoke again, this time muttering mostly under his breath. “Probably better if Enric weren’t underfoot at the Outpost anyway.”

“Having your child around isn’t him being underfoot,” Levra retorted, not interested in giving him a pass for his barbaric controlling behavior. He was nearly on her last nerve, and they’d only barely gotten here. She rethought the wisdom of coming with Gunnar.
Maybe we should have stayed home.
Attempts at reconciliation felt futile.

Gunnar spoke to Levra when they had a private moment. “I don’t want to come across wrong here Levra. I think you might be getting the wrong idea about my hesitance to stay. I’m very concerned about what illnesses we might be exposing them to. Since they’ve so openly welcomed us into their home, I feel like we should take extra precautions to protect them with vaccinations. Will you let them know that we will bring them to our Outpost in small groups starting tomorrow to vaccinate against diseases we know from experience the Ddaerans are susceptible to?”

And just like that he broke through her reserve again. She remembered how the illnesses spread like wildfire amongst the Ddaerans near New Seattle when the Founders had first arrived over 12 years ago. She and Gunnar were particularly devastated by the death of Alena’s father during those outbreaks. Levra was thrilled he was taking precautions to be sure it didn’t happen here.

The storm broke while they discussed the plan, allowing them to enjoy the hospitality of the Ddaerans. When the stormy night skies cleared revealing New Eden’s two iridescent moons, Gunnar and the rest of the crew left to settle in at the Outpost. Before they left, Morgan pulled Levra discreetly to the side.

She looked around cautiously before she spoke.

“Given the girl’s ability to heal, Gunnar will be very interested in learning more about the rest of the clan’s gifts. If you care for the fate of the Ddaeran, you should consider being frugal in what you disclose to him. Be wary of any ploy he may use to gain private access to them.”

As quickly as Morgan arrived at her side, she was gone again, her warning echoing in Levra’s ear. As Levra watched Morgan run to catch up with the rest of the crew, the familiar pit of anxiety in her stomach felt even darker and more foreboding than before. What did Gunnar have in mind for these Ddaerans? What could he want from them? She recalled Vildana’s extraordinary healing ability and shivered when she thought what Gunnar might be after. She was suddenly glad he’d insisted on traveling to the Outpost. It would limit his exposure to the villagers. But Levra was going to have to figure out what he might be plotting. She wouldn’t stand by while Gunnar acted under the guidelines of some mission parameters while risking the good people who had saved her son.

But was it possible Morgan was deliberately trying to cause problems where there weren’t any? Levra really didn’t know who to trust anymore. For now, she would settle in and get to know the Ddaerans better.

Levra and her small group settled in immediately with the villagers, anxious to get to know their culture and customs. Vildana and Bria led them through the village. What she saw of Glanmorr by the light of the two moons was lovely. The people were even lovelier, sporting skin that varied by individual. Some of the villagers were a pale purple while others had a nearly orange tint to their skin. Hair colors ranged from silver and purple to green and orange. Somehow their colors were vibrant and almost neon even by the night. She wondered briefly to herself if the colors would be as bright by the light of the sun.

“What causes the different skin tones of your people, Bria? The variety of colors is stunning.”

Bria smiled and answered in the soft, yet firm voice of a chieftain. “We paint our skin with plant dyes. Color is determined by what profession we choose. Those with red and orange tones to their skin are warriors or are in training to become one. Lavender are healers while those with blue and green skin tones represent work with wildlife, either plants or local wildlife. It’s been part of our culture for as long as we have oral histories.”

“Fascinating. Thank you for sharing with me. Your hospitality is much appreciated, Bria.”

Bria only smiled and then showed Levra to their small family hut. They made makeshift pallets on the floor for Levra and Mera, while Alera and Enric shared a small room with Vildana. The young Ddaeran girl seemed to connect with Alena easily and, not for the first time, Levra was glad she’d brought both her and her mother along.