“My mother has been sick for some time. I wondered if you could try using the same device on her that you used to heal Litus.”
Use technology? Had Eri heard him correctly?
He stared, waiting for an answer.
She nodded so hard, curls fell in front of her face. “Of course I can.” This was her chance to show Striver technology could be used for good. She couldn’t believe he’d allow it after all he represented.
He loves his mother more than their silly ideals.
He must trust Eri. Did that mean she could trust him?
Striver breathed in deeply in relief. “Thank you.”
Seeing his vulnerability brought a surge of compassion and something deeper, a yearning to make him happy, to fulfill his desires. Her whole body gravitated forward, leaning to him.
Forget Mars.
She slipped her hand in his. His calloused fingers grazed her palm, tingling her skin as they wrapped around her fingers. He brought his forehead to hers, his breath on her lips. “Tell me you can save her.”
She trembled all over, wanting to make everything right in his world. “I’ll try.”
…
Switching off her locater to keep Commander Grier from interrupting, Eri followed Striver to the same cluster of huts where she’d woken up after the battle. That whole morning had seemed like a blur, but Eri remembered Nutura’s kind nature and how she reached for Striver’s help as Eri left.
Clutching the regenerator in her hands, Eri hoped more than anything she could heal her. “How long has your mother experienced symptoms?”
Striver turned back to her, concern etched in the perfect angles of his face. “A year. Maybe longer. She tries to hide her pain because she knows how much it makes me worry.”
They reached the rope bridge and Eri clung to the railing, trying not to look down. “How does your father feel about us using the regenerator?”
Striver stopped, the bridge creaking under his feet as it swung with their weight. A furry black bird took off in the distance, crooning. Striver waited for the bird’s calls to fade before answering. “He died a long time ago, when Weaver and I were young boys.”
Pain seared through Eri’s chest.
I shouldn’t have asked.
“I’m sorry.”
Striver shook his head. “It’s not your fault. My father took risks for the village: staying out late to check on the wall, exploring new territory for hunting, charting the regions in the mountains in the north. He’d leave for days and come back with an awful rash or a broken leg. The Guardians couldn’t keep up with him.”
“He sounds brave.”
In fact, he sounds a lot like Striver.
“He was.” Striver glanced up at the sky and smiled. “Too brave.”
“What happened to him?”
Striver paused, running his fingers along the rope, his touch delicate and tentative. “Don’t get me wrong—he wasn’t a failure. He accomplished many wonderful things for this village.” His face grew grim. “But one day he didn’t come back. The Guardians looked everywhere for him, from the meadows to the mountains. They never found a trace.”
His story ate a hole in Eri’s heart. She was honored he’d share such difficult memories with her, but she didn’t know how to react. No one disappeared on the
Heritage
. It was a simple matter of buzzing their locator. With all its beauty, Haven 6—or Refuge—was a perilous world. She scanned the leaves fluttering in the breeze. The jungle seemed as though it could swallow her whole. “Maybe he’s still out there?”
Striver shook his head. “No. He loved us too much to not come back.” He stepped closer to her, his voice falling to a whisper. “I have my own suspicions. But I’ve never told anyone this before. Not anyone.”
Eri held her breath as Striver’s eyes narrowed and he spoke. “Sometimes I wonder if he encountered the same golden liquid Soren did, the same liquid that man fell into in the cave.”
The strange symbols flashed in Eri’s mind, tantalizing her in a puzzle she was dying to solve. That’s why Striver had wanted to stay. If only she’d had more time to decipher them. “He doesn’t sound like someone who would abandon the present for the past, especially with two young kids at home.”
“No.” Striver swallowed as if a bitter taste swirled in his mouth. “He doesn’t.” He blinked and turned around. “Come. I don’t want my mother to suffer any longer than she already has.”
“Of course.” Feeling all shivery from the mystery of the liquid and guilty about bringing up the past, Eri followed him across the bridge and into the hut.
The room smelled of sweet blossoms, fresh ferns, and cooked meat. Bell-shaped flowers decorated the floor.
Are they all from Striver?
A table stood in the center with a mug of water and pieces of smoked boar. Striver’s mom lay in her bed, barely making an impression in the fern mattress.
Can I really save this woman? Or am I giving them both false hope?
Eri shook off her doubts. She needed to focus to use the device effectively.
Nutura gazed up at Eri with amusement on her face. “So, Eridani Smith, how do you like our world?”
“It’s beautiful.” Eri stood over her, taking her hand. “Scary, but beautiful.”
“Yes, like a great many things in this universe.” Nutura patted her hand. “Thank you for helping me.”
“It’s the least I can do after what Striver did for my people and me.”
Her eyes twinkled. “My son is a great catch, isn’t he?”
Eri lost her count on the pulse.
Great catch? What does she mean by that?
Striver ran a hand over his hair, looking frazzled. “Now’s not the time for chitchat, Mother. Eri’s brought the regenerator.”
“The device that’s supposed to heal me?” She didn’t look very hopeful.
Eri squeezed her hand. “That’s right.”
Nutura chuckled. “Guess it can’t make me feel any worse.”
“Mother.” Striver gave her a stern look.
Nutura smiled and turned her head to Eri. “Do your best.” She winked and tossed off her sheets, showing a bony body underneath a thin underdress.
Eri’s heart skipped when she saw how skinny the woman was. She nodded, trying to keep a stoic face, and flipped up the lid. “Close your eyes and relax. You’ll feel warmth, but nothing more. Most people fall asleep.”
READY TO SCAN SUBJECT.
Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be.
Eri glanced at Striver and he nodded his approval. The hope mingled with worry in the lines of his face gave her all the courage she needed to start the scan. The device illuminated the small room in sapphire light.
Minutes passed with silence except for the crackling of the torches on the walls. Nutura slept soundly as the scan finished. Eri read the results, her chest aching.
Striver came up beside her but he didn’t look at the screen. Instead he looked directly into her gaze. “What is it?”
Her tongue numbed until she could hardly speak. “Tumors. Cancerous. Spreading through her body.”
He winced as if she stuck him with a knife. “Can you fix it?”
“I’m not sure. We never let such a thing get to this stage on the
Heritage
.”
He balled up his fists and Eri put a hand on his arm. “I’m going to try.”
Holding the regenerator in both hands, she set the scan to optimal power. The device buzzed under her fingertips as the green light traveled from Nutura’s head to her toes. She repeated the process over and over until the regenerator grew hot as fire in her hands and the muscles in her arms shook from holding it steady. The energy cell read low, but Eri pressed the scanner button down with all her force. The heat traveled up her arms until drips of sweat rolled down her cheeks. The reek of burning plastic filled the room.
INSUFFICIENT CELL REGENERATION.
Eri pressed harder.
Insufficient, my cyber butt.
The light weakened to a sickly pastel green, flickering out as the energy cell depleted. Eri shook the regenerator in her hands until the light came back on. The device beeped, the sound loud and foreign in such a dark and primal hut.
SCAN COMPLETE. CELLS RESTORED.
The heat faded as the regenerator buzzed off.
Eri dropped the device and it hit the floor with a
thud
. Dizzy from concentration, she fell backward and Striver caught her in his arms.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” Eri breathed deeply as Nutura shifted under the blankets.
His voice was hushed, his words hesitant. “Did it work?”
Eri forced the hope down before it got out of control. “I think so, but I’m not sure.”
“How can you be sure?”
Striver held onto her like they were the last two people in the world. She melted into his embrace, drawing on his strength. “We wake her.”
He released her and they approached the side of the bed. Eri was hesitant to touch Nutura, so Striver bent down and whispered over her ear. “Mother, wake up.”
Her eyelids fluttered and she rolled away, her back facing them, bones protruding from the nightdress.
Eri tried to ease his worries. “Sleep is a byproduct of the healing process. She’ll feel weak and lethargic for the next few days.”
Striver shook her shoulder gently, pulling her toward them. She groaned and rubbed her eyes. “Is it morning already?”
“No, Mother. Eri used her regenerator to heal you, remember?”
Nutura blinked as if she saw them for the first time. “I remember. It seemed so long ago.”
“We just finished.” Eri swallowed, not sure if she wanted to hear her answer to the question resting on her tongue. “How do you feel?”
Nutura scrunched up her eyebrows and wiggled her toes. She prodded her stomach with her finger, traveling from her navel to her chest. She shook her head, and Eri’s hopes fell through the floor.
“No?” Eri’s voice cracked.
Nutura smiled, and her eyes twinkled. “No pain.” Her voice was incredulous.
Eri’s emotions did a one-eighty. Her heart almost burst. “You sure?”
“Certain of it. In fact, my joints move much easier now.” She bent her legs and sat up. “I haven’t felt this good in ages.”
Striver collapsed to the floor, tears watering his eyes.
Eri dropped beside him, taking his hand. Had she done something wrong? “What’s the matter?”
He glanced up and shook his head like he couldn’t believe it. “All this time we’ve shunned technology. Think of all the people we could have saved.”
Guilt crushed down on her. Eri wanted to prove technology’s worth, but she didn’t want to give him regrets. She put a comforting hand on his arm. “You were following the rules set up by your ancestors. It’s not your fault.” Thoughts of the Lawless flittered through her mind. “Besides, you could be right about people. They may not learn to control it.”
He traced his fingers along the back of her palm. “After what you’ve shown me here, we have to try.”
“Blending our cultures may be the only way to coexist on Refuge.” Eri hoped Litus’s talk with the commander had gone well. Maybe Commander Grier would spare Striver’s village. They provided a new pool of DNA and knowledge of the planet. If anything, she could contact the commander again and try to persuade her herself.
Striver’s hand traveled up her arm to the back of her neck. “Eri, you’ve shown me so much. You’ve rocked my world.”
Eri blushed, feeling self-conscious and tingly all over.
Rocked his world? What does that even mean?
“All I did was press a button. A child could have operated that machine. That’s the miracle of technology.”
Wiping his eyes, he smiled for what Eri suspected was the first time since they got back to his village. “No. I saw you hold onto that thing even though it looked about to explode in your hands. You didn’t give up, Eri. You’re the miracle.”
Drums erupted below them, followed by shouts and laughter. Nutura’s fern bed rustled as she sat up. Striver pulled his hand away as if he realized they weren’t alone. Eri turned to Nutura with embarrassment flaming in her cheeks.
Nutura didn’t seem to notice their attentions. She scanned the room. “Find my good tunic. The celebration has begun, and I’m going outside to see it.”
Striver stood, offering his hand to Eri to help her up. “Finally, we have something to celebrate.”
Striver and Eri emerged from the hut propping his mother between them. She grasped each of their arms with bony hands. The villagers had gathered below, and all heads turned up as they reached the railing. The crowd began to chant Striver’s name. Although it pleased his mother, he hoped Weaver couldn’t hear them over the drums.
“Let go of me, please,” she whispered. “I can stand on my own.”
“It’s too soon, Mother.” He didn’t want her to fall in front of everyone in this triumphant moment. Eri had warned the healing process would take time.
She squeezed his arm. “Trust me.”
As the chant grew louder, she pulled away from him and Eri and held her arms up to the sky where the ship hovered over all of their heads. Nutura shouted, “I am healed!”
The crowd roared in applause. Voices rang out. “It’s a good omen!”
The drums increased in pace, and a bone flute entwined in and out of the rhythm, the shrill tones dancing in the air. Trotters sizzled above the fire, the smell watering Striver’s mouth. Carven stood, turning the silver-white fish with a wooden spatula. He signaled a wave of encouragement to Striver as people called out for a speech.
Striver glanced over at Eri and she nodded. She stood within arm’s reach, but she felt a world away.
If only I could speak with her alone
. The glory of this moment was all because of her, and he wanted to show her his thanks; he wanted to tell her how much she meant to him, to hold her tight against him and show his feelings in a way he’d never done before.
Striver shoved his feelings away. It would all have to wait. His village stood before him, awaiting the speech of the century, words that would change the history of Refuge.
He’d thought on his decision for a long time, and the way he felt about Eri along with his mother’s healing had sealed the deal.
Striver held up his hands and the shouting quieted. The music lulled to a low ostinato. He took a deep breath. “My fellow villagers, I present our newest friends, Eridani Smith and her team, Mars and Litus, descended from the ship in the sky.”