“Only four before this one. A good healer has his choice of ships, so I only join ones that pay extremely well and where conditions are excellent.”
“Isn’t it nerve-racking to be chased by the law from so many different planets?”
He flashed a smile. “I’m the son of escaped slaves who were the son and daughter of escaped slaves. I accept the authority of those who earn my respect. I don’t accept the authority of hypocrites or tyrants. And it’s a great pleasure to tend a crew who thrusts metaphorical spikes into their vicious hides.”
She smiled. “Is it more for revenge than profit then?”
“Yes. Though the profits are plentiful.”
Her smile faded. “Orius keeps slaves and was part of the federation that started the slave trade. You must hate us very much.”
“Your family opposed it for as far back as records go. No one can help where they were born. They can only help what they do.”
“True, but we could’ve left,” she said thoughtfully. “I’ve wanted to, at times. My area has become so corrupt. But the house where we grew up... we’re so sentimental. My father built us a sprawling playhouse that became an elaborate doll estate. As we grew up, we joined the construction. Now, children from all over, even off world, come to enjoy it. We hoped to make it a gift for our own children and a happy place for the children of visitors, a thing of joy to offer a troubled universe. To abandon it to the nearby families would’ve meant its destruction. There are precious metals under surface of our land. But to get to them would mean killing the Saroyan trees, the fruit orchard, and that spectacular legacy of love built by our father. Giss and I couldn’t let the land go.”
“The need for a homeland is something all of humanity understands. Here we are,” he said, pointing to a gushing fount of water raining down from a cliff-side. It dropped into a clear pool of water encased in a stone chalice.
“Beautiful,” she said, looking at the blue-green water.
“Go ahead. It’s safe to drink, too.”
She crept over the stones to the edge of the falling water, then stepped forward into hollowed ground. The pummeling water cascaded over her sore body in a natural massage. She laughed and raised her arms and tipped her face up.
She enjoyed the fresh water for several long moments. It was exquisite and satisfying.
When she finally stepped back, she cupped her hands and drank several sips. It was the purest water she’d ever tasted.
“Ha,” she said. “That’s so lovely!”
He returned her bright smile.
She tiptoed around the rocks, still laughing. “Paradise indeed. I’d love to show Giss this place. She loves the natural world, and we’ve not seen much of its variety yet. Certainly nothing like this.”
He didn’t answer.
“You don’t think he’ll bring her back here?” she asked lightly, almost holding her breath.
He held out a hand to help her down the inclined rock slope.
“This is one of the brothers’ most guarded secrets. I’m surprised they brought you here. Larsinc’s never even been.”
“I don’t think Tokurn intends for me to remember much of it. I think he gave me a drug to make me forget how we got to the cave. It’s a blurry fragmented memory. Maybe he’ll have you give me something to erase the rest?”
“I don’t have anything here to erase multiple days in a place. The best they could hope for was to mask our exit from your memory. But if he wanted you to not see the spring, he and Wex should’ve said.”
She looked back at the gushing water. “Don’t take it from my mind. I promise to guard the secret too.”
“Good enough,” he said.
