I turn to peer at the building next to the one I came out of, the building Darolus’s nest would be in, and discover a beautifully ornate stone structure with a steeple at the top. Unlike the other buildings around me, I recognize it as a church.
I hesitate to take another step, looking once more at the crumbled structure I came out of. I have no idea where to go from here, which direction the forest is in orThe Wreck—if it’s still here—and even if it is, if I even wanted to find it. Facing Tata and Annora after everything will be difficult. They might not want to see me, especially with the news I carry.
Lifting the two alien guns I stole from where they’re tucked in my pants, I know I have to try. I have to make something right because if Darolus isn’t going to let me explain, I have to at least fix something else. Shaking out my reserve, I straighten my back and put the guns away.
Annora and Tata deserve answers if they’re still here. I need to try to find them.
Taking my first step away from the building, knowing I may never find my way back, I inhale a deep breath and choose the rightmost path, scanning the buildings around me once more with a keener eye.
I’m alone now…
My life is mine again.
It’s only up to me.
TWENTY-THREE
THE ONLY GOODBYE
Darolus
“Where is Ssssabrina?”Melsya asks, spitting Sabrina’s name out with a hiss.
It has been hours since she left. I know because I have been counting the seconds since I heard the sound of her footsteps retreating, using my wound as an excuse not to go after her.
She does not want me to go after her. She wants to leave. If her crewmates are back and her ship is still here, she can.
“She left,” I grumble.
“Left? Where?” Melsya snaps. “She is not allowed to wander unguarded.”
I hiss and wave my hand. “She is not wandering.” I wish she were—then I would know she will come back. “I suspect she went into the tunnels and back to the surface. It is where she is so eager to be.”
Melsya coils her tail under her, flexing it. “What did you do to her? Did you tell her to go? It is dangerous traveling to the surface. She could lose her way.”
I shake my head. “You do not know her well enough then. My female is resourceful. She will find her way out.”It is what she has been doing all along…
“Resourceful or not, she has vouched for you and now she is gone. You are femaleless without her, and though you may not be able to trigger our heat any longer, it does not mean you are still not dangerous to ussss. You are not welcome here any longer,naga.”
My ears prick to the angry disdain in her voice.
“I will leave as soon as I am able,” I huff, raising my hand and rubbing the area where Sabrina accidentally stabbed me.
Melsya growls, snapping her tail. In reaction, two of her sisters cram into the doorway behind her, charging to her aid. They all hiss at me, baring their fangs and claws, and one their blade.
“You will leave now!” Melsya growls. “And if you are smart, you will go after her. I know why you left the forest, Darolus, as my memories have not faded with the seasons. You will regret not seeking your peace now that it is here.”
Despite the pain in my chest, I rise on my tail. “She is afraid of me! She said so herself.”
“As she should be! You do not become what you are without battles along the way. Your battles have been harder than most. But not everything needs to be a battle, Darolus.”
I wave her off, frowning heavily at her. “My place is with you, guarding the entrance to your borders, not chasing after her, a female who does not want to stay with me… I know where that gets us, where that leadssss me.”
“Where that gets others, not you. Now take thissss andleave.” She grabs a wad of bandage-like cloths at me for my wound. “Not all the females here are pleased by your presence. Now that your female is no longer by your side, they will not allow you to stay—and neither will I. Sabrina was not the only one who vouched for you. I will not be forced into exile by my sisters, allowing you to stay, nor will I risk their lives.”
Hissing at her and the two females at her side, I use the wall to move my tail further under me, realizing how long it has been since I have truly been hurt physically or…
I thump my tail under me in an effort to frighten Melsya and the other two females out of my path. Watching them back away, and with my hand covering my wound, I slowly head for the exit, pain radiating through my chest. Melsya shakes her head at me when I pass.
