Chapter 1
Myrum
“Did you hear me?”
It took so much strength for Myrum to simply walk on board the ship that he honestly hadn’t heard a single word the crewmember had said. Having her repeat the words wasn’t going to help. It was unlikely he’d be able to retain anything.
Panic was pushing him hard to turn around and run. Ships were traps where you watched everyone else die and then you got to suffer and wait for death. Everything in his body wanted him to turn around and run.
“Cargo bay,” he said. It was difficult to get those two words out, but he managed.
The other Talin made an aggravated sound. “Yes, I know you’re staying in our cargo bay. I already said that.”
He grunted in answer, and that only seemed to irritate the crewmember further.
“I don’t know why you’re acting so aloof. You’re no one of consequence,” she grumbled. “You’re only here because Captain Yiforum owed Commandant Holian a favor. This isn’t a personal transport; we have cargo to deliver and picking you up almost put us behind schedule.”
When he tried to sound a rumble of agreement, nothing came out. His chestbox felt frozen along with his voice.
The crew member continued talking in an aggravated tone. “We aren’t going to cater to your needs. You have to go to the galley for your meals and share the communal cleansing units. Don’t expect any special treatment."
Who cared about meals or cleansing units? If he didn’t get into a larger space soon, he wasn’t going to be responsible for his actions.
“Cargo bay now.” It was so hard to speak, the words caused him physical pain. He wished he could use the silent tapping language of the Norka like he did back on Kalor with Lena and Tarquin.
Better yet, he wished he was back on Kalor, sleeping in Lena and Tarquin’s garden and being able to see the brilliant open sky every time he opened his eyes.
Ruby, the jeweled lizard, would be snuggled under his chin or on the pillow next to his head, and the constant sounds of a forest alive with creatures would be filling his earholes.
Instead he was boarding another metal box about to go flinging through space again.
The crewmember made a last aggravated sound and turned on her heels. “This way.”
She probably thought walking away quickly would bother him, but it didn’t. Being forced to hurry after her while carrying several large bags and his bedroll helped fight back the impending panic by giving him something else to focus on.
The ship was built for hauling, not passenger comfort, so the corridors were narrow. He was forced to walk sideways several times to keep his bags from getting caught on things. He kept his gaze on the back of the crewmember’s head. Looking at the walls around him would only make them close in on him.
Finally they passed through a large set of double doors into the bay of the ship. It was half full of cargo, but the massive space felt big enough to let him breathe.
It was only when he stopped walking that he realized his legs were shaky and he was breathing unevenly.
The crewmember sounded a questioning rattle at the same time she took a big step back. “Are you unwell?”
If he saidyes,would they kick him off or simply leave him alone during the trip?
He went with honesty. “Only in my mind.”
As he expected, the crewmember backed away even further. She’d probably be less concerned if he’d said he had a highly contagious illness. Admitting to having any kind of mental health problem wasn’t simply unusual, it was unheard of. Most Talins hid a disability because the judgment by others was always swift and harsh.
“The captain needs to know about this,” she said, then she turned and fled as if he was about to explode and splash crazy all over her.
If his chestbox didn’t still feel frozen, he would've rumbled in amusement. If the captain kicked him off, his secret mission would be a failure, but he couldn’t bring himself to be upset about it. It was a long shot that he’d be able to do anything even if he was successful at making contact with the Ossiso who’d saved him.
The whole situation was a stack of wishful thinking waiting to tumble at the slightest nudge.
Looking around, he saw the spot they’d set up for him. There was a bare cot, a small table, and a light box to use when they shut down the large lights illuminating the bay. As if on cue, the entire giant room went dark. The black was absolute, without even a tiny relief of light anywhere.
The dark didn’t bother him because he already knew he was in a large space, not trapped in a tight emergency tube. Moving carefully, he made his way the short distance until his leg brushed the end of the cot. Feeling his way around the bed, he found the table and activated the lightbox, illuminating a small area around him.
