Midori's back and legs ached from sitting so long by the time they finished, and she was grateful to stretch and move about when the meeting was over. She offered to help put away the leftover food or clean dishes, but the villagers waved her away with a smile.
"Please, please, relax," they told her.
Zana tugged at her hand again. The children had lost interest in the conversation earlier and had left the hut. Now they were back, and Midori could swear their numbers had doubled.
"Come! Play with us. Bring your pet."
Midori smiled at Zana's invitation and glanced over at Pugly, who was still sitting outside the hut. Someone had brought him some food, and now he watched the villagers bustling around him while he reclined on the ground.
"Come on, Pugly. Let's go play with the kids."
Pugly's ears perked up. "Oh joyous day! A chance to bask in the radiance of your smile and laughter while you allow the young pups to experience the delight of your presence."
The children giggled at Pugly's exaggerated language as he waddled over. Zana led them outside, where the other children were already starting a game involving a woven ball.
"We take turns throwing and catching," Zana explained, tossing the ball to Midori.
Midori caught it, the motions familiar from her childhood games of playing catch with her sister back on Earth. She tossed it to a young boy who missed, fumbling it with his hands. The ball bounced away and Pugly scampered after it, scooping it up with his mouth.
"No fair, Pugly!" the boy cried out with a laugh. "You don't have hands."
Pugly dropped the ball at Midori's feet. "My deepest apologies. I only wished to be of assistance to the radiant one."
The children burst into a new fit of giggles at Pugly's fawning words. Midori scooped up the ball, her cheeks flushing a little at his over-the-top compliments.
"You know, Pugly, you can just call me Midori."
"I wouldn't dare!"
He looked so stricken and hurt by the very idea, she almost felt bad suggesting it.
She tossed the ball to a child. At that moment, the hairs on the back of her neck raised, and a tingling sensation crawled up her spine. Midori turned around to see Jessa's black eyes staring at her, his arms crossed across his muscled chest. She raised her hand in greeting, but the young warrior did not respond. His glare flashed over to Cael for a moment, then he turned and walked away.
Midori glanced to where Cael leaned against a hut. Their eyes met, and her heart jumped nervously. Even surrounded by laughter and play, she couldn't forget the danger they were heading into tomorrow.
Danger she had insisted they walk into. If they weren't careful, they might never walk back out.
And it would be all her fault.
SEVENTEEN
As the day grew later, another meal was shared. This one was more somber than the first. Mournful wails spilled out of the jungle like a strange and sad accompaniment.
"What is that sound?" Midori asked Zana, who refused to leave her side.
The child's face grew solemn with thought. "It's the cries of loved ones who lost their men to the vyrmm. Tonight we will mourn together as a family and send their spirits to the stars."
Cael's stomach clenched, the food in his belly turning to stone. Although no one had accused them of luring the vyrmm from the mountaintop, he still felt responsible. If he'd done a better job of convincing Zephryn or saving Pugly, or not being caught in the first place, perhaps they could have avoided casualties all together.
But then if the vyrmm had come when it was just the three of them, he wasn't sure they would have survived. He pushed the thoughts from his head. Revolving thoughts of “what if” would not help them move forward. It certainly wouldn't help tomorrow morning when they attempted to free the Zebran females from the slave quarters.
Night fell, and the tribe gathered near the river. Cael, Midori, and Pugly watched respectfully from the rear while the Zebran elders gathered around the riverbank surrounded by the rest of the tribe. Chanting in their native tongue, their striped faces were illuminated by flickering torchlight. Cael bowed his head respectfully, the words echoing memories of his own father's funeral.
Midori shivered beside him, her eyes reflecting the dancing flames from the torches. Cael pulled her close, draping an arm over her shoulders and another around her waist. She leaned into his embrace. Even Pugly was uncharacteristically solemn, his ears drooping.
Family members of the fallen came forward and placed wooden rafts in the water. Elders of the tribe rested the burned bones of the dead on top, and the rafts were set aflame, then pushed into the current. The gentle river water carried the small pyres downstream, sending sparks swirling up into the star-deckled sky. The tribe passed around a long decorated pipe, and the sweet, spicy smoke drifted toward Cael and Midori on the night breeze. She wrinkled her nose at the scent.
"It's zherdi root," Cael murmured in her ear. "They believe the smoke carries their prayers to the dead."
