Vedece sits straight up, her expression one of wonder, but I can feel the fear in the back of her mind as she realizes how much more in tune she is with the things around her. She reaches for me unconsciously, and even though I can speak to her through our bond, I know she needs my physical touch in order to ground her further. “KyT?”
“I am here little bud, all is well.”
“Someone is here.”
“It is just Father and Kira.”
“The freeze is gone, and the plants are awakening.”
“Yes, let your mind settle and listen to what the world around you is saying.”
I smile when I realize she is using my bond, not her own, to seek out what her mind is searching for.
“I can feel the animals and their joy as the soil warms. New buds on the Timbers are pushing through the branches, reaching for Etherium’s light. Already, baby leaves have formed on the highest peaks. I can feel them swaying in the air, absorbing energy, trying to grow quickly so they can help the smaller ones below. The air feels clean, and the waters are refreshed by the deep freeze. It’s almost like Ethra has reset itself, and everything feels new. How can I sense all of this?”
“You are one and the same as the fauna around you. The change in you is more than mental. Physically, you have gained the same abilities as I and those abilities will become easier to use with each rising.”
I watch as she reaches up with shaking hands toward her hair that is now tangled with vines, simply waiting for the lightbefore blooming fully. With a thought, I hide her curvy form with intertwined leaves and small buds. When father opens the inner hatch, she will be fully covered, as her delicate skin has preserved many of her human traits that I do not want others to see.
Vedece feels father approaching, and before she can uproot herself from the healing soils of my world, the outer membrane parts, and he steps into my sanctuary.
“Son?!”
“All is well, Father. We will join you momentarily. My little bud is trying to find her limbs.”
“No need. As long as both of you are well, we can meet up when you are ready. I was simply concerned when I could no longer feel you.”
I can sense his instant relief with the sound of my voice.
“I forgot that this ship’s inner membrane is private. KyT, once you two are ready, we have much to discuss. I have brought SCOUT’s plans for the layout of the main commerce center, and I also need to talk to Vedece about a permanent medical shuttle being on site. This cold snap and the injuries that could have occurred … well, we simply need to be better prepared from this point on.”
“Father, our bond is still in its early stages, but I will contact you when we emerge.”
I feel him step back, only to hold his hand out when the inner chamber starts to reseal. “Oh, I thought you both might want to know, Ginger and Ricky have been reunited, and everyone else is accounted for and well.” Before I can say a word, he turns to go,but he acknowledges my happiness through our bond before the inner walls block the outside world.
Looking over at my own mate, I whisper, “Praise the Lord of Light for the many blessings he constantly bestows upon us.”
Vedece has not responded to the news, as her mind is still trying to sort through all the information the ground below us is transmitting to her.
“Talk to me little sprout, let me help you.”
“KyT, I knew you were connected to the world around you. Isawyou talk to the trees. The knowledge you had of the plants, their locations, and uses was uncanny. But until you experience this for yourself, there is no true understanding. I never dreamed anything like this. I can actually feel the nutrients being pulled up inside this ship from its massive roots. Not to mention the Timbers and their interconnecting roots. I never realized they could talk to each other … not so much in words as we do, but in feelings and shared emotions. The connection they have to the planet’s core and the ecosystem surrounding us is amazing. But it’s also loud and a little overwhelming. Was someone just here? I thought that’s what woke me up. My thoughts are scattered as I’m having a hard time processing everything.”
“Think back, the ship will show you everything.”
“Wow, I can see them walking through the rooms, and how intrigued Kira was as she touched the blooms, which reached for her. Your father was worried, but also full of happiness. Wait, did he say Ricky found his Ginger after all this time?”
“He did. Can you find them?”
Vedece sinks her long fingers into the soil and closes her eyes. I can feel her seeking out her friends as she pushes her thoughts through the many roots beneath the surface. She finds Briar first … then Ethan as he is planting new seeds … then a new smell, a girl she doesn’t know is in her space … but she is helping Owen, so she pushes on. Only to circle back, her thoughts heading in another direction as she mentally remaps the soil below to match the memories in her mind. I could help, but she needs to learn, and I know that, amid all the unknowns, she is soaking up all this information, happy in the never-ending knowledge she can now draw from the world around her.
Then she finds Ricky. His happiness is practically vibrating the area beneath their pod and she stops, soaking it up. What she does not realize is that her happiness for her friend is manifesting itself outward as blossoms form all around their new pod, blooming beautifully down the cliff wall and through the vines that grace the trunks of the large Timbers holding the cliff in place.
“I found them. What an amazing world this is. It’s one thing to be able to see it, but another when you can feel it as well.”
“This is only the beginning, little bud. How do you feel? Try to separate your physical body from the soil, as it attempts to pull you under, holding you captive within its warm embrace.”
“KyT, my body feels odd, like my feet have become something else. My arms though, want to reach out and attach themselves securely to something.”
