Five
First impressions are overrated
Itwasabsolutelythe most hostile place I’d ever walked into. With little Aila skipping along in front of me as if she were leading a procession of dancers through the streets, every set of eyes landed on me. Every conversation stopped. Every activity halted. My senses prickled with awareness. I was outnumbered, unwanted, and poorly armed. I set my jaw and forced my face into a neutral expression, even though both of my hearts were beating hard and adrenaline flooded my body. This was how I felt just before entering a battle or assassinating someone. And the truth was, I was a terrible assassin. I always stuck out too much to be stealthy.
Aila brought me right to the center of the village, where Maive had stopped talking to two women and was staring at me like everyone else. I ducked my head, tried to put on a contrite expression, and approached her with an apologetic smile.
“Hello, Maive,” I said. It was as good a greeting as any. At least it showed I remembered her name.
She did not blink. Not once. “I thought you said you wouldn’t bother us.”
“I’m not here to bother you,” I said. “I came here to trade. Definitely not to bother.”
She crossed her arms and regarded me icily. “I doubt there’s anything you have that we want.”
“Now, let’s not be so hasty,” I said. “I’ve done a lot of fishing.” I shifted the satchel from my shoulder and held it in my hands in front of me. “Perhaps I can show you my?—”
“Have you looked at our harbor?” She raised one eyebrow and nodded toward the ocean. “We have a fishing fleet of our own.”
I snorted. “You call two rickety boats a fleet?”
Her brows snapped together. That was clearly the wrong thing to say. “Our fishermen provide everything we need for our village.” She glanced at my satchel and wrinkled her nose. “And by the smell of it, whatever you caught has turned.”
“I brought examples of what I can get,” I explained. “I can breathe underwater and collect things from the ocean floor that your fishermen cannot.” When exactly did I become a salesman? All I wanted was some bread, maybe some fresh vegetables. It didn’t seem like too much to ask. “I can pay you in galactic credits if you’d prefer.”
It was her turn to snort. “What use do we have for galactic credits?”
A not-so-small crowd had gathered around us, watching with rapt attention. At least no one was stabbing me with spears yet.
“Then what do you want?” I asked in frustration. “I’m just hoping to trade for some different foods, because if I eat another fish, I think I’m going to tear my hair out.”
Her lips twitched. “Perhaps Podnos-9 is not the best home for you after all.” Her voice took on a silky tone, thick with amusement.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly as my shoulders dropped with a hit of fatigue. “Fine.” I hitched my satchel back over my shoulder. “I’ll go. I’ll leave you in peace.” I narrowed my eyes at her and held up a finger in front of her face. “But I’d appreciate it if you would stop sending spies to peep on me every other day. It’s getting weird.”
Her cheeks flushed with color. “We need to make sure you’re not building a massive weapon over there.”
“I’m building a deck off the back of my house. It’s a very pretty view.”
She crossed her arms. “I imagine it is. There are plenty of other planets on which you could have a lovely view.”
I threw up my hands. “Okay. I’m leaving. But you’re missing out. Some of the crustaceans I found are absolutely scrumptious.”
She could not hide the flicker of curiosity in her eyes, but she did manage to tamp it down very quickly. “You go enjoy them, then.”
“Fine,” I shot back. “I will.”
All the while, Aila stood next to her grandmother, her gaze flipping between the two of us like a spectator at afungomatch. “Gra’ma,” she said in that little voice. “Why are you mad at Gilrox?”
Maive glanced down at the little girl and her face softened into a smile. “Because he’s done many bad things in his life, and we need to keep the village safe from people who would do bad things.”
This did not seem to work for Aila. Her little brow furrowed in exactly the same way as her grandmother’s. “Hehasn’t done anything to us. He wants food.”
“Aila, I?—”
Whatever explanation Maive was going to come up with was interrupted by a bellowed call from the harbor. Instantly, all attention swung from Maive and me to the ocean.
“Help!” cried a panicked male voice. “Thecalroidtook Tregen under!”
