Page 58

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Visla

“Are you okay, Visla?”

I looked up from my work—threading some gems along the seam of a scarf—and at the young woman seated beside me. What I was doing was only busy work to keep my mind from swirling with bad thoughts.

“I’m okay, Mesandreia. I’ve just never been on a spaceship like this before.” Even now when I looked out of the 15 by 15 windows, I spotted nothing but hollow darkness. Yet, a sprinkling of stars riddled the atmosphere. It would take us another eight hours to reach our destination. The shuttles were the equivalent of a bus like Earth once had before the disaster. I didn’t think I was ready for a full-blown spaceship just yet. Not that I’d ever get the chance to ride one.

“Me either. It’s my first time too,” she said, smiling. She was a pretty girl. Her hair was red with gleams of silver strands here and there. Her greenish eyes also held a hint of silver around the irises. She was a half-blood Aurrakian and she was young. Maybe just a tad bit older than I was.

“Let me ask you something?” I turned to face her.

Mesandreia nodded eagerly. “Go ahead.”

“Did you really want to come with me?”

“I did. And if you’re really asking if I was forced to, then the answer is no, I wasn’t. My mother was a nurse. All of her life, she delivered babies and I watched her month after month as she cared for them. I fell in love with the idea of being just like her.”

“Then you know…?”

She smiled and nodded. “My brother is part of Khol’s horde. He earned recruitment a long time ago. He looks up to Khol so much. My other sister, who’s also full blood Aurrakian like my brother was betrothed to a rich jerk long ago.” She giggled. “But she’s in Zarvis having the time of her life and her mate buys her whatever she wants. When Elsayid mentioned a woman of great importance would need help with a pregnancy, I felt that I had to step up. I felt it in my heart that this was my calling. When I was chosen and finally learned that it was you and the King, I felt honored.”

“But you are young, just like I am. Have you ever wanted a family of your own? A mate, even?” I asked.

“Oh yes,” she smiled. “Living my life serving others doesn’t mean that I will miss out on whatever the fates have in store for me. I think I will meet a handsome Tirizar hunk who’s both gentle and un-fearing who will protect just like King Khol has protected you. I’m just not ready yet.”

I smiled. “There are many hordesmen, indeed.”

“Indeed,” she agreed, looking across the seat at a couple that sat beside us.

“Mesandreia, I have no doubt that you have lots of experience especially if you learned from your mother all of those years, but even though Khol brought you to me to help me, I want you to know that I could never treat you as a servant. I don’t know how. Even if I did, it wouldn’t feel right. I once served myself. We’re alike in ways. My mother served the King prior to Khol and I, too, learned what I know from her.”

“I knew we had something in common. The stonecasters told me I had a future in the capitol. I didn’t believe them.”

“Stonecasters? I’ve heard of them.”

“They’re like fortune tellers, only they use the stone and the elements to foresee future events. I went to have my fortune told on a dare and here I am.” Her attention shifted to the garment I’d been mulling over. “Your work is so beautiful. I could never do that. I’m not as creative.”

“Of course you could. Just takes patience…”

I stretched out a piece of the garment and dug into my side pocket for another straight needle. Just as she was beginning to work on the first stitch, the shuttle began shaking and stalling midair. Sometimes turbulence was normal. After all, we were flying through different climates. It was until our things began sliding backward did I realize something must have been terribly wrong.

“Prepare for landing. Prepare for landing. Brace yourselves,” the pilot screamed over the intercom.

Mesandreia and I turned and locked gazes at the same time. The expression on her face mirrored my own. Fear.

We only had time to grab each other’s arms before my ear drums felt like they were going to pop and then I heard a Boom!