Part 22 (1/2)

”Yep.”

”Okay, now add large, clawed paws to the feet instead of hooves, a mane and . . . gigantic wings.”

”Wings? What kind? b.u.t.terfly? Bird?” The animal sounded amazing all right.

This time she laughed. ”No, more like a bat's.”

”Oh, wow.”

”Right! And their eyes are a dazzling violet. They have fur, but it's super short and so soft. Their ears are the same shape as a horse, but they have whiskers like a big cat.”

”How cool. Can you ride them?”

”I can,” she said with a bit of her old att.i.tude back. ”But no, most kelarians won't go near them. They're dangerous creatures and can be very vicious, if not handled with the proper respect.”

Michael tried to imagine her on the back of one. The wind in her hair. Then he remembered the images he'd seen when they kissed. That's what she'd been riding. It looked exactly as she'd described. Michael remembered how strange, yet right, it'd been to see such a little person sitting on such a large, ferocious beast. Before he realized what he was doing, he blurted, ”I think I saw you riding one.”

She leaned up. ”How?”

Now he'd have to explain it. c.r.a.p! Michael cleared his throat, pushed his hands through his knotted hair. ”You know, when we, ah . . .” c.r.a.p, he'd try again. ”Well, I saw some things when we k-kissed.” Michael would've called himself an idiot if he were her.

Idiot.

She let out a nervous laugh, but her eyes sparkled. ”It was a very memorable kiss, wasn't it?”

He scratched his neck, working to keep his face from turning beet red. ”Yeah.”

”I'd no idea you saw anything. Why didn't you tell me before now? It's . . . unusual. But, I'm glad.” She paused, gauging his reaction. ”What did you think of her? Beautiful, right?”

”That was a her? She looked terrifying.”

Tears fell onto her cheeks. She sniffled, wiped her eyes and laughed at the same time.

”I'm an idiot. Sorry.” Michael had no idea what he apologized for, but he knew he'd do anything to keep her from crying.

”Oh, it isn't you. She was my irrihunter and she was killed. Murdered. Her baby, too.” She wiped away her tears.

”Venus, I really am sorry. Why would someone do that?” Michael wanted to find them and hurt them-for her sake.

”I don't know.” She shook her head, suddenly vicious. ”Whoever it was should die. I wanted to be the one to find them. Now, though-” She broke off, a sob escaping her.

”Why not now?” he asked, hoping this time she'd tell him.

”Michael, be serious.” Anger flashed across her face. She sat up, crossed her legs. ”I'm in here and I'm not well. You know as well as I do, this place will be my grave.” The last words were said in a hushed manner. So full of grief.

Michael wanted to correct her, tell her it wasn't true. They were going to escape. But if he said or acted differently, they'd know. His father would know. And he needed to keep Frank-especially Frank-in the dark about his true feelings. So, he clenched his jaw and ground his teeth. Swallowing the words he wanted to say and responded, ”Maybe not.”

She lay back down. ”You're lying. It doesn't matter though.”

Ugh, it did matter. She mattered. Nothing and no one had ever mattered more. Escaping. Helping her. That'd become his priority. After his father and Abe left for the night-if they left . . . They'd better leave. He'd figure out a way to get Venus out.

”Will you tell me a story?”

45. Against All Odds.

Venus's body burned, the medicine wearing off. She resisted the urge to cough and tried to imagine herself back on Kelari, free of this awful place. Death seemed to be the answer, the only way.

More than anything she wanted justice. For her family! Her irrihunter and the unborn baby! Instead she sat in a cell, at the mercy of this atmosphere, and these people, including Michael.

It was obvious he felt bad about his part in capturing her. It didn't change the fact that he'd done it. Taken her from Zaren, forced her to endure their torturous tests. Confined her to this evil, stinking place.

Michael wanted a story. Fine, she'd give him a story. ”Sure. It's a long one.”

He smiled. ”The longer the better.”

She took a small breath. Not that it did any good, but she needed to clear her mind. Three. Two. One. ”Before kelarians existed, there were others, called gethniovians.”

”Gethni . . . others?” He sat up, directly across from her. Crossed his legs as Venus had hers and placed his arms across his lap.

”Yes. Back then, Kelari was full of division. Six different tribes roamed our world. The Ertherns, Winbeys, Firclees, Watrets, Mon.o.bians, and the Suraeys.”

”Okay.”

She stifled a giggle. They were kelarian words, but since English didn't have duplicates, they'd have to do. ”The Suraeys were the largest tribe. They also believed they deserved to rule our world. Of course, though the other tribes were smaller; they had their own reasons for thinking they should rule. Every year or so, one tribe would war against another. The biggest reason was always to conquer, but smaller reasons usually started the war. A fight for more land, insidious threats, or lies. Ridiculous reasons, really. The war that brought extinction to nearly all of the tribes and begins my story, happened over a piece of fruit.”

She watched him raise a brow. ”You're joking?”

”Nope. I'm not.”

”Well, wars begin on our planet for stupid reasons, too.”

”Oh, I know. Maybe even more than you do. See, we kelarians have been around a lot longer than humans. Our race has studied your world and its inhabitants for hundreds of thousands of years. The similarities between our planets, the idea that we look so much alike, that we have land and water similar to Earth, has kept us intrigued. You need to realize our kind make the change into immortality at the age of sixteen. Forever is a long time.” Venus waited for that information to sink in. There wasn't any doubt Frank and possibly that scary guy, Abe, were listening. Well, let them listen. There wasn't a thing they could do with the information.

”Really? Tell me about an incident I wouldn't already know-about one of our wars.”

He'd challenged her and she accepted.

”Okay. You know the war called The Civil War?

He nodded.

”The war was important and would've happened anyway, but it began because Jefferson Davis lost a game of poker.”

”No it didn't.”

”Afraid so.” Venus chuckled quietly.