Haven 6 (21 page)

“No way,” Mars erupted behind him. “No way I’m letting one of those…birdmen touch me.”

“Fine.” Striver reached into his backpack and pulled out a coil of rope. He threw it at her feet. “Have fun.”

He scanned the nervous faces of the others. “Anyone else?”

Eri shook her head. Her eyes were steady, but under the tough exterior, her hands trembled. Striver brushed her arm, whispering under his breath. “Don’t worry. I’ve done this a thousand times.”

“I trust you.” Eri met his gaze and the intensity between them deepened. Longings resonated inside him, and he turned away before the urges grew out of control.

Branches cracked and shouts pierced the woods behind them. Striver whirled around. “We must go now!”

“Wait!” Mars’s voice wavered. She kicked back his rope. “I’ll go.”

“Excellent. You will not be disappointed.” Phoenix spread his wings and the other Guardians followed. Each of them took their place behind a human in preflight formation. Striver glanced at Eri and smiled.
You can do this.

The Guardians’ wrapped their branchlike arms around each human’s waist. Phoenix lifted Striver, and in a heartbeat the pair broke through the canopy and soared. Below them, arrows from the Lawless arched up and fell short, plummeting back to the canopy of trees.

Wind whipped Striver’s hair back and cooled his warm cheeks. Freedom and excitement pulsed through his veins. He glanced over as Eri, flown by Dove, broke free of the trees. His chest burst with pride as he shared this experience with her and her team. Sure, they’d flown in space their whole lives, but nothing compared to riding the air currents above the lush vegetation on Refuge.

Eri spread her arms in the air as if she had wings. He could picture her as an angel, descended from the sky to save him and his people.
If only that were true.

She turned her head and blinked as she caught him staring. Dove hoisted Eri higher in the air. Striver wondered if the Guardian showed off just a little to make a good impression. Humans were prone to flaunting, but Guardians, he could only guess.

Tree huts protruded from the lush greenery like mushrooms. Even though he’d only left days ago, it felt like ages had passed since he’d been home.
What will Mother think of what Weaver has become? Can we convince him to stay?

His stomach pitched as Phoenix dove for the middle of the village. They landed effortlessly, and his feet touched the ground as if he weighed no more than one of their feathers. The rest of the Guardians landed beside him. Mars’s face was green as the grass, but exhilaration lit Eri’s features, bringing out her beauty. Striver’s heart quickened.
Maybe she’ll like it here on Refuge after all?

The villagers in his tribe descended from their tree huts to meet them, carrying water pouches and fruits. Riptide ran to Riley and he embraced her, twirling her around.

At least she’s not running to me.

“Done it again, have you?” Carven came up behind him and punched him in the arm. His face had color, and he looked well rested and fed. Striver laughed, the sight of his friend calming him.

“We rescued the remaining prisoners, but no sign of the weapons,” Striver whispered under his breath, accepting a handful of nuts from a little girl.

“Still reason to celebrate. You’ve returned unharmed and made friends with the owners of that hulk in the sky. Besides, the villagers need something to lift their spirits. Ever since that ship decided to park over our turf they’ve been anxious.”

Striver murmured under his breath, “They have good reason to be.”

Carven put his arm around him and smiled. “We’ll have a feast with dancing tonight.”

Riptide’s head whirled around when Carven mentioned
dancing
. Striver avoided eye contact, guiding Carven to the woods behind them for privacy.

“Fine. But not in my honor, not again.”
Not with Weaver here.

“Okay, we’ll honor our new friends.”

“And Weaver?”

Carven shrugged. “You can try to talk to him yourself, but I don’t think he’ll join in the festivities.”

A bomb sank in Striver’s stomach. How was he ever going to convince his brother to stay on their side?

Carven clapped him on the back and turned him around to the rest of the village. “Here’s one of our new friends now.”

Eri smiled as she joined them, but her face turned serious a moment later. “Excuse me, but my teammate is very sick and needs a place to rest.”

“Of course.” Carven gestured over his head, and members of the tribe eased Litus onto a stretcher they’d carried from one of the storage huts. Striver thought she’d go with him, but Eri tugged on Carven’s arm. “I need to go through what you salvaged of our supplies. I’m hoping to find a device to help him.”

“Certainly.” Carven released Striver and offered Eri his arm. “Come with me.”

“Thank you.” She jogged to the villagers carrying Litus away. “Take care of him.”

An elder from the council nodded. “He’s in good hands.”

“Thank you.” Eri moved to leave, but she halted in midstep. She turned to Striver, and the way her eyes sparkled made him feel like he was the only man on Refuge. “See you later.” It sounded more like a promise than a statement.

“I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

Eri wiped a smudge of mud off her cheek. Her shoulders slumped with weariness, and Striver curbed the urge to comfort and embrace her. “I hope so, too.”

Striver watched Eri leave, wondering when he’d get another chance to be alone with her. There was so much he wanted to ask her, so much he still didn’t know. But his duties as leader came first. He had to tend to the villagers’ worries and his brother’s broken spirit first.

…

Eri dug through the containers, throwing out broken pieces of equipment. She’d trained in the medical bay for two days before the mission, learning how to work all of the life-saving devices. At the time she didn’t think she’d ever use the knowledge.

Cyberhell, I wish I’d paid attention
.

A small oblong device poked from the pile and she pulled it out, flipping up the lid. The screen blinked on, fluorescent green light illuminating the inside of the tree hut where they’d stashed the supplies. Words flashed by.

READY TO SCAN SUBJECT.

“Did you find it?” Carven shouted from outside. Eri wondered if he’d stayed for her own safety or to spy. At least he’d given her privacy to go through their supplies without breathing over her shoulder.

Her hands shook as she held it. It calmed her to hold a remnant of technology in such a wild, savage place. The plastic was so white, so prefect compared to her mud-caked skin. “I think so.”

She poked her head through the ferns covering the door. Riley leaned on the tree, arms crossed. He gave the device a hesitant look, reminding Eri of their distrust for technology.

“It’s meant to heal, not kill.”

“I’m sure it is.” Carven narrowed his eyes and turned before she could interpret the change in his features. “Come, I’ll take you to your friend.”

He led her across a bridge to another tree hut toward the back of the village. “We’ve segregated him from the rest of the population, just in case he’s contagious. I hope you understand.”

“Of course.”

Eri pushed aside the ferns and entered the tree hut, her sight adjusting from the bright daylight to the dimly lit room. Light trickled out of a small triangular hole in the thatched ceiling, shining on Litus’s long legs. He slumped on top of a bed, propped up by the wall at his back. His eyes were closed, and Eri’s heart sped.
I hope I’m not too late.

His chest rose and fell, and she took in a deep breath, clicking on the screen. Carven joined her, watching with skepticism in his gaze.

READY TO SCAN SUBJECT.

Eri stood above Litus and pressed her finger to the screen. A loud beep rang out.

INCOMPATIBLE SUBJECT.

What? What if it had broken during landing? Eri flipped the regenerator over. Caked mud covered the screen.
For the Guide’s sake!
She wiped the bottom on the blanket beside Litus and tried again.

The device cast a fluorescent blue light across his body.

SCANNING MODE ACTIVATED.

She held the light over his lungs, his stomach, and his lower body, waiting for readings.

“What’s it doing?” Carven whispered behind her.

Eri didn’t know exactly, but she’d listened to enough of the regenerator lectures to give him some sort of answer. “Searching for damaged cells or infection.”

The device beeped.

INCREASE IN LYMPHOCYTES DUE TO A VIRAL OR FUNGAL INFECTION. DIAGNOSIS: PNEUMONIA.

She read it out loud to Carven.

“Sounds bad,” Carven muttered.

“Not at all.” Eri clicked a few buttons on the screen and the light changed from blue to green. The device buzzed in her hands. She held the scanner steady as the light moved from Litus’s throat to his waist. “It will take a few moments.”

“To do what?”

“Kill the infection. Make him well.”

Carven jumped up and joined her at the side of Litus’s bed. “Amazing. Does that thing work for arrow wounds as well?”

“It depends on how bad it is.” Eri watched as the oxygen levels in Litus’s blood rose and the color came back to his face. “It can heal and regenerate cells, but it can’t bring people back from the dead.”

“How does it work?”

Eri shrugged.
Where to start?
She had no idea how educated these people were. They seemed to know enough about technology, so she leveled with Carven. “I’m not a doctor, but I think it has to do with the radiation waves. They enter his body and the device monitors the radiation given off as a result. Once the diagnosis is complete, the waves change the structure of the damaged cells.”

Carven’s face dropped as he stepped back. “Will it affect us?”

“No. The regenerator emits nonionizing radiation, which is considered harmless at low powers and doesn’t produce a significant temperature rise.”

Carven nodded as though he were considering her words, then he shook his head. “It still seems dangerous.”

“Not when you use it properly.”

The device clicked off and Litus stirred, taking in a deep breath. His eyes flickered and opened. Eri hovered over him, holding her breath.

“Eri?”

Her knees weakened with relief. “How do you feel?”

Litus rubbed his eyes and squinted into the dim sunlight where she stood. “Much better. Where am I? What happened?”

“You’re in one of the tree huts, segregated from the rest of the village in case you were contagious. Striver’s tribe recovered some of our supplies from the crash site. I went through the containers and found the regenerator.”

He tried to sit up, but her hand rested firmly on his chest. “You need to rest. You had pneumonia. I killed the infection with the regenerator, but the process will leave you feeling weak.”

“I know the side effects. I was at the class myself, remember?”

She pulled her hand away. As the second in command, she should concede to him. “I’m just reminding you.”

He pushed himself up and blinked, offering an apologetic smile. “Eri, thank you for all that you’ve done.” His features hardened as he looked to Carven. “I need to talk with the commander.”

Anxiety ricocheted through Eri. By saving Litus, did she condemn Striver’s village? She stared into his eyes, beseeching him. “I need to talk with you first. In private.”

Carven eyed them both and nodded his head, suspicion stirring in his gaze. “I’ll leave you two. Please join us tonight for the celebration.”

“We will.” Eri waited until Carven’s footsteps faded before speaking. “Careful what you tell the commander.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “She’s planning to annihilate these people. All she needs are numbers and a plan of attack.”

Litus’s lips tightened. “I’m only trying to do my job. What the commander does with the information is not for me to decide.”

“How can you give her information against them after all they’ve done for us?”

Litus rubbed his temples as if the argument reared a headache he wasn’t ready for. “Because I’m a team expedition leader, Eri. I believe in the Guide and the commander. She has our best interests at heart.”

“She might have our best interests, but what about the others here on Refuge?”

“Did you see what they did to our team? To Mars and me? I have to tell the commander of the dangers here, along with the people who
are
friendly. My job is to look out for those on the
Heritage
—and especially for Aquaria.”

Frustration boiled inside her. “Don’t you see? Your single-mindedness is keeping you and Aquaria apart. She doesn’t speak to you because she’s afraid she’ll say something against the Guide and you’ll turn her in.”

Litus’s eyes widened. “I’d never do that. I love her.”

The word
love
struck a resonant chord in Eri’s heart. Maybe there was hope for Litus after all. Love—something that didn’t happen all that often on the decks of the
Heritage
. And Litus felt that way about her sister. “Learn to think for yourself. A leader with a spine would impress Aquaria more than a blind follower who doggedly sticks to the Guide.”

“Are you sure?”

“Believe me. I’ve known her all my life.”

“Why didn’t you say something back at camp?”

“I tried to, but we were attacked. Now it’s even more important, not just to impress Aquaria but to do the right thing. Our actions influence a great deal of people: humans like us who have lived here for hundreds of years, along with a new species—the first alien contact humankind has ever known. Isn’t that worth fighting for?”

Litus’s shoulders slumped forward. Eri felt like she’d beaten him with a tree branch all afternoon, but she pushed the guilt away. He needed to step up if Striver and the others were to have any chance. “I have to report back,” he said. “We can’t ignore the commander forever.”

“All I’m saying is consider what you tell her, what our mission here
should
be.”