Chapter 1 #3
Mekos was standing at the bottom, seeming to be waiting for her. “I hoped you’d come.” He reached up and caught her, set her
on the ground, then looked at her in surprise. “You don’t weigh very much. You—”
There was a rustle near them. Mekos took her hand and they ran down a narrow trail that had probably been made by animals.
Minutes later, he said, “We’re almost there.”
“I hope so,” she murmured, her voice a bit shaky.
He stopped and turned to her. “Is something frightening you?”
“Of course not.” She kept her shoulders back.
He seemed to be studying her as though trying to figure out the problem. “Is it this trail that’s so far from people?” When
she just looked at him, he began to walk backward and said, “You needn’t worry. I can smell things. It’s something I inherited
from my grandfather. According to my mother, he was pure fox, a big, beautiful creature. I can assure you that only rabbits
have been on this trail in the last two days. No bears of any kind have been here. If there is anything dangerous near us,
I can smell it, hear it, and see it.” He smiled at her. “You are safe with me.”
“But they can smell, hear, and see just as well as you can.”
Mekos laughed. “True, but none of them can soar. If something shows up, I’ll take you up into the trees.”
“Like your father did,” she said dreamily.
Mekos looked shocked. “My father soared with you?”
“Yes. At the dance years ago. He whirled me about the floor. It was pure heaven.” He was blinking at her. “You were there.
After the swan show? King Aramus?”
“Oh yes! That was you? I saw you two but I was so hungry! The food was wonderful. Salty little meat pies, fruit I’d never
seen before. And cider!” Abruptly, he stopped and held out his arm. “We are here.”
Turning, she saw the waterfall. The path had led them downward, making the lava wall that surrounded the Lair very tall. The
water cascaded from the top and rushed down to the bottom. It was beautiful!
“I hear slow-moving water so there must be a river nearby,” Mekos said. “Let’s go—” He broke off at what they both saw.
Halfway up the waterfall, emerged a human head with dark hair.
“It’s Papá,” Mekos said and took a step forward. But then he halted.
Tanek came out of the water, his back to them. He was shirtless, with his curved wing ridges exposed. When his waist came
into view, they saw two bare legs clasped about him. He was nude and Kaley, also bare, was wrapped around him.
“We should go,” Aradella whispered, but neither of them moved. They didn’t even blink.
Tanek and Kaley soared up the waterfall, joined as man and woman. At the top, just below land, they disappeared inside the
water.
Aradella and Mekos stayed frozen, watching and waiting, but the couple didn’t emerge.
Mekos took a breath. “There must be a cave. They like caves.”
“Do they?” Aradella asked, her eyebrows so high they nearly disappeared into her hairline.
“I guess we shouldn’t get any closer.”
“Could be dangerous,” Aradella said, but she meant “embarrassing.”
“Very.” They followed the path that led away from the waterfall.
It was an awkward silence between them and Aradella wanted to break it—and get rid of the unsettling images in her mind. “What
can you see or hear or smell now?”
Again, he walked backward, seeming to be grateful for a change of subject. “There are two red birds nesting in that tree.
They’re watching us.”
“Do you mean the tree with the purple flowers? The Jacaranda mimosifolia?”
He stopped. “My grandfather has one of those trees. He brought seeds back from his trip to Earth. How do you know that tree?”
She was afraid to tell him the whole truth. “I have some Earth books.”
He stared at her. “Who gave you those books?”
“I’m a princess,” she said. “I receive many gifts.” She started walking but he wouldn’t let her pass. After several of his
back-and-forth steps blocking her, she sighed. “Your father sends me books, and a man named Jobi does. He—”
“I know Jobi well. He trained me with a sword.” Mekos picked up a long stick off the ground and made movements like a sword
fight.
Aradella grabbed another stick. “Like this?” She lunged toward him and countered his thrusts. She was as fast as he was and
as accurate.
He was staring at her in astonishment. “Where did you—?” he began but then stopped. “Someone is near.” He held his hand out
to her and they ran down the narrow path.
When they reached a tall tree, Mekos opened his arms to her.
It took her a moment to know what he meant. “The dance,” she said and he nodded. She went to him, he pulled her close, and they floated upward. He stopped at a tree branch and let go of her to sit down. He went to a branch across from her.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, then Mekos relaxed and leaned back. “It’s gone. I don’t know what it was. I’ve never
smelled it before.” He looked at her. “Who trained you with a sword?”
She hesitated. “Hale, my guard.”
“Who knows that you can do that?”
“Just Hale and me.” Her lips were tight as though refusing to tell more.
“I’m not royal but I do know about loyalty. I won’t betray anything you tell me. To prove it, I’ll share a secret about me.
I’ve not even told my father this.” He paused. “I am the Reaver.”
“The Reaver? Ah yes, the menace jumping about on rooftops. The Head of Government was quite annoyed. You stole from her.”
“I did,” Mekos said proudly. “I gave the credits to the farmers and I unlocked a steel door so they could get seeds.”
“So I heard,” she said. “Hale told me some gossip. Everyone assumed the Reaver was female, but then the Reaver kissed a girl,
and she . . .” Aradella rubbed her hand over her chin. “She found out that he had whiskers.”
“Oh?” Mekos said. “She told that? I thought it was between just us.” He changed to a faraway look. “It was a wonderful kiss.
The best I’ve ever—” He caught himself. “I mean, it was all right, but I’ve been with many women.”
“I’m sure your father has, but then he’s a truly gorgeous man. All women want him.”
“He can’t see as well as I can or hear. Or smell things.” He sniffed the air. “You had eggs this morning, and—” He stopped.
“You’re right. I’m no competition for my father.” He jumped down from the tree, his feet landing lightly, and held up his
arms to her. “Jump and I’ll catch you.”
Aradella hesitated only a second, then she fell forward. He easily caught her and set her down.
“Let’s follow this path and see where it leads. Maybe there’s another waterfall.”
“One that’s not occupied,” she said.
Laughing, they ran ahead.
When they heard the gurgle of water, Mekos parted the bushes so they could go through. As soon as he reached a clear area
and looked ahead, he stopped. “We should go back.”
His tone made Aradella push past him to see what was stopping him.
In front of them, there was a wide stream with crystal clear water. On the far side, lying on the ground, was Tanek. He was
partially hidden by plants, but they could see that his upper half was bare.
Kaley, wearing Tanek’s shirt that hung halfway down her thighs stepped out of the bushes. She was holding what looked like
a glass of red wine.
Mekos and Aradella were about to turn away when they saw Kaley pour the wine onto Tanek’s bare chest.
“They’ve had an argument,” Aradella said and looked away.
“No,” Mekos said in an odd voice. “They have not.”
Aradella looked back. Kaley had dropped to her knees and was licking the wine off Tanek’s chest. “Oh,” Aradella said. “That’s . . .”
Mekos took her hand and tightened his grip until it hurt, but she didn’t protest.
When Kaley’s mouth moved down to below Tanek’s navel, Mekos and Aradella hastily and awkwardly hurried back into the bushes.
“We should go the other way.”
“Yes,” Aradella agreed. “Do you think people are looking for us?”
“I’ve heard voices but not many and not close. We’re only here for a few days so maybe they’re giving us peace. I smell fruit. Let’s find it.” He hurried down another path, this one more narrow than the other one. They didn’t say so but they didn’t want to encounter his father and Kaley again.
They found a tall tree filled with little red rambutan hanging in clusters. Aradella watched as Mekos lifted himself off the
ground and tossed down a pile of the fruit. She tried to split the little bulbs with their soft spines with her thumbnail.
Mekos pulled a knife out of his boot and handed it to her. She slit the skin, removed the translucent fruit, and showed him
how to eat it around the seed. He smiled warmly at her.
They sat side by side under the pretty tree, eating and listening to the sounds around them. Mekos could pinpoint where every
critter was, even the big beetle that was lumbering through the grass.
Suddenly, he moved faster than she’d ever seen anyone move. In one swift action, he pushed her to the ground and rolled on
top of her. When she started to protest, he put his hand over her mouth.
With his other hand, he pushed back his hair and she saw his pointed ears twitch, then stop. They seemed to home in on a sound.
He was lying fully on top of her, his body tense, as though he was preparing to leap up. His face was a study in concentration
as he listened. His breath was so slow, his body didn’t move.
Aradella heard nothing. She just looked up at Mekos, his face inches from hers, his hand still on the bottom half of her face.
After minutes, his body went limp—but he didn’t get off of her. “I think it was Bear Boy. This is my fault! I wasn’t paying
attention and he got too close.”
Aradella’s heart was beating hard. When Hale had explained to her about men and women and procreation, Aradella said it sounded
awful. “The man is larger. He’ll crush you.” Hale had smiled. “No, he doesn’t,” she said, her eyes seeming faraway. “Not heavy.”
With Mekos on top of her, Aradella understood. He didn’t feel heavy at all.
He was looking at her face. “Your lashes and brows are dark near your skin, but lighter at the top.”