Epilogue The Next Steps
Elena
“Vagan!” Lukys shouts, then waits a moment. “Shelby!” he yells shortly after before lowering to my side.
We wait by the edge of a crystalline lake. Majestic mountains rise on either side of us but none of them are Lukys’s. We went the same path as before but never crossed the river, following it, instead, into the mountains.
I pull my walking stick toward me and grip it with both hands, huffing out a breath. I’m getting used to hiking but I’ve got a ways to go before I’m fit enough to endure it for hours on end. Even with the weeks of foraging, I’m only slightly fitter than I was before.
A couple minutes go by before Lukys hears the approach of another and indicates as such.
He turns toward the lake and I follow his gaze, seeing a flash of orange within it. A splash of bright blue appears behind the orange, swaying side to side in the water. A long body is revealed, ending in another burst of vivid orange.
A devilishly handsome naga rises from the water, eyeing Lukys and me with a questioning expression. His bright orange hair and face take me aback especially as it changes into a noticeable blue around his upper neck and jawline. His pitch-black eyes stare at me and I glance at Lukys, unnerved.
“Vagan,” Lukys greets.
“Lukys,” the other naga says.
I raise my hand. “Elena,” I offer as Vagan swims to the shoreline and climbs out of the lake. Lukys and I move back to give him some space as he hisses under his breath. My gaze flicks to his muscled body and I quickly look away, reminding myself he’s not naked… Nagas just don’t wear clothes…
“I wassss wondering when I would see you again,” he says with another hiss.
Lukys smirks and it makes him drop-dead gorgeous. I realize right then the alluring nature of the nagas, especially the few I’ve seen. They are all unique and wildly beautiful. Even the massive Titanoboa had eyes so blue they were enrapturing.
Vagan is something else… but so is Lukys, in his shadowy black and gray coloring. I love Lukys’s darkness and the way his body blends into the gloom. I love how he looks within the morning fog. There’s something enigmatic and beguiling about him like he’s a being from another realm. A dark fae.
Vagan is bright whereas Lukys is… not.
“It has not been that long,” Lukys says.
Vagan glances at me. “You were having trouble last time.”
“I am no longer having trouble.” Lukys straightens. “You are clearly wondering why we are here—”
“Yessss.”
“We have been under the blue veil and have sssseen its source,” Lukys offers.
“Elena was there when the beam shot into the sky. I know you have seen it. The veil is just on the other side of the river, east. We are here, not for a request, but to share with you what we know and for Elena to meet Shelby.”
Vagan sighs like he’s put out by Lukys’s words and it makes me want to laugh. It’s apparent the Blue Coral naga doesn’t want us to interrupt his peace. I try not to smile but my amusement is hard to temper. “I thought you were friends?”
Lukys startles as Vagan continues to hiss.
“Friendssss, I do not have friends,” he says.
“You do now.” I point to Lukys and myself. “He’s right, though. I was there when the beam went up and they finished charging the powercell. We do come with information even if we are intruding on your time. That’s a bonus, right?” I shoulder my pack. “I also have a gift for Shelby.”
“Since you are here, come. Shelby will be displeased if I send you away.” Vagan’s eyes narrow but then he sighs again and turns away. Lukys and I share a look before we both follow after him.
He leads us through a series of boulders along the mountain to a hidden pathway beyond.
Climbing up and over the rocks, we enter a small cave away from the lake.
I hold Lukys’s tailtip when it becomes too dark to see but after a curve, a cavern with a large opening at the top appears.
Water cascades down that same opening, gathering in a big pool at the bottom.
The water leads deeper into the space, out of sight. On either side are rocky pathways.
To my left is a large nest of furs and a series of hides draping across the space, held in place by staked poles.
To my right is one of two firepits, with the other being on the opposite side of the nest. There are fold-out tables covered in electronics, books, and gear.
Spears and various weapons, including several guns, line the walls past the drapes.
There’s a flash of blue light behind one of them, and I see movement.
Vagan leads us to the firepit closest to us and indicates for us to stay put. He disappears into the drapes behind his nest. While Lukys and I wait for him, I peer around at all of the electronics, and listen to the loud hum of the waterfall.
A woman with bright, glowing blue eyes and dark skin walks out from the drapes behind Vagan. When she sees us, she grins and claps her hands. I’m taken aback by her beauty.
“You did it!” She looks at Lukys while walking over to us. Vagan trails close behind.
“He did it?” I ask, speaking loud enough so I can be heard over the water.
Feeling immediately shy and a little jealous, I take in Shelby’s messy but badass appearance.
With long black braids and a toned body, she all but appears like a woman used to living in the wild.
Her clothes are military grade and form-fitting, revealing the muscles of her arms and legs.
She faces me, walks over, and embraces me tightly. “He got the girl!”
I’m enveloped in her body’s warmth and it reminds me of my sister. Easing into her arms, I hug her back. “He did get me.”
She pulls away and gives me a once over. “You’re young. And very pretty. I expected the pretty, but I didn’t expect the young.”
“I’m twenty-three.” I don’t feel young. In fact, I feel old. “I’ve been listening to your broadcasts when I can catch them. They’ve been really informative.”
“You have!?” She claps her hands again and turns on Vagan.
“I told you people would be listening to them. I knew it! There’re so many people here now with the loss of The Dreadnaut and there is so much information they need to know.
Nothing should be kept secret, not when it could save lives and prevent misunderstandings. ”
Vagan crosses his arms.
“You helped me understand Lukys better,” I quip.
Shelby’s smile grows. “I’m glad! Come, sit, rest. We’ll get a fire going and fish cooking on it shortly.
Sorry, fish is plenty around here but not much else and I’m afraid I haven’t been out hunting berries and apples lately.
Lukys, you coil up too. Vagan, stop hovering over me—both of you, give us women space—but join us, geez,” she shouts at them as they try to wrap their tails around our legs.
It doesn’t stop them, and before Shelby can unwind herself from her mate, he hisses and slips toward a netted bracket with fresh fish hanging off of it.
Meanwhile, Lukys places fresh wood from their pile onto the firepit. Shelby pulls out her cooking utensils as I join Lukys. I unzip my pack and grab the firestarter, using it to get the fire going.
It’s not long before we’re all settled around it, eating fish in various formats.
I try not to watch Lukys and Vagan devour theirs mostly whole, and raw, only discarding the biggest of the bones within.
I set a pot of water to boil and pull out my strainer.
“My gift to you.” I give Shelby a handled cup from my ship, filled to the brim with wild mint berry tea when it’s done.
As we finish our meals more delicately than our mates, we talk about small things, dancing around the heavier subjects that constantly want to arise.
The Dreadnaut. Its explosion.
The war.
The refugees and the countless many that are still missing.
The people that we’ve lost…
We skirt around all those subjects and I’m grateful, easing into an evening of leisure. But as twilight arrives, and the firelight’s crackles blend into the hum of the waterfall, those heavier subjects return regardless.
Shelby sets down her plate and faces Lukys and me. “So, you guys saw what’s powering that blue dome? Vagan said you were there. That you saw how it was made, how it happened.”
I shuffle forward to speak more directly to her. “It happened at the east encampment—”
“It’s still there?”
“I… Yes, it was still there when we left.” I swallow. “No one died or anything, thank god, though there was panic.” I recall Greg helping me through the gate and the people being blown forward by the wind. Me being thrown by it. Then there was the shouting…
Shelby sits back with a breath. “That’s good to know.”
“Why? Why did you think everyone died?” Lukys asks.
“The dust,” she says, like that’s the obvious answer. “We heard a loud noise and spaceships taking off. When Vagan and I got to a place where we could see past the mountains, there was that… veil covering part of the sky. But the sweet smelling dust that drifted off of it… that was something else…”
I haven’t thought much about the dust in weeks. I frown. “What do you think it was?”
“It issss one of the reasons we came to you.” Lukys leans forward, coiling his tail behind him. “To know your thoughts. I trust them.”
Shelby shakes her head. “It’s only a guess.
I don’t know for sure. Vagan and I didn’t have any nasty effects after breathing some of it in, but you guys were there…
You would have been much more exposed.” Her eyes narrow as she scans both of us.
“But you both look fine.” She glances at her mate. “I don’t know…”
“What?” I ask. “What do you think it is?” I’m beginning to feel nervous.
“Another form of Genesis-8, a solid format, released into the environment at a large scale… For what reason, I have no clue. The powercell is at its own, separate site to the research base Vagan and I were at. I was able to download and steal all of their encrypted files. The one we were at also had more to do with the creation of Genesis-8 rather than the application. Maybe since you’ve already been exposed,” she faces me and gives me a once over, “and you have it within you,” she looks at Lukys next, “neither of you were affected. But we can’t know for sure.
” She waves her hand. “It’s all speculation. ”
Genesis-8. I remember her speaking about it over the broadcasts…
I rub my arms. “Now that I’m exposed, through Lukys or this dust, what will come of it? You’re exposed too, right?”
Her frown fades into a laugh. “Yes. I’ve been very exposed.”
My face goes red as my eyes slide to Vagan’s bulge then to Lukys’s. I shake my head and pick up my tea.
She lifts her hands to the fire. “I didn’t mean to scare you earlier, if you guys are fine, then it’s probably nothing.”
“Greg, a human male we were briefly with, thinks it’s resin.”
Shelby shrugs. “He could be right. The dust could be nothing more than a side effect of turning on the powercell.”
“You could also be right. I don’t know much about Genesis-8 or this world, but I want to. I want to make it my home.”
Shelby ponders me for a moment. “Then I hope you really like eating meat and building fires.”
I smirk. “I’m getting used to it.”
“Then you’ll do great because it’s a lot of that, and hiking.”
“Yeah, I’m beginning to realize that too.” I openly groan.
Lukys’s tail coils around my ankle, squeezing it gently. “I will give you a massage later.”
Vagan lifts his chin and releases another hiss. “And I will give you a massage later as well,” he announces to Shelby.
Shelby and I both laugh.
Later as I settle in Lukys’s arms and we’re drifting off to sleep in a cavern pocketed to the main one, I rub my cheek against his chest.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” I whisper.
“You are welcome,” he murmurs sleepily. “But we will not return to the east encampment, not right now.”
I nod against him. “We’ll go to the others, then,” I agree. “It’s better to leave the veil alone until we know more about it. If this Genesis-8 is in the air, the last thing I need to do is breathe more of it in.”
Shelby says its nothing to be afraid of. In fact, it will make me stronger and live longer. It will make me immune to most sicknesses and diseases. It’s already changed me to be able to mate with a naga.
It’s only bad if too much is given or taken at one time. She’s seen the results first hand. She told me her friend Collins injected it and… mutated. I snuggle Lukys deeper and wonder about the virus in his veins, and mine.
Either way, it’s nice to have made a friend in Shelby.
She’s resourceful, intelligent, and kind—and most of all, she understands what life on Earth, with a naga, is like.
She’s also less than a half-day’s hike away.
I’ve invited her to visit my ship, to join me in having pasta, listening to music, and taking long showers with water the nagas will provide us from the river.
She can’t wait, and I’m excited to get to know her better. Someday she wants to introduce me to the other naga brides. I laughed when she said that.
Naga brides. Oh, man.
Having Shelby nearby will help fill the hole Jenna left. I miss my sister but I’m happy she’s safe and was able to leave—that she didn’t have to stay. Jenna wouldn’t like to help colonize a new world. Now that I think about it, I can barely imagine her hiking. She’d insist on wearing heels.
I listen to the thump and rhythm of Lukys’s heart as he eases into the bedding we’ve been given for the night. None of it smells like Ilubriam chocolate and that saddens me.
The world is a scary place, no matter which one is inhabited. But it’s a lot less frightening when not alone. I never had anyone like Lukys before, and now that I have him, I would miss him terribly if we were separated. We might have started in the wrong way, but we ended up where we needed to be.
Together. Rebuilding for the future. I realized with him, and when I was on The Dreadnaut, not believing Minton Volp’s lies, that I deserve to live in a place where I can be me.
Just me. With Lukys, I don’t have to be anyone else.
I don’t have to fight to be seen, or to be heard.
I don’t have to feel bad that I’m not more.
I’m just Elena. And he’s just Lukys.
It’s just… Us.
As his breaths even out and he finally falls into slumber, I sigh happily against his chest and breathe in his chocolatey, comforting scent. I take in hope. He gives me hope. Tomorrow, we’re all going to the lake and I’m receiving my first swimming lessons from Shelby.
Goodbye, Mom. Goodbye, Dad.
I have a lot to look forward to now.
I drift away in Lukys’s arms.