Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
Expect uninvited guests
“Gilrox, sir. We have an intruder approaching the compound.”
I was getting tired of B2’s alarmist-sounding alerts. It had the same urgency as if a team of snipers was surrounding the house, and I told myself to update its programming.
“Who is it?” I had just put on clothes I’d chosen for the festival, after spending far too long trying to decide what to wear. I’d never dressed for a social occasion before. The process was more stressful than arming for a mission.
There was a pause. “It appears to be an underdeveloped Runam female.”
“You can just say child, B2,” I said, buttoning and unbuttoning the top of my shirt. “And how can you consider a child to be an intruder?”
B2 spun, causing a different optical lens to face me. “I am instructed to alert you to all life forms approaching within a one-kilometer radius. I have done so.”
I waved a hand and got up. “What direction is she coming from?”
“Northwest,” B2 replied.
I sighed. “Is she alone?”
“If she were accompanied by another, I would have alerted you so.”
I snorted out a chuckle. It seemed my little drone had a bit of spice. I kind of liked it. It reminded me of someone else who was more frequently on my mind than I would have liked. “I’ll see to it.”
Silli climbed up my leg and crawled up to my shoulder.
Apparently, he was coming along whether I liked it or not.
I strode out of my house to find a small child standing there looking unsure of what to do next.
I recognized her as Aila, the little Runam girl I had encountered on my very first walk to the village.
I gazed down at her, taking in dirty hands and face, a furrowed brow, and what looked like tear streaks on her cheeks.
“Hello,” I said. “Can I help you?”
Her lower lip trembled. “Lost,” she said in a small voice that had a quiver to it.
I knelt down and peered into her worried eyes. “Is something wrong? Did something happen to the village?” I didn’t realize that was something I could be worried about until I asked the question. Suddenly, my own expression became intense.
She shook her head. “I followed a metal bird.” Her gaze dropped, as if she were embarrassed. “And I lost my way.” She blinked up at me. “Can you take me home?”
“Of course I can.” I filed the metal bird comment away in my mind and brought her around to the deck. She looked exhausted and anxious, so I thought to give her a moment to calm down. “Sit here for a moment. I’ll get you a quick snack and a drink before we head back. How does that sound?”
She sat down and gave a small nod. “Yes, thank you. I’m really thirsty. And hungry.”
I rose and went inside, feeling horrendously out of my depth.
I didn’t think I’d ever been alone with a youngling this small, except for the one time I had met her, but that had been outdoors, in passing.
But here she was, at my house, in distress.
Was I doing the right thing, getting her a bite to eat and a glass of water, before bringing her home?
I had no idea, but she’d been walking a long time on very small legs and she looked hot.
It didn’t seem right to have her make the trek all the way back without a little rest first. I wished there was a way I could contact Maive and let her know that the child was here and safe.
Perhaps a transmitter of some sort was in order.
That way I could know if something was happening at the village, too, and—
I wrang out a small wet cloth and retrieved a dried seaweed cake from my food storage unit. I was getting far too involved with these people. I was not here to be their babysitter. They had taken care of themselves long enough on their own.
I returned to find her looking less upset but still tense.
I handed her the wet cloth and placed the seaweed snack and a small canister of water on the table beside the chair.
She thanked me in a small voice and wiped her face and hands, then reached for the water.
She took a long sip and sighed. She looked up at me, then her gaze shifted to my shoulder, where a little furry face quietly watched.
She blinked at Silli and a small smile crossed her features. “Who is that?”
“This is my little friend, Silli,” I said, happy to divert attention elsewhere. “I found him in a bad spot a while back and he’s been with me ever since.”
Her eyes lit with interest. “Is he friendly?”
I hesitated and glanced over at my little purple companion. “He’s friendly to me,” I replied. “I don’t know if he’s friendly to anybody else.”
Apparently, that answer worked for her. She reached for the seaweed snack without looking at it and bit off a piece, never shifting her gaze from Silli.
“Can I feed him?” she asked while chewing.
I lifted my hand up to my shoulder, signaling Silli to come down my arm, which he did.
I gave him a warning look—which I’m sure he ignored—and murmured, “Be nice.” Then I slowly extended my hand, holding the creature toward her.
I hoped to the stars he didn’t bite her.
For his part, Silli looked just as curious about the girl as she was about him.
He made a gentle trilling noise and lifted his nose to sniff in her direction.
“Be very careful,” I said. “He hasn’t met very many people.”
“I will.” True to her word, she didn’t immediately try to touch him. Instead, she broke off a small piece of the seaweed snack and extended it toward him in the center of her palm. Silli made chirps of approval and took the small bit in his tiny paws with the utmost politeness.
I was irrationally proud of him. He nibbled it, wiped his face with his paws, and leaned toward the girl, who had finished the rest of her snack and was leaning toward him with a grin.
“May I pet you, little one?” she asked in a sweet, singsong voice. She reached her small fingers out slowly and gently touched the side of his face. Silli closed his eyes and leaned into her touch.
And that was pretty much that. He dropped from my hand into her lap, where he received the full treatment a small youngling could give any animal.
She scratched under his chin and his cheeks, ran her fingers over his head, and when he rolled over and presented his belly, she scratched him there, too. He was clearly in a state of bliss.
“Oh! You’re so cute,” she cooed.
I leaned back and looked on in amusement. “I hate to interrupt, but I need to take you home. Your family must be worried about you.”
Aila sighed and nodded. “Okay.” Worry clouded her expression again. “I bet they’re all searching for me.”
“Why don’t you finish your water and we’ll start walking.” I thought about taking the shuttle, but the villagers had not seen it and I didn’t want to alarm them. I could carry the child, who had to be tired. Yes, that’s what I would do.
She took another drink of water and looked down at Silli, who appeared to have no interest in going anywhere. “Can Silli come with us?” she asked.
“I suppose,” I said, rising to my feet. “Come now. You can ride on one shoulder and Silli can sit on the other.”
That appeared to delight her. She stood up with the creature cradled in her arms and handed him to me.
Silli ran up my shirt and sat on his usual shoulder, making little chirping noises toward her.
She held up her arms, and I reached down and picked her up with more care than I knew I was capable of.
She was so small, my hands spanned her entire little rib cage.
The quick beat of her heart felt like a bird’s fluttering wings. So fragile.
I almost broke into a sweat for fear that I would accidentally harm her.
The only thing I was used to being careful with was delicate computer equipment, so that’s what I imagined I was handling as I settled the small girl on my free shoulder, which was wide enough to comfortably support her like a chair.
She was delicate equipment, I told myself.
Maive would roast me on a spit if anything happened to her granddaughter. Handle accordingly.
I began to walk, not bothering to grab weapons or a knife or anything.
The last thing I needed was to show up in the Runam village armed with one of their children who had been missing.
This looked bad enough as it was. I gave B2 a hard look.
“If any Runams come here while I’m out, inform them that I am returning one of their younglings to the village. ”
“Yes, Gilrox, sir,” the drone replied.
We walked the path I had taken the last time, toward the straggly trees that would eventually turn into the forest belonging to the Runams. We had not gotten very far when I heard voices and felt the vibrations of footfalls on the ground.
I went still. Aila’s arms, which she had looped around my neck so that one hand could stay in contact with Silli, tightened.
I stopped walking to listen. Sure enough, I heard female voices, and one of them I recognized instantly. “It sounds as though your grandmother is here to collect you,” I murmured.
The tightness around my neck did not ease. “Are you okay, little one?”
“I’m going to get in trouble,” she said.
I chuckled. “I doubt it. I think they will just be happy to find you safe.” And hopefully they wouldn’t think I had abducted her.
Sure enough, Maive, Pasek, and an unknown woman came into view. The woman broke into a run at the sight of us.
I crouched down and helped Aila to the ground, where she was immediately snatched up by the woman and pulled into a tight hug. “Oh, my little blossom,” the woman said in a breathy, relieved voice. “I was so worried. I was afraid you’d gone to the ocean and—”