I didn’t need food. I needed answers and to get this lockdown lifted and to get the hell back to Earth. I opened my mouth, but Brace moved quickly, hands grasped either side of my biceps as he pulled me up off the floor so we were at equal eye level. As my feet dangled, I felt like a naughty five-year-old.
“Do not argue with me, Red. You’re no good to Lucy if you collapse from starvation.”
And then, with his gorgeous eyes flashing at me, and the accent-weapon assaulting me, I was no longer a five-year-old.
Josian was on his feet. It looked as if his hair was moving around his face, which wouldn’t be that odd, except there was no breeze. Brace glanced at him, but, ignoring the angry god-man, turned back to me. He was waiting for my agreement and wasn’t wavering
Rolling my eyes, I nodded. He set me down.
Lallielle stood, placing a hand on Josian to calm him. She had to do that a lot. Gods save us from stubborn, domineering, over-bearing, pompous, ass-hat ... my mental tirade continued as I alternatively scowled at the men.
“I’ll organize some food,” Lallielle said, turning to exit through the side door.
Josian was still glaring daggers at an unconcerned Brace. A tension that hadn’t previously been there filled the room.
Luckily, Lallielle was back in no time. “The girls are organizing a selection. I’m not sure what you like but you should find something to eat.”
Everyone sat again to wait. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Brace watching me while Josian continued glaring at him. Lallielle looked between all of us, a half-smile on her full lips. Finally, I decided just to stare out the window to the calm of the ocean. The testosterone was thick enough to choke on. After a few minutes I caught Lallielle’s eye and couldn’t help returning her smile. Okay, the men were pretty amusing.
A young, blond woman wearing a bright red shift dress entered through the side door. She was pushing a trolley overflowing with food.
The room remained quiet as we moved toward the delicacies. Josian angled his way behind me, cutting Brace off.
Without going into crazy detail, I’ll just say the food was out-of-this-world amazing. The variety was something I was sure I’d never get used to. Cold-cut selections and a variety of meats, along with an array of seafood. Lallielle particularly loved a strange orange bug thing. She continued to wave it at me to try. By the end I’d sampled everything.
All the meat varieties. Crackers topped with rich, creamy cheeses. Piles of pre-cut fresh fruit in every color of the rainbow.
I barely found pause to breathe I was so busy eating. I also had a little love affair going on with the sweet pink juice made from quant fruit. Like that meant anything to me. Other than a green-tinged meat, which was disgusting, I loved everything. Although I was starting to feel slightly queasy from having stuffed myself. I wasn’t used to the richness or variety of the food.
By this time, through the large front windows, the sun was setting over the ocean.
Knowing we would soon be heading back to Earth, I was ready to rid myself of one responsibility that had been weighing on me uneasily. Pushing aside my empty plate, I looked around for my backpack. I had no idea where Brace had dropped it. They were all involved in a quiet discussion, so, without disturbing anyone, I set off to search for my bag. I found both packs resting against the entrance hall.
Retrieving the stone, I walked back into the room. Everyone looked up.
“I need to give this back to you. I don’t want to be responsible for losing it again.”
I held the blue stone in front of me and for the first time noticed that it looked slightly different on First World. There were definite flashes through the blue and it was no longer one solid color. It looked as if it was transitioning through stages of blues.
Josian stood so quickly there was almost no shift from sitting to standing. He took the stone from me. At that first contact, I jumped backwards. Blue sparks lit the room.
He laughed. “Oh, I’ve missed that little jolt. I know all First Worlders think this is one of the royal stones, but in actual fact it’s not really a stone. They’re small living worlds which have their own energy and ecosystem. We call them lalunas. They were discovered by the original seven, who believed they were what collided with moonstale to create our race. Only fourteen separate lalunas were discovered.”
Lallielle and Brace looked astonished. I was wondering how I’d known there was something more when I first touched it. Was it my Walker side connecting?
“To keep them safe, the fourteen were gifted by Walkers to First World and each of its younglings.”
I watched nervously as he tossed it from hand to hand.
Lallielle’s eyes were wide. “Josian, you’ve never told me that before.”