“You mean your band of ex-cons?” Leif asked.
“I prefer to call them friends. And they are able to provide information that the security officials cannot. Perhaps they will have a clue that will lead us to Owen.”
“It’s worth trying. Plus you haven’t seen Opal in three weeks.”
Devlen grinned. “Returning home after a long absence is always a delight.”
“I hear you, brother.”
A touch of envy swirled in his chest when Devlen left the next day. Leif had been away for thirty-five long days, with no set time for his return. Reuniting with his wife, Mara, was the best part of traveling. She was always more beautiful than he remembered. Kinder, gentler, patient—perfect. She filled all the hollow spots inside him, making him a better, stronger man.
*
Esau arrived three days later. There was no mistaking that the man was Leif’s father. They shared the same broad shoulders and stocky yet muscular build. Almost twins, except wrinkles etched tracks across Esau’s forehead and laugh lines sprouted from the corners of his green eyes. His father’s complexion was also a few shades darker—closer to the color of tea without milk.
As soon as Esau dismounted, he crushed Leif in a bear hug. “So where’s this glass house?”
“Don’t you want to freshen up first?” Leif asked.
A film of dirt covered Esau’s clothes. His shoulder-length gray hair hung in greasy layers.
He waved a hand. “There’s time for that later. I’ve spent the last fifteen days just imagining this invention.”
Leif led his father to the glass structure.
Esau exclaimed over the construction as he circled it. “Amazing. Wish I thought of it. The ability to grow the jungle anywhere. Marvelous.” Then he sobered. “Too bad it was used to grow Curare.” He ducked his head. “Wish I never found that blighted vine.”
Leif suppressed a sigh over the old argument. “The good uses outweigh the bad, Father. You know that.” No matter how many examples Leif and Yelena cited of the drug helping others, their father clung to his guilt like a child clung to a security blanket.
They entered the house.
Esau paused and drew in a deep breath. “It doesn’t quite smell like the jungle. What’s that sweet odor?”
“White coal to keep it hot.”
“Genius!” Esau walked among the plants, naming them aloud.
The Curare vine with its emerald heart-shaped leaves twisted through the greenery. Underneath the bushy canopy, the Theobroma trees grew. Their thin, brownish-gray trunks blended in, along with their long oval leaves. Tiny white flowers clung to the bark. Once pollinated, these blooms would produce pods filled with beans that would be dried, fermented and roasted, transforming them into Theobroma.
“Nice to see some medicinal ones in here.” Esau crawled through the brush with his nose close to the ground.
Memories of accompanying his father on one of his jungle expeditions flashed. Hiking through the underbrush, sweating in the humid air, climbing trees, collecting samples, Leif had trailed after his indefatigable father, who questioned him on the uses and names of every bit of greenery they encountered. And Leif had done nothing but complain of being hot and tired while scratching numerous bug bites. What a brat.
Leif had his father to thank for his knowledge of healing recipes. Those teas and poultices had saved lives and helped others. But he wouldn’t tell his father that everyone called Esau’s most prized and useful discovery “wet-dog tea.”
It didn’t take Esau long to find the crossbred plants in the hothouse.
“Odd. Very odd,” Esau muttered. He broke off a leaf, sniffed the sap and nibbled on the end.
“Do you know what plants they combined? What they were trying to do?” Leif asked.
“Not yet. It’s going to take a while.”
“Then I’ll see to the horses and fetch you some food.”
“Yes...yes...fine.” Esau scratched the stem with a fingernail and peered at the wound.
Leaving his father to his investigation, Leif groomed the horses, filled their water and grain buckets and checked the tack for wear. When he returned with a tray of fruit and meats, Esau sat cross-legged in the middle of the house. He stared in shock at the branch in his hands.
Leif rushed to his side. “What’s the matter?”
“This.” His father held it up.
“What about it?”
“It’s a cross between the Curare vine and the Theobroma tree.”
It took a moment for it to sink in. “You mean—”
“These people are trying to create Theobroma-resistant Curare!”
10
YELENA
Shocked into silence, I stared at Valek’s bleeding chest. His question bounced around my mind, searching for a place to settle. The deep cut resembled a heart—one half carved by the Commander and the other by Valek, creating a symbol of his love for me. Valek had chosen me over the Commander. A warm sensation swept through my body, turning my insides to goo.