The black X is bent and twisted from the fire’s heat. We moved it out here into the open, where it serves as a monument to the people and Springers who died in that fire.
“Hello, Kevin,” I say. “I’m sorry I didn’t make it yesterday. Or the day before. Kalle and Walezak got into a fight. Kalle is working to see if there’s a way to get our Bello back. She might be in there, somehow—just like you were. Walezak says it’s a sin, and that Grownup Bello’s wisdom and experience are too valuable to lose. Something like that. Anyway, they got into a fistfight, if you can believe it. Oh, and I had to check on the first crops. I told you they found corn seeds in the food warehouse, right?”
Kevin doesn’t answer, of course. He never does. His bones are buried here along with his progenitor’s, Coyotl’s, Old Bishop’s and those of the other Grownups who died in the Observatory battle. I wonder if they, too, listen to me when I talk.
“I can’t stay long today,” I say. “Spingate sent for me, said she found something really important. She wanted Borjigin and Barkah, too. I’ll come back and tell you what it is as soon as I can, okay?”
Kevin doesn’t answer.
“Spin is really close to having the baby,” I say. “Smith says it could be any day now. Hard to believe how much time has passed since Gaston told everyone she was pregnant. He said if it’s a boy, they will name it after you. Isn’t that nice?”
Kevin doesn’t answer.
I reach out, lay one hand on the twisted black metal. It’s hot from baking in the sun. The first few times I did this, it made me cry, but I don’t cry anymore.
Not every time, anyway.
“I miss you,” I whisper. “I miss you so much.”
Muller softly clears his throat, reminding me I’m already late.
I turn away from the X, scale the spider and stand next to the young circle-star. He hands me my spear, then urges the spider on without saying a word.
Since the standoff in the clearing, Muller has become my driver and assistant, of sorts. Bishop calls him my “bodyguard.” Muller is taller than me now. He’s our best marksman, and I’ve seen him training with knife, hatchet and fists. His lanky frame belies his ability as a gifted, deadly fighter. I hate to think I actually need a bodyguard, but I know I do—as the leader of my people, I’m a target for the Springers that want to drive us out. We still can’t fully trust them. Perhaps we’ll never be able to.
And then there is the constant fear that Matilda and the Grownups will return. For all we know, they’re here already. Gaston thinks they could fly a ship to the far side of Omeyocan and land without us knowing. The thought is terrifying, but also galvanizing: Barkah and the Springers understand the Grownups are the ones that savaged their race for generations—not us. If Grownups attack, they will be met with unified resistance. While our problems with the Springers are many, having a common enemy outweighs them all.
Muller drives the spider to the Observatory. Once again, he lowers the war machine’s belly to the ground.
“Shall I escort you in, Em?”
I’m sure he wants to protect me, but there is another reason he’d like to come inside.
“I can make it on my own, thank you. You don’t mind staying out here, do you?”
He looks crestfallen. Like most of the circle-stars, Muller can’t hide his emotions. It’s so easy to tease him.
“Oh, wait,” I say. “I’m seeing Spingate, and Zubiri might be with her. Zubiri isn’t the real reason you want to go with me, is it?”
He shakes his head. “No! I’m supposed to stay with you is all, honest! Bishop told me to—”
I can’t help but laugh at him. “It’s all right, you can come.”
It’s funny when I think about it, but in a way, Aramovsky got his wish. Part of it, anyway. He wanted us all to live in the Observatory. Turns out, that was an excellent idea.
In the days following the battle, we were unsure of Barkah’s intentions as the new Springer leader. We couldn’t stay in the shuttle anymore, as it was too crowded, but we also needed a place that was defendable. We’re still outnumbered at least a thousand to one, something I can’t ignore. Barkah can’t possibly control all of his kind. The Observatory gives us the space we need, and has only a few entrances, which we can seal up tight.
Borjigin’s progenitor was trained to manage buildings, guide construction and repair, do all the things needed to make a city operate. Our Borjigin discovered the Observatory has lights, clean running water, temperature control—everything we need.