Page 28 of Interlude

Lila

We beam down with the fourth group, and as soon as I hit the planet’s surface, I shove my hands into the dirt, soaking up all the energy around me. As I absorb the energy from the ground, I take in the scenery. A large field of bushes stretches out in front of us, but there’s an eerie sort of atmosphere and no sound—no leaves rustle in the breeze, and no insects or birds chirp. Surrounding us in a large circle is a green haze of magic that must be the protective dome we need to stay within.

“Ah, Lila. Better stop that,” Xavier hisses out of the side of his mouth, and when I look around, I discover the plants next to me—big, dark green bushes that probably stand at normal head height for me, with bright orange strawberry-sized fruit on them—are drooping, and the fruit looks a little desiccated.

“Shit!” I yank my hands out of the soil, and the earth closes back up. I look around to see if anyone noticed. Oak and Elm are distracted handing out baskets, but the hooded being is looking directly at me.

I brush the dirt off my hands and move into the crowd as Brannock and Xavier get their baskets. I gaze at the field. It’s more of an orchard than a field, the bushes almost tall enough to classify as trees. People are spread out, collecting the fruit, but on the edge of the field, I see a bunch of small creatures watching us. I walk closer, eyeing the hazy green circle we are encased by. I’m assuming that’s the limit of the being’s magic. Out of the corner of my eye, I see him tracking me just like I’m keeping an eye on where he is at all times.

My attention turns to the creatures, and a small smile crosses my lips. They are tiny balls of fluff, a little like a Furby toy I had when I was smaller crossed with a Pomeranian, and I have no idea how they protect themselves, because they are bright yellow, blue, and pink. I squat down to take a closer look, and one of them lunges at me, their teeth bared, followed by five more. I scream and scramble backward as they hit the magic barrier and disintegrate. Holy fuck, they had teeth like a piranha, and I have no doubt they would have eaten my face off. I gasp for air as I try to settle my heart rate. The rest of the creatures move with agitation, like they really want to have a go at me.

“You shouldn’t stir up the creatures,” a quiet voice says from behind me, and when I look up from the ground, I freeze. The hooded being is standing over me. He’s so close, I feel him brush against my wings, and a little shiver flows over me. He isn’t looking at me, but at the swarming creatures, yet I still can’t see within the darkness of his hood. Instead, my gaze drifts down his form, and I notice that the cape bulges in the back like he has a giant hump. Maybe he’s deformed, and that’s why he keeps himself covered. I feel a pang of sympathy for the creature. Suddenly, the bulge wiggles like he has a bunch of ferrets under the cloak, and they are excited to see me. I gasp in surprise, but slap my hand over my mouth, hoping he didn’t hear it.

“Shoo.” He waves a hand at the creatures, and I almost snort with amusement.

“Pretty sure that’s not going to work, dude,” I tell him, but as my gaze returns to the swarm of terrifyingly cute creatures, my mouth drops open. They turn around and disappear into the jungle that surrounds the field of halla bushes. Whoa, he really does have a way with the creatures here. Maybe he’s a whisperer of some sort like me. I guess that wouldn’t be too far-fetched.

“I am not deformed.”

“Huh?” I shake my head and turn my attention to his words. Oh fuck, did I say that out loud?

“No, you didn’t, young Elementi, but I heard it anyway. Come along, you do not want to get caught outside of my magic barrier. I do not make exceptions, even for one such as yourself.” His words are a gentle reminder of the danger I just witnessed, but I feel safe and secure in the knowledge that he is protecting us. It’s a weird kind of sensation, and I don’t know how I feel about it or why I’m feeling that way. I thought I would be scared of him, but he radiates an aura that feels like an old friend.

He moves away, and I catch sight of a foot underneath the robe. It looked like a pale humanoid foot, but with claws for nails. I try to peer into the robes, but they sweep together before I can see anything else. Damn it, if he doesn’t reveal himself, then how am I going to mimic him?

I think about what he just said and slam up barriers inside my brain. Holy fuck, he can read my mind. I’m still panicking when Brannock and Xavier find me, both carrying baskets bigger than my current form.

“Are you okay?” Xavier asks, holding out a hand to help me to my feet. I take it but use my wings to launch myself into the air.

“He can read minds,” I hiss at him, and he looks around.

“Who?” he asks, and when I look around, I discover the being is now on the other side of the magic barrier. I don’t know how he got there so quickly.

“Him.” I nod in his direction, and both men turn to look.

“How do you know?” Brannock asks.

“He basically told me when he was over here.”

“You spoke to him?” Xavier gapes at me in shock. “I was just having a conversation with one of the other harvesters Dopnoo is friendly with, and apparently, he never talks or interacts with anyone, and he’s done three harvests.”

Brannock nods. “Yes, I asked a few of the others as well, and they all said the same thing. He doesn’t talk, and he never removes his cape.”

“Well, we are going to have to come up with a plan, because I can’t mimic what I can’t see,” I tell them, not to mention not knowing is driving me crazy. I just need to see what’s under the hood now.

“Okay, but for now, we’re starting to draw attention, so let’s do the job while we try to come up with a plan.” Brannock points at the basket in his hand. “We have to fill five of these today, or we’ll be punished. The punishment will be bad. The beings I talked to were terrified of not getting their quota.”

“Well, that fucking cattle prod didn’t look like my idea of a good time either, so let’s go.” I bounce up and down in the air in agitation, not wanting to know whether this tiny form can take a hit from the stick or fry me like a lightning bug in a bug zapper.

“Okay, let’s split up and try and gather as much info as we can while we work,” Xavier suggests, and with a wave, he wobbles off toward another group of harvesters and starts picking the fruit bushes. I follow Brannock in the opposite direction, and we find a tree that hasn’t been harvested yet and get started. The fruit is almost as big as my hand in this form, and it’s quite easy for me to pick, but it means I can only do two at a time before having to place them in the basket. I fly down, but I underestimate how delicate the fruit is, and I squish one of them in my grip. The fruit bursts, sending a spray of orange juice all over me. I freeze, hovering in the air, my body dripping. Holy crap, that was a lot of juice in a relatively small fruit. I hear a snort of amusement, and when I look up, I discover it isn’t Brannock. He hasn’t even noticed what happened, busy yanking the fruit from the bushes and filling our basket. He doesn’t seem to have any trouble handling it.

I look around to see who is laughing at me and discover that once again, the hooded being’s attention is on me. This isn’t good.

“Handle them with care, little one. The juice will become uncomfortable if you end up wearing too much of it, and you will be that much more attractive to the flupkups.” His warning is soft and caresses me like a hug, and I feel his concern for my safety.

Although I’m a little worried I have this being’s attention, I’m also curious and can’t help myself. “Flupkups?”

“The creatures from before. They are addicted to the halla fruit. It’s what makes them so aggressive. You just became an even more tasty snack for them… and me.” He mutters the last bit, but I must have heard wrong. He can’t have said what I think he said.

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