Page 12 of Willow and the Wraith

“It’s okay, Grandfather,” Sooni interrupted, her voice confident. “He’s not a bad male. We’ll be all right.”

Willow glanced at the little girl, surprised by her certainty. Sooni grinned up at her, yellow eyes sparkling.

“I’m going to look around,” she announced, slipping off the bunk.

“Sooni, wait-” Malacar called, but she’d already darted out of the cell.

He struggled to stand, then gave up, giving her a worried look.

“I know this isn’t ideal,” she said softly. “And I’m sorry he did that to you. But I think Sooni’s right. I feel like we’re safer with him than we were before.”

The words surprised her as she spoke them, but they felt true. Despite Wraith’s cold demeanor and questionable methods, something about him made her feel protected.

Malacar studied her face, then sighed.

“I hope you’re both right, child. For all our sakes.”

The elderly alien’s shoulders slumped, weariness etched into every line of his face, and her heart ached for him.

“I’m sorry you had to leave your home,” she said softly.

He gave her a surprised look, then nodded.

“It is… difficult. We Ssst form deep attachments to our homes, even if that home is an abandoned space station. It’s not in our nature to wander.”

She nodded, silently encouraging him to continue. He looked down at his hands, then sighed.

“It took something truly drastic to make me leave our planet. After my daughter – Sooni’s mother – died, I discovered her father’s plans for the child. He intended to use her as a pawn in a political alliance. I couldn’t allow it.”

His voice caught, and she instinctively reached out, placing a comforting hand on his arm. He patted it gently before continuing.

“So I fled with Sooni. We ended up on the space station by accident, but we made a new home there. It wasn’t much, but it was ours. And it wasn’t a bad life until the slavers came. But even then, I… I didn’t want to leave.”

He fell silent for a moment, his gaze distant. When he spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper.

“But I think perhaps it was time. Sooni deserves a better life.”

A lump formed in her throat.

“You’ve sacrificed so much for her,” she said softly.

No one had ever been willing to sacrifice as much for her. She quickly pushed that thought aside as Malacar looked up. The sorrow on his face finally lifted, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

“As any loving grandparent would. And now, it seems, we embark on a new journey.”

“We certainly do. I just hope it leads us somewhere safe. And now I think I’d better check on Sooni.”

“Thank you,” he said, catching her hand as she rose to her feet. “You are very good with her.”

The unexpected praise made her chest ache but she smiled at him.

“She’s a wonderful child. I’ll be back to check on you soon.”

As she left the cell and turned down the narrow corridor, she heard Sooni’s voice, bright and cheerful. Following the sound to the front of the ship, she found herself at the entrance to the cockpit. It was as utilitarian as the rest of the ship with a dizzying array of controls beneath a wide viewscreen.

There were two seats and the little girl was settled in the co-pilot’s seat, chatting cheerfully with an expressionless Wraith. To her surprise, he didn’t seem perturbed by the girl’s presence. Although he remained focused on controls in front of him, he occasionally nodded or gave a clipped response to Sooni’s excited observations.

As if he sensed her presence, he glanced back over his shoulder at her. There was an intensity in those dark purple eyes that was oddly thrilling. His eyes didn’t glow as they had on the station, and she wondered if he could somehow control it.

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