Page 27 of Restoring the Ngozii

My eyes drift to Tavionna’s, and I’m startled to see the sweet smile on her face as tears flow down her cheeks. Whatever she sees must be absolutely beautiful, strong enough to have her emotions boiling over into the physical. I wish I could see it, too, understand the universe the way she seems to, have a greater connection. I always feel so lost, waiting for some form of guidance, and she’s given it so directly. She sighs, finally falling out of the vision as her mates help her settle down on the edge of the brook.

“What is it, Priestess, what did you see?” Seuke asks gently as he smooths her hair and caresses her cheek. Xenshay follows his lead, rubbing her back and arm in smooth strokes to soothe her.

Tavionna’s head turns back and forth as she looks at each of them before whispering, “I saw how to fix this. I know what to do.” She stands, marching into the center of the cave with her head held high like the regal priestess she is, and my heart swells with pride for her. She’s found the confidence I’ve seen her lacking throughout this entire ordeal. She has answers to her questions now, and sometimes, that can make a massive difference.

She lifts her arms, her body beginning to glow. No, not her body, her swirling markings from her Nyanine side! The cave begins to quake, nearly knocking us off balance. Vahru grabs for me, pulling me into his side as his tail wraps around my waist to hold me steady. Kosiiba circles my other side, his head swiveling around as he watches for any threats to us. Jeff simply stays close, his knees bent as he watches around him for falling debris.

My eyes focus on Tavionna, the way her arms shake, her breath is coming in pants, her eyes squeezed shut in pain. Sweat begins to trickle down her temples, and when she huffs again, her face begins to settle. I realize what’s happening before anyone else and shove out of Vahru’s embrace, rushing forward just in time to catch Tavionna as she sways and falls into me, knocking us both to the ground.

I prop up on an elbow and smooth the hair back from her face. “Tavionna? Tavionna, are you okay?” Cupping her cheek, I give her a gentle shake, panic beginning to settle in, but it’s quickly washed away as her eyes flutter open. We’re surrounded by people as her mates and mine gather to care for us, but we pay them no mind. Her eyes settle on me, focusing slowly, before she smiles.

“Sorry, I pushed too hard. It seems it’ll take time to get used to these powers. Thank you for catching me, sister.” Her smile widens as she gives me a small wink, and I chuckle. We sit up together, Tavionna pushing up to her feet and off of my legs before extending a hand to me, which I gratefully take.

Before I release her hand, I pull her closer and whisper, “What did you see? How did you know to do that?”

Huffing out a small laugh, she leans in closer and whispers back, “The goddess showed me. I’ll remake this whole planet, yet.” She winks as she pulls back, and I can’t help but laugh as we grin conspiratorially at each other. Tavionna steps back into the arms of her mates, smiling at them as she announces that they must speak to the people. They nod and follow her lead as she heads for the door, but she pauses beside Vahru.

Kosiiba steps closer to me, his eyes narrowed slightly as he watches everything with a critical eye, but I see this for what it is and smile. Jeff’s eyes bounce between me and Tavionna, his stance relaxed as he waits beside Vahru, a steady and calm presence for him. Tavionna turns to Vahru, looking at him with openness as she politely states, “I’d love it if you’d stay for a meal and a chat.” Her tone suggests it’s a question, and when Vahru turns to me, I smile encouragingly.

She’s extending an olive branch, Vahru, take it. This is your opportunity to clear the air and grow as a family. Trust her.

His lips pinch into a thin line for a moment before he turns to Jeff, who shrugs and smirks, making Vahru roll his eyes. Turning back to Tavionna, he nods his head once. She smiles and waves for us to follow them as they head for the exit. My fingers slide between Vahru’s as we walk down the halls of the caves, his voice ringing in my mind.I hope you’re right. I trust you more than I do anyone else, but I admit I’m still skeptical of her.

I understand, but she’s your sister, Vahru, and she’s trying quite hard to make things right. To me, it’s very clear in her actions. Let her show you. One step at a time, okay?

Vahru leans over to kiss my head as we walk, and I smile at him, proud to see him taking my advice. I can’t blame him for being skeptical of my whole plan. Playing nice with the enemy can indeed get you hurt or killed, but sometimes, you have to follow your intuition, and mine was adamant that it was the right choice. Based on what Tavionna admitted to me, I’d say she’s rarely been shown true kindness that didn’t expect something in return. Now she knows what it feels like to receive kindness for no reason other than to be kind.

Stopping in the main cave room, Tavionna waves us off to the side to wait as her people gather around, even many of the sick are up and walking with their loved one. It’s a beautiful sight to see so many of them up and about.

“The illness that has plagued us is no more! We now have a cure, a way to prevent it, and I’ve been able to open up our caves and fill them with life, just as I will do for the rest of this planet, so that we may thrive! Our future is bright, just like the crystals that light our caves, and it’s all thanks to Kari and my half-brother, Vahru, and their crew.” Cheers erupt at Tavionna’s words, and I grin when she looks my way, pride and gratitude shining in her smile as she extends a hand to us. If I thought she was a beauty when she was angry and vengeful, she’s an absolute goddess when she’s happy.

“Aren’t they amazing, self-less heroes!? Because of their efforts, the kindness that they showed us despite my anger and vengeance, I have decided that it’s time for more love and positivity in our lives. So I willnotbe taking us to war against them. We willnotbe going after my father. It’s time I do right by you and their people, so before dawn, we will have the pyre and sending off of the man we lost to this illness. Going forward, things will be better, I will make sure it happens, that’s a promise.”

Louder than before, cheers erupt from the gathering before us, and I chuckle. Tavionna bows deeply to her people before turning and waving us to follow once more. Xenshay follows her while Seuke stays back, barking an order to other warriors before following us out. He steps close to me, his fingers tapping my arm. I slow to his side and glance up at him. He’s a handsome-looking guy with his square, chiseled jaw and short hair, his eyes soft despite the piercing color.

“I wanted to thank you personally for helping Tavi. I know she was a terror to your chief, but you’ve really given her a new outlook, and I’m very proud of this change. I do hope you’ll give her a chance to be a worthy ally in your life.”

I take a deep breath and pause, letting the others get out of hearing range before I look up at him once more. “Seuke, is it?” He nods once, so I continue on. “It’s not really me you’ll have to hope is convinced by her changes. I’m proud of Tavi and would gladly call her sister. Vahru is struggling to let go of what she did. She poisoned Criido, nearly killing him if not for Vahru’s antidote. I’m doing what I can, but things may be tense for a while.”

He nods in understanding before leading me out to meet the others. When we exit the cave, we find that Tavi’s warriors are putting the final touches on a table with snacks and drinks, chairs all around for each of us.

My eyes roam around us at all the glowing plants, a few insects lighting up intermittently like fireflies around us. The moon above is enormous and lights the planet like a lamp on in a bedroom. It’s a gentle light but definitely more than enough to see by. Tavionna bows to a burnt pile before turning and seating herself at the table, Seuke beside her as Xenshay sits on the end of the table.

“That was Nafeesa’s pyre the night before, and it will be the location of the pyre tonight,” Tavi explains as we all sit across from her, me settling between Vahru and Kosiiba, Jeff on the end.

Vahru clears his throat. “We’ll return the body as soon as we’re done here. My colleague is stitching him up and making him presentable before his return so he’s been well-respected.” He pauses as she nods with a smile of thanks. “I know it wasn’t easy to trust me with that, but I do appreciate it. Thanks to him, we were able to find the problem much faster.”

“I appreciate you being forthright with me. I know I wasn’t easy to communicate with, being hysterical and all, but the honesty was appreciated. I’m forever in debt to you all for the work you did here today.” She extends her hands over the table, suggesting we dig in, as she reaches for her own glass and sips it. Xenshay fills her a plate before making his own, Vahru doing the same to me, causing us girls to chuckle before thanking them.

“I’d also like to apologize for the strenuous circumstances with which you ended up here. It’s entirely my fault, I know that, but I’ve also realized that my mother was… well… terrible. She filled me with contempt and hatred for things that should not have been a problem. I was more angry at myself than at Criido, and I took it out on the wrong person. If you’d allow, I’d like for us to at least attempt to build a relationship. I’ve never had a sibling, and I’d like to get to know my father, truly, and understand the other side of my heritage.” Tavionna’s voice is small, unsure, as her eyes bounce between us.

There’s a long silence as Vahru stares at her, his gaze penetrating and unreadable. I place a hand on his thigh in comfort as I reach across and place a hand on Tavi’s. She smiles gently at me, and I decide to break that silence with something else. Building a relationship will take time, but if we have common ground to meet around, it could help foster that.

“I have a way you could help me in return, if you’re interested. Your world is closed off now, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. You see, I’ve been working with some teens who’ve been rescuing slaved kids, and many of them have nowhere to go. You could open your home to them, become a sanctuary for homeless slaved children. Give them a safe place to grow up and make a new life for themselves. If you want, I could get you a communicator and in touch with the people running it. You’d be doing the universe a favor, really.”

I watch in silence as Tavi glances between her mates, a silent conversation happening, before her gaze settles on me, and a bright smile fills her face, her purple eyes twinkling. “I’d absolutely love to help! Perhaps in helping them heal, I’ll find a way to heal myself as well. I know what it’s like to be an outcast child with nowhere to turn. Now I can change that and do something good.”

We sit and eat for a while, chatting about the logistics of her opening up for these kids, her plans to expand the life on the planet and make it more habitable. As dawn draws near, we have to return the body to his home, and as Vahru and Jeff head through the portal to get him from the lab, Tavionna stops me, pulling me back to her.

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