Page 15 of Into Orbit
‘You use the Pods to move between places,’ Maeve said, her eyes widening with understanding. ‘So this is what – like a space station?’
I didn’t know what that was, but Willow nodded. ‘Exactly,’ he said, sounding pleased. ‘Only for travel.’
‘It doesn’t seem like much of a battleship, though.’ Maeve touched the glass wall wonderingly, then jumped back when it opaqued, blocking the view and most of the light.
‘That’s because it isn’t,’ I said, waving my hand near the glass so it went transparent once more. ‘The aim of a peacekeeping vessel is toavoidconflict, provide a neutral place where warring parties may come aboard for negotiation. Our captains might be commanders, but my mother trained in negotiation for as long as she did military strategy. If we see conflict, it’s the armed Pods and the gunships that fly into battle.’ Maeve leaned on the glass, looking rather pale. ‘You’re safe on board,’ I added, frowning.
‘I just –’ she said, and stumbled. ‘I just –’
The whites of her eyes flashed as she crumpled to the floor.
‘Oh, green gods,’ I gasped, rushing to her side. ‘Willow! We broke the human!’
WhenIcouldn’tfindthe pulse along the sides of Maeve’s spines, I realised that I was out of my depth.
She moaned softly; relief coursed through me at the sound. If she was in pain, she was alive. I manoeuvred her gently onto her back, brushing her hair from her face and ignoring the thrill running over my skin at every tiny touch. ‘Apparently, the human body is mostly water,’ I said to the Hamadryad. ‘Perhaps that is what she needs. Would you get some, Lady?’
Elswyth wrinkled her nose at her title, but rushed to the ice machine for a cup as I unstrapped my emergency kit from my thigh and found my hand scanner and my screen. We were still close enough to Earth to easily access its systems, and I’d managed to find quite a lot of medical knowledge in the swift search I’d done. Against Tirian parameters, Maeve needed nourishment; as I took a tiny sample of blood – my eyebrows rising when I saw it wasred, not green – and compared it to ideal human levels, it seemed that herblood sugarwas low, amounting to the same thing.
I looked up at Elswyth. ‘What do humans eat?’
She stared at me, the cup tipping dangerously. ‘Oh, green gods,’ she muttered. ‘I’ve made a mess of this, haven’t I? I don’t even know how to feed her.’ She inhaled, closing her eyes. ‘Maeve offered me food when I found her. She didn’t say what it was, but it smelled like white tubers when they’re fried in berry-nut oil.’
‘Right.’ I nodded at the food generator. ‘We’ll start there. Can you get her some, Lady?’
‘Only if you stop calling me that,’ she grumbled.
I gathered the stirring human in my arms, taking the cup of water and holding it to her lips. ‘I’ll think about it.’
Elswyth’s lips twitched before she turned away, hitting some buttons on the generator.
There was no way in the worlds I’d stop calling her that.
My mother had been an Illisae healer, but my fathers were all Tirian, and they’d raised me with a healthy respect for the Hamadryad. Simply being in Elswyth’s presence made all their lessons flood back.The Hamadryad are the green gods’ chosen. The Hamadryad are the heart of our species. The Hamadryad are to be revered, respected.
And should one choose you, Willow, never,evergive her a reason to let you go.
The last piece of advice had never seemed likely, so I’d settled with remembering the others. Elswyth had never needed me professionally, though I’d studied what little information was available about the Hamadryad before applying for a post in the peacekeeping fleet. This was the longest I’d ever been in her presence, even if I felt I knew her from another source entirely.
I stretched my fingers out to stop them trembling.
‘Smells good,’ Maeve croaked.
I exhaled, trying to ignore the silky drape of her hair over my arm. ‘Can you sit by yourself?’
Maeve pushed herself from my arms with surprising speed. Humans – or this human, at least – were more resilient than I’d expected.
‘Fuck,’ she said, wincing. ‘What was that?’
‘You fainted,’ I said, forcing down the disappointment at the distance now between us. It was a biological response; I was peak Tirian bonding age, and my hormones were craving the multiple bonds that formed a Tirian family. Maeve might not have been Tirian, but she’d certainly made my instincts sit up and take notice; my body began to ache with interest. Coupled with the presence of the Hamadryad, being in the room was a heady experience.
I gritted my teeth and tried not to think about it.
Maeve snorted. ‘I don’t faint. I’veneverfainted. The last time I passed out was when I discovered tequila.’
‘You’ve never met another species and travelled through space before today, either,’ Elswyth pointed out reasonably. ‘Do you know what usually happens to humans in that situation?’
Maeve blinked at her, then bared her teeth in a grin. ‘Touché.’
