Page 67 of Into Orbit
‘My Captain often makes choices for reasons that are not immediately apparent,’ I said. ‘We come to understand in time. She has all the information, after all, and we see only part of the picture.’
‘All the Prince can see is the body part he’s thinking with,’ Vesper muttered. ‘Also very probably not enormous.’
‘Thank you, Vesper,’ Anna said tartly. ‘You seem to have a lot of strong opinions about the Prince’s body parts.’
I bit my lip.
‘Do you have a family, Willow?’ Anna smoothed her blankets. ‘A partner? Children –younglings?’
I shook my head. ‘No younglings,’ I said, unable to keep the yearning from my voice. I had always wanted to be a father. During one of our sessions in my lab, Maeve had told me – in no uncertain terms – that while she liked children, she had no intention of – in her words –putting myself through that kind of physical, emotional, and mental strain, which I supposed was fair enough. Elswyth, on the other hand, unconsciously brushed her hand over her stomach every time she saw a twiglet, her lips curling up at the sight of their chubby limbs and tiny features.
I let myself imagine it for a moment: Elswyth, her belly curved and full, spending time in the Forest under Maeve’s watchful gaze and Ashton’s protective glower. He’d be unbearable, I knew; no one would get within ten paces of Elswyth if she fell pregnant, regardless of who the father was.
Anna smiled. ‘But you want them.’ She glanced at the glass. ‘I do, too,’ she whispered. ‘But I don’t want to beforced. I want to have them with someone I love.’
I took her hand and squeezed it. ‘That is preferable.’
‘Do you have someone?’ she said wistfully. ‘Someone you love?’
I studied her for a moment, then opted for the truth – well, part of it, anyway. The Roth might have known which ship I came from, but there was no way I’d give them the names of those I cared about most. ‘I have two someones. Maybe even three.’
‘Three?Gosh. That’s a lot of personality to keep track of. Most humans can’t cope with one.’ Her eyes darted towards Vesper, who sniffed and looked away.
‘Mosthumans seem like fools,’ he muttered.
‘Four is a small family for Tirians,’ I said, ignoring him. ‘Most families are seven or more.’
‘Family?’
I tried to think of what Maeve called it. ‘A … A harem, I think? A female’s group of lovers.’
She laughed nervously. ‘Goodness. Lucky female.’ She sobered. ‘Wait. Does that mean that your someones, your …family… are waiting somewhere, wondering where you’ve gone? Are they worrying about you?’
I looked away. ‘I hope they are.’ I bit my lip. ‘Yes. Yes, I think they will be worrying.’
She muttered something under her breath, then started to push herself from the bed.
‘Anna?’ I said, alarmed. ‘What are you doing?’
She struggled to her feet, then moved to thump on the cell glass with her fist. I followed her, arms out to catch her if she fell. ‘Tall, dark, and looming!’ she shouted weakly. ‘I want to talk to you!’
The glass immediately cleared, revealing the same huge Roth. ‘You should be resting,’ he said gruffly.
‘Shouldn’t you be flying this ship?’ the starling muttered behind us.
‘Willow needs to go home!’ Anna said imperiously. ‘You stole him to help me, and I’m helped. You need to send him back!’
The Roth crossed his arms. ‘No.’
Anna mirrored his stance. ‘You have to! You took him from his home, from his family. I understand that you can’t send me back, but you can let Willow go!’
I watched her face, amused. She looked as if a stiff wind would knock her over, but when the Roth – twice her size – scowled, she simply scowled straight back.
The Roth glanced at me; I shivered under his jet-black gaze. ‘He knows too much.’
‘He knows nothing but this cell!’ Anna insisted. ‘He knows that Vesper is here, but Vesper reallyisa criminal –’
‘Hey,’ Vesper protested. ‘There hasn’t been a trial yet.’
