Page 10 of Seven Oars
She flailed in midair, performing an awkward backstroke while clinging to a strap on the wall.
“Guys, this is so cool! Check it out. I’m flying!” Fawn floated by.
Alyesha’s long hair created a massive halo around her head as she clung to her dignity while trying to get acclimated.
Someone else was crying, and another was hiccuping loudly.
Rosamma hung suspended by a wall, limp like a flag in still air. Her cottony brain was shorting out in a sickening way, obsessed over the fact that Meeus was lost to her forever.
Then she threw up.
A torrent of rapid-fire Rix language erupted at the sounds of her barfing.
Despite the verbal abuse hurled her way, the evacuation jerked Rosamma’s system into place. She felt more grounded. So to speak.
Blinking fast, she tracked her stomach contents as they spread around in cheerful bits and bubbles, dividing into smaller portions, floating everywhere.
Alyesha’s forehead wrinkled beneath the halo of her hair.“Why did you do that?”
“I’m sorry,” Rosamma said meekly.
“Aris!” someone barked.
Rosamma recognized the voice: the First One. Even in the throes of a massive fit of frustration, he sounded decisive and purposeful.
And she was a hapless mollusk.
The barf particles continued drifting. Would they dock somewhere? Along the walls?
Meanwhile, the shortest and seemingly youngest of the four Rix, Aris, swiftly unfolded a thin, flexible bag and waved it through the air, capturing the airborne barf like a butterfly catcher.
Fawn floated into the path. A small chunk of poorly digested fruit escaped Aris’bag and bumped her forehead.
She gagged.
“Do not open your mouth,” the threat came in the same decisive voice, in Universal.
Rosamma summoned enough courage to look the First One in the face. His expression was smooth, but his black eyes glinted brightly. He was livid.
The second Rix, referred to as Silo, joined Aris with another bag. Together, they quickly contained the mess and sealed the bags.
Fawn, rudderless, drifted sideways like a day-old helium balloon, her well-rounded derriere coming perilously close to the First One’s hawkish nose. He reached out with his large, six-fingered hand and yanked her by her leg, pinning her to the wall.
Fawn yelped. He growled.
“I am sorry!” Rosamma said louder this time.
The First One was so strong. Was he also violent?
It was dawning on her that the women were completely at the Rix’s mercy.
“Please don’t hurt Fawn.”
A bit of silence followed, as if the First One searched for the right words.
“You’re mistaken, human. Rix defenders don’t abuse females. It takes away the honor.”
“Yes, of course. I’m sorry.”
