Page 67 of Cozy Prisons
Before she could assure her friend that the warning wasn’t a mistake, Grace spoke up.
“Will the pond be far enough, or should we keep going until we get to that old crater?”
It was a relief to deal with someone who wasn’t questioning her sanity. “I know the pond is safe, but I don’t know why we need to go that far. Pack as much as you can quickly that will keep Maeve warm and comfortable in case this lasts several days.”
“Understood,” Grace said. “I’ve already got three bags ready. If I pack more, we’ll need to use a mover bot. You know ours can’t make the uneven terrain past the pond.”
“Pack the bot,” Nataly said. “But do it quickly.”
“On it,” Grace said, then ended the communication. Because the information square was in her hand, she shoved it into the bag before closing it. Both bags were bulging, but she should be able to carry them, especially with the amount of adrenaline coursing through her system.
Hefting a bag on each shoulder, she turned to face Daxus. He must’ve just finished his conversation with Palathum because he was tapping the Ident.
“I’m ready. Do we need to go to your place to get some of your stuff?”
He sounded a negative rattle as he grabbed his belt and secured it around his waist before clipping his Ident to it.
“The only thing I can’t leave behind is my Ident. Everything else I own is for comfort or convenience, not necessity.” He took both the bags from her. “Let me carry those.”
“Let me grab a few more things,” she said, once he’d taken the bags from her. Running over to one of the food storage units, she pulled out half a dozen canisters and clipped them together. She liked the way Talins had clips on everything.
“Those can go on my belt,” Daxus ordered, turning a little to indicate the spot he wanted her to clip them to. She did it and then tugged on some boots and grabbed an omni to pull over her pajamas. She should’ve probably put on clothes, but the need to leave was driving her hard. Besides, her pajamas were almost as durable as her day clothes. Despite the Talins constantly urging her to wear soft, finer fabrics, she couldn’t break the habit of a lifetime. Now she was thankful she hadn’t given up her old style of sleepwear.
“Let’s go,” she urged, hurrying to the door. Despite being burdened with two bags and a mass of clinking canisters, Daxus was right behind her. They left her domicile to find the village lit up and alive with activity as if it were the middle of the day.
“Palathum is allowing the evacuation," Daxus said as they headed down the most direct path. “She’s set an end time for the evening meal tomorrow. If nothing happens by then, she’s going to require that everyone return home.”
“That’s fine,” Nataly said, waving at Grace and Merrick. Merrick was holding a sleeping Maeve in his arms, and Gracehad the remote for the mover bot trundling behind them. “It’s only important that no one comes back tonight.”
They got to the intersection of three paths at the same time as Grace and Merrick. Riff, Sima, Dalia, Cassius, Decard, and most of the humans all rushed up to join them. Everyone except for Grace bombarded Nataly with questions she couldn’t answer.
Grace let out a shrill whistle that shut everyone up. “You’re all wasting time,” Grace yelled. “We can talk and talk and talk once we all get to the pond. Right now it’s about moving, not discussing.”
There were grumbles, but no one argued with her. Grace might not be very tall or physically intimidating, but she wasn’t one to mess with.
“Do you want to put your bags on the mover?” Grace asked Daxus. He looked at Nataly, and she nodded. He tossed them onto the mover and reached for the canisters on his belt when a wave of dizziness almost knocked Nataly off her feet.
With a gasp, she grabbed hold of Daxus. He managed to get his hands around her before she fell flat on her face.
“Nataly?”
“Shush,” she whispered, trying to focus on what her intuition was trying to tell her. The dizziness passed, and her eyes snapped open. “Where’s Hale?”
Everyone looked at each other, shrugging. Their reactions weren’t a surprise. She already knew Hale wasn’t where they needed to be.
“Go, go, go!” she yelled at them, pulling out of Daxus’s hold and running in the direction of Hale’s domicile.
A rumbling under her sounded just before the earth started to shake.
Crying out, she stumbled and almost fell. Daxus grabbed hold of her, hefted her high against his chest, and kept running.
“Earthquake,” he declared.
“It’s only the beginning," she warned him.
As they ran back into the center of the village, everyone else was rushing to leave. The Talins who had been dawdling, probably thinking of this as nothing more than a readiness exercise, were now rushing around.
Ha! They’d never doubt her again.
