Page 81 of Elanie & the Empath
“All of you?” I flattened onto my belly, peering past Lars down into the hole. “How many of you are down there?”
A shadow passed over my head. I’d tried to be optimistic that it was just a cloud, but Lars’s golden eyes flaring under his halo of frizzy hair set me straight.
I turned my head slowly, the hairs on my neck flicking up one by one as my stomach caved in on itself. Because directly above me, tall as a mountain, stood Gol, grinning from ear to ear.
“You want to know about the underground, Portisan?” he asked, his massive head tilting while he made a disapproving,tsking sound. Like I was a dog who’d just pissed on his favorite carpet. “Well, then. Be my guest.”
Before I could even manage a,huh?Gol’s gargantuan hand grabbed me by the scruff and hurled me headfirst into the hole, straight into Lars’s arms, sending all the produce the Gorbie was trying to protect flying into the air.
“Cell thirty-two is open. I can stick him in there,” Larssuggested with undiluted adulation while I struggled in his iron-clad, four-armed grasp.
“That will do, Lars,” Gol replied, his voice dripping with satisfaction. Like he’d been waiting for this. Waiting for me to trip up so he could get rid of me. How could I have been so stupid? “Extra rations will be provided for you and Mina tonight.”
Lars bowed his head. “Thank you, Lord Gol the Merciful. Lord Gol the Kind.”
“Lord Gol?” I scoffed, then grunted when Lars squeezed the wind from my lungs and carried me down a narrow hallway carved into rock.
“And don’t you forget it,” Lars snapped, hurling me unceremoniously into a dank and musty cell, its gate screeching closed on old, rusty hinges. “Welcome to the underground, Portisan. Many enter.” He shot me four sets of finger guns. “But none leave.”
30.ELANIE
I spentthe morning visiting every corner of Thura, speaking with as many Thurans as I could, new generations and old, Delphinians, Venusians, Martians. And aside from many of them being so relaxed that pulling a full sentence from them felt like pulling teeth, there was nothing that raised any red flags, nothing to support Sem’s insistence that we needed to leave this life where I’d finally felt like I belonged. Where I’d finally felt comfortable in my body. Where I’d finally known pleasure.
But was that pleasure from Thura? Or from Sem? Maybe I’d feel the same way on the ship as I did here, as long as I was still with him.
And that was the problem. I didn’t know. And since I didn’t know, I couldn’t choose between them. I had to change Sem’s mind. No matter what it took, I had to convince him to stay.
Kicking a rock, watching it roll across the sand before dropping off the side of the path, I thought about Sunny and Freddie. I thought about their new son I’d never meet. I thought about the crew, all the friends I’d never see again if Istayed here. All the things I’d be giving up. And as soon as that thought crossed my mind, another one stopped me in my tracks.
What would Sem be giving up?
It was a question I’d never considered. I’d certainly never asked him. He’d done so much for me, sacrificed so much. He’d suffered through more FTL jumps than any being should ever have to suffer through. He’d risked life and limb catching foot-eels. He’d pressed snow against my burning skin and carried me to his certain death to save me. He’d come here. He’d left his entire life behind. He’d done all of this and more for me.
And what had I done for him in return? I’d yelled at him. I’d stormed off like a child the second he told me how he felt. Why? Why did I do that? It wasn’t like me. I didn’t do things like storm off. I didn’t react emotionally to difficult conversations. It always bothered me when non-bionics did that to me, because it felt bad. It felt ridiculous and mean and unthoughtful. It had hurt me.
And now I’d hurt him. I’d been careless with him. I’d let my emotions get the better of me, and it felt absolutely terrible.
Wondering why my chest hurt so badly, wondering if I’d ruined everything, I turned around, heading back to our hut, doubling my pace as my heart dropped off a ledge just like that stone I’d thoughtlessly kicked. It was a fight. We’d just had a fight. Relationships ended because of fights. This couldn’t end. I couldn’t lose him. The idea of life without him was unfathomable.
My eyes stung, my nose burning, my hands shaking as I raced up our steps and threw open the door to our hut.
“I’m so sorry—” I slid to a halt, my heart surging onward into my throat.
Sitting on our bed was not an adorable blue man, but a gargantuan green one.
“Gol?” I gasped, out of breath. “What are you doing here? Where’s Sem?”
“Come.” He patted the bed beside him, his expression uncharacteristically grave. “Sit with me for a moment.”
“Why?” Something cold trickled down my spine. “Where is Sem?”
Pulling a breath deep into his lungs, Gol said, “He left.”
“What? Where?” I spun around, leaning out our door. There was no sign of Sem in the central commons, but maybe he’d needed to blow off some steam too. “Did he go for one of his walks?”
When I turned back, Gol’s head swung slowly from side to side like an executioner’s blade. “I’m sorry, Elanie, but Sem is gone.”
“Gone?” I obviously hadn’t heard him correctly. “What do you mean gone?”
