Page 60 of Moon Tamed

“That left so many to die,” I murmured.

Calden nodded. “And most of them perished before they got even the first portals opened. The volcanoes they didn’t expect to erupt did, and tsunamis wiped out many coastal regions. The high ground wasn’t safe, the low ground wasn’t safe, and those in the places between that got out were lucky. So very lucky.” He herded me to his dining room, where he had set up two places across from each other. “Our faction got lucky. We tend to go to the places between while on Earth. Very few from the other factions made it back. They got a few bodies, but that was it. And here I am ruining the mood.”

“You haven’t ruined anything,” I assured him, taking one of the seats. “If you need to talk about it, you should. I never really wanted to go to Earth. I didn’t like the idea I couldn’t turn back if I missed my family or friends. I like change, but I guess it was too much change with too few guarantees.”

“Going to Earth was hard. Had I realized how much I would miss my father, I wouldn’t have gone. Dad was accessible, in that we could comm with each other, but it wasn’t the same. But I went after my mother died. Dad thought the change of scenery would do me some good and distract me. I’m not sure what Dad did. He doesn’t talk about it much. I think he worked. That’s a Dad thing. He finds purpose in work. I’ll be right back with dinner and the Champagne.”

“Okay.” I set my digireader aside and wondered what had put Calden into such a somber mood. After a few moments of contemplation, I realized he likely hadn’t had the time to process Earth’s destruction and the loss of so many lives.

With more and more people recovering from the various illnesses tearing through Moonriver, he likely had the time to really think about everything that had happened. Talking would help, but it would take time to come to terms with the scale of tragedy we faced.

Calden returned, and he carried two plates loaded with steak, sweetroot, and corn, one of the Earth imports most loved but saved as a special treat due to its general scarcity.

I expected corn’s popularity to rise, although the few city-states with the ideal climate for its growth would need to expand, especially in the regions south of Moonriver. “Corn!”

“Your mother mentioned you like it, and one of the supply convoys brought in a ridiculous amount of corn to help the refugees settle and feel like they had something from home. We’re drowning in corn. The grocery stores are giving it away for free at this stage. We even have corn seeds for trying to grow it, which came from Earth. Dad’s going to try it in one of our fields to see if the Earth corn will grow here.” Calden set one of the plates in front of me, set the other in front of his seat, and retreated to the kitchen. He returned with a tray of sugar, cream, and butter so I could dress the sweetroots up as I liked along with the promised bottle of Champagne. He grimaced, pointed the bottle away from him, and popped the cork. It bounced off the ceiling, ricocheted against the wall, and came my way.

Snickering, I caught it and set it on the table. “I’m surprised you didn’t use a towel.”

“The last time I tried a kitchen cloth, I sent the cloth and the cork flying, which is far more embarrassing than sending just the cork off on an adventure.” Calden eyed the ceiling, which had a collection of cork divots. “I need to learn how to catch the cork.”

“Or accept the bang-pop and the addition of a new dent in your ceiling.” I picked up my Champagne flute and held it out his way. “Earth has left her mark on your ceiling now.”

“That she has. Do you know what’s going to happen if we drink this whole bottle?”

As the bottle was rather large, I foresaw hangovers in our future. “Hilarity, giggling, and possibly inappropriate conversation due to our state as mutually drunk.”

“I was going with hangover, but when presented that way, it’s a price I’m willing to pay.”

“We’re celebrating how I took complete leave of my senses earlier today in the name of greed and ambition.” I waited for him to fill my flute before saluting him with it. “And I think I signed an agreement to join a faction after being one of the oldest holdouts in Moonriver.”

“You did, but we’ll make sure you’re given the variety you need. Had we advertised you could have animals in your office, would you have joined us sooner?”

I laughed, waited for him to sit with his filled flute, and replied, “I might have founded the Hunters myself had that been part of the pitch.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Calden stared into the bubbling, golden fluid, smiled, and lifted his Champagne my way. “To Earth, may she rest in peace until she rises from her ashes.”

“To Earth,” I echoed, tapping the glass to his.

Calden and I curled up on his couch, and he regaled me with the tales of his various kidnappings at the hands of his fellow faction members. His father had snatched him twice, slipping a low-grade sleeping pill into his lunches and running away with him to go on an unplanned camping trip. His expression, of tender affection, made me marvel he’d had the strength to leave his father for so long to venture to Earth.

I’d approached camping as a dream I would get to experience, something I wanted to do because it seemed fun.

Until that moment, sipping Champagne and giggling over his various misadventures, I realized camping was something far beyond just an escape from the city.

For Calden, it was a slice of his living heaven, a time he shared with his father and few others.

It amazed me that he wanted me to join such a special moment.

“My father is wily,” Calden warned me. “When he camps, he wants to spend an equal amount of time as a wolf. He enjoys warming feet and being treated like the ruler of the world.”

“Just remind him he doesn’t have enough time to rule the entire world. He has enough trouble making the time to rule Moonriver. Have you thought about running away?”

“More times than I can count, although I’ve only wandered off two or three times to try to camp without him hovering. Let’s just say he pitched a fit. His fits are far more dramatic when I’m doing the running rather than being kidnapped. Kidnappings make sense to him. Why would I run away? I obviously have everything I could ever possibly want right here.”

Obviously. “I’m fairly certain that my job, as a secretary, is to monitor and control his working hours. I’m sure we could come to a mutually beneficial arrangement. You should have work assigned to him when you need space, as if he is too busy to breathe, he obviously can’t bother you. When you wish for him to be available for your general amusement, that could be arranged.”

Calden snickered, and he grabbed the Champagne bottle and refilled our flutes. “After the quarantine lifts, I’d honestly be happy if he limited his overtime to no more than one or two hours a day unless there’s a legitimate emergency.”

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