Chapter 37
I guess we’re lying now.
Caleb and Seth sat across from where I lay on the bed in the medbay. Serlotminden was asleep beside me, his head tucked against my neck, breath tickling me. I had an arm wrapped around him, securing him to me. The doctor, whose name I didn’t recall, had given him three injections this morning. Three. Mindy had been sleeping excessively, and from the amount of times someone changed his bandages, I knew something was wrong. But no one had told me exactly what was going on.
I kissed the top of his head, then brushed the rough bracelet I’d made him. The silver wires mixed with shiny bits I’d found on the shuttle and a rock looked much nicer than I’d thought against his scales. After I’d woken up, I gave him the small gift,and he’d been so happy when I slid it on him, beaming and calling me talented, lovely, smart, and all manner of nice things. I finger-combed his hair, hoping he’d wake up soon so I could hear his perfect voice once more.
Refocusing on Caleb and Seth, I noted that nothing had changed. Seth was blushing; he hadn’t spoken the entire time they’d been here. Caleb had continued to ramble about anything and everything, switching topics so fast that I struggled to follow at times; whereas, Seth stared at the floor. I wasn’t even sure why they were here. One of Mindy’s brothers usually remained in the medbay with us, but this was the first time I had been left alone with the other humans.
Though Caleb wasn’t human anymore.
He was massive, even for a drakcol, who all appeared to be larger than humans. He had soft gray scales and short mahogany hair, a long face, and was generally attractive. A metal cane with a soft grip rested against his leg and his large hands waved as he spoke. His English was garbled but understandable. Hewashuman, though not really.
“Anyway, I gave Seth the right words, so he is now the Supreme Human of Earth according to the Maykians,” Caleb said.
“I can’t believe you told them I claimed Earth,” Seth muttered.
“Yeah, I might have given you some pretty words about honor and blood and a claim of utter truth, which means a lot to them, but it was for the best. Trust me.”
Seth crossed his arms. “They think humans are descended from the lost Maykian tribe who went off to some unknown space.”
“We might be,” Caleb protested. He was met with a cocked eyebrow. Even I was fairly skeptical of that, and I didn’t know much about the situation. “Okay,” he relented. “Fine. That liewill probably bite us in the ass later, but hey, we’re alive. They didn’t shoot us out of the sky. All good things.”
I gave a breathy chuckle. “True. I like not being dead.”
“It really isn’t so bad,” Caleb mentioned, “but I’m for living as well. I want to stay next to Fyn, and living is the best way to do that.”
My fingers buried in Mindy’s hair, and he didn’t react. “Well, it does seem like a more substantial lie than the cats.”
Seth flushed, and Caleb laughed, then asked, “You heard about that?”
I nodded.
“It started as a joke,” Seth muttered. “Caleb blew it out of proportion.”
“You had it that humans had a cultural law that we couldn’t move a sleeping cat no matter where they are, and that they’re house gods we worship. I had to make it fancier. It only made sense, and it’s funnier. Like adding shrines for the house gods with catnip, towers, toys, and beds, and, you know, naming towns after cats,” Caleb said. “There are already several drakcol cities named after Lucy, not to mention other famous Earth cats.”
“No one has figured it out?”
“Nope,” Caleb said. “Drakcol have access to information from Earth, but very few have actually researched cats. Besides, it’s taken on a life of its own. Though cats and cat videos are very popular. Besides, it’s a harmless lie. Something for us.”
I had zero qualms about keeping it a secret.
“Don’t think about it in front of Don,” Caleb warned. “He’ll hear your thoughts.”
Mindy had mentioned something about that. I glanced back at him, and he was deep asleep, his breath even against my neck and his tail was coiled around my ankle.
“When are we getting the other humans from Xome?” I had to save Vince, and whatever humans were left. Besides the fact that Vince was my closest friend, I needed to do one good deed to balance out my karmic debt. Maybe it would lessen my guilt? Probably not, but those humans deserved to be saved.
Seth smoothed his fancy blue tunic over his round gut. “Don is finishing removing all the debris from where you crashed, then we’ll return to Coalition space.”
“We need to get them,” I said, voice growing louder. “I can’t leave them behind.”
“We’re not going to,” Caleb snapped, resting a hand on Seth, who’d flinched from my shout.
“I know this is my fault,” Seth said, eyes on the floor. “Because I stayed with Kal. I will never leave any human behind, I swear it, but we can’t rush in and steal them.”
“Why not?”
