Page 40 of Taken By the Storm King

They stared until Veda made a shooing motion with her hands. Gradually, they returned to their game, though they cast curious glances my way.

I approached the solitary child, Mira, and knelt beside her. “Hello,” I said softly. “I’m Lucy.”

Her solemn gaze met mine. “You’re the human. The one who will be queen.”

Her directness made me smile. “Maybe. I haven’t decided yet.”

“Why not?” she asked with a child’s blunt curiosity.

I considered how to explain. “It’s a big decision. I have friends I’m worried about.”

Mira nodded seriously. “My friends are gone too. After the bad ones came.”

My heart ached for her. “I’m sorry.”

She shrugged with a childish attempt at nonchalance. “Elder Veda says sometimes we lose people but find new ones. Not to replace, but to heal.”

Out of the mouths of babes. I swallowed past the sudden lump in my throat.

“Would you like to play with the others?” I asked, changing the subject.

Mira looked at the other children longingly. “They move too fast. I can’t keep up since I hurt my fin.”

I noticed then the slight discoloration on her right side, a healed injury. An idea formed.

“I know a game from my world,” I said, smiling. The pearl hummed, guiding my pronunciation. “One that doesn’t need much swimming. Would you like to learn it?”

Her eyes lit up. “Yes!”

I taught her “Duck, Duck, Goose” -- though we replaced the animals with local equivalents: “Delfyra, Delfyra, Kyvthos.” Within minutes, the other children had gathered around, curious. Soon we had a circle of little ones seated around the pool's border, giggling as I explained the rules through my still-limited vocabulary.

As they played, squealing with delight, Mira’s transformation was remarkable. Her face glowed with joy, her earlier solemnity vanished. She tagged another child and ran-swam around the circle, laughing when she barely made it back to the empty spot.

I felt Elder Veda’s hand on my shoulder. “See? You bridge worlds already.”

The children’s laughter reminded me of my team. Even amidst this joy, worry gnawed at me. Each night I tried the communicator, sending signals into silence. Were they searching for me too? Had they survived?

I pictured Brooke’s authoritative calm, Emme’s nervous brilliance, Imogen’s dry humor. Had they made it to safety after the attack? Were they together, or scattered across this alien world? The diplomatic progress I was making here would mean nothing if I couldn’t eventually reconnect with them and explainwhat I’d discovered. “I need to find them,” I whispered, more to myself than to Veda. “Even as I build a life here.”

Lost in my thoughts, I watched the children play this hybrid game -- Earth rules with adaptations -- and something clicked into place.

This could work. Not humans taking over, not remaining completely separate, but something new. Something better. Together.

I could be that bridge here.

As the children played, I noticed two young mothers watching from nearby, whispering to each other. With newfound confidence, I approached them.

“Hello,” I said in their language. “I hope it’s alright I taught them this game.”

They exchanged glances, then one spoke hesitantly. “The children seem happy.”

“It’s from my world,” I explained, the pearl helping me find more complex words. “But it works well here too, with... adjustments.”

The second mother studied me. “Is it true what they say? That you’ll be our queen?”

I felt a flush rise to my cheeks. “Thalassar has asked me. I haven’t given my answer yet.”

“Why not?” she asked, echoing Mira’s earlier question.

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