Page 4 of The Garnet Daughter
I run my finger across the seam of his chair until it meets his forearm. “It’s a very nice chair.” I pause for his laughter. “Which one would be mine?”
He indulges in the idea and throws his head to the side where another chair toward the front looks like it’s part of the very structure. “Copilot, of course.”
“Copilot?” I feign insult. “I’m sure I am much faster than this skyship. Does that not earn me the pilot’s seat?”
“I’m afraid not.” His eyes shine with delight, small lines wisping the outer corners not from age, as he doesn’t seem older than thirty rotations, but from how often he smiles, making permanent etchings just below his temples.
We both laugh at the playful tease, but he can tell I am here for a reason. He is far smarter than he looks. I did not indulge his flirtations in the village, and even though his responses to mine seem genuine, the contrast is blaring.
“Why are you here, Calliape? I am enjoying your company as always, but why?” he asks.
I put a little space between us instinctively. I can’t tell him the truth. There is no way in the three worlds that a Viathan who is clearly uncomfortable with most things First Mother related will grasp why I need to leave Frith. I can’t tell him that there is a voice calling out to me, one that has conjured such restlessness in my heart that I will do anything to answer it. I might sound petulant if I tell him I need to leave because there has to be something else for me in this life other than foraging and hiding up on the mountain.
“I want to go back to Cosima with you.” My phrasing comes out a little off, but his face remains neutral.
“I am not of Cosima.”
“But you are going there. And I meant with all of you, Ferren too.” I stare right into his pretty green eyes and try not to get lost in them.
You are not being honest with this man. You cannot lie effectively while being attracted to him. Look away.
“My mother was of Cosima. She was in the priestess order,” I begin.
He shakes his head like he doesn’t like the start of where I am going.
“I only have Selene, and, well, you have met her. She is very protective. I am hoping to find family I may have on Cosima.” It’s not a lie, but it’s not the truth either.
“Family on Cosima.” He says it like he is testing the falsehood back on me and I can’t tell if he believes it.
“And I just want to leave,” I admit, more honest than I‘ve been since coming into the cockpit.
My tone must strike understanding within him because he paces a little, nodding to himself. “Alright,” he finally says.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
I’m so overcome with relief that in the next blink, I’ve wrapped my arms around his body, as if I folded into this position. “Thank you. Ferren and the 99th Commander should take about two days to walk down the mountain. Will you depart as soon as they arrive? I will make sure I am here.”
“Yes. But you’re leaving?”
I let go before he has the chance to hug me back. “I must stay in the village. They will know I am missing if I stay here. Selene will assume I’ve been abducted or . . .” I stop my ramble and recenter. “I will fold the distance again the day Ferren and the 99th Commander are due to arrive at the bottom.”
“Alright then.” He huffs but then looks somewhat apprehensive. “Do I need to prepare for trouble by agreeing to transport you to Cosima?”
“I will send Selene a message through the leaves before we depart.”
“Through the leaves,” he whispers as if trying to understand.
“Do you think the 99th Commander will object?” I ask, a little concerned.
He shakes his head. “No.”
The weight of the sacred mountain dissolves from my shoulders and I breathe in the strange air, acclimating myself to it and the new sense of relief. “Thank you, August. I should get back to the village for now.”
“I am glad you came to me, Calliape. If you want to leave this planet, I will take you anywhere else you would like to go.” His smile is different now. The playfulness is gone and a more serious expression changes it, making him look older somehow.
My reasoning may not be purely truthful, but I’m certain in this moment that I asked the right person to help me. I don’t know how long I can keep up this ruse without letting the guilt of lying to him eat away at me, especially when an overwhelming sensation makes itself known that I’ve never felt closer to freedom than I do with him in this skyship.
