“Unless Balt is trying to change all that,” I counter.
“It’s quite possible that they’ve turned on Balt by now. Their attacks on the Delta and the road didn’t result in anything useful to them. Once they realize he has nothing of value to offer, there’s no reason for them to let him live.”
“I guess so,” I say, although I certainly don’t believe that Balt is dead. I can’t help but feel that this is just the calm before the inevitable storm.
“Our duties for the morrow have been completed,” Larn says to the group. “We don’t have any trips to the Mount on the morrow, but we’ll need to transport a few items from Market to the southern part of the Delta. We also need to take some of the children to the gate to spend time with the Watchers. We can all take the early part of the morrow to ourselves and then meet at Market. I’ll summon you when it’s time. I think Kale is ready to tow a transport.”
With a determined look in his eyes, Kale nods his head in agreement with Larn’s statement. Larn has been much slower with Kale’s traveling progression than he was with mine. I know he feels guilty for rushing me into carrying a transport too early in my Apprenticeship, so I don’t think he wants Kale to repeat my rather painful experience. The fact of the matter is, I was more to blame for my injuries the first time I traveled with a transport because I wanted to prove myself to the others as soon as I could.
“He’ll do great,” I say emphatically. “See you on the morrow.”
After Kale and Larn tip their heads goodbye to us, Tela and I say our farewells to the rest of the group. We turn away and walk side by side over the arch of the bridge. Still thinking about how Larn had said that confrontations with Murkovin don’t happen very often, I realize that I’ve never asked Tela what her experience with them has been.
“How many fights have you been in with Murkovin?” I ask.
“It’s rare to encounter a Murkovin,” she answers, “even as often as Travelers are in the Barrens. As Larn pointed out, you’ve had more interaction with them than most people ever do.”
I notice that Tela gave me a logical response, but she didn’t actually answer my question. “When they attacked us near the bridge, was that the only time you’ve been in a fight with them?”
“I didn’t fight them during the attack,” she says with her eyes focused on the Delta wall and her tone of voice seeming mildly annoyed by my question. “I tried to get you to safety and then helped Miel.”
The people of Krymzyn—those of the Delta and Mount, anyway—will never flat out lie to your face. But that doesn’t mean they won’t answer a question with an ambiguous response or twist my question into a question for me. Even the Serquatine didn’t blatantly lie when they lured me into the Springs. They encouraged me to jump in the water by telling me half-truths.
“So you’ve never actually fought a Murkovin,” I say as a statement of fact.
“Very few people ever fight a Murkovin,” she replies with her irritation much more obvious. “I have to go to Market to get a few things. I’ll see you on the morrow.”
Tela abruptly jogs away from me. When she reaches the end of the bridge, one gate in the wall swings open. She quickly disappears behind it.
For some reason, she didn’t want to answer my question with a direct “yes” or “no,” and I seem to have made her feel uncomfortable by forcing the issue. I feel bad for putting her on the spot that way. She’s been much more open to idle conversation than anyone else in Krymzyn other than Sash.
Tela and I have fallen into the habit of strolling to our habitats together when our work for the morrow is completed. I’d define us as becoming good friends. The more time I spend with her, the more I feel the same way about her as I do my little sister on Earth. But the fact remains, she never answered my question. I can’t help but wonder why.
As I step through the gate, I wave to the two Watchers on duty. Once my feet are on the crimson grass, I drop to one knee and sink my fingers under the blades.
“Sash,” I say, “I’m on my way to our habitat.”
A few seconds later, her voice speaks inside my mind. “I’m running a little late, but I’ll be there soon.”
Chapter 2
By the time Sash arrives at our habitat, I’ve already cleansed in the waterfall and had a few cups of sap. Sitting in front of my easel in the small cavern that serves as my studio, I work on a detailed painting of a Murkovin. The Swirls slowly move inside the crystal ceiling over my head, projecting their soft golden light on the blue quartz walls around me. Lost in serene concentration, I don’t even hear Sash when she enters. She sneaks up behind me, throws her arms around my neck, and kisses my cheek.
“I’m sorry to be so late,” she says in my ear. “I don’t know why, but I had an urge to visit the children at Home.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” I reply. “You know me. I can always keep busy.”
“But I like our time together.” She kisses my cheek again and then returns to upright with her hands still resting on my shoulders. “Do you want to go out for a walk in a bit?”
“I’d like to,” I answer.
Sash and I often go for walks in the evening, or
