A few minutes before Wil and Clyde reached the sleeping quarters, Seth sat up, dumbfounded to find himself in what appeared to be a cave and lying on slabs of rock that felt like velvety feathers.
He spotted movement from the corner of his eye, spinning quickly enough to catch a glimpse of the tendrils as they receded back into the membrane of the wall. What the fuck?
Seth scooted back up on the dais, drawing up his feet. The quickness of his response amazed him. He held out his arms to inspect them, reaching up to his ear as he realized he no longer felt pain. His wound felt closed for the first time since the ear had been removed by Doc Benjamin’s man’s machete. He could actually feel a nub of skin where his wound used to be.
Seth remembered the dead end he and Lorna had found as the sick fox attacked. Lorna had been on her last legs and they’d left the sled with Jennifer down the trail. Looking around, he could see their bodies on another rock. Squinting closer, he noticed webbing of some sort plugged into their bodies in various locations. Are they dead? Why do I feel so much better? He remembered nothing from the point at which the fox launched its attack. A gleam of cunning sparked his eyes. They must have been saved by someone. I’m saved.
He licked his lips compulsively as his attention rested on the other two forms on the stones. If he was alive after residing on the verge of death, there was a better than even chance that the other two would also live. Could he stand those odds? Not by a long shot. The first thing the old bitch will do is start flapping her mouth.
He slid to the edge of the rock, still amazed by the contradiction in texture. Tenderly, he stepped on the floor and eased his weight to a standing position. He scanned the room to search for cameras or an alarm. Satisfying himself they were alone, he quietly inched over to the stone that held Lorna. He took one look at her and realized she looked the same as she did the day they met the fox. How long have we been here? For some reason, she wasn’t getting the health benefits that he’d had from their hosts. Easing away from the strange webbing that appeared to be connected to her, he wrinkled his nose. For sure, he couldn’t have her recovering and blabbing her fat mouth.
Sayonara, Lorna. I think I’ll just have to hasten you along to the big daddy in the sky. He jerked his fingers away from her nostrils as he was startled by the approach of a strange sight.
“What the fuck?” Stunned, he inched back to his stone to crouch at its side as a golden man with shining eyes and huge wings approached. He was followed by a winged creature easy enough to swat as it fluttered like a golden furry overgrown gnat in the air above the man’s head.
A tall, lean man in his late fifties rushed over to Lorna. Seth’s eyes stayed on the glorious winged ones, unable to formulate a thought as vertigo attacked him from the luminescent sheen emanating from their eyes.
A voice pierced his dizziness as he realized the man with Lorna was her husband. Time stood still as he inched his way over to her stone. He weakly extended his hand. “Hi. You must be Clyde.”
Clyde turned from Lorna to embrace Seth, blubbering and leaking tears all over the new smock they’d given Seth to wear.
“Easy there, guy. We made it. Everything’s going to be fine now.” Seth attempted to extricate himself from Clyde’s embrace.
“I am Wil. And you are?” The winged man approached, holding his pet on his hip.
“My name’s Seth. I’ve been traveling with Lorna and the kids for a long time now.” He paused, mesmerized by Wil’s eyes, unable to stop himself from looking away. Blinking rapidly, he turned back.
“So . . . er, Wil. Where the heck am I? And do you mind if I ask what . . . er . . . who you are?”
“I am an Elder. Perhaps you should sit down. We have a few questions as you probably do, too.” As Seth returned to his stone bed, two more figures entered the room.
A female winged creature directed two pretty young girls to his side. One smiled shyly down at him.
“I’m Emma.”
“Well heeeello, Emma.” Seth grinned as he decided things were looking up. Taking the mug of soup from Emma, he grazed his fingers with hers, eliciting a rise of blood in her face. She met his eyes with her own and received a quick wink from Seth. Casting her eyes down, she scampered over to Clyde, who put his arm around her.
Seth settled in for a long inquisition, but he had a little cross-examination of his own in mind. Plastering a simple, blank expression across his clean-cut face, aware of flutters of anticipation in the pit of his stomach, and a shiver buzzing in his psychotic brain, he turned to face the possibilities.
*
Scotty and Chloe lounged near the fireplace watching Barney and Echo snuggle as they tried to fend off Chance’s relentless attempt to insinuate herself between the two. Penny, the springer spaniel, tiredly fended off Teddy’s advances to her ear. King and Queenie monitored all as Mimi scuttled from one person to the next, looking for affection. As the rest of the dogs dozed, conversation turned to the mundane routines of the Hive and the projects in which the survivors were involved.
“Tatit, swartit, lyii, donktit, chee.” Daisy sat mumbling to herself as Ginger Mae started at the strange sounds.
“Are you okay, baby?” She swept her daughter’s thin hair back from her pallid face.
Daisy grinned wide, the now six-year-old savant patient with her mother’s curiosity. “I’m just learning, Mama. I need to know how to talk.”
Ginger Mae frowned. “That sounded like you were choking, not talking. Are you playing with me, you little silly?” Daisy sighed then started to gab a mile a minute about the wonders of intergalactic syntax and the limitations of the human throat. Ginger Mae’s eyes glazed over as Scotty slid by, giving Daisy a high five.
“How’s it going, peewee? You seen Kimir around?”
Ginger Mae answered for her daughter. “He left with one of the keepers. Elias, I think. Since he just sits here and glowers at Kane and Emma, I suggested he spend some time thinking of someone else. Kimir wanted to go see Tobi of course, so off they went. Why?”
“Abby wants Kimir to work in the library with Daisy. He needs to get an education. He might as well start now. He needs some structure instead of running around here like a wild boy.” Scotty laughed as he walked away. “He should be able to learn quite a bit in the next hundred years.”
Scotty finished his tour over by Peter’s table. Bonnie sat next to Peter, having returned from her trip with Netty to see the new survivors. They sat whispering up a storm about their plans for the lion cub that had stolen Peter’s heart. Watching Peter’s eyes light up and his expression so animated pleased him enormously. He was very fond of Peter and it hurt him to see the exile he’d imposed on himself. He didn’t know what had brought him out of his shell, but he’d bet Bonnie’s infectious joy for life had something to do with it. Jose’s adopted sister, the chubby little girl they’d all grown up with in Mama Diaz’s house was just a delight to be around.
As Scotty slid into a seat next to Bonnie and Peter, Bonnie’s eyes bugged out. Turning to investigate what she was looking at, Scotty watched Clyde walk into the kitchen with his arm wrapped around the man who’d been rescued with Clyde’s wife and granddaughter. The man limped and had a shit-eating grin on his face if Scotty ever saw one before. He was followed by Emma, Wil and Abby. Clyde helped him to a rocking chair and clapped him on the shoulder.
“This here, ladies and gentleman, is the savior of my wife and one of my grandbabies. Meet Seth.”
Clyde glanced over to Netty. “Can we please have some of our best grub for this remarkable man? He’s a hero.” Netty hurried to set him a place, filling it up with fruit pie, crusty green protein bread and tea.
Seth glanced back toward the kitchen door and whined up to Clyde. “You’re sure that tiger won’t come in here?” His eyes searched the room. “Anyone have a gun . . . just in case?”
Scotty spoke quietly and firmly. “Caesar is no threat to anyone.”
“Are you sure you can eat solid food, Seth? We do not want you to get sick on us.” Netty smiled sweetly as she served him and returned to the fire. Scotty watched as the man’s eyes feasted on Netty as she turned her back. I bet he’s never seen anything like us Elders before. Seth’s gaze rested on Chance and the dogs, then looked down at his pie.
“What kind of food you serving me? Sure looks good. What is it, pig or dog?” he asked with a knowing grin. His question was met with shocked silence.
Netty froze, her tone glacial. “We don’t eat our loved ones here . . . Seth . . . We protect them.” Surprise flickered in the man’s eyes as Scotty rose to join Chloe at the fireplace again.
“How many of you, exactly, are winged ones?” He turned back to Netty. “No offense ma’am. I’m not one to turn away food after so long, no matter what’s cooked in it.”
“Excuse me, Seth. I find your comments more than a little offensive. As soon as you finish eating, I think we need to get a few things clear regarding the Hive.” Scotty sat down again, picking up Echo and Barney to place them on his lap as Seth sputtered and choked on his tea.
“Hive? What the hell is that? What, you have some kind of commune going on here?”
Clyde tried to shush him, patting him on the arm. “Now, now, Seth. You just eat. The folks here are just sensitive about their animals, that’s all. You’ll understand after a while. You’ll get used to it. Let me just tell these fine folks what you did for my family while you taste Salina and Netty’s delicious grub.” Seth shut up and devoted himself to eating, while Clyde waxed on about the heroics of Seth and the herculean efforts he’d made on behalf of Lorna and the grandchildren. Tears came back as he continued between sobs.
“This man deserves all the help we can give him . . . he even tried to fend off the villains that came in the night to kidnap my Suzy.” Salina rushed to his side as he broke down. He held up his hand to her, warning her to come no closer.
“I can never repay the debt I owe Seth. Thanks be to the Womb for beginning to give him back his ear that was damaged when he heroically defended my family from the hordes that attacked them. It is to this man that I owe everything. And I promise I will spend the rest of my life making it up to him.” He looked down at Seth stuffing his face with Netty’s goodies. “If he’ll allow me.” Seth swallowed as Clyde enveloped him in a big bear hug again.
“Seth, I want you to bunk in with me so I can show you the ropes around here. Break you in, so to speak.” Clyde stood tall with his hands on his hips as if Seth would be prostrate with gratefulness.
“Well now, big guy, why don’t we keep things the way they are for now? I’m still feeling a bit weak. And I’m just not ready to turn my back on Lorna and Jen. They’ve been like my family for so long now.” His eyes lids fell slowly then rose, fluttering with brave innocence. “I don’t think I could bear to part from them until they can join me in good health.”
Wil raised his voice to pipe in on the conversation. “I must say, I don’t know when that might happen. Jennifer’s recovery is going well, even though she has not awakened. But Lorna will be touch and go. There was some other damage.” Wil looked at Clyde with his shining eyes.
Clyde reacted with defensiveness and outrage. “Well, if some here had as much respect for people as they do varmints, then my wife and granddaughter would be sitting right here with us.” His voice rose, shrill and accusing. “And if some people hadn’t been so secretive about the source of our good health, then maybe I would have understood when I saw the creepy fingers come out of the wall and attach to my wife. Maybe if some people shared their information, we’d all be a lot happier here.”
Clyde stared back at Wil, clearly an example of testosterone at play. Scotty saw it as the men endured their pissing contest; and it didn’t escape their new guest either. Wil’s wings fluttered ominously.
Seth blinked, assessing the conversation. “So . . . Lorna’s not doing as well as she should be? Hmmm . . . I’ll just have to keep a closer eye on her. I wouldn’t want to lose her now, would I? She’s become like a mother to me.” Seth beamed with concern and touching self-sacrifice. Scotty warmed with the thought of Clyde’s family in such good hands. Everyone in the Hive had given up on them months ago. To get such good news and have new members of the Hive was a miracle.
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the kitchen door as their ears split with the shrieking trumpet of Tobi’s surprise appearance. Little Kimir and Elias ducked under her neck as she tried to get her head in the doorway.
Seth dropped what he was doing and stood up on the table in fright.
Bonnie came running forward. She glanced at Seth. “That’s not necessary. Tobi’s just here looking for me. Peter . . . Dezi, let’s get Chance and take Tobi back to the herd.” She looked at Salina for approval. “Don’t worry, Mama. Tobi knows it’s almost time for bed and I haven’t been down to say good night. She knows something’s different and it scares her. She’s just looking for reassurance so she’s confident the herd isn’t in danger.”
Ginger Mae rose with Daisy to pet Tobi’s big head. Even Chloe got up to pay her respects. Bonnie slipped her a green, crunchy treat and backed her out the door to go back to the herd.
Seth eased himself down off the table. He steadied himself against Clyde. “Well, I see you have some very big pets.” Seth plastered a huge infectious smile on his face, flashing it to all who were left in the room. “I can see I have a lot to learn from all of you good people. I look forward to becoming part of your family, just as I have with my sweet Jen and Lorna. Clyde . . . shall we?” He gripped Clyde’s arm to be guided back to the sleeping quarters. “Good night, all my wonderful new friends. I’m sure we’re all going to get along just fine.”