Lost Change

Chapter 103

I didn't look back at him. I didn't think I had the energy to face him. I just nudged at Minna again, and felt my ear tufts and wings drop even further when she still didn't move.

"She really has no idea how smart you are, does she? You kept that a secret from her. All of you have - I read about your kind on the way here. There was nothing mentioning you being intelligent enough for this, or that you were able to communicate to us. You are all hiding how smart you are." He looked out into the darkness, and I realized why he was delaying going back for the other Kymari. Things weren't adding up for him about me. He wasn't sure he could trust me to protect his daughter.

I forced myself to look back up at him and nodded again.

He looked back at me and narrowed his eyes. "Why? Why hide it?"

I snorted at the question and sent him the memory I had of him pointing the knife at me. I made sure to send along all of the fear and terror I had felt at the time too.

He blinked and took a step back. I had surprised him with that somehow. Had he not known what he had just done to me? Or... had it been the emotion? I had sent feelings to Ivy and other dragonets often enough, but that was the first time I had sent them to a Kymari. Had it gone wrong somehow?

It took him a second to recover, and he shook his head slightly when he did. "Because you are scared of what we might do to you, if we know. Terrified, from the feel of it."

I gave him another slow nod.

He watched me for another moment, then shifted his gaze towards Minna. He whispered, but not quietly enough to keep me from hearing. "But you were willing to risk it anyway." He watched Minna for another second or two, then shook his head and looked back at me. "I am sorry I frightened you like that. I am going to get the others now; I will be right back. Take care of Minna for me."

I nodded slowly and shifted to stand up on my haunches. I spread my wings out and looked out into the darkness around me.

Minna's father watched me for another long moment... then he shook his head. He walked slowly back towards the shuttle and jumped back into it.

I thought about how slowly he was walking. Were the plants really that much trouble? They did seem like they were growing very close together, and it was dark, but... he still should have been able to move through them faster than that. He had run so quickly when we had been fleeing the ship, and had run through all those corridors to get to the shuttle. He shouldn't be moving this slowly, even with all the plant growth everywhere. And he had been wobbling a lot in the shuttle, and he had that bump on his head...

I winced as realization sunk in. He was hurt, too. There was no telling how well he would be able to fight something off if it came down to that. That must have been part of why he had been so worried back in the shuttle - he knew he wouldn't be able to quickly get back to protect anyone outside if something attacked while he was inside.

I stared out at the darkness around me and felt a sinking feeling. Because I knew he was right to be worried.

Wherever we were, it was outside the Kymari cities.

And there were a lot of very dangerous things that lived outside those cities now.

Dangerous things that must have heard the commotion of the shuttle crashing, and which would now begin to smell the scent of six wounded, helpless Kymari.

Minna's father had managed to bring Kilpin and one of the younger guards out when I smelled the predator. I sniffed a few times to confirm what I was smelling. The Blood Memories had no name for it. But the scent dredged up a memory, one of running for my life and urging Susie to flee as fast as she could. The creature attached to this smell was not one I could win a fight with, and I knew it. Running was the only safe option.