Pearl stood, settling her spines. “Then go and tell everyone to make ready.”
The night was spent in preparations and saying goodbye. Moon spent it in the nurseries, with his own clutch and the Sky Copper fledglings, and all the others. Like Thorn had said, his own fledglings were a little too young to understand the idea that he would be gone for a long period. He hoped they didn’t notice for a while.
The next morning, Moon said goodbye to Blossom, Rill, Bark, and Bell and the other teachers, and forced himself to leave the nurseries and gather with the others in the greeting hall.
Moon took the back way, because this was hard enough and seemed to get harder every time he had to stop and say goodbye to someone. Everyone was all too aware of the danger. As he passed through the series of smaller chambers behind the far end of the greeting hall, he heard voices.
It was River and Drift, a couple of chambers ahead. Moon stopped, and they were too intent on each other to notice him. It had been a long time since anyone in the court had plotted against him, but suspicious habit was hard to break. There was a sob in Drift’s voice as he said, “Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
“I will,” River said. “I’ve always come back before.”
“This is different. Just . . . You don’t have to prove yourself. You have friends who love you. The past doesn’t matter to the others the way you think it does.”
River was silent a long moment, then said, “It matters.”
Moon turned and silently slipped away.
He took the other way around to the greeting hall and found the other warriors and the Arbora gathered there, ready to leave. Much of the court was on the hall floor and the balconies of the well to watch them go. The others were saying quiet or noisy goodbyes to their friends and clutchmates. Briar was clearly trying not to twitch with nerves. Balm had told Moon earlier that Briar was pleased to be asked to go but also terribly nervous, and saw herself as inexperienced compared to the others. Moon would rather have a warrior nervous and inclined to be extra careful because of it than an overconfident one.
Moon went to stand next to Jade, Stone, and Pearl. After a moment, River came in and joined the rest of the group.
Bramble bounced around saying her goodbyes, and seemed more excited than nervous, a personality trait that was probably one of the main reasons she had been chosen. Moon still wasn’t sure about bringing her, but maybe Bone was right: she would help in ways no one could anticipate yet.
Everyone carried a pack, with the supplies needed to survive on their own if necessary, and Merit had an extra satchel slung over his shoulder, holding the materials he needed for making simples. The warriors who were to take the message and the third copy of the map to Malachite had already left, a group of five led by Aura.
As the group gathered around, Jade said, “Remember, they don’t know that most of us speak Kedaic. Speak to them in Altanic only.”
Everyone flicked spines in assent. Pearl told Jade, “I hope this trip is for nothing.”
She hadn’t phrased it particularly well, but Moon had the feeling that everyone knew what she meant. With wry acknowledgment, Jade said, “So do I.”
Chime picked up Merit and Song lifted Bramble, and they took flight through the forest to where the groundling flying boat was waiting.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Moon already knew this was going to be an awkward trip.
They flew through damp morning air of the suspended forest and found the flying boat still waiting near the meeting spot. As they drew near, Jade called back, “Land on the tree and wait there. I want to make certain it’s safe first.”
Moon tilted his wings to change direction and dropped down to land on the platform near the pond. Chime, carrying Merit, landed beside him. The others took positions on the branches above. Moon glanced around, making sure everyone was with them. For a moment he couldn’t spot Balm and Stone, but then saw them together on a branch further back in the tree. Stone had shifted to his groundling form, probably so they could talk.
“How different do you think this is going to be from traveling with the Golden Islanders?” Chime asked, his attention on the flying boat.
Jade circled above it once and landed on the deck. Several groundlings were visible, and she was speaking to Callumkal. With relief, Moon saw Delin step out of a doorway in the ridge that ran up the center of the deck. It wasn’t that he thought this was all an elaborate trap, it was just that even after all this time, suspicion was still a way of life for him. It wasn’t something that went away fast, or as far as he could tell, ever. He said, “Very different.”
Bramble, hanging onto Song, reached over to thump Chime in the shoulder. “It’s exciting.” Neither of the Arbora had been on a flying boat since they had come to the Reaches.
“That’s one word for it,” Chime muttered.
Jade lifted a hand, signaling them to come ahead.
Moon launched himself off the platform. He flapped to get above the boat, then dropped down to the deck. As the warriors landed behind him, he saw Stone was still in his groundling form, being carried by Balm. What’s that about? he wondered. But maybe Stone didn’t trust the boat’s deck to support his winged form. The warriors cast a few puzzled stares in Stone’s direction as Balm set him on his feet, but no one commented.
There were more crew members on the deck, and from their resemblance to Callumkal and Kalam, they were probably all Janderan. Though their skin varied a little in coloring, from a dark almost pure black to a deep warm brown, it had the same hard texture, and they all had the same rangy build. They also all radiated the same air of wary displeasure.
Jade caught Moon’s attention with a spine flick, and everyone shifted to groundling. Moon managed to do it in time with the others. It was a trick queens used when greeting other courts. Moon’s ability to participate was an achievement he was sure was wasted on the groundlings.
Callumkal nodded to them all. “We welcome you aboard.” He made a gesture. “Kalam will show you to your quarters.”
Despite the welcome, the crew still seemed uneasy, and watched them with an intensity that seemed both worried and unfriendly. Never a good combination, in Moon’s experience. Considering how the meeting had gone yesterday, it wasn’t a surprise. He didn’t expect the Raksura would have come off very well when the story of it was repeated to the rest of the Kishan.
Jade tilted her head to Callumkal in acknowledgment, and told Moon in Raksuran, “You take the others. Balm and Briar, stay with me.”
“Right,” Moon said, trying not to sound relieved. Standing out here under the weight of all this scrutiny made his nerves twitch and brought up uncomfortable memories. It had been a long time since he had been around any groundlings except the Kek and the other species who inhabited the floor of the Reaches. He was out of practice at being stared at.
As Kalam led the way through a door in the ridge along the deck, Delin fell in beside Moon and Chime. He said, “They asked if you and Jade should be put in a separate chamber, and I said that you would all prefer to be together. Was that right?”
Moon glanced back to make sure everyone who was supposed to be with him was actually following. Stone was tagging along at the back. “That’s right.” For safety while traveling, they always slept in groups.
The hatch had thick doors made out of layers of the moss material, with bars meant to fasten them against heavy weather. Inside the ridge was a broad hallway lit by large globes, glowing with light. They were mounted in the ceiling ridges, but were clearly made of something gelatinous. Delin saw Moon look up at them and he explained, “They are a luminescent fluid, harvested from a type of squid.”