Ship of Souls by Elliott Zetta

Author:Elliott, Zetta [Elliott, Zetta]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: AmazonEncore
Published: 2012-02-27T23:00:00+00:00

11.

Nuru hops off my shoulder and into my hands. “You have to stay with me from now on, D.”

“You mean you have to stay with me,” I say. I know all too well what can happen when Nuru flies off, even if it’s just to look around. I can feel Nyla and Keem staring at me, but I turn away from their gaze and try to reassure Nuru of my loyalty. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“We are bound to one another, D. From this point forward, even if you let go, I will not.”

Nuru pauses and looks at me as if trying to speak with her eyes. I feel a chill go up my spine, but I still nod to show that I understand.

“For the moment you may go and join your rather persistent friends. They are also bound to you, it seems,” she says. “I must prepare to send the signal that will wake the dead.”

Nuru lifts herself up into the sky and flies to the center of the lake. I slowly skirt the shore trying to think of what I’ll say to Nyla and Keem. Keem’s got his hands jammed in the front pocket of his hoodie. Nyla’s arms are folded across her chest. Neither of them looks happy to see me.

On the grassy slope next to the boathouse is a big pile of gray paving stones. The Parks Department must be planning to extend the café’s patio. I try to kick one of the heavy stones with my foot, but it hardly moves. Without looking up I say, “You should be at home. Isn’t it time for evening prayer?”

“I’m allowed to miss prayer if I’m saving someone’s life.”

Keem looks more like he wants to personally end my life, but I accept his answer with a nod.

Nyla looks mad, too, but I think I can hear a hint of sadness in her voice. “So this is it, huh? You’re just going to leave and go to this other…realm?”

I kick at the paving stone again and this time manage to make it roll over. “Why not? I mean, I told you what my life is like. My mother’s dead, I don’t even know who my father is, and my foster mother won’t miss me—she’s got another poor kid to take care of. What have I got to lose?”

“Uh—how about your life? Or don’t you care about that?” asks Keem.

I shrug. “Nuru needs me.”

We all look out over the lake and wait to see what will happen next. For a long time, Nuru hovers above the water with her wings beating fast like a hummingbird. Then she morphs into a glowing orange orb and, like the setting sun, slowly sinks toward the surface of the lake. The orb spins rapidly until it touches the water, and then it stills and the air all around us throbs as if someone has struck a giant gong. The water ripples outward in gentle waves, lapping against the shore just inches from our feet.

Keem puts a hand to his chest.

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