Primal Destiny Page 16

  The decision had been controversial, but necessary. Many of the clan leaders were uncomfortable entrusting everything to Derreck. They recognized the lengths the captain had gone to, but he was still an outsider. Several elders had decided to make the journey back with Derreck. They knew they might never return to their home planet, but they viewed the sacrifice as necessary. Derreck had acknowledged their desire and had no problem bringing them with.

  Tev turned the rest of the way so he was facing Derreck. He extended his hand. “Thank you.”

  Derreck grasped Tev’s hand and pulled him in, embracing him. Tev returned the embrace, and a moment later they separated.

  Together, they walked towards the dropship, making its final preparations for departure. You’d be able to find the location from kilometers away, the celebration was so loud.

  Derreck had one final comment before they reached the edge of the gathering. “Take care of her, okay?”

  Tev nodded. He would.

  They resumed their journey, weaving their way through the crowds to the dropship. Clans had come from great distances, both to celebrate and to learn how their world had changed. Despite everything that had happened, only a small number of Tev’s people had been affected directly by the conflict. The word had spread, bringing as many clans together as possible to educate them on what had happened and what might still come to pass.

  Their progress was slow. Tev had become something of a legend as the celebration grew. The stories of his adventures had grown considerably in the retelling, until Tev was certain there were people in the clans who believed he had snapped his fingers and killed three men at once.

  Because of his leg, he was easily recognizable, and no small number of people swarmed to him, both to see him and his leg.

  Derreck was grinning as they made their way through the crowd. “Admit it, Tev, you love this.”

  Tev replied, in Derreck’s language. “Once I might have. Now, I only wish to resume my life as peacefully as I may.”

  Derreck laughed. “I understand.”

  Finally, they made it to the dropship, where the elders were wishing their clans their final goodbyes.

  Shet, promoted in importance due to his status as Tev’s elder, climbed onto a podium as the crowd fell silent. Eleta had set up a projector and speakers so everyone around the gathering could see and hear the old man.

  Tev watched with interest. He had known Shet since the day he was born, but his new importance seemed to suit him well. Tev respected the old man. Shet practically commanded it from his bearing.

  Shet began with the usual formalities. He thanked everyone for coming and acknowledged the distance they had traveled. He spoke of the changes that lie before them.

  “Today, friends, marks a new beginning for our people. We have learned that we are not alone, but we have also learned that we have friends from the sky as well. Our paths have come together, and today we celebrate the fact that we no longer walk alone!”

  Tev tuned out the rest of the speech as he felt a familiar hand in his. He turned his head and looked at Kindra, a grin on his face.

  She had decided to remain, a decision he didn’t fully understand, but one that he accepted. She said she had very little waiting for her back on Haven. Here, she could study the development of life on Tev’s planet, a dream come true for her. She also said she wanted to stay with him.

  For that, Tev was glad. He still feared that he was pulling her away from the rest of her life, no matter how often she reassured him. But, another side of him was grateful that they wouldn’t have to say goodbye.

  Tev heard the change in Shet’s voice and returned his attention to his elder.

  “As we watch our friends depart, we know that we still have much work to do. We have learned so much so quickly, but we must not be hasty in our decisions. We must decide how to use our new tools. Our clans will be closer than ever, and we must learn how to manage our differences.

  “But although our challenges are great, I have hope for our people. We are strong, and we will face these new challenges with the same courage we face every day with. Join me in honoring our departing friends and family one last time!”

  The speech ended with a roar of applause, and the last of the voyagers stepped onto the dropship.

  Tev wondered at the future. Working with Derreck, they had created a draft treaty to propose to Fleet. It granted them limited permission for settlement, but left a tremendous amount of power in the hands of Tev’s people. If Fleet accepted, Tev’s people would become one of the most powerful factions within Fleet overnight. There was no guarantee it would be accepted, but Derreck promised he would fight for it, and even Alston said he would use what connections he had to see a favorable result. Hopefully it would be enough to protect them.

  That was the other reason for the elders. They would act as negotiators for Tev’s people. They didn’t have the authority to sign, which protected them from harm and coercion, but they would make sure their wishes were respected. They would have to be enough.

  Tev’s thoughts were derailed as the crowd slowly retreated to a safe distance and the dropship took off, leaving them all behind.

  Kindra leaned back and rubbed her eyes, sore from focusing on the results of her tests. By now, she shouldn’t be surprised by her findings, but she was. The DNA in most of the plants had chains she could trace back to Old Earth. There was other DNA as well, DNA she assumed was alien, but there really was no telling. There were days when she worried she would study this planet for the rest of her life and still not understand it.

  The sound of laughter outside made her realize that the sun was high in the sky. Tev and Dinah would have returned from their morning walk. They had probably been waiting outside more than an hour for mom to finish her work. Tev didn’t like bringing their girl into Kindra’s lab. He wanted her to be older before encountering her mom’s technology. For her part, Kindra agreed.

  Dinah was almost three years old now, and precocious at that. Tev sometimes joked that no tree was safe from her desire to climb, and Kindra had to acknowledge that her daughter’s ability in the trees was amazing to watch. Every morning, Tev took her out and taught her about the forest. If her trajectory continued, she would become a hunter to rival her father. Kindra knew that if that came to pass, Tev would be overjoyed.

  The sunlight was bright as she stepped out and she covered her eyes with her hand. Tev was tossing Dinah into the air and catching her, and Dinah was laughing uncontrollably. The laughter stopped when Dinah saw Kindra, though. Her laughter turned into a squeal of delight as she focused on her mom.

  Kindra scooped up Dinah as she sprinted at her, wheezing a little as she bent over. She still wasn’t used to her larger belly.

  Tev came close and laid a hand on her stomach. Kindra hadn’t felt the little one kicking yet, but it was only a matter of time.

  Together, the three of them walked towards the hut that served as their home. As the head trainer of exosuit pilots, there wasn’t any need for Tev to be nomadic. A small group of them had started what amounted to their own clan, with permanent lodging for each resident. Nearby, the hunters who trained in the suits had a semi-permanent set of huts they lived in while they trained.

  Whenever she thought about it, Kindra had to stop and consider how much had happened. Derreck and the Hellbringer had left over five years ago, and there hadn’t been any word since. Kindra wasn’t terribly surprised. The only way to send messages through space was via jumpship, and they were far, far off the beaten path.

  They sat down for a simple lunch of dried meat and berries. Kindra found the food delicious, another example of the change that had happened in her. She had never been large, but the work of surviving on Tev’s planet had leaned her out, given her a physical strength she had never expected to have. Her tastes had changed, too. She preferred her food simpler, although there were certainly days where she dreamed of a nice glass of wine.

  After lunch, Kindra took Dinah whil
e Tev went to visit the training grounds. The afternoons were always the part of the day Tev treasured, for they gave him an excuse to pilot once again.

  He came back that evening, and he dictated into his book as they sat around the fire.

  It was Dinah, as observant as always, who noticed the star moving the wrong way in the sky. Tev smiled, and Kindra’s heart skipped a beat. They were back, but what did it portend?

  Kindra’s neurodisplay activated, the first time in a long time. There was little need of it on the planet. She jumped a little at the surprise, then grinned as she relayed the news.

  “Derreck’s returned, and he’s got a treaty for the planet to sign.”

  She laughed. “He also says he wants the elders off his ship. He’s never traveling with them again.”

  Tev laughed at that as well. He had often told Kindra stories of his youth, and she felt sympathy for what Derreck must have endured.

  He stood, his balance on his artificial leg almost as good as it ever was before the battle.

  Dinah spoke up. “Where are we going, father?”

  Tev pointed up. “There, Dinah. Farther than we’ve ever gone before.”

  Thank you!

  Thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed the book, reviews are the lifeblood of independent publishing, and I would be grateful for your feedback.

  Also by Ryan Kirk

  The Nightblade Series

  Nightblade

  World’s Edge

  The Wind and the Void

  Blades of the Fallen

  Nightblade’s Vengeance

  The Primal Series

  Primal Dawn

  Primal Darkness

  About the Author

  Ryan Kirk is the bestselling author of the Nightblade series of books. When he isn’t writing, you can probably find him playing disc golf or hiking through the woods.

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