World Warden, page 60
Applause ensued, and Oscar did a sort of half bow as he said thanks. He was still beet red and looked decidedly uncomfortable being the center of attention.
“Tristan,” the director continued, “you have always been a model citizen. From the day you joined the Colony Patrol, you have shown nothing but an impeccable sense of responsibility and a tireless drive to protect the people around you. Your fellow officers all speak highly of you. In fact, your commander would like to say some words. Amanda? Would you come up, please?”
Commander Rodriguez walked up to the platform. She was wearing a stunning strapless evening gown in a deep shade of maroon, which Elias found oddly incongruous with his image of her. He had always seen the commander in her patrol uniform with her shock spear slung across her back. This was the first time Elias saw her wearing jewelry, or her long black hair cascading around her shoulders. She still looked imposing, but there was a glint of softness to her expression that had never been there before. Even the old scar that marred the beautiful olive skin on her face appeared less conspicuous, almost as if it wanted to fade away into nothing but memory.
“I’ll make this quick,” Commander Rodriguez said. “Tristan, you’re a good man and a capable officer. I’m not surprised you kicked ass wherever it is you went.”
There were hoots from the back of the crowd, coming from the other patrol members. Phineas Trost whistled quite loudly.
Amanda Rodriguez gave them a one-sided grin. “I’m proud to call you my comrade in arms. You’ve shown both the discipline to follow orders and the courage to ignore them when they don’t make sense. I’m not sure what the future holds for the Colony Patrol, seeing as how we don’t have any wurl to fight anymore, but whatever it is, I’d be glad to have you in my team.”
“Thank you, Commander,” Tristan said, his voice thick with emotion.
“Nothing to thank,” she replied. “We should be grateful to you guys, and I think we all are. Come here. You earned this medal.”
Rodriguez bestowed the distinction upon Tristan to more enthusiastic applause. Elias had a weird sense of déjà vu when he recalled the Midwinter Feast of the previous year. Tristan had been the center of attention back then as well, but Elias had been stewing in frustration and jealousy instead of clapping enthusiastically with everyone else, as he was doing now.
He blinked, amazed at how much he had changed in so little time. Back then he had been angry, fearful, and he had wrestled with pernicious insecurities that had made him sarcastic and resentful of the people around him. There was no trace of any of those emotions in him anymore. His defenses were down, his heart was open, and it brimmed with a sense of connection to others that went deeper than his link to the world itself.
Tristan, Oscar, and Commander Rodriguez returned to their seats, and the director took center stage once more.
“Now it is my honor to preside over a very special ceremony indeed,” she announced. “From the beginning of our history, Portree has been a closed community. We were all we knew because we believed there were no other people sharing this world with us.”
She looked at Samantha and the rest of her family, as did many others.
“However, this was not the case,” O’Rourke went on. “Unknown to us, our brothers and sisters were living on Raasay, descendants of the colonists who once shared the generation ship with our forebears. There, they endured unspeakable hardship under Dresde’s tyranny.
“I can only imagine how terrible it must have been. All we know about your troubles and tribulations comes from Oscar’s letters, and we would certainly respect your wishes if you never want to speak of what you went through half a world away. Nevertheless, you are here now, among us, and I believe it is time for a more formal welcome into our small but friendly community.”
The director smiled and picked up one of the four remaining boxes of elegant yult wood.
“Samantha,” she said, “please come forward.”
Samantha threw a slightly panicky look at Oscar. He nodded enthusiastically and gave her a double thumbs-up.
She stood and walked to the director with a somewhat stiff but confident demeanor. She nodded at O’Rourke and the rest of the council and then turned to face the crowd.
“Dear Samantha,” the director said, “you, along with Tristan, Elias, and Oscar, have delivered us from the threat of an attack that would certainly have destroyed us. I understand your bravery was unquestionable. You showed incredible strength of will to defy Dresde, and Oscar tells us that your devotion to your family is without equal.
“I wish to show my gratitude, and that of us all, by officially inviting you to become a citizen of Portree. You will have the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else, and when you come of age you will be able to vote and make your voice heard in our government.” O’Rourke opened the box. Inside, resting on black velvet, was a brand-new link that gleamed under the light. “It would make me very happy if you would accept my invitation.”
Samantha looked at the link with evident surprise. She very nearly smiled and then nodded solemnly. “I accept, and I thank you, Director.”
“Marvelous! Let me put this on you…. Harold, how do you install a new link?”
There were some chuckles when Harold MacLeod rushed over to help the director put the link around Samantha’s left forearm. It was a quick process, and the computer beeped promisingly when it was installed.
“Welcome, Samantha. Our fellow citizen!” O’Rourke said.
Everyone clapped. Samantha thanked the director formally and returned to her seat. Nadja, Ute, and Laurie received their citizenship and links as well. The director couldn’t quite help herself and kissed Luca on the forehead, reassuring Laurie that her baby would get the best care and education the colony could provide.
When everyone was seated there was a slightly longer pause. It took Elias a moment to notice that most people were looking at him again.
“And now for the main event of the evening,” the director said. “We would not be here today if it weren’t for one specific individual. He has given this colony its future. For as long as I can remember, ever since I was a girl, those around me lived in fear of what would come. I saw our food reserves dwindle and our harvests fail year after year. After I was elected to lead Portree, I spent many a sleepless night wondering what would become of the place I so love, and I must admit that eventually I came to despair. Nothing our talented scientists did seemed to help, and the ever-present threat of running out of sustenance was like a dull fog over my daily life and that of many others, one that grew thicker and darker each day.
“It was then that Elias Trost decided to act when none of us would. Not only did he risk his own life during the perilous trek to return the Life Seed to where it belonged, but he also negotiated with Sizzra, the wurl queen whose fearsome power we witnessed firsthand on the day of the storm. He kept her from destroying our colony, and he gave us the seeds that are the very embodiment of our hope.”
O’Rourke descended from the dais and walked among the tables. Elias hadn’t noticed that the center of the plaza had been cleared of furniture and other objects. He saw that a waist-high plinth had been hidden underneath the table with the cornucopia, but it was now on full display. The top of it was concealed under a white cloth.
Someone changed the illumination so most of the lights went out except for those above the middle of the space. The shift created a warm spotlight that commanded attention. Underneath it, the director stopped next to the plinth and spoke again.
“Elias, would you please join me?”
Elias stood up and tried not to trip over any chairs as he walked carefully over to stand next to Director O’Rourke.
She shook his hand with a motherly smile.
“Once you tried to speak, but we wouldn’t listen,” she began. “You told us of how you had discovered the journal of Thomas Wright and of the things you had learned in those pages. I silenced your voice back then out of fear. For this, Elias, I apologize.”
“Um, it’s okay,” Elias replied, unsure whether he was supposed to speak or whether it was more of a monologue.
“It is not okay,” O’Rourke contradicted him. She looked out over the crowd. “Secrecy is never preferable to open communication. Hiding the reality of the food crisis seemed to the council and myself to be the only way to protect the young from the harshness of the world, but in doing so we alienated those who, like you, saw beyond the thin veil of what I once convinced myself were white lies.
“Trying to control information was a mistake. Down that path lies deceit, surveillance, and tyranny. We are a community of equals, and every voice is as valuable as the next. You spoke when no one else would, and you have shown both good judgment and the resourcefulness and flexibility needed to interact with the powerful guardians of this world.
“I believe I am not alone when I say I have come to realize that we live on New Skye as guests rather than conquerors. The unique ecosystem of this planet is a living reminder of the fact that we must learn humility. Instead of taking, we must share. Instead of dominating, we must adapt and change. If we are to grow and prosper together with the other intelligent species of this world, we need to learn, to listen, and communicate.”
O’Rourke tapped her link in a rather official-looking manner. Harold appeared behind her. He was holding a white sash embroidered with the black-and-gold symbol of the generation ship Ionas.
“Elias,” the director said, “in recognition of your heroic deeds, I present to you three gifts. First, this plaque, which will stand in our plaza as long as Portree itself.”
She pulled the cloth away from the plinth and revealed an engraved golden plaque.
In remembrance of the first
Hope Day
we honor Elias Trost
who
on May 27, 141 AP
gave Portree its future.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” O’Rourke said.
The crowd broke into thunderous applause. Elias looked at all of the smiling faces and was quickly overwhelmed with emotion. Everyone was clapping. For him.
“That’s my boy!” Elias’s father shouted from his table. He beamed with pride.
Elias dabbed joyful tears away from his cheeks. The applause went on for a long while.
“Thank you, Director,” he said after it stopped. “This means a lot. It really does.”
“It’s the first of three gifts,” she reminded him. “The next is the sash. It’s an invitation.”
Harold stepped forward with it and presented it to Elias.
“The council and I have come to the conclusion that we need an ambassador for humanity on this planet,” she explained. “The future will bring new challenges and opportunities, but we will only be able to thrive if we work together with the wurl. Sizzra, Dresde, and Lyrana may be gone, but their daughters will succeed them. When they do, we will need someone to speak to them on our behalf, to ask them to allow us to live here and share the bounty of the world with them.
“We would like you to be our voice as we work together for a better future. Do you accept?”
“I accept,” Elias replied with no hesitation. “I would be honored.”
“Very well,” O’Rourke said. She gestured to Harold and clicked something on her link. “As director of the colony of Portree, and speaking for its governing council, I hereby name you, Elias Trost, as the Ambassador for Humanity on the planet of New Skye. As such, you are granted a seat at the council itself, and I promise you this: when you speak, we will listen.”
Harold draped the sash across Elias’s chest. His link beeped, notifying him that he had been promoted to council member.
“Wow,” Elias said after the applause that ensued. “Thank you, Director.”
“I expect great things from you, Elias. And now for the final gift. You will perhaps have noticed that the obelisk which once stood here has been removed?”
Elias nodded. It was true: MacLeod’s obelisk was gone.
“We have decided that Captain MacLeod and his ideals do not truly represent the unity we envision,” O’Rourke told him. “After all, some of the early colonists chose to live far away from Portree rather than accept his leadership, and we would like for the monument at the center of our city to reflect the future rather than the past. Therefore, our last gift is this: we would like you to decide on the statue that will be erected in its place. Some even suggested building a statue of you, Elias.”
“What? No way!” Elias protested.
“Are you sure?” O’Rourke asked. “Personally, I think it is only fitting. You will go down in history as our greatest hero.”
“Respectfully, Director, I have to decline.”
“Of course. But if not you, who should the statue depict?”
Elias closed his eyes briefly. Something came to mind: a powerful, indomitable creature who had endured decades of weakness and privation while she became a shadow of her former self. No humans had ever witnessed her former majesty, but Elias had once seen the queen in her prime. Through memories that were so bright and clear they could have been his own, Elias had heard the earth tremble under her very footsteps and seen her spines rend even the clouds.
“I know who,” Elias said with a smile. “We should build a statue of Sizzra.”
Chapter 35. World Warden
ELIAS WALKED to the old lab under the peaceful stillness of an autumn sky.
Work was progressing quickly. Most of the dirt and debris that had hidden Dr. Wright’s laboratory from view had been excavated and removed in the month since Elias had returned to the colony. The building was now fully exposed, and it was a promising structure. Once cleanup and renovations were finished, it would be a fine addition to Portree’s science division as the brand-new xenobiology research compound. The countless discoveries New Skye promised would be studied there, and it would become the center of humanity’s knowledge about the world.
There was no one at the site in the early morning. The sun had come up a few minutes earlier, and Elias’s breath steamed in front of his face every few steps. He sat down for a while on the hard-packed earth near the main entrance to the lab, hands in the pockets of his warm jacket, and watched the colony for a while. He enjoyed the silence. The fresh air was invigorating, and being outside felt much more natural to him now than staying indoors. Although he appreciated the comforts of home, such as the dry softness of a mattress or hot showers anytime he wanted, they simply couldn’t compare to the freedom and openness of nature.
He placed his right hand on the ground and closed his eyes. He could feel the world around him slowing down, easing into winter’s embrace. Many animals were stockpiling food in burrows or dens. Others were eating as much as they could to build up fat reserves for the colder months. Much farther north, many had already settled into a kind of torpor that was deeper than sleep, which only the warmth of returning longer days would end.
He cast his perception farther out. In the distant south of Reena, things were different, diametrically opposite to what he was experiencing. Life was returning to the world with spring that would soon spill over into summertime. There were vast deserts experiencing their very first rains of the year, and both animals and plants were taking advantage of the brief but plentiful moisture to grow and reproduce. Wild grass carpeting seemingly never-ending flat expanses of terrain swayed in the breeze as herds of wandering ruminants crisscrossed them in numbers too large to fully comprehend. Beyond the grasslands, in mountain ranges, deep gorges, and wide river deltas, life was abundant. And strange animals and plants that no human had ever seen inhabited places so distant that they scarcely resembled what Elias knew of New Skye at all.
I want to go there. I want to explore it all.
A flicker of awareness brushed against his mind and pulled his attention back to his own temperate surroundings. His perception sped over the forest around Portree, past the hills, and over the slopes of a mountain he knew very well. He could sense that snow had already fallen on many high places, and the plants and fungi surrounding the area were halting their growth as temperatures dropped. The life energy along the spirit-lines all around the region was muted, seeming to him to appear in soft pastel tones that contrasted with the raucous vibrant hues of summertime.
With one exception.
A nexus of life blazed at the place he knew as Crescent Valley. It too was dormant, but not for long. Dozens of creatures yearned for life, and they were almost ready to come out into the world. Through the eyes of Narev, Vanor, and Siv, Elias watched Sizzra’s clutch in the cave she had dug. His three friends were also waiting.
Another brief hint of an intelligent mind drew Elias’s attention to the white egg at the very top of the pile. The sensation of impending change was coming more frequently now. It wouldn’t be long.
He could hardly wait.
Elias stood up with a contented sigh. It was time to go back home and celebrate his birthday.
He walked to his house slowly, savoring every scent and appreciating every sound, every memory. Portree still felt like an entirely new place. People smiled much more often, and everyone seemed to have more energy. Elias was certain it was due to more than having food. A sense of openness and freedom, an absence of fear permeated the communal environment as people redefined the world as a friendly and welcoming place rather than a source of threat and uncertainty. Elias had seen it in the way children played in the afternoons. He had heard it in the couple of council meetings he had attended. He had tasted it in the new dishes his father cooked for the family and in the amazing dinners at Samantha’s house when Ute invited them over.
His path took him through the plaza, and he had to stop and grin. Early morning was the best time to admire Sizzra’s statue, gleaming in the light. It was not life-size because it would have taken up the entire space, but it was large enough to command a sense of awe and respect that Elias found fitting and appropriate. He wondered if she would have liked it or if she would have simply dismissed it as a puny attempt at emulating her majesty. Elias thought that Miguel Rodriguez had done a good job of capturing how Sizzra had looked in her prime. He had sculpted her shape out of a tough and resistant polymer that had allowed him to portray her standing tall, her front left foreleg raised and her jaws open in a silent but terrifying roar. Elias and Miguel had spent weeks working together to make sure every detail was right. Miguel had somehow managed to mimic the glass sheen of Sizzra’s claws, the red luminescence in her eyes that some people said creeped them out when they walked by the statue at night, and of course her iridescent glory.
“Tristan,” the director continued, “you have always been a model citizen. From the day you joined the Colony Patrol, you have shown nothing but an impeccable sense of responsibility and a tireless drive to protect the people around you. Your fellow officers all speak highly of you. In fact, your commander would like to say some words. Amanda? Would you come up, please?”
Commander Rodriguez walked up to the platform. She was wearing a stunning strapless evening gown in a deep shade of maroon, which Elias found oddly incongruous with his image of her. He had always seen the commander in her patrol uniform with her shock spear slung across her back. This was the first time Elias saw her wearing jewelry, or her long black hair cascading around her shoulders. She still looked imposing, but there was a glint of softness to her expression that had never been there before. Even the old scar that marred the beautiful olive skin on her face appeared less conspicuous, almost as if it wanted to fade away into nothing but memory.
“I’ll make this quick,” Commander Rodriguez said. “Tristan, you’re a good man and a capable officer. I’m not surprised you kicked ass wherever it is you went.”
There were hoots from the back of the crowd, coming from the other patrol members. Phineas Trost whistled quite loudly.
Amanda Rodriguez gave them a one-sided grin. “I’m proud to call you my comrade in arms. You’ve shown both the discipline to follow orders and the courage to ignore them when they don’t make sense. I’m not sure what the future holds for the Colony Patrol, seeing as how we don’t have any wurl to fight anymore, but whatever it is, I’d be glad to have you in my team.”
“Thank you, Commander,” Tristan said, his voice thick with emotion.
“Nothing to thank,” she replied. “We should be grateful to you guys, and I think we all are. Come here. You earned this medal.”
Rodriguez bestowed the distinction upon Tristan to more enthusiastic applause. Elias had a weird sense of déjà vu when he recalled the Midwinter Feast of the previous year. Tristan had been the center of attention back then as well, but Elias had been stewing in frustration and jealousy instead of clapping enthusiastically with everyone else, as he was doing now.
He blinked, amazed at how much he had changed in so little time. Back then he had been angry, fearful, and he had wrestled with pernicious insecurities that had made him sarcastic and resentful of the people around him. There was no trace of any of those emotions in him anymore. His defenses were down, his heart was open, and it brimmed with a sense of connection to others that went deeper than his link to the world itself.
Tristan, Oscar, and Commander Rodriguez returned to their seats, and the director took center stage once more.
“Now it is my honor to preside over a very special ceremony indeed,” she announced. “From the beginning of our history, Portree has been a closed community. We were all we knew because we believed there were no other people sharing this world with us.”
She looked at Samantha and the rest of her family, as did many others.
“However, this was not the case,” O’Rourke went on. “Unknown to us, our brothers and sisters were living on Raasay, descendants of the colonists who once shared the generation ship with our forebears. There, they endured unspeakable hardship under Dresde’s tyranny.
“I can only imagine how terrible it must have been. All we know about your troubles and tribulations comes from Oscar’s letters, and we would certainly respect your wishes if you never want to speak of what you went through half a world away. Nevertheless, you are here now, among us, and I believe it is time for a more formal welcome into our small but friendly community.”
The director smiled and picked up one of the four remaining boxes of elegant yult wood.
“Samantha,” she said, “please come forward.”
Samantha threw a slightly panicky look at Oscar. He nodded enthusiastically and gave her a double thumbs-up.
She stood and walked to the director with a somewhat stiff but confident demeanor. She nodded at O’Rourke and the rest of the council and then turned to face the crowd.
“Dear Samantha,” the director said, “you, along with Tristan, Elias, and Oscar, have delivered us from the threat of an attack that would certainly have destroyed us. I understand your bravery was unquestionable. You showed incredible strength of will to defy Dresde, and Oscar tells us that your devotion to your family is without equal.
“I wish to show my gratitude, and that of us all, by officially inviting you to become a citizen of Portree. You will have the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else, and when you come of age you will be able to vote and make your voice heard in our government.” O’Rourke opened the box. Inside, resting on black velvet, was a brand-new link that gleamed under the light. “It would make me very happy if you would accept my invitation.”
Samantha looked at the link with evident surprise. She very nearly smiled and then nodded solemnly. “I accept, and I thank you, Director.”
“Marvelous! Let me put this on you…. Harold, how do you install a new link?”
There were some chuckles when Harold MacLeod rushed over to help the director put the link around Samantha’s left forearm. It was a quick process, and the computer beeped promisingly when it was installed.
“Welcome, Samantha. Our fellow citizen!” O’Rourke said.
Everyone clapped. Samantha thanked the director formally and returned to her seat. Nadja, Ute, and Laurie received their citizenship and links as well. The director couldn’t quite help herself and kissed Luca on the forehead, reassuring Laurie that her baby would get the best care and education the colony could provide.
When everyone was seated there was a slightly longer pause. It took Elias a moment to notice that most people were looking at him again.
“And now for the main event of the evening,” the director said. “We would not be here today if it weren’t for one specific individual. He has given this colony its future. For as long as I can remember, ever since I was a girl, those around me lived in fear of what would come. I saw our food reserves dwindle and our harvests fail year after year. After I was elected to lead Portree, I spent many a sleepless night wondering what would become of the place I so love, and I must admit that eventually I came to despair. Nothing our talented scientists did seemed to help, and the ever-present threat of running out of sustenance was like a dull fog over my daily life and that of many others, one that grew thicker and darker each day.
“It was then that Elias Trost decided to act when none of us would. Not only did he risk his own life during the perilous trek to return the Life Seed to where it belonged, but he also negotiated with Sizzra, the wurl queen whose fearsome power we witnessed firsthand on the day of the storm. He kept her from destroying our colony, and he gave us the seeds that are the very embodiment of our hope.”
O’Rourke descended from the dais and walked among the tables. Elias hadn’t noticed that the center of the plaza had been cleared of furniture and other objects. He saw that a waist-high plinth had been hidden underneath the table with the cornucopia, but it was now on full display. The top of it was concealed under a white cloth.
Someone changed the illumination so most of the lights went out except for those above the middle of the space. The shift created a warm spotlight that commanded attention. Underneath it, the director stopped next to the plinth and spoke again.
“Elias, would you please join me?”
Elias stood up and tried not to trip over any chairs as he walked carefully over to stand next to Director O’Rourke.
She shook his hand with a motherly smile.
“Once you tried to speak, but we wouldn’t listen,” she began. “You told us of how you had discovered the journal of Thomas Wright and of the things you had learned in those pages. I silenced your voice back then out of fear. For this, Elias, I apologize.”
“Um, it’s okay,” Elias replied, unsure whether he was supposed to speak or whether it was more of a monologue.
“It is not okay,” O’Rourke contradicted him. She looked out over the crowd. “Secrecy is never preferable to open communication. Hiding the reality of the food crisis seemed to the council and myself to be the only way to protect the young from the harshness of the world, but in doing so we alienated those who, like you, saw beyond the thin veil of what I once convinced myself were white lies.
“Trying to control information was a mistake. Down that path lies deceit, surveillance, and tyranny. We are a community of equals, and every voice is as valuable as the next. You spoke when no one else would, and you have shown both good judgment and the resourcefulness and flexibility needed to interact with the powerful guardians of this world.
“I believe I am not alone when I say I have come to realize that we live on New Skye as guests rather than conquerors. The unique ecosystem of this planet is a living reminder of the fact that we must learn humility. Instead of taking, we must share. Instead of dominating, we must adapt and change. If we are to grow and prosper together with the other intelligent species of this world, we need to learn, to listen, and communicate.”
O’Rourke tapped her link in a rather official-looking manner. Harold appeared behind her. He was holding a white sash embroidered with the black-and-gold symbol of the generation ship Ionas.
“Elias,” the director said, “in recognition of your heroic deeds, I present to you three gifts. First, this plaque, which will stand in our plaza as long as Portree itself.”
She pulled the cloth away from the plinth and revealed an engraved golden plaque.
In remembrance of the first
Hope Day
we honor Elias Trost
who
on May 27, 141 AP
gave Portree its future.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” O’Rourke said.
The crowd broke into thunderous applause. Elias looked at all of the smiling faces and was quickly overwhelmed with emotion. Everyone was clapping. For him.
“That’s my boy!” Elias’s father shouted from his table. He beamed with pride.
Elias dabbed joyful tears away from his cheeks. The applause went on for a long while.
“Thank you, Director,” he said after it stopped. “This means a lot. It really does.”
“It’s the first of three gifts,” she reminded him. “The next is the sash. It’s an invitation.”
Harold stepped forward with it and presented it to Elias.
“The council and I have come to the conclusion that we need an ambassador for humanity on this planet,” she explained. “The future will bring new challenges and opportunities, but we will only be able to thrive if we work together with the wurl. Sizzra, Dresde, and Lyrana may be gone, but their daughters will succeed them. When they do, we will need someone to speak to them on our behalf, to ask them to allow us to live here and share the bounty of the world with them.
“We would like you to be our voice as we work together for a better future. Do you accept?”
“I accept,” Elias replied with no hesitation. “I would be honored.”
“Very well,” O’Rourke said. She gestured to Harold and clicked something on her link. “As director of the colony of Portree, and speaking for its governing council, I hereby name you, Elias Trost, as the Ambassador for Humanity on the planet of New Skye. As such, you are granted a seat at the council itself, and I promise you this: when you speak, we will listen.”
Harold draped the sash across Elias’s chest. His link beeped, notifying him that he had been promoted to council member.
“Wow,” Elias said after the applause that ensued. “Thank you, Director.”
“I expect great things from you, Elias. And now for the final gift. You will perhaps have noticed that the obelisk which once stood here has been removed?”
Elias nodded. It was true: MacLeod’s obelisk was gone.
“We have decided that Captain MacLeod and his ideals do not truly represent the unity we envision,” O’Rourke told him. “After all, some of the early colonists chose to live far away from Portree rather than accept his leadership, and we would like for the monument at the center of our city to reflect the future rather than the past. Therefore, our last gift is this: we would like you to decide on the statue that will be erected in its place. Some even suggested building a statue of you, Elias.”
“What? No way!” Elias protested.
“Are you sure?” O’Rourke asked. “Personally, I think it is only fitting. You will go down in history as our greatest hero.”
“Respectfully, Director, I have to decline.”
“Of course. But if not you, who should the statue depict?”
Elias closed his eyes briefly. Something came to mind: a powerful, indomitable creature who had endured decades of weakness and privation while she became a shadow of her former self. No humans had ever witnessed her former majesty, but Elias had once seen the queen in her prime. Through memories that were so bright and clear they could have been his own, Elias had heard the earth tremble under her very footsteps and seen her spines rend even the clouds.
“I know who,” Elias said with a smile. “We should build a statue of Sizzra.”
Chapter 35. World Warden
ELIAS WALKED to the old lab under the peaceful stillness of an autumn sky.
Work was progressing quickly. Most of the dirt and debris that had hidden Dr. Wright’s laboratory from view had been excavated and removed in the month since Elias had returned to the colony. The building was now fully exposed, and it was a promising structure. Once cleanup and renovations were finished, it would be a fine addition to Portree’s science division as the brand-new xenobiology research compound. The countless discoveries New Skye promised would be studied there, and it would become the center of humanity’s knowledge about the world.
There was no one at the site in the early morning. The sun had come up a few minutes earlier, and Elias’s breath steamed in front of his face every few steps. He sat down for a while on the hard-packed earth near the main entrance to the lab, hands in the pockets of his warm jacket, and watched the colony for a while. He enjoyed the silence. The fresh air was invigorating, and being outside felt much more natural to him now than staying indoors. Although he appreciated the comforts of home, such as the dry softness of a mattress or hot showers anytime he wanted, they simply couldn’t compare to the freedom and openness of nature.
He placed his right hand on the ground and closed his eyes. He could feel the world around him slowing down, easing into winter’s embrace. Many animals were stockpiling food in burrows or dens. Others were eating as much as they could to build up fat reserves for the colder months. Much farther north, many had already settled into a kind of torpor that was deeper than sleep, which only the warmth of returning longer days would end.
He cast his perception farther out. In the distant south of Reena, things were different, diametrically opposite to what he was experiencing. Life was returning to the world with spring that would soon spill over into summertime. There were vast deserts experiencing their very first rains of the year, and both animals and plants were taking advantage of the brief but plentiful moisture to grow and reproduce. Wild grass carpeting seemingly never-ending flat expanses of terrain swayed in the breeze as herds of wandering ruminants crisscrossed them in numbers too large to fully comprehend. Beyond the grasslands, in mountain ranges, deep gorges, and wide river deltas, life was abundant. And strange animals and plants that no human had ever seen inhabited places so distant that they scarcely resembled what Elias knew of New Skye at all.
I want to go there. I want to explore it all.
A flicker of awareness brushed against his mind and pulled his attention back to his own temperate surroundings. His perception sped over the forest around Portree, past the hills, and over the slopes of a mountain he knew very well. He could sense that snow had already fallen on many high places, and the plants and fungi surrounding the area were halting their growth as temperatures dropped. The life energy along the spirit-lines all around the region was muted, seeming to him to appear in soft pastel tones that contrasted with the raucous vibrant hues of summertime.
With one exception.
A nexus of life blazed at the place he knew as Crescent Valley. It too was dormant, but not for long. Dozens of creatures yearned for life, and they were almost ready to come out into the world. Through the eyes of Narev, Vanor, and Siv, Elias watched Sizzra’s clutch in the cave she had dug. His three friends were also waiting.
Another brief hint of an intelligent mind drew Elias’s attention to the white egg at the very top of the pile. The sensation of impending change was coming more frequently now. It wouldn’t be long.
He could hardly wait.
Elias stood up with a contented sigh. It was time to go back home and celebrate his birthday.
He walked to his house slowly, savoring every scent and appreciating every sound, every memory. Portree still felt like an entirely new place. People smiled much more often, and everyone seemed to have more energy. Elias was certain it was due to more than having food. A sense of openness and freedom, an absence of fear permeated the communal environment as people redefined the world as a friendly and welcoming place rather than a source of threat and uncertainty. Elias had seen it in the way children played in the afternoons. He had heard it in the couple of council meetings he had attended. He had tasted it in the new dishes his father cooked for the family and in the amazing dinners at Samantha’s house when Ute invited them over.
His path took him through the plaza, and he had to stop and grin. Early morning was the best time to admire Sizzra’s statue, gleaming in the light. It was not life-size because it would have taken up the entire space, but it was large enough to command a sense of awe and respect that Elias found fitting and appropriate. He wondered if she would have liked it or if she would have simply dismissed it as a puny attempt at emulating her majesty. Elias thought that Miguel Rodriguez had done a good job of capturing how Sizzra had looked in her prime. He had sculpted her shape out of a tough and resistant polymer that had allowed him to portray her standing tall, her front left foreleg raised and her jaws open in a silent but terrifying roar. Elias and Miguel had spent weeks working together to make sure every detail was right. Miguel had somehow managed to mimic the glass sheen of Sizzra’s claws, the red luminescence in her eyes that some people said creeped them out when they walked by the statue at night, and of course her iridescent glory.
