2. Jade

2

JADE

A flash of movement catches my eye, and something hurtles through the air straight toward us. I'm too tipsy from the mead on an empty stomach to move or react with any speed, but Jillian has the good sense to pull her arm free from mine and cover her pregnant belly with her hands.

That's when something incredible happens. Miraculous even.

The wedding ring made of Rakuium that Remmel gave Jillian begins to glow, and a shimmering, translucent shield of energy explodes around her, encasing her in a protective cocoon. The object hurtling our way, which turns out to be a rock the size of a baseball, bounces harmlessly off the energy shield and falls to the ground in front of us. The shield disappears as quickly as it arrived.

"Jillian, did you see that?" I'm almost wondering if the mead is making me hallucinate.

She holds her left hand up and turns it back and forth in the firelight, examining the ring on her finger. It looks completely normal now. "I saw it."

A surge of adrenaline courses through me, over-riding my buzz from the mead. If a simple piece of Rakuium jewelry can release that much energy in such an instinctively protective way, imagine how useful the material could be. My mind races with possibilities. "We need more Rakuium. As much as we can get our hands on."

Before Jillian can answer, Remmel sweeps her into his arms and carries her away, growling something about reckless Lukka and finding the healer. Gia runs over as they leave, followed by Lukka.

"Sorry about that," Gia says, breathless. She's the most mechanical one in our student group. A cute, petite tomboy with big, blue eyes, flawless fair skin, and black hair worn in a tousled pixie cut. "Is Jillian okay? I was showing Lukka how to pitch a baseball."

I roll my eyes. "With a rock?"

"That's all we had. And, well, Lukka's a little stronger than he looks."

"Did you guys see what happened?" I ask.

Gia and Lukka exchange looks. "Yeah. Lukka's pitch went wild and was headed straight toward you and Jillian."

They didn't see what her Rakuium ring did. Maybe we both hallucinated the shimmering energy shield. I hold out my empty mug. "I need more mead."

Lukka takes the mug from me. "Follow me, Jay-duh. I will get you more."

"Hey," Gia says. "What about pitching practice?"

"It would be safer to wait until the suns come up and our minds are free of mead," Lukka says.

"And there aren't any pregnant women around," I add.

Gia flashes a thumbs up, retrieves her baseball rock, and jogs away while I follow Lukka toward the food and the booze.

"Hey Lukka, what can you tell me about Rakuium?"

He stiffens at my question, his muscular back tensing. He turns to face me, his expression unreadable. "What do you wish to know about it?"

"Everything. What it is, what it does, how I can find more."

"It is a precious element from our homeworld that was used as an energy source. It cannot be mined on this planet, and what little we have left is used to light the North and South Caves."

"But Remmel gave Jillian a ring made of Rakuium. Where did he get some?"

He refills my mug with mead. "That is a question for Remmel. Rakuium is dangerous, Jay-duh. You would do well to leave it be."

After what I saw, that's not happening. "Dangerous, how?"

Lukka frowns. "It corrupted our ancestors and destroyed our homeworld. The energy it contains is powerful and unpredictable, capable of great destruction. Rakuium is the reason my people chose a simpler life."

I know all this from Zavra, the computer AI in the Cavern of Memory, and was hoping for some detailed specifics. "If Rakuium is really that powerful, it could help us go home."

"You wish to leave the Rakui tribe?" He looks at me, shocked. I think I offended him.

"Well, not the tribe specifically. You've all been great. Welcoming and supportive. More like the tribe's way of life. Terrans are used to living with technology, Lukka. Some of us aren't interested in a simple life."

"If you need more than food, shelter, and community to be happy, you could choose a mate and start a family."

I laugh, thinking he's joking, then realize he's not. I drink some mead to keep myself from saying something snarky. Lukka isn't being intentionally misogynistic. He's just thinking like a Rakui male.

When I don't respond, he says, "I would make a very good mate, Jay-duh. I am a strong and capable hunter, and a warrior with exceptional speed and agility." His chest puffs out as he touts his strengths.

"You would make a good mate, Lukka." I do my best to hide my grin. "I'll keep that in mind if I end up staying here. For now, I want to look for more Rakuium."

That's when Zeleck appears, seemingly out of nowhere. "I will accompany you on your quest to find Rakuium. I know exactly where to look."

Quest? Hmm. I like that. It fits.