Two Moons of Sera by Pavarti K. Tyler Read Free Book Online

forced her eyes open and moaned as she tried to sit
up. ~ Serafay. You... have to run. They’re... combing the shoreline. They’re
going... to find you .~
    Above us another flare went up, closer. The ships edged
toward us.
    ~ Go! ~
    ~ No ,~ I protested as she closed her eyes again. ~ I can’t....~
    Tor’s hand was cool on my shoulder. “Sera, come.”
    “ No .”
    A grinding noise vibrated along the water’s surface.
    “We have to go!”
    ~ Mother ....~
    She didn’t respond. Her eyes closed, and her body went limp.
She was half in the water, her upper body exposed to the air. Just like how she’d
lived—meant for the sea but kept above the surface by me.
    Another flare went up. White light blurred my vision, and
for a moment, nothing made sense.
    “Now.” Tor grabbed me by the arms and pulled me up.
    “I can’t leave her.”
    He released me and leaned down to pick up her body. Then he
walked out to the edge of the reef and placed her in the water. With a push, he
sent my mother’s body past the cove and into the open sea. “She’s home now.”
    Sobs in my chest clawed their way up, desperate to be
released.
    “We have to go,” Tor said, interrupting my grief. “We have
to swim back and run.”
    I stood before him. Mute.
    “Please,” he begged.
    I didn’t speak a word. I ran to the edge of the reef and
dove underwater, using all my strength to swim to shore.

7
     
    Tor wove his way through the dark forest with ease, waiting
only long enough for me to see where he was going before moving on. The bag on
my shoulder was stuffed with items I had haphazardly gathered while waiting for
Tor to reach the shore. I swam much faster than him, but I wasn’t thinking
straight enough to take advantage of the extra time. I didn’t even remember
what I had grabbed.
    The terrain changed from sand to dirt. Sharp objects jutted
from the ground, slicing my bare feet. We ran toward the cliff, past the
forested perimeter I had explored. Trees blocked the starlight, and I could
barely see through the darkness.
    “Come on,” Tor whispered from ahead.
    Dim light from the ruby moon outlined his shape. He crouched
close to a tree. Beyond him the forest thinned before leading out to the cliff
ledge. How many weeks had passed since he’d stolen my paper and yelled at me
from this very ledge? How many lifetimes had I lived since then?
    “Sera!” he hissed, bringing my attention back to him. “We
have to climb. Can you make it up?”
    I nodded.
    “All right. We have to hurry.”
    In the distance, flares whistled into the sky, lighting up
the cove as the ships invaded the peaceful shore that had been my home.
    “You first,” Tor said once he secured my bag.
    Stretching above me, I grabbed hold of the hard cliff face.
With caution and care, I searched for footholds that could support my weight
and crevices I could grip. My Sualwet musculature extended with ease, giving me
a long reach, and I ascended the cliff.
    Together we climbed—one hand over the other, each foot on a
deliberate path. The ground below me drifted away one step at a time, and
thoughts of reaching the top eluded me. I could only concentrate on the next
movement, the next stretch, the next tear.
    Behind me came gruff shouts and the roar of motors. The
night lit up red and white. Fire brightened the sky. A flare whizzed past us
and burst high above, illuminating the rocky shoreline below.
    Panic gripped me and tightened its noose around my neck. I
clung to the wall, anxiety and fatigue consuming my muscles. I was paralyzed in
place, unable to continue.
    “Move!” Tor cried from below.
    We were exposed—blots against the gray rocks. Our only hope
was that the Erdlanders were too busy exploring the beach to look above them.
    My body resisted Tor’s instructions. I needed to get to the
top, to safety, but something told me I would never be safe again.
    “Sera!” Tor had clambered around me, his body next to mine. “You’re
going to fall and I can’t