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

carry you. You have to climb!”
    He continued to scale the cliff, passing me and leaving me
to choose life above or death below. After turning skyward, I forced myself to
continue my ascent.
    The light reflecting off the cliff dimmed as the flare fell
back to earth. The Erdlanders hadn’t seen us.
    With calculated movements, I reached the top. My fingers
searched for a solid hold over the ledge. Instead, Tor’s hand grasped my
forearm and lent me his strength.
    We stood at the top of the ledge, side by side. My lungs
filled with air as my heart clamored in my chest. Before us ships burned and
ignited the sea, Flares burst in the sky, leaving trails of red behind as they
fell. Somewhere out in that melee, the current swept my mother’s body out to
sea. Would she sink to the ocean floor? Would she drift on the surface among
the flames of a war she’d wanted nothing to do with?
    Wherever she was, it didn’t really matter. Her body
remained—now food for the sharks that once feared her presence—but her essence
was gone, scattered throughout the sea. Each droplet of water, each grain of
sand she ever touched held a piece of her and took her with it as it continued
on. Now the only thing that mattered was how that piece of her survived within
me.
    Tor led the way through the dense forest above the beach.
Another mountain loomed above us, but its foot hid a large clearing. No clear
path presented itself, but he seemed to know where he was going.
    I followed without speaking. There was nothing worth saying.
My entire existence had just floated away. My home was probably on fire, my
belongings destroyed. Even if they weren’t, I could never go back to get them.
    Everything was gone. I had nothing, no one. I had no people,
no family. The Sualwets would never accept me; having hair was enough to
guarantee that. The Erdlanders were monsters who destroyed my home. I may look
like them, but I never wanted to be one.
    Low-lying bushes filled the clearing. A stream ran from the
mountain to a small pond, where it disappeared underground.
    “Huh,” Tor called before stepping out of the tree line. He
held up his hand for me to wait.
    “Thhhhhrup!” something cried from a cave farther ahead. The
sound vibrated through the night, ending with a sharp yip, almost like the bay
of a coyote.
    I stepped back. If I ran, where would I go? Tor stood so
calmly, but as another cry ripped open, I began to shake.
    A four-legged creature emerged from the darkness.
    The creature was huge, much larger than any land animal I’d
ever seen. Its head came almost to my waist. Coarse, matted hair—thicker and
denser than mine or Tor’s—covered the creature’s body. Moonlight shone down and
I could see the animal’s coat was brown with strands of red and white mixed in,
making it blend in against the dusty earth.
    “Thhhhhrup!” it howled again, bounding toward Tor.
    “Huh,” he said, gesturing for the animal to stop, and it sat
before him in expectation. “Huh,” he said, his inflection sharper. “Sera, come
out.”
    The animal cocked its head at the sound of Tor’s words.
    “What is that ?” I whispered, slinking along the tree
line. The animal loosely resembled dogs I’d read about and seen in pictures,
but it was too large, its body too angular. And its piercing, intelligent eyes
disturbed me. I was being appraised, my behavior and quality measured and
judged by this animal.
    The dog-thing sprang to its feet, lowered its narrow head
into a menacing stance. A guttural growl vibrated from its chest. I was still
shrouded under the forest canopy, but it must have noticed me.
    “Thhhhhhrrr,” it warned. Its hackles rose, making the animal
appear larger. Each strand of hair stood like a needle ready to piece anything
that approached.
    “Huh!” Tor commanded. “Huh, huh.” With a gesture he called
the creature to his side.
    It stared at me again, its green eyes flecked with gold.
Another warning growl reverberated in the air before it