Timestone

Chapter Forty ϟ Recovery

I've been healing in a room in Tanek's compound for several days. It took three days after the crash to regain consciousness. My body feels sore and heavy. My head is wrapped in bandages, and it throbs.

A table by my side sits covered in gifts—charms, healing beads, and trinkets. Tokens of affection from the people, according to Camila. She's the one who found me awake. She cared for me the entire three days I lay unconscious. I'll never forget the smile on her face when she walked into the room and saw my eyes open. It wasn't a wide smile or even a happy smile. It was somber. But I know why.

I've seen that same smile on the faces of many others. That joyful yet sorrowful ambiance hangs everywhere. Everyone's heart hangs heavy for the people lost in the recent battle. Yet you can also sense the joy in everyone's hearts from their newly won freedom—and from just knowing they'll survive.

After regaining consciousness, Camila and Cass sat at the foot of my bed to fill me in on everything I missed the previous few days. Yes, even Cass has softened toward me, which feels awkward.

After I opened the door at the base of the cliff, the people stormed the compound and subdued the guards. They captured everyone that hadn't flown away in the shuttles.

It didn't take long to discover that Tanek had escaped. But the compound still had power, which gave the people hope. They thought Tanek hadn't abandoned them to die after all. But the hope died when Jasik discovered that there was no power generator. Tanek had replaced it with a giant battery, which soon ran out. I suppose that's how he left so many of his loyal supporters behind without a rebellion. They didn't realize Tanek was leaving them to die.

Finding no sign of Vela or me, everyone feared we had been captured and taken aboard the shuttles. Heartbreak crushed the people upon learning of Vela's death.

Near the end of the battle, Marco had been stabbed in the shoulder. Camila was tending to his injury when I opened the staircase door. He ordered his army into the compound after I leaped back on top. Camila insisted that Marco remain below until she finished patching his wound. He witnessed Vela's fall. I know part of the pain and horror he must feel—is still feeling at her death.

When my shuttle crashed, Cass had just finished rummaging through the hangars in the back of the compound, taking inventory of anything useful. Standing near the open doors, she witnessed a streak of fire and smoke against the horizon. It fell from the clouds and ended in a plume of dust.

She organized a search party to investigate. They were astonished to find the wrecked shuttle with me inside and more astonished I was alive—banged up and unconscious. They pulled me from the wreckage and carried me to the compound without taking the time to inspect the precious cargo.

After returning, Jasik organized another group to scavenge the crash site for anything useful. Shouts of joy rang throughout the compound as news of the power generator spread. Jasik was confident it remained in working condition. He worked through the night to restore power, knowing that for each hour it took, ten hours passed for those who remained in the caverns. When he got the generator running, the caverns had been without power for over ten days.

With power restored, water flowed to the farm. Many crops died due to the prolonged absence of water and light. But there are enough fruits and vegetables on the vine and enough food in storage to last until they can harvest new crops.

Most men and women who fought for Tanek have been released from their cells. Camila, Cass, and the others offered them a second chance in the name of Vela and her mom, Sofina. Their compassion would have driven them to give the prisoners another chance.

Those who agreed to move into the caverns and work the farms or perform other jobs were released and given their freedom. A few loyal holdouts to Tanek wouldn't accept the terms. They harbor hope that he'll return, and they want to be found loyally waiting. And so, they remain locked up.

Several of Tanek's top engineers and scientists were among the captured who agreed to the terms of a fresh start. They all told a similar story of how Tanek kept them in the dark about his plans for the technology they were developing. They remained under the impression that the UESA had commissioned the work to advance space travel. They swore they wouldn't have helped had they known his true intentions.

The science and engineering teams have reformed to begin the development of another time engine and pursue other advancements with the timestone.

Over the next several days, I take walks to regain my strength. I don't know what to think about my newly-found fame. I can't go anywhere without people lavishing praise and wanting to hear how I returned with the shuttle and generator. Before this ordeal, I wouldn't have minded the attention so much. I may have even liked it. I speak politely to everyone, but really, I just want to be left alone. I don't deserve their praise or attention. I let Vela die.

Marco hasn't come to see me. Camila says he's taking Vela's death hard, understandably. He's spending time in solitude in a makeshift hut in the barren terrain beyond the compound. He doesn't want to see or talk with anyone. Camila delivers food and water to him. Other than her, nobody has seen Marco since Vela's tragic fall.

I spend nearly all my time outside the cliff boundaries. The five-day cycles never felt natural to me. I don't like the idea of my life passing ten times faster than it should. So, I only descend the cliff to visit Vela.

Timestone is piled at the base of the cliff where she fell as a memorial. Flowers and special memories cover it. A large piece of timestone has the words Santa Vela, which I'm told means Saint Vela, etched into it with a heart. I visit her memorial on my daily walk, though I never linger. The sadness becomes too uncomfortable. I don't belong in her presence. I'm the one person who could have saved her, and I didn't.

Since my awakening in the cave, Vela was the one person I held a real connection with. With no family or place to call home, I often felt lonely and out of place. But I feel lucky to have had her friendship. There were moments when I felt okay about not having a family because I had her. She made my torn-apart life feel complete.

ϟ ϟ ϟ

I stand looking at the pile of timestone that forms Vela's memorial. I'm lost in memory when somebody approaches me from behind. I'm startled when a hand touches my shoulder. Then I'm frightened when I turn and see Marco. It's the first time I've seen him since that tragic day. He still has signs of the injuries he sustained from the battle. His head has an ugly scrape. He has his right arm wrapped at his side. He just stands there staring at the pile of rocks with me. I long to explain—to apologize. But I've betrayed him. My guilt won't allow my mouth to speak.

He breaks the silence. "Thank you," he saysthrough a soft, broken smile. He doesn't understand—so I don't answer.