The Joy Thief

Eight - Willa

"Do you really think we can do it?" Fifth asked. The way his eyes narrowed on me let me know he was skeptical of my declaration.

"You've gotten us this far. You can get us far enough so that we can load as many people and as much essence as possible before we leave for Earth." I wouldn't take no for an answer now. The humans here had been subjected to terrible horrors and I had to try to prevent it from happening to anyone else—at all costs.

Fifth paused before speaking, but then turned to the two of us.

"My only condition is that you allow me to return with you to Earth. I'll be executed for my crimes against the Queen if I stay here." Fifth's breathing shallowed. "I still have a lot of life to live, I don't want it to end."

"I assumed that'd be part of the bargain." Isaiah said with a smirk.

I stepped closer to him, nervously picking at my thumbnail. "As long as you understand we can't guarantee how welcoming or unwelcoming the humans on Earth will be of you."

Fifth nodded. "I understand."

Unbelievable. First, we ally with a Joy Thief. Now, we offer him sanctuary. It felt like the universe was playing tricks on me.

"Then you're coming with us," said Isaiah. "We'd never leave you here to die after all you've done for us."

"What's the plan then?" Fifth asked.

"Do you have access to a vessel that can transport us back to Earth? We have no way of leaving this planet and getting home if we don't even have a ship."

"Yes. I can access the docking stations with my security clearance. I've managed to convince my fellow Nexspheni legionnaires I'm not involved in any of the chaos unfolding in the streets," Fifth answered. "They believe I valiantly fought off the intruders but couldn't save the life of the Commander. So, getting inside will be easy. Obtaining a vessel may be a harder task. I'll have to think of a plausible excuse for my need of a ship."

Isaiah paced around the room while we planned out the rescue mission. Fifth and I discussed how Isaiah and I would work our way down to the chambers and free Della and as many of the imprisoned humans as possible. Then, ushering them to the vessel, we'd meet up with Fifth again at a disclosed point. When we agreed on the plan, Isaiah stopped and broke in between us.

"Willa, do you think our parents are here?"

The question took me by surprise. I hadn't thought of that. I had been so focused on rescuing Della and the horrible acts being committed to other humans here I'd forgotten about them. Father and Isaiah's parents had abandoned us for a colony. Could they have come to this one? Would their essence have been already harvested? These thoughts began to swirl around my mind.

"I don't know, Isaiah. Do you know if they were assigned to Nexpernon when they left? Father told my mom when they denied my passage because my disability branded me damaged and she decided to stay with me that he'd find a way to get us accepted to a colony. But he never mentioned the name of his assigned colony, and we never heard from him again. Did your parents ever say anything before you were left with your grandmother?"

"No," Isaiah scoffed. "They didn't even tell me good-bye. I woke up one morning to discover they'd left. Grandmother never told me which colony they went to. But if they are here, perhaps, we can rescue them, too."

Fifth stepped in, addressing Isaiah. "Isaiah. If they came to Nexpernon with the colony settlers, they would've been subjected to the essence harvest like all the other humans who've attempted to settle my world. If so they might very well be dead. Most of the slaves here don't have a long life-expectancy. We subject these people to incredibly harsh conditions. If they ever became too weak to work they would be disposed of immediately. Even if they had managed to survive they'd no longer be your parents, at least not the ones you knew."