Quest for Freedom Read online

  Janai smiled as she sat next to Ash again. Tish was a brilliant woman. And stubborn!

  Her thoughts drifted back to the day they defeated the Morgee and found Sarah half dead from ingesting poisonous berries. The carrier ship that transported people from the planet to the off-world dock, where the spaceships were housed, had been in orbit when the last of the Morgee shut down, stranding children on one of the moons. They had no way of retrieving the carrier ship and no way of rescuing those they now called moonchildren. The ancient ship was still up there somewhere, and young ones here told stories of seeing it travel near the moons on clear nights. Janai and the other adults knew this was just a tale, but she liked to watch the fascination on her children’s faces when they spoke of it.

  Two moonchildren received their mind gifts about one cycle after Sarah’s capture. Ash and the other messengers had kept in communication with them ever since. Luckily, the moon was quite fertile, thanks to the ancient E’treuns who had once worked there, and the stranded children had learned to harvest native plants for food and medicine. Those children were grown now and had offspring of their own. They lived in the moondomes left by the ancients and were a thriving community in their own right.

  Janai silently commended Tish for her efforts to build another carrier ship, but the tools, materials and knowledge no longer existed. Though she doubted the woman would ever give up.

  Twenty years had passed and this planet, now called Freeworld, had become home. Janai doubted her Kritine parents survived the Morgee invasion all those years ago. Not after stories she’d heard from others. She could no longer remember their faces but she would never forget their love for her. Her family surrounded her, those who shared her blood and those who shared her heart. It had been almost five years since Divia passed on. Janai never knew exactly how old the woman was but she had lived a very long time. The elderly healer had delivered Janai’s first child, a daughter.

  At least she got to see her first grandchild before she died. Janai had taken the woman’s place as head healer. The other healers had insisted. She was honored and hoped to live up to her E’treun mother’s reputation.

  “I think,” Penny said, breaking into her thoughts, “Tish likes that Sitopan man she’s been working with.”

  “Really? I’ve met him a few times. He seems very nice.”

  “Yeah. And Tish gets quiet whenever he’s around.”

  Janai laughed. “Oh, then she must like him.”

  Tish, who was once silent as a child, could talk a snapper out of its dinner if she tried hard enough. She never discussed the scars on her cheek, though, and Janai decided that it really didn’t matter anymore. The woman was happy and healthy now.

  “Stop that!” Ash called. Janai turned to see their daughter pinning her younger brother on the ground. The child reluctantly did as her father ordered.

  Other children from the village were arriving with their parents for the weekly fireside stories Sarah led. Sarah had remained in a coma for about a week after she was taken to the hospital. She’d recovered, but a permanent limp and a useless arm would be a lifelong reminder of that day. Ash had pulled Janai back from that healing before she’d taken all the poison from the girl, probably saving her life. The poison that had remained in Sarah’s bloodstream affected the muscles in her right arm and leg. The healers tried to reverse the affects without success.

  Sarah had been truly ashamed of the horrible things she’d done and had spent the last fifteen years working in the hospital, cheering patients and helping to save lives. It had taken a long while, but Janai and the others had finally forgiven her.

  The elaborate E’treun caverns, once called the free-zone, had been modified and added to over the years to become a thriving village. Children were born with each moons phase, it seemed. Freeworld now had a new generation growing up here. A free generation that would never know the adversity their parents had endured. And Janai vowed to keep things that way.

  The children came running to their parents with excited voices when they saw Sarah hobbling over the hill. The largest moon sat in the sky and Janai raised her face to it. She wondered if those residing there were gathering for their own fireside stories. The purple sky seemed to go on forever, a testament to the power of time, and she took in a deep breath of satisfaction. Ash caught her gaze and she gave him a loving smile as she cradled her daughter in her lap.

  As others settled around the fire, Janai caught a glimpse of the red-eyed night callers and took comfort in their presence.

  About the Author

  Dana Davis is an award-winning author of fantasy and science fiction, with an entertainment background in stage and film. When she’s not writing, she loves to read, travel, peruse graveyards, investigate possible haunted locations, or hang out at the beach. Dana lives in California with her husband, where she is writing another book. She invites readers to visit her website at danadaviswriting.com.