Six years ago.
Eleven-year-old Nisha sat on the railing of the crow's nest, feeling as the supple waves of the Orinas Sea gently rocked the ship back and forth as they sailed through the calm night. The subtle breeze whipped around her, throwing her short brown hair flying in a mess around her head, but she kept a smile on her face as she took in a deep breath of the salty sea air.
Alongside the wind, she heard soft humming. A familiar sound that brought her instant joy. She quickly hopped off the rail and grabbed onto a rope hanging from the sails, swinging herself down to the deck where she spryly leapt to the wooden floorboards and started to approach her mother where she sat at the bow of the ship, humming to herself.
Hearing the barefoot pattering of the girl rushing over, her mother's ear flicked back and she smiled as she looked back at her daughter, her humming stopped.
"Yes, Hu'Nisha?" her mother softly chuckled. For a woman Nisha has heard bellow commands left and right with an empowering growl to her tone as displays of exactly why she's the captain, her mother had a strangely soft voice when speaking to Nisha and her three younger brothers.
Nisha climbed up onto the wooden bench next to her and sat with her legs crossed and her tail flicking behind her. "You hum that song all the time at night. Hu'Nisha is curious, what song is it?" she asked and innocently tilted her head.
Her mother sighed serenely and leaned back on the bench. She took a small drink from her mug of rum before setting it down and facing the girl.
"You remember the story of where your mother and father come from, yes?" she asked and the girl nodded.
"Narvadin, right?"
Her mother nodded as well. "That's right. Well, when the Orcs invaded, we were forced to leave our home or risk becoming enslaved. As our people - the Tus'Felnis - sailed away from Narvadin, we would sing this song. 'Lunsaetus,'" she explained.
Nisha's ears perked up. "That means... 'Fireflies,' no?" she asked, and her mother responded with another nod.
"Correct," she wrapped an arm around Nisha and pulled her against her side, staring up at the stars hanging in the shining night sky above them. "Fireflies are a symbol of luck and guidance to our people. So by singing of them in our darkest hour, we are holding onto hope that we may yet one day return home," her tail swung up to wrap around Nisha as the girl leaned into her shoulder with a smile.
"Can you teach Hu'Nisha this song? She wants to have hope, too," the girl asked.
Her mother happily chuckled with a nod before taking another drink and she started to sing.
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Present day.
Nisha rushes through the hall, heading back down to the servants' quarters in search of the door that will bring them to the warehouse. She almost steps around the corner without pausing, when a metal hand grabs her arm and pulls her back.
Cree activates the invisibility implant in his neck and the effect spreads from him to Nisha, cloaking them both from sight just in time for a pair of officers to come rushing around the corner and march down the hall.
He deactivates the invisibility and steps out, looking both ways down the hall with a stony expression, when he quickly looks back to Nisha and motions for her to move back.
Nisha listens and backs up, hiding in another small storage closet but leaving it open a crack so she can peek out and see what's happening, when Cree straightens his shoulders and holds his head higher once The Director appears in their way.
YOU ARE READING
Rift
Science Fiction(Imperium Saga, Book 6) This is what it all comes down to. Nearing the end that could result in either unity for the world or being left forever divided. Outsiders from the continents of Aramora and Utopia come together to bring back the order that...
