He stepped onto the branch with her and slid a knot on the tree.
At least it had looked like a knot. It must have been some kind of tech, because a hover disk appeared before them.
“Why wasn’t this at the ground level?” she asked incredulously. “That would have made this whole thing a lot easier.”
“Because you don’t want anyone finding it by accident,” he replied. “Security is important.”
“What if I get hurt and I can’t climb?” she asked.
“You’ll throw a rope down,” he said, shrugging. “Or you’ll stay home until you heal. Either way, you can’t have this down there. Understood?”
She nodded.
“Good,” he said. “Step on.”
She boarded the thing gingerly.
Terra-4 didn’t exactly have a lot of tech, and what they did have hadn’t been accessible to the likes of Luna.
“Go,” Noxx said in a bored voice.
She shot upward, too terrified to scream.
When she reached the top she was treated to a magnificent view over the trees and down to the valley where the lake glimmered in the last of the light.
There was no storm in sight. It really was just getting dark already. She tried to remember if there was anything about the length of the solar cycle on Clotho in the materials she’d read to prepare, but she’d been too focused on the parts about the baby to really notice.
Suddenly, she was plummeting downward again.
“Fire and plumage,” Noxx exclaimed as she landed by his side. “What are you doing? Why didn’t you get off?”
She was too embarrassed to say she had been overwhelmed by the view.
“Go,” she said instead, bracing herself this time.
She closed her eyes and when the disk came to a halt next to the treehouse, she stepped off onto the branch right away.
A moment later, Noxx joined her.
“Go on,” he said, indicating the door to the treehouse.
She leaned in to examine the pad beside the door.
“Put your hand on it,” Noxx said.
She placed her palm against the glass, and the door swung open.
“Stay here,” Noxx said, handing her the cradle with the lightly sleeping baby.
She took it gingerly, and watched in wonder as he slid a laser sword out of his satchel and crept inside like he was in a hologram spy thriller.
She wondered if she should be afraid. It seemed unlikely that anyone would have infiltrated a tree house in the middle of the forest.
A moment later, he came out and nodded.
“All clear,” he said, taking the cradle back.
She stared at him.
“Well, go on,” he said, indicating the door.
Luna stepped inside and her jaw dropped.
It was beautiful.
A wood plank floor stretched across the large open space, fur rugs delineated different areas. The ceiling was beamed and wooden too, giving the whole place a cozy feeling.
The near right corner was clearly meant to be a bedroom, with cushions and furs covering a huge section of the floor. A wicker cradle beside the cushions showed her just where the baby was supposed to sleep.
The whole left side was living space, with a carved wood sofa and chairs covered in soft cushions. One wall was full glass overlooking a balcony and the view over the valley beyond. A stone fireplace with a metal wood stove insert made her warm just looking at it, even though there was no fire in it yet.
The far wall had shelves and a metal box Luna sincerely hoped was for chilling food. If it was, it meant the tree house must have a solar cell to power it, and that would be handy for so many reasons. A cooking grill and sink basin stood next to the box, and the back right corner was walled off.
She shuddered, thinking about climbing up and down to get water.
This is my whole life now. I’ll have plenty of time to carry water, she reminded herself, trying not to think about the many hours it would entail.
“Go on, look around,” Noxx said.
She headed immediately for the mysterious walled space, opening a small door.
“No way,” she breathed.
“What?” he asked, sounding alarmed.
“There’s plumbing,” she said, staring at the bathroom in front of her, unable to believe her eyes.
“Yes,” he said, his voice gentler. “Of course.”
“I can see the pipes,” she breathed.
Maybe indoor plumbing was a given in his world, but it wasn’t in hers. The basin on the floor was large enough to fit a whole person in it, maybe even two.
Tears prickled her eyes, and she leaned against the door frame for a moment to steady herself.
“I’ll show you the kitchen,” he offered.
She took one last look at the massive bath tub and then turned to follow him.
“The kitchen basin has plumbing, too,” he said.
She must have been dreaming, but she thought she heard just the hint of pleasure in his voice. As if he wanted to make her happy.
“That’s wonderful,” she said sincerely. “I won’t have to carry water up and down. This will change our lives.”
He glanced down at her appraisingly, as if something she had said was changing his mind about her.
A wave of pleasure went through her as his eyes met hers and she felt her cheeks burning.
“Do you want to see the view?” he offered.
She nodded.
He placed the cradle down by the sofa and used the palm sensor to slide open the wall of glass to the balcony.
“All the palm sensors are at adult height, so you won’t have to worry about Sol toddling out here anytime soon,” he explained, then seemed to regret his slip of the tongue. He’d been clear that naming the baby was supposed to be her job.
But it seemed the baby already had a fine name.
Sol.
In Terran myth, Sol meant sun, the complement to her own name, Luna, which meant moon.
Sun and moon. It was as if they had been a family from the beginning, and only waiting to be brought together.
Sol, she repeated to herself silently.
She didn’t say it out loud. Noxx obviously hadn’t meant to share the name with her. She didn’t want to call attention to it and ruin the moment.
He gestured to the balcony and she stepped outside.
Through the branches of the tree that encircled them, she could see twilight had painted the surface of the lake a luminous pink.
“You can see the village in the valley too,” he said, pointing.
Sure enough, two rows of buildings were just visible not too far from the lake, warm lights in the windows telling her people lived there. It was good to know that she and the baby wouldn’t be entirely alone if they didn’t want to be. Although it was clearly a pretty decent hike to get that far.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathed.
The sky turned dark blue as the last rays of the sun faded from view.
A few seconds later, there was a shivering in the undergrowth below their tree.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Night comes every six hours on Clotho,” Noxx said. “The forest belongs to us only in the light.”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Look,” he said, handing her a tiny instrument.
She took it. The metal was heavy in her hand.
“Put it to your eye,” he said. “You’ll be able to see the ground.”