Okay, she was channeling her cartoon self – Ariel. She’d loved the little mermaid when we’d watched it on First World. But it had taken her a while to realize it wasn’t a comedy or parody.
Fury laughed again. “Let’s just say, pure quince has a relaxing effect on the body and mind.”
Great – they were drunk. Alcohol had been banned on Earth for my lifetime, only accessible in the gangs, but I’d seen movies. I knew what was happening here. The dozen or so tribal members that had been watching the show finally noticed us and hurried over.
“Abbyyy,” Lucy shrieked, before plunging head-first off the table.
My heart caught for a second but thankfully Lucas had been standing close by and caught her easily.
“Abbyyy,” Talina’s shriek followed, although she managed to stumble down without breaking her neck.
“Good luck with that,” Fury said as she disappeared into the group of her tribal friends.
Lucy crashed into me first, and it was with the force of a freight train. I barely had time to reinforce my stance before Talina added her weight to our group.
Still holding me tightly, Lucy started to chatter. “Abby, where the hell have you been? I was so worried I couldn’t breathe or think or eat or sleep.” Her words were so rapid it was almost impossible to distinguish one from the other. “Although I did have a few drinks, I think ... think, drink, I drinked, I thinked.”
While she continued to talk and giggle, Talina was speaking over her.
“They have the best drink, Abby, you have to try some ... it was all burny ... and I can’t feel my eyes or my lips.” Talina tried to look down while pursing her lips. “Do I still have lips? Where did I lose those sneaky blowfish?”
I wanted to laugh and sigh.
“It’s been two hours. I was this close to knocking them both out.” Lucas stood there, completely sober, holding his index finger and thumb barely an inch apart.
“Why aren’t you making an ass of yourself with these two?” I was surprised.
“I don’t like to lose control,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “And I wasn’t thirsty, thankfully, since they didn’t tell us what was in the drink. I think they were hoping it would calm Lucy down. She was a little … annoyed at our forcible removal.”
Well, that didn’t mesh with the carefree, playboy persona he had going on. And I could imagine how crazy Lucy would have been.
“I’m tired, Abby.” Lucy rested her head against my side. Before straightening and bouncing off me. “Let’s dance.”
Talina laughed. “Wow, you’re annoying, Lucy.” She looked toward the back of the cavern to the where the Crais people were gathered. “Can we get some more of that drink over here? I think I’m going to need the energy to find my lips. They’re gone.” Her lower lip began to quiver and it looked as if the tears were about to start.
Okay, what was I going to do with these two now? They continued to jump around, knocking into me and each other. Finally Lucy tripped over, taking Talina down with her.
“We need to leave before the nomads come back for Fury,” I said to Lucas, wishing he wasn’t the only one normal enough to talk to. “But she needs to gather them first so they know she’s leaving. I’m not sure if we’re going to be able to manage all of this with idiot one and two over there.”
Lucas smiled. “I’ll wrangle the girls. You do what you need to do.”
“Lucassssss.” Lucy, back on her feet, had grabbed his hand and was spinning him around. “Lucasssiee, dance with me.”
A pained expression crossed his icy features.
“Regretting that offer already?” I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I’m the future Emperor. I can handle two drunk girls,” he muttered to himself as he gathered Lucy under one arm and Talina under the other.
“Fury.” I raised my voice in her direction. “Say your goodbyes; we’re leaving now.”
“I still hate you,” was her reply from somewhere in the centre of her tribe-mates.
“I still don’t give a flying crap.”
Eventually our group, including Luiz, the loyal best friend of Fury, was heading along the elevated path back to the surface. By the time we were halfway through, Lucy and Talina were passed out and Lucas had them draped over his shoulders, one on each side. I smiled. Those two were going to have sore heads in the morning.
Chapter 8
We stood near the exit that would lead out into the Crais suns. I had the shield back around the four of us. The air had become unbreathable about halfway along.
“So what’s the plan, Fury? Can you just bring the fire thing on at any time?” Luiz stood close to her, his dark features crinkled with worry. Flashes of light shone off his scaled skin.