57. Extra Scene from The Serpent Sea

When Moon, Chime, and Root didn't come back when the others did, Jade wasn't worried. She had spent the day at their camp on the mountain-tree platform because she needed the time, and she assumed Moon did as well. After the torrential storm and the cramped uncomfortable night in the leaky knothole, they could all use a rest, and Jade needed to regain her patience before she lost her mind and killed all of Pearl's warriors.

When she sent them all off that morning to hunt, Balm had commented, "I don't think Raksura were meant to spend long periods of time together."

Song said, "Oh, let's go up in the upper branches and sleep in the sun."

After the rain, the air was cool and fresh, and all the green earthy scents of the suspended forest were more intense. Jade said, "That's a wonderful idea." 

When Floret, River, Drift, and Vine weren't back by late afternoon, Balm commented, "I hope those idiots didn't get lost."

Jade, still lazy from spending all day in the sun, said, "When Moon gets back I'll send him after them."

But not long later the four warriors returned, muddy and tired and in much better moods, with a couple of grasseaters.  They had already fed, so Jade and Song and Balm divided up the kills, and Jade figured they would do the same with whatever Moon brought back, which should leave them full and ready to fly in the morning.

But the long afternoon turned into evening, and Moon and Chime and Root didn't return.

The others were beginning to twitch with worry, and Jade stood at the end of the platform with her arms folded, listening and tasting the air. Balm and Floret came to stand with her, and Floret said, "The consort wasn't...mad, when they left, was he?"

Jade twitched a spine in a negative. A normal consort would have been highly offended to be sent out to hunt. But Moon was so used to hunting while traveling that it was a frustrating effort for him to remember to let the warriors do it for him. And he had been just as eager to spend the day away from most of the others as Jade had.

"No, he loves hunting," Balm said impatiently. She added to Jade, "Chime wouldn't want to stay out past dark, even with Moon."

All we know is the direction they went in when they left, Jade thought. I'm an idiot. I should have gone with him. But he had traveled half around the Three Worlds alone, and they were in their own territory. But I should have gone with him.

"We have to search," she said.

She left Drift and Song at the camp. She would have liked to leave River too, since she still didn't entirely trust him, but he was one of the stronger fliers. And he hadn't said anything snide all afternoon. 

They set out in the last of the light, with the last of Flower's light stones tucked in their packs. They would need light if one of the warriors was hurt, Jade thought. She refused to think about the fact that Moon was perfectly capable of carrying a wounded Chime or Root back on his own. He was perfectly capable of thinking up a way to carry both of them, if he had to.

 Her internal sense guided her as she led the warriors through the suspended forest, following the direction Moon had taken that morning. The growing damp of the evening air was heavy on her wings. She knew Aeriat tended to fly in straight lines, unlike Arbora, who tended to take a wandering path even when they didn't have to. But Moon was different, and she didn't really know what patterns he followed when hunting.

Floret caught up with her and had to raise her voice over the hum of insects, growing as the twilight deepened. "Jade, I've only hunted with Moon twice, but both times he went out from camp in a straight line about the same distance and then curved around to the west."

It was better than any idea Jade had right now. "Take the lead," Jade told her.

Floret shot ahead, and they flew for nearly an hour and were curving back toward the camp, before Jade heard a familiar voice shouting. It was Root, calling for them as he flew toward the camp.

They caught up with him, River bellowing, "Root! Root, stop, it's us!" and landed together on a branch.

Whatever had been sleeping here slithered angrily away as Vine dug a light rock out of pack and held it up. 

Root looked unhurt but exhausted, his spines flattened. Jade had a moment of relief. Something had happened, Chime or Moon stuck somewhere, the other refusing to leave, and finally sending Root for help when they couldn't fix the situation themselves. She demanded, "Where's--"

"Warriors," Root gasped, "Strange warriors, and there was a queen. They took Moon and Chime. I followed, I saw where they went."

The warriors gasped in chorus, and Balm and Floret growled in pure reflex. Jade grabbed Root's shoulders. Her whole body went cold, then hot. Her voice came out in barely coherent snarl. "Show me."