Chapter 13: 13: The Greenhouse

Ember’s blood ran cold as she stared at her classmate. “Your partner hasn’t come up? Was he connected to an air supply?”

The man shook his head, his face slack with terror. “Call a medic,” Ember ordered. Without hesitation, she pulled the goggles over her eyes and stuck the mouthpiece between her teeth, plunging back into the dark lake water. 

For a moment, she lay suspended just below the surface, urgently searching for any sign of a struggle. Her eyes locked onto two bodies, tightly intertwined and nearly indistinguishable from one another in the stirred-up water. She swam as quickly as she dared, coming up behind them with her back to the corals.

From close up, what had appeared to be a mess of limbs separated into two Linnaeans: her classmate and a sea creature covered in long purple spines, both surrounded by the faint red hue of blood. Conrad was impaled from his feet to his stomach, struggling weakly as he tried to detach himself. As Ember watched, the sea creature tried to push him away but only managed to bury her spines deeper. 

Keeping the mouthpiece tightly between her jaws, Ember grabbed Conrad by the hips and wrenched him backward. Catching onto her plan, the sea creature grabbed onto a head of coral, and Ember tugged again. He popped free, moaning and sending more blood leaking into the water. Knowing that she was running out of time, Ember gestured for the other Linnaean to follow and pulled Conrad flush against her, taking care to avoid the spines. She bent her knees and pushed off from the sand, propelling herself toward the surface.

The raft grew closer painfully slowly. Conrad’s body dragged in the water, weighing her down and threatening to send her sinking to the bottom. She gasped for breath, kicking as hard as she could and clawing with her free arm. Then, finally, Morgan’s hand stretched out in the water, hauling them up until their heads broke the surface.

Together, the Linnaeans pulled their injured classmate onto one of the rafts. The spiny sea creature emerged last, gripping the edge of the raft with a look of horror splayed across her face. “He tried to stand on me,” she gasped. 

“Never mind that,” Ember said, bending over Conrad. He was pale and shaking, but breathing shallowly; some unknown mutation had kept him from aspirating. Broken-off spines spouted from his skin at random intervals, surrounded by purpled and swollen flesh. 

“I sent out a flare,” his partner said. Ember nodded, noting that the nearest boat was on the opposite bank. 

“What’s your species?” she asked the sea creature. 

“Long-spined sea urchin.”

“Venomous?” 

She nodded. Ember rooted around in her first aid kit, coming up with a pair of tweezers, which she used to grip the first cluster of spines stuck in Conrad's skin. She pulled them out smoothly, leaving behind a patch of blue-black residue. Morgan came behind her and rinsed out the puncture wounds with a canteen of fresh water. As they worked, Ember spotted Orthus watching with an almost disinterested look on his face. 

“The medic’s coming,” Conrad’s partner said, pointing at a rowboat with a bright-red flag. A moment later, a middle-aged Linnaean pulled up beside them, taking one look at the urchin and lifting Conrad into his boat. Using his own tweezers, he removed the rest of the visible spines in rapid-fire, dabbing at the skin with a vinegar solution. 

“It burns,” Conrad moaned, twisting against the wooden rowboat. 

“You’re going to be just fine,” the medic said calmly, then turned to Ember and the others. “I’m going to take him back to the infirmary to get the deeper spines removed. He’ll be out of commission for a few days, but he’ll be okay. You did well pulling him out of the water.” With that, he rowed briskly toward the outbuilding, leaving the three classmates and the urchin staring at each other. 

“You probably saved his life,” Conrad’s partner told Ember. “I’ll make sure Professor Hickory knows.”

“Yes, thank you,” the urchin added, her face pinched and swollen from crying. 

Ember looked down, grimacing at the mess of venom and blood on the bamboo shoots. “Please, let’s get back to shore. I think I’ve forgotten the feeling of dry land.”

***

“Congratulations, Ember!” Naz exclaimed, grabbing and shaking her arm excitedly. Ember blinked confusedly, pushing through the remainder of the crowd so that she stood in front of the board that displayed the exam results. There, outlined in gold, was her name in third place in the freshmen class. 

“Oh god,” she said, staring open-mouthed. She’d thought that her exams had gone well, but not this well.

 “I knew you were brilliant!” Naz added, attracting the attention of several students who gave Ember an appreciative whistle or a thumbs-up. “Now you’ve got to tutor me.”

“I don’t know about all that,” Ember laughed. After one last look at the board, they moved to the side, leaving room for other students to view their scores.  “How did you and Carn do?” 

Naz shrugged. “I passed. But Carn’s on the probation list.”

“What? He’s so smart!”

“Yeah, don’t know what's going on. He might act stupid, but he’s always done well. We need to talk to him.”

“I’ve been living under a rock for the past week,” Ember frowned. “Let’s go to the mammalia dorm soon and make sure he’s okay.”

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Naz agreed, looking anxious. Not even a minute later, Ember heard her name being called from across the trail. Morgan rushed toward her and threw her arms around her body, giggling excitedly. “We got an A on Hickory’s exam, thanks to you! Apparently, we were one of the only groups to make the dive, and I’m sure no one else saved someone’s life!” 

“It took both of us. Your report was excellent.”

“We have to celebrate! Come with me to the Greenhouse tonight, I’ll pay.” Ember titled her head, considering it. The Greenhouse was Mendel’s most popular club for university students, within walking distance of the center of campus. “Pleaseee?” Morgan begged, “It’s Friday night!”

Ember shrugged. Although she wasn’t the partying type, a break would be welcome after the week of torture. “All right, but I’m not going to get drunk.”

“Okay, okay,” Morgan said, looking thrilled. “I’ll pick you up at ten.”

***

Ember followed Morgan up the trail, feeling terribly overdressed. The other girl was wearing a tight top that showed off her thick scales and a skirt that fell to her mid-thigh, while Ember had oped for her usual hiking pants and loose shirt. She’d also added a heavy coat at the last minute, hoping to chase off the night’s chill. 

Other clusters of Linnaeans were out on campus, drinking from wooden cups or laying out under the stars. A bat colony flew overhead, dodging between the great trees in their hunt for insects. Ember and Morgan chatted quietly as they walked, stopping occasionally to look at a lone deer or owl. 

The music was audible as soon they passed the campus boundary. Nestled between two redwoods was a building constructed entirely from wood and glass, draped in vines and partially obscured by fallen leaves. Morgan grabbed Ember’s hand and brushed the vines aside, pulling her through the open doors and into the club.

The main floor was packed with young Linnaeans dancing and drinking a variety of multi-colored spirits. Behind them was a raised stage where a band of five played upbeat music. Morgan led them to the counter, where she paid for two cups of berry wine while flirting with the bartender. Ember took her cup in one hand, sampling it tentatively. It went down surprisingly easily, mellow and woody compared to Ciradyl’s hard liquor.

Content to lean against the bar and sip her drink, Ember watched as Morgan danced through the crowd. She threw her head back and made up her own lyrics to the music, switching from partner to partner with no regard for gender. Meanwhile, Ember recognized a couple of the Linnaeans from class and exchanged a few words with them, deflecting their requests for tutoring good-naturedly. 

After her second drink, Morgan returned to the bar and tugged Ember into the crowd, spinning her around and beginning a jumbled waltz. Ember followed along with the other girl’s antics, laughing despite herself. They crossed in front of the stage to the other side of the club, where some groups of Linnaeans were drinking at tables fashioned from tree roots. 

Ember slowed, causing Morgan to slam into her. “What is it?” Morgan asked. When Ember didn’t respond, she lost interest and disappeared back into the crowd. 

Ember narrowed her eyes. Perched at the furthest table was a group of six men, each of them a species of canine. They sat behind a pile of empty steins, horsing around with smug looks that left a sour taste in Ember’s mouth—and in their midst was Carn.

So that’s where he’s been. Ember looked him over, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the heavy glass in his hand. He looked more serious than usual, and his red fur had thickened around his forearms. As she watched, he fidgeted to one side, seemingly unable to sit still. Ember hung back, trying to decide if she should speak to him or not. Then, remembering how insistent he had been when they first met, she pushed through the crowd to stand in front of his table. 

His eyes were wide and wild as they met hers. “Hey, Carn,” she said, ignoring the skeptical looks from the other canines. “I haven’t seen you around lately, how have you been doing?”

Carn’s ears tilted back slightly as he glanced at his new friends. “I’m all right.”

“Did your exams go well?”

“Just fine.”

“Are you going to the next game?”

“Don’t know.”

Ember scowled. “Can we talk? Naz is worried.”

“Ember, I’ll see you around, okay?” 

She clenched her fists, wanting to grab him by the collar and knock some sense into him. The dismal, sour man in front of her was so un-Carn-like that it made her furious. “You-”

“He said to leave,” one of the other canines interrupted. He was well-developed, lean and scrappy with disk-like ears and dark brown eyes. As he regarded Ember, his posture stiffened and the hair around his neck stood on end, the kind of warning unique to apex predators. 

Ember raised her hands in surrender, accepting that she wasn’t going to get through to Carn in front of the others. As she turned back into the crowd, she looked at him one last time, watching as he lowered his eyes to the floor in shame. 

How the hell am I going to tell Naz that he’s off the treatment? 

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