“We did it!” Eva threw her arms around her companion.

“Ewa seetha tadasha,” he replied, patting her on the back. He let out a long sigh of relief, and pulled a bottle out of his rucksack. After uncorking the top, he offered a drink to Eva.

“Um. No, thanks.” Eva could smell the curdled scent wafting out of the bottle.

Her companion shrugged and took a swig, and then smacked his lips in delight. “Ta! Feezi!” He held up one finger as an idea dawned on him. “Zuzu, zuzu,” he mumbled as he rummaged around through his rucksack. Eva realized that their armored mount was quiet, grazing on the lichens that grew along the forest edge.

Thank you, she thought to it, watching twilight soak the landscape. Is it time to join your others?

Not now. Quiet. Rest.

“You’ve been through a lot.” Eva slid off the back of the animal. “We all have.”

“Oeeah!” The lanky creature found what it had been searching for. He dismounted, joined Eva on the mossy ground, and reached for her hand. Into her palm he dropped a heavy metallic ball. “Kip!” he said.

Eva inspected the object, furrowing her brow. She glanced back up at her companion.

“Kip! Kip!” he repeated, pointing to his whiskery throat.

“What? Do you want me to eat this?” Eva weighed the sphere in her hand. “I don’t think I can eat metal.”

“Dat, dat, dat, feezi,” said the creature, moving Eva’s hand with the ball closer to her mouth. “Doot, doot . . . ba kip!”

“Talk?” Eva said. As she spoke, the ball lit up in a pattern of tiny micro-lights. “Wow. What is this?” She watched the illuminated pattern dance across the small device. A miniscule cloud puffed out of a tiny pinhole at the top of it. Eva moved it away from her face. “What’s it doing?”

“Dat,” whispered her companion. “Peesa tobondi feezi, ta kipli.” He moved Eva’s hand back to her face, the dust cloud drifting toward her. He sat back and inhaled deeply, then pointed to Eva.

“You . . . you want me to breathe this dust in?” Eva grimaced. “I . . . I don’t know. Thanks anyway,” she said, handing the ball back.

Shaking his head, the creature muttered, and blew the dust into Eva’s face.

“Ugh!” She coughed repeatedly. “What are you doing? Are you trying to kill me?” She could taste metal in her throat and feel it in her sinuses.

The creature sat back and chuckled.

“Oh, it’s funny, is it?” Eva threw the metallic sphere at him. “Well, you can just keep your stupid glow ball! I have to get back to my wrecked home now.” She walked away in a huff.

“Tes, continue kipping,” said the creature.

“Wait a second!” Eva stopped, turning back in his direction. “Did you just say ‘continue’?”

“Zazig. I try to peebla foo,” her companion said, picking up the ball. It was speckled in wondrous tiny lights.