Page 6

CHAPTER SIX

“Oh my,” Maria gasped, opening her eyes to one of the most incredible sunrises she’d ever witnessed.

The sky was ablaze with wispy cloud trails the color of clementines, streaks of crimson delight angling down toward the burgundy and green foliage below, the moisture in the air creating rainbows the likes of which she could hardly believe.

Was it this alien sun’s spectrum? Or something in the humidity? Or just an atmospheric phenomenon? Whatever the case, the result was one of near blinding beauty, which was one fantastic way to rouse from a deep slumber.

“You’re up,” a deep voice said from behind her, the mountain of muscle shifting and loosening his grip.

A breeze of cool air hit her back where the gap had formed. Maria scooted back, tucking in close once more, putting off the inevitable strain of their departure.

“Just a little longer, okay?”

His thick arms tightened around her with a delightful warmth. “As you wish.”

Maria’s eyes focused on the landscape their elevated position was revealing as the sun climbed higher and higher, its rays illuminating more and more of the fascinating alien land every second.

“It’s so beautiful.”

His arms flexed slightly as he nodded. “It is indeed. Something more would be better off to stop and observe.”

“How can you not? I mean, just look at it all.”

“I agree wholeheartedly. But many take things for granted. Everyday beauty we just don’t appreciate.”

“Don’t say we . You do.”

He chuckled. “Yes, I do. But even I was not so cognizant until recently.”

“Oh?”

“A story for another time, perhaps. But for now, let us just lay here and enjoy nature’s exhibition.”

“Works for me,” she replied, falling into a contemplative silence as Mother Nature put on a show to remember.

It was a good ten minutes later when they finally untangled themselves and sat up.

With the rising sun came warmth, and Maria didn’t so much mind the absence of her own personal living space heater.

At least, not the heat he threw off. But resting in his arms had been the safest she’d felt since she had been abducted by the Raxxians, and the best she’d slept as well.

Sure, a good portion of the sleep part was due to the prior day’s extreme expenditures of energy. But the mental benefits of feeling such comfort had nothing to do with that, and her mind felt energized as a result of real, proper rest.

“Here, you will undoubtedly need this,” Zepharos said, handing her a gel pack and a bottle of water. “Start early and your muscles will thank you.”

“Noted, and appreciated,” she replied, taking it with a thankful little nod.

Maria downed it in a flash, her body craving it more than she’d realized. Apparently, she was quite a bit more drained than anticipated.

“When you’re ready,” he said, presenting her a small spread of their remaining prepared foods. “It’s a bit meager, but it will suffice. I’ll forage as we trek, and tonight I will see about finding us shelter that will hide us from sight. If I can manage that, we can have a fire.”

“You kept me plenty warm.”

“And I’m glad. But fire also means I can cook. I’m not as skilled as my tribe’s hunters, mind you, but I think I can manage to acquire us something a bit more substantial for dinner. And after a long day I’m sure we will both need it.”

The thought of a barbecue was enticing, and Maria was quite curious to see just what her new friend might be able to whip up.

And with the lingering exhaustion stubbornly clinging to her limbs like sap on her hands after an ill-advised tree climb, she was more than sure her body would be grateful for it.

She felt Zepharos’s eyes on her, staring.

“What?”

He hesitated. “You are still drained.”

“You can tell?”

“Your movements, your energy levels seem diminished. I have something that will help. An energy elixir that has some sensory boosting properties, as well as strength enhancing?—”

“Fantastic.”

“ But it can cause quite a headache,” he finished. “For that reason, I am a bit reluctant to use it as we don’t know how your race reacts to it.”

“If it’ll get us clear of here faster, I’m willing to suffer a headache. But to be clear, you’re saying it’ll help my muscles work harder?”

“Yes.”

“Sounds like it’ll be worth the headache if it helps me cover more distance faster. And let me be clear, there are no addictive properties?”

“None. With the side effects, most would prefer to avoid it save those circumstances such as this where it is more prudent to use it than avoid it. That’s why I brought a dose.”

“Just one? What about you? How will you keep up if I’m super-charged?

He shook his head, a bright, amused grin on his handsome face. “I don’t need it.”

“You saying I’m weak?” she asked, a wry grin on her face.

“Nothing of the sort. I wouldn’t bring it up normally, but given our situation it seemed this was an appropriate time to offer it. You are tired, simple as that, and we cannot afford to be slow.”

What he neglected to mention was that he was tired too and would have happily downed one of the elixirs himself, headache be damned.

But he’d only managed to procure one of them in the city, and he had saved it for Maria.

Her well-being came first, though she didn’t need to know any of that.

All that mattered was that she would benefit from his actions and remain free.

He took a small tube out of his pack. It looked like green glass, but it felt almost weightless, the thin material sealed with a simple stopper. It was anything but.

“This is shatterproof,” he said, tapping it on a rock.

“The sealing mechanism is deceptive. It looks like a pull stopper, but you must first place one finger on the bottom of the tube. It conducts bioelectricity which will allow you to open the other end. Fail to do that and it will remain quite sealed no matter how hard you pull. Understood?” he asked, handing her the tube.

“Yeah.”

“Good. I would suggest waiting to take it until your food has digested, just in case it causes any stomach upset. ”

“Ah, right. Again, that pesky human metabolism rearing its ugly head.”

“You are far from ugly,” he said, a slight blush rising to his cheeks, vanishing just as quickly.

Maria felt a little flutter in her stomach.

This enormous, capable man who had faced untold risk rescuing her with little care for his own safety was actually flustered.

It was freaking adorable. If not for their current situation, she might even have enjoyed a little teasing banter, but Zepharos quickly rose to his feet.

“I’m going to do a quick scout to determine the best route now that we have light. Enjoy your breakfast, I’ll be back soon.”

He didn’t wait for a response, vanishing in a flash.

Well, that was something , Maria chuckled to herself. A welcome moment of levity in her day. So far, this escape with her new alien friend was proving not so bad at all.

Zepharos returned a short while later, composed and with a determined look in his eye.

“It’s going to be a little more difficult than anticipated,” he said, shaking his head as he gathered up their supplies and refuse into his pack then slipping it onto his broad shoulders. “There is a small river, but it is normally a trickle this time of year.”

“I sense a but coming.”

“But there must have been a storm somewhere upstream, and as a result we are going to have to get a little creative to cross. Can you swim?”

“I can. Is that not normal here?”

“Most can swim, but it’s something I’d never thought to ask of the other humans I’ve met.”

“So, we’re swimming across a river?”

“No. The water is too swift, for one. And if stormwater is causing the rise, it will likely be quite cold. Best to avoid it if at all possible.”

“Avoid the river? I thought you said we have to cross it.”

“Sorry. Yes, we must cross the river. I mean it is best to avoid falling in. Cold takes its toll, though it is early in the day, and it will be warm out by the time we reach it, which does reduce the risk. In any case, we need to get moving. Are you ready?”

“As ready as I can be.”

He nodded once. “Then follow me.”

They headed for the ridge and began their descent.

It was then that Maria saw the river’s telltale gleam in the distance.

It wasn’t huge by any means, but it was definitely not some reduced trickle.

It wasn’t too far, perhaps a few hours’ trek.

She’d find out its true breadth for sure then.

Until that time, she would just focus on keeping up with Zepharos and minding her footing.

A sprained ankle could be the difference between escape and recapture, and she was not about to endure the latter.

Not if she had anything to say about it.

They made good time as the day started with a long descent.

Going downhill, while tough on the knees and quads, was still a lot easier than climbing up.

As a result, Maria didn’t find herself needing to sample the mysterious alien elixir just yet.

And, as she’d guesstimated, it was just shy of three hours before they reached the winding expanse of water.

Tall trees flanked either shore, submerged up their trunks, showing just how much the water had risen in a short period.

And that water was moving quickly . It was also muddier than it appeared from a distance, the churn of storm runoff mixing things up and making it look even more imposing.

This was definitely not something she wanted to try to swim across.

Fortunately, Zepharos was of the same mind.

“Help me gather fallen branches,” he said, dragging a length that was as thick around as his forearm .

“Are we building a raft?”

He looked genuinely shocked at her answer. “Yes, actually. Very perceptive.”

“Not like there’s much else we could do with a bunch of wood. I mean, a bridge is out of the question.”

“True. But if you look downriver, do you see the fallen tree? The one jutting into the river from the opposite shore?”