Page 17 of Rhaz’s Redemption (Shifters of Valo Prime #6)

Beatrice

My legs were growing tired as I followed Zander through the thick forest. I thought he might take one of the more worn down trails, but instead he followed what seemed to be a path known only to him.

I’d spent the past few hours pushing past bushes, walking over fallen logs, and keeping an eye out for any predators.

I did all this while also trying to remain as quiet as possible.

I knew the sirret sense of hearing was superior to humans but I didn’t know how much better or how far the hearing went.

Despite my fatigue, I kept walking under the light of the moons. We walked and walked until my tired, sore legs finally got the better of me and I tripped over a log that had been covered with leaves.

I cursed under my breath and stood up again quietly, but quickly. I couldn’t lose sight of Zander. Without him leading the way, I’d be screwed.

Unfortunately, it seems like that was exactly what had happened. I looked ahead of me through the trees where I’d last seen the tall Sirret male, but he was nowhere to be found.

My heart raced in my chest as I looked all around me trying to catch even the slightest glimpse of Zander.

“Are you alright?”

A deep voice came from beside me and I was so startled by it, I fell on my ass all over again.

Zander stepped into the light with a smug smile on his face and offered me his hand.

“You don’t have to walk so far behind me, you know? I could hear you panting for miles.”

“What?” My mouth hung open at this new revelation. “How long have you known I was there?”

“I heard you following me shortly after I left the clearing,” he remarked as if my following him deep into the woods was no big deal.

I took his hand and stood back up. “You knew I was there the entire time?! Why didn’t you send me back?”

Zander shrugged his shoulders. “I wanted an excuse to go back to your dekes, and now, after I check on my sister and Rhaz, I won’t have any choice but to help you back to the mountain.”

My jaw hung open again. He’d let me follow him so he could have an excuse to go back.

I straightened my shoulders and eyed him suspiciously. “What is it you like about my dekes so much?” I had a feeling I already knew the answer, but I wanted to see what he’d say.

“I uh,” he looked around at our surroundings as if a tree might whisper something helpful in his ear. “Tarak. Tarak is a good Savrix.”

“Uh huh. So it’s just Tarak’s leadership that has you wanting to come back?

No one else?” I raised an eyebrow up at him.

He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off Fatima the entire afternoon.

Every time she entered the room or even walked by him he’d suddenly stop talking or paying attention to whomever he was with and stare.

It was as if her mere presence made his brain short circuit entirely.

“Do I need another reason?” He shot back.

“No,” I admitted. I liked Zander so far, but I still didn’t know him well enough to approve of this crush he had on my best friend.

“There’s a cave up ahead. We can bed down there for the night,” he quickly shifted topics to our sleeping arrangements.

“Fine,” I huffed. “Thank you.” I was truly grateful for his help. I would never have been able to make this trip on my own.

I followed Zander to a nearby cave where he started a small fire to keep us warm throughout the night.

“Here lift up your furs,” Zander requested as he pushed a large stone from the fire with a stick. “It’ll keep your blankets warm,” he commented when I gave him a puzzled look.

“Oh, that’s smart,” I lifted my blanket and was surprised by how the hot rock pleasantly warmed my bed of furs without burning me.

“A good sirret hunter knows how to stay warm in the winter,” he nodded his head then glanced over at me as if he wanted to ask a question but was too embarrassed to do so.

“Uh, yeah, I guess you're right,” I commented, not really knowing what else to say.

“I can do many things well,” he continued and I bit back a sigh of exhaustion. I was tired. I wanted to go to sleep, and here he was trying to brag about his hunting skills.

“I’m sure you can,” I said as I laid down and turned my back to the big blue alien with long black hair.

“What, uh,” he continued. “What will you say…no that’s not what I want to ask,” Zander mumbled. “When you do get back to the mountain,” he tried again. “Do you think you’ll tell Fatima about your trip?”

So that’s what this was about. He was bragging to me in hopes that I would sing his praises to my best friend.

“Maybe,” I teased.

Silence. The crackle of the fire echoed across the cave and for a long moment neither of us spoke. It wasn’t until I was just about to fall asleep that Zander asked, “What is an an-throw-pol-ee-gist?” He forced the word out slowly. “Is that a special kind of hunter or weaver?”

I might have been tired, but his question was both funny and endearing.

I chuckled under my breath and replied, “No, it’s a person who studies the past. They try to figure out what humans were like thousands of years ago, how their cultures were structured, what gods they worshipped, stuff like that. ”

“Hmm,” he replied. “So she’s smart and bossy.”

That made me bark out a laugh. “You picked up on that, huh?”

“Indeed, she is…everything,” he sighed like a lovesick teenager.

“Have you felt this kind of affection for anyone before?”

I knew Zander had luminesced for another. It sounded like it happened a long time ago, but still I had to ask.

There was another long silence before he answered. “No. I… I tried to feel this way for another, but things just never worked out for us. Perhaps with time…” he cut himself off and shifted on his furs.

“Goodnight Beatrice. Thank you for answering my questions.”

“Goodnight Zander.”

Silence filled the cave once again, and the soft crackling of the fire lulled me to sleep.

THE NEXT DAY

That morning we got up as the sun began to rise and packed our things.

“We have a half day’s walk from here to the valley,” Zander informed me.

“Half a day. Got it,” I nodded my head, and let my determination show through in my voice. Half a day until I’ll lay eyes on Rhaz and confirm that he’s alright. Then I can move on with my life. I’ll have done my due diligence as his…what? Friend? That wasn’t right.

Whatever we were, I couldn’t ignore the anxious feeling I had in my chest every time I closed my eyes. It was as if our connection were warning me of something and I just had to see for myself.

Zander and I walked through the thick brush of the forest. He admitted that he didn’t like walking the main trails.

“It’s easier to keep an eye on the bullies in my dekes if I stay hidden while they walk by. They often speak of their plans while walking which has helped me keep my sister and I out of their way.”

“Why go through all that trouble?” I asked. “Why not come live with us?”

“I want to,” he confessed, “but Viana insists on staying. I think soon we will have no choice but to leave. She’s an adult now, so I can’t just throw her over my shoulder and force her to leave, so I’ve been trying to think of a way to convince her to come with me.”

“That’s a tough spot to be in,” I sympathized.

“Yes,” Zander nodded his head as he held back a large branch for me to walk past. “She’s stubborn like our mother was, and she’s at that age of young adulthood where she thinks she knows all the right answers and does not desire any advice from me.”

“I’m sure things will get better with time,” I tried to offer him some comfort.

“Maybe,” Zander sighed.

We kept walking for a while longer when Zander suddenly stopped ahead of me. His pause in walking was so abrupt that I nearly ran into him.

“What is going on?”

The tall hunter swung around and put a hand over my mouth. “Do not speak. Someone is coming our way.”

I nodded my head and he removed his hand from my mother. He motioned for me to sit behind a bush, and I did as I was instructed. He stood for a few moments longer before squatting down next to me.

“I hear a great many voices,” he informed me as he furrowed his brows. “It sounds like half the dekes is walking through the forest.”

He and I waited silently for the group of hunters to walk past us on the trail. Long moments passed by until I could finally hear them too.

“Today is a day of glory,” A loud booming voice could be heard above the rest, and I assumed it was Dameron’s. “We will take what is rightfully ours and ensure the future of our own dekes.”

Then my heart nearly stopped beating in my chest as I watched Rhaz, whose hands had been bound at the wrists being led like a dog by a rope that was tied around his neck.

There were at least twelve adult male hunters walking behind their Savrix but the one holding Rhaz’s leash, he looked like the youngest among them.

He had long brown hair that was tied back at the nape of his neck and he kept looking over his shoulder at Rhaz, his prisoner.

I wanted to be angry with this young male, but the look of concern that crossed his face every time he looked back was unexpected.

“Favalor,” Zander growled the young male’s name as if it were a curse. Then the strange scars on his arms started to glow orange. “I knew he was a bad male,” he grumbled.

“Is that who’s leading Rhaz?” I asked in a whisper.

“Yes,” Zander acknowledged, then he took a calming breath and the orange glow disappeared.

I sat up to get a better look at the group passing us. I knew it was a risk but I had to get a glimpse of Rhaz. I needed to know what kind of condition he was in.

An involuntary gasp escaped my throat as I took in the sight of his bruised body. He had a black eye, a cut along his cheek, a split lip, and he walked with a limp. What had they done to him, and why? He was on a mission of peace. He was asking for mercy.