Page 27 of Stealing the Star Stone

Chapter Nineteen

The moon, Lethara

She kissed me!

Day Four.

It was a kiss Eli hadn’t expected and hadn’t instigated. A miracle in his book. As Nova marched ahead, he recalled her lips on his, the softness and sheer thrill in every flick of her tongue. She’d dominated when he always took the lead.

“Hurry up, Thorne,” she yelled.

He frowned. “What happened to calling me Eli?”

“You’re not dying,” he thought he heard her say.

He broke into a jog, the rifle smacking his ass. “Think Frederik’s all right?”

“I hope so.”

“Yeah,” he hummed, clambering over a fallen tree while she just stepped over it. “I’m hoping he got in touch with Graham. We could do with backup.”

“I don’t think you’ve realized that if we’re stuck like this forever, you’re going to jail.”

“You’ll bail me out.” He grinned. “And vice versa.”

“Deal.” She tossed him a cheeky smile. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with all my millions of credits.”

He chuckled. “Billions.”

She stumbled. “No shit. Well, as tempting as all that is, I want my meager bank account back, thanks.”

“No craving for fame?”

She scoffed. “Nope.”

A familiar whir whipped his gaze to the sky. A black metallic object gleamed as it trailed them.

“Shit,” he muttered, catching the logo of a popular digital magazine.

“Orien?” she gasped.

“Paparazzi,” he snapped. “Stay calm.”

She snorted. “I am calm.”

“Eli Thorne, E-Galactic.” A feminine voice boomed from the drone’s speakers. “We’re so happy to have found you. Rumor has it that you’re prepping for your next role. Any clues as to what we can expect?”

“I can shoot it from the sky,” Nova whispered.

“Don’t bother. They’ll just send more drones.”

“Okay, what do I say?” She shifted in front of him, shielding him from the camera.

“That you’ll be reprising the role of Nebula Slim. There’s no script, or I haven’t seen it, yet.”

She set the bag on the ground, then repeated him word for word. “I’d be happy to give you an exclusive once I return to…” She smirked. “Civilization.”

“Thank you,” the reporter said. “Who’s the woman?”

Eli smothered a chuckle. Time for improv . “I’m Nova Blake.” He gripped his hips. “I’m surprised you gained access to a restricted moon. Your name and designation, please.”

“That won’t be necessary. We have all the images we need.” The drone shot up and circled back.

“Shit, not sure that was a good thing,” she said. “Thinking you’re out here for a role means no rescue.”

“At least she left us alone.”

An explosion whipped their attention at a plume of smoke. The drone crashed into the trees beyond the waterfalls.

“That had to be Orien’s doing,” Eli said.

“We’re out in the open. Obviously.” She waved a hand at where the drone had been.

“Yeah, let’s find cover.” He nudged his head to continue.

She did, picking up the bag and jogging onward. “Is this normal? People intruding?”

“You get used to it.”

She scowled and veered left, skirting the side of the ravine a little farther from the riverbank. With no more drones to delay them, they covered a good distance.

At the edge of a forest, she faltered. “See any green goo?”

He stopped beside her. “Let’s just assume it’s there.” He glanced at the river, white frothy waves proving the rapids might be a little tricky to navigate. “We’ve got no choice.”

She clutched the bag’s straps tighter across her chest. “I’d say to head back, maybe take the other side, but—” She nudged her chin at the opposite bank crowded with trees.

“Yeah, and with Orien too close, we’re going to have to make a run for it.” He gave her upper arm a squeeze. “I’m ready.”

She smirked. “Just no more falling into caves.”

“Well,” he shrugged, “it did get us a stone.”

She nodded, squared her shoulders, then broke into a sprint, weaving between trees, from boulder to root. He followed, tracing her steps as best he could. The wind and his breathing filled his ears. And a tingling.

“Do you hear that?” she asked, pausing on a thick patch of purple moss.

He halted next to her and scanned their surroundings. Tall grass, ferns, and gigantic mushrooms covered the forest bed. He tilted his head. “Sounds like bells.”

“It’s getting louder,” she said, bolting onward but this time with even more urgency.

He peered deep into the shadows between the trees, the river muted and no longer visible. When a fern twitched, he chased after her. Patter and tinkles pushed him to go faster. He exploded into sunlight, cutting a path in a field of blue grass and white flowers that looked like praying hands.

He skidded to a stop where Nova had and doubled over, trying to catch his breath.

“Heard that, too?” she asked, hoisting the machete and the blaster.

“Yeah, like hundreds of little feet.”

She walked back a few meters, studying the treeline. “Mm, would explain the bells.”

He straightened, hands on hips and gazed across the field. The grass rippled as if God had run his fingers over it. Far in the distance was the shimmer of amber-colored water—the lake.

“I guess we’re heading that way.”

When she didn’t answer, he glanced in her direction.

Ice stiffened every muscle.

Before her stood a man no higher than her knee.

His bulbous head had tribal markings. Two googly eyes competed with large pointy ears for attention, but both lost to the wide mouth sprouting sharklike teeth.

A fur of some animal covered his top half.

A loincloth his privates, and below that were two knobby knees.

His legs to his feet were bare, and the longest toe nails coiled over his toes—three per foot.

One hand held a spear, chimes strapped to the shaft.

In his other hand, he wielded a wicked-looking dagger.

The blades of grass split, revealing more of these…strange men.

“Run,” she whispered.

And Eli did, sprinting at full speed toward the lake.

A horrific ululation drowned his ears, masking her footsteps. But he didn’t dare to check if she followed. He didn’t need to worry when she passed him, caught his hand, and hurried him on. The field gave way to dunes of black sand into a long shore where the amber-colored water lapped at its banks.

She spun, facing their pursuers.

“Think it was wise to run?” he asked, gasping for breath.

“He had red blood on his dagger.” She raised her blaster, ready to fire.

On the crest of a dune, figures appeared, standing still, watching them. The air thickened with tension. This was it, the moment they’d die.

“We can try and hide,” she said, gesturing to more forests on the opposite banks of the lake.

“Or we can swim,” he finished.

“Yes.” She tucked the machete under her armpit, ran her palm down her thigh, then regripped the weapon.

“You are foolish to swim here,” a super-tall man said, peeking from behind a boulder. “The flesh-eating jedshe reside here. They prefer the calm to the force of the great waters.”

“Stay back,” Nova said, aiming the blaster at him and the two men who gathered behind him—looming like guards.

A fisherman on his own, not scary. Three men on a deserted bank, alarming. One bore a nasty scar from eyebrow to collarbone. She could kill two before the third would reach her or Eli.

Their gold-skin shimmered in the sunlight.

It took a moment for Eli to look past that to the low-riding loincloths in woven fabric, falling to their sandaled feet.

Their chests were bare except for blue markings similar to his tattoo.

Long hair in bronze, copper, and gold fell down their backs, beaded and braided.

They had humanoid features for the most part minus the bridge of a nose. A gem was embedded in the speaker’s temple.

And in his hand was a string of freshly caught eels.

Eli blinked at him, finally registering what he’d said. “You speak galactic?”

“I speak Lethari.”

What? Something squeezed Eli’s chest tight. How’s this possible?

“Eli, why are you babbling?” Nova asked, coming to stand between him and the native warrior.

Eli angled his head to gaze at her. She doesn’t understand the man?

Said man studied them, his gaze resting on their tattoos before he hollered at their hunters. “Under my protection.”

Hands were thrown up in anger, spears waved, amid more ululation before one by one, the little men left.

“Do not mind the Skrillith. It is not often they find such a bounty.”

“My thanks for the rescue.” Eli leaned in to whisper to Nova, “I can understand him.”

Her eyes widened. “Is he friend or foe?”

“I don’t know yet.” Eli pointed across the lake. “We need to reach that island.”

The man gazed out. “For a Kovari Shol?” He hummed. “You must have the permission of my chieftain.” He narrowed his eyes at them. “You are not like the others.”

Eli raised his chin, meeting the man’s dark gaze. “If we could return your star stones, we would.”

“That is not what we call them. The Kovari Shol are older than we know. Come. I will take you to my village.” He marched off, swinging his eels.

“He wants us to go with him. Says his chieftain can help us.”

Nova gazed at the empty dunes then the island. “Do we go?”

“Wanna swim?” he asked, though the man’s warning made his stomach churn.

“I am Amenkar,” the man said, pausing to glance at them. “Do not fear me. I mean you no harm.” He started along the beach.

Eli fell into step beside him, casting glances over his shoulder at Nova, who hesitated, eyed a loan Skrillith, and hurried to join him.

“My name’s Nova,” Eli said, “and this is Eli.”

Amenkar bowed his head. “May Lethaar bestow their blessings upon you.”

Eli reacted on instinct and dipped his chin to his chest. “And to you,” he said, not sure what else to say.

A smile twitched the man’s lips. “I like you, stranger. I sense no ill intent, no deep desire to change our world.”

“It’s beautiful and should remain untouched,” Eli said, gazing at the winged whales swam in the sky, near the horizon.